Chapter 10: Legends of the Past

“Chuxue.”

As the voice fell, the girl turned around.

A woman wearing sunglasses, with a few wrinkles on her face, was standing behind her.

It was her manager — Qiu Ya.

She was also the person who had begun to harbor suspicions from the very first moment she saw Alice.

“Your recent schedule has been a bit abnormal. Did something happen?”

“No… it’s just that there are some things on my mind.”

Chuxue responded calmly to her manager.

“Are you interested in telling me about it?”

“Yes.”

After Chuxue agreed, Qiu Ya slowly walked ahead, gesturing for her to follow.

She spoke while walking briskly.

“Are you that concerned? About Alice?”

“Yes, a little.”

The girl’s words were still like snow — somewhat cold.

Qiu Ya let out a light chuckle.

“Come on, how is that just ‘a little’? You’re clearly obsessed.”

Once the manager pointed it out, Chuxue’s expression changed visibly.

A blush crept onto her snow-white cheeks, making her look much cuter than usual.

Click —

“We’re here.”

Qiu Ya opened the door to the room and let the girl enter first.

After closing the door, Qiu Ya sat down at her desk, while Chuxue sat on the sofa to the side.

They didn’t sit across from each other, nor did their eyes meet.

This was natural.

Their relationship was more like family than superior and subordinate; they were quite casual in private.

“Earlier… where were we?”

“Alice.”

“Right, right, Alice. And you said you didn’t care.”

There was no confrontation here, nor any hidden undercurrents.

There was only concern and teasing.

Faced with her manager’s teasing, Chuxue chose to turn her face away and not respond.

Faced with this, Qiu Ya could only guess.

“Um… let me think. Did someone call you ‘Little Alice’ again?”

When she heard those two words, Chuxue’s shoulders visibly stiffened.

Chuxue knew exactly why she was given that title.

It was because they were of the same generation, possessed the same charming appearance, had the same strength that didn’t fit the mold of a rookie, were both filled with confidence, and were both highly anticipated.

But they were peers.

And it seemed like she was slightly inferior to the other in every single aspect.

Everyone thought that she cared about Alice so much because of jealousy.

They thought it was because she wanted to prove herself.

But she knew that wasn’t the case at all.

However, Chuxue did care about that title — though not out of jealousy, but simply because it stimulated her competitive spirit.

“It’s not about that…”

Besides, that wasn’t what she wanted to talk about right now.

“Although… I did go looking for Alice.”

“And? Did you gain anything?”

Qiu Ya asked indifferently.

“Yes…”

Halfway through her sentence, Chuxue hesitated for a moment.

“Alice has a boy toy.”

“Huh?”

Qiu Ya was stunned.

It was as if she couldn’t understand what her “daughter” was saying.

It wasn’t until Chuxue repeated it again.

“Alice is keeping a boy toy.”

“Cough — cough, wait a minute.”

Qiu Ya coughed twice, confirming she hadn’t misheard.

That Alice — the Gemstone Princess Alice, the Supernova Alice — the one who had debuted three months ago, performed twenty-eight shows, and hadn’t made a single mistake once…

Was keeping a boy toy?

Qiu Ya suddenly felt that the difficulty of the performances she had arranged for Chuxue might have been too high.

“Chuxue, I know you’ve been under a lot of pressure lately —”

“No! …Forget it.”

In the end, Chuxue gave up, sighing with a look that said, I knew you wouldn’t believe me.

But she quickly pulled herself together.

Chuxue faced her manager again, looking at her seriously, and slowly recited a question.

“You have been in the industry for three years, and you finally win your first individual award. While accepting the award, you thank the company, the fans, and your parents. But then, someone suddenly tells you on stage that the ratings began to drop significantly after you appeared. What would you do?”

This was the question that man had given her yesterday.

Chuxue had memorized it word for word.

After Qiu Ya heard it, she saw the seriousness in Chuxue’s eyes, and her expression gradually became solemn.

But she didn’t answer.

Instead, she asked first.

“Where did you hear this question?”

Chuxue hesitated, then told the truth.

“I heard it… from a certain person.”

