Stolen by the First Love - Chapter 75

The post revealed that Ji Tong’s secretary, Yu Li, was the one who reported him. Her daughter, who had been missing for ten years, was among the group of children forced into prostitution. She had always believed Ji Tong was genuinely helping her find her daughter and save her critically ill mother. She had given him her heart and body, serving as his mistress for years, only to discover in the end that the demon who caused her mother’s illness and her daughter’s disappearance had been right beside her all along.

The post even exposed that the person who collided with Ning Qingwan’s car was Ji Tong’s subordinate. Meng Xia’s hospitalization was also linked to Ji Tong. The post only lasted one night before being taken down, but screenshots still spread like wildfire across the internet.

Fortunate to Meet You was urgently pulled from streaming platforms. When it was re-released, all scenes featuring Ji Tong were either cut or heavily blurred. Even a fool could tell Ji Tong was truly problematic.

On the day the show was taken down, Ji Tong escaped from the hospital but was recaptured within half a day. Rumor had it he encountered an enemy who stabbed him thirty times each wound carefully avoiding vital organs, ensuring he wouldn’t die but would suffer excruciating pain.

When Meng Xia heard the news, she let out a long sigh. She sighed at how many innocent lives a scumbag like Ji Tong had ruined, and how the trajectory of her own life had been completely altered. With Ji Tong in this state, he could no longer wreak havoc.

She had no energy to spare for others, focusing instead on preparing a surprise for Ning Qingwan.

Lai Xiaomeng, who had been gossiping beside her, glanced at Meng Xia’s serious expression and sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Maybe we should change the surprise?”

Meng Xia lifted her face, looking both dejected and innocent. “Is it really that bad?”

Those damp eyes made Lai Xiaomeng’s heart soften. She nodded, then shook her head. “Keep going. She’ll definitely love it.”

Hearing that, Meng Xia lost even more confidence and sighed.

Lai Xiaomeng comfortingly patted her head.

Meng Xia asked uncertainly, “Won’t this cause trouble for you guys? Could it affect Sister Qingwan badly?”

Lai Xiaomeng thought seriously for a moment. “Nah. She’s planning to come out publicly anyway. Don’t you want to stand by her side when she does?”

Meng Xia nodded solemnly.

Because of Ji Tong’s scandal, the “Qingliang Yixia” (Ning Qingwan & Meng Xia) ship gained even more fans on Weibo. The edited version of Fortunate to Meet You saw a sharp rise in ratings, with many shippers tuning in religiously to savor the sweet moments.

Before Ning Qingwan’s birthday and The One’s final concert, two more pieces of news broke.

First, The One’s openly out members, Zhang Chenxing and Yan Qing, had been quietly running a charity for orphaned children. After discussion, they adopted two children with disabilities. Their Weibo post read, “Let the world be filled with love.” The move won them countless new fans.

Second, The One’s Lai Xiaomeng was exposed to be in a relationship with a woman suspected to be Ning Qingwan’s assistant. Lai Xiaomeng reposted the paparazzi’s post and openly admitted, “This is my girlfriend.”

This was the clearest sign yet. Some netizens joked, “Is The One actually ‘The Wan‘ (The Queer)?”

Little did they know, the joke would soon become reality.

That night, The One’s final concert was held at the largest stadium in City C.

Three hours before the show, backstage staff bustled in tense but orderly preparation.

Susan worked on Ning Qingwan’s styling, tying the laces at the back of her dress. “Have you gained weight?”

“…” Ning Qingwan rubbed her temples. “Meng Xia’s mom keeps feeding me every day.”

Susan gave a sharp tug on the ribbon.

Ning Qingwan inhaled sharply. “Are you trying to strangle me?”

“Heh.” Susan adjusted her glasses with a humorless smile.

After finishing Ning Qingwan’s makeup and hairstyling, Susan packed up her cosmetics and dragged her makeup case and suitcase away. As she passed by Lai Xiaomeng, the two exchanged a subtle glance.

Not long after Susan left, Lai Xiaomeng quietly followed. Before stepping out, she glanced toward Ning Qingwan’s direction and signaled Cheng Xu with her eyes.

Behind Ning Qingwan’s back, Cheng Xu gave a discreet “OK” sign.

With one hour left before the performance, Ning Qingwan sat in her chair with her eyes closed, trying to rest. She wanted to calm her mind, but the thought of what she was about to do later inevitably made her a little nervous.

So nervous that this time, she didn’t even ask Meng Xia if she would come to her concert.

She didn’t need to ask. Meng Xia would definitely come.

Ning Qingwan opened her eyes and reached out to Cheng Xu. “Phone.”

