Xu Yi stood at the door and weighed the jade in her hand. It contained very little spiritual energy, but it was still better than a stone.
She plans to try again tomorrow at noon. The previous two times she used the essence of moonlight, and tomorrow at noon she will try using yang energy. If it still doesn't work... then she will have no choice but to return to Cangshan and borrow the power of the Cangshan Mountain God to set up the formation.
The phone rang suddenly. Xu Yi was still not used to the presence of the phone, especially when there was no spiritual energy fluctuation. A voice ringing close to her could really startle her.
The caller ID shows Zhang Ya as the caller.
After Xu Yi answered the phone, she heard a familiar voice on the other end and then remembered who Zhang Ya was.
The girl she met when she came down from Cangshan Mountain, who went up to the club.
Zhang Ya: "Xu Yi? Are you at the beach?"
"Um."
"Do you have a place to stay?" Zhang Ya asked her tentatively. If Xu Yi had found a fiancée, he might be living with her now.
"have."
Zhang Ya had prepared a lot to say, but she was choked up by the woman's concise and economical speech.
Do you live alone?
"no."
Just as Zhang Ya was about to ask more questions, Xu Yi surprisingly offered a supplementary explanation.
Xu Yi: "With my roommate."
"Roommate? Do you share a house with someone else? You haven't found your... your fiancée?" Zhang Ya pressed her hand against her wildly beating heart, hoping it would beat a little more normally, and tried her best to remain calm and composed so as not to startle Xu Yi with a sudden change in emotion.
When this was mentioned, Xu Yi became genuinely saddened.
In just 20,000 years, her magic has regressed to the point where she can't even set up a soul-searching array. At this rate, who knows when she'll be able to find her Miss Gu.
"No, I can't find her." His tone was filled with profound disappointment.
Zhang Ya: "Perhaps I can help you? Do you have any clues?"
"It's no use, no one can help me." Xu Yi looked at the jade in her hand. She couldn't find Miss Gu, so what could anyone else do?
Zhang Ya sighed, but quickly cheered up again.
"I'm at the beach right now, do you want to meet up?" Zhang Ya suggested meeting up. Xu Yi glanced at the sky and, seeing that it was still early, agreed to meet.
Xu Yi had arranged to meet Zhang Ya at a nearby coffee shop. When she arrived, Zhang Ya had already been waiting for her there for quite some time.
"Xu Yi, over here..." Zhang Ya's nervousness immediately increased when she saw her. Xu Yi's aura had become stronger in the few days since she last saw her.
After Xu Yi sat down, Zhang Ya realized that although Xu Yi used to have little expression, she would at least smile slightly when she saw people, but now even that little bit of smile was gone.
Xu Yi was not talkative and didn't know what to say. Zhang Ya had a thousand words she wanted to say to her, but she couldn't bring herself to speak.
In the end, the two drank their coffee in silence.
Xu Yi took a sip and frowned. This stuff was even more bitter than ordinary tea without any spiritual energy.
"Don't you like it? I'll add some milk for you." Zhang Ya noticed the change in her expression. She remembered that Xu Yi used to really like this coffee.
Zhang Ya reached out to add more milk, but Xu Yi stopped her, saying, "No need. It's fine as it is."
After Xu Yi tasted it, memories of this coffee surfaced in her mind, and she naturally remembered the mellow and fragrant taste of savoring it slowly.
"Did you call me over? Is there something you need?"
The coffee was getting cold, and since Zhang Ya still hadn't said anything, Xu asked her directly.
Caught off guard by her question, Zhang Ya choked for a moment, coughing for a while before stammering, "No, I just happened to be here and thought I'd see you."
“You…” Xu Yi struggled to search her mind for the original owner’s memories. Her deep thinking made Zhang Ya extremely nervous.
Zhang Ya was afraid that Xu Yi would reject her feelings. Although she hadn't confessed her feelings yet, if Xu Yi found out, he might not give her any chance at all, and they might not even be able to be friends anymore.
Sweat beaded on Zhang Ya's clenched fist until Xu Yi asked her, "Do I... owe you money?"
"?"
Xu Yi: "Every time you see me, you always seem to have something left unsaid, as if you want to say it but it's not convenient to say it. If I owe you money, you can tell me. I was startled by the thunder that resounded over Cangshan Mountain, and many things are a bit blurry in my memory. If I owe you money, you can tell me the specific amount, and I will definitely find a way to pay you back as soon as possible."
