Chapter 58: Outro |
It was nearing the afternoon, and all the activities at the main venue had finally come to an end.
Bai Yi finally had some free time to step away from her work.
Aside from her stage performance, she also had a number of other minor tasks to handle.
For example, she had to cooperate with the company to shoot a few short videos and participate in promotional events for some of the exhibiting clothing platforms...
Therefore, by the time Bai Yi, who had been busy spinning around like a spinning top, finally stopped to rest, several hours had already passed since her noon performance.
The manager in charge of the performances at the Golden Lion Group venue had finally come knocking on her door.
Zuo Jiangqin was in a bad mood and had returned early to rest, leaving Jiang Xiong to accompany Bai Yi in handling the remaining matters.
"I am Milos, the manager of the Golden Lion Group's exhibition performances. Please, both of you, take a seat."
Following the middle-aged man wearing the Golden Lion Emblem on his chest into the office, he sat down at the main seat and greeted the two, gesturing for them to take a seat.
Milos poured a cup of coffee for each of them and seamlessly transitioned into the main topic. "Regarding Miss Bai Yi not following the rehearsal for her performance this noon..."
Bai Yi pursed her lips, lowered her head, and took the initiative to speak to Milos.
"It was my own stubborn decision to do so without any prior discussion. I will take full responsibility for this!"
Milos glanced at the young girl before him without replying. He simply handed the coffee to her and to Jiang Xiong beside her.
"Please, enjoy."
Jiang Xiong did not directly handle Bai Yi's affairs as an idol on a daily basis; those matters were managed by her mother, Zuo Jiangqin, and her agent.
Thus, at this moment, he did not speak rashly, only casting a glance at Bai Yi beside him.
After pushing the coffee cups forward, Milos continued speaking.
"Just earlier, before the event had even concluded, a young boy who came to find me of his own accord took the blame in the exact same way.
"He said he was your fan and had drawn the media personnel away without your permission. Is that true?"
In an instant, Bai Yi realized that the young boy Milos mentioned was Yan Huan. She hurriedly waved her hands, wanting to explain on his behalf.
"No... that's not how it happened. It was me..."
Hearing this, Milos simply raised his hand, stopping the nervous Bai Yi from continuing to take the blame.
He smiled faintly and simply said,
"Don't be in such a rush... Miss Bai Yi, look, you aren't nearly as composed as your fan."
"Eh?"
Milos opened a drawer and pulled out a contract.
He took out the contract, skimmed through the clauses within, and began to speak.
"According to the terms of the contract, a breach of contract only includes situations such as being absent, causing a severe performance accident, or engaging in behaviors that damage the reputation of the exhibition and the Golden Lion Group."
Following that, he raised his eyes to look at Bai Yi.
"To be completely honest, the actions of you, or your fan, are very hard to define as a breach of contract..."
Bai Yi blinked, watching as the blond man before her took out his 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 Kirin Gate.
On the trending topic list, the third and fourth ranked topics were "Bai Yi's Amazing Game Exhibition Performance" and "Linmen Golden Lion Game Exhibition", respectively.
She blinked, watching as Milos switched through the trending topic lists of several other platforms, with her name "Bai Yi" appearing in higher or lower ranks across all of them.
Milos then took his phone back and continued, "Do you understand now? Your performance did not go over time; it was kept within the seven and a half minutes. Moreover, in my opinion, the result of the performance was far better than the original plan, greatly exceeding the expected returns of our initial contract with you.
"Even if a matter like this were taken to court and a lawsuit ensued, the possibility of ruling you in breach of contract simply for not following the rehearsal is extremely small...
"Not to mention, the popularity of this performance is quite significant right now. We don't want to face a public relations crisis in a few days with headlines like 'Golden Lion Group Kicks Idol When Down' or 'Golden Lion Lawsuit Scandal'."
Bai Yi opened her mouth, finally seeming to understand his meaning.
She looked into Milos's pair of blue eyes and asked in disbelief,
"So you mean to say... there won't be any accountability, right?"
Milos nodded and said,
"Your fan saw this much more clearly than you did.
"And it seems that he believes in you even more than you believe in yourself."
Hearing this, Bai Yi's pupils slightly contracted.
She suddenly recalled the scene when she had brought her new song for Yan Huan to listen to in its entirety.
Upon hearing the intro, he had suddenly raised his eyes to glance at her.
Following that, he had asked a question.
