Chapter 178 : The Hong Kong Reporter
In one of the rooms of the Tobion Grand Hotel in S City, a mature woman dressed in a black business suit looked helplessly at a young girl standing before her.
This mature woman in the business suit was named Wu Zi, the manager of the famous celebrity Bai Yiyue. The young girl standing before her was Bai Yiyue's personal assistant, Wang Jiaqi.
"What should I say to you? You couldn't even keep track of such an important person." Wu Zi spoke to Wang Jiaqi with an expressionless face, her tone cold.
"I... I don’t know when Miss Bai left. I just realized she was gone when I woke up this morning," Wang Jiaqi stammered, her head hanging low.
"Sigh~" Wu Zi sighed helplessly. She knew her superstar client all too well. Bai Yiyue loved sneaking out every now and then—it was simply impossible to guard against it.
Luckily, although Bai Yiyue had a habit of sneaking off, she never missed any important work commitments and had never been caught by paparazzi, not even those reporters from Hong Kong.
"Forget it. If she wants to leave, there's no way you could have stopped her. She’ll come back when she’s ready. You can go now~"
"Yes..."
Hearing Wu Zi's words, Wang Jiaqi felt a wave of relief wash over her as she hurriedly left the room. She hated being alone with Wu Zi; the oppressive aura of dominance Wu Zi exuded was just too much for her to handle. All she could do now was pray that her "Miss Bai" would come back soon.
Meanwhile, our "Miss Bai," Bai Yiyue, was leisurely strolling down an unfamiliar street. One of the masters of the "Four Great Evil Arts"—the art of disguise—she wore an ordinary disposable mask and simple clothing that made her look completely inconspicuous. There was no way anyone could guess that this seemingly ordinary young woman was the famous star Bai Yiyue.
Humming an unknown tune, Bai Yiyue looked around the street curiously, searching for something to satisfy her appetite. After all, sneaking out wasn't easy, and she was determined to eat to her heart's content.
She sighed as she thought about her overbearing manager, who controlled everything she ate, even requiring her to sneak snacks in secret. It was almost tragic.
Honestly, she wasn't the kind of person who gained weight just by eating a little junk food, so why was Wu Zi so strict with her?
As Bai Yiyue continued walking, she suddenly picked up a delicious aroma in the air. Without a second thought, she followed the scent into a small, quaint shop.
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"How was it? I sang way better than my sister, right?" Li Qian put down the microphone and looked at Ling Ning with hopeful eyes.
"Are you serious? I obviously sang better than you! Don’t you have any shame?" Li Meng protested, not willing to let her sister's comment slide.
Ling Ning looked at the two sisters helplessly. To her, they both sang beautifully. But their voices were so similar that it was as if she were listening to the same song twice. She really had no idea how to comment on it.
"Hey, Ling Ning, aren’t you going to sing? We’ve been here for so long, and you haven't sung a single song yet~" Xu Qing, who was sitting beside the song selection machine, turned to Ling Ning.
"I... I'm not really good at singing..."
"Don't give me that. Just sing Bai Yiyue's debut single, 'Ling.' It even has your name in it—don't tell me you can't sing it!"
Before Ling Ning could protest, Xu Qing had already selected the song and handed her the microphone.
With a helpless sigh, Ling Ning took a deep breath and turned her attention to the screen. She had this song saved on her phone and listened to it often, but she had never actually sung it—at most, she’d only hummed a few lines.
Ling Ning's voice was pleasant and clear, and luckily, the melody of "Ling" wasn't too fast-paced, making it easy for a karaoke novice like her to follow. At first, she was a bit reserved, her voice lacking confidence. But as she sang, she found her rhythm, and even Xu Qing was pleasantly surprised.
"And here she was, saying she couldn’t sing. She's doing pretty well, isn't she?" Li Qian mumbled.
Ling Ning herself felt a strange sense of familiarity while singing the song. It wasn't just because she often listened to it—it was as if she had heard it a long time ago, much like when she had listened to Bai Yiyue's newest release during Lunar New Year.
The feeling was bizarre, but it was undeniable—she had the sense that she had heard it somewhere before.
When she finished the song, Ling Ning was still lost in that feeling, almost in a daze.
"Ling Ning, Ling Ning! What are you spacing out for? The next song is about to start!"
"Huh!? It's my turn again?"
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"Whew~ Singing really feels great!"
The group finally emerged from the karaoke room, and Ling Ning stretched comfortably. By now, the sky was completely dark, and somehow, the entire afternoon had slipped by them.
Ling Ning realized that singing karaoke was actually quite enjoyable. It was a great way to vent out her recent stress. The only downside was that everything inside was ridiculously overpriced—a bottle of water for ten yuan? That was daylight robbery. If not for singing for so long that her throat was on fire, she wouldn't have paid that outrageous price!
She decided that next time, she’d bring her own water.
"Hey, where are we having dinner?"
"Dinner, hmm..." Ling Ning scratched her head as she thought for a moment, then said, "How about all-you-can-eat sushi? I know a place with great sushi."
She had originally considered suggesting a beef hotpot place, but then remembered that Li Qian and Li Meng didn't really like beef, and Xu Qing wasn't fond of spicy food. So, sushi it was—it tasted good and was easy on the wallet.
Ling Ning ended up paying for dinner since Xu Qing had paid for the karaoke session, and since Li Qian and Li Meng had been her guests, it didn’t feel right to make them pay either.
During dinner, the group discussed plans for tomorrow's concert. Though the concert was in the evening, they decided to head out right after lunch since the venue was quite far away. If they took the subway, it would take over an hour, and they had to account for any unexpected delays. Hence, they decided on an early start.
After dinner, Ling Ning strolled leisurely down the street. The other three lived close by, while Ling Ning had to take several subway stops to get back home.
Just as she was walking, she noticed a young girl running toward her, followed closely by a group of men with cameras.
"Huh?"
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Author's Note:
Worked the whole day, completely drained of any energy to write. Yesterday, this salted fish stayed up until two in the morning just to finish writing. Looks like today will be about the same...