Chapter 48: Special Guest Member
After holding onto Night Star for quite some time, Qing Liao finally let go.
“Speaking of which, Night Star, what are you doing here?”
Qing Liao was genuinely surprised by Night Star’s unexpected arrival.
But after gathering her wits, she realized there were still many unignorable questions.
Why was Night Star here?
Night Star had already thought up a good reason.
“Well, Yu Bai and I went on an overseas trip and happened to be in this city. Then we found out you were going to have a concert here, so here we are!”
“But how did you get past all those bodyguards? They should’ve contacted me to confirm, right?”
This was the biggest mystery for Qing Liao.
Forget the bodyguards, even the Order of Sequence didn’t seem to notice Night Star and Yu Bai’s arrival.
This was just too strange.
She knew the Order of Sequence wasn’t to be messed with.
Or was it that… Night Star and Yu Bai had other methods to avoid being detected?
It was truly mind-boggling.
Night Star seemed reluctant to explain too much, aiming instead to pout her way through.
“Aww, don’t worry about the details! We snuck in to see you. No one noticed us, so why not chat a bit first? It’s been such a long time since we last met, I really miss you!”
Qing Liao immediately stammered, embarrassed by Night Star’s straightforward approach.
“A-Actually? You’re not just saying this to make me happy, are you?”
“Mmm…no.”
“You hesitated!”
“Hehe~”
Seems they met by chance indeed.
Who could’ve predicted that the Rising Sun Theater would suddenly move to this city?
If not for that, Night Star might not have crossed paths with Qing Liao so soon—such a strange twist of fate!
Then, Qing Liao looked at Kong Yu Bai, who was quietly smiling.
“Are you the Blank Songstress?”
“Yes, Qing Liao, it has been a while.”
In this corrected timeline, Blank Songstress and Qing Liao knew each other.
After all, they were both world-famous songstresses.
However, their relationship wasn’t as close as Night Star’s; at least, they weren’t intimate friends.
To Qing Liao, Blank Songstress was someone she admired deeply, just like Night Star.
Qing Liao’s passion for singing stemmed from the previous world-famous songstress.
For Blank Songstress, Qing Liao was a talented protégé she was very pleased with.
Blank Songstress couldn’t help but recall when she herself was once in that same position, which brought back fond memories.
Suddenly, Qing Liao remembered something.
“Come to think of it… Blank Senior, the virtual Starry Sky Songstress who was all the rage online, must be Night Star, right?”
“You already know the answer, don’t you?”
That confirmed Qing Liao’s guess.
“I thought Night Star would debut as a real-world songstress, not a virtual one. What a shame; we could have both become world-famous together.”
Qing Liao’s voice was filled with regret.
She had been dreaming about singing with her idols, like the Blank Songstress or the Starry Sky Songstress.
Unfortunately, the former had faded into the background.
Although still a songstress, she did no other activities.
And the Starry Sky Songstress wanted only to be a cyber songstress.
Ultimately, only Qing Liao managed to perform on the big stage.
Now, Night Star rested contentedly on Qing Liao’s lap, like old friends.
In Walnutka, Qing Liao was the closest thing to a friend Night Star had.
Hearing Qing Liao’s words filled with regret, Night Star whispered, “It’s not bad either. Who knows, I kind of enjoy keeping things under wraps. I don’t really want my voice heard by everyone. It’s enough that I can sing for a few close people. If we get the chance, why don’t we go karaoke sometime?”
Qing Liao smiled at these words.
“Sure, even if we can’t share the same stage, we can still sing our hearts out.”
Qing Liao loved this laid-back atmosphere.
Having two idols exchange warmly with her made her feel humble.
Even though her instinct was to refuse Night Star’s cute antics, Night Star’s straightforwardness won her over.
There was no need to feel down at all.
Looking at the adorable Night Star lying on her lap, Qing Liao couldn’t help but stroke her head.
It reminded Qing Liao of four or five years ago, when Night Star was also tiny, cute, and incredibly soft and endearing.
Yet, after a few years, Night Star remained the same—seemingly ageless.
It was hard to believe they were around the same age.
In a manner of speaking, Night Star was also a senior to her.
Although she registered as a songstress later than Qing Liao, Night Star had served as a world-famous songstress for a while, something Qing Liao still aspired to.
But seeing her cute and innocent loli appearance now, it was impossible to treat her as a senior, let alone a peer.
Indeed, it seemed that she neither physically nor mentally grew over these years.
After a string of thoughts, Qing Liao remembered she needed a bath.
“I’ll be right back, I want to take a shower. Feel free to chat until I return. Just hide if anyone comes in, okay?”
Qing Liao hadn’t forgotten they snuck in.
If they were discovered, explaining would be tricky.
“Ugh, sure.”
Nodding lightly, Night Star reassured Qing Liao.
Qing Liao turned and headed for the bathroom.
Left alone in the room were Night Star and Kong Yu Bai.
“Mm…Yu Bai, do you think we should tell Qing Liao a little secret?”
“What kind of secret did Night Star have in mind?”
“Um…like the Rising Sun Theater?”
Night Star felt confident that Qing Liao would keep her secrets.
Sharing the Rising Sun Theater’s secrets would give her more to work with.
Thus, she wouldn’t have to come up with numerous excuses for their strange behavior.
Qing Liao probably suspected her dubious stories anyway.
Kong Yu Bai had no objections.
“If Night Star trusts her, it’s fine to tell her. I’m with you.”
“Um, maybe after the shower, tell her. Who knows? Maybe in the future, we can invite her as a guest to the Rising Sun Theater, or even collaborate for a performance. Two world-famous songstresses singing together on stage would be quite magical!”
“No, if that does happen, it’ll be three songstresses,” Kong Yu Bai said, pointing her finger playfully at Night Star’s nose, “including you.”
“Meh, whatever.”
Just then, Night Star had an idea.
Could Qing Liao join the Rising Sun Theater as a special member?
A short-term collaboration, perhaps?
She couldn’t quite predict whether the Group Leader would agree.