"..." What kind of nonsense is this?
Zhang Ya was amused and exasperated by her serious expression. "No, you don't owe me any money."
"Then why do you always act so...strangely whenever you see me?"
“That’s because of me, of course,” Zhang Ya said, but then swallowed her words back. “Oh, it’s nothing. I just wanted to ask you how your tuition preparations are going. I remember you told me the other day that you not only had to find a fiancée, but also earn tuition fees, and that you’d be very busy.”
"Indeed. I couldn't find Miss Gu, but fortunately, a kind person helped me, and I earned a fee for my film today."
"Payment? You didn't end up working as an extra at the Seaside Film Studio, did you?" Zhang Ya's voice suddenly rose, attracting the attention of everyone else in the store. Realizing her lapse in composure, she looked around and smiled, then quietly asked Xu Yi, "Is the tuition covered?"
"not enough."
"How much do you still need? I can lend it to you." Zhang Ya comes from a well-off family and is considered a wealthy second-generation heiress. In addition to what her family gives her, she also invests in a company owned by a friend, which brings in a large sum of money every year. Not to mention lending Xu Yi tuition fees, it wouldn't be a problem for her to directly support Xu Yi.
Xu Yi declined her kindness and explained why, "I don't want to owe anyone anything. Today, a kind director gave me some advice and told me to keep an eye out for a variety show in the next two days. If I can get selected, I might be able to earn enough for my tuition."
Zhang Ya is a rather enthusiastic fan of celebrities, and the main reason she came to the seaside was to see her idol.
"What variety show? I know that one that's super popular lately, Star Idol. You're not going to participate in that, are you?" Zhang Ya asked, her eyes fixed on Xu Yi's answer. When Xu Yi nodded, she became even more excited. "Ahhh, it really is that one! You're going to debut as a big star!"
Upon hearing her words, Xu Yi's delicate brows furrowed slightly again. "What is debuting?" She understood cultivation and enlightenment, so what was debuting?
"You didn't even know she debuted?" Zhang Ya expressed surprise, but she could understand it. When she met Xu Yi two years ago, Xu Yi didn't even have a smartphone, so it was normal that she didn't pay attention to these things.
Zhang Ya briefly explained to her what debuting in this kind of talent show meant, and then gave her some examples of several famous girl groups in China. Finally, she focused on her idol.
"Gu Yueyue! Do you know her? Ahhh, she's my favorite. Let me tell you, ten years ago, the entertainment industry was full of beauties. Back then, several major companies collaborated on a star-making project, with over 40,000 people from China, Japan, and South Korea participating. In the end, seven people were selected in the finals. Our Yueyue was one of them!"
"She shares the same surname as Miss Gu," Xu Yi listened intently.
Zhang Ya was so excited that she couldn't express herself, and it was difficult to force Xu Yi to recommend her idol.
"Yueyue was only sixteen years old at the time! Do you know how amazing she was? If she hadn't been too young and hadn't signed with a good agency, she would have been the undisputed center!"
"Very impressive." Xu Yi praised sincerely. Miss Gu was also very impressive back then. During the Seventh Immortal-Demon War, Miss Gu, who was only two thousand years old, led eighty thousand spiritual cultivators to annihilate more than seventy-four thousand demon soldiers. She even severely injured the Demon Lord's envoy, who was a whole realm higher than her at the time. As a result, the birth of the Demon Lord was delayed by a full ten thousand years.
That was Miss Gu's era.
"Xu Yi, you agreed?" Zhang Ya suddenly asked excitedly, pulling herself out of her memories.
Xu Yi was stunned: "Agree to what?"
"Come with me when you go to the audition!" Zhang Ya originally just wanted to support her idol's work, buy a ticket to be an audience member at the audition, and maybe if she was lucky, she could meet Gu Yueyue in person and get an autograph and a photo.
But now she's changed her mind. Since Xu Yi can participate in the audition to earn tuition fees, why can't she participate to see her idol? Maybe she can even be selected together with Xu Yi, and then they'll be spending every day together... Won't their feelings for each other grow up quickly?
"Are you going too?" Xu Yi asked her curiously.
"Yes, Yueyue is our mentor. Although she later left the girl group to go solo, I've always loved watching her shine on stage. If I could stand on that stage and receive her feedback, I'd be laughing in my sleep!"
Zhang Ya's expressions and gestures, revealing her passion, longing, and aspirations, reminded Xu Yi of herself back then.
