Chapter 278
"No more pranks! Remember not to interfere with my and everyone's training these next few days, or we'll miss your birthday celebration. Charlotte doesn't want to go home all alone, does she?"
The Doomsday Diva puffed out her cheeks, thinking Qing Bao was so cunning. This was clearly a completely different topic from before, yet she was using something like this to threaten her. In a fit of "revenge," she kissed Qingbao and then happily ran off to play with her Little Cotton-padded Jacket.
The blue tit fluttered its wings and landed on the Saintess's head. Its eyes darted around, innocently and curiously looking at the Little Idol around it. Finally, it met the gaze of the Green Eyed Cat, tilted its head in confusion, and chirped at it.
Tang Liuli raised her emerald green eyes, reached out her small hand to stroke its head, and explained with a smile:
"We didn't argue, we're getting along really well."
"Forget-me-not think humans are hard to understand? That's okay, humans don't understand themselves either. Just remember what you see, and you'll gradually understand it later."
Watching the Social Anxiety Cat and the Forget-me-not interact so smoothly, Kiriwake Yayoi felt a sense of surrealism. She quietly asked the Golden Haired Doggy beside her:
"Xiao Xuan, can Liuli really understand what small animals are saying?"
Xie Qingxuan said earnestly:
"I think Xiao Qing can understand it too, but she and Liuli probably understand it in different ways."
Chu Yuanqing found the cat earnestly talking to the Lantern Fairy adorable, and she explained with a smile:
"Lantern Fairy are magical beings. If you can read magic, you can read their thought processes and guess their general meaning."
"Liuli's strength likely lies in her talent for empathy. She can understand the emotions of complex beings like humans, so understanding a newly born Lantern Fairy, who is like a blank sheet of paper, is naturally a very easy thing for her."
After all, last night, Liuli transformed into the cat and personally proved the upper limit of her talent. Even if neither of them was on guard against her, the connection between the Doomsday Diva and the Savior's senses, and even their souls, was already exaggerated enough.
Chu Yuanqing believed that even if Liuli's performance wouldn't be as outrageous as Little Sakura and Xuan Bao's for the time being because of the blessing bestowed upon her, the flowers and fruits she blossomed through the Magical Girl system would definitely be second to none.
Looking at the girl's smile, the Pure White Witch suddenly recalled the cold, flimsy corpse from her fragmented memories. Her emotions were complex, and she murmured to herself:
"Liuli, I hope your magic will neither fade like the last bloom of spring, nor be as sorrowful as that blessing."
Whether it's the Blood of Sighs, which uses death and regret as its anchor to rewind time, or the Wall of Sighs, which requires the sacrifice of flesh and blood, even souls, to build its high walls, both are far too selfless and far too cruel.
Therefore, this time, she hoped that the other party would no longer hold such power, but rather something more "selfish," something that could better protect her, and something that wouldn't require such courageous magic.
This expectation, whether for Liuli and Charlotte who lost their blessing, or for Yayoi and Xiao Xuan who still have the blessing, holds an unwavering blessing.
After all, since everything has been rebuilt from scratch and everyone has become a carefree Magical Girl, the future should also conform to this carefree style, carrying on this peace and beauty throughout.
Volume 1: 264. Boomerang's Company Death, <Flash Dance>'s New Activities, Photobook. (5K2)
Time flies, and a week has passed in the blink of an eye.
The Little Idol trained methodically, their daily lives as light and carefree as floating clouds.
If you skip over the tens of thousands of words of Magic Replenishment scenes over the course of a week, as well as Charlotte's occasional new tricks, the group lived a very green and healthy life. Every day they either trained or explored various places, and they ate almost all the delicacies in the old town.
The vlog's duration will naturally be reached during this time.
As for the filming of the show, since Charlotte was also there and often caused mishaps, Dream Weaver Rabbit directly took over the work of Chen Xiaoxiao and the rest of the group, giving these working people a paid vacation. Currently, they have all gone home, allowing the Little Idol to completely enter a free-range phase.
Well, the program incident refers to the fact that Miss Saintess often steals kisses from Qing Bao in front of the nano camera, and even likes to touch things indiscriminately, and publicly declares her coming out as gay.
To maintain secrecy, Astrid had to pay the price for a certain Saintess's capriciousness, transforming from a boss into a working rabbit, diligently deleting the inappropriate parts of the recorded footage.
The reason for doing this is naturally for the sake of the overall situation of <Flash Dance>.
