After leaving the guzheng room, Chu Lian sat alone at the edge of the school field, quietly watching the surroundings, lost in thought.
Some people passed by in front of her. Some sat not far from her. Some wanted to approach but didn't dare. Most just took a glance and moved on.
Even though her solitary figure exuded a graceful charm that was highly attractive to the young boys going through their first stirrings of affection, her expressionless, composed demeanor kept them from getting too close.
A few had tried to strike up a conversation, but after receiving just a calm, dispassionate look from her, they all instinctively backed off.
Chu Lian herself hadn't fully recovered from the emotional state she had been in earlier, so she wasn't in the mood for company. After quietly taking in the scenery for a while, she would probably feel much better.
Time flowed by silently. When the school bell rang across the campus, students gradually began heading toward the school gate with their backpacks. Chu Lian withdrew her gaze from the horizon, tightened the straps of her small backpack, and walked slowly toward the exit.
She wasn't in a rush. She simply wanted to savor the time alone.
Along the way, watching the students returning home, the children playing and chasing one another, and the golden evening sun, her mood finally eased. The story told in that song had stirred up emotions—emotions from a past she didn't want to remember.
By the time she returned home, it was nearly six. The house was utterly quiet. Her brother and sister weren't there, her younger sister was still traveling, and her parents were at the hospital. Another evening of solitude—but she was used to it, so it didn't bother her.
After a simple dinner, she spent half an hour in the bathroom before returning to her room on the second floor.
If her hair weren't still wet, she would have thrown herself onto the bed immediately. She was truly exhausted today.
No—she had been exhausted since Friday. These past three days had been the busiest and most surreal days since she arrived in this world.
Normally, months could pass without incident, but now, one thing after another had piled on. Sure, some of it was self-inflicted, but it was still incredibly draining.
Everything that happened at school today came so fast she wanted to complain: what happened to her EX-level luck? Why did it feel like she was slipping into E-level misfortune?
She turned on her computer and logged into her MySong account. She had over 300 private messages. Skimming through a few, most were questions about Ayase's identity—or just playful teasing.
Then she finally spotted a message that was a little different.
Opening it, she began reading. It was from a music company interested in signing her. If possible, they also wanted Ayase onboard. They claimed they could turn the two of them into sensational new stars. But their message was short, and the tone exaggerated. Chu Lian's brows furrowed as she read it.
The company name: Xingguang Media Co., Ltd.
It sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it. No matter—this was what Baidu was for. She copied the name, pasted it into Baidu, and immediately got a flood of results.
She ignored the top link to Baidu Baike and scrolled down to the tabloid news articles, only to find that the company mostly appeared in a negative light.
Casting couch scandals with actresses, oppressive contracts for singers, bullying of newcomers, and various scandals involving the company's upper management—true or not, being so disliked was its own kind of achievement.
She closed the search tab and blocked the sender. With companies like that, it was best to keep one's distance. She had no intention of signing with anyone right now, but if the other party had shown respect and had a good image, she wouldn't have minded working with them. But this...
After briefly skimming the rest of her messages, she checked her video stats again: over 430,000 views, nearly 7,000 favorites, 1,000 danmaku comments, and close to 4,000 coins. Her follower count was almost at 17,000.
These numbers gave her a sense of relief. With such a strong start, everything from here on would be much easier.
As for the comments, she didn't bother to read them. Let people say what they wanted. She figured she'd be a highly controversial figure anyway. Of course, it was the kind of controversy she welcomed—not the kind she would intentionally stir up.
Whether people liked her for her singing, her image, or for Ayase, in the end, she benefited from it. No need to overthink it.
She took out the camcorder from the system space, hooked it up to the computer, and transferred the video she had recorded earlier in the afternoon. Then she opened her video editing software to do the final polishing.
First, she ensured the quality of both the visuals and the audio. But with this borderline sci-fi camcorder, there was no problem on that front. Next, she checked for anything that shouldn't have been captured—there wasn't much besides the almost overly beautiful and tranquil scenery.
Then she reviewed Ayase's dancing, her own guzheng playing posture, their expressions, and the transitions like costume and makeup changes. For those, she added some simple yet elegant effects that wouldn't detract from the aesthetic. Finally, using the most refined calligraphy-style fonts, she added the lyrics and story as subtitles. Done.
Even without editing, the footage would have looked great, but some refinements were necessary. By the time she wrapped everything up, over an hour had passed. Outside the window, a hazy moon cast light onto her bed. A quiet, empty house like this—it was truly peaceful.
Stretching, she played the video one more time to confirm nothing had been missed. Then she opened her profile and uploaded the video. This time, it wasn't a simple slideshow like "Glad You're A Lolicon." It was a high-quality video. Despite being just over five minutes long, the file was over 300MB. It would take about half a minute to upload.
She also extracted the audio and uploaded it separately to the MySong Original Music Platform. Then she posted on Weibo: "New release! Cover of 'To Pour My All' now uploaded on MySong and M Station. This time it's a duet performance—hope everyone enjoys it. (The other performer is my sister, the red-robed beauty!)"
With everything set, she checked the upload progress and calculated the time. A video this short would probably pass review within a few dozen minutes, so she could come back in an hour.
Originally, she'd promised her second project would be a cosplay, but ended up doing another cover. Still, with Ayase and herself both appearing in full traditional outfits, it should hold up fine. Even so, she couldn't keep delaying the cosplay forever.
Shutting off the display, Chu Lian touched her hair and found it had dried. She got up, walked to the bed, and lay down.
"Hey, Ayase, you've helped me with both videos. That won't be a problem, right?" She had been holding that question in for a few days and couldn't resist asking now.
Ayase's graceful figure appeared beside her and sat down lazily. "It's nothing. Just showing up—that's all. The system doesn't prohibit me from doing this, nor does it restrict me from helping you in this way. Of course, this is the limit. I can't do much more, so you'll need to understand the system's intent."
"I know. It's about nurturing a host into the world's goddess. But from the looks of it, that's going to take at least ten years..." Chu Lian understood that too, and replied with a muffled voice.
"In the future, you'll grow stronger and more famous. Even without my help, your popularity will sustain itself. Don't underestimate your own charm. I dare say, as you develop, you'll become the most perfect woman in this world. Both East and West will be captivated by your grace."
Ayase patted her head with a smile.
"Even more charming than you?" Chu Lian asked. When it came to charm, Ayase was the most stunning person she had ever seen in two lifetimes. Just her brief appearance had caused a sensation.
"Hehe, my charm is undeniable. But I only appeal to Eastern aesthetics. Westerners don't understand this kind of allure. No matter how beautiful I am, they wouldn't think I'm the most beautiful in the world. You're different. You have that potential. One day, you'll understand..." Ayase pinched her cheek with a light smile.
"Someday... but Ayase, you're not allowed to leave me," Chu Lian said, dodging her pinch and stating her condition.
"Alright, I promise I won't leave you..." Ayase agreed, easing her heart.
The night deepened. After resting for an hour, Chu Lian got up. She still had other things to do.