Interlude

Xu Xiaoyou's eyes reflected the social card, her thoughts flowing through its details.

After some deliberation, she dialed a number that had long been stored in her phonebook.

The call connected, and a familiar voice came from the other end. "Miss Xu?"

"It's me."

"Why contact us at this moment?"

"A transaction."

Xu Xiaoyou's gaze rested on a building outside the French window. The ‘Light-Chaser Pharmaceuticals’ logo shone brightly in the night.

"Have you decided to join us?"

"No, this is just a transaction."

Xu Xiaoyou looked indifferently at the bustling Star of Art outside the window. A playing card appeared out of thin air, flipping between her fingers, finally landing on the table, clearly displaying the ‘Queen of Hearts’.

"As you wish."

Two days later, Lun'er walked into a bar called ‘Golden Pomegranate’. As usual, he ordered an ‘Artistic Sunset’ and found his usual corner seat. From there, he could perfectly view the large screen in the center of the bar and vaguely see the beautiful mermaids in refreshing outfits dancing in the dance floor.

The girl sitting opposite him smiled and waved. Lun'er politely returned the gesture. He didn't know the girl's name, only that she was a playwright, currently writing poems for the climax of the opera, The Girl Who Fell into the Starry Garden.

"How is your work coming along, Ms. Quinina?"

The girl had a pair of lively eyes, with iris-purple pupils that hid a beautiful and mysterious garden. Her sky-blue long hair covered her soft ears, making her look almost like a quiet elf.

In the tranquil atmosphere of the bar, Lun'er swore he couldn't find anything more aesthetically pleasing than the girl.

"My work?" Quinina pursed her lips slightly. "Still the same as before, no inspiration. My poetic pen remains stuck in the interlude, while the protagonist of the opera has already boarded a ship at sea. If only I could see the girl who fell into the stars with my own eyes."

"I'm sure I would find new inspiration."

"Is that so?"

"I want to know, what would that girl, about to board a ship and face a storm," Quinina's iris-purple eyes shimmered with light, "be thinking?"

Quinina's gaze lingered on the large screen in the center of the bar. The finals of this year's Starry Art Competition had begun. In that hallowed hall where countless people pursued dreams and art, at the center of converging light, people eagerly anticipated a new star rising into the night sky.

"Did you know, Miss Iris gave up her spot in the finals a few days ago? I heard she joined the Tuner's Office. I wonder if it’s true."

The sounds of discussion echoed through the bar, mingling with the starlight-like shimmering lights. The red curtain of the stage slowly drew open, letting in the starlight of the night sky.

"Her? Didn't she create Rainbow Island? I heard that play sold for a high price of over ten units of inspiration. In the end, Miss Iris retrieved the auctioned item. Everyone said she was likely to be the champion of these finals."

"If Chafens hadn't passed away, with his Zanrodani Rhapsody, winning the championship wouldn't have been difficult, right?"

"Ha, are you talking about that guy who triggered The Artist's second resurgence at a concert? Have you forgotten how many people were implicated because of his work?"

"The Artist is only born from creations it approves of. Doesn't that just prove Mr. Chafens' excellence? My vision has always been sharp; being in the same room as you insects who don't understand art appreciation is truly uncomfortable."

"I think Ms. Britney also..."

"Are you talking about that person still mired in plagiarism controversy?"

"The most regrettable one is still the starry singer. If she hadn't suffered a terrorist attack on the island, she clearly had a great chance of winning the championship."

"Terrorist attack?" A male mermaid lowered his voice. "I don't think so. The academy still hasn't stated its position on the matter. Over two hundred people from prominent families died on the island, including some political rising stars and children of business magnates."

"Surely no one really believes the news that this incident was solely orchestrated by the Ascetic Sect, right?"

"That's just a conspiracy theory..." A white-collar man's neck turned red. Not long ago, he had passed the art exam and joined Starry Garden as a regular clerk in the Administrative Department. Having grown up in a first-rate orphanage like the Golden Pomegranate Flower Orphanage, immersed in art, he naturally couldn't accept such groundless conspiracy theories.