While it's undeniable that many viewers of girl groups enjoy shipping female idols with male idols, this doesn't mean that these people can truly accept male idols, let alone other audience groups.
Therefore, in order to ensure that the two [Lighthouses] can receive the purest concentration of sparkle from the audience before completing the ultimate project of <Flash Dance>, official announcements and coming out in public are both prohibited.
As for the CP fans, and the truths that some Leeuwenhoek speculate about or even conjure up directly, as long as the celebrities involved are not caught red-handed or make an official announcement, these opinions are just speculations and will not really affect the audience or the overall situation.
This can be seen from the fact that after the Pure White Witch seemingly "threw herself into someone's arms" at the end of the sixth episode, her Weibo followers did not drop at all, but instead surged to 27.91 million in a week.
Under normal circumstances, appropriate postings would only become a hot topic to attract public attention, rather than becoming negative news that drives away casual fans. This is especially true when both of these figures possess an allure that can be described as succubus-like.
Within a week, across the territories of the Donghuang Federation, the Holy United States, and various other countries, large and small, Flash Dance had become a grand project that was almost a household name, temporarily plunging modern society, which had maintained peace for 17 years, into the illusion of entertainment to the death.
The concept of idols and the stage, which is relatively niche in the Entertainment Industry, has been pushed to a peculiar position that would be impossible to reach under normal circumstances, driven by anxieties about the survival of civilization.
Of course, the widespread use of the concept of "Flow State" has led to many contestants creating miracles on stage, and even the beginnings of Shine Magic, which is one of the reasons why the public believes that it can bring sufficient emotional value.
The widespread popularity of the "Flash Dance" project created an atmosphere of rapid change in the times. With overwhelming and saturated publicity, idols and the stage have become integrated into all aspects of life, and related stock prices and economic trends have become increasingly prosperous.
Today, the public opinion guidance from the higher authorities has given the masses the illusion that they are about to usher in, or even already in, the "Great Idol Era," turning a larger potential audience into viewers of this program.
The world is bustling with activity, all for the sake of profit; the world is in turmoil, all for the sake of gain.
Even if they have no interest in idols or are not enthusiastic about the stage, when the benefits it can generate concern them personally, many people who consider themselves indifferent are forced to fall into the "trap" dug by the authorities.
However, for the vast majority of viewers, "Flash Dance" is just an entertainment variety show. Almost no one will delve into the core and driving force behind it. Most people, seeing a Talent Show with such a large following, will probably just say with satisfaction, "It's good that they put effort into it."
Chu Yuanqing, Charlotte, and some rising [Witch] candidates remained silent amidst the global revelry, like countless ripples on a surging tide.
The netizens of Great Xia were completely unaware of the impending crisis.
Especially the fans of the Pure White Witch have been obsessed with their Little Idol lately, happily enjoying Qing Bao's stunning beauty in her frequent Weibo updates and praising her.
Well, this frequency of updating three Weibo a day suggests that someone felt somewhat guilty towards their fans after hosting a music party and wanted to make amends by working hard.
The most recent Weibo was published five minutes ago, mainly promoting a new event for Flashdance.
The first picture shows a slender, soft hand holding a pen, with fair skin, long and graceful curves, no nail art decorations, a natural pinkish hue, and neatly trimmed nails, making it look very pretty.
The second picture is the autographed photo that will be given away during the event. The paper has the three characters "[Chu Yuanqing]" written neatly on it, and it even imitates the signature of the neighbor's Little Sakura, with a simple and elegant bouquet of roses drawn next to it.
The third picture is a video taken in the dance studio.
Chu Yuanqing wore a sports jacket over her yoga clothes, concealing the curves outlined by her outfit. Her clear, gem-like eyes gazed at the mirror, her delicate, flawless face flushed with an alluring coral pink, suggesting she had just finished exercising, yet her expression remained habitually serious.
In the video, Qing Bao first made a serious cheering gesture, but Little Sakura, who was filming, rejected it because it was too stiff.
On the other side, a strange yet melodious, playful voice appeared in the video, like musical notes rising and falling in one's ears:
"Xiao Qing, don't be so rigid! This is your first time speaking to your fans on social media, right? You need to show sincerity and joy, and bring a smile to your fans!"
So, under the mischievous guidance of the Saintess, the Pure White Witch, after countless retakes, finally managed to greet the fans in front of the camera with a charming and natural ease, her lips curving upwards in an exceptionally gentle arc.
