01 Forever
On the seventh anniversary of the group’s formation, The Notes’ official Weibo account posted a new entry. It looked back on the group’s journey over the past seven years, with sentimental words that brought tears to the eyes. At the end of the video, it wished everyone a bright future. Just as the group’s fans were sobbing their hearts out, the camera cut, and Yan Qi appeared on screen.
She was very close, expressionlessly adjusting the camera before backing up to a suitable distance. “Hello everyone, I’m Yan Qi of The Notes.”
The camera cut again.
Zhou Shichen, dressed in a performance outfit, waved at the camera. “Hello everyone, I’m Zhou Shichen of The Notes.”
Another cut.
Xu Shuyan was sitting at a desk, looking over a document. Someone must have prompted her, because she looked up and gave the camera a small smile. “Hello everyone, I’m Xu Shuyan of The Notes.”
One last cut.
Lin Yi was standing barefoot on a sandy beach. The sea breeze lifted her long hair, and golden sunlight enveloped the world. The sea glittered. Her voice scattered in the wind, then came together again. “Hello everyone! I’m Lin Yi of The Notes!”
“If-” she clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward slightly, “-if you saw this video and thought that we, The Notes, were going to disband.”
“Then you are sorely mistaken!” Xu Shuyan pointed her pen at the camera, shaking her head in disagreement.
“We will not disband.” Zhou Shichen leaned against a wall, wagging her index finger. “Not in the past, not now, and certainly not in the future. Because the Seven Musical Notes will always be a family.”
“Perhaps in the future, we’ll have our own work and won’t be together as often.” Yan Qi spoke each word with earnest gravity. “But for you, we will still get together every year to sing and dance for you. We’ll sing until we’re sixty, and dance until we can’t anymore.”
“So!” Lin Yi tilted her head, her smile brilliant. “My girls-”
Xu Shuyan: “My girls-”
Zhou Shichen: “My girls-”
Yan Qi: “My girls-”
The four members of The Notes: “Don’t be sad. Reunions are always happening. No need for long goodbyes-we will always meet again.”
The last line was recorded in their dorm. They sat side-by-side on the sofa, speaking in unison, looking resolutely at the camera. After they finished, they exchanged a smile, and the video came to an end.
The fans who watched the video: “QAQ!”
【Gu Group! My Gu Group!】
【I’m seriously bawling, you guys. There have been so many rumors about Gu Group disbanding lately, they were everywhere. They were on the hot search several times, with people swearing that Gu Group would definitely announce their disbandment at the final concert of the summer tour. I cried my eyes out.】
【Thinking about it now, could that damn Sweet Melon Entertainment have done it as a tactic to drive up ticket prices?】
【Holy crap! That’s very possible! The scalped tickets for the final concert of the summer tour were going for five figures and still couldn’t meet demand. Damn, this is what a top-tier girl group is like!】
【A top-tier girl group, all four members have solid achievements, even Chen Yuan who left the group won Best Actress last year, and they’re still not disbanding. Their rivals must be furious, hehe. I told you joining the Gu fandom was worth it!】
【They said I’m their girl! Are they secretly in love with me!】
【I don’t think it’s nighttime yet, why are you already dreaming? They were obviously confessing their love to me!】
【But I have some tea here. Not guaranteed to be true. I’ll just say it, and you can just listen, okay?】
【Spill the tea!】
【Just assume I’m making it up. My friend works at Sweet Melon Entertainment. The lease on the house the four Gu Group members live in was supposed to be up at the end of this year, but the company renewed it for another three years for them to live together during comebacks. That’s right, Gu Group’s annual comeback period is already set, roughly from early June to late August, and they’ll film a year’s worth of content.】
【Another little rumor says that Lin Yi and Xu Shuyan aren’t moving out. But Yan Qi and Zhou Shichen’s studios are far from where they live, so they’re moving closer. I don’t know if they’re renting or buying.】
【What the? Yan Qi and Zhou Shichen are moving out? Doesn’t that mean our little couple will have the dorm to themselves? Cohabitation!】
【Cohabiting at such a young age! What a bad influence!】
【It’s great. With Yan Qi and Zhou Shichen at home, it’s not convenient for the little couple to do it, and they can’t unlock more locations. Once they’re gone, hehehe.】
【I’m telling you CP fans not to go too far! The solo fans are already mad enough that they’re not disbanding, and now you’re shipping them! Shipping and shipping! So annoying!】
The rumors online were half-true, half-false.
