Chapter 34: An Unexpected Encounter with a Moment of Radiance

Qi Jiajia was late for her date—seriously late.
It was an unforeseen incident. She had planned to leave after work, but her boss suddenly needed her for an urgent translation task.
That took almost two hours, and she considered negotiating with the production team to postpone the date.
But the staff told her that the other party was willing to wait.
She didn’t know who he was yet, but her heart was already warmed by this unknown male guest.
Could it be Xu Junze? Lu Zhou? Or Zhang Chen?
Although the one she most hoped for was Zhang Chen, she suddenly grew anxious that it might be him… If it was, her impression score for tonight would surely drop dramatically.
Qi Jiajia hurriedly finished the urgent work at her company and rushed to the date location as fast as she could.
When she arrived, the place was packed.
The seaside music festival was lively, and under normal circumstances, it would have been great fun. Unfortunately, the festival was already winding down, with only the echoes of excitement lingering.
She searched for quite a while before spotting the man she was meeting tonight.
The moment she caught sight of him, her steps halted involuntarily.
There, on the stage bathed in flickering spotlights, was a man in a black trendy T-shirt and a baseball cap, moving to the rhythm of jazz dance, his body perfectly in sync with the music.
The music sweeping through the venue was "24K Magic." The lead singer was passionately performing, the drummer beating out a compelling rhythm, and his dancing was the highlight of the show.
It was Lu Zhou!
Qi Jiajia was transfixed.
On stage, his body moved with remarkable agility, and as his limbs swayed to the beat, he was so captivating that female audience members below couldn’t help but scream in delight.
Qi Jiajia’s eyes sparkled.
Honestly, at this moment, Lu Zhou was truly handsome, and her heart raced uncontrollably.
Oh, so charming—how had he spent so many years as a barely-known performer?
If only he were a bit more famous in the entertainment industry, she’d have pursued him without hesitation!
In terms of looks, Lu Zhou was one of the best in the Pink Cottage.
But, alas, a man can’t live on looks alone. She demanded that her partner be talented and accomplished, at least not falling short of her own achievements!
Besides, she couldn’t possibly date someone less successful than her ex—that would leave her unable to swallow her pride.
"Everyone, join in!"
The lead singer shouted into the microphone.
The audience began singing along in chorus.

At that moment, several skilled dancers from the crowd joined the stage, singing and dancing together.
Clearly, the festival was coming to an end, as this was the segment where the audience got to participate.
Lu Zhou seemed thoroughly enjoying himself. He handed the stage over to the others and stepped down.
Qi Jiajia walked up to him with a smile brimming on her lips, looking utterly smitten. "You were amazing!"
It was only then that Lu Zhou noticed her arrival, and he smiled in surprise. "You finally got off work?"
"Yes, finally finished overtime." Qi Jiajia felt deeply apologetic, her face full of regret. "Sorry for making you wait alone so long."
"It’s fine. It’s lively here, and playing with everyone made me forget about the time. If you’d arrived a bit earlier, you could’ve caught some great music—the bands tonight were really good."
Still warm from dancing, Lu Zhou took off his cap and fanned himself.
Seeing this, Qi Jiajia hurriedly took a small packet of tissues from her purse and handed them to him to wipe his sweat.
"That’s really a pity. I wish I’d been here for the whole event."
"I’m really sorry about tonight. As compensation, how about I treat you to some food?"
Qi Jiajia was doing her best to make up for her tardiness.
"You haven’t eaten dinner yet, have you?" Lu Zhou suddenly realized.
"Actually, no…" Qi Jiajia pursed her lips, rubbing her stomach pitifully. She felt the onset of low blood sugar from hunger.
"You can’t do that—it’s bad for your stomach. You should learn from me; nothing should interfere with meals. When I got hungry waiting, I just went and grabbed something."
Lu Zhou pointed to a nearby snack stall. "How about we grab some street food?"
Qi Jiajia nodded, moved. "Alright!"
In the end, Qi Jiajia and Lu Zhou found a beachfront barbecue restaurant and ate by the sea.
By then, all the festival bands had finished their performances, and the audience was dispersing.
Qi Jiajia watched the lively crowd fade away with regret, teasing, "I thought tonight would be a romantic, passionate night of music and dancing, but it ended up as a down-to-earth barbecue feast."
Lu Zhou, chewing on grilled lamb, couldn’t help but laugh at her words, reassuring her, "Don’t worry, eating barbecue with the sea breeze might be a different kind of romance."
"The festival isn’t over yet. If you want to experience it, you can come again tomorrow or the next day. It’s right near where we’re staying."
"Really? Near our villa?" Qi Jiajia was surprised.
"Yeah, didn’t you notice when you came by car? The route was almost the same as going back to the villa."
"Oh… I really didn’t pay attention at the time…"
"You were probably so hungry you couldn’t think straight."
Qi Jiajia laughed, suddenly finding Lu Zhou’s personality quite appealing.

He wasn’t reserved, and was easy to be around;
He wasn’t oily or glib, nor did he deliberately try to please—he kept a comfortable distance;
He never made her feel awkward, and conversation flowed as easily as with a friend;
He didn’t even let her feel embarrassed about her own mistakes…
He was truly warm-hearted, like a close and friendly confidant.
Yet… Qi Jiajia sensed something was off.
A guy who could showcase all these strengths so casually in front of a woman… did it mean he wasn’t interested in her romantically?
Otherwise, who could act so relaxed in front of someone they were attracted to?
Thinking of this, Qi Jiajia felt a little uneasy inside.
Well then… luckily she hadn’t planned to be interested in him that way anyway!
Qi Jiajia took a sip of wine, and in the dim light, glanced at Lu Zhou a few times.
"How many years were you a trainee?" she asked.
"Excluding the year I debuted as part of a duo, about eight years," Lu Zhou replied.
"Wow, that long…" Qi Jiajia couldn’t help but sigh. "Guess the entertainment industry isn’t as easy as I thought."
Lu Zhou smiled at her words, unwilling to complain in front of the camera. "Every profession has its challenges."
"True," Qi Jiajia nodded in agreement. After thinking a moment, she asked, "Since it’s so hard to make it in showbiz, have you ever thought of changing careers?"
Hearing this, Lu Zhou thought of his parents, a gentle smile appearing on his lips. "Honestly, I almost listened to my dad and gave up, planning to go home and take over the family business."
The words "take over the family business" made Qi Jiajia’s eyes light up.
"You’re not one of those male protagonists in web novels, are you—the kind who ‘gives up and goes home to inherit millions’?"
Qi Jiajia teased, half-jokingly.
Lu Zhou laughed. "If only!"
Qi Jiajia realized she’d been overthinking, feeling a bit disappointed.
Indeed, the rich heir type was more like Zhang Chen. Lu Zhou didn’t have that aura at all.
As night deepened and the mist grew thicker, they finished their barbecue and didn’t linger by the sea, returning to the Pink Cottage.