"Bai Yi, during the earlier rehearsals, about how many minutes did those interactive segments take?"
So, from the very first time he heard her new song back then, he had already decided to do this, which was why he needed to confirm whether finishing the song would run over time.
So, right from that moment, he had believed in and acknowledged her song.
Yet she had thought back then...
Thump... thump...
She pressed a hand to her chest, speechless for a long time.
Meanwhile, Milos rubbed the space between his eyebrows, leaning his body back against his chair.
"However, do not feel like you just got lucky, Miss Bai Yi. As a senior in this industry, allow me to offer you a bit of advice."
"Y-yes."
Milos glanced at Bai Yi and spoke clearly, word by word.
"Not every impulsive action will be blessed with such good luck. Fortunately, this time wasn't just the wishful thinking of that young boy under the influence of a fan filter, otherwise, the consequences you'd have to bear would be beyond your imagination, do you understand?
"No company can accept such a sudden change of plans from you. Everything the Golden Lion Group does must be foolproof. Otherwise, why would we conduct so many rehearsals for a simple game exhibition?
"Even if the outcome is good, and from a legal standpoint you won't bear any consequences... as long as we put the word out about this style of doing things, any company in Kirin Gate will have to carefully weigh the risks before collaborating with you in the future..."
Bai Yi lowered her head and sincerely apologized to the Golden Lion Group manager, "I am sorry. This kind of thing will never happen again."
"Save your apologies. That young boy has already apologized."
Milos crossed his hands and spoke with earnest sincerity, "Moreover, it's not like the Golden Lion Group is unreasonable. You submitted your own program list; we didn't force you to choose anything.
"If you wanted to sing, you should have told us earlier. We aren't going to hold up the approval. If you had just told us earlier, we wouldn't have had so much trouble, right?"
Bai Yi smiled helplessly and nodded.
The truth was exactly that. She could have submitted anything for the event content, but her mother had not allowed her to sing, which was why the submitted program ended up like that.
Still, with the matter settled, a heavy stone was finally lifted from her heart, leaving her with a feeling of having survived a disaster.
Had Yan Huan really considered things down to this level?
She really wanted to say thank you to him in person...
Gripping her phone, she pursed her pink lips and once again nodded in gratitude to Milos.
But he simply waved his hand dismissively and said, "Alright, that is all for this matter. You've worked hard today participating in so many activities. Go back and get a good rest. If there is a chance next time, we will collaborate again."
"Understood. Thank you so much!"
Bai Yi and Jiang Xiong stood up, preparing to leave.
But just then, from behind them, Milos seemed to suddenly remember something and called out to Bai Yi.
"By the way, Miss Bai Yi."
"Ah? Is there something else?"
"It's nothing much. I just think you have a great talent for singing. After you go back, discuss it with your family. You could consider developing in this direction in the future."
Hearing this, Bai Yi froze slightly before revealing a beautiful smile.
"I will seriously consider it later."
Milos didn't reply further, merely waving his hand to let them leave.
After walking out of the room, Bai Yi's originally refined lady-like walking posture gradually became more brisk, her steps transitioning from a slow walk to a bouncy skip like a little rabbit.
It wasn't until she had completely exited the Golden Lion Group's office space that she clenched her fists and ran out with a bright smile.
The young, beautiful girl twirled twice in front of the fountain engraved with the Golden Lion Emblem, then clasped her hands behind her back, letting the gentle breeze flutter her black hair.
In that unconstrained wind, she opened her arms, feeling a sense of true joy as if for the very first time.
Jiang Xiong simply stood a short distance behind her, a smile forming on his face.
Walking up behind Bai Yi, he spoke.
"It seems everything turned out fine after a false alarm?"
Hearing this, Bai Yi finally turned her head around, lingering trepidation still visible on her face.
"That scared me to death just now, Uncle Jiang. I really thought we would have to pay a lot of money in damages, so..."
"So when you went in, you still planned to shoulder all the responsibility."
"Yeah... who would have thought that Yan Huan had actually gone to see the manager even earlier than I did."
When he said he would take responsibility for her... it was true.
Beneath Bai Yi's makeup, a burning heat seemed to spread across her face, making her subconsciously lower her head.
But precisely because of this, she was closer to her heart, and the beating within sounded even clearer.
Thump... thump...
Jiang Xiong also smiled faintly. He pointed to Bai Yi's phone and reminded her,
"Then shouldn't you send Yan Huan a message to thank him right now? After all, he went through all this trouble just for you, his idol."
