[Camellia: You, did you hear, did you hear?]

[Camellia: A few hours ago, over at the Star of Art, there was a group of Moon Sugar enthusiasts causing a big scene in the city. Is it true?]

Seeing the popped-up chat message while still in the office coordinating with major investors and radio heads, Xu Xiaoyou looked up.

[You: It's not too bad. The Tuner has almost dealt with it.]

[Camellia: So it's true?]

Far away, millions of kilometers from the Star of Art in Chichu Heaven, the red-haired girl on the other side of the screen had a sly smile that seemed excited. She lay across the soft bed, embracing her Duke Rabbit plush toy, her deep red eyes reflecting the chat log on the screen.

From today, going back half a month, the chat records spanned hundreds of pages, stretching endlessly. The girl had inadvertently added this net friend named You, only to find they really clicked. The other person seemed to know what she was thinking, always talking about topics she loved;

From various anime to adaptations of comic books, and even single-player games from long ago. When she found out that the other person played Insect Race Star Sea, that game from before the New Era Calendar, she was stunned and almost thought they were an angel sent from heaven to heal her lonely heart.

Since the advent of immersive devices, almost no one wanted to experience these games playable only on handhelds or ancient game consoles. In comparison to experiencing the game first-hand through immersion, controlling games via joystick and buttons felt like primitive tech—utterly outdated.

But she liked controlling characters in the game, watching them transform, grow, acquire equipment, become stronger, and finally defeat the Demon King. It gave her an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

For a long time in the past, she spent her time alone playing these single-player games, repeatedly challenging the highest difficulty AI in the now-defunct, local-network-only Insect Race Star Sea.

She opened her long-closed heart completely and treated this mysterious net friend from millions of kilometers away on the Star of Art as her confidant,

The eerie moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating the small room: a delicate princess bed, corners filled with plush toys, anime posters lining the walls; the girl's lightly swaying legs were pale and graceful, drawing arcs as they swung, carefree feet reflecting her relaxed mood.

[Camellia: They're from over at Gao Tianyun, but the new Patriarch of the Chichu Family is about to completely ban the circulation of Moon Sugar.]

[You: How do you know so much?]

The corners of the girl's mouth curled with a sense of pride.

[Camellia: Of course, do you even know who I am? Saying it would scare you to death.]

Just as the girl was about to, as usual, share her daily anecdotes with the net friend named You, there was a gentle knock on the door.

"Young Master, rest early."

The door was gently pushed open as a kind and amiable old lady slowly entered.

The girl sat by the window in a thin strap dress, skin as white as dazzling snow, and her earlobe's soft strands of hair were lifted by the breeze; she remained quiet, like a doll, as shattered moonlight sprinkled across the curtain and fell into her averted gaze.

Upon seeing the old lady enter, a gentle smile appeared on the girl's serene face; the light of deep lakes danced in her eyes, and dark red hair slipped from her shoulder. This unassuming Camellia silently bloomed.

The old lady softly repeated her earlier words, remembering the Young Master always like this; sitting alone by the window, often for an entire afternoon, with a maturity beyond her years that evoked empathy.

"Hmm, I know." She whispered softly.

...

After chatting for a few lines and realizing Camellia had gone offline, Xu Xiaoyou didn't mind much and returned her attention to her career.

Yesterday's incident propelled the entertainment company into the spotlight, successfully redirecting the media storm onto Rongsen Media and Lin Fan; discussions about 'the daughter of the Stars' visibly diminished.

After the media battlefield was completely overrun, people began to pile on, and various major traffic platforms saw personal media emerging to criticize Rongsen Media's actions, yet larger city stations and significant official media remained silent, seemingly still observing the situation.

What surprised her was that the girl named Xiaomeng chose to speak up for Tang Xin at this moment.

The girl with light pink hair, eyes like falling sakura, wearing a lively JK skirt, openly admitted her past as an underground idol after a public performance concluded, confessing it was she who spoke those harsh words and performed a segment on stage.

In a sea of boos, Xiaomeng mustered courage and didn't leave under the staff's escort but instead slipped out from under their elbows, her shouts echoing across the vast stage.

"I don't know what the person who clipped that video and posted it online intended, but these things have nothing to do with Xin!"

"She's a really great person, so kind it makes people want to bully her; she's maintained her purity all along and never said those things in the band, nor did she really hit me, let alone things claimed online about touching others!"

After shouting, Xiaomeng jumped up as if venting long-held rage, clasping her hands together to smash the guitar onstage fiercely, strings snapping and splintering, the guitar shattering into countless wood chips flying into the audience, drawing a gasp from crowd, immediately quieting what was initially a noisy scene.

"Old fans familiar with our Melancholy Girl Band know, Xin was a little invisible on stage, nobody paid attention, and after every concert, she'd disappear, unnoticed, let alone making contact with any fans."

After venting, Xiaomeng's entire shoulders trembled uncontrollably, the light pink hair fell, covering her face, her expression unclear.

She knew, of course, what saying those words publicly would mean, likely making this her last concert ever, bidding farewell to the stage forever, possibly even owing a substantial breach of contract payment to Chenguang Media.

But she couldn't remain silent, couldn't bear to watch that girl, who held her hand during a fever, whispering her hope that Xiaomeng would shine, be buried.

Why is she so hopelessly like this?

"I'm sorry, Xin, I dragged you into this. Since that day, I've been reflecting, and I'm grateful you didn't really make me face the stage with a swollen face for everyone to mock." Xiaomeng murmured.

"You gave me a chance to be reborn."

Xiaomeng lifted her head, eyes red, shouting with all her might:

"Previously, the only girl in Melancholy Girl Band to be noticed was me, only the guys liked the vibrant me; if it's filthy, how could it be her turn."

"I let you down, I let the whole band down!"

"If there's blame to be had, direct it all at me!"

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