### Chapter 103: Smooth Talk
Lulu Lana could sense the spiritual energy inside her vanishing out of nowhere.
No, not out of nowhere—rather, it had transferred to Night Star’s body.
And now, her star seemed to have been controlled.
Is that really how it happened?
Lulu Lana wanted to test the effect, but quickly recalled that her star was temporarily gone and decided to confirm with Night Star instead.
But then she noticed that Night Star looked slightly crestfallen, as if he were down in the dumps.
“What’s wrong, Night Star?”
“Nothing much, just got a bit of a setback.”
Night Star shook his head and soon regained his composure.
Now wasn’t the time to be sad; they needed to check Lulu Lana’s condition first.
Night Star and Kong Yu Bai promptly nullified the effects of Existence Interference.
Lulu Lana’s star was back almost instantly.
Night Star hurried over and asked, “How do you feel, Lulu Lana?”
“I guess there’s nothing wrong…”
Lulu Lana could still feel her inner star and felt no discomfort around the Star Eclipses. She must have successfully controlled it.
She could control her stars at will, no longer worrying about hurting the Star Eclipses around her. This was great news!
“Geez…”
Seeing Lulu Lana like this, Night Star also let out a sigh of relief.
Looks like everything worked out.
Even if the Wish Machine is up to no good, it still gets the job done when it comes to solving problems.
Then, Lianhua approached with an innocent expression.
“Let me give it a try.”
She extended her hand, apparently wanting to shake hands with Lulu Lana to test if it would trigger anything.
If Lulu Lana’s star didn’t activate, it would mean success.
“…okay,”
Lulu Lana cautiously extended her hand and clasped Lianhua’s.
As expected, nothing happened.
Because there was no surprise.
Lulu Lana successfully made contact with Lianhua, who is a Star Eclipse, without triggering her star protection again.
Lulu Lana’s eyes gradually lit up with a look of pleasant surprise.
“It…worked!”
Lulu Lana darted over to the Group Leader and asked, with a hint of anticipation, “Sir Group Leader, can I shake your hand?”
“Of course.”
The Group Leader’s large hand enveloped Lulu Lana’s tiny one.
Lulu Lana was very excited.
The Group Leader—or should she say, the Demon King—was a legendary figure she idolized long ago.
To actually shake hands with him was exhilarating!
Following this, Lulu Lana went through everyone else in the theater group, shaking hands with the Gentleman, Fraudster, Makeup Artist, and so on. She seemed to have been holding back a lot.
Then Lulu Lana approached Mo Rabbit, eager to make contact as well.
Mo Rabbit couldn’t help but mockingly comment:
“I’m not a Star Eclipse. Even before, you could’ve shaken my hand.”
Although this was true, Mo Rabbit still gave in and shook her hand.
Once she’d shaken hands with all the members of the theater group, Lulu Lana felt thoroughly satisfied.
Actually, she wanted to give a closer hug as a greeting, but since most group members seemed to be Eastern, maybe Eastern-style handshakes were better after all.
Back at the Rising Sun Theater, the custom was to follow local customs. Right?
Lulu Lana returned to Night Star, her excitement evident.
“Thank you, Night Star!”
“There’s no need to thank me; we’re friends, after all.”
After saying this, something occurred to Night Star.
“Oh right, I pulled you into a tight situation earlier. I forgot to inform your mom, so she might be really worried about you. You should go reassure her.”
Hearing this, Lulu Lana suddenly remembered that she had been out playing with her mother.
Her sudden disappearance must have left her mother very worried.
“So, I’ll go back to see my mom now. Maybe next time I can come here to play, okay?”
“But how will you explain what happened?”
“I…don’t know.”
Lulu Lana began to worry about explaining her sudden disappearance later.
Returning only after disappearing mysteriously was indeed difficult to explain.
It was obvious that Lulu Lana had been taken away by the Rising Sun Theater Group for disrupting their performance, which would result in punishment.
But here she was, perfectly fine and unharmed upon returning, which was highly suspicious.
So, she had to find a way to bluff it through.
Night Star thought for a moment, and then, like a spark of genius, came up with an explanation for Lulu Lana.
“Okay, Lulu Lana. Here’s what you should tell mom.”
And so, Night Star laid out the plan word by word.
Lulu Lana nodded frequently and quickly memorized the excuse.
“Will this really convince my mom?”
“I believe it will…”
Though, if even that fails, telling a little truth wouldn’t be a big deal either—assuming her mother saw through her ruse.
—
Meanwhile, in a certain mansion…
A blonde woman sat silently in the living room, still in disbelief.
She hadn’t told anyone about this incident.
Even if she did, no one could likely free Lulu Lana from the Rising Sun Theater Group’s clutches.
Not even the powerful Order of Sequence in the Free Country could do anything.
She believed Lulu Lana was still alive—she forced herself to believe it.
But she was trying to think of a way to rescue her.
Yet no matter how hard she tried, she remained blank.
All her knowledge was helpless against this situation. She felt utterly powerless.
What should she do?
At that moment, a doorbell rang, breaking her thoughts.
The blonde woman didn’t turn, too absorbed in her mental struggle.
“Mother… Are you okay?”
A familiar, tender voice rang out, making the blonde woman lift her head.
“Oh!”
In front of her stood a young girl with wavy blonde hair—obviously, it was Lulu Lana!
But the blonde woman didn’t dare believe it, thinking she was hallucinating.
“Lulu Lana?”
“Yes, I’m back. Sorry, did I worry you?”
The blonde woman stretched out her trembling hand, grabbed Lulu Lana’s arm, and confirmed she was real.
Realizing this, she hugged her daughter tightly, as though afraid she might vanish again.
“You’re safe! Thank goodness…”
At her anxious cry, Lulu Lana couldn’t help hugging her back.
“I’m sorry… I got you worried.”
After a while, the blonde woman finally calmed down.
Lulu Lana and her mother sat together.
Time to get serious.
“Lulu Lana, what happened just now?”
Hearing her mother ask, Lulu Lana sighed inwardly, knowing it was time.
She needed to bluff her way through this conversation with her family.
While lying to them was less than ideal, she had to.
After all, this wasn’t the first time.
