Chapter Two Hundred and Thirty-Two: A Tiring Conclusion for Xu Qingqiu

"Teacher Xu, you can come down now."

Seeing the audience begin to leave, a staff member called out from backstage.

Chu Tian, who was also standing there, noticed Xu Qingqiu on stage, looking down at the audience and lost in thought. He quickly stopped the staff member's urging.

"Don't call her. Let her watch a bit longer. We can attend to other things first."

Seeing that it was Chu Tian who spoke, the staff member nodded obediently and went to handle other matters.

Chu Tian stood there in the passageway, quietly waiting for Xu Qingqiu.

He knew Xu Qingqiu wanted to watch the audience leave, to experience every detail of the concert from beginning to end.

Everything seemed like the curtain falling on a flourishing spectacle.

The once-empty stadium had gradually filled with the audience. Amidst the roar of music, thousands had cheered and reveled. Then, amidst the revelry, it all concluded, gradually returning to silence.

Xu Qingqiu silently watched as, one by one, the audience members departed through the various exits.

She even saw some people waving at her continuously as they left.

This scene seemed so captivating that she wanted to keep watching it.

Only she knew, reflecting on the myriad moments that had led her here, just how difficult it was to stand on this stage again and witness this scene.

More than ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and over half of the stadium had cleared out.

Seeing Xu Qingqiu still standing there, Chu Tian could only walk up to her reluctantly.

There was no helping it; her costume needed to be changed and her makeup removed. The staff members were all waiting, and any further delay wouldn't be good, considering how late it already was.

He went onto the stage, gently approached Xu Qingqiu, and took her hand.

"Let's go. It's time to remove your makeup and change clothes. Everyone is waiting."

Xu Qingqiu looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears.

When she saw Chu Tian, she gently nodded, then a soft, choked "Mm," escaped her. "Let's go."

"Don't cry, the audience is still watching. Let's go down first."

Hearing this, Xu Qingqiu hesitated, glanced at the now half-empty stadium, then turned and bowed deeply to the remaining audience, as if in gratitude.

After all, without the support of those fans back then, she might not have been able to persevere until now.

Naturally, this scene caught the eyes of many in the audience who hadn't yet left.

For a moment, some onlookers who had come just for the spectacle felt a stir within them.

It seemed this singer was somewhat different. She appeared to possess something more than others, something hard to pinpoint—perhaps warmth? Or sincerity?

All in all, the sight of Xu Qingqiu bowing to the nearly empty stadium deeply touched many people.

Consequently, her fanbase grew even larger.

Completely unaware of all this, Xu Qingqiu returned backstage and could no longer hold back.

She turned and clung to Chu Tian, crying her heart out.

Chu Tian just held her silently, motionless, letting her vent all the complex emotions pent up inside.

The surrounding staff members tactfully gave them space, leaving the two some privacy.

After a good while, Xu Qingqiu finally cried herself out and grew tired. She even fell asleep in Chu Tian's arms, snoring lightly.

The sudden little snore left Chu Tian somewhat bemused.

"Hey, are you asleep?"

He called out twice but received no response. Well, she really fell asleep.

Glancing at the others who had started to pack up, Chu Tian sighed helplessly and gently picked her up.

But he understood. Ever since preparations for the concert began, Xu Qingqiu hadn't had a moment's rest.

The first half of the month was spent flying around to complete all her scheduled appearances.

More recently, she had been at the company constantly, either practicing her singing or her dancing.

The physical strain was immense, but the mental pressure was even greater.

Preparing for a concert in such a short time wasn't just about performing flawlessly; maintaining the right state of mind was also incredibly difficult.

Yet, she had silently shouldered all these burdens, even fainting at one point.

If Chu Tian hadn't taken her out for a day of fun, that thread of resilience within her might have already snapped.

Moreover, she had just sung and danced for over an hour, with her emotions fluctuating intensely.

Honestly, her ability to persist through all that was already remarkable.

Feeling her in his arms, as light as a feather, Chu Tian's heart ached. He walked gently, even motioning to people they encountered to keep their voices down, fearing he might disturb Xu Qingqiu's sweet dreams.

When they returned to the dressing room, people were busy collecting the outfits.

Various performance costumes were being sorted and boxed up, and all sorts of tools were being packed away, ready for transport.

Makeup artist Lin Chuanxia was organizing the cosmetics on the table.

During the concert, every second had mattered, like a battle, so the table had been a mess. Now, after being tidied up, it finally looked somewhat presentable.

"You're back… Oh..."

"Shh, she's asleep. Can you change her clothes like this?"

"That's impossible..." The person in charge of costumes looked at the soundly sleeping Xu Qingqiu, a helpless expression on her face.

"Should we just let her sleep in these clothes then?" Chu Tian really didn't want to wake her, but the situation didn't allow for it.

"No way, this gown is too cumbersome. She can't sleep well in it."

Indeed, the floor-length gown, though beautiful, wasn't necessarily comfortable. Besides, to allow for quicker changes, she was wearing another layer underneath.

Just as he hesitated, Xu Qingqiu slowly opened her eyes.

"Did… did I fall asleep?"

Seeing her awake, Chu Tian sighed in relief, his tone becoming noticeably lighter.

"You more than fell asleep; you were snoring too."

"Ah?! I hate you!"

Initially, Xu Qingqiu was surprised to hear she had snored. But as soon as she realized other people were around, she became flustered, frowned prettily, and started pummeling Chu Tian.

"PFFT..." A rather discordant sound emerged. Xu Qingqiu turned to see Lin Chuanxia covering her mouth, desperately trying to suppress her laughter but failing miserably. The stifled sounds escaping proved she wasn't succeeding at all.

"Chuanxia! You're too much!"

Annoyed, Xu Qingqiu wanted to hit her but forgot she was still in Chu Tian's arms and nearly tumbled off.

Once Chu Tian set her down, she realized the dress was too long; she couldn't even run properly.

"Alright, alright, go change your clothes. We still need to treat everyone to dinner later," Chu Tian interjected.

Having been busy since the afternoon, many people hadn't even had a proper dinner. A celebratory feast was certainly in order.

Xu Qingqiu knew what was important. She could only pout at Lin Chuanxia before obediently going to change.

Chu Tian, of course, was kicked out—he couldn't very well expect to stay inside while she changed, could he?

Standing outside the door, Chu Tian touched his nose, a slightly embarrassed expression on his face.

Did he want to watch? Of course. But they wouldn't let him.

"RING RING~"

Just as he was about to find a place to sit, the phone in his pocket suddenly rang.

Hmm? Xu Ruyan? Damn!

Chu Tian hurriedly answered, and the voice on the other end immediately launched into it.

"Hey, where are you? I can't find the person who's supposed to pick us up!"

"Sorry, sorry! I'm on my way now. Please wait a bit."

After promising, Chu Tian rushed off.

He had been so focused on Xu Qingqiu that he'd almost forgotten his sister-in-law.

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