Chapter Text
The first time Xie Lian saw her. On the main stage of a small club.
The song started off with rough guitar noises, ones that Xie Lian hadn't recognized before, followed by a rasp voice.
Her eyes followed the sound of the voice before quickly landing on the main singer. She stood tall in the middle of the stage.
"Don't wanna grow up, I wanna get out."
She only allowed her eyes to linger on the singer for a moment before landing her eyes on the guitarist.
"Hey, take me away,
I wanna shout out take me,
Away, away, away, away."
Long black hair that was tied up into a messy ponytail, pale skin, and an eyepatch immediately stood out to Xie Lian. This girl had a physique that wasn't exactly new to Xie Lian, but there was something different about her.
Xie Lian had practically stared this girl up and down before realizing she had moved towards the front of the stage.
The guitarist took a short breath before her fingers quickly moved across the guitar's strings.
The riff was unlike anything Xie Lian had experienced before, the sounds of the guitar mixed with the expressions and movements of the guitarist melted Xie Lian in her chair.
She had heard plenty of guitar riffs in her time being a vocalist, mainly from her own band, but nothing could've compared to what she'd seen on the stage at that moment.
"Don't wanna grow up, I wanna get out.
Hey, take me away,"
For short moments the guitarist herself leaned into the mic for parts of the song and her voice echoed throughout Xie Lian's mind.
"Round and round here we go again...
Same old stuff, never ends."
At the end of the song, Xie Lian found herself sitting in silence with her mouth slightly dropped open as the crowd cheered in applause. She continued to watch in awe as the guitarist took a bow and walked off the stage.
Unfortunately, just as the guitarist went backstage, a hand blocked her view.
"Hello?? What the hell is wrong with you?"
Xie Lian glanced up and rolled her eyes at the duo infront of her. "Sorry. Do you guys need something?"
Feng Xin and Mu Qing glanced at each other before sitting on opposite sides of Xie Lian. "How was the band? We only saw the end of the set, were they good?"
Xie Lian nodded and kept her eyes locked on the stage, wondering if there was a chance she'd be able to see the guitarist again.
"Yeah, they were pretty good. The guitarist.." Her attention drifted as she played the riff over again in her head.
Mu Qing groaned and threw a hand in-front of her face again. "The guitarist what??"
Xie Lian shook her head, "Sorry, she was really good."
Feng Xin lightly grabbed Xie Lian's shoulder, "Better than me?"
Xie Lian pretended not to hear Feng Xin and stood from her stool. "I'm gonna head out, I'll see you guys tomorrow at the studio."
"Hold up, Xie Lian!" Feng Xin called out to Xie Lian as she walked out, continuing the act of pretending not to hear her.
Pulling out her phone to call an uber, Xie Lian bumped into a tall figure. "Ah, sorry about that—"
When she looked up, she noticed the guitarist from earlier. Who seemed to have froze in her tracks just the same as Xie Lian.
From this angle, Xie Lian could make out more of her features, she also noticed that this girl had to at least be half a head taller than her.
The guitarist was first to speak up, "It's all good."
Xie Lian nodded and forced a quick smile, "Also, um. I saw your set, you guys are really good!"
The girl smiled as she glanced down at Xie Lian, "Thanks! I'm still working on my solo, though."
"Hold up," Xie Lian tilted her head as her mouth dropped slightly, "You're still working on it?" After the guitarist quickly nodded, she continued, "Oh wow, that's amazing! You're really good! I loved watching you guys perform."
"Thank you, you should come see us again some time," Smiling down, the girl's eyes never left Xie Lian's face.
Xie Lian smiled back and nodded, "I'm sure I will, me and my friends have a set here next weekend."
The girl nodded as her smile widened, "Yeah? I'll have to come by then. What do you play?"
"I'm actually a vocalist!"
The guitarist's eyes flashed for a moment before she responded, "That makes sense," Her mouth moved to form other words, but the beginning of the next group's song had began and quickly filled the quiet of the club.
Xie Lian pulled out her phone and glanced at the time, seeing that it was already late and the prices of her uber had gone up. She groaned and glanced back up to the girl. "Ah, it was nice to meet you, but I gotta go."
She quickly walked out of the club and scrolled to find the cheapest ride she could, sighing as prices only continued to go up as time went by.
She was contemplating walking home before a hand gently landed on her shoulder.
"Sorry to startle you," Xie Lian's shoulders relaxed as she recognized the guitarist's face. "Do you need a ride?"
Xie Lian checked her phone once more and shrugged. "I only live a couple blocks away, I could walk."
The girl's eyebrows furrowed as she laughed. "Seriously? It's at least a thirty-minute drive to any neighborhood or complex around here," She paused to calm her laughter down, "I got time, I could give you a ride?"
With a grateful nod and smile Xie Lian placed her phone in her pocket, "That'd be amazing, thank you.." Her mouth closed and her head slightly tilted.
The guitarist chuckled, "Hua Cheng, but you can call me San Niang."