Every thousand years, the cultivation world holds a grand competition of ten thousand sects. The newly crowned champion can receive a congratulatory gift from the previous champion.
She fought desperately, all for the chance to be the first to meet Miss Gu. When she won, Miss Gu's congratulatory gift was a sword tassel. The tassel was a superior-grade Heavenly Rank magic weapon, crimson red, personally woven by Miss Gu, perfectly matching her natal sword!
Just thinking about it, the natal sword hidden in Xu Yi's consciousness emitted bursts of sword sounds, in sync with Xu Yi showing off the beautiful sword tassel that no one else could see.
Xu Yi was in a good mood and accepted Zhang Ya's invitation to travel with her.
Ms. Gu is currently cooperating with the company to shoot promotional posters.
It's safe to say that no one knows girl groups better than her, but in reality, she's very reluctant to get involved with girl groups again. That experience wasn't pleasant, and some things have even become nightmares that bother her. But now, for the sake of her work, she has no choice but to face it.
After the promotional photos were taken, Ono returned home, feeling extremely angry with her agent, Lao Yao.
In the lounge, Gu Yueyue could finally rest for a while. She held her thermos, poured out a small capful of hot water, and sat on the art chair, sipping it slowly.
The weather was hot, and after working all afternoon, she was covered in sweat even though there was air conditioning.
Ono pushed open the door and came in. There was no one else there but them. Ono looked at Gu Yueyue and her eyes immediately welled up with tears.
"What's wrong?" This was the first time Gu Yueyue had seen Xiao Ye look so wronged, and she was a little flustered. In her memory, Xiao Ye was a lively, cheerful, and temperamental girl.
Gu Yueyue put down the water, pulled Xiao Ye's hand, and made her sit down on the chair. After sitting down, Xiao Ye took deep breaths, and finally couldn't help but hug Gu Yueyue's waist and cry uncontrollably.
"What's wrong? Did Sister Yao bully you? I'm going to confront her!"
Ono hugged her even tighter, her voice trembling with tears, "Sister, don't go."
"No, I can't let you be bullied."
Ono cried even harder, raising her head to wipe her tears and saying, "It's not bullying me, it's bullying you. Sis, they've given up on pairing you and Qiao Yuanbin as a couple."
"That's good news." Gu Yueyue didn't understand why she was crying like this, but considering the company's usual behavior, Gu Yueyue asked, "Does the company have any other plans?"
"Yes. They arranged for Zheng Wan to join Fanxing Idol just so you could create a CP (couple pairing) with her. Mentor and trainee, senior and junior, they've got a very clever plan. Sis, I feel sorry for you."
Gu Yueyue disliked the company's arrangements, but seeing Xiao Ye crying like this, she laughed instead, "Okay, it's nothing serious. Don't be sad. It's nothing to hype up your friendship with Zheng Wan. I've done this before when I was in the girl group."
Moreover, the girl group at that time had a total of nine members, who were of different nationalities, making the hype a complete mess.
Ono hiccuped, her gaze fixed silently on Gu Yueyue's face. She suddenly remembered that her sister Yueyue was a total straight woman, never imagining that two women could create some kind of romantic relationship. But the sisterly bond they had now was completely different from the sisterly bond they had ten years ago.
"Sister, you don't understand! Times have changed!"
A note from the author:
Oh no, it's ruined. I put it in the background, but it didn't update on the hour. This is driving my OCD crazy!
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 19:57:57 on December 7, 2021 and 21:01:26 on December 8, 2021!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: I'll outlive the anonymous one bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter Ten
After returning home, Xu Yi told He Xiaojing about participating in the audition. He Xiaojing seemed even more excited than her. She wasn't particularly stunning or outstanding in appearance; she was more of a pretty girl with a delicate and pleasing appearance. Moreover, her dream was to become an actress, but that didn't stop her from envying those popular celebrities who could become famous overnight just because of their looks.
“With your looks, as long as you don’t make any big mistakes, you’ll definitely be selected. Maybe you’ll even make it into the final group.” He Xiaojing showed Xu Yi the show “Star Idol” and said as they watched, “Look at the last episode, the five who made it into the final group, apart from the leader Tangtang, the others’ skills were only barely passable, but they’re so pretty and have so many fans.”
Xu Yi nodded, watched the show attentively, and then asked, "Will there be a lot of money if we debut as a group?"