Chapter 59: Meow-chan, Super Super Evolution! |
It was approaching the afternoon, and all the activities at the Main Venue had finally come to an end.
Bai Yi finally had a moment of free time to detach from her work.
Because aside from her stage performance, she had various other minor tasks to handle.
For example, cooperating with the company to shoot some short videos and participating in the promotion for a clothing platform exhibiting at the event...
So, by the time Bai Yi, who had been busy like a spinning top, finally stopped, several hours had already passed since her noon performance.
The person in charge of performances for the Jinshi Group venue had also finally come looking for them.
Zuo Jiangqin was in a bad mood and had gone back early to rest, so Jiang Xion accompanied Bai Yi to handle the subsequent matters.
"I am Milos, the person in charge of the Jinshi Group exhibition performances. Please have a seat, you two."
They had followed a middle-aged man wearing the Golden Lion logo on his chest to an office. He sat in the main seat and gestured for the two of them to sit.
Milos poured a cup of coffee for each of them and smoothly shifted into the main topic.
"Regarding the matter of Miss Bai Yi not performing according to the rehearsal this noon..."
Bai Yi pursed her lips, kept her head down, and took the initiative to speak to Milos.
"I was the one who insisted on doing it without prior consultation. I will take full responsibility for this matter!"
Milos glanced at the young girl before him but did not reply. He simply handed the coffee to her and the adjacent Jiang Xion.
"Please, enjoy."
Jiang Xion usually did not directly handle Bai Yi''s artistic affairs; these matters were managed by her mother Zuo Jiangqin and her agent.
Therefore, he did not speak rashly at this moment. He merely cast a glance at Bai Yi beside him.
Only after pushing the coffee forward did Milos continue speaking.
"Just now, before the event even ended, a young man who sought me out on his own initiative claimed responsibility in the exact same way.
"He said he was your fan and had drawn away the media professionals without your consent. Is that true?"
In an instant, Bai Yi realized that the young man Milos was talking about was Yan Huan. She hurriedly waved her hands, wanting to explain on his behalf.
"No... that is not what happened. It was me..."
Hearing this, Milos simply raised a hand, stopping the nervous Bai Yi from taking the blame.
He smiled faintly and said,
"Do not be in such a rush... Miss Bai Yi, you see, you are not quite as composed as that fan of yours."
"Huh?"
Milos opened a drawer and pulled out a contract.
He took the contract out, glanced at the clauses within, and began to speak.
"According to the terms of the contract, a breach of contract only includes behaviors such as being absent, causing severe performance accidents, or inflicting damage to the reputation of the exhibition and the Jinshi Group."
Then, he raised his eyes to look at Bai Yi.
"To tell you the truth, your actions, or those of that fan of yours, are very difficult to define as a breach of contract..."
Bai Yi blinked, watching as the blond man in front of her took out his mobile phone, opened an application, and handed it to her.
Bai Yi looked at the phone screen; it displayed the most famous short video platform in Linmen.
On the hot search list, the third and fourth trending topics were "Bai Yi''s Amazing Performance at the Game Exhibition" and "Linmen Jinshi Game Exhibition," respectively.
She blinked again, watching as Milos switched through the hot search lists of several other platforms, all of which featured her name, "Bai Yi," near the top.
After that, Milos finally retracted his phone and continued.
"Do you understand? Your performance did not exceed the time limit; it was kept within seven and a half minutes. Moreover, in my opinion, the result of the performance was far better than originally planned, vastly exceeding our expected revenue when we signed you.
"In matters like this, even if we went to court and filed a lawsuit, the likelihood of judging you in breach of contract simply for not following the rehearsal is very small...
"Furthermore, this performance currently has quite a lot of traction, and we do not want a public relations crisis like ''Jinshi Group Kicks Idol When She is Down'' or ''Jinshi Lawsuit Scandal'' appearing online a few days from now."
Bai Yi opened her mouth slightly, seemingly finally grasping the other party''s meaning.
She looked into Milos''s blue eyes and asked in disbelief,
"So, that means... I will not be held accountable, right?"
Milos nodded and replied,
"Your fan understood this much better than you do.
"And it seems he believes in you more than you believe in yourself."
Upon hearing this, Bai Yi''s pupils contracted slightly.
She suddenly recalled the scene from earlier when she had let Yan Huan listen to her new song in its entirety.
The moment he heard the intro, he had suddenly raised his eyes to glance at her.
Then, he asked a question.
"Bai Yi, during the earlier rehearsal, roughly how many minutes did those interactive segments take?"
