- Su Ruiyi's Recollection -
Fortunately, Su Ruiyi found her吉祥 (Ji Xiang) in the back alley of Athena.
But as she held Ji Xiang, she began to worry about the man in the dark corner,
Would he die?
Why was he covered in blood?
Who was he?
After a few steps, Su Ruiyi hesitated and returned to Athena.
Sister Hong: "Xiao Yi? What's wrong? Did you forget something?"
Su Ruiyi: "I..."
Su Ruiyi had only one memory of the injured man...
The pendant necklace he wore, emitting a faint glow in the darkness, caught her eye. If she met him again, she would definitely ask for his name and his story.
Su Ruiyi: "There's an injured man in the back alley."
Sister Hong was dismissive; the homeless people in the back alley were always covered in dirt.
Sister Hong: "Why did you go to the back alley? It's not safe there."
Su Ruiyi: "It was my cat. It ran away when I got out of the car. I just found it in the back alley."
Sister Hong: "It's nothing, probably just some homeless person. They often rummage through trash and pick up discarded drinks there."
Su Ruiyi: "A homeless person? But he seemed very seriously injured, covered in blood. Look, my cat got blood on it when it was lying on him."
Sister Hong smiled; she really didn't want to bother with useless people.
Su Ruiyi: "Auntie Hong, can you save him?"
Sister Hong: "Those people aren't worth saving. Go home."
Su Ruiyi: "But..."
If they're not worth saving, then they don't need to be bothered with, is this the adult world view?
Is it the same way her parents thought, that if someone isn't worth loving, then they shouldn't be together?
Is that why her father had to be with another woman on her coming-of-age day?
So Su Ruiyi was also a child who didn't deserve her parents' care, which was why they always kept their distance and sent her far, far away...
Su Ruiyi left Athena with heavy steps. She still couldn't forget the necklace; it seemed to flash back and forth in her mind. When she unconsciously touched Ji Xiang's collar...
Su Ruiyi returned to Athena. She shouted at Sister Hong, "That person isn't a homeless person! He was wearing a necklace! Someone must care about him!"
Sister Hong stared at the agitated Su Ruiyi, dumbfounded. What was wrong with this little girl? Why was she so concerned about the man in the back alley?
Su Ruiyi: "Please, save him!"
Sister Hong finally nodded. She called a server to accompany her to the back alley.
- End of Su Ruiyi's Recollection -
***
Ou Yunchen raised his hand and reached forward. The rain seemed to have stopped.
Auntie: "The rainy season is like this. The rain comes and goes quickly. See, the sky always clears up."
Su Ruiyi and Ou Yunchen unconsciously met each other's gaze. Their eyes seemed to reflect each other's thoughts.
Ou Yunchen: "Where to now?"
The aunt took a perfectly bloomed red rose from a bucket of flowers and handed it to Su Ruiyi.
Su Ruiyi bit the stem of the rose and pulled Ou Yunchen's hand back. When they returned to the square, Su Ruiyi curtsied to Ou Yunchen, lifting her skirt.
Ou Yunchen: "Madwoman..."
Su Ruiyi took Ou Yunchen's right hand and spun in a circle. Her skirt billowed like opening petals.
The humid mist in the air was dispersed by the air currents stirred by her skirt. At this moment, she looked like she was wearing a fairy's dress. Su Ruiyi's playfulness made her look like a runaway princess.
Their hands held tightly together, Su Ruiyi spun rapidly around Ou Yunchen. She was as happy as a child.
When excited, she would let go of one hand, take the rose from her mouth, and raise it high to the sky, shouting, "Ou Yunchen, I like you!"
Su Ruiyi wanted to engrave Ou Yunchen's appearance in her memory. She imagined that it would be even better if her escort at the upcoming socialite ball looked like Ou Yunchen!
Ou Yunchen: "Madwoman!"
Even though Ou Yunchen scolded her with his mouth and felt disdain in his heart, he couldn't help but smile. He simply couldn't resist Su Ruiyi's vitality, nor could he ignore her presence.
Whenever she was in front of him, everything around him seemed to come alive. Those vibrant red roses, like the color of blood, bloomed in his imagination.
Now, Su Ruiyi was back in Ou Yunchen's arms.
She was tired and had played enough. She pressed her back tightly against Ou Yunchen's chest. When she looked up, Ou Yunchen was also looking down at her.
Ou Yunchen's heart beat a little faster. Who wouldn't be moved by such a beautiful princess?
Su Ruiyi's plump lips still held the rose. The vibrant rose gave the man a stir of desire to kiss this girl.
He was also slowly raising his hand, taking the rose from Su Ruiyi's mouth.
As Su Ruiyi gazed at him affectionately, Ou Yunchen finally couldn't resist leaning towards her cheek.
The gentle touch seemed insufficient to satisfy both their desires. They both yearned to share more of each other's feelings.
After the kiss, Su Ruiyi embraced Ou Yunchen happily. But suddenly, someone from a distance shouted her name.
Stylist: "Miss Su! There you are!"
Ou Yunchen quickly pulled away from Su Ruiyi. He instantly sobered up.
The stylist walked over and sighed, "My goodness, how did the dress get like this? Look, you've gotten it dirty here!"
Su Ruiyi: "Sorry."
Stylist: "You wore the dress out without permission, and now it's stained. You'll have to pay for it!"
But Su Ruiyi seemed not to have heard. She was still savoring the kiss.
Stylist: "Do you intend to wear this dirty dress to the socialite ball?"
Su Ruiyi was pulled away by the stylist. As she walked, she kept looking back, but no matter how hard she searched, she couldn't see Ou Yunchen anywhere.
***
A few days later, wave after wave of trending searches on the internet were dominated by a girl group named "theblackpussycat."
This was Liu Jinhua's newly revamped girl group. The debut press conference invited over a hundred senior media personnel and was conducted solemnly without the cheers of fans.
The members displayed their best condition, awaiting immediate global reviews.
But the goddess of fortune ultimately stood by TBP. Right from their debut, they received unprecedented positive reviews. Their explosive momentum even propelled a hit song from their album to become a major hit single!
Judging by the momentum, their single was poised to reach the top of the popular singles chart. Liu Jinhua's confidence further convinced the members that they would eventually become divine beings!
Seeing the invitations from various radio stations and programs, Liu Jinhua exclaimed with excitement in her office!
She imagined if her former employer would be so jealous they'd turn green and congratulate her upon seeing TBP's success?
Or would those capitalists who refused to believe in her come with money, begging her for another chance?
Liu Jinhua meticulously planned for TBP. This was her lifeline, her bargaining chip to return to being a top agent. She wanted to make those who doubted her abilities regret it!
Just as Liu Jinhua was basking in the continuous praise, her secretary suddenly burst into the office!
Secretary: "Jinhua, something's wrong!"
Liu Jinhua: "Bah, bah, bah! Don't say such things! TBP is on a roll! What could possibly be wrong!"
Secretary: "Someone has leaked that TBP is the girl group you brought. A large number of netizens online are scolding TBP for debuting through improper relationships!!!"