Silence

A writing exercise from before I signed a contract. Read at your own risk.

"His eyes turn completely red whenever he sees you. Tell me, does he love you or not?"

Xia Yu is a rising singer and idol, well-liked both in and out of the industry. Thanks to his outstanding talent, the media often compares him to top-tier star Lu Wenfeng, saying that their styles and music are similar. But few people know that the person Xia Yu hates most is Lu Wenfeng.

He will never escape the shadow of this once-in-a-generation musical genius.

In everyone else's eyes, Lu Wenfeng is a musical genius who stands at the pinnacle, a legend no one can surpass. But to Xia Yu, everything about Lu Wenfeng gets on his nerves.

Then one day, he deliberately joins a show that might feature Lu Wenfeng as a guest, hoping to prove himself. But through a series of mishaps, Lu Wenfeng ends up becoming his mentor.

Xia Yu: ...Damn it.

But Lu Wenfeng really is a genius. He's even more sincere, gentle, and outstanding than Xia Yu imagined. The entertainment industry, that great dye vat, has left no deep marks on him. Apart from the charm of maturity he's gradually acquired, he is still as pure as white jade and as radiant as the moon, just like when he first debuted.

Xia Yu... feels even more restless.

One night, after they finish working on a song together, Xia Yu can no longer bear the feeling and yells at Lu Wenfeng, "...I don't want to become your shadow. I don't want to live in your shadow, do you understand?!"

Lu Wenfeng doesn't fly into a rage as Xia Yu expects. Instead, he gently coaxes him: "Then what do you want to become?"

The question leaves Xia Yu speechless.

What does he want to become...?

He doesn't know either.

He just feels he can't stay in the shadow behind Lu Wenfeng forever. He can't keep looking up at his back forever, or keep watching him walk away. He wants to, he wants to...

Before Xia Yu can figure it out, Lu Wenfeng speaks first.

At some point, he'd moved close to Xia Yu. Xia Yu looks up at him without thinking and sees a light in those cool, clear eyes, gentler than moonlight.

"Do you want to become my genius?" he says.

Xia Yu's mind goes blank. He asks without thinking, "...W-what genius?"

Lu Wenfeng doesn't explain further. He simply calls to him softly: "Come here."

He holds out a hand to Xia Yu, his manner exceptionally humble. "I cherish you, my genius."

Translated, that means: "I cherish you, my genius."

Lu Wenfeng has always wanted to meet the junior singer who sings his songs in a completely different way, but one thing or another has always kept them from meeting.

When they finally do meet, he discovers that this little singer is not only awkward, but also has some very mistaken ideas about a lot of things.

Teacher Xia.

Lu Wenfeng's gaze lowers slightly.

Hush.

"Everyone in the world knows Xia Yu likes Lu Wenfeng. He's the only one who thinks it's hatred."

A dazzling musical genius (top) x a little singer who doesn't realize he's in love (bottom)

They both fall for each other. Happy ending.

As I wrote, this turned into an entertainment industry story that doesn't really feel like one... The romance is genuinely sweet and bittersweet, while the career stuff is complete nonsense from start to finish. √

No real-life inspirations. Please don't bring that up.

Theme: Cherish the person in front of you.