Chapter 29: One Million and Another Million

“I’m screwed!”

I turned around, wanting to run.

But it was already too late.

The pink figure lunged straight at me—

“Waaah—!”

Two arms clamped tightly around my thigh.

The girl hung off my leg like a giant ribbon that had been soaked through by the rain.

‘What the hell—!’

I looked down at her.

She looked up at me.

The makeup on her face was a complete disaster.

Mascara and tears had mixed together, leaving two black streaks running down her cheeks.

Her ribbon was crooked, and her messy hair was stuck to her face.

But those eyes—they were bloodshot from crying, yet they stared at me with the desperation of a drowning person clutching the last piece of driftwood.

“Please… I beg you…”

Her voice trembled violently, punctuated by sobs that made her almost impossible to understand.

“I… I didn’t know who else to go to… They all don’t want me… I…”

She started crying again.

Tears went plop, plop as they fell, splashing onto my shoes.

I tried to lift my leg.

I couldn’t move it.

She was holding on way too tight.

“Let go first.”

“No—!”

“Let go.”

“NO—!!”

‘What is with this kid—’

I took a deep breath.

I looked down at the giant pink mushroom clinging to my leg.

The streetlight shone on her, and her pink puffy dress swayed gently in the night wind.

The lace trim brushed against my pants, making a rustling sound.

‘A bad premonition… has come true.’

***

3 minutes later.

I dragged the pink mushroom on my leg, walking step by step toward the Agency.

The streetlights stretched our shadows long—mine was normal, but her shadow, clinging to my leg, looked like a strange tumor.

“Ugh…”

She was still crying.

“Stop crying.”

“Waaah… hic…”

“Sigh…”

I started to resign myself to my fate.

My tone gradually shifted from hurried to calm—

Mainly because I realized there was definitely no simple way to solve this.

“Be good and stop for a moment, okay?”

I reached out and gently stroked her messy, tear-stained face.

“Ugh… okay…”

Her voice got a little quieter, but her grip didn’t loosen.

I continued walking.

When I pushed the door open, Chuxue happened to be coming out from the hallway.

She was still holding her cup of black tea.

When she saw the thing on my leg, she stopped.

She blinked.

She blinked again.

And then—

“Pfft.”

She laughed.

She laughed so hard the tea in her cup wobbled.

“President Lin,” her voice was slow, carrying the delight of someone who had just seen something wonderful, “did you… pick up a frog?”

“…It’s a person.”

“Oh,” she nodded, seriously inspecting the pink mass on my leg, “a crying frog?”

I couldn’t be bothered with her.

I looked down at the mushroom still attached to me.

“You can let go now.”

“Ugh… I don’t want to…”

“We’ve arrived.”

She paused, looked up, and glanced at her surroundings.

Then, she slowly let go.

She stood up.

She stumbled.

Chuxue was quick and caught her by the arm.

She stood steady.

The three of us stood in the hallway, looking at each other.

I looked at Chuxue.

Chuxue looked at her.

She looked at the floor.

“Ugh…”

Here we go again.

***

The lounge.

She sat on the sofa, clutching the tissue box Chuxue had handed her.

She pulled them out one by one, wiping her tears away.

She wasn’t crying as hard anymore, but she was still sobbing.

I sat opposite her, watching.

Chuxue leaned against the doorframe, continuing to sip her tea.

“Name.”

“Your name?”

“…Xiaoxi.”

Her voice was as soft as a mosquito.

“Full name?”

“Lin Xiaoxi…”

I paused.

“…Your surname is Lin?”

She nodded.

‘This counts as what, fate?’

I didn’t care to dig deeper.

“Age?”

“16…”

“Why are you here?”

She lowered her head.

The tissue was crumpled into a ball in her hand.

Silence.

I didn’t rush her.

I just watched her.

After a long time, she finally spoke.

“My… my parents…”

Her voice was broken, like she was trying to piece something together.

“They… they want me to be an Idol…”

“They said… our family… doesn’t lack money anymore, but we’re… missing someone famous… They made me… made me go…”

She couldn’t continue.

She cried again.

At this point, I could guess the rest.

Being an Idol was considered a status symbol, especially now.

The public’s admiration for the Idol Industry had reached its peak 3 years ago.

There were even female idols, so—this was currently the fastest way to accumulate prestige.

‘Otherwise, I wouldn’t have become a female idol to make money. Heh~’

Chuxue handed over a fresh tissue.

She took it and gripped it tight.

“I went to the audition…”

“They said… I wasn’t good enough…”

“They told me to go home and wait for news…”

“But… but I…”

She looked up at me.

Her eyes were red, and water droplets still hung from her eyelashes.

“I don’t dare go back…”

“They… they’re always running around… they’re already very busy… They’ll scold me…”

“I… I didn’t know where to go…”

“And then… and then I saw this place…”

As she spoke, her voice got quieter and quieter until it was almost inaudible.

“Please… I beg you…”

“Let me stay… just for a few days…”

“I… I’ll do anything…”

After she finished, she lowered her head, not daring to look at me.

The lounge was silent for a few seconds.

“Don’t say things like that,” I blurted out.

My gaze turned cold—the eyes that had finally softened a bit chilled once again.

“Ugh—!”

Clearly, I had scared her again.

‘Sigh…’

Out of helplessness, I softened my tone once more.

“The words ‘I’ll do anything’ are something you should never say, no matter what. Do you understand?”

I then reached out and patted her head.

“Mhm…” she replied.

I looked at this pink creature curled into a ball.

What was running through my head were the things she had just said—

“Failed the audition.”

“Doesn’t dare go back.”

“Stay for a few days.”

‘Another one has come.’

I sighed in my heart.

Then, I spoke.

“You can only stay temporarily for a few days.”

