Every reliable partner is a finished product cultivated by someone else.

Qiao Yingna truly hadn't returned to rekindle any romance with Bai Haonan. That very evening, she went back to singing in bars, trying to regain her groove. The next morning, she caught a bus to the music academy in search of summer training courses—the kind with higher prices for short-term sessions. It didn’t matter; by the time Bai Haonan finished his training, dined out, and returned home, Qiao Yingna was nowhere to be seen. She didn’t need Bai Haonan to pick her up at night either. She sang at just one or two venues and was back before eleven. Hearing her practicing vocal exercises in her room, Bai Haonan didn’t disturb her and went to bed early himself.

Their relationship was merely that of two roommates, with even their daily rhythms out of sync. Bai Haonan left for training at six-thirty every morning, while Qiao Yingna left much later and came home late as well. Bai Haonan often went out to nightclubs, but he never drove under the influence anymore, so they rarely crossed paths at night.

It wasn’t until late August that Qiao Yingna approached Bai Haonan, “The talent show starts tomorrow. It’s a bit far, and there’s a good chance I’ll have to queue for hours. To keep myself in shape, could you drive me there? If the wait’s long, I can nap in the car and stay fresh. I don’t mind paying you if you want.”

This time, Bai Haonan didn’t disappoint her. He shrugged simply, “I haven’t paid you rent all this time, have I? Honestly, I don’t have much to do during the day. Let’s go.”

Qiao Yingna, seemingly well acquainted with Bai Haonan, had another ace up her sleeve: “There’ll be loads of beautiful girls at this kind of talent show! You’ll be over the moon.”

Whether it was the professional training ramping up his testosterone or his recent flirtations with nurses in the hospital, Bai Haonan’s eyes lit up with anticipation, though he feigned a blasé attitude, “I’ll take a look. No rush.”

Qiao Yingna scoffed at his insincere words, but surprisingly, didn’t despise his rakish behavior. It seemed so natural now; she’d long since given up hope, merely disappointed at his lack of ambition. He hadn’t succeeded with her these past days, but it was clear he wasn’t starving for attention.

The venue was indeed far—over twenty kilometers from the city center—so Bai Haonan canceled his morning training after a short jog. His reasoning was that both staff teams had been training intensively for too long and were mentally fatigued, a common issue even for professional squads. What began as a hobby could easily become monotonous and wearying when subjected to a daily, work-like regimen. Bai Haonan, though not formally trained in sports psychology, had ample real-life experience. He advised the captains to arrange an internal match the next afternoon and let the teams rest for a couple of days.

This news excited the amateur players. Bai Haonan went home, picked up Qiao Yingna, and was mildly surprised to see her unmade up so early in the morning. Even the first time they met at home, Qiao Yingna had been formally made up; within the student crowd, she considered it impolite not to wear makeup, especially at night.

She climbed into the car, cradling a large plastic tea cup and sipping water slowly, ignoring Bai Haonan’s occasional furtive glances, likely conserving her words as well.

Bai Haonan noticed her tension. “It’s normal to get a little excited before performing; that’s adrenaline. Don’t suppress it entirely, but control it. That hormone can actually boost your performance. Close your eyes and relax your body, but focus your mind on your best recent performance… Oh, for you, it’d be your best singing moment. Recall it slowly, make yourself eager to take the stage.”

As he spoke, Qiao Yingna glanced at him in surprise, almost wanting to say something, but eventually followed his advice, leaning back against the seat. Gradually, she let her left hand rest atop Bai Haonan’s as he gripped the gearshift.

She said nothing, just gently stroked his hand. Bai Haonan, disregarding traffic safety, watched her intently, confirming she had her eyes closed, then made a goofy face and continued driving.

They’d left early enough to avoid traffic, but it still took half an hour. From the pressure and movement of her fingers on his hand, Bai Haonan could tell she hadn't dozed off—her fingers even tapped rhythmically, initially wandering, then settling into a pattern that seemed to immerse her in some internal beat.

Following the navigation on Qiao Yingna’s phone, they arrived at the destination, and Bai Haonan was struck anew. The talent show was being held at an aviation academy, evident from the enormous advertisements outside that they trained flight attendants.

It was an industry familiar and meaningful to professional athletes; many players’ wives and girlfriends were flight attendants. Bai Haonan had met quite a few himself, and considered these men solid types who’d finally settled down.

He’d expected that, being summer, there wouldn’t be many trainee flight attendants around. But as soon as their white Polo pulled up to the gate, he saw rows of pretty girls in uniform shirts and short skirts greeting arrivals.

Whoever chose this venue for the talent show had excellent taste!

Bai Haonan couldn’t help but whistle, driving in with high spirits, even overlooking the long queue of contestants.

Indeed, compared to the poised, uniformed, tall and beautiful aspiring flight attendants, the talent show lineup was a mess—boys and girls, some dressed in tatters, sporting black lipstick and eye shadow, spiky, multicolored hair, androgynous looks. Bai Haonan thought that, based on looks alone, Qiao Yingna could easily make it to the finals, so he focused his gaze on the service staff around them.

Qiao Yingna seemed to sense Bai Haonan’s excitement through his pulse or finger movements. She opened her eyes and surveyed the scene, realizing she was among the oldest contestants; nearly half were under twenty. Her gaze locked quietly on the crowd outside. Bai Haonan parked in a shady spot, finally understanding how daunting the queue was—by eight in the morning, three to four hundred people were already in line, with more arriving.

But he wasn’t about to dutifully queue for Qiao Yingna, nor did he insist she join the line. Instead, he naturally fetched a training cone from the trunk, queued for a few minutes at the end, then handed the cone to a rebellious-looking teenager with multiple earrings, “Here’s two hundred yuan; just help us move this spot forward as the queue advances, alright?”

Everyone had to queue anyway, but earning two hundred on the side was a bonus. The teenager, clearly not financially independent, immediately dropped the rebellious act and respectfully assured Bai Haonan he’d take care of it.

Qiao Yingna watched from the car as Bai Haonan handled the arrangements. When he returned, she finally spoke, “Your survival skills are impressive. Maybe you could thrive happily anywhere…”

Bai Haonan grinned, “The world’s dark all over, so why not make the most of it and be happy, huh? Go ahead and sleep—I left my number with that kid; even if we nod off, he’ll call.”

Qiao Yingna didn’t sleep. “I’m just here to scope things out, to decide whether to wear light or heavy makeup. You rest; I’ll do my makeup.”

Bai Haonan reclined his seat but couldn’t quite sleep—probably because he couldn’t watch the flight attendants outside—so he focused on the girl beside him. After a while, he couldn’t resist sitting up. “Here, you’re rushing your eye shadow. Let me do it for you, okay?”

Qiao Yingna was surprised but hesitated only a moment before nodding, closing her eyes and tilting her head back as if heading to the executioner’s block, letting Bai Haonan work on her eyes.

Bai Haonan was quick; in ten minutes, he finished the job, confidently presenting his handiwork. “Done!”

Qiao Yingna nervously opened her eyes and looked in the makeup artist’s little mirror, and after a long, anxious pause as Bai Haonan waited for her verdict, she finally murmured, “Who the hell taught you to do such perfect eye makeup, with blending and everything?!”

It was enough to make one laugh and cry.