Well, compared to her initial awkwardness, unnaturalness, embarrassment, and even subtle disdain, her later poise and the seemingly dead darkness in her eyes delivered a charming contrast to her Little Idol to her fans, successfully promoting the <Flash Dance> event.
[I bow down before your Qing God presence, may you be blessed!]
[Waaaaah, my hardworking Qing Bao, don't worry, Mommy will definitely help you win the grand prize in the event!]
[Hehehe, Qing Bao's IP address has been exposed again. Now almost everyone knows she's in Salzburg. I want to go there and bump into her too???!]
[Hilarious! Last time I went to East Flow Island, I ran into a fan of Liang Xiaoxiao, and she mistook me for a stalker and almost threw me over her shoulder. Watch out, Qing Bao might do that to you too???]
[That fan wasn't hurt and even got Xiaoxiao's autograph and apology—wasn't that a huge win? I also want to be thrown over Qing Bao's shoulder, preferably into a vegetative state, so Qing Bao will feel guilty towards me, visit me in the hospital often, and maybe even remember me for the rest of his life???]
[Mom, stop acting crazy here!]
[Xiao Qing practices dancing diligently every day! I'm already looking forward to her next performance!]
Salzburg at dusk.
Charlotte bought a cotton candy from the old woman's stall. She presented it to Chu Yuanqing like a precious treasure, a happy smile on her face. She then pulled him to sit on the street in the old town and said:
"Eating cotton candy while watching clouds has its own unique charm, doesn't it?"
Chu Yuanqing was still embarrassed and annoyed about being tricked by the other party earlier, but after receiving the cotton candy and seeing the Doomsday Diva's smile, which was sweeter than candy, he couldn't stay angry at all. He could only seriously lecture her:
"Don't tease me anymore. With you messing around, I can't film the video properly."
The Saintess blinked, sitting upright to the side with an exceptionally prim and proper demeanor, appearing very obedient and adorable. She clearly felt guilty about her words, and instead of resorting to pleading or acting cute, she sincerely apologized before changing the subject:
"Speaking of which, does Xiao Qing know what specific events <FlashDance> is going to hold?"
Chu Yuanqing thought for a moment and said:
"I don't know. This kind of thing should have been communicated by Assistant Chen, but after Dreamweave took over, she just had us sign the photos and post them on Weibo."
Well, if Charlotte hadn't egged her on and caused trouble, she would have at most posted a short video thanking her fans for their support, just like Little Sakura did, instead of having to reshoot so many times like in a movie.
Charlotte felt a little conflicted after hearing this.
Just how much does Xiao Qing dislike being online? She's on Weibo every day; she should at least pay attention to the trending topics to know, okay?
The Doomsday Diva reasonably suspected that this was Xiao Meng's "prank" on Qing Bao, and she suddenly asked:
"Xiao Qing, have you done anything to upset Xiao Meng lately?"
Chu Yuanqing was somewhat bewildered upon hearing this. She thought about it seriously for a moment. What could have angered Astrid? Could it be because she had taken that batch of wrecked remains? That shouldn't be the case, right?
The Pure White Witch's thoughts drifted to this point, quickly shifting to "Why hasn't that batch of wrecked remains arrived yet? I should urge Dream Weaver Rabbit to hurry up with it." She quietly opened the app's shop, clicked the "urge order" button, and then answered with a straight face:
"Absolutely not."
Charlotte gave up thinking after hearing this. She looked at the soft cotton candy in Chu Yuanqing's hand, leaned closer and took a bite. After urging him to eat some too, she seized the opportunity to take a very intimate photo with her phone and happily posted it on social media.
Although Dream Weaver Rabbit said not to come out or make it official in public, it's perfectly reasonable for good friends to share a cotton candy, right?
Great Xia, the Sea Capital.
At the entrance of Sea Capital Foreign Language Private High School, a life-size standee advertising "Flash Dance" has been covered with the name of a certain Little Cotton-padded Jacket by a group of fans who came specifically to see her.
While it's called a name, it's actually almost entirely filled with encouraging phrases like "Yue Bao!", "Mommy loves you!", and "Baby, you're the best!", showing that Chu Wangshu has a significant number of female fans.
However, there were also some phrases mixed in, such as "Xiao Shu, you must debut!", "The class monitor is so handsome!", and "I hope the senior gets what she wants." These were clearly "insider" comments, probably from Chu Wangshu's classmates or juniors, and maybe even teachers and the class teacher.
If you were to enter the school, you wouldn't see the hype surrounding Chu Wangshu's advancement in "Flash Dance," but you would see him displayed on a red banner celebrating his admission to Haidu Art University as an outstanding student.