"If it really concerned Principal Belvedere, he should have been impeached by the Tuner's Office or the association by now!"

"Look at this guy, brainwashed by lofty artistic idealism. Who doesn't know that Belvedere pulls all the strings in the Star of Art? From Starry Garden to the Tuner's Office, and then to Life Daybreak Company's Human Rights Association and the association's investigative unit—they're all his people."

"Asking a centuries-old old vampire to step down is like hoping a meteor hits Belvedere's head and kills him!"

"You, you're speaking too harshly!" The man's face flushed crimson, his fists clenched, glaring.

"Please stop these groundless conjectures!"

A burst of laughter erupted in the Golden Pomegranate bar.

"If it weren't for Principal Belvedere, the Star of Art wouldn't have developed to where it is today!"

At these words, the bar fell into an eerie silence. Undeniably, during the old vampire's tenure, the Star of Art's economy boomed unprecedentedly, once becoming the most dazzling star under the Universe.

Works across the eight major art categories—literature, music, dance, painting, sculpture, opera, architecture, and film—flourished like mushrooms after rain in this era, and the ideas and meanings they contained reached unprecedented heights.

It could be said that he single-handedly ushered art into its golden age.

The radio reported daily news of the depleted harming people, but people paid it no mind, continuing their previous discussion.

"Although that old vampire made many blunders, he indeed contributed a lot to the Star of Art."

"It's strange, after The Artist was born, those madmen actually quieted down."

"Even those madmen from the Ascetic Sect are scared, hahaha."

Lun'er silently listened to the discussions, his gaze refocusing on the beautiful girl across the table. She held a pen, writing verses repeatedly on manuscript paper, then quietly shaking her head, crumpling the paper into a ball, and tossing it into the trash can.

Lun'er couldn't help but put down his work, mesmerized by the girl. He thought, if life could forever stop at this moment, always watching this girl, that would be wonderful.

The discussion surrounding this year's Starry Art Competition wasn't as high as in previous years, perhaps due to The Artist incident, or perhaps because many potential champions inexplicably gave up their spots just before the finals.

Perhaps, deep down, people resisted this kind of art, suffering torment, yet gathered in this bar to seek a shred of spiritual solace, just to avoid appearing different from the masses and being labeled as outcasts.

Thunderous applause accompanied the performers' departure as the curtain fell. Scattered lights flickered in the audience seats capable of holding tens of thousands. The massive stage drew the world's attention.

The blue-haired girl backstage changed into a new outfit. A star-night-like black gauze skirt fell from her waist, her deep blue hair naturally cascading. Deep black gemstones adorned the chest of her black evening gown, shimmering with magnificent radiance.

Tang Xin sat on a chair. With less than ten minutes until her performance, the last farewell letter lay on the table before her. Even if her power was too weak to change anything, she had to try:

This time on stage, no one would hold her hand, patiently telling her and teaching her how to grow.

Everything was her own decision.

After this, perhaps only a fall awaited her?

Tang Xin glanced at the time. It was almost when Amy had mentioned, but the person Amy spoke of was nowhere to be seen. The other party had mysteriously emphasized that she would be very surprised to see that person.

"Surprised?"

At this moment, Tang Xin could only think of the golden-haired figure, but she knew better than anyone that that person would never return to her side.

So, who could it be?

After an unknown period, a gentle knock sounded at the door. "Excuse me, is Miss Tang Xin inside?"

Hearing that name, Tang Xin's heart stirred, and a name surfaced. She gathered her skirt and walked to the door, feeling somewhat unsettled.

The door opened. A curly-haired woman with wrinkles on her face stood at the entrance, smiling at her. The moment Tang Xin saw the woman, the name she had been thinking of escaped her lips:

"Ms. Marilynn, how could this be..."

Tang Xin was somewhat incredulous. The aged woman before her, seemingly an ordinary woman, was the figure she had always admired.

The last memory of seeing the other party on stage was two years ago. That dazzling and captivating appearance still shone brightly in her memory. Time had passed so quickly; could only two years have left such deep marks of age on the woman?

Tang Xin shook her head, pushing these thoughts aside, and belatedly stepped aside, inviting the woman into the room.