She snapped her head up.

“Really—!?”

“Yes.”

Her eyes lit up.

They were as bright as two lightbulbs.

“However—”

Her expression crumbled again.

“I don’t have time to handle a newcomer’s affairs.”

She froze.

“There is someone who came before you,” I said.

“She’s going to Debut in 20 days.

For these 20 days, all my energy will be on her.

I won’t have time to deal with you.”

She opened her mouth but didn’t make a sound.

“Stay if you’re willing.

Leave if you’re not.”

She lowered her head.

Silence lasted for a long time.

And then—

“Thank you…”

Her voice was almost a whisper.

I stood up.

“Chuxue, take her to—”

“Wait a moment.”

Xiaoxi suddenly looked up.

She pulled something out from her pink dress.

A card.

It was very new.

She held it out.

“This…”

I looked at the card.

“…What is it?”

“Money,” she said.

“1,000,000.”

Silence.

I looked at her.

She looked at me.

The tea in Chuxue’s hand stopped halfway to her mouth.

“When I… when I came out… I brought it…”

Her voice was still small, but this time, it didn’t shake.

“For… for you…”

“To let me stay…”

I took the card and glanced at it.

It was real.

1,000,000.

I looked up at her.

She kept her head down, not daring to look at me.

That tear-stained face was hidden behind her bangs.

‘If you had just brought the money out initially, you wouldn’t have been rejected…’

I complained silently in my heart.

But I didn’t say it aloud.

“Chuxue.”

I turned my head.

Chuxue was still stunned, her teacup held mid-air.

“Chuxue?”

She snapped out of it.

Then she walked over, took the card from my hand, and flipped it over a couple of times.

She looked at Xiaoxi.

Then at the card.

Then at Xiaoxi again.

“Lin Xiaoxi…”

She repeated the name.

“Did you… used to study at Saint Iris Academy?”

Xiaoxi looked up at her.

She blinked.

“…Mhm?”

“Last year,” Chuxue said, “first year.”

Xiaoxi paused.

Then her eyes slowly widened.

“You… you are…”

“Chuxue.”

She smiled.

“Your senior.”

Silence.

I looked at the two of them.

Chuxue turned her head toward me.

“President Lin, would you call this… fate?”

“…Whatever.”

She smiled even wider.

Xiaoxi was still dazed, looking at Chuxue and then at me, completely failing to understand the situation.

Chuxue leaned in and whispered in my ear:

“I remember her. The only daughter of a nouveau riche family. Her family has money but nowhere to spend it. At school, everyone called her—”

She paused.

“Rich and Foolish.”

I looked at her.

She was grinning.

‘No wonder.’

I glanced at Xiaoxi again.

She was still standing there, looking completely lost.

‘Rich and Foolish.’

‘She doesn’t look… any smarter than a certain someone.’

‘…Fine.’

I took a deep breath.

I sat back down.

“Xiaoxi.”

I knew very well that a successful Agency couldn’t just have a main star; they also needed supporting players.

Now, this was the perfect opportunity to solve both the money and staffing issues at once.

“Ah? Ah… Yes!”

She straightened her back and looked at me.

“You said earlier that you wanted to be an Idol?”

She nodded.

“My… my parents wanted…”

But I still had one condition.

“I’m asking you.”

She froze.

“Do you want to?”

Silence.

She lowered her head, looking at her hands.

Those hands were shaking constantly.

A long time passed.

“I… I don’t know…”

Her voice was tiny.

“But…”

She looked up.

Her eyes were still red, but there was something else in them now.

“But… if I can… I want to try…”

“It’s not… not because of my parents…”

“It’s… it’s because I want to…”

She couldn’t finish.

She lowered her head again.

Chuxue stood to the side, silent.

The lounge was quiet for a few seconds.

Then I spoke.

“Fine.”

She snapped her head up.

“However—”

Her expression grew tense again.

“The same words apply.

Within these 20 days, I don’t have time to look after you.”

She nodded.

“You’ll stay here for now.

Watch and learn.

Learn as much as you can.”

She nodded again.

“As for your Debut—”

I paused.

“We’ll talk about that later.”

She was stunned for a moment.

And then—

“Thank you…”

Her voice was still very soft.

But this time, it wasn’t the sound of crying.

It was serious.

I stood up.

“Chuxue, take her to get settled.”

“Okay~”

Chuxue walked over and took Xiaoxi’s hand.

Xiaoxi stood up, took two steps, and then looked back at me.

“Um…”

“Yes?”

“…Thank you.”

After saying that, she lowered her head and followed Chuxue out.

I watched them disappear at the end of the hallway.

Then, I looked down at the card in my hand.

The One Million Card.

‘…This is just enough to cover recent expenses.’

I put the card in my pocket.

Just as I turned around, I heard footsteps.

Chuxue was back.

She stood at the door, looking at me with a grin.

“Settled?”

“Mhm.”

She nodded.

“I let her stay in that empty room next door for now.”

“Good.”

I walked past her.

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

“My, my~ President Lin really is quite the gold-digger.”

I stopped.

I looked back at her.

She was leaning against the doorframe, somehow holding that cup of black tea again.

“Didn’t Alice just put on an incredible performance?

How could the president of such a Little White Face be short on money~?”

“…You’re asking what you already know.”

I had already laid my cards on the table with her a long time ago.

She laughed.

“Regardless,” she said, “don’t you dare bully my junior on purpose~”

I looked into her eyes.

She was smiling, but there was something hidden behind those eyes.

“…I don’t need you to tell me.”

I pushed the door open.

I walked out.

As I walked down the hallway, her voice came again.

“President Lin~”

I didn’t stop.

But Chuxue suddenly teased in a testing tone—

“I have 1,000,000 here too, you know~”