Xie Lian smiled, "San Niang. Im Xie Lian!"
Hua Cheng nodded and stuck her hand out, "It's nice to meet you, Xie Lian."
"You too!" Xie Lian shook her hand.
"Well, I guess you wanna get home, huh? So let's go," Hua Cheng lead Xie Lian to her very-expensive-looking, red car.
After pulling out of the parking lot, Hua Cheng asked for the address and turned on the radio.
Normally, Xie Lian was used to sitting in quiet ubers and trains with crowds of people. But, this felt particularly nice to her.
It wasn't until she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and she received a text from Feng Xin that she realized she only had her phone.
Feng Xin
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I think you left something.
Xie Lian slapped her hand against her face and groaned, typing a thanks to Feng Xin before sinking into the passenger seat of Hua Cheng's car.
"Is everything alright?" Hua Cheng turned the volume of the radio down.
Xie Lian hesitated on an answer, she nodded but shook her head all at once. "I mean, it's no big deal, but I forgot my bag at the club."
Hua Cheng immediately slowed the car down, luckily there was no one else on the roads this late. "Do you need me to go back? I don't mind—"
"No no!" Xie Lian quickly interrupted her, "It's alright, my friend picked it up for me," She sighed and glanced out the window, "I just don't have my house keys."
With a nod, Hua Cheng thought for a moment before accelerating the car again. "If you'd like, you could stay with me for the night? I have a spare room," She took a quick pause, "That is if you're alright with that, we just met, so I completely understand if you'd prefer me to just drop you off."
Xie Lian laughed and sat up in her seat, "Actually, I wouldn't mind staying with you, if that's okay of course."
Hua Cheng's face flashed of a relief for a moment and she smiled, "Of course! I live more into the city, but it'll only take around twenty more minutes to get there."
Xie Lian nodded, appreciating the silence throughout the rest of the ride's duration.
When they reached the apartment complex, Xie Lian admired the structure of the building. It was more modern with a black and gold exterior and glass windows covering every inch.
She looked to Hua Cheng who guided her through the lobby and to the elevator, a security guard had stopped to ID Hua Cheng but after they made eye contact he allowed the two to go on.
Xie Lian stepped into the dim-lit elevator and watched as Hua Cheng pressed her card against a screen on the panel and clicked on the penthouse floor.
"San Niang, you own a penthouse?"
Hua Cheng grinned and brushed her ponytail over her shoulder. "Mhm, is that surprising?"
Xie Lian quickly shook her head and followed the movement of her hair. "Not surprising, but impressive! San Niang is just a very cool person, I suppose."
Laughing, Hua Cheng leaned closer to Xie Lian, "Im glad I've impressed jiejie."
The two stood in a comfortable silence for the rest of the elevator ride, which fortunately wasn't that long. When the doors opened, a short hallway was revealed, all that was shown was a black door with gold numbers on the front.
Hua Cheng stepped out of the elevator nodding for Xie Lian to follow. She scanned her card against the door once more and opened it, revealing a large room with marble flooring.
The moment Xie Lian walked into the room, she almost immediately walked over to the tall, glass windows and looked out. The penthouse offered a beautiful view over the city.
She turned around to face Hua Cheng, who stood a few feet behind her in the entry room, and smiled.
After having given her a quick tour of the apartment, Hua Cheng lead her back to the kitchen and leaned against the island. "Do you need anything? I can make some tea."
Xie Lian nodded, taking a seat at the island. "Tea sounds nice."
Hua Cheng pulled a kettle out of a cabinet and placed it onto the stove, pouring two cups of water inside.
The dim lighting of the apartment and the comfortable silence between the two created a nice ambiance for Xie Lian. There was also something about seeing Hua Cheng standing at a stove, boiling tea for the two, that flipped her stomach.
She sat quietly and patiently until Hua Cheng turned from the stove, kettle in one hand and two mugs in the other.
After pouring the tea, she slid the cup across the counter. "Be careful, it's still hot."
Xie Lian nodded glancing down at her mug before returning her gaze to Hua Cheng.
After having poured her own cup, Hua Cheng focused her attention on Xie Lian. "Jiejie, are you alright?"
Xie Lian tilted her head in confusion and furrowed her brows, "Yeah, I'm good. Why do you ask?"
Hua Cheng chuckled, taking a sip of her tea to hide her grin. "Xie Lian, you've been staring at me this whole time."
Immediately Xie Lian adverted her gaze and looked down, "Ah, I'm sorry! I happen to zone out sometimes," Saying this was the safest option, because how could she tell a woman she just met that she couldn't take her eyes off of her?
In a continuous laughter, Hua Cheng reached out to lift Xie Lian's head. "Jiejie, it's alright, I'm just messing with you."
Xie Lian sighed and locked her gaze back onto Hua Cheng, who happened to be staring right down at her from the opposite side of the island.
This continued on for a moment before Xie Lian's phone rang, causing her to startle and pull her head away from Hua Cheng's touch.
