"Calm down, it’s not about the money." Xu Xiaoyou felt a sudden chill as the dense resentment radiated toward her, and she hurriedly raised her hands.
"If it's not about the money, then whose pocket did the performance fee go into, and whose money have you been using these past few days?"
Tang Xin’s smile remained sweet and the clarity in her eyes didn't change, but she silently increased the strength in her grip.
"Oh~ so it turns out you’ve been using my money all along. Does my soft rice taste good? Give me back my money."
"At least not all of it!"
Xu Xiaoyou felt a sense of crisis squeezing through every pore of her body. To avoid being actually strangled to death by Tang Xin, her mind raced, eventually finding a brilliant explanation, and she continued hurriedly.
"I did it so you could return to the stage, so people could hear your voice again!"
Tang Xin paused upon hearing this, her eyes flickering slightly as she silently released her grip.
Seeing an opening, Xu Xiaoyou struck while the iron was hot: "How did it feel to be back on stage? Not bad, right?"
Tang Xin looked away. "It was actually quite good."
"Right, right?"
Tang Xin smiled faintly. She truly enjoyed the feeling of singing on stage, receiving applause, and feeling the love from the people. Most importantly, she could showcase a more moving version of herself under the brilliant lights.
Seeing Xu Xiaoyou start her usual routine of deceptive smooth-talking, the several girls nearby exchanged glances, all feeling helpless.
"So—" Tang Xin reached out her hand toward Xu Xiaoyou, cutting her off.
"One thing is one thing. That has nothing to do with the fact that I should be paid for my performance."
"Well, my money is your money. Aren't we best buddies...?" Xu Xiaoyou tried to argue, only to be forced back by the girl’s dangerous gaze.
"Oh~ is that so?" Tang Xin elongated her words. "If that's the case, then from now on, no matter who Yuzu interacts with, she must get my permission first. How about that?"
Xu Xiaoyou sighed. Following the contract from the Star of Art, she transferred a large sum of federal shields to Tang Xin’s account with a slight sting of regret, her bulging little vault visibly deflating.
Tang Xin hummed triumphantly, turned, and transferred a sum of federal shields to Akabane.
"Xiao Li, here's some pocket money. Tell me if there's anything you want to buy."
"Yay! Long live Big Sister Tang!" Akabane happily pounced on Tang Xin, hugging and rubbing against her.
Angelina and Bai Youyou felt refreshed seeing Xu Xiaoyou lose out and look like she was doubting her life.
"Big Sister Tang, my record in the Crimson Battle-Net this time was a hundred and fifty-three people!" Akabane massaged Tang Xin's shoulders, looking at her expectantly.
"Is that so? Xiao Li did a great job."
"You clearly just said it was a hundred and thirty-five people," Xu Xiaoyou remarked sarcastically. "The count jumped by eighteen once you got to your Big Sister Tang. Do those eighteen people know about this?"
Akabane made a face at her before following the girl toward the kitchen.
"Seeing you like this, my mood is indescribably refreshed. Any idea why?" Angelina didn't forget to sneer with her arms crossed as she passed by.
"If possible, I really want to see the day you end up abandoned by everyone, looking helpless and pathetic."
Xu Xiaoyou shook her head with a sincere expression. "That won't happen, Anya. Even if that day comes, you will definitely be by my side."
Angelina's expression soured. She shouldn't have any illusions about this person. Even if she really fell back into the landfill one day, this girl would probably pick herself up again very quickly, wouldn't she?
On a silver candelabra, the candlelight flickered to life.
The soft glow dispelled the surrounding darkness, illuminating the contours of Xu Xiaoyou's face. The scene around them shifted as dark red silk carpets spread along both sides of the circular dining table. Gilded frames were placed in the center of the castle, and the golden-haired girl in the portrait looked elegant and dignified, her eyes deep enough to see through one's heart, her long golden hair shimmering like gold flowing in an autumn lake.
"Everyone, before we officially begin today's dinner, I'd like to ask you a few questions." Xu Xiaoyou sat with her fingers interlaced in front of her, her fingertips resting against her chin.
The four girls nearby didn't understand what she was up to now. She had mysteriously said today's dinner would be more formal, and in the blink of an eye, they saw this scene before them.
"When the proposition of death cannot be avoided, what do you believe is the meaning of life?"
"Can we eat now?" Angelina sighed. "I'm hungry."
"Please don't be so crude, Anya," Xu Xiaoyou smiled. "This is a relatively serious question. It might involve our future destinies, and I hope we can understand each other's choices when facing fate in the future."
"Have you been reading some book lately?" Bai Youyou asked calmly.
Xu Xiaoyou’s expression faltered, and she coughed twice.
To hide her embarrassment, she raised her hand, presenting the books she had been reading these past few days to everyone. The knowledge within automatically formed words, vividly leaping into the air.
"He who cannot obey himself,"
"will be commanded by others."
"The higher we soar, the smaller we seem to those who cannot fly."
"We must live in the sky like the wind,"
"neighbors to the eagles, the snow, and the sun:"
"that is how the wind must live."
"Beware of spitting against the wind."
The gilded title Thus Spoke Zarathustra on the simple book cover emitted a faint glow.
Xu Xiaoyou spoke at the right moment: "A person's spirit must transform from a camel into a lion, and then into a child. I ask you, what do you think is a camel?"
"What else could it be? Just those things carrying heavy loads in the desert," Angelina said.
Bai Youyou sighed nearby. Among the five of them, Angelina was likely the only one who hadn't delved into this kind of knowledge, so she couldn't ask too much of her.
However, Angelina wasn't wrong either.
A camel was something that carried heavy loads. Whatever people hung on its body, it had to passively carry. People gave it food and water, and it obeyed their commands, setting out at dawn and dusk, resting in the scorching sun and deep cold.
"In the world of the camel, they have no right to choose for themselves. It must accept everything from people, thinking about what it should do to avoid being despised, or even killed," Bai Youyou said.
"Correct. So, to avoid being killed by the sun or displeasing people and losing food and water—to avoid starving or being killed—the camel must become a lion. And what is a lion?"
"When the individual begins to awaken and pursue their own value, no longer easily or passively accepting the arrangements and commands of others, and dares to say no to the scorching sun and deep cold."
Tang Xin carefully considered her internal thoughts before continuing.
"The courage to pursue what one wants, thinking about what one wants to do rather than what one should do, and working hard for it,"
"Pursuing the realization of one's own value."
The girl's words gave everyone something to think about. Tang Xin smiled slightly. "I've always been interested in these kinds of books. It’s related to my major at the Starry Art Academy. Opera and philosophy are inseparable, after all."
"In short, it's about starting to say no to one's own compromises and weaknesses, setting one's own ideals, and working to achieve them."
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