"Idol... or whatever..."
Bai Yi's face grew even redder, but her trembling hand indeed took out her phone. Opening Plane, she muttered,
"I wonder if he's still inside the venue..."
"What does it matter whether he is or isn't? Aren't you two from the same school and in the same grade? Besides, he's also the president of your school's Student Council..."
"Uncle Jiang, you know about Yan Huan?"
"How could I not? Your mother doesn't only bring him up in front of you, you know."
"I see..."
At the mention of her mother, Bai Yi's expression grew slightly gloomier once more.
Jiang Xiong noticed the change in her expression and sighed inwardly.
Zuo Jiangqin had been exceedingly beautiful in her youth, but due to a life fraught with ill-fortune, she lacked any sense of security, leading her to place all of her hopes onto Bai Yi.
Coupled with her personality, this rigorous expectation had transformed into a heavy burden, torturing the child like a cruel form of torture.
Thinking up to this point, Jiang Xiong smiled helplessly and said to Bai Yi,
"It's alright. Didn't I tell you before? Because of my work, I will also be moving back to Kirin Gate to live.
"That Golden Lion Group executive from just now also said that you have a great talent for singing. Since you have the talent and you like it, then you should firmly grasp onto it.
"Facts leave no room for doubt. We will convince your mother together, so don't worry."
Bai Yi looked at Jiang Xiong, gave a soft smile, and nodded.
"Okay, Uncle Jiang."
Following that, she finally made up her mind, looked at the chat interface with Yan Huan, and raised her fingers...
"Meow~"
The sun gradually sank towards the west. Outside the exhibition, on a broad avenue paved with sunlight, a black cat resting on a young boy's shoulder suddenly spoke up.
"Yan Huan..."
Yan Huan tilted his head slightly, rubbed the black cat's head, and asked,
"What is it, Miao-chan?"
Miao-chan's emerald-green eyes looked at Yan Huan as it curiously asked,
"Did you plan for Bai Yi to sing just now well in advance, meow?"
Hearing this, Yan Huan smiled faintly, shook his head, and replied,
"There was no plan. It was just a spur-of-the-moment decision."
Miao-chan opened its mouth, tilted its head, and asked,
"It was just a spur-of-the-moment decision, yet you dared to take such a huge risk to change her on-stage program at the very last minute, meow? If it had failed, then..."
"Yeah..."
Yan Huan simply smiled, walking forward as he said,
"But Miao-chan, no idea can ever be born entirely out of thin air...
"Her desire to sing had been suppressed by her mother—that was the first thing. The song she wrote was genuinely very good, and I believed that the other young people visiting the exhibition would likely enjoy it—that was the second thing.
"Furthermore, the sound of the Modifier on her body was becoming increasingly obvious. If left unchecked, I had a premonition that there would definitely be extremely severe consequences—that was the third thing..."
Miao-chan looked at Yan Huan and continued asking,
"Even considering those three points, what was the success rate at that time, meow?"
"Less than seventy percent, probably."
"Sev... seventy percent?!"
Seeing Miao-chan's shocked expression, Yan Huan couldn't help but knead its chubby cheeks and said,
"Miao-chan, there is an old saying: 'Do one's utmost and leave the rest to fate.' The fact that Bai Yi herself had the talent for singing and could produce a work capable of touching people's hearts—that was the crucial key.
"As for the remaining thirty percent, rather than saying I gambled and left it to heaven, it would be better to say that I believed she wouldn't let this opportunity go to waste in vain.
"As for me, it was simply to resolve the Modifier..."
In order to resolve the Modifier, Yan Huan had to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and summon the boldness to make a choice, the courage to face the risks without fear.
But... was it truly just to resolve the Modifier?
Having spoken up to this point, Yan Huan couldn't help but recall the sight of the radiant young girl on stage, surrounded by dazzling lights, as she reached out a finger to point at him.
Her gaze seemed to transcend everything...
Be it her mother, the huge crowd of spectators, the responsibilities she was about to shoulder, or even the Modifier...
Her gaze strayed nowhere else; it only looked at him.
Yan Huan couldn't quite articulate the feeling, and could only describe it simply:
It wasn't too bad.
At this thought, he smiled, turned around, and walked toward the gathering spot agreed upon in the Student Council's main group chat on Plane.
"President!!"
From afar, Eualina spotted the exceptionally striking and handsome boy amidst the crowd, and began waving her hand at him.