It turned out that from the very first time he heard her new song, he had already decided to do this, which was why he needed to confirm whether finishing the song would exceed the time limit.
It turned out that from that moment on, he had already believed in and acknowledged her music.
While she, at the time, had assumed...
Thump... Thump...
She clutched her chest, unable to speak for a long time.
Meanwhile, Milos rubbed the space between his eyebrows and leaned back in his chair.
"However, do not consider this a stroke of mere luck, Miss Bai Yi. As an industry veteran, let me offer you a piece of advice."
"Yes, of course."
Milos shot Bai Yi a glance, enunciating every word clearly.
"Not every impulsive act will be met with such good fortune. Fortunately, this time was not just a case of one-sided wishful thinking fueled by a fan filter from that boy. Otherwise, the consequences you would have had to face would be beyond your imagination. Do you understand?
"No company can accept such abrupt changes to their arrangements. Whatever the Jinshi Group does must be foolproof. Otherwise, why would we conduct so many rehearsals for a simple game exhibition?
"Even if the result turned out well, and on a legal aspect you will not bear any consequences, if we wished it, any company in Linmen looking to cooperate with you in the future would have to carefully weigh the risks given your style of doing things..."
Bai Yi lowered her head and sincerely apologized to the Jinshi Group''s person in charge.
"I am sorry. This kind of thing will not happen again."
"Save the apologies. That young man has already apologized on your behalf."
Milos laced his fingers together and spoke with earnest sincerity.
"Besides, the Jinshi Group is not unreasonable. You submitted the performance programs yourselves; it was not us forcing you to choose them.
"If you wanted to sing, you should have told us earlier. We would not have blocked the approval. If you had just spoken up beforehand, none of this trouble would have happened, right?"
Bai Yi offered a helpless smile and nodded.
It was true that she could have submitted any type of performance for this event. It was only because her mother did not allow her to sing that the submitted program turned out the way it did.
But with the matter finally settled, a heavy stone was lifted from her heart. She felt an overwhelming sense of relief, like she had just survived a disaster.
''Did Yan Huan truly consider things all the way to this level?''
''I really want to say thank you to him in person...''
Clutching her mobile phone, her pink lips pressed together slightly as she nodded and thanked Milos once more.
But the man simply waved his hand dismissively and said,
"Alright, let us leave the matter here. You have worked hard today, participating in so many activities. Go back and get a good rest. If the opportunity arises next time, we will collaborate again."
"Understood. Thank you so much!"
Bai Yi and Jiang Xion stood up, preparing to leave.
But right then, as if suddenly remembering something, Milos spoke up from behind them.
"By the way, Miss Bai Yi."
"Ah? Is there something else?"
"Nothing major. I just feel that you have quite a talent for singing. Once you go back, discuss it with your family. You might want to consider developing your career in this direction in the future."
Bai Yi froze slightly upon hearing this, before a beautiful smile blossomed on her face.
"I will seriously consider it moving forward."
Milos did not say anything more. He merely waved a hand, dismissing them.
Walking out of the room, Bai Yi''s initially lady-like gait gradually grew brisker, her slow walk shifting into a bouncy skip like a little rabbit.
It was not until she completely exited the Jinshi Group''s office area that she clenched her fists and bounded forward with a radiant smile.
The young and beautiful girl twirled twice in front of the fountain engraved with the Golden Lion logo, then clasped her hands behind her back, letting the gentle breeze flutter through her dark hair.
In that free and unbridled wind, she spread her arms wide, feeling a true sense of joy as if for the very first time.
Jiang Xion stood a short distance behind her, a warm smile gracing his face.
Walking up behind her, he said,
"It seems we got through that without a scratch?"
Hearing this, Bai Yi turned around, lingering trepidation still visible on her face.
"I was scared to death just now, Uncle Jiang. I honestly thought we were going to have to pay a massive fine, so..."
"So you went in fully intending to take all the responsibility onto yourself."
"Yeah... Who knew Yan Huan would go and meet the person in charge even earlier than I did."
''What he said about taking responsibility for me... was true.''
Beneath her makeup, Bai Yi''s face flushed with a fiery heat, causing her to instinctively lower her head.
But precisely because of this, she was closer to her heart, and the beating within her chest echoed all the more clearly in her ears.
Thump... Thump...
Jiang Xion smiled gently and pointed at Bai Yi''s mobile phone, reminding her.
"Shouldn''t you send Yan Huan a message to thank him now? After all, he went through all that trouble just for you, our little idol."
"Idol... or whatever..."