The true part was that Yan Qi and Zhou Shichen were indeed moving out of the dorm. They had bought a house in a villa district near their studios, in both of their names, leaving Lin Yi and Xu Shuyan dumbfounded.
“Yeah, that’s about it,” Yan Qi said succinctly, finishing her explanation about her and Zhou Shichen. She then asked, “Do you have any other questions?”
Lin Yi weakly raised her hand. “I have a question.”
Yan Qi said, “We get the house at the end of the year. Renovations will probably take more than half a year, and then we need to let it air out. We won’t be able to move in until the end of next year. We’ll invite you to stay for a few days then.”
Xu Shuyan: “I have a question too.”
Yan Qi: “For the renovation style, I prefer a Nordic look-black, white, gray, blue, simple and elegant. But we’ll ultimately listen to Shichen. She’s seen a lot of renovation examples online, so she should know what looks better.”
Zhou Shichen: “…”
Lin Yi slammed the table in protest. “That’s not what I wanted to ask!”
Xu Shuyan chimed in, “That’s not what I wanted to ask either!”
Yan Qi leaned back. “What do you want to ask?”
Lin Yi continued to slam the table. “I’m telling you, you straight girls are so scheming! At the end of the summer tour, you were just regular teammates. When you went to film the show, you were just good sisters. And now you’re buying a house at the same time as me and Yanyan! How are we supposed to feel about that!”
Xu Shuyan applauded. “My wife is so cultured!”
Yan Qi: “…”
She looked at Xu Shuyan.
Xu Shuyan cleared her throat. “When are you two getting married?”
Zhou Shichen: “?”
Yan Qi: “?”
Xu Shuyan said matter-of-factly, “I want to copy the Captain’s wedding plans. She’ll definitely come up with a dozen options. There’s bound to be one I like that she doesn’t. How convenient would that be!”
Lin Yi applauded. “My wife is so good at taking advantage of things!”
Yan Qi: “…”
Zhou Shichen: “This back and forth, I’m dying from the shipping!”
Yan Qi: “…”
She tapped the table. “You’re getting off-topic.”
Lin Yi propped her chin in her hands, her eyes drooping. “Fine. When are you and Shichen moving? Do you need me and Yanyan to help? Is the place you’re renting safe? Don’t get discovered!”
“We’re moving tomorrow. We’ve hired a moving company. We don’t need your help. It’s safe.” Yan Qi answered her questions in order before adding, “Aren’t you two also moving tomorrow?”
…This was the part of the rumor that needed debunking.
Lin Yi and Xu Shuyan were also moving out of the dorm, but not far-just downstairs. They had bought the apartment below, giving the outside world the illusion that they were still living in the dorm, when in reality they already had a new home to happily cohabit in.
“Our move is easy,” Lin Yi said. “Sometimes we can just carry a suitcase downstairs. We can do it in trips. We’re not in a hurry anyway.”
Yan Qi nodded. “Alright then. Meeting adjourned.”
The others stood up one by one, but Lin Yi made a gesture to stop them. “No! Don’t go! I can’t bear to part with you, boo hoo hoo!” She feigned a sob. “Our group is just going to…”
“Get some rest. We have to choose the songs for the winter concert tomorrow,” Yan Qi said coolly.
Lin Yi stood up straight. “Yes, Captain.”
Xu Shuyan glanced at her. Lin Yi looked back, her eyes clearly saying, “What? Do you understand what it means to be flexible?” Xu Shuyan gave her a thumbs-up. Lin Yi leaned against Xu Shuyan, looking at Zhou Shichen and Yan Qi with starry eyes. “Are you two sleeping together tonight? Are you pushing two beds together? Do you need me to sponsor a big bed?”
Zhou Shichen: “…Hey!”
Lin Yi said to Xu Shuyan, “She’s shy! I’m dying from the shipping!”
Zhou Shichen: “…”
Yan Qi, who had been organizing her notes from the meeting, looked up at Zhou Shichen upon hearing this and said thoughtfully, “We really should buy a king-sized bed. Squeezing onto Shichen’s bed every day, there’s not much room to stretch out.”
Zhou Shichen’s face turned even redder.
Lin Yi egged them on. “Stretch what out? How do you stretch out? Give us the details, I have enough data!”
Zhou Shichen: “Ahhh, Lin Yi, stop shipping!”
Lin Yi bent over with laughter.
Those who ship CPs will themselves be shipped!
