"A concert?" Tang Xin’s eyes widened.
"Your company is just a shell, so how did you apply for a concert? Where is it being held? If you're playing with me again, I'm going to get really angry."
"I’m really not lying to you. Look?"
Xu Xiaoyou flipped her Gingko Curtain around and pointed to an image that popped up. It was a park where dozens of spotlights converged on the center of a vast stage.
"Queen's Park Square?"
"You bought the hosting rights for a concert there?"
One had to realize that Marilynn had once dazzled on that very stage. After she became famous, major media companies fought tooth and nail every night for the performance rights to the Queen's Park Square stage. The highest bid had once reached a staggering one hundred thousand inspiration!
After all, there was only one such stage. As long as one could perform there, even if the final performance wasn't ideal, the lingering radiance of those who came before was enough to cast a glow on the newcomer. The celebrity effect alone was enough to add a brilliant stroke to an artist's career. Performing on that stage was a dream for countless people.
At the thought that she could follow in that dazzling footsteps, tracing the path of her idol and standing under the same spotlights on that grand stage, Tang Xin felt a surge of emotion.
Was she happy? Excited? Of course. Who wouldn't want to be closer to their idol?
But more than that, she felt nervous. Setting aside whether Xu Xiaoyou was lying, was she really worth such an investment? What if she performed poorly, made a fool of herself, or disappointed her manager?
Tang Xin’s mind began to race with doubts. Finally, she shook her head. "Wait, where did you get that much money?"
"I told you, I would pour all my resources into you," Xu Xiaoyou said calmly. "This is also a massive gamble for me. I’ve liquidated all my assets."
Listening to these ambiguous words, Tang Xin felt conflicted. Does she really value me this much? She trusts me so much, yet I'm so insecure... A deep sense of guilt rose from within her.
Seeing the girl like this, Xu Xiaoyou feared she might catch on to something and quickly added fuel to the fire:
"Because this is also my dream. To tell you the truth, my life has been at rock bottom. I lived in a daze every day, indifferent to my circumstances. Occasionally, when I was clear-headed, I would peer through the gaps in the leaves at the light on the mountain peak, fantasizing about the view from the top."
"Back then, I lacked the courage to face death. The mountain before me was too high; if I climbed step by step and fell from the mountainside, I would be shattered to pieces."
"But now, I’ve realized I’m not content with this. I need feathers and wings—a gust of wind to carry me into the sky, wings that fly higher than the peaks I once looked up at."
As she reached the emotional climax, Xu Xiaoyou’s expression became vivid. "For these wings, for my dream, I can invest everything I have."
"You..." Tang Xin blinked. "Are you... are you trying to workplace PUA me?"
Xu Xiaoyou’s face stiffened. She turned over and pulled her tattered blanket over her head. "If you say so, then I guess I am."
"Alright, alright, I get it." Tang Xin shook Xu Xiaoyou’s shoulder.
Xu Xiaoyou chuckled and sat up. "I knew you’d understand me. Before your first performance, there are a few things I need to confirm."
She flipped through Tang Xin’s social media accounts, glancing over the hundreds of daily videos from the past three years. "I need to know your singing foundation. It seems like you barely ever opened your mouth in your videos."
"Um..." Tang Xin thought for a moment. "I'll give it a try."
She stood up by the window. Her blue hair seemed to be draped in silver light. Her hooded cloak dress moved with the breeze, the white skirt gauze fluttering like a shy flower bud in bloom. After taking two deep breaths, her expression became solemn, as if she were stepping into a sacred temple.
Xu Xiaoyou also turned serious. Whenever the girl entered a certain state, she wore this exact expression—the same one from her videos! Is she actually a genius in this regard?
Tang Xin placed her hand gently over her chest, eyes downcast. She stood on her tiptoes and offered a tranquil smile. "I'm starting."
"Twinkle↑ twinkle↓ little~ star, how I wonder what you are!"
"Pffft!" Xu Xiaoyou nearly coughed up blood.
"What’s wrong?" Tang Xin was startled by the sudden reaction.
