The Exclusive Bodyguard of the Top Idol - Chapter 21.2

The room was quiet, with only the sound of Ren Jiao’s steady breathing as she slept. Ji Qingshi lowered her gaze to the person lying beside her. Sleep did nothing to diminish the girl’s delicate beauty; instead, it made her long, thick eyelashes stand out even more.

On a whim, Ji Qingshi leaned in slowly, bending slightly to count Ren Jiao’s lashes.

Beautiful people were truly a delight to behold at any moment. Ji Qingshi stared at Ren Jiao’s sleeping face for a long time, her gaze growing increasingly tender.

Such a lovely girl, curled up on her side in sleep, all her defenses down, like a baby craving security.

Suddenly, Ji Qingshi recalled what Qi Xuesong had told her when she was assigned to assist the case. Ren Jiao had provided the task force with substantial evidence. Proof of Sheng Dingzhe’s tax evasion, his exploitation of artists for money and sexual favors, and other crimes.

The tragic death of that male idol at the end of last year had once shocked the entire internet. It was Ren Jiao and her allies who had used extreme measures to deliver the truth to the police, leveraging public opinion to ensure Sheng Dingzhe and his backers couldn’t interfere.

Only twenty years old, yet she carried burdens most people couldn’t even imagine in a lifetime.

Every time Ji Qingshi thought about it, her heart ached for the girl, but she also deeply admired her resilience and courage.

“Ren Jiaojiao,” Ji Qingshi whispered, lightly brushing the strands of hair scattered across Ren Jiao’s pillow. “You truly live up to being Li Hong’s daughter.”

…

On the night of the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, S-Group’s concert in Hu City kicked off on time at the stadium.

The fans in the audience were electrified, waving glow sticks in sync with the music and choreography on stage.

As usual, Ji Qingshi played the role of an assisting staff member. With her presence, Qianqian was pulled away by Cen Shu to run errands. Ji Qingshi stood at the edge of the stage, looking up, her eyes locking onto Ren Jiao’s figure.

The performance currently underway was the group’s song “Soaring” the one Ren Jiao had spent nearly ten days practicing on wires.

As the performance reached its climax, Ji Qingshi clutched Ren Jiao’s down jacket tightly. Though she had watched this routine countless times, the formal performance today still made her nervous. Ren Jiao had trained relentlessly on wires for this moment, her waist bruised and unhealed. Tonight, all that effort would be put to the test.

At the final interlude of the song, the dark-toned stage lights suddenly shifted. Flames erupted across the stage in a dazzling effect, and a massive phoenix totem descended from above, landing at the back of the stage.

The lead dancers moved gracefully at the center, their movements perfectly synchronized with the interlude.

Two vocalists stepped onto low platforms at the front of the stage, their ethereal high notes soaring through the music.

In that brief moment, sharp-eyed fans noticed two members were missing. Eyes darted across the stage, anticipation building for what would come next.

Then, in a flash, two figures burst out from behind the phoenix totem. The audience gasped, erupting into excited cheers as they pointed at the two fiery-red figures soaring through the air.

Ji Qingshi’s gaze followed Ren Jiao’s figure as it soared through the air, her heart lifting with every movement. During rehearsals, Ren Jiao usually wore sportswear for ease of movement, but today, clad in her performance costume adorned with fiery red silk, the aerial dance she had poured so much effort into came vividly to life.

In the eyes of the tens of thousands of spectators below, she was the phoenix reborn from flames, leaping and dancing gracefully through the sky.

Ji Qingshi’s eyes remained fixed on Ren Jiao, and she suddenly recalled telling her colleague Old Zhou that she wasn’t one to chase celebrities or get swept up in such things. If Old Zhou were here now, she thought, she’d probably say something very different.

The lingering echoes of the song faded in her ears as the phoenix dancing in the air suddenly transformed into a streak of crimson light, vanishing into the darkened stage.