Behind her, Sakuramiya Hitomi, holding a parasol, also turned her head to look at him.
Ashley, meanwhile, was squatting on the ground, staring mischievously into the near distance.
Yan Huan walked over, swept his gaze around, and immediately noticed someone was missing. He asked,
"Where's Yahashi?"
"Um... how should I put this, President. Yahashi-kun is... over there."
Following Eualina's helpless expression and the direction she was pointing in, Yan Huan looked over and saw a certain otaku sitting on the edge of the stairs, staring blankly up at the sky.
Ashley was snickering off to the side, looking in that very same direction.
Yan Huan raised an eyebrow and looked at Eualina, who leaned in close to his ear and muttered softly,
"Yahashi has been like that ever since he came back from that Shijou Ai autograph session. He refuses to say a word no matter what we ask him."
Yan Huan blinked, then walked over by himself, calling out to him as he approached.
"Yahashi."
Hearing Yan Huan's voice, Yahashi's body trembled slightly, but he still kept his head raised to look at the sky.
After a moment of silence, he murmured,
"President, what do you think is the true meaning of life?"
As he spoke, a line of clear tears slid down his cheek, ultimately converging into a crystalline drop at his chin.
Yan Huan opened his mouth, then raised his hand and gave the side of his head a sharp head flick. "Talk properly."
After receiving that head flick, Yahashi finally behaved and stopped being a riddle speaker, though the tears on his face only seemed to multiply.
He turned his head to look at Yan Huan with a tearful expression and cried out, "President... I... I got scolded by Shijou-sensei..."
"Huh?"
Yan Huan looked utterly confused, and Yahashi, hugging his knees, recounted everything that had just happened to the members of the Student Council.
Eualina crossed her arms, staring open-mouthed at Yahashi with a look that clearly screamed "You're hopeless."
Ashley was much more direct, pinching her nose shut with both hands as if terrified of smelling something foul.
Only Sakuramiya Hitomi furrowed her brows, looking at Yahashi as she said,
"Even so, Yahashi spent a lot of money just for this Shijou Ai's autograph session, didn't he? For her to say such things to Yahashi, who genuinely supports her, is a bit too much."
Yan Huan looked at the poster hugged tightly in Yahashi's arms, pulled it out from the reluctant boy's grasp, and examined Shijou Ai's signature on it.
In reality, the poster didn't feature anything overly explicit. However, the nature of it being from an adult-rated galgame meant that the character's pose was bound to be somewhat embarrassing.
Moreover, the service that Yahashi had requested from her was completely within reason.
It was likely just because this former underground works was now viewed by the other party as a dark stain on her past. Consequently, Yahashi, who had become a fan because of this very work, ended up caught in the crossfire of her anger.
Yan Huan looked at the poster, then looked down at the squatting Yahashi, and suddenly said,
"Let's go, Yahashi. I'll take you to find Shijou Ai. She hasn't left yet and is still at the autograph area."
Yahashi turned to look at Yan Huan, his eyes slowly widening from behind his glasses, before transforming into a bitter smile.
He wiped his tears and spoke softly,
"Forget it, President. Just give the poster back to me..."
Eualina squatted down in front of Yahashi, waved her hand in front of his eyes, and asked,
"Yahashi-kun, she already said those horrible things to you. You couldn't possibly still like her, right?"
Yahashi gave a slight start, and his gaze began to dart around evasively.
He only offered a helpless smile and spoke softly,
"I don't know either... honestly, I should have realized a long time ago. To Shijou-sensei, this was nothing more than a job, especially since it was one of her earliest underground works.
"Just like how Charcoal Sensei drawing plunder-themed manga is simply for work, not because he actually enjoys it that much.
"It was just my own wishful thinking, trying to connect the fictional characters with their voice actors and creators... I was merely seeing the Shijou-sensei I wanted to see, and continually liking the Shijou-sensei I had built up in my imagination."
His hands, which had been gripping the poster so tightly it looked as though he wanted to destroy it, slowly relaxed as he spoke. Afterward, Yahashi retrieved the freed poster and carefully, almost reverently, placed it back into his backpack.
Only then did Yahashi raise his head to look at Yan Huan once more, saying,
"Flying into a rage just because the idol I admire doesn't match the image in my head... even as a hardcore otaku, I could never do something like that, President."
1
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But for some reason, looking at Yahashi who had just spoken these words, Yan Huan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Behind him, Eualina and Ashley had both flushed completely red, covering their mouths as they barely held back a burst of laughter.