The all-day advertisement across from the teaching building, which had been bought by Flash Dance, was cleverly replaced with live-action videos of Chu Wangshu's team during the peak traffic periods, showing how much they cared for the students of their own school.
It's clear that the school leaders are very keen to capitalize on Chu Wangshu's popularity and ride the wave of "Flash Dance." They're probably already thinking about how to negotiate with Chu Wangshu to include his photo on next year's admissions forms.
If I knew the current state of my alma mater, I would probably feel quite confused.
Of course, Chu Yuanqing would explode even faster than his own Little Cotton-padded Jacket's CPU when he saw the advertising screen across from the teaching building.
Because the way she and her daughter danced together in the Public Performance was so perfectly synchronized, it even surpassed the original vision of a tragic ending. It was like a boomerang that had been sped up, and it was incredibly heartbreaking.
"Tong Bao, don't die! Watch Qing Bao's dance to help him recover."
"Wow, Little Idol are so cute! My idol's dancing is just amazing."
Xu Ling dragged Pei Xiaotong, who was complaining about the scorching sun, and stood in front of Chu Wangshu's alma mater, looking around as if on a pilgrimage. In the end, they looked at the horizontal screen advertisement on the college building and began to admire the dance of the Pure White Witch in her second Public Performance.
"Ling Bao, are all fans as energetic as you?"
After finishing her sentence quietly, Pei Xiaotong, still under the bright sunshine, picked up her phone and enthusiastically scanned the QR code on the billboard covered with words to start the lucky draw.
This is a recent offline event launched by Flash Dance, co-hosted by Sea Capital and Capital. The rules are similar: 10,000 standees are randomly placed across the country, and each person can scan a maximum of 20 different standees to get one chance to win a prize.
The prizes at Sea Capital are exceptionally plentiful. Aside from cash, food delivery vouchers, eggs, oil, and salt, there are also Dream Weaver Rabbit dolls, autographed photos and postcards of mentors and contestants, as well as products endorsed by various A-Class Little Idol.
The most popular items were the tickets for the Third Performance.
Flash Dance threw a full 10,000 tickets into the prize pool for offline raffles. To prevent the elderly lady who came to draw eggs from not going, they even opened up the right to transfer and sell them.
To prevent scalping and ticket speculation, all transfers and sales had to be conducted on the Flash Dance platform, making the event both highly praised and exceptionally lively.
Xu Ling really wanted tickets to the Public Performance, but what she wanted most was the grand prize in the prize pool. She dragged Pei Xiaotong all over Sea Capital to try her luck, and they only managed to draw three times in two days.
Although Sea Capital placed more than a hundred standees, most of them were duplicates.
After all, the 10,000 life-size standees that Sea Capital <Flash Dance> distributed nationwide only used the images of contestants who have not yet been eliminated, totaling only 84. Among them, A-Class contestants will also receive a promotion buff, and their standees will be much more numerous than others.
This leads to online estimates suggesting that one would need to visit three cities to actually complete the 20 draws.
Xu Ling and Pei Xiaotong drew six times in total. Five of the prizes were discount coupons for video memberships, and one was a Dream Weaver Rabbit plush toy. They were complete losers and didn't even get an autographed photo.
However, this situation is actually quite normal. If each of the 84 Little Idol in the Sea Capital signs 10 autographs, that's only a little over 800 photos. Considering the national area and the audience of the show, being able to get an autographed photo is already incredibly lucky, let alone getting an autographed photo from one of their own idols.
"Oh no! The battery just died!"
Pei Xiaotong stared at her phone screen, which went black just before the lottery results were announced. She felt a stifling sense of unease. With teary eyes, she looked at her cousin, only to be met with the same sharp, shattering sound.
"Ugh, I shut my computer down too, I couldn't even open any web pages."
Xu Ling ran to the convenience store and borrowed two power banks. Then, she and her little cousin, who was sunburnt and looked like a doll, sat down in the shade of a nearby tree and ate strawberry ice cream cones from a cart. She tugged at her collar, looked up at the sky through the swaying branches, and said confidently:
"Once it's fully charged and we've finished the prize draw, we'll go home and enjoy the air conditioning!"
Pei Xiaotong pressed the ice water she bought to her face, took a bite of ice cream, and then quietly moved away from her cousin who had a fever, muttering:
"You said the same thing this morning, but when you heard there was a sign for Yue Bao at her alma mater, you still immediately took a taxi over."