Chapter 45.1

“Ah—I’m going to watch the girls’ stage a hundred times!”

“I won’t sleep tonight, my hair keeps me company through the night! Watching the debut stage on my phone, looping two episodes of the group show on my tablet, crying on my left side and laughing on my right. Don’t say I’m being too ridiculous, because I’ve found the remedy for happiness!”

“It’s you again! Big Wet Man!”

In the SGS girl group section, excited fans of the girls gathered together, celebrating with wild abandon. They watched the eight girls make their way from 《Starlight Girls》 all the way here, where they could finally be called idol artists!

“But… the songs our girls chose don’t really feel like girl group songs, do they?”

“As long as they sound good, that’s all that matters!”

“I was working overtime today, just caught the replay. Oh my god, 《Stellar Catch》 was actually written by Little Pearl! How could it be written by Little Pearl?”

“I saw it too!! I immediately took a photo and posted it. Lyrics by Little Pearl, Xin Nuo, music by Jian Yueyin. Their debut song is their own song!”

“That cute and lovely Little Pearl suddenly feels different in my heart… my goodness, she’s a precious treasure of the family, how could she write a song like this?”

“After watching the group show, I really thought it was Yueyin who wrote it. Looking at the lyrics, I feel even more that it’s Yueyin’s style. Truly amazing…”

“Little Pearl, you’re amazing!”

“Baby Geese are fantastic!”

“Ah, it’s like seeing your own little puppy go to college, the excitement but subtle emotions… you can’t really boast about it to others, a bit apprehensive!”

“Hahaha, your description, Little Pearl is going to bite someone!”

“Ah, the official audio source is out. You can listen to SGS’s songs on major music apps. There are three in total: tonight’s debut song, the team song of the Old Ten Team, and 《Stellar Catch》. I haven’t heard the last one before, and it didn’t appear on the show either?”

“I know! It’s the song that Little Pearl and Yueyin sang together when everyone was having a barbecue dinner. This song was their obsession at the time. There’s also a little Easter egg! The band that accompanied them at that time was the author of this song’s lyrics. They were also the band from the first group show, the street stall band!”

“Sister Mei is so cool! I like her!”

“Oh, this Sister Mei’s full name is Han Meimei… could it be that one! The one who scolded Ge Tao, Han Meimei Fenmei? She mentioned it during the Lingxi Live broadcast. She’s the one who treated everyone to barbecue, Laurel’s in-house business!”

“It’s all connected!”

“Hahaha, Ge Tao was mocked by the group and dared not show up. I’m a fan, so I specifically watched the show’s official announcements. Several shows have removed him from the list. He wants all the attention.”

“There’s an account on Weibo that compiled and posted an old video of Ge Tao and Laurel’s past grievances. Although it’s quite blurry, you can tell that little darling Laurel was so tender back then, only fifteen years old, and she pinned Ge Tao to the ground and rubbed him! Ge Tao is really disgusting, distorting the truth. Did he really think his misdeeds wouldn’t be exposed?”

“Didn’t people know about his past as a thug? I was a fan of a little rapper before. He participated in a show with Ge Tao. My little rapper fan did really well, but he quit the industry shortly afterward. Much later, he said Ge Tao forced him to quit, with personal threats. It was either quit or lose. Disgusting, really. But the little rapper was too obscure, no one really knew.”

“Is that from the rap competition where Ge Tao won the championship? I watched that back then and was wondering why everyone lost to Ge Tao when facing him. Wasn’t Ge Tao also known as the ‘Walking Victor’ back then, because he never lost in that season?”

“…Unbelievable. So, Ge Tao really did mess with Laurel’s shop? My goodness! Toxic in the industry! This is a society based on the rule of law, isn’t anyone going to do anything about it?”

“That’s all in the past now. He probably doesn’t dare anymore, but I don’t know if there’s any evidence to sue him!”

“…”

“Enough about these infuriating matters! Our Royal Highness successfully debuted. We’ll be even more successful than these small-minded people in the future!”

“Speaking of success, wow—our darlings’ new home really amazed me. Is this a home? It looks like a palace!”

“The video of their new home is so funny. Jiang Qiong and Fenghua both had tons of packages. In the end, except for clothes and cosmetics, they shipped everything back home. Jiang Qiong’s mom even called to say Jiang Qiong was fidgeting around. Hahaha.”

