Chapter 18: Concert

Three days later, Monica received an invitation from YingshuLisa to go see a celebrity's concert.
"How about it? I've got the plane tickets, hotel, and tickets covered. You just need to show up." As they applied face masks side by side, YingshuLisa closed her eyes and enjoyed the gentle massage from the beautician. "Besides, you're not busy lately."
Monica asked, "Why didn't I know you were into celebrities lately?"
"Just for fun," YingshuLisa pressed the edge of her face mask with her fingertips. "Just say whether you're going or not."
"In which city?" Monica casually asked.
"City Z, this weekend." Lisa said.
The name of this city sounded somewhat familiar to her, and after thinking for a while, Monica realized it was the city where Steven had been on a business trip.
How could this be such a coincidence?
Monica stared at the ceiling for a while with her eyes open. "How many days is the concert?"
"It runs for two days, but we're only going on the first day. After the concert, we can also explore City Z."
Monica nodded. "Alright, I'll go with you."
The temperature in City Z was much warmer than in NingchuanSiena. As soon as the plane landed, the scorching sun shone through the porthole. After they disembarked, they got into the car that came to pick them up.
The driver was a young man who kept calling YingshuLisa "Sister YingshuLisa," which puzzled Monica.
"Do you know each other?" she finally asked.
YingshuLisa leaned back in her seat with sunglasses on, resting her eyes. "He's Shawn HillQin Chu's assistant."
Qin ChuShawn was the star of this concert.
Monica sensed something fishy.
The seaside scenery along the way was refreshing and pleasing to the eyes. Monica took a few pictures of the landscape and later some architecture when they arrived at the hotel. She prepared to post them on her social media.
However, just one minute after she posted, a friend commented, "Are you visiting City Z? This hotel is quite unique and nice. I suggest you try their breakfast."
How could they recognize it?
In panic, Monica immediately deleted the post.
After deleting it, she realized that this friend wasn't a mutual friend of hers and Steven's. They couldn't even see this comment.
Wait, he himself doesn't even post on social media. Perhaps he doesn't even look at these things?
Monica agonized over her own unnecessary fuss for a while and huffed, "I'm not sneaking around. Why am I being so secretive? Just because he's in City Z doesn't mean I can't come. I'm not looking for him, and I hope he doesn't misunderstand."
"Why are you muttering to yourself?" YingshuLisa handed her the room card.
"Go ahead, put the luggage down," they said to the bellboy..
The concert was in the evening, and they planned to go and have fun after they unpacked put down their luggage. Ying ShuwanLisa politely declined the assistant's request to accompany them, saying,
"The concert will start in the evening, and you guys are busy, so don't worry about me. Go and help him prepare instead."
As the assistant walked away, Monica glanced at her and asked, "I've been wanting to ask, what's going on with you guys, why ? Ddid a celebrity assistant come to pick you up?"
"It's exactly what you're thinking," Ying ShuwanLisa winked at Monica, "But don't say it out loud, no one knows yet."
Monica's first reaction was, "Did your dad agree to it?"
"It's too early to talk about that now, isn't it? I haven't even planned to take it to that step yet."
"Miss Ying, your words sound so heartless." Monica laughed.
Ying ShuwanLisa nudged her with her elbow unhappily, and the two of them playfully tussled in the hotel corridor.
The concert in the evening was packed with people. Monica sat in the private box and glanced outside. The cheer from the crowd seemed like it could overturn the entire stadium.
Qin ChuShawn sang vigorously on stage, his handsome face magnified on the big screen. Sweat slowly dripped down his forehead, and he casually wiped it away, tossing his hair back in a sexy and charming manner, causing the venue to erupt in fervent screams.
Inspired by the atmosphere, Monica also became excited and joined in the chanting, even though she hadn't heard any of the songs before. But that didn't stop her from being a lively participant.
Ying ShuwanLisa somehow found some sparkling hairbands, putting one on herself and another on Monica. The two of them couldn't help laughing at each other's silly and childish appearance.
But soon, they both immersed themselves in the strong beat of the music, completely captivated by the overwhelming sound waves.
After the concert ended, the lively noise gradually subsided.
Having sweat so much, they felt a bit cold as they walked out of the stadium and the wind blew.
"Qin ChuShawn's car is here to pick us up, but it can't wait at the entrance of the stadium. We need to walk a bit further out."
In the darkness of the night, the two of them walked against the crowd along the roadside. The hairbands on their heads shimmered as they made eye contact with passing girls, exchanging knowing smiles without saying a word.
"I didn't expect that you're in a relationship too," Monica pretended to sigh with lament, "Leaving me as a lonely person, maybe I won't be able to find anyone to go out with in the future."
Ying ShuwanLisa gave her a glance, saying, "If you really want to be in a relationship, can't you find someone? There are so many boys chasing after you at in school, just pick one at random."
"It's not that easy," Monica glared at her, "It's not like buying vegetables in a market." Monica said rolling her eyes.
"Let me tell you, love is not so complicated. When someone captures your heart, sometimes you can't resist it," Ying ShuwanLisa said as she typed on her phone without looking up, "If you want to experience it, I can introduce you to a few guys through Qin ChuShawn. They have a lot of promising young talents in their company, with all kinds of types."
Monica hummed lightly, "Thanks, but I'll pass. I'll leave it to you."
The two of them walked and chatted, and soon they reached the roadside. Ying ShuwanLisa raised her hand and waved it, and the car stopped in-front of them. The assistant got out of the car and opened the door for them. They got in and quickly left.
…
In the darkness of the night, the car steadily sped along, entering a certain road.
After a while, the speed suddenly slowed down.
"Why are there so many people? The road is so jammed." Assistant Mo ChengCaspar sat in the passenger seat and looked outside. "What's going on tonight?"
The driver explained, "There is a stadium nearby and they have concertsconcerted every other day. Judging from the number of people tonight, it seems there is a concert as well, and it's all young girls."
Assistant Mo ChengCaspar muttered, "If only we had taken another route, we wouldn't have been stuck for ages..."
Sitting in the back seat, Steven supported his head with one hand, leaning against the car window, and scrolled through his tablet on his lap, looking a bit tired.
The colorful lights outside reflected on the car window, flickering with enchanting colors.
This time, Steven personally led the team and the core members of Sterling Holdings went on a business trip. They had been busy for almost a week, and the only places they had been werewhere the hotel and the office.
They hadn't even had the chance to see what the mayor of City Z looked like. Today, for a rare change, they didn't need to work overtime. On their way back to the hotel for rest, they started clamoring to go to the famous Lamp's Late NightLate-Night Snack in City Z.
Assistant Mo ChengCaspar held up his phone with the speaker on and reached it to the back seat.
"Boss, are you coming to Lamp's for late night snack tonight?"
As the boss, Steven naturally wanted to reward his employees, so he nodded, "Go ahead and eat to your heart's content. Tonight, I'll treat."
A burst of cheering erupted from the other end of the phone, and everyone started planning how to make Steven pay dearly for the treat.
After hanging up the phone, the vehicle stopped. During the red lightred-light interval, as if they had a telepathic connection, he looked up and glanced outside the window.
A black limousine was parked on the opposite side of the road, and two young girls stood by the roadside, wearing shiny headbands from the concert, playfully getting into the car one after another.
He was taken aback.
Although it was just a glimpse, he felt like he saw Monica.
How is that possible?
Steven put down his tablet, closed his eyes, leaned back, and gently pinched the bridge of his nose.
How could she possibly be here? Steven wondered if he was seeing things.
**Chapter 19 Late Night Snacks**