Xueer wishes she could go back and tell herself the corporate world can be selfish. Feeling her phone chirp, Xueer sees a text from her old dance friend Anqi. “Kong Xueer, my manager said you missed your plane! You owe me, Hotpot, for making me wait and frightening me! You said your plane would have landed by now!”

Letting out a small smile, Xueer quickly replied, “All right! I promise to buy it next time. Try to stay out of trouble.” Xueer felt a tug at her heart, remembering when Jiaqi took her for a hotpot during their first official date celebrating their recruitment. 

/

Across the room, Lisa and her girlfriend snickered at the rivalry between the two scouting employees. 
Although the companies hated each other, Lisa and Jennie always saw them reciting together. 

Lisa couldn’t help but ask, “NiNi, do you think Jisoo will ever ask Rosé out?” 

“I don’t know, babe, but if they do, I’ll take you out for a shopping spree.” Jiaqi and her girlfriend kept exchanging glances as they watched the two women argue like an old married couple. 

“Just because your office has a window doesn’t make you better, Chaeyoung!” Jiaqi turned to Xueer silently, confirming that she would accept the 7Senses offer. Xueer couldn’t help but send Jiaqi a smile. Being recruited was an exciting opportunity for both of them. 

“It’s better than your office, Kim Jisoo! At least I have a window.” Jiaqi smiled and cleared , effectively stopping Jisoo and Rosé. 

“I’m happy to accept your offer, Jisoo!” Xueer smiled and gave Jiaqi a quick side hug before speaking. “I also wanted to accept the offer, Rosè.” The two scouts grinned before leaving Jiaqi and Xueer with their business cards. Jiaqi and Xueer watched as Jisoo and Rosé practically raced each other out of the building. 

Finally, alone, Jiaqi excitedly pulled Xueer into a tight hug and spun her around. “I can’t believe we did it! Let’s celebrate-“ Dramatically clearing , Jiaqi got down on one knee. “Kong Xueer, will you go out to hotpot with me?” Laughing at Jiaqi, Xueer shook her head ‘no’ with a smile painted on her face. “No? Hmm... guess, I have changed your mind then.”

Taking a step towards Xueer, Jiaqi effectively cornered her against the wall. Smirking and leaning down on Jiaqi captured Xueer’s lips in a heated kiss. Xueer let out a noise of surprise.  Pulling away with a Cheshire grin, Jiaqi relished the effect she had on Xueer. 
 
“Will you go out with me?” Xueer could only respond with a dumb nod. 

/ 

A few months later, the happy couple had finally settled into a new routine at their new companies. Although they weren’t able to see each other as much, Jiaqi and Xueer were determined to make it work. 

It was another long night when Xueer finally arrived at the back of Jiaqi's dance studio. The gentle sound of rain seemed to underscore her mood. Previously, she had gotten into a heated debate with her manager over a stupid dating ban. 

/

"Kong Xueer, either you do it or the company will do it for you, end of the discussion! The company forbids you from dating for the next few years, especially dating anyone from 7Sense Entertainment!" An old man in a dark suit yelled, glaring at Xueer as he did so. Xueer had been called into a company meeting several hours ago to discuss her future with the company. 

"Why, I love her?!" Xueer felt rage building in the bottom of her stomach and slowly spreading up to her arms and neck. 

"I don't care! The corporation has prepaid your debt to JYP! You owe us three years of work minimum, not to mention your contract! If you don't do it, I can personally make Xu Jiaqi disappear from the spotlight. " 

"Haven't I proven myself to the company?! There is no need to threaten Jiaqi! I have done nothing but take part in an idiol schedule since signing with you." Xueer rebutted in a futile argument against the CEO.

"It's true, sir. As her manager, Xueer has done nothing but work round the clock to exceed your projected company numbers." Xueer had never felt so thankful that she had Rosè as a manager as she does today. 