“He’s related to Alice, isn’t he?” the manager said with absolute certainty.

“Yes…”

After answering, Chuxue urged her.

“So, what’s the answer?”

“The standard answer is — he’s bluffing. Ratings are only calculated after the program ends. You should remain rational and seize the initiative instead. You can take the opportunity to perform a new act or share a story.”

Qiu Ya finished speaking, but she didn’t stop there.

“But there should be another answer to this question, right?”

“Yes…”

Chuxue hesitated, took out her phone, and opened the recording from that time.

Su Nian’s voice came from the speaker.

“…It won’t happen.”

“That kind of thing won’t happen. The very premise of this question is wrong to me!”

Beep.

The phone vibrated slightly, and no more sound came out.

Chuxue had proactively pressed pause.

She didn’t want others to know more for the time being.

But Qiu Ya laughed.

She laughed very happily.

Chuxue still wanted to know why this answer was correct.

“Why…?”

However, Qiu Ya spoke of something else.

“Because of the Gemstone Princess, Alice.”

“This is clearly her answer. And it always brings that Witch to mind.”

“Aunt Qiu—”

Chuxue grew anxious.

“Haha… don’t be in such a hurry. Let’s take it slow.”

“First, the Witch of Calamity. You newcomers might not be very clear on just how terrifying the storm she stirred up was three years ago.”

Three years ago, the Witch of Calamity appeared out of nowhere.

In two hundred performances, she never made a mistake once.

From ten performances a day to a single performance lasting nearly forty-seven hours, pushing the limits of human endurance —

From the moment of her debut, every performance was a packed house.

Her performances seemed to possess a kind of magic.

Once you saw them, you could never forget them.

It was even to a negative degree, which was why she was called the Witch of Calamity…

Or the Misfortune Witch.

And she, by herself, single-handedly pushed the Idol Industry to the pinnacle of the world.

The time it took to achieve all of this was —

Six months.

A legend.

Besides the word legend, there was no other word that could describe those frantic six months.

After that, the Witch disappeared.

Vanished without a trace.

It was as if everything had been nothing but a dream.

She became a true legend.

But many things she left behind still existed — recordings, songs, dances…

and even answers.

“At first, when I saw Alice, I suspected he was the Witch.”

“But on second thought, it’s impossible. No motive. No reason. And the timing doesn’t match. Alice is seventeen years old. Too young. If he had already been the Witch three years ago… that would be too far-fetched.”

“However… even back then, I still felt there was some connection between him and the Witch.”

“Now, I am certain. Alice and the Witch probably know each other. There might even be a direct lineage between them.”

Qiu Ya looked at Chuxue’s phone.

Specifically, at the answer in the recording.

“This girl… this answer… was also the Witch’s answer back then.”

That was also why she had wanted to keep Alice there that day.

No one who had lived through that era could ever be indifferent to the Witch.

Especially people like them, who were both witnesses and insiders.

They were naturally drawn to that legend.

And she herself…

Had changed after witnessing that ominous flash.

Right now, Chuxue’s phone might contain a clue related to the Witch’s disappearance.

But Qiu Ya remained unmoved.

Not because she didn’t want to know…

But because she knew too well that this small bit of information didn’t amount to much.

The Witch had disappeared too cleanly.

As if she had planned her own disappearance long ago.

“That person… knows Alice… and knows the Witch?”

Chuxue was clearly shocked.

She had only wanted to find Alice.

But she had ended up entangled in something far bigger.

Perhaps the biggest event possible.

***

Meanwhile…

Our Mr. Lin, President Lin — Lin Zou — who knew both Alice and the Witch…

Was currently doing something completely unrelated to legends.

He was picking out a maid outfit for his rookie idol.

“How about this one? The skirt is very short.”

“T-this one? Isn’t it a bit too…”

“Then this one. There’s very little fabric.”

“W-wait! President—”

“What? You have an objection, my ten-million-miss Su Nian?”

He emphasized the words ten million very heavily.

“No… it’s… it’s nothing.”

Su Nian’s face flushed red instantly.

It was obvious that the anger from watching ten million evaporate…

Had not dissipated in the slightest.