Bai You had heard this phrase many times before; it was pretty much the same.
Every time, Varesa spoke with such natural ease.
But this time, the sun was setting perfectly, and as Bai You gazed at her smiling profile, a pang of sadness inexplicably welled up inside her.
She didn't reply.
She leaned against the warmth, closed her eyes, and her mind was filled with things she had known for a long time but had never dared to think about in detail.
The storyline of Varesa in the game.
I know about those handwritten tickets in the theater, and I know how many people she has reserved seats for.
She also knew how many of those people, holding her heartfelt sentiments, turned around and threw them to the wind.
Bai You herself couldn't explain why, at this moment, she couldn't suppress the sour feeling in her heart.
" Varesa."
She opened her eyes, her voice very soft.
"Um?"
"And what about you?" Bai You sat up a little straighter from her lap, turned around, and looked up at her.
Have you ever encountered... people or things that weren't worth it?
Varesa's smile, almost imperceptibly, paused for a moment.
She didn't answer immediately. She looked down at Bai You, as if trying to figure out from the little girl's face why she had suddenly asked this question.
"I just want to know," Bai You looked at her earnestly, "You always say I'm worthy, but what about yourself?"
Varesa looked at her, sighed softly, pulled Bai You closer to her, and then slowly spoke.
"The theater tickets are printed and sold to everyone."
"But there's another kind, which I write myself—a plain piece of paper with my stage number, seat number, and my name on it."
She only writes for those who genuinely want to hear her sing but can't get tickets for various reasons.
"A handwritten ticket, it's worthless, but I wrote it to convey one meaning—"
I'd like to ask you to listen to me sing a song.
"But once the tickets got into some people's hands, they changed their meaning."
"Those people—those who take the tickets to the black market and resell them for countless times their original price, those who flaunt their tickets and boast about their connections and influence..."
"What they wanted was never my songs," Varesa chuckled.
"It's the rarity of that ticket, the honor of attending, the ability to tell people I can freely go to Varesa's events."
Bai You felt a little sad after hearing this.
"There's another girl, Lishnaya, the one I told you about before."
Varesa's voice slowed down a bit, "I saved her a front-row seat, but she didn't come, saying she had something urgent."
"It was later discovered that she had given that seat to a wealthy businessman she wanted to curry favor with—'My Song' became her stepping stone."
"She's clever; she used those tickets to make connections with many powerful and influential people, and now she's a wealthy businesswoman. She still comes to listen to me sing occasionally and even sends me flower baskets."
Varesa paused.
"But to her, my songs were like food at a buffet—beautiful and exquisite, but not worth truly enjoying."
Bai You clutched the hem of her clothes.
"However—" she changed the subject, regaining her confident demeanor.
"I won't tolerate those who go too far. I wrote the vote; you can void it if you want."
"If things get too ugly, I'll publish a report and let the whole city see it."
"I gave them my songs, and they discarded them like trash. They insulted me so much, so I don't need to give them any respect."
Bai You stared at her blankly.
Varesa may seem indifferent to everything, but she harbors a deep loneliness within.
She stayed at the theater, guarding the song of the departed Water Nymph, saying, "A song without an audience will die," and so she sang it over and over again.
But what about herself?
I listen to the songs of the dead, but who will listen to mine?
More and more people are attending her performances, but fewer and fewer are actually listening to her sing.
" Varesa."
Bai You sat up from her lap, turned around, and looked at her intently, her eyes a little red.
"From now on, I'll listen."
"I will attend every single one of their performances from now on."
"I'll listen as long as you sing. Even if everyone leaves the audience, I won't leave."
"When you can't sing anymore--" Bai You's voice choked, and she gripped Varesa's hand tightly.
"I'll listen too. If you can't sing anymore, I'll sing for you. I'll sing back all the songs you taught me, one by one."
"I won't let your songs go unheard."
Varesa stared blankly at the Bai You.
Suddenly he laughed again.
"Where's my silly Bai You?"
Varesa smiled, reached out and pulled her into her arms, gently resting her chin on the top of her head.
He looked down at her and chuckled, "What if I get annoyed one day and don't let you listen anymore? What will you do then?"
"Then I'll stay put," Bai You said. "You sing yours, I'll listen to mine, and you can be annoyed by what you want."
Varesa hugged Bai You even tighter, her eyes slightly red, and chuckled softly:
" Little Bai You, you're really silly..."
The two of them embraced tightly.
On the other end, Sandrone watched the two embracing.
She stood by the hatch, watching for a while without saying a word. Columbina leaned against the railing not far away, holding the bag of bread, also watching.
"Have you seen enough?" Sandrone walked over and lowered his voice. "Let's go, back to the cabin."
"What's the rush? Let's watch a little longer."
"What's so interesting?" Sandrone crossed her arms. "The two of them put their arms around each other."
"You looked at it for a long time too, didn't you?"
Sandrone choked for a moment. "... I was just passing by."
Columbina smiled, finished the last piece of bread, clapped her hands, and said, "Let's go."
The two walked along the corridor toward their cabin.
After walking for a while, Sandrone noticed that Columbina had put away her empty bag and said:
"Is there anything else you'd like to eat?"
Columbina paused for a moment.
"I see the bread in your bag is gone," Sandrone said, looking at the doorframe without glancing at her.
"I'll make it for you later. Do you want bread? Or... cake?"
"Do you want to eat?" Columbina asked.
"I'm asking you." It's a bit hot in Sandrone.
"Leave me alone."
"Oh right, I forgot you're a robot, you can't eat this. How about I bring you some engine oil next time?"
"Columbia! You're the one who eats engine oil!"
Columbina looked at her, glanced at her, and suddenly smiled.
"Hehe, just kidding. How about some more bread?" she said. "And some more... the cake you mentioned."
"Okay, you wait, I'll do it later."
There was a moment of silence.
Sandrone's gaze had nowhere to rest, so it landed on her knees, but she couldn't help but quietly lift them to look at Columbina.
Columbina was tilting her head to the side.
Bai You dares to speak her mind, Varesa dares to pull people into her arms.
And her?
You've been staring at me for a long time.
Columbina suddenly turned her head.
Sandrone felt caught red-handed; his heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly looked away.
"Who... who's watching you? I saw that light behind you."
"Oh," Columbina responded.
She turned to face Sandrone and said slowly, " Sandrone, you've been talking more than usual tonight."
She opened her mouth, wanting to explain, but couldn't come up with anything. Finally, she stubbornly said:
"Is it wrong for me to care about my colleagues?"
"Okay."
Columbina's gaze softened as she looked at Sandrone's stubborn demeanor.
I moved closer to her, getting closer to her.
"Columbina said softly."
"If you want to come over, then come over."
"No need to come up with so many excuses..."
A huge thank you to Nightwalker_o_light for the amazing certification! ૮₍ ˶•ᴗ•˶₎ა And thank you everyone for the gifts! ෆ( ˶'ᵕ'˶)ෆ The author will work hard to update! Thank you all for your support! つ♡⊂