"Heh heh," Li Mengxiao chuckled, her round face still showing a shy expression. Her gaze towards Ling Fenghan held a touch of complexity.
On the other side, Ling Fenghan cleared his throat briefly and announced that they could begin practice.
Being able to sing with her idol felt like a dream to Xia Qingtian. She didn't falter throughout the entire practice session and was even praised by the vocal coach.
At this moment, Ling Fenghan's phone alarm rang. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes before he said, "Let's take a break."
Hearing Ling Fenghan's suggestion, everyone agreed.
Li Mengxiao immediately offered Xia Qingtian a throat-soothing tea. "The temperature is just right, try it. If it's too bitter, I also prepared rock sugar."
"Thank you, Xiaoxiao," Xia Qingtian expressed her sincere gratitude and took a large sip. The temperature was indeed perfect, and her throat felt incredibly comfortable.
Thinking about how Li Mengxiao had been misunderstood by Ling Fenghan, Xia Qingtian glanced around the practice room and said, "I'm going out for a bit. You should rest too."
With that, Xia Qingtian grabbed a bottle of mineral water and left the practice room. She intended to find Ling Fenghan and give him the water, hoping to avoid any awkward silence.
She didn't see him, but she heard Ling Fenghan's agent speaking from around the corner.
"You really can't take this medicine anymore. Did you stay up all night again last night?" the agent's voice was filled with concern.
"I'm fine. I still need to practice. If I don't take the medicine, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold on," Ling Fenghan's voice was a little weak. "I'm sorry for making you worry."
"Don't apologize to me! You! You! Can you just try to calm your emotions? If you really can't, just cry it out! You'll go mad like this sooner or later!" the agent spoke deliberately in a low voice.
"I'm already close to going mad," Ling Fenghan said with a self-mocking laugh. "I can't help it, I really can't... I've tried my best, I've tried everything... I can't, I really can't!"
"How about I give you a few days off? You can rest properly," the agent hesitated. "How about I arrange a trip abroad for you?"
"The work is already arranged. It would be irresponsible to leave at this time, and besides..." Ling Fenghan's voice trembled. "And those extreme fans will find me. I don't know how they get my schedule. They'll follow me, take photos, and..."
"Okay! Okay!" The agent realized that Ling Fenghan's panic attack seemed to be setting in again and quickly said, "Fenghan, let's not talk about it! Deep breaths! Deep breaths! You're in the company now, you're safe! Deep breaths!"
Ling Fenghan then gasped heavily with a grim expression. "The medicine! Give me the medicine!"
"This..." The agent held Ling Fenghan's medicine bottle, still seeming hesitant.
At that moment, Xia Qingtian suddenly appeared, snatched the medicine bottle from the agent's hand, opened it, and asked, "How many pills?"
"Two," Ling Fenghan was somewhat shocked but still extended his trembling hand to accept the pills Xia Qingtian offered, then took the mineral water she handed him.
After taking the medicine, Ling Fenghan became much more stable.
"How are you feeling?" Xia Qingtian asked, supporting his arm.
"Much better, thank you," Ling Fenghan nodded and gave Xia Qingtian a bitter smile. "You had to see me at my worst. Do you feel your idol has been shattered?"
Seeing Ling Fenghan still smiling at her at this moment, concerned about her feelings, Xia Qingtian felt a heavy ache in her chest.
"Qingtian, Fenghan has his reasons for being like this, and he's actively undergoing treatment. He'll be better soon," the agent said to Xia Qingtian. "We hope you can keep this a secret from the outside world; it concerns Fenghan's future."
"Don't worry, I won't say a word." After assuring the agent she would keep quiet, Xia Qingtian looked at Ling Fenghan and said, "From the day I started following you, I knew you were a normal person who gets tired, gets hurt, and has bad moods. I like your songs. As long as you don't resort to lip-syncing, my idol will never be shattered. Don't worry!"
Hearing Xia Qingtian's words, Ling Fenghan felt a wave of emotion, a desire to cry, as he breathed a sigh of relief.
For the first time in so long, he felt this urge to express himself, as if a tiny crack had appeared in the solid wall he had built around his heart.
The subsequent practice session went very smoothly. Ling Fenghan was full of stage experience, and Xia Qingtian possessed superior talent and solid fundamentals. Their collaboration earned them everyone's applause.
"That's great! If you can maintain today's level on the recording day, you'll be completely fine!" The vocal coach exclaimed after the practice. "Thank you for your hard work today!"
"Thank you, coach. Everyone has worked hard," Ling Fenghan and Xia Qingtian expressed their gratitude to everyone present before heading out.
As Ling Fenghan got into his car, he heard Xia Qingtian call his name.
Ling Fenghan turned to her. "What is it?"
"Do you have any other plans after today?" Xia Qingtian asked.
"No, I just want to go home and see if I can fall asleep. Last night..." Ling Fenghan gave a wry smile and shrugged. "I'll... give it a try."
"I have a bottle of medicine here that's specifically for insomnia caused by emotional issues. If you plan to sleep as soon as you get home, you can drink it in the car," Xia Qingtian then handed Ling Fenghan the emotional release agent she had taken from her system inventory.
Given Ling Fenghan's current state, if he didn't release his emotions, he would drive himself crazy.
Regardless of anything else, from the time she had spent with Ling Fenghan, she knew he was an excellent singer and a high-quality idol.
Xia Qingtian didn't want him to leave the stage he loved for this reason.
"Thank you," Ling Fenghan took the medicine bottle Xia Qingtian offered. "I'll try it."
"Okay, see you tomorrow," Xia Qingtian waved with a smile before returning to her car.
Meanwhile, the agent saw Ling Fenghan drinking something as soon as he got into the car and casually asked, "What are you drinking? A vitamin drink?"
"I don't know," Ling Fenghan said after finishing it. "Qingtian gave it to me. She said it helps with insomnia."
"Huh? You drank it just because she gave it to you?" The agent was taken aback. "Let me see!"
Ling Fenghan handed the empty bottle to his agent. The agent looked at the small, attractively packaged bottle that lacked any pharmaceutical certification and felt a headache coming on.
Their artist was so trusting of others; what were they going to do...
"Should we take him to the hospital to get his stomach pumped..." the agent murmured.