Chapter 12: To Those Who Love Me, Thank You

“Miss Jiang!”

“Miss Jiang!!”

……

Suddenly, the entire bar began to call out for Miss Jiang.

Jiang Qin blinked, her pale little face wearing a soft smile as the breeze stirred the strands of hair across her forehead.

It felt as if she had returned to the stage of her first life.

Although much of what she did back then was arranged by her agency or the event organizers, and most of it was scripted, the fans in the audience had truly loved her.

Back then, she had thought to herself: if only there were a day when she could stand on stage, no longer having to listen to anyone’s arrangements, and just be herself.

Now, the people in the audience had changed, and she, on stage, could finally be herself.

After a moment’s thought, Jiang Qin leaned toward the microphone and exhaled softly. “Thank you all for your support of me and of Moonlight Bar.

I feel like my state is pretty good today, so let’s have another song. This song is called ‘Thank You to Those Who Love Me.’”

“Our distance, sometimes near, sometimes far,

Sometimes as close as glue and lacquer,

Sometimes as far apart as heaven and earth.

It’s hard to explain our relationship,

I am your star, and you are my confidant…”

In the dim light, everyone listened in silence.

The person who had been shouting earlier was now even more agitated; if his friends hadn't been holding him down, he probably would have started yelling again.

In a booth in the corner, a man with dazzling red hair tilted his head back and downed a glass of expensive, blood-red inhibitor.

Sitting beside him were two other men—one with short white hair and the other with long blue hair. All three wore expensive combat suits, looking quite different from the usual mercenary males.

The red-haired male sneered, “This little female is quite interesting. Listen to these lyrics: ‘Thank you to those who love me,’ ‘I am the star, you are the confidant.’

She says it’s a thank you, but in reality, she’s warning that male who was shouting earlier, isn’t she?”

The white-haired male didn’t speak, silently drinking the inhibitor in his hand.

All three of them were S-rank males. They were just passing through on a mission and had stopped at this random bar to buy inhibitors; they didn't care at all for the meager soothing effects a female could provide.

The only highlight of this bar was that the songs sung by the little female on stage were indeed quite pleasant.

Moreover, Bai Mufeng had actually felt his emotions stirred just now, which surprised him.

If he hadn't been pressed for time, he really would have liked to stay here for a few more days.

The blue-haired male beside him said in a gentle voice, “Perhaps you’re overthinking it.”

“Heh…” Gu Tianyou rolled his eyes ungracefully. “Come on, it’s not like you don’t know how much these females despise low-level males.

She probably just wanted to put on a show of kindness in front of everyone, so she let that male off the hook magnanimously, but she was afraid he’d get delusional, so she sang a song to remind him of the distance between them.

A star and a fan—isn’t that just the relationship between the one being looked up to and the one looking up?

These females all love to put on an act, just like Bai Sisi—pretentious to the core.”

The more he spoke, the more Gu Tianyou felt this was the truth.

Even though she was only a C-rank female, that didn't stop her from being high and mighty, thinking that no male in the world was good enough for her.

After all, she sang so well.

Jiang Qin didn't know that someone in the audience was maliciously speculating about her. The reason she sang this song was simply a sudden burst of inspiration.

It wasn't one of the songs she had pre-recorded; she just felt the atmosphere was right.

She had once been one of the listeners of her own idol. Now, she was borrowing this song to thank her own audience.

“Sing a song of love,

Let me use my sincerity to show my gratitude to you.

To those who love me, I truly thank you,

How I cherish our unspoken understanding…”

She wasn't sure if the bar guests would become her die-hard fans, but at this moment, they were her loyal listeners.

***

After Jiang Qin returned to the backstage to replenish her mental energy, An Zeyu immediately checked his purification value with anticipation.

Two songs, and it had only dropped by 1%.

He had been mentally prepared for this. There were too many people in the bar today, and since Jiang Qin’s mental energy was limited, the soothing effect would inevitably be diluted.

To still have a 1% drop was already a pleasant surprise.

His heart was in turmoil. He wanted more people to know about Jiang Qin so she could boost her performance stats, but he was also afraid that if more people came, the soothing effect would be even worse.

In the end, reason triumphed over conscience, though he took all the earnings from the past two days of live streaming and bought inhibitors to stock in the bar.

This could be considered his way of supporting Jiang Qin.

Many people had the same idea, and in a short time, the bar’s inventory was almost sold out.

You Wei’s eyes crinkled into slits as he grinned, his white teeth showing. “Haha, we’ll have to restock tomorrow! Let’s see who dares to say our Moonlight is going out of business!”

When the bar was struggling before, the inhibitor companies had demanded cash on delivery, terrified he wouldn't be able to pay. He had endured so much mockery and sarcasm.

Thinking of this, You Wei straightened his back. Hmph, tomorrow he would make those snobs look at him with new eyes!

“You have to admit, this little female sings really well.”

The blue-haired male reminded him with a smile, “Didn’t she just say she doesn’t like being called a ‘little female’?”

Gu Tianyou didn't care. “So what? I’m not pursuing her; why should I care what she likes or dislikes?”

“Are you finished drinking?”

Bai Mufeng, who had been silent until now, asked.

“Wait a bit longer. I didn’t expect that even though this bar is a bit run-down, the inhibitors they sell are actually quite effective. They seem better than the ones on the market.

I wonder if they have some connection to the Origin Company and got their hands on an improved batch.”

Bai Mufeng looked at Gu Tianyou speechlessly.

“Did it never occur to you that the effect has nothing to do with the inhibitor?”

Gu Tianyou replied without hesitation, “If it’s not the inhibitor, what else could it be? It couldn't possibly be because of the little female’s soothing, could it?”

What a joke. If a C-rank female could stir the mental energy of an S-rank male, the old fogies at the Research Institute would probably come out to debunk it if word got out.

It was impossible.

Bai Mufeng didn't say anything more, simply closing his eyes to rest against the sofa.

The blue-haired male, however, looked thoughtful.

A moment later, he took out his light-brain to check his riot value.

Only the combination of an inhibitor and soothing power could lower the riot value, but they hadn't been soothed, so even if they drank the highest-grade inhibitor, it would only maintain their current riot value and prevent it from rising.

So, when he saw that his riot value hadn't changed at all, he wasn't surprised.

Lan Shaoyu also felt he might be crazy for even having such a suspicion.

He smiled to himself and closed his light-brain.

***

Jiang Qin felt that her state today was much better than yesterday.

Yesterday, after two songs, she had been completely drained, but today, even after two songs, she felt she still had the energy for one more.

However, the contract she signed was for two sets a day.

After all, she was on a base salary; volunteering for overtime was out of the question.

So, her work for today was finished.

Note: "Thank You to Those Who Love Me" by Joker Xue.

(End of chapter)