Ji Qingshi stood there in a daze, momentarily forgetting even to bring Ren Jiao her down jacket backstage. It wasn’t until the audience erupted into even more fervent cheers than usual that she snapped back to reality. Turning, she hurried down the corridor toward the backstage area, where she saw Ren Jiao removing her harness.

After packing the harness equipment into its case, Ren Jiao turned and spotted Ji Qingshi rushing over. The woman stopped in front of her and draped the down jacket over her shoulders.

“Are you cold?”

Ren Jiao smiled the moment she saw her and shook her head. “No, the venue’s heating is strong.”

She blinked, then suddenly noticed an unusual redness at the corners of Ji Qingshi’s eyes, her lashes even glistening with something suspiciously like moisture.

“What’s wrong? What happened to your eyes?”

Ji Qingshi froze, raising a hand to touch her eyes belatedly, realizing she had been so moved by the scene of the phoenix soaring through flames onstage that her adrenaline had surged enough to bring a tear to her eye.

This wasn’t a tear of sadness, but of exhilaration, the kind of physiological response evoked by overwhelming stimulation and heightened emotion.

Ren Jiao’s quick mind pieced it together instantly. Amused, she looked at Ji Qingshi with a hint of smugness. “Sister, did our performance move you to tears?”

Ji Qingshi, embarrassed.

Ren Jiao burst into laughter. “Sister, this is an enclosed venue. Where would the wind come from?”

Ji Qingshi’s face flushed even redder. Flustered, she retorted, “The stage’s wind machines!”

Ren Jiao found her flustered expression adorable and leaned closer. “Then, wasn’t our performance beautiful? Didn’t it move you?”

“Well…” Ji Qingshi couldn’t lie about this, especially under Ren Jiao’s expectant gaze. She averted her eyes and muttered, “Yes. When you soared into the air, the entire audience gasped. Everyone was moved.”

Ren Jiao wasn’t about to let her off the hook. “Everyone was moved, but what about you, Sister? Were you dazzled?”

Cornered by her relentless questioning, Ji Qingshi could only admit the truth. “Yes! Of course, I was…”

Ren Jiao beamed and wrapped an arm around hers.

“Jiaojiao! Time to prepare for the next song!”

Hearing Zhang Meng’s call, Ren Jiao led Ji Qingshi toward the dressing room.

Ji Qingshi glanced at her. “Does your waist hurt?”

Ren Jiao shook her head, delighted by her concern. She was about to say no, but then a mischievous thought crossed her mind. Feigning pitifulness, she said, “It does. You’ll have to apply medicine for me tonight.”

Ji Qingshi didn’t have as many schemes as she did. Hearing her say she was in pain, his heart immediately ached for her: “Alright, I’ll apply some medicine for you when we get back to the hotel tonight. Fortunately, the performances will be over in the next two days, so you won’t have to deal with this damn harness anymore.”

Listening to the concern in his words, Ren Jiao felt her heart soaking in honey. She restrained herself, glancing at Ji Qingshi briefly, careful not to reveal too much of her true emotions.

“Then I’ll go change first.”

Ji Qingshi took the down jacket from her and waited for her outside the dressing room.

The concert in Shanghai lasted two days. On the second day, several music producers from the industry attended; all friends brought by Javen. Hearing that he was collaborating with this girl group on an album, they came to get acquainted in advance.

Artists are often aloof, regardless of their field, especially some of the older veterans, who might seem arrogant to outsiders.

But who could deny their talent? No matter how proud they were, people had to acknowledge their status and worth. There was no arguing with that.

Yet, it was precisely these old-timers who found themselves unexpectedly captivated by a girl group concert they wouldn’t normally spare a second glance at.

To be clear, it wasn’t the youthful beauty of the girls that drew them in, but the passion and vitality they exuded on stage.

“That girl who played the cello solo, what’s her name?”