“Hehe, I’m different. None of the other darlings had new sleep dresses, only our Nuo Nuo darling did. This time, it’s not just the daughter-in-law visiting the mother-in-law. The mother-in-law is extremely satisfied. She even prepared sleepwear for the daughter-in-law, so the daughter-in-law can sleep beautifully with Zhuzhu.”

“Wow… impressive!”

“So, we all have lace sleep dresses. Why can’t they be a bit more see-through, a bit shorter, with larger openings in the front and back? Don’t be too conservative~”

“The ones in the front, Zhuzhu is still growing, it can’t be too extreme! It will stunt her growth!”

“Hehehehehe…”

“I used to be firmly in the ‘Admiration Party,’ but tonight, Black Pearl decisively pushed me into ‘Heartbeat & Exhilaration Party.’ Oh my god! Black Pearl, compared to Pink Pearl, lost some of that dreamy feeling, but she’s become much more fierce. Plus, Pearl’s style has always been a bit dominant, like ‘I’m Pearl, the most fabulous on stage.’ The moment she appeared, she gave that feeling of immediately overshadowing everyone!”

“Hehe, White Dress Soft Nuo Nuo, Black Pearl Strongly Powerful, suddenly the family status is ambiguous.”

“The family status is very firm. It’s widely known that Xu Heran is under the strict management of her wife. Let’s start a new round of debates about the bed positions!”

“Do we even need to debate? Sister is great, sister is clever, sister meows on the bed~”

“Sister’s sweet, sister’s beautiful, sister sleeps under Pearl~”

“Sister’s fair, sister’s soft, Xu Heran and Xin Nuo had a grand battle on the bed all night long!”

“…Wake up, Xu Heran is still underage! Wake up, all of you!”

“Sob sob sob, I don’t want to!”

“Someone, bring me another two cases of milk, I can still drink! I’m not drunk!”

“…”

…

The debut night ended, the fans of the eight girls and the fans of the group were overjoyed, while Xu Heran and the others were busy without stopping. The next day, they participated in the newly established Universal TV music program 《Voice of the Stars》 Afterwards, they flew to other provinces and cities to participate in music performance programs on various television stations.

For an entire week, the eight of them were flying in the sky, getting off planes and going on stage, as well as participating in various radio programs.

At ten o’clock in the evening, the girls with bags on their backs returned to the living room in a daze, finding a place to lie down. If there wasn’t enough space on the carpet, they’d just pile onto their companions.

Xu Heran lay on the ground, with Xin Nuo still on his back.

“Where are we flying to tomorrow?” Xu Heran asked weakly and without energy.

Cui Qi sat in the open space of the living room, having the auntie prepare homemade milk tea for the girls. Everyone had worked hard this week, and several had lost noticeable weight. Cui Qi noticed and decided to give them a good replenishment.

“Our debut promotional tour is officially over!” Cui Qi said with a beaming smile. “Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief now.”

At that moment, all eight girls on the sofa simultaneously opened their eyes wide.

“Yay!”

Everyone struggled to lift their frail arms and clapped hands with the people around them.

“Finally, no more singing. I was about to sing myself sick!” Xu Heran struggled to turn over and picked up Xin Nuo, who had fallen to the ground. She placed her back in her arms, and Xin Nuo, with her eyes closed, nodded in agreement.

Singing the same song over and over again, every day, wherever they went, even though it was a song she really liked, but truly…

Sick of singing it!

Cui Qi clapped her hands to draw everyone’s attention back to her. “I’ve ordered a big meal for everyone. After dinner tonight, get a good night’s sleep. We’ll rest tomorrow and start recording for the new album the day after!”

“Our new album will be released at the end of September. After the album is done, we’ll give everyone a nice long break!” Cui Qi began to paint a rosy picture.

Xu Heran’s tone was leisurely. “Really? Do you think we believe you?”

Xin Nuo, lying on her, fluttered her eyelashes and whispered, “Sister Cui is fooling the kids.”

Several people on the sofa raised their hands one after another and wagged their fingers.

“Don’t believe rumors, don’t spread rumors.”

Cui Qi burst into laughter, hugging her arms. “You guys are really…”

“United.”