Her face flushed even deeper, but her trembling hands indeed pulled out her phone. She opened Plane and muttered,
"I wonder if he is still inside the venue..."
"What does it matter if he is or not? Aren''t you two in the same school and the same grade? Moreover, he''s your school''s Student Council President..."
"Eh? You know about Yan Huan, Uncle Jiang?"
"How could I not? Your Mama mentions him to more people than just you."
"Is that so..."
At the mention of her mother, Bai Yi''s expression dimmed slightly once again.
Noticing the shift in her mood, Jiang Xion sighed inwardly.
Zuo Jiangqin had been incredibly beautiful in her youth, but a life full of hardships had left her deeply insecure, leading her to pin all her hopes on Bai Yi.
Coupled with her harsh personality, these strict expectations had warped into a heavy burden, tormenting the child like a cruel form of torture.
Thinking of this, Jiang Xion offered a helpless smile and said to Bai Yi,
"It is alright. I told you before, because of work, I will be moving back to live in Linmen too.
"That Jinshi Group manager just now also said you have a great talent for singing. Since you have the talent and you enjoy it, you should grasp this opportunity firmly.
"Facts speak louder than words. We will convince your Mama together. Do not worry."
Bai Yi looked at Jiang Xion, smiled sweetly, and nodded.
"Okay, Uncle Jiang."
Following that, she finally made up her mind. She stared at her chat box with Yan Huan and raised her fingers...
"Meow~"
The sun was gradually dipping to the west. Outside the exhibition, on a sunlit avenue, the black cat resting on a young man''s shoulder suddenly spoke.
"Yan Huan..."
Yan Huan turned his head slightly, rubbed the black cat''s head, and asked,
"What is it, Myau-chan?" Myau-chan''s jade green eyes stared at Yan Huan as he asked curiously,
"Did you plan out that whole thing with making Bai Yi sing a long time ago, meow?"
Hearing this, Yan Huan smiled faintly and shook his head.
"There was no grand plan. It was just a spur-of-the-moment decision."
Myau-chan opened his mouth, tilting his head as he asked,
"It was just a spur-of-the-moment decision, yet you dared to take such a huge risk to change her stage performance at the last minute, meow? If it had failed, then..."
"Indeed..."
Yan Huan merely smiled, continuing to walk forward as he spoke.
"But Myau-chan, no idea is ever born entirely out of thin air.
"Her desire to sing was being suppressed by her mother; that is point one. The song she wrote is genuinely wonderful, and I believed that the other youths attending the comic convention would enjoy it; that is point two.
"Furthermore, the voice of the Modifier on her is growing more and more obvious. If I had left it alone, I had a premonition that there would absolutely be severe consequences; that is point three..."
Myau-chan looked at Yan Huan and continued asking,
"Even taking those three points into consideration, what was the success rate at the time, meow?"
"Less than seventy percent."
"S-Seventy percent?!"
Seeing Myau-chan''s shocked expression, Yan Huan could not help but squeeze his chubby cheeks and say,
"Myau-chan, there is a common saying: ''Do your best and leave the rest to heaven.'' The fact that Bai Yi possesses a talent for singing and could produce a work that moves people''s hearts was the crucial key.
"As for the remaining thirty percent risk, rather than saying I left it up to heaven''s gamble, it is more accurate to say I trusted that she would not let this opportunity go to waste.
"As for myself, everything was merely to resolve the Modifier..."
To resolve the Modifier, Yan Huan had to seize this fleeting opportunity, manifesting the resolve to make a choice and the courage to brave the risks.
''But... was it truly just to resolve the Modifier?''
Stopping at these words, Yan Huan inevitably recalled the image from earlier: the radiant young girl enveloped in brilliant light on the stage, reaching out a finger to point at him.
Her gaze seemed to transcend everything...
Whether it was her mother, the sea of spectators, the responsibilities she was about to shoulder, or the Modifier itself...
Her gaze remained entirely undistracted, fixated solely upon him.
Yan Huan could not clearly articulate that feeling. He could only sum it up simply:
It felt pretty good.
Thinking of this, he smiled and turned away, heading toward the gathering spot they had agreed upon in the Student Council group chat on Plane.
"President!!"
From afar, Yurianna spotted the handsome young man who stood out exceptionally well in the crowd and enthusiastically waved at him.
Behind her, Sakuramiya Hitomi, holding her parasol, also turned her head to look in his direction.
Meanwhile, Ashley crouched on the ground, a wicked smirk on her face as she stared a short distance away.