"Pfft!"
Sakuramiya Hitomi also helplessly pressed a hand against her forehead, shaking her head.
The reason for this was simple.
Because at this very moment, while delivering such cool and dramatic lines, Yahashi's face was completely covered in snot and tears that were flowing out entirely out of his control.
The sight of him holding back his sobs with tears streaming down his face was the complete polar opposite of the profound sense of relief in his words.
And in the very next second, he thoroughly lost all composure and burst into loud wailing, throwing his arms wide open as he attempted to lunge at Yan Huan.
"Waaahhhh! I knew I couldn't do it after all!! I actually got scolded like that by Shijou-sensei!! President!! She called me a pervert!!"
"Hiss! Everyone, fall back!! It's a terrifying otaku!"
Yan Huan hastily retreated. He had just opened his mouth to say something when the phone in his pocket rang.
"Ding ding ding~"
Yan Huan stopped his horseplay with Yahashi and looked down at his phone. Meanwhile beside him, Ashley neutralized the practically zero-combat-power Yahashi with a single swift chop to the neck, leaving him to roll around on the floor hugging his backpack while howling at the top of his lungs.
On Yan Huan's phone application Plane, a young girl had sent a message.
"Thank you, Yan Huan."
Needless to say, it was from Bai Yi.
Yan Huan smiled faintly and replied with a cat emoji covering its mouth while chuckling.
"You're welcome."
On the road just outside the entrance of the Golden Lion Game Exhibition, Bai Yi sat in the backseat of the car, looking at the cat emoji on her phone with a small smile.
'He really likes sending emojis, doesn't he?'
She hesitated for a moment, then quietly saved the cat emojis Yan Huan used, one by one.
And in the very next second, the Yan Huan who was displaying as "typing..." sent another message.
"I am honored to be your Fan A."
Seeing this message, Bai Yi's small mouth parted slightly. In her mind, she suddenly recalled the heat of the moment on stage when she had spoken those words out loud in front of the massive crowd...
Subsequently, a vibrant shade of pink slowly crept across her small face, blooming so intensely that even her makeup couldn't conceal it.
She stared at the message on her phone in a fluster, hurriedly tapping at her keyboard, yet she had absolutely no idea how to reply.
Jiang Xiong, who was driving in the front, glanced through the rearview mirror at Bai Yi in the back seat, who was covering her face and acting completely flustered in front of her phone. A small smile crept up the corners of his mouth.
"What's wrong? Did Yan Huan send a message?"
"No! Well... not exactly, it's just..."
"What did he say?"
"Th... that..."
Bai Yi's face flushed even redder. Clutching her phone, she desperately tried to brew up some words of explanation.
However, in the next second, her phone chimed again.
It was another message from Yan Huan.
Bai Yi, who had practically sunk completely down into her seat, hurriedly sat back up straight and stared at the message on the screen.
Her previously lovestruck face slowly froze, and shortly after, even her lips tightly pursed together.
Seeing this look left Jiang Xiong completely confused. He gave a small "Ahem" to prompt her.
But the Bai Yi in the back seat had already covered her face, locked her phone screen, and buried her head in the crook of her arm.
Enduring an overwhelming amount of embarrassment, she spoke in a voice as tiny as a mosquito,
"He said that I scored too poorly on the back-to-school exams, and suggested that I attend the school study group next week... he had forgotten to inform me earlier..."
Jiang Xiong paused for a moment in surprise, then directly burst out laughing, "Hahahahaha!"
Face completely flushed, Bai Yi slumped over in her seat and covered her ears, refusing to listen to Jiang Xiong's teasing laughter any longer.
Meanwhile, outside the window, the Golden Lion Game Exhibition was drawing to a close as the golden sunlight slowly transitioned into a deep crimson.
Melting into a long-awaited reunion, into a Student Council with an excellent atmosphere, and into the heart-pounding shyness felt in the backseat of a car...
Amidst her black hair, the red-faced Bai Yi once again took out her phone and stared at the unanswered chat box.
Her slender fingers moved lightly, sending a cat emoji over. At the same time, she clicked open Yan Huan's user profile.
And entered a custom nickname just for him...
"Fan A."
After finishing all of this, Bai Yi finally gave a faint smile again, tilting her head as she stared at the chat box on the screen, lost in her own thoughts.
And suddenly, she began to hum a song.
The melody sounded very much like the outro of her new song.