Toronto, Canada.
The city's nightlights were reflected on the great lake, shimmering under the not-so-dark sky. The city lights were so bright that only a handful of stars could be seen in the sky. Although the view was not breathtaking, it was still beautiful and some may even call it romantic.
Inside his penthouse unit, Lu Zihao didn't even notice the view. He was so used to seeing it every day that it no longer moved him. Even though he paid a fortune for this very view when he purchased his condo unit.
He was reclining on his king-sized bed, preoccupied with his laptop computer on a lap desk. His usual laid-back countenance was nowhere to be seen. It was replaced by an intense, almost demonic expression which made his already roguish looks even more alluring. His handsomeness no longer expressed a carefree attitude but an aura of danger instead.
All of his attention was on the screen of his laptop. He was watching a recording of Iris Long's recent live performance at a morning TV show. She sung one of her hit songs "Phantom of Your Love". When the video finished, he clicked on the next one which was another performance by her.
For the past few weeks, he had been poring over any available information about Iris Long. His curiosity about her was first piqued when Jin Liwei visited him in Toronto. Jin Liwei mentioned that Lu Zihao reminded him of his girlfriend when they first met each other.
During that time, he only felt a mild curiosity. True, there was an unmistakable tug to his instincts when he first heard about the girl, but he didn't really think too much about it. He had no interest in someone else's woman.
It was only when Yu Mo began sending him links to videos of the girl that Lu Zihao felt something more than just passing interest. Among the brothers, Yu Mo was the one he regularly communicated with. Even when he didn't reply, the guy would frequently send him e-mails, texts, and voice mails. He didn't really mind because Yu Mo was a fun guy.
Yu Mo often talked about Jin Liwei's girlfriend who he proudly referred to as his "beloved student". At first, he just listened to the guy's chatter. It somewhat helped relieve his boredom, especially since everyone was so d*mn cautious around him, afraid that he would injure himself and become paralyzed again. How annoying.
Then a few weeks ago, Yu Mo sent him a link to a music video. It was of the song "Rebirth" by Iris Long when her album just released.
His heart started pounding. He watched the music video again and again, and then started searching for her other music videos.
He found that her older music videos when she was still a teenager didn't elicit the same reaction from him. In fact, he thought that her earlier songs were pure trash.
As he started searching for more information about her, he discovered that she disappeared from the limelight for two years and then made a comeback just recently. He directly called Yu Mo to ask about her.
"I really don't know much," Yu Mo told him. "You should ask Third Bro. Xiao Xiu is his girlfriend after all."
Lu Zihao thanked Yu Mo, but personally didn't think his suggestion was a good idea. He saw how possessive Jin Liwei was towards his girlfriend when they briefly talked about her during his visit. He didn't fear the man, but it was better not to create any tension in their relationship as brothers. He had a strong feeling that if he started asking Jin Liwei about his girlfriend, the man would grow suspicious and question him about his motives.
So he took matters on his own hands and started searching on his own.
There wasn't much information but from what he gathered, Iris Long became comatose after a car accident. She had a very bad reputation before but had a drastic change in personality after her recent comeback. Many attributed it to a strategic image change from a bratty teen pop singer to a more mature adult musician. This logic made sense, but there was something about it that bothered him. He just couldn't put his finger on it.
That was why he bought a digital copy of the entire "Rebirth" album and watched all of Iris Long's music videos over and over again. Then he started watching her live performances that were uploaded online.
The voice was different, but that singing…
And whenever she played the piano, her movements...
All felt too familiar.
He started trembling, feeling excited and emotional, yet not daring to believe.
What if?
At the moment, he was now watching Iris Long's interviews. They were the interviews she did with the social media influencers because they were the ones readily available on the web.
Lu Zihao's focus was entirely on her. The way she talked, her expressions and movements. His heart rate was jumping all over the place. He felt sweaty and he was breathing quickly, almost panting.
The last straw for him was when she tilted her head to the side as she mulled over a question.
That mannerism!
With a shaking hand, he scrolled back on the video to replay that part again.
"This…"
He removed the lap desk over him and tumbled off the bed. He started pacing around his room, trying to calm himself down but to no avail. He would return to his laptop to replay that scene again. Then he would pace again, rubbing his face with his hands.
"Is it possible?"
Returning to the bed, he paused the video showing her head tilt. His chest heaved with intense emotions.
"Is it really you?"
Then a determined expression appeared on his face. "I need to meet her," he mumbled.
He grabbed his phone from the bedside table. His trembling hands felt clumsy. He cursed a few times before he was able to dial correctly.
Impatient, he continued pacing until the other person picked up his call.
"Hello, Doctor?"