Cheng Xu’s eyelid twitched as she handed the phone over.

The messages sent to Meng Xia were still unanswered from three hours ago. Ning Qingwan frowned.

Cheng Xu placed a straw in a cup and handed it to Ning Qingwan. “Sis, have some water.” She casually mentioned, “I heard Southwest Road is jammed.”

Ah, maybe she’s in a hurry to get here and didn’t have time to check her phone.

Ning Qingwan took the cup and sipped slowly through the straw.

Cheng Xu wiped the nervous sweat from her forehead. Thank goodness Boss Ning was too distracted today otherwise, it would’ve been hard to handle.

7:30 PM, the concert began.

This was the final stop of The One’s tour this year, ending on Ning Qingwan’s birthday.

The fans in the audience were unusually enthusiastic.

During the interaction segment, Ning Qingwan noticed that the seat reserved for Meng Xia was empty. For a moment, she felt a pang of disappointment, but also a flicker of relief. Maybe it was better if she didn’t come. Such a bold move, she was afraid that some fans might target Meng Xia in the crowd.

Even though she had arranged for bodyguards.

Meng Xia stood in a blind spot where Ning Qingwan couldn’t see her. Her gaze was filled with adoration as she watched the dazzling goddess on stage, all the starlight in this moment was shining just for her.

Ning Qingwan wore an off-shoulder black gown adorned with star-like diamonds that shimmered under the lights. Her hair was elegantly pinned up, crowned with a tiara embedded with sapphires, two loose strands framing her temples. She was like the queen of the night, singing enchanting spells under the moonlight.

Everyone was mesmerized, utterly captivated by her.

“Can’t deny it, when she sings, she’s so radiant you can’t look away,” Susan sighed.

“She’s just as radiant when she’s not singing,” Meng Xia praised her queen without reservation.

Susan clutched her chest dramatically. “Must you torture us single dogs like this?”

Meng Xia chuckled.

“Come on, you can shine just as brightly,” Susan glanced at Meng Xia, her eyes glinting behind her glasses. “You’re not any less stunning than Ning Qingwan.”

“All thanks to Sister Su’s styling.”

Meng Xia had meant there was no need for comparison, but Susan took it as a compliment and immediately brightened, flipping her hair smugly.

The final song came to an end. Ning Qingwan adjusted her breathing, bent down deeply, and bowed. “Thank you for accompanying us all this way. Thank you for your support.” She straightened up and looked at the fans below the stage. “Actually, today!”

All the Cheering Sticks and support lights in the audience were turned off, leaving a sea of darkness.

“Wan Wan! Happy birthday!!”

A shout erupted, fans screaming at the top of their lungs as they sang “Happy Birthday” in unison. All the lights came on, transforming the venue into a blue ocean. They had practiced countless times holding up their support lights, standing or crouching under the direction of their group leaders.

Some of the lights dimmed in sync, while the remaining ones formed the characters “Happy Birthday” in the vast, dark crowd.

There had been concerts coinciding with birthdays before, but none had been as breathtaking as today.

The members of “the one” band walked to the front of the stage, gathering around Ning Qingwan. They sang “Happy Birthday,” holding candles that seemed to appear out of nowhere, their flames flickering.

Lai Xiaomeng whispered, “This was arranged by your little fan and her friends. They coordinated with the fan groups who managed to get tickets, rehearsing formations based on seating countless times. Touched?”

Ning Qingwan’s throat tightened.

Lai Xiaomeng blinked at her. “There’s more.” Before Ning Qingwan could react, she turned on the microphone and announced loudly, “The birthday girl gets the spotlight. Make a wish. There are three candles here, you get three wishes.”

“Hey, if Wan Wan asked you fans for a wish, would you grant it?” Lai Xiaomeng looked at the audience, her tone playful.

The fans’ voices rose in waves.

“Yes!” “We’d pluck stars for her!” “Whatever she wants, we’ll give it!!”

Ning Qingwan glanced at Lai Xiaomeng, her lashes fluttering lightly. Her voice was gentle yet firm. “My first wish is that our fans can embrace all forms of love in this world whether it’s familial, platonic, or romantic, whether it’s between opposite sexes or the same sex.”

Connecting this to the recent gossip about “the one,” the audience fell silent for two seconds before someone shouted, “Hell yeah! ‘The Wan’ is the best!”

The intentional mispronunciation of “one” as “wan” (meaning “bend” or “queer”) sparked laughter, and soon others joined in, chanting, “‘The Wan’ is the greatest!”