"No... since you were a child, has no one ever told you that your singing is actually..."
"Passable?" Tang Xin’s eyes brightened slightly.
"Like a zombie-man trying to mimic speech," Xu Xiaoyou evaluated sincerely.
Tang Xin: "..."
That was actually a relatively polite evaluation from Xu Xiaoyou. She truly couldn't find words to describe that off-key, twisted, and grotesque singing that could cause mental collapse. For a person to sing this poorly was an achievement in itself; calling her "tone-deaf" was almost a compliment. Her pitch, rhythm, and vocalization were all nonexistent.
Honestly, she felt that if the Heart of Desire opened its bloody maw and whispered in her ear, it would sound more pleasant than Tang Xin. Given the girl's serious preparation, she had expected a masterpiece. Instead, she got that.
"Tang Yinqian... your name truly fits," Xu Xiaoyou sighed.
Tang Xin lowered her head in shame. "I actually know my singing isn't very good. Back at the orphanage, the other kids and the teachers all said so. So, even now, I only know how to sing children's songs. I just hum the melodies I write myself."
Xu Xiaoyou manifested Tang Xin’s character card and scanned the panel. Sure enough, she found a negative trait in the final column.
[Tone-Deaf: Extremely prone to singing off-key; finds it difficult to grasp musicality. Note: This is not an innate trait.]
If it wasn't an innate trait, it meant it had formed during her growth—likely determined by her environment and personality. It probably stemmed from her lack of self-confidence.
Then again, if she could draw a perfect character card, what would be the point of training? Even "overpowered" cards in games have weaknesses. A magic-specialized character might have poor physical defense.
The girl's class was Starry Singer, a very powerful support-type hidden class. Through chanting, she could resonate with the starry sky, guiding the stars to bestow blessings—ranging from physical enhancement to elemental output. It was a class that could multiply a team's combat power the moment she opened her mouth.
The problem was... this Starry Singer couldn't sing.
Looking at the almost entirely locked blessing skills on Tang Xin’s panel, Xu Xiaoyou’s mouth twitched. Her expression became incredibly complex. The girl's water element skills were already at expert proficiency, but her core class skills were untouched!
In the room, both girls felt like the future was bleak.
"Your situation is at the point where even in a game, you couldn't save it without cheats. You'd just restart the save file," Xu Xiaoyou said.
"I see," Tang Xin said dejectedly.
"But..." Xu Xiaoyou snapped her fingers. A card with golden patterns appeared between her fingertips. "It just so happens that I am a cheater."
[Skill Card: Vocal Training]
Quality: Deluxe (Blue)
Effect: Upon use, the target's singing ability is significantly improved. When used on a chanting-type class, the effect of their support skills is doubled.
Duration: 6 hours.
[Would you like to use "Vocal Training" on Tang Xin?] [Would you like to use "Character Experience Boost Card" on Tang Xin?]
Xu Xiaoyou checked both boxes.
Under the starlight, a beam of light suddenly descended upon Tang Xin, coating her in a mysterious glow. Shimmering star-specks danced in her hair and slowly merged into her body.
"What did you just do?" Tang Xin swayed slightly, sensing a subtle change.
"Try singing again," Xu Xiaoyou smiled.
Tang Xin didn't ask more and nodded. A voice inside her told her not to be nervous and to try one more time. She opened her mouth, and this time, her melodious voice echoed in the room. It wasn't breathtaking or incredibly beautiful, just a normal, pleasant voice.
It felt like walking through a park on a winter day with a shy girl next door who suddenly shared a new melody she had learned. Her face was flushed, and her voice was a bit unpolished because you were the only person she had ever shared it with.
Tang Xin gradually entered the zone. At first, she stood as stiffly as a piece of wood, but as she continued, her gestures changed. She was no longer as constrained; she incorporated subtle movements, and her gaze became calm and soft.
"How can I travel through time," "How can I embrace you?"