She stood up, patted her clothes, and smiled. “Alright, I won’t bother you anymore. Rest well, oh, and no mischief tonight. Don’t play too late, ok?”

The girls, who looked like they wanted to just fall asleep on the spot, nodded despondently. They bid her goodbye. Cui Qi had also worked hard this week, traveling around with them, arranging various schedules, and she still looked radiant now.

In the hearts of the eight girls, a shiver ran through them—Sister Cui, so terrifying!

As soon as they had disembarked from the plane, Cui Qi had her assistant order food. The eight girls hadn’t been lying down for long when Qiu Qiu and Tang Tang happily entered, carrying takeaway bags from a certain hotel on the shelf.

The assistant and the auntie carried trays of cut fruits and milk tea juices, allowing them to eat directly in the living room.

Xu Heran pressed both hands against the ground and exerted effort from her abdomen to prop herself up. She was about to topple Xin Nuo, who lay boneless on her side, when the quick-handed Xu Heran caught her in her arms.

“Do you need me to provide a feeding service, Miss Xin Nuo?” Xu Heran asked with a smile, “The compensation only requires nighttime skinship, isn’t that a great deal?”

Xin Nuo wriggled out of her embrace and said, “Thank you, I decline.”

Laughter erupted from the group.

“After Little Pearl turned darker, Nuo Nuo doesn’t like her anymore,” Jiang Qiong said as she unpacked the takeout.

Xu Heran immediately retorted, “Nonsense!”

She looked at Xin Nuo, who was tying her hair. A short-sleeved shirt that matched her height hung loosely on her, and from the cuffs, two slender arms extended outwards, half-raised. Her beautiful fingers were like finely polished pieces of art, lightly pulling back her hair. Her slender fingers caught the pearl hair tie on her other wrist, winding it twice.

A simple motion, yet it looked so elegant when she did it.

At least one little pearl couldn’t take their eyes off it.

“Well, that’s nonsense,” Xin Nuo laughed, raising her hand to pinch Xu Heran’s cheek. “If Sister doesn’t like you, who else can you like? Let’s eat.”

The robot Qiu Qiu, carrying the takeout bag, stopped by the table, next to Xu Heran and Xin Nuo. Xin Nuo’s words triggered some command in her, and Qiu Qiu asked in a cute voice, “Don’t you like me?”

Xu Heran immediately turned towards Qiu Qiu and glared at it.

What’s your business!

Everyone burst into laughter. Xin Nuo lifted her chopsticks and said with a smile, “We like you, Auntie likes you.”

“Thank you, I like you too,” Qiu Qiu said, and then, “Whirr,” it and Tang Tang left the living room, completely unconcerned about a certain little pearl glaring at it from behind.

Xin Nuo placed a box of rice in front of Xu Heran, spread her fingers, placed the chopsticks in her palm, and closed it.

“Eat up, be good. How about we watch a movie together tomorrow?”

Only then did the little pearl contentedly divert her gaze, bowing her head to eat.

A night of sound sleep.

In the early morning, the crisp chirping of birds awakened the slumbering woods, and the creek water flowed with a gentle sound. Several cars entered the park.

The park was surrounded by mountains and clear waters, lush and verdant. On the clean, quiet, and spacious paths, occasionally, a round, white robot carried an empty cargo compartment, passing through the blooming flowers and stopping at a charging station to recharge.

The sun leapt onto the branches, and daylight arrived swiftly. Inside the villa, it was exceptionally quiet, with only the nanny aunt softly talking in the kitchen as she prepared food.

The girls, who had been busy for a week, lay in their respective rooms, their curtains pulled tightly, sleeping deeply.

Ten minutes later.

“Go and conquer this world, never stopping chaos. Go and conquer this planet, thousands await your performance…” A loud singing voice suddenly rang out. Outside the villa, people wore earplugs and turned the speakers’ volume to the maximum.

The tremendous sound pierced through the sky.

“This heart never stops burning, in this very moment, it’s this moment. I’m gazing at you, dreams taking flight!”

Xu Heran “sprang” up, her slightly disheveled hair revealing bewildered and vacant blue-purple eyes. She stared blankly into the air, her long eyelashes slowly descending. At the moment her eyes closed, she reclined back into bed.

“La la la la, la la la…”

“In this very moment, it’s this moment, dreams taking flight, stars shining! La la la la…”

Xu Heran sat up again.