Yan Huan walked over, swept his gaze across the group, and immediately noticed someone was missing.
"Where is Yabashi?"
"Well... how should I put this, President? Yabashi is... over there."
Following Yurianna''s exasperated expression and pointing finger, Yan Huan looked over and saw an otaku sitting on the edge of the steps, staring blankly at the sky.
Ashley''s wicked smirk was directed entirely at that exact spot.
Yan Huan raised an eyebrow and looked at Yurianna. She leaned in close to his ear and muttered softly,
"Ever since he came back from that Shijo Ai autograph session, Yabashi has been acting like that. He refuses to say a word no matter what we ask."
"..."
Yan Huan blinked, then walked over toward him alone, calling out along the way,
"Yabashi."
Hearing Yan Huan''s voice, Yabashi Ki''s body gave a slight tremble, but he continued to stare up at the sky.
After a moment of silence, he murmured,
"President... tell me, what is the meaning of life anyway?"
As he spoke, a clear line of tears slid down his cheek, eventually gathering into a crystalline droplet at his chin.
"..."
Yan Huan opened his mouth, then simply raised his hand and delivered a swift smack to the back of his head.
"Speak normally."
Following that smack, Yabashi Ki finally settled down and stopped speaking in riddles, though the tears on his face only seemed to multiply.
He turned his head to look at Yan Huan, his face twisted in a miserable sob.
"President... I... I got yelled at by Shijo-sensei..."
"Huh?"
Yan Huan looked thoroughly perplexed. Hugging his knees, Yabashi Ki proceeded to recount everything that had happened to the Student Council members.
Yurianna crossed her arms, staring at Yabashi Ki with her mouth slightly agape, wearing a look that practically screamed, "You are beyond saving."
Ashley was far more direct. She pinched her nose tightly with both hands, acting as if she were terrified of catching a foul stench.
Only Sakuramiya Hitomi furrowed her brows, looking at Yabashi Ki as she said,
"Regardless, Yabashi spent a considerable amount of money for this autograph session with Shijo Ai, didn''t he? To say such things to a fan who likes her is frankly taking it too far."
Yan Huan noticed the poster clutched tightly in Yabashi Ki''s arms. He pulled it from the reluctant boy''s grasp and briefly inspected Shijo Ai''s signature on it.
In reality, the poster didn''t feature anything overly explicit. It was just that the R-rated nature of the galgame meant the character''s pose on the poster was inherently somewhat shameful.
Moreover, the service Yabashi Ki had requested from the other party was actually entirely within the bounds of reason.
Most likely, because that former work from the adult entertainment industry was now viewed by the voice actress as a dark history she wished to forget, Yabashi Ki—who had become her fan specifically because of that work—ended up catching the brunt of her misplaced anger.
Yan Huan looked at the poster, then down at the crouching Yabashi Ki, and abruptly said,
"Let''s go, Yabashi. I will take you to find Shijo Ai. She hasn''t left yet; she is still in the autograph area."
Yabashi Ki snapped his head up to stare at Yan Huan. His eyes gradually widened beneath his glasses before settling into a bitter smile.
Wiping away his tears, he whispered,
"Forget it, President. Just give me the poster back..."
Yurianna squatted down in front of Yabashi Ki and waved her hand in front of his face.
"Yabashi-kun, she said those awful things to you, you know? You can''t possibly still like her, can you?"
Yabashi Ki paused briefly, his gaze darting away shiftily once again.
He forced a helpless smile and spoke in a low voice.
"I do not know either... Honestly, I should have realized long ago that to Shijo-sensei, this was merely a job. Especially since it was an early work from the adult entertainment industry.
"It is just like how Jiao Tan-sensei only draws plunder-genre manga because of his job, not because he actually enjoys it so much himself...
"To link a fictional character with their voice actress or creator out of sheer one-sided wishful thinking...
"I was just constantly seeing the Shijo-sensei I wanted to see, constantly loving the Shijo-sensei I fabricated in my imagination."
His hands, which had been gripping the poster so tightly it looked as though he wanted to destroy it, gradually relaxed as he spoke. Then, Yabashi carefully smoothed out the newly liberated poster and treasuredly returned it to his school bag.
Only then did Yabashi Ki tilt his head up to face Yan Huan once more.
"Throwing a furious tantrum just because an idol you like doesn''t perfectly match the version in your imagination... that''s something even a hardcore otaku like me wouldn''t stoop to do, President."
"..."
Yet, for some inexplicable reason, as Yan Huan watched Yabashi Ki deliver this deeply profound speech, he couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow.