Tang Xin sang a cappella, coming before Xu Xiaoyou. She lifted her hand and stepped lightly. The cold moonlight poured through the window, illuminating the girl's youthful face. Her light blue hair drifted in the breeze.
"The window is a vast white, longing turns into snowflakes."
She felt an urgent desire to sing, a desire for someone to hear her.
"Those pasts trapped in ice and snow," "The words of self-hypnosis and self-burial—forget them all~"
Why was she having these strange thoughts? Meeting Xu Xiaoyou’s eyes, Tang Xin subconsciously looked away. But the feeling was surprisingly comfortable. Her previous anxiety and unease vanished, allowing her to focus entirely on singing without worrying about judgment.
She hadn't sung in front of anyone for a long time. After leaving the orphanage, she had spent many nights in her tiny room, humming lyrics that only she could hear. She had been in that lonely world for so long.
Now, she had an audience. Someone was listening to her sing, listening to the emotions she had suppressed for so long. In this small room in a corner of the frozen world, someone was talking about dreams and grand, beautiful, "unrealistic" goals with her.
"You are my starry sky; I am radiant because of you, dazzling because of you, sparkling because of you~" "I only wish to have you in my world, only want to stay by your side."
The girl's voice faded. Even after the last note fell, Tang Xin didn't immediately snap out of it. It wasn't until she heard clapping that she realized she had finished a whole song. It felt surreal—had that beautiful voice really come from her?
"That was pretty good. See? You can do it," Xu Xiaoyou said.
"I want to try again. Will you listen?" Tang Xin said suddenly.
That feeling was elusive, as if she had lightly left her body and was watching herself sing from someone else's perspective. Even though the body was hers, it felt unfamiliar. She wanted to catch that feeling and hold it in her hand. She didn't want to waste this chance.
Xu Xiaoyou was stunned for a moment, but seeing the girl's serious expression, she nodded. "Of course."
In the thickening wind and snow, the small room with its yellow glow echoed with the girl's voice, carrying far into the night.
A golden line traced the horizon as the dawn broke. The two girls sat opposite each other on the bed, the flickering candlelight casting shadows on their faces. Tang Xin leaned against the headboard, her body swaying slightly.
"I didn't think anyone would actually be willing to listen to me sing all night," Tang Xin said softly. "Thank you."
During the process, she had grasped many vocal techniques she hadn't noticed before. She had made significant progress. Although she still went off-key occasionally, she had taken a massive step forward compared to the beginning. She suddenly felt that her manager wasn't so hard to get along with; her personality was actually quite nice.
"To be honest, I'm dying of exhaustion," Xu Xiaoyou yawned, resting her head on the bedframe. "And I'm cold and hungry."
Growl~
Two stomachs sounded simultaneously. Tang Xin lowered her head in embarrassment. Xu Xiaoyou threw up her hands helplessly. Neither of them had eaten for over half a day. Xu Xiaoyou had only had one bowl of instant noodles in the last twenty-four hours.
"I'm so hungry. It would be great if we had some bread right now," Xu Xiaoyou muttered.
Tang Xin remembered something and hurried off the bed. She rummaged through her things and pulled out a piece of bread wrapped in a plastic bag. Xu Xiaoyou recognized it—it was the bread she had bought for the girl earlier that day. Tang Xin had only eaten half of it.
"If you don't mind, let's share it," Tang Xin said, tearing off a large piece and handing it to Xu Xiaoyou.
Xu Xiaoyou didn't care; she took the bread and stuffed it into her mouth, chewing hard before managing to swallow. The bread was long since stale and the wheaty aroma had faded. Due to the weather, it was hard and dry. Without water, it was quite difficult to eat.
"This piece is mine, and this piece is yours." Tang Xin divided the bread, and after a moment's thought, pushed the largest piece into Xu Xiaoyou’s hand. "After all, you bought it."
"Do I look like the kind of person who nitpicks over things like that?"
As they ate, Xu Xiaoyou and Tang Xin both looked at each other and laughed silently. The steam from the kettle drifted up with a low hum, blurring their faces as it rose to the ceiling of the room.
Rate on N.U.