Teacher Javen smiled and introduced, “Ren Jiao, the leader of their group. What’s the matter, Elder Guo? Interested in giving her some pointers?”

Elder Guo stroked his white beard and waved his hand dismissively. “Pointers? Not exactly. She seems quite talented. If she’s interested, we might have a chance to collaborate someday.”

Javen was puzzled. “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t take on any more students, Elder Guo?” He wasn’t stupid. When someone of Elder Guo’s stature mentioned collaboration, it was practically an offer to mentor.

Javen wondered what was so special about Ren Jiao, only to notice Elder Guo’s expression shift into one of nostalgia.

“I once had a student,” Elder Guo began, his voice tinged with melancholy. “That child was exceptionally gifted, beautiful too, but her health was poor. She couldn’t handle the intense practice and performances. Ah, in the end, she didn’t continue down this path. It’s been over twenty years since we last met, yet I still remember how she was back then.” He sighed. “The way that girl played the cello on stage just now reminded me so much of her. The feeling she gave me was similar, but I know it must just be my imagination. It’s been decades since I taught that child. ”

Javen listened quietly, stroking his chin. This was the first time he’d heard Elder Guo mention a past student, and judging by his expression, he still regretted what had become of her.

“Elder Guo, what happened to that student of yours later?”

Elder Guo sighed again. “I don’t know. After graduation, she didn’t pursue further studies due to her health, and we lost contact.”

Javen made a mental note of this, thinking that if the opportunity arose, he’d introduce Ren Jiao to Elder Guo. If Elder Guo felt a connection, he might offer her some guidance. Something that would undoubtedly benefit her.

After all, the girls of Group S were now under Lian Na’s management, and as her close friend, Javen was keen to support her endeavors.

The two-day concert came to a successful conclusion. Javen didn’t make an appearance in front of the young fans. He had simply come to Shanghai with some friends he knew since he happened to have free time, not intending to draw any attention.

Returning to the hotel that night, Ji Qingshi, as usual, applied medicine to Ren Jiao’s bruises. Starting tomorrow, she wouldn’t need to use the harness anymore, so the bruises would heal faster.

“When was the Hangzhou concert again?” After finishing with the medicine, Ji Qingshi lay back on the bed, turning her head to ask the person beside her.

Ren Jiao replied, “It’s in April.”

It was only February now, so there was still quite a while to go.

“What work do you have in the next two months?”

“Not sure about commercial activities, that’s up to Sister Cen’s arrangements. Most of the work will probably be preparing for the new album.”

“So, you’ll be staying in Bincheng the whole time?”

Ren Jiao rolled over to face Ji Qingshi and said, “Most likely, unless there are other events that require travel.”

Ji Qingshi nodded. “That’s good. Plenty of time to rest.” She reached out to tuck the blanket around Ren Jiao and said, “Let’s sleep. The performances are finally over. Time for some proper rest.”

There was something almost magical about having this person by her side. Ren Jiao felt at ease just hearing her gentle voice, and her exhaustion grew heavier.

“Mhm. Goodnight, sis.”

Ji Qingshi patted her back lightly, as if soothing a child. “Goodnight.”

They slept soundly through the night, and the next day, even Ji Qingshi slept in unusually late. Still, she woke up earlier than Ren Jiao. Not wanting to disturb her, she stayed in bed, checking her phone and replying to messages from her team and the task force.

Ren Jiao slept for a long time, only waking up close to ten. Since they had to check out and return to Bincheng in the afternoon, she lazed in bed a little longer before getting up to pack.

While rummaging through her handbag for her ID, she accidentally pulled out a red string. Seeing it, Ren Jiao froze for a moment. It was a protective charm tied to the string.

Ji Qingshi picked it up for her and asked, “Which temple did you get this from?”

Ren Jiao stared at the charm for a few seconds before seeming to remember something. She looked up at Ji Qingshi and said, “Sis, if there’s time after we go back, I’d like to visit someone at the detention center. Would that be possible?”