Midsummer Youth

On a clamorous summer day, a basketball spun out of control and cut through the heat, landing squarely on Gu Anzhi’s white dress and leaving an ugly stain. As she dabbed at it with a tissue, her flustered expression caught the amused gaze of the boy, Zhu Zhixin. What began as an awkward accident became the start of their bond, thanks to his friendship with her older brother.

Sweat soaked through countless days and nights in the practice room. He was a trainee just beginning to make a name for himself, his eyes full of determination to take the stage. She was his closest friend, always by his side. She watched him go from an inexperienced singer and dancer to a rising star, sharing their joys and uncertainties along the way. Just as his star began to rise, a decision about her future forced her to leave without a word and move far away for three years.

Before she could return, longing arrived first. When Gu Anzhi stood before Zhu Zhixin again as his manager, he had already become a top-tier star in the making, with all eyes on him. Beneath the spotlight, the fire in his eyes was unchanged. When he looked at her, there was no resentment, only the tenderness of a long-awaited reunion.

From their first meeting in summer to the concert stage filled with cheering fans, she had missed three years of his life, but she would stay by his side for the rest of his journey to stardom. This time, she would be his strongest support, standing shoulder to shoulder with him at the top as starlight fell across their shoulders.