“What are you doing?”

Laurel pushed open the balcony door, her voice hoarse. As her gaze fell to the ground below, her expression froze. A line of cars was parked at the villa’s entrance, and a large crowd stood in front of the cars. Some held cameras, others had lighting equipment, sound engineers, audio technicians…

And there was the director with a raised megaphone.

“Rise and shine, the first person to arrive will have the right to choose this game! Please get up and come downstairs as quickly as possible. Let me repeat, the first person downstairs, standing in front of me, will have the right to choose this game!”

Laurel: “…”

Laurel: “?”

“Are they crazy?” On the balcony, the awakened girls in various sleepwear looked downward. “Didn’t they say we’re resting today?”

The director held the megaphone, “It’s a rest day indeed. To ensure everyone has a good rest, we have specially prepared today’s game, so you can enjoy a wonderful day in relaxation and happiness!”

“Is everyone happy?” The director happily waved.

Haya rolled up her sleeves.

Jian Yueyin rubbed her forehead and said helplessly, “Let’s go down first.”

“Hurry down~ There are benefits for those who come down!” the director said.

Xu Heran asked loudly, “Are those benefits allowed to include sabotaging the director?”

Director: “…”

“Please refrain from sabotaging me!” The director’s tone was calm.

“Hahaha!”

Everyone woke up and started rushing downstairs. Xu Heran and Xin Nuo held hands and ran directly down the stairs.

“Please watch your safety!” The director shouted through the megaphone.

Haya was the first to arrive, coming to a sudden stop in front of the director, raising her hand and saying, “First!”

“I’m second!” Xu Heran said joyfully, “Nuo Nuo is third!”

Laurel arrived from behind, with the four who had taken the elevator last lagging behind.

“Haven’t even freshened up yet.” Xu Heran rubbed her eyes, her hand swatted away by Xin Nuo.

“We’ve prepared breakfast for everyone. Have your meal first. How about going to the lawn behind?” the director asked.

The group shifted to the lawn behind the villa, and Xu Heran and the others hurried off to freshen up.

The lawn was large and spacious, facing the back door of the villa. Staff laid out checkered tablecloths on the ground, while others started placing food on the tablecloths. Xiaolongbao, steamed dumplings, shāo mài, stuffed pancakes, hot milk, soy milk, various porridges…

Categorized and neatly packaged.

“Please have a seat,” the director said, “Make yourselves comfortable.”

Xu Heran sat down cross-legged with a huff, asking her, “This isn’t compensation for waking us up, is it? Is there meat? I want to eat meat!”

Xin Nuo stood up, opening a nearby box. The red box contained golden fried chicken legs, and another box had crispy-skinned chicken eggs, sausages, and fried items, all plentiful.

With good food around, everyone’s mood improved.

“This is more like it,” Xu Heran said.

The director smiled and asked her, “Who wants to eat meat so early in the morning?”

“I want to eat meat early in the morning!” Xu Heran said to her, “You’re so mean, don’t talk to me!”

The director said gently, “One more thing, everyone please read the lines together.”

The program’s screenwriter on the side quickly raised a small blackboard with “Green Grain Nutritious Breakfast, Start a Good Day~” written on it.

The eight girls looked at the wavy line at the end of the blackboard and stiffened as a group.

“It’s an advertisement again!” Xu Heran lamented, “Go find other sugar daddies outside!”

The director said seriously, “We’re saving money for the big sugar daddy here. Saving is earning!”

Xu Heran inexplicably felt that the director’s words made sense.

The eight quickly got into character.

“A wonderful day begins with a mouth broadcast, sugar daddy, next time I want to eat lotus root cake~” Jiang Qiong said, holding up her soy milk.

“I want to eat rice noodles.”

“Hot pot.”

“Grilled crayfish.”

“Buddha Jumps Over the Wall! An extravagant feast!”

“Ahem!” The director cleared her throat, interrupting their orders, “I have good news for everyone. Our variety show has been officially named 《Girl’s Game Workshop》. What game shall we play today?”

Everyone parroted, “What game shall we play?”

“What game indeed~”

“Today’s game theme is the Great Acting Challenge!” The director clapped her hands, and the staff brought in a board. Little Liu, the director, smiled and said, “Your album’s recording and production are about to begin. This is everyone’s first time filming a music video. In order to help you adapt in advance and hone your acting skills, our theme for this episode’s game is acting!”

