Chapter 28: A Bad Premonition…

The morning light sliced through the window at an angle, spreading a warm rectangle of color across the floor.

Inside the dance studio, Su Nian stood before the mirror, repeating the same movement over and over again.

Raise hand.

Turn.

Strike a pose.

Raise hand.

Turn.

Strike a pose.

Sweat slid from her forehead and dripped onto the floor, soaking into a small, dark patch.

I leaned against the doorframe, watching her.

The fifth time.

The seventh time.

The twelfth time.

Her breathing began to falter, but her movements didn’t stop.

— Raise hand.

Turn.

Strike a pose.

— Raise hand.

Turn.

Strike a pose.

She was like a tireless fool.

“That’s about enough.”

But she didn’t stop.

I didn’t press her either.

I just continued to watch.

What was on my mind was what had happened yesterday afternoon—

Starry Light Mini Theater.

The administrator rubbed his hands together, a smile on his face that screamed ‘I hit the jackpot.’

“Mr. Lin, 150,000 for the finale, 45 minutes. You can come for special training anytime.”

I nodded.

He thought he had made a great deal.

150,000 to rent the place for a few dozen minutes, and the client was a young man who looked like he didn’t know anything—this kind of fat sheep didn’t come around even once every few years.

I didn’t say anything.

Because there was no need.

— I never said who would be going on stage.

A rookie with less than one month of training.

An 800-person venue.

The finale.

If they knew, they would definitely regret it.

But that was their problem.

After all—

No one gets a free ride from me.

No one.

‘Heh heh~’

“President!”

Su Nian’s voice pulled me back.

She stood before the mirror, turning her head to look at me while panting.

“Is this movement right?”

I walked over.

I reached out and lifted her wrist by 0.5 inches.

“Like this.”

She nodded.

Then she turned back and continued her practice.

Raise hand.

Turn.

Strike a pose.

Raise hand.

Turn.

Strike a pose.

***

Break time.

Su Nian sat on the floor, guzzling from her water bottle.

Chuxue sat in a nearby chair, holding her cup of black tea and watching quietly.

I stood by the window, looking outside.

The sunlight was pleasant.

People walked by on the street, moving leisurely.

Chuxue picked up the remote and casually pressed a button.

“…Does everyone remember that performance at Starlight Hall? In just one week, the view count is about to break 100 million!”

The TV screen cut to a familiar venue.

An 8,000-person venue.

A girl with pink twin-tails stood in the center of the stage, lights pouring down from overhead.

“Supernova Alice—!”

“Gemstone Princess—!”

Below the stage was a sea of pink.

‘Tsk.’

Watching it felt a bit unpleasant.

I felt a secret surge of annoyance.

Su Nian’s water bottle stopped at her lips.

She stared at the screen, her eyes wide.

“The first time I saw the real Alice was there… before that, it was always videos… it’s completely… different.”

Her voice was very quiet, as if she were talking to herself.

“After the show that night… I was crouching outside… I could still hear the sounds from inside…”

“And then when I came out, I met the President.”

I looked at her.

She didn’t look at me, her gaze fixed on the screen.

Chuxue was also watching the screen.

On the display, the girl with pink twin-tails was striking a pose, making a finger heart.

The curtains slowly closed.

Su Nian turned her head and looked at me.

“President, that day… were you inside too?”

Silence.

I looked at her.

In those dark red eyes, there was genuine confusion, along with something else—expectation?

Or was it something different?

“…I was there, but I didn’t see the performance,” I said.

After all, I am Alice myself.

How could I watch my own performance while I was performing?

She blinked.

“Oh…”

She lowered her head.

A few seconds passed, and she looked up again.

“Then… do you like Alice?”

I looked into her eyes.

I tried to see if there was anything hidden there.

But there wasn’t.

The purity in her eyes actually made me feel a bit uncomfortable.

“I don’t,” I said.

She lowered her head, looking at the water bottle in her hands.

Two seconds later—she suddenly started throwing a fit.

“President! You clearly said you would treat Alice well! Liar—!!”

A grown girl, starting to roll around on the floor and act spoiled.

Even though it was cute—

It made my eye twitch.

‘Don’t make a fool of yourself here, okay?’

I might as well have written that sentence across my face.

Ignoring her, I turned around and headed out.

Chuxue glanced at me.

As I reached the door, a soft voice came from behind me.

Chuxue said, “Were you… really not there that day?”

I paused for a moment and blurted out, “I said, I didn’t watch the performance.”

Then I pushed the door open and left.

***

Afternoon.

Chuxue took Su Nian out.

They were continuing to visit other agencies to broaden their horizons.

I stood by the window, watching them walk away.

Then I turned and headed out as well.

***

Mini Theater of Stars.

2 hours.

Lighting, sound, stage management.

The group of people went from thinking ‘Who is this guy?’ to eventually asking, “Mr. Lin, does this look okay to you?”

The lighting technician originally wanted to adjust things according to his own plan, but I said half a sentence and he shut his mouth.

“Mr. Lin, please, you take over.”

I didn’t respond, only continued to direct them.

I stood in the center of the stage, with seven or eight people standing before me—lighting, sound, stage supervisors, and several staff members.

They looked at me with complicated expressions.

Yesterday, they thought I was a fat sheep.

Today, they discovered that this fat sheep actually seemed to know a thing or two.

“First Lesson,” I said.

“Finale Rhythm Control.”

No one raised their hand.

No one spoke.

“Begin.”

***

2 hours later.

Everything was done, and I left.

On the way back to the agency after leaving the theater, the sky had already turned dark.

The streetlights were on, casting pools of warm light.

When I reached the agency entrance, my footsteps suddenly stopped.

Someone was crouching by the door.

A girl.

She wasn’t very old, maybe 15 or 16.

But her outfit—

A pink puff-sleeve dress, layers of lace trim, and sequins sparkling under the streetlights.

Her hair was curled into exaggerated waves, pinned with a massive bow that was also pink.

On her feet was a pair of small leather shoes that looked very expensive.

She looked like a porcelain doll that had stolen a princess dress and run away.

But she was crying.

She was huddled in a ball, hugging her knees, her shoulders shaking.

Her makeup was already ruined; eyeliner and tears had mixed together, leaving two black streaks down her cheeks.

The bow was crooked, and several strands of hair were messy, stuck to the side of her tear-stained face.

The pink hem of her dress dragged on the ground, stained with dust.

She didn’t care.

She just cried.

Sobbing, crying with all her might.

I stood three steps away, watching her.

She didn’t notice me.

She kept crying.

After a few seconds, she looked up.

Her makeup was completely ruined, her mascara was a mess, and both her nose and eyes were red.

She saw me and froze for a moment.

And then—

“Waaaah…”

She started crying again.

I looked at her.

She looked at me.

Crying.

Watching.

Crying.

‘I have a bad feeling about this.’

The alarm bells in my mind were ringing loudly.

She was crying.

‘She looks like even more of a hassle than Su Nian.’

Alice’s super-intuition was telling me: this was going to be a super-troublemaker no less than Su Nian of the Ten Million.

She was still crying.

‘Let’s get out of here before she sees me—’

She suddenly stood up.

She stumbled slightly.

The pink hem of her dress swayed under the streetlight.

She steadied herself and saw that I was already inching backward—

Then she charged toward me.

‘It’s all over!’