Behind him, Yurianna and Ashley were both blushing furiously. They clamped their hands over their mouths, practically bursting at the seams as they fought back laughter.
"Pfft!"
Sakuramiya Hitomi exasperatedly pressed a hand to her forehead and shook her head.
The reason was simple.
Because at that exact moment, the face of the Yabashi Ki who was spouting such cool and dramatic lines was already uncontrollably smeared with a horrible mess of snot and tears.
His appearance as he choked back a flood of bawling tears was the absolute polar opposite of the mature relief present in his words.
And in the very next second, his facade completely crumbled. He erupted into a wailing sob, throwing his arms wide open as he lunged straight for Yan Huan.
"Waaaahhh! I knew it, I can''t accept it after all!! I got yelled at by Shijo-sensei!! President!! She called me a pervert!!"
"Hiss! Everyone, fall back!! It''s a terrifying otaku!"
Yan Huan frantically backed away. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, the mobile phone in his pocket chimed.
"Ding, ding, ding~"
Yan Huan ceased his roughhousing with Yabashi Ki and glanced down at his phone.
Beside him, Ashley neutralized the practically zero-combat-power Yabashi Ki with a single swift karate chop, leaving him rolling on the ground clutching his school bag and screaming at the top of his lungs.
On Yan Huan''s phone application, Plane, a certain young girl had sent him a message.
"Thank you, Yan Huan."
Needless to say, it was Bai Yi.
Yan Huan smiled faintly and sent back a cat emoji covering its mouth while giggling.
"You are welcome."
On the road just outside the Jinshi Game Exhibition, sitting in the backseat of a car, Bai Yi smiled warmly at the cat emoji that appeared on her phone.
''He really likes sending emojis~''
She hesitated for a moment, then stealthily saved Yan Huan''s cat emojis to her own collection, one by one.
The very next second, following a prompt indicating ''typing...'', Yan Huan sent another message.
"I am incredibly honored to be your Fan A."
Staring at this message, Bai Yi''s small mouth parted slightly. Her mind immediately raced back to the heat of the moment on stage, remembering the words she had boldly declared in front of that massive crowd...
Gradually, a bright flush of pink crept across her small face, a blush so vibrant that even her makeup couldn''t conceal it.
In a flustered haste, she stared at the message on her phone, her fingers frantically tapping away at the keyboard without any idea of how to respond.
Driving in the front seat, Jiang Xion cast a glance through the rearview mirror. Seeing Bai Yi sitting in the back, covering her face and panicking over her phone, a knowing smile graced his lips.
"What is it? Did Yan Huan send you a message?"
"No! I mean... not exactly, it is just..."
"What did he say?"
"Th-That..."
Bai Yi''s face flushed even deeper. Gripping her phone tightly, she scrambled to brew an explanation.
However, the next second, her phone chimed again.
It was another message from Yan Huan.
Bai Yi, who had practically slid down flat into her seat, scrambled up and sat straight as an arrow, locking her eyes onto the phone screen.
Her previously lovestruck expression slowly froze in place, and then, even her lips pressed tightly into a grim line.
This complete 180-degree shift completely baffled Jiang Xion. He let out an inquisitive "Ahem" to prompt her further.
But in the back seat, Bai Yi had already covered her face, locked her phone screen, and buried her head completely in her arms.
Consumed by an overwhelming wave of embarrassment, she muttered in a voice as soft as a mosquito''s buzz,
"He said... my grades on the placement test were way too awful, so he''s advising me to join the Study Group when I return to school next week... Apparently, he forgot to notify me about it earlier..."
Jiang Xion froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"Hahahahaha!"
Her face flushed red, Bai Yi collapsed back against the seat, clamping her hands over her ears to block out Jiang Xion''s teasing laughter.
Meanwhile, outside the window, the Jinshi Game Exhibition marched steadily toward its end as the golden sunlight transitioned into shades of crimson.
It morphed into a long-awaited reunion, into the lively and welcoming atmosphere of the Student Council, into the heart-pounding shyness felt in the backseat of a moving car...
Amidst her dark hair, the blushing Bai Yi retrieved her phone once again, gazing at the still-unanswered chat box.
Her fingers twitched lightly. Sending a cat emoji over, she tapped into Yan Huan''s profile.
And entered a special, personalized contact name just for him...
"Fan A."
Having finished all of this, Bai Yi smiled faintly once again, tilting her head as she stared into the open chat box, lost in thoughts known only to her.
Suddenly, she began to hum a tune.
The melody sounded exactly like the outro of her new song.
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