Chapter 12 Waking Up in the Middle of the Night (Bonus Chapter)

However, almost the next second, the conversation status changed to "The other party is typing..." and remained so for a long time, as if the other person was excitedly typing and deleting a lot of words.

Immediately afterwards, a long reply came in:

"!!!!!!!!! Vivi?! Is it really you?! Am I dreaming?! [Crying emoji]"

"You don't need to say thank you! I'm the one who should thank you! Thank you for not giving up on the stage! Thank you for coming back!"

"I know this alternate account is yours! (I'm sorry I seem to be paying too much attention to you, but I swear I just miss you so much and I'm afraid of bothering you!) The photos of the sky and roadside flowers you shared before are exactly the same as the ones you posted on the abandoned fan club account! I knew it was you!"

"Weiwei, fly with confidence! Although there aren't many of us in 'Weifeng' and we're scattered all over the place, everyone remembers you! We will reunite! This time, we will definitely be with you until the very end!!"

"Focus on your game, take care of yourself, don't overexert yourself! We're all waiting to see you shine brightly!!!"

Looking at the heartfelt words on the screen, a mixture of excitement, sobs, and support, Ling Wei held her phone, her eyes welling up with tears in the wind, and smiled genuinely.

She had also seriously planned the trajectory of a normal person: after the contract ended and she received her university degree, she would find a job related to her major, work nine to five, receive a monthly salary, save money little by little, and live a stable but predictable life like countless others.

But no, that won't work.

When the night is still and the weariness of the day settles down, another, deeper longing will sprout from the bottom of her heart and burn through her body.

She closed her eyes, and it was as if she could hear the deafening roar of the sound system and feel the subtle vibrations from the wooden stage beneath her feet.

The intense heat of the spotlight on my body, the blinding light in front of me, and the sea of ​​stars formed by countless glow sticks below the stage.

She could always find her own little corner at a glance, where the light signs bearing her name stubbornly shone in the darkness, like a guide or a vow.

A deafening roar surged forth, repeatedly washing over and amplifying her name, ultimately resonating with her own heartbeat.

On the final night of their group's formation, Zhao Xiaohe and the others were so nervous backstage that their palms were sweating and their lips were pale.

But when she stepped onto the elevator platform and felt it slowly lift her up, exposing her to the gaze of everyone, what surged in her chest was an almost trembling, boundless joy.

The more people there are, the brighter the light, and the louder the voices, the more uplifted her soul becomes.

She was like a fish finally released back into the sea, every cell of her body screaming for belonging.

She was born to be there, to be on the stage.

She was absolutely certain of this.

So, back in that room, the words that came out to Qu Mingyuan were, "If I can't stand on the stage, I'd rather die."

This was not a rash statement made on impulse, but her most honest account of the meaning of her life.

How fortunate she is that she is not alone on this arduous journey of restarting her life.

That once faint "gentle breeze" is gathering again, ready to howl for her once more.

=========

Meanwhile, in a quiet detached house on the outskirts of the city.

The leftmost room on the second floor was almost entirely occupied by various electronic devices. Qu Chen was slumped in an expensive ergonomic chair, the light from the screen flickering on his expressionless face.

The main screen in front of him wasn't filled with complex code or hidden corners of the deep web, but rather a projected image of his phone's interface.

He looked at the passionate words on the screen: "We've been waiting for you so long," "We'll be with you until the very end," "The moment you shine brightly"...

The boy's sharp lips curled into a habitual smirk, and a disdainful sneer escaped from his throat.

“Is it really necessary…” he muttered to himself, his voice unusually clear in the quiet room, “like a madman.”

Just then, there were a few restrained knocks on the door, followed by the butler's respectful reminder: "Young Master, Mr. Qu has returned today and is waiting for you downstairs."

"Understood," he replied, his voice not loud, but loud enough for the person outside the door to hear clearly. "Right away."

As if even glancing at it would be a waste of his time, he deftly closed the monitoring window and casually grabbed the phone.

With practiced ease, he opened Bai Wanqing's Weibo homepage, forwarded a recent promotional post, and quickly typed out a line of support and anticipation.

After doing all this, he casually tossed his phone onto the table, leaned back in his chair, and unconsciously tapped the surface with his fingertips.

Only the faint hum of the server running remained in the room.

After a few minutes, he seemed to get a little bored, or perhaps driven by some kind of curiosity, and picked up his phone again.

Unlock and open the search box.

His fingers paused for a moment, then slowly, letter by letter, typed the ID he had just seen on the computer—"Liangshan old five".

After completing this action, as if trying to convince himself, he spoke in a stiff tone:

"Tch, I just want to see where she's really bragging about being 'better than Sister Wanqing,' so I can gather some material and slap her in the face later."

......

All the pre-match procedures had been completed. On an ordinary Wednesday morning, when most people were busy at work, the official account of Qinghe Culture and Tourism suddenly updated a video.

Unlike previous posts accompanied by poetic captions like "Green mountains after the rain, the verdant air dampens one's clothes," this post features simple and direct text:

The Birth of a New Star in Qinghe! National Producers, Take Your Positions!

The sudden change in the style of the push notification caught netizens off guard, with some muttering, "Did the official account switch to a Gen Z account?"

With a bit of curiosity, they casually clicked on the video.

Upbeat electronic music begins, and the scene quickly switches from an aerial shot of green mountains and clear waters to a dazzling stage effect.

What's even more surprising is that Jiang Yue, the dignified and composed chief anchor of "Qinghe News" every night, is now wearing an oversized light purple sweatshirt with the cute words "Dream of Qinghe" printed on it, paired with a simple white skirt, exuding youthful vitality.

She tied her long hair into a neat high ponytail, her makeup was fresh and natural, and she gave the camera a friendly yet slightly playful smile.

"Hello everyone! I'm your old friend Jiang Yue~"

"Today, we won't talk about mountains and rivers, or discuss local customs; we'll simply break down boundaries and personally ignite the starlight that belongs to Qinghe!"

Before she finished speaking, she raised her hand and stretched it into the air. 3D light effects burst forth from her palm, constructing a virtual model of the Qinghe Grand Theater and the modern stadium. The blazing stage beams pierced through it, creating a dreamlike scene that collided with the city landmarks.

"Without further ado, I will now officially announce the first round of the Dream-Making Rules for the 'Dream of Qinghe Idol Open Competition'!"