However, Lin Yi was genuinely shocked for a long time that the last two “houses” in Gu Group had collectively collapsed. She even went to the Qi Shi Super Topic that night and had a great time binging on fan creations and sweet moments.
Finally, she woke Xu Shuyan up and exclaimed, “Qi Shi is real! The old-cadre Captain and the little sweet bean, who wouldn’t die from shipping this!”
Xu Shuyan: “…”
She hummed in agreement. “They are pretty shippable.”
“You’ve shipped them before?” Lin Yi accused her. “So, Xu Shuyan, you’ve been secretly shipping our teammates’ CP without telling me?”
Xu Shuyan yawned. “It’s not like I went out of my way to ship them.”
Lin Yi hesitated. “Then?”
Xu Shuyan: “I was just looking at what the CPs within the group are like, how to do fan service in a shippable way. Taking the essence and discarding the dross. I was studying, okay?”
Lin Yi: “…”
No wonder she was a genius at fan service.
The next day was sunny.
Yan Qi and Zhou Shichen left early, trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake Lin Yi and Xu Shuyan.
In Zhou Shichen’s words, although it wasn’t a final separation, they had lived here for seven years. The process of leaving and saying goodbye would inevitably make one a little emo, so it was best not to run into each other and just leave quietly.
Yan Qi stroked her head. “We’ll be back.”
“I know,” Zhou Shichen said, closing the last suitcase. “But the emotion is still there! Don’t you feel it?”
Yan Qi thought for a moment. “No.”
She smiled at Zhou Shichen. “Because you’re here.”
With Zhou Shichen here, that was enough.
After saying that, she reflected on whether she lacked group spirit, but then Zhou Shichen gave her a peck on the cheek, and her recent self-reflection immediately flew to the heavens. Her face grew slightly warm.
She turned away. “I’ll go see if the movers are here yet.”
The movers had just arrived downstairs. Although they were always flying around, they had lived here for seven years after all. It took nearly forty minutes to move all the luggage, big and small. Their assistant went with the truck, and they would tidy up the remaining odds and ends and drive over themselves.
But no matter how quietly they moved, they still woke Lin Yi up.
Lin Yi rubbed her eyes and came out of her room, standing groggily by the second-floor railing and watching the activity below. When she saw Zhou Shichen take down a souvenir they had bought on some small island, her heart ached, and she blurted out, “You guys are leaving?”
Zhou Shichen jumped in surprise, then turned around and patted her chest. “You’re awake?”
“Yeah.” Lin Yi leaned on the railing, her face squished against it, looking completely listless. “Zhou Shichen, how could you? Trying to sneak away. Did you think Xu Shuyan and I would try to make you stay?”
Zhou Shichen said with a smile, “Well, you might have.”
Lin Yi: “Hmph! No, we wouldn’t!”
Zhou Shichen feigned sadness. “How can you not miss me at all! Think about how much joy this home will lose without me! I’ll starve to death if I can’t get my daily dose of Yan Zhi You Yi!”
Lin Yi stuck her tongue out at her. “Starve then, starve then!”
Zhou Shichen complained to Yan Qi, “She’s bullying me!”
Yan Qi glanced at Lin Yi, then said to Zhou Shichen, “Let’s move.”
Zhou Shichen: “Huh?”
Lin Yi: “Aren’t you moving right now!”
Yan Qi said, “I mean, let’s move from Yan Zhi You Yi to Qi Shi’s big villa.”
Zhou Shichen: “Yay!”
Lin Yi: “…”
She was so done with this little couple!
But then Zhou Shichen suddenly opened her arms to her. “What are you still standing up there for? Since you’re up, come see us off. Come give your big sister a hug.”
Lin Yi: “No!”
Zhou Shichen: “Just one hug!”
Lin Yi wanted to say no again, but her legs had already started moving. She flew down the stairs and threw herself into Zhou Shichen’s arms. She wanted to say something, but words felt inadequate. In the end, she only managed, “Remember to come back and ship Yan Zhi You Yi. Yan Zhi You Yi will always be your strongest big house.”
Zhou Shichen, who had been on the verge of tears, said, “…Okay.”
After seeing the two of them off, Lin Yi stood melancholically at the door for a while. She wanted to message Xu Shuyan to ask why she wasn’t awake yet, only to remember she hadn’t brought her phone. She clicked her tongue, and when she turned around, she saw Xu Shuyan standing on the second floor, watching her.
“I-!!!” Lin Yi was so startled she almost let a curse slip. She patted her chest. “Why are you standing there like a ghost?”
