The exhibition opening is in full swing. Cameras flash, guests mingle. XIAO ZHAN delivers a graceful speech as the event’s sponsor. Applause fills the room.
Later, Xiao Zhan slips away from the crowd and finds WANG YIBO by a quiet corner, sketchbook in hand.
Xiao Zhan (MC)
You hide well for someone whose work steals the spotlight.
Wang Yibo (ML)
I didn’t ask for the spotlight. I just paint.
Xiao Zhan (MC)
And yet… your art pulls people in.
(beat, softer)
Just like its creator.
Yibo looks up sharply, irritation flashing in his eyes.
Wang Yibo (ML)
You’re persistent. Why?
Xiao Zhan (MC)
Because I rarely meet someone who unsettles me.
(smiles faintly)
I’d like to know you better.
Wang Yibo (ML)
And if I refuse?
Xiao Zhan (MC)
Then I’ll keep asking… until you say yes.
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LUXURY RESTAURANT – NEXT EVENING
Yibo sits across from Xiao Zhan, clearly uncomfortable in the elegant setting. The contrast is stark—Zhan exudes effortless sophistication, while Yibo looks out of place but striking in his simplicity.
Wang Yibo (ML)
(dryly, scanning the room)
You drag me here just to watch rich people pretend?
Xiao Zhan (MC)
(smirks, sipping his wine)
Maybe. Or maybe I wanted to see how you’d look in my world.
Wang Yibo (ML)
Then you’re disappointed. I don’t belong here.
Xiao Zhan (MC)
(leans closer, voice low and steady)
On the contrary. You belong anywhere you choose… especially where I am.
For a brief moment, Yibo falters under Zhan’s gaze. His walls threaten to crack. He quickly masks it with sarcasm.
Wang Yibo (ML)
Careful, CEO. Obsession doesn’t suit a man like you.
Xiao Zhan (MC)
(smiles knowingly)
Then let it be my karma.
The words hang between them—half challenge, half confession.
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To be continue...
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