She pointed to the board, “There are many characters on here, and each of you can choose one character. Once character selection is done, you need to come up with a short story on the spot. The program will provide costumes and props. Your goal is to perform the story completely.”

Xin Nuo tilted her head, “A short story?”

Won’t that be over quickly?

The director nodded, “So we have another rule. When someone is performing on stage, the remaining team members will act as narrators and provide off-screen voices, directing the person who’s performing. The performer must follow the director’s guidance, but the story can’t be too outrageous. You can’t suddenly have a wuxia world flying in place or pulling out a rocket. Also, the story’s progression must match the pre-arranged story!”

Everyone nodded, starting to understand.

“Haya is the first team member to reach the stage, and she can assign one of you a role,” the director said.

Jiang Qiong immediately said to Haya, “Let me be the emperor!”

The board had many roles listed. Jian Yueyin said loudly, “Let’s follow the rules first and choose eight roles, and then create the story.”

Xin Nuo added, “While creating the story, everyone should have a character in mind that they want to play.”

Xu Heran pushed an egg into her mouth, stood up, clapped her hands, and walked to the board. She put her hands on her hips, looked at it for a moment, and then turned to ask, “Let’s do a martial arts drama!”

“There are young knights and martial arts thieves here!”

Everyone looked at her with smiles, “Sure.”

“Jiang Xiao Qiong, do you want to be the emperor?” Xu Heran asked her, “Hehe, how about I give you the role of a beggar?”

Jiang Xiao Qiong rolled her eyes and thought for a moment before turning back, “Sure, sure, let me be the 9th generation elder of the Beggar Gang, the master of the Dog Beating Staff, the number one in the martial world!”

Song Fenghua reminded, “Pay attention to being in the same story.”

“Then let’s have a ‘Refined Ladies of the Martial World’ scenario. Refined ladies of the martial world,” Xu Heran flicked the card, “These roles are all female leads!”

Jian Yueyin raised her hand, “I want to be a musician.”

Xu Heran thought that Xin Nuo was well-suited for “Refined Ladies of the Martial World.” She picked a young maid for herself, then assigned the kitchen maid and courtesan that Laurel wanted.

Eight roles.

Young knight, refined ladies, young maid, courtesan, beggar, thief, musician, and kitchen maid.

Xu Heran returned with the cards and handed Jiang Qiong the beggar’s card, Jian Yueyin the musician’s card, and Laurel the kitchen maid’s card. Xin Nuo raised her hand, holding the young knight’s card, and smiled, “I want this one.”

Wait a second!

Xu Heran paused.

Huh?

Haya handed the “Refined Ladies of the Martial World” card to Lín Weining, “I’m designating Lín Weining as the young lady!”

Huh huh?

Xu Heran scratched her chin.

“Don’t rush.” Haya grinned, “I’ll be the courtesan!”

“Wow—”

A few nodded, quite the stunning and grand courtesan!

Xu Heran and Song Fenghua exchanged glances.

“You choose first,” Song Fenghua whispered.

Xu Heran rubbed her head, kept the young maid for herself, and gave the thief to Song Fenghua.

“That settles it, let’s have a passionate and moving love story,” Laurel leaned her palms on the grass and said.

“Who’s going to be the passionate couple?” Xu Heran asked cautiously.

All eight exchanged glances.

“Young knight?” Lin Weining looked at Xin Nuo.

Xu Heran immediately said, “That must be me!”

Haya waved her hand, “You little maid, step aside.”

“Then it’s the young knight and the young lady,” Jian Yueyin smiled softly.

Xu Heran, Haya: “…”

“We’re breaking the mold,” Xu Heran said.

Haya earnestly agreed, “Exactly!”

“Who said a young knight can’t fall for a young maid!”

“That’s right!”

Xin Nuo waved her hand, “Let’s not decide who’s passionately involved with whom yet. It’s probably going to be a martial world love story, where in the end, certain individuals go on a carefree journey together.”

“Sounds good!” Xu Heran was pleased.

Haya nodded, “This sounds good.”

The eight girls found the idea amusing, quickly stood up, and took the clothes from the staff to change in the villa.

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Sinensis

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