Vivian Zhou strutted on camera to her position, in front of two backup dancers. She exuded a certain confidence unlike any other hip hop dancer in all of Toronto. Following her lead, the three girls casually moved to the beat before the choreography started.

 

Vivian owned the spotlight, both naturally and by force because her body seemed to command the attention of the camera. Her hands seductively traveled down her body, and every step in her footwork was intricately executed. Vivian dominated the camera as she stepped forward confidently.

 

The music slowly faded, and Vivian stuck her pose for several seconds while slightly out of breath. She had chosen the song herself because it spoke to her most for its sensual atmosphere and self-assuring lyrics. [song = sad girlz luv money remix - sieun lee]

 

Vivian always knew what she wanted to do and how to take what she wanted, so it was only natural that she chose this song. To onlookers, the choreo was just one of many she produced, but Vivian’s emotions felt most in sync with the beat this time.

 

After being praised by the backup dancers, staff, and trainees at the dance studio, Vivian began to head back to her apartment for the evening. She didn't have any particular plans on this Friday night, but she did expect a particular someone to visit on the way.

 

It was a little chilly because the sun was setting, but that’s just relatively speaking since it was early summer. Just before she left the studio, Vivian changed out from her tank top and shorts complemented with a beige leather jacket for cozy sweats.

 

Vivian looked herself up and down in a mirror.

 

Wow… Seriously, I look amazing. Even in sweats.

 

Vivian quickly checked the time on her watch and noticed she was just on time out the front entrance of the dance studio. A couple students called out to Vivian and thanked her for the week's dance lessons. Vivian reciprocated their gestures and flashed a sincere smile while tilting her head to signal she appreciated them.

 

“Boo-!” a familiar voice exclaimed, centimeters away from her ears. The voice belonged to Alan, a computer science major Vivian least expected she’d become friends with while in her 3rd year of university.

 

“Ha. Ha. As if you didn’t text me you were gonna pick me up after my last class for the week.” Or rather, Vivian could always expect Alan to accompany her back to their apartment after her evening classes since they became friends, unless Alan had other appointments to attend to. Seeing Alan once her watch hit 6pm was practically routine at this point.

 

“You could at least pretend to be surprised, what if I was a stranger?” Alan pouted while saying this, drooping over Vivian’s shoulders with his own. While she was by no means short, standing at 5’9 with heels, Alan stood a head taller than her. Vivian could feel Alan's breath on her neck but paid him no mind as this was typical of him.

 

“But hey, I have an idea, how about we go clubbing to celebrate the last day of the semester. Entry’s on me, yeah?” This was Alan’s idea, since the thought of going clubbing was not even remotely Vivian’s idea of how to spend a Friday night.

 

Despite that, Vivian wouldn’t say no if she went with others. It was like the concept of social drinking, only that it’s clubbing instead, and she’ll probably end up drinking too.

 

“Sure. Text Safiya and Elaine to meet us at Easy around 12. Wait, scratch that, tell them to show up at 11, they’re always late anyway.” While you could always count on Alan to be by Vivian’s side, Safiya and Elaine practically existed in their own world if all of them weren’t on campus together.

 

Vivian cherished the friends she had made in university, all the more because her high school friends moved across provinces and even out of the country for university. She was the type to be fiercely loyal to her people if they gave back the same energy she gave them.

 

The evening skies were clear, the moon and the stars emerging above the two.

 

It was 12am, and Safiya and Elaine just barely managed to meet up with Vivian and Alan on time. The two girls said their half-apologies mixed in with jokes while Vivian and Alan jokingly scolded them.

 

Once they settled down, a few seconds of comfortable silence passed between the four.

 

A slight breeze blew past them, signaling them to move on.

 

They entered the club, which felt like a world of its own. While outside was quiet and peaceful, no one would assume there was music blaring from every corner of the place with strobe lights slowly pulsing over the crowd.

 

“I’ll lead us-...” The moment the door opened to the venue, music and cheers drowned out Vivian’s voice.

 

Once they entered the venue, talking at a normal volume would be impossible. Silently, Vivian motioned for the three to follow her to their usual spot on the dance floor. While all of them had no trouble making their way through the mass of people, Vivian flowed the best with the crowd while feeling the beat of the music faintly entering her ears.

 

But just then, a random passerby stepped on her foot! Whether the person said sorry or not, Vivian couldn’t hear. It wasn’t personal, and Vivian felt no need to chase down the person. All she could do was numb her mind of the pain.

 

That shit don’t faze me. The stage is mine, so I’ll take it. [Entertain me - Ylona Garcia]

 

Vivian pushed forward, still feeling herself despite the pain in her foot.

 

Just outside the club, Wei Zhi stares at the lowkey sign of the venue. What goes on in his mind is unclear, but he came here with a reason in mind. Wei Zhi was visiting the city to see Qiuyun. From reports, he knew about her location and day-to-day activities, although he didn’t know exactly how she looked after she left Shanghai over a decade ago to study abroad. From the same sources, it’s a given that he knew she was in this club.

 

Wei Zhi was actually aware that it wasn’t like Qiuyun to go clubbing, but it wouldn’t be surprising since it was the end of the semester for summer break. Bracing himself, Wei Zhi lightly clenched his fists and headed inside the noisy venue.

 

At first glance, finding a girl you haven’t met in over a decade sounds like an impossible task, and it was. Wei Zhi wasn’t sure where to look, every head of black hair blended in under the dim pulsing lights.

 

That was the case until she started dancing on the dance floor, the spotlight shining over her for a brief second as if she was the only person who existed at that moment. Her raw dancing style was the same as it was during the summer she left for Canada, and her strong jawline contrasted with her silky soft hair under the lights just the same.

 

Wei Zhi was shocked at the sight in front of him. His hand instinctively reached out for her, meters away, while his feet began to pull back. It wasn’t time yet, he simply wanted to check up on her for himself during this business trip.

 

What is this feeling, I still feel attracted to her even if she is no longer the Qiuyun Zhou I know right now. I’m still attracted to the Vivian Zhou in front of me, Wei Zhi thought.

 

At the same time, Vivian flinched at the feeling of someone watching her from afar. She couldn’t tell where it came from, and was used to attention, so she shrugged it off. Tonight was her night. Vivian pulled Alan closer to her while the two girlfriends exchanged glances and laughed to themselves.

 

It wasn’t until 3am that they began to head back to the apartment, Safiya and Alan holding the latter two girls over their backs on the way.

 

Vivian fell into a light sleep on Alan’s back as she dreamt of a distant memory.