None of that mattered.

What mattered was that she had truly met the woman she had always admired, Ms. Marilynn, the universal superstar.

Everything felt like a dream, yet so ordinary.

Tang Xin sat before the woman. After a brief moment of excitement, she accepted everything. She had fantasized about this scene countless times, but when it actually happened, her heart was as calm as water, without a ripple.

"It's incredible, isn't it?" Marilynn said with a smile. "That bright figure, when you truly meet her, you find that she's old, her face full of wrinkles, and without makeup, she looks just like an ordinary person."

"Am I a disappointment, Miss Tang Xin?"

Tang Xin shook her hands repeatedly. "No, no, Ms. Marilynn, I just can't believe that all of this is real."

"I've always admired you. You are my idol. I've always used your example to motivate myself. If it weren't for you, I might have stopped on many nights when I wanted to give up."

"I..."

"I truly, truly have always loved you, whether it's your radiant presence on stage or your inspiring deeds and works."

"Meeting my idol from before, I don't know what to say."

Marilynn chuckled twice, her eyes calm, then stood up and moved behind Tang Xin, tidying the girl's messy long hair.

"Actually, I'm almost fifty years old. Those deeds, they're all from many years ago."

"Is that so?" Tang Xin looked stunned.

In her impression, time had never touched the woman's face, as if she had been enchanted with eternal youth. So, subconsciously, she believed the woman was still in her blossoming prime.

But the truth was, it had been almost thirty years since Marilynn became a universal superstar.

"Accepting one's aging is indeed not an easy thing. Before, I often used skincare products and makeup to hide the wrinkles on my brows. When appearing in public, I always tried to dress myself beautifully, hired expensive photographers, and captured my best angles."

"I even took on some GG that only young girls would usually do. A gust of wind would blow, and I'd cover my wind-blown skirt, striking a shy pose."

Tang Xin: "Huh?"

She almost suspected her memory was playing tricks. The woman in that GG was so stunningly beautiful, yet the other party claimed it was filmed when she was almost fifty.

"Look at me now. Very ordinary, right?"

"So, I'm actually not much different from most ordinary people here. Both in appearance and personality, I'll age, I had an obsession with youth and beauty, I was born in the slum, I sang on the streets, worked odd jobs..."

"But you really did become a universal superstar through your efforts! In that year's Starry Art Competition, all the judges in the finals gave you a unanimous highest score. You were so dazzling, so why do you say you're just an ordinary person and deny your hard work?"

Hearing the woman speak of herself this way, Tang Xin's face hardened, and she indignantly defended her.

"Because all of that was just packaging by Yaoxing Media back then."

Tang Xin's heart suddenly felt hollow, as if she had lost something important. She couldn't believe what she heard, and the woman continued.

"The agent from Rongsen Media saw something in my ordinariness. My singing voice wasn't outstanding, my appearance wasn't exceptional, and my dancing wasn't captivating. But they believed that this very ‘ordinariness’ could be a selling point, attracting people as ordinary as myself. So, they spent a lot of money to publicize my story."

"I noticed you before. During the time when the name Starry Daughter spread throughout the Star of Art, I was in a state of anxiety. I listened to all your albums, over and over."

"To be honest, I envied your beautiful singing voice. The idol filter makes people ignore many objective truths. When I became famous, my voice wasn't as melodious as yours, Miss Tang Xin."

"How could this be?" Tang Xin clutched her dress. "Ms. Marilynn, please don't say such self-deprecating things. These are clearly..."

"But this is the truth." Marilynn calmly watched the confused and bewildered girl. "My success wasn't entirely due to hard work; it was riding the coattails of the era."

"After they publicized my story, I became an overnight sensation. In that year's Starry Art Competition, Starry Gallery was embroiled in the ‘517 Orphanage System Impeachment Incident’. To avoid public outrage, Belvedere needed someone like me to step forward, to show those ordinary people struggling at the bottom. That's why the judges unanimously gave me the highest score."

"Those stories of hope and inspiration were just lies fabricated to hypnotize and numb more people."

"And I willingly allowed myself to be used as a weapon, an accomplice who harmed countless ordinary people."