Mu Qing , The screen read.
Reluctantly, she answered, bringing the phone up to her ear. "Hello?—"
"Where are you??" Mu Qing's voice rang throughout Xie Lian's head, and before she could even reply she continued on. "You left all your things here, including your house keys! And Feng Xin says you're at some random fancy ass private complex."
Xie Lian glanced to Hua Cheng, she isn't quite sure what for. But, Hua Cheng seemed to have took the hint and walked around the counter, gently taking the phone from Xie Lian's hand.
"Don't worry, she's in good hands," She pulled the phone away from her ear and read the name on the screen, "Mu Qing."
Mu Qing didn't like this. However, before she could get another word in, Hua Cheng hung up the phone and turned the ringer off.
Xie Lian laughed and took her phone back, setting it down on the table. "Thank you, San Niang."
Hua Cheng laughed, staying beside Xie Lian, looking down at her. "Don't mention it," She paused for a moment before leaning down closer to her, "Your friend seems to care about you."
With a scoff, Xie Lian sat up in her chair, "I suppose you could call it that, but she prefers to only care when it comes to rehearsals and shows."
Hua Cheng rolled her eyes, "Ignorant."
Xie Lian's eyes widened, because suddenly, Hua Cheng was a lot closer to her face than before.
"San Niang?"
Hua Cheng smiled at Xie Lian and nodded, "Yes, jiejie?"
Xie Lian almost wanted to wrap her arms up and around Hua Cheng, but she didn't want to intrude, or make things weird. Especially after she had made Xie Lian feel so welcome.
"Ah, never mind."
Hua Cheng tilted her head, keeping the same amount of inches that lingered between their faces. "Are you alright?"
Nodding, Xie Lian leaned closer towards Hua Cheng.
"That's good," Hua Cheng softly chuckled as she pulled back and walked around to the other side of the counter, barely noticing the faint look of disappointment on Xie Lian's face. "Does jiejie drink?"
Xie Lian shook her head, and nervously rubbed her temple. "Not normally, sometimes after shows I'll go out, but I've been told I can be a lot."
Hua Cheng nodded, staring at Xie Lian on the other side of the counter. "Would you like to drink with me?"
Thinking for a moment, Xie Lian contemplated how mad Mu Qing and Feng Xin would be if they found out she was drinking at some random guitarist's penthouse on a Friday night.
Finally, "Sure!"
Xie Lian wasn't quite sure how, but before she knew it, her and Hua Cheng were a few shots in, slumped together on a couch.
Xie Lian's head lied atop of Hua Cheng's lap, staring up at her in the dim lights.
Hua Cheng smiled down at her, keeping her hands glued to the top of the couch, far from Xie Lian.
"San Niang," Xie Lian started, she reached up and rested a hand against Hua Cheng's cheek. "You're.. very pretty, and really good at guitar."
Hua Cheng laughed allowing herself to tilt into Xie Lian's hand. "Thank you, jiejie. You're quite beautiful as well."
Xie Lian's cheeks flushed and she giggled, removing her hand from Hua Cheng's face as her arm grew tired.
"Is jiejie ready for bed?"
Sighing, Xie Lian stared up at the tall ceiling, eventually nodding.
Hua Cheng pulled Xie Lian to sit up, wrapping an arm around her waist and thighs once she did.
"San Niang!" Xie Lian giggled and shrieked as she was picked up so easily, being held almost baby-like in Hua Cheng's arms. She clung onto Hua Cheng's shirt, leaning her head into her chest.
Hua Cheng began the walk up the stairs but was quickly stopped by Xie Lian at the fourth stair.
"San Niang, isn't your room down here?"
Hua Cheng slowly nodded and tilted her head, "Yes, but I was taking jiejie to the spare room. It will be much more comfortable for you."
Xie Lian shook her head and clung tighter onto her shirt, "But, can't I sleep with San Niang in her room?"
"Well," Hua Cheng shrugged and readjusted Xie Lian in her arms. "If that's what jiejie would like."
Shaking her head very quickly, Xie Lian pointed back down the stairs. "Yes!" She paused her short giggles and smiles, "Only if San Niang is okay with that, though."
Hua Cheng chuckled and went back down the stairs, towards her room. "Of course."
Once, in her room, she laid Xie Lian atop the bed, lifting a weighted blanket over her. "Do you need anything else, jiejie?"
Xie Lian shook her head and rolled around in the large bed. "No, thank you, San Niang!"
Hua Cheng laughed once more and smiled, "I'm going to get changed, I'll be back in a moment."
As she closed the door to her bathroom, Hua Cheng could've sworn she heard something from Xie Lian, but she chose to ignore it.
Once she was back in her room, she found Xie Lian to already be sound asleep.
Hua Cheng brushed her fingers through her own messy hair before softly settling herself into the bed, which normally was very large and empty. However, the warmth radiating off the woman next to her was enough to keep her warm throughout the entire night and to the morning.