“…You’re the ghost.” Xu Shuyan admonished her as she came downstairs. “Do you know the disappointment of going to sleep with your wife in your arms, only to wake up and find her gone? You don’t! You only care about yourself! Leaving me to guard an empty room!”
Lin Yi: “…”
What a heavy accusation!
She wanted to retort, but instead sighed softly, turned to close the door, and said, “Shichen and the Captain are gone.”
Xu Shuyan said, “It’s not like they’re not coming back.”
After a moment, she added, “I heard.”
Lin Yi asked, “You heard and you still didn’t come out.”
“I was afraid I’d cry.” Xu Shuyan sounded aggrieved. She walked up to Lin Yi and said, “They’re moving into a new home together. It wouldn’t be right for me to cry.”
Lin Yi’s heart softened. She reached out her hands to her. “Don’t cry, baby.”
Just as she was about to hug and comfort her, Xu Shuyan stopped her. Xu Shuyan took a step back and crouched down. To Lin Yi’s surprise, she opened her palm. “Running outside barefoot without any socks. Aren’t you afraid of catching a cold?”
Lin Yi: “I-”
Before she could finish, Xu Shuyan took hold of her foot and lifted it. The ginger-yellow cotton socks were adorned with little white flowers. Xu Shuyan kept her eyes down, patiently putting them on for her. After both feet were socked, Xu Shuyan looked up.
Lin Yi: “You-”
Xu Shuyan smiled at her. “I will never leave you.”
02 Golden Retriever
The fact that Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi got a dog was leaked purely by accident.
It was not long after they had moved into their new home. One night, after they had made love, Xu Shuyan listened to Lin Yi’s kitten-like whimpers, which made her heart itch. She nibbled on her mouth while praising her, “Baby, you sound so good, just like a kitten. No, wait,” she corrected herself, “even better than a kitten.”
At the other’s mercy, Lin Yi arched her neck, unbearably aroused, and retorted between gasps, “…Then-then go get a cat!”
Xu Shuyan’s lips traveled down from hers. “As for kittens, having you is enough.”
Lin Yi’s mind suddenly went blank. She lost all her strength amidst Xu Shuyan’s soft whispers and fell forward without support, only to be caught from behind by Xu Shuyan, who bit her shoulder. “Where are you running? It’s not over yet.”
Lin Yi begged softly, “No more, please.”
Xu Shuyan said, “Beg me.”
Lin Yi sniffled, her voice tinged with tears. “I’m begging you.”
After begging, she turned in Xu Shuyan’s arms, wrapped her arms around her neck, and carefully nudged forward, asking, “Do you want me to help you?”
Xu Shuyan said, “I don’t want anything else.”
Lin Yi hummed in confusion, her voice nasal. Her large eyes were filled with tears, the corners red, looking utterly bullied. “What do you want?”
Xu Shuyan’s fingertip touched her lips as she asked, “Is this okay?”
Xu Shuyan’s crimson lips were slightly parted, glistening from her kisses. The allure in her eyes was undisguised, like a hidden poppy, luring her, luring her to walk into the abyss.
And then she dove right in.
Lin Yi said, “Okay.”
…………
…
After they were finished, Xu Shuyan slipped on a silk nightgown, poured a glass of red wine, and took a sip, swirling the glass. She looked at Lin Yi, who was lying on the bed, unable to recover, and suggested on a whim, “Should we get a dog?”
Lin Yi glanced at her. “A Papillon? We have enough of those in this house.”
Xu Shuyan: “…”
How could she still be holding a grudge!
Xu Shuyan: “A Pomeranian!”
Lin Yi: “A Papillon!”
After their bickering, they looked at each other and smiled.
Xu Shuyan said, “I’m serious. Even though we have to fly around, we can find someone to help look after it. It would be nice, don’t you think?”
Lin Yi slowly curled up, her eyes downcast. “…What breed?”
Xu Shuyan suggested, “Let’s go to a shop and see? See if any of them catch our eye. I’ve heard that with the doggos you’re meant to have, you’ll know you’re family the moment you lock eyes.”
Lin Yi said, “How come I didn’t feel that way the first time I met you?”
Xu Shuyan: “…Lin Yi!”
Lin Yi suppressed a laugh. “What is it?”
Xu Shuyan pouted. “Why didn’t you feel that way? The first time I saw you, I felt that our Seven Musical Notes was a family, that we would be together forever.”
Lin Yi casually picked something up and threw it at her. “Stop lying. Who was talking about Seven Musical Notes when we first met!”