Ning Qingwan blew out the candle in Zhang Chenxing’s hand. Holding the microphone, she said, “I know you all care about my future. I’ve already found my person. I love this girl very much.”

“I hope at least my fans can respect me and bless us.” She blew out the candle in Yan Qing’s hand.

Truthfully, many had already guessed from her first wish that “the one” might all be queer. But hearing Ning Qingwan say it herself was still shocking.

After a long pause, a CP fan’s voice rang out from the crowd, hoarse with excitement: “Qing-Liang forever! Qing-Liang forever!”

Amid the chants, a sudden wail cut through: “Mom! I really got dumped!”

The emotional atmosphere shattered as laughter rippled through the audience.

Ning Qingwan’s eyes curved into crescents. “You’re all so adorable.”

Praise from their idol left the fans floating on air until the more observant ones noticed Ning Qingwan had already blown out Lai Xiaomeng’s candle.

She didn’t voice her third wish.

The moment the candle went out, the stage lights dimmed to darkness.

The fans below the stage whispered among themselves, none knowing what was happening.

Ning Qingwan heard some commotion and instinctively glanced beside her, her teammates had all stepped away.

Amidst the murmurs, she could hear the pounding of her own heartbeat.

The moment the guitar strings resonated, a spotlight fell upon a corner of the stage. A girl in a white off-shoulder dress stood there, her hair braided to one side and adorned with flowers and leaves, like a sprite from the depths of the forest. Cradling the guitar, her fingers plucked the strings.

Her voice was clear and melodious, infinitely moving and tender, like the gentle patter of spring rain or the tinkling of a mountain spring, washing over the world’s indifference and softening everything in its wake.

She sang the simplest of songs, yet conveyed the most complex of emotions.

Another spotlight illuminated Ning Qingwan, who gazed quietly at the girl, her eyes shimmering with tenderness. She knew all too well how tone-deaf Meng Xia was, which made her even more aware of the effort Meng Xia must have poured into singing like this.

On the vast stage, there were only the two of them. And in their eyes, only each other.

After the song “Baby” ended, Meng Xia walked step by step toward Ning Qingwan. She handed her a ring she had made herself and said, “I love you.”

Turning to the fans, she added, “Please trust me with her. I will spend my whole life loving and cherishing her. You can keep being her ‘wifey fans’, just let me have the title of wife, okay?”

How could anyone say no? Especially when Ning Qingwan couldn’t wait to slip the ring onto her finger! She had already made her wish!

That night, those who attended the concert felt life was truly worth living. The love between the Queen of the Dark Night and the Forest Sprite was utterly heartwarming.

That night, the fan-organized “Happy Birthday” light display for Ning Qingwan trended on social media. In the “Qing Liang Yi Xia” fan community, someone posted screenshots of their chat with Meng Xia, the little angel had personally coordinated with everyone to rehearse the light display. No one could have been more dedicated.

That night, “Girl Sings and Gives Ring to Ning Qingwan, Suspected Proposal” trended on Weibo.

That night, the hashtag #WhatWasNingQingWan’sThirdWish?# went viral.

That night, Meng Xia and Ning Qingwan watched the stars from the rooftop.

After browsing Weibo, Meng Xia said, “Ah, how did giving a ring turn into a proposal?”

Ning Qingwan spread her fingers, admiring the ring on her middle finger, and remarked with satisfaction, “This proposal was quite romantic. I’ll say yes.”

Wait, so now it was her proposal? Meng Xia pouted and shot her a glare, grumbling, “You’ve seen this ring before, haven’t you?” The names on the ring were engraved offset, yet Ning Qingwan had put it on the correct finger immediately.

Ning Qingwan didn’t deny it. “I wanted you to give it to me yourself.”

Meng Xia curved her lips into a smile and didn’t press further. Scrolling through Weibo, she saw the trending topic and asked, “Sister, what was your third wish?”

Ning Qingwan tilted her head, studying her. “Will it still come true if I say it out loud?”

Meng Xia squeezed her hand. “It will.” She softened her voice, coaxing, “I want to know.”

Ning Qingwan hesitated, torn about whether to say it. She was afraid it might not come true, even though she didn’t really believe in such things.

Meng Xia gently persuaded her, “Some wishes need to be spoken aloud to be fulfilled.”

Ning Qingwan chuckled softly. She looked down at the ring on her finger, then up at the brightest star in the sky.

Her voice mingled with the cold wind as she pulled Meng Xia into her embrace.

Meng Xia’s eyes softened, warmth spreading from the outside in, melting into her blood and flowing through her entire being.

“May your future years be free of turbulence, and may the rest of your life be filled with joy.”

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