"Are you really loyal to the company?! Do it; break up with Jiaqi. Prove it! Prove that you are serious about remaining part of this company!" Xueer could see the old CEO's face becoming flushed again as his face began to look even more wicked with the threat of termination. 

/

Letting out a sigh, Xueer shoved open the door. The foreign studio made her feel like a new student all over again. The studio looked conventional, with practice rooms on all four sides of the building. Studio mirrors mounted on the walls, ballet bars abandoned in the corner, a couch covered in dance costumes. 

Finally landing on the small couch in the corner, Xueer caught a glimpse of a worn-out snowflake blanket, trying its best to partially hide the owner's face. Inwardly smiling to herself, Xueer quietly made her way over to her girlfriend. 

While quietly kneeling next to the sleeping girl, Xueer felt her heart swell. Jiaqi was wearing her bronze circle glasses and seemed to have fallen asleep while watching practice videos. Leaning down to press a gentle kiss to her Jiaqi's forehead, Xueer watches in amusement as Jiaqi's forehead crinkles before nuzzling into Xueer's open palm. 

"Wanna sleep more-" Xueer couldn't help but smile. Jiaqi was always adorable when drowsy, like that time after the rain. 

"Fine, you can sleep here. Guess I have to call Yuxin to help me finish dinner." Chuckling at the sound of Jiaqi's protest, she slowly starts gathering up her things to leave. Xueer watched as Jiaqi managed to seemingly fall asleep while standing, rolling her eyes at the drama queen. Xueer swiftly plants herself in front of Jiaqi before gesturing for her to jump on. 

Letting out a thankful smile, Jiaqi ungracefully drapes her tall frame over Xueer's slightly smaller one. Catching a glimpse of them in the studio mirror, Xueer laughed at how ridiculed they looked. As Xueer made her way out of the studio, she ran into Jisoo. Quickly gesturing to the sleeping Jiaqi on her back, Jisoo kept her tone low as her eyes softened at the couple.

"You know you have to tell her someday, Xueer. Rosé and my hands are tied here. It's company policy. Trust me, Jiaqi will hate the news even more when I have to tell her what the company has in store for her."

"I know Jisoo, but I can't stand to see her hurt, I-" 

"Xueer, you're hurting her more if you don't tell her. If you don't tell her, Rosé and I will have to." Jisoo nodded towards the door, silently encouraging  Xueer to head out. She watched as Xueer carried the asleep Jiaqi to the road before climbing into the waiting taxi. Jisoo watched as the two disappeared from the horizon, giving them enough time in their get-away car before making a dreaded phone call. "Um, Hello?" 

"Chaeyoung, it's me. We have an issue; it's about Kong Xueer and Xu Jiaqi." Letting a heavy sigh, Jisoo headed back to her office and took a seat on her couch, settling in. As managers, she and Rosé knew it was their job to do the company's bidding. However, it never got easier watching the heartache it caused their clients.

/

As Xueer tried to relish the feeling of being cuddled up next to her girlfriend, Jiaiqi was clumsily passed out in the back seat of their getaway car. She couldn't help but let a few stray tears glide down her cheeks. The tears seemed to race the raindrops painting the car window outside. It felt like their innocent love was being outnumbered and shattered by the cold world that seemed to ambush them on all sides. 

Xueer wished that they had more time; she wished she could take her time to tell Jiaiq how thankful she was for the encouragement and for loving her. Tightening her hold on the sleeping girl's hand, Xueer hears Jisoo's voice echo in her mind "Xueer, you're hurting her more if you don't tell her."

Clearing her mind, Xueer knew she had to finish this task no matter how much it hurt. She wanted to give Jiaiq as much mercy as possible, knowing that how the breakup played was the only action within her full control. Xueer hoped that even with the ambush on all sides, she could protect Jiaqi with her own voice and set her free to be happy without her. Looking at the assignment ahead of her, Xueer couldn't help but feel the demands of the companies were far too greedy.