Xu Shuyan tilted her head back and finished the last of her wine. She walked to the bed, lifted Lin Yi’s chin, and pressed her lips against hers. The wine passed from her mouth to Lin Yi’s. Watching as Lin Yi swallowed it all, she gave her lips another lingering kiss before letting go.
Lin Yi said, “My alcohol tolerance is really good now!”
Xu Shuyan hummed. “At least you won’t black out from this sip.”
Lin Yi blinked.
Xu Shuyan: “I hope you still remember that we’re going to adopt a doggo when you wake up.”
Lin Yi did remember.
She also remembered saying that one Papillon in the house was enough. On the way to the pet shop, she asked Xu Shuyan, “So what kind of doggo are we getting?”
Xu Shuyan was also thinking. “How about a Border Collie?”
Lin Yi looked troubled. “If we had one in our house, it would make us look so dumb!”
Xu Shuyan: “…Then a Husky?”
Lin Yi: “Destroying the house is a no-go.”
Xu Shuyan: “…”
A double entendre, was it?
Xu Shuyan continued to think. “A Samoyed?”
Lin Yi: “They’re cute, but they shed twice a year, for six months at a time!”
Xu Shuyan fell into deep thought. Just before they reached the pet shop, she suddenly exclaimed, “A Golden Retriever! How about a Golden Retriever? They’re gentle and patient, very well-behaved little doggos!”
“A Golden Retriever?” Lin Yi clapped her hands lightly. “I remember we went to a lady’s house once while filming a variety show, and she had a Golden Retriever. It really was very cute and well-behaved. I was so envious at the time.”
-But at the time, she was mainly envious that the Golden Retriever was so well-behaved, while her own Papillon was so fierce. There was no need to tell Xu Shuyan that part.
As luck would have it, the pet shop had a little Golden Retriever waiting for adoption. It was lying in its bed, looking at Xu Shuyan and Lin Yi with pleading puppy eyes. The two humans and one dog stared at each other for a while, then the little Golden Retriever suddenly got up and started circling their legs, its tail wagging furiously, and let out a small bark.
The shop assistant smiled. “It seems to like you two a lot.”
Lin Yi liked it too. She crouched down to play with it, then looked up at Xu Shuyan. “You were right! Love at first sight really does exist!”
Xu Shuyan: “…”
Suddenly I don’t want to get a dog anymore, what do I do!
They hadn’t made any special effort to disguise themselves when they went to adopt the dog, so it was normal for a fan to run into them and recognize them. The fan didn’t dare to approach and disturb them, but after getting home, she excitedly posted on Weibo.
@YanZhiYouYiIsReallyDoingIt: OMG you guys! I went to the pet shop to get my dog washed today! And guess who I ran into! It was Yan Zhi You Yi! Ahhhh they adopted a little Golden Retriever, it was so gentle and cute! Oh my god, I feel like I’m dreaming!
【???】
【I think I’m the one who’s dreaming…】
【What? So Yan Zhi You Yi are not only cohabiting but also getting a pet together now? If this isn’t living a domestic life, what is it! When’s the wedding, I can’t wait!】
【Everyone calm down, I’ll handle this. The same-sex marriage law has already passed and will officially take effect on January 1st. They can probably register their marriage soon. Yan Zhi You Yi might be preparing to go public.】
【I can’t take this shipping anymore! Is this for real? Did they adopt it together? Or was one just accompanying the other? Are they going to raise it together? Is this the little couple’s joint property? Damn! Do I have a grand-doggie now?!】
【If you live long enough, you really can see anything!!!】
【Maybe Yan Zhi You Yi and Qi Shi should go get their marriage licenses together. Seven Musical Notes is a family. Even though it’s a few years later than Chen Yuan, it’s okay, Yan Zhi You Yi has a kid before Chen Yuan!】
【Kid? What kid? My CP had a kid?】
【Have you shipped yourself into a stupor? How can they have a kid? No kids allowed! My daughter is not having a kid! Ahhhh I’ll kill anyone who makes my girl have a baby!】
【Mom fans, don’t get excited. Your daughter just adopted a doggo with her wife.】
【Oh, so that’s what it is. …!!! What, adopting a dog! Why are they adopting a dog together! Are they playing house! Don’t push it! My daughter is a single noble, thank you.】
【Forget it, let’s just spread the rumor that Yan Zhi You Yi has a kid.】
【Spread the word! Yan Zhi You Yi has a kid!!!】
