Chapter 9: A Moment of Connection

In the end, she found a set of robes on Qin Yu’s bed and huffily handed them to her, who was still in the bathroom.

When Qin Yu emerged from the bathroom, Lin Ziyao held out a mop to her: “Go clean the floor yourself!”

Seeing Lin Ziyao’s cheeks puffed up, Qin Yu readily accepted the task, for she did have a part in soaking the floor.

As Qin Yu cleaned the floor she had wet, Lin Ziyao began to settle the score: “You told me to get clothes. You could have just shouted from the bathroom.”

“If I spoke too loudly, the cameras would pick it up. It wouldn’t be good for the audience to know about that,” Qin Yu said, blinking her big, innocent eyes.

But Lin Ziyao, having been tricked before, wouldn’t fall for it again. She turned her head away and huffed.

Finally, unable to bear Qin Yu’s gaze, Lin Ziyao took out her change of clothes and prepared to go into the bathroom to shower.

Turning on the shower, steam billowed out, and the comforting water temperature soothed Lin Ziyao’s skin, providing her with a sense of relaxation. It allowed her to unwind after a day of tension.

Now that she finally had some free time, she could carefully examine the system. Previously, she had only been focused on completing tasks and redeeming rewards, leaving her no time to carefully study the system.

Currently, the system only displayed the task system and optional rewards. The rest remained locked, with a message indicating that it would unlock once a certain number of fans was reached.

It seemed that fans would only increase once the show aired.

By the time Lin Ziyao wrapped her damp hair in a clean towel and exited the bathroom, Qin Yu had already finished cleaning the floor. She sat on the bed, flipping through her sheet music.

Since the production team had confiscated their phones, the guests usually brought books or scripts to pass the time.

Seeing Lin Ziyao, Qin Yu glanced at her: “You were quick.”

Lin Ziyao ignored her, giving Qin Yu a disdainful look before sitting on the bed and drying her hair with a soft towel.

Qin Yu found Lin Ziyao’s actions reminiscent of a child. She couldn’t help but tease her, imagining Lin Ziyao’s pouty face, followed by offering her a piece of candy.

Qin Yu stood up from the bed, her movement catching Lin Ziyao’s attention. Lin Ziyao paused her actions and asked cautiously: “What are you doing?”

Qin Yu took the towel from her hands and used one hand to gently press down on Lin Ziyao’s squirming body, carefully drying her damp hair: “Drying your hair this way can damage your hair quality.”

“Is… is that so?” Qin Yu’s change in behavior was unexpected, but the pleasant sensation from her scalp couldn’t be denied. Qin Yu took a strand of hair and gently dried it from the roots to the tips, much more effectively than Lin Ziyao’s previous rough drying.

Gradually, under Qin Yu’s gentle touch, Lin Ziyao’s resistance softened.

It seemed Qin Yu truly saw Lin Ziyao as a cat, and by soothing her fur, the cat wouldn’t stay angry.

“Hey!” Lin Ziyao called out softly.

“Hmm?” Qin Yu responded curiously.

“Director Chen wants to make an MV for my song.” Lin Ziyao mentioned Director Chen’s idea.

“So, you want to ask for my opinion?” Qin Yu continued drying her hair without pausing, as Lin Ziyao’s thick hair required careful attention.

“Aren’t we supposed to record the song in your studio?” Lin Ziyao tried to turn her head to face Qin Yu.

“Don’t move!” Qin Yu pressed down on Lin Ziyao’s shoulders: “Actually, you don’t need to tell me. Recording the song and filming the MV don’t conflict.”

Qin Yu’s actions were gentle, like handling precious silk, making Lin Ziyao yawn with comfort: “It’s still a good idea to let you know about this.”

“Even without Director Chen’s invitation, I was planning to make an MV for this song.” Qin Yu’s hands trembled slightly upon hearing this.

Director Chen’s invitation had caught Qin Yu off guard. After a moment of thought, she understood his intentions. Given Lin Ziyao’s performance, it was almost certain she would gain popularity through the show. Thus, making an MV was more of a token of goodwill.

“Giving a helping hand when someone needs it is more meaningful than adding to someone’s already full bowl.”

“You already had plans? Then I’ll have Director Chen contact you!” As a future partner, Lin Ziyao trusted her arrangements.

After Qin Yu put down the towel, Lin Ziyao finally regained her freedom. She picked up the guitar Qin Yu had brought back and gently strummed the strings.

“Want to hear it? The song for you?” She hugged the guitar, looking up at the night sky from the balcony and inviting Qin Yu with sincerity.

Earlier, in the bathroom, she had already selected the song for Qin Yu and was now ready to fulfill her promise.

“Wait a moment!”

Hearing Qin Yu’s voice, Lin Ziyao watched as she rummaged through the room, finding the hidden camera set up by the production team.

“Hey! What are you doing! That’s the production team’s camera!”

Seeing Qin Yu’s actions, Lin Ziyao quickly tried to stop her, but it was too late. Qin Yu had already unplugged the camera’s data cable and, after confirming the camera was turned off, placed it back down.

“This is just to be safe. It’s a new song, after all!” She waved the data cable at Lin Ziyao, seeming to notice Lin Ziyao’s worry, and whispered: “The production team must know that guests have things they don’t want to be recorded, so this is a mutual understanding.”

“You could have done that earlier, before I came back!” Lin Ziyao hugged the guitar and glared at her.

“I don’t have any particular habits,” she pretended not to see Lin Ziyao’s expression.

There was no use in dwelling on what had already happened, so Lin Ziyao sighed resignedly and began to perform.

Unlike the previous performance in the room, she played the entire song from start to finish for Qin Yu.

After finishing, she glanced at Qin Yu’s expression and cautiously asked: “How was it?”

Only after Lin Ziyao’s persistent gaze made her scalp tingle did Qin Yu exhale deeply, looking complex: “I really want to see what’s in your head.”

“Both songs are inspirational, but ‘Invisible Wings’ is more subtle. The song you gave me sings it out loud and clear.” Qin Yu was still lost in the lyrics.

“And if we talk about conviction, it really fits. Plus, you hid an Easter egg in the lyrics.”

Lin Ziyao blushed at the praise, feeling she was merely standing on the shoulders of giants.