Chapter 97: Breaking Dawn and a Day Out

That evening.

Qin Xuzhi had been taken away, so the finals became Chu Yuyao’s solo.

The stage lights dimmed, and a single spotlight hit the center.

Chu Yuyao sat on a high stool with a guitar in her arms.

This time, she sang a brand new original song.

It was a melody born in her mind on the rain-soaked cross-river bridge, when that tiny figure had done everything possible to pull her back from the brink of death.

The song was called “Breaking Dawn.”

“When the night tries to hide the tracks of the stars…”

“When malice turns into blades piercing my wings…”

“I once thought the abyss was the end…”

“Until you, with light, burst into my world…”

In a private room on the second floor.

“Not bad, I guess.” Hua Mu’ai’s purple eyes held a smile.

This girl had grown up. She wouldn’t let herself be bullied anymore.

The song on stage ended.

Chu Yuyao put down her guitar and bowed deeply to the audience.

After a moment of silence came thunderous applause and cheers.

“Chu Yuyao! Champion!”

“Yueyao, fly bravely! We’ll always be with you!”

…

Hearing the crowd, Chu Yuyao’s gaze crossed the sea of people to the second-floor room.

Though she couldn’t see the person inside clearly, she knew her light was there.

Thank you, Lady Tian Lanxing.

No, thank you, Mu’ai.

That night, Chu Yuyao won the championship with the soul-shaking “Breaking Dawn.”

The girl’s darkness had finally ended. Everything had ushered in the best dawn.

The semifinal storm came fast and went fast.

On the night of the semifinals, Starflare Entertainment had thoroughly exposed “Old Ghost Music” and the other malicious companies. Transfer records, chat screenshots, and forged contracts all hit the trending searches.

The contract for hired trolls was sent straight to the police.

Then the police came knocking. Qin Xuzhi was charged with defamation, extortion, copyright infringement, intentional injury, and other crimes. She was sent straight to detention.

That wasn’t the end. Qin Xuzhi’s family business also faced a devastating blow. The netizens’ unvented anger flooded the family company’s official accounts. The comment section was overrun. The company received tens of thousands of complaint letters every day.

Within just three days, the company’s stock hit the daily limit. Major partners, seeing the situation worsening, terminated contracts and kept their distance. The once-large family business was essentially just a matter of time before being liquidated and bankrupt.

At that moment, on a commercial street.

The afternoon sun was pleasant. A gentle breeze carried a bit of coolness. It was a perfect day for a walk.

Chu Yuyao wore a hat and a black mask, wrapping herself up tightly.

No wonder. She was a mega-celebrity trending online. Her two original songs dominated all major music platforms. If she walked around casually, she’d be recognized by fervent fans in minutes, and then she wouldn’t be able to leave.

In contrast, Hua Mu’ai walking beside her was completely relaxed. That was the benefit of her earlier disguise.

Hua Mu’ai stared at her phone, her shoulders shaking. She had clearly seen something funny.

A video was playing on the screen. Qin Xuzhi, wearing detention clothes, tearfully read an apology letter to the camera. Her crying face looked completely different from her arrogant demeanor earlier.

“Hahaha!” Hua Mu’ai laughed loudly and tugged at Chu Yuyao’s sleeve. “Look, look! Qin Xuzhi posted an apology video. Look how pitifully she cries. The snot’s almost dripping into her mouth.”

Chu Yuyao tilted her head. Though her mask covered the lower half of her face, her eyes curved into pretty crescents.

“I saw it when I woke up this morning.” Chu Yuyao smoothed her pink hair, ruffled by the wind. “Good and evil will eventually be recompensed. She brought it all on herself.”

“That’s right. Who did she think she was messing with? Someone under my protection.” Hua Mu’ai looked smug.

They reached an intersection. Originally, they planned to go to the internet cafe on the pedestrian street to play games, then stroll around and grab some good food when it was time to eat.

But Hua Mu’ai spotted a newly opened arcade at the corner and suddenly became interested.

“Instead of going to the internet cafe, why don’t we have some real fun here?”

“How about skipping the internet cafe today?” Hua Mu’ai pointed at the arcade entrance. “Let’s play there for a bit?”

“Okay, whatever you say.” Chu Yuyao smiled and nodded.

As they pushed open the glass door, the cold air from the air conditioner hit them. The arcade was full of people, and the lights of various game machines interwove.

Hua Mu’ai directly exchanged a small basket full of game tokens. She carried the basket and excitedly dragged Chu Yuyao to the claw machine area.

“Hehe, today I’ll show you something. Watch me show off my skill.”

Confidently, Hua Mu’ai inserted two tokens and aimed at a pink rabbit plush.

“Watch closely.”

Hua Mu’ai gripped the joystick, concentrating as she moved it left and right. The claw swayed and positioned itself above the pink rabbit.

“Now!” She held her breath and pressed the button.

The metal claw descended. Luck seemed to be on her side as it just grabbed the rabbit’s head. The claw closed and slowly lifted the rabbit.

Hua Mu’ai stared at the rabbit, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly, as if victory was assured.

But when the damned claw began to move sideways, it shamelessly loosened its grip. The rabbit did a graceful flip and fell back into the pile.

Hua Mu’ai’s smile froze. In the air, it felt like a crow flew past.

“What a crappy machine! It’s definitely been tampered with!” Hua Mu’ai lost face after boasting, and in frustration, she kicked the machine with her leather shoe.

The machine didn’t budge, but her foot hurt like hell.

For the next ten minutes, Hua Mu’ai fought a stubborn battle with the claw machine. Tokens kept dropping in, but the rabbit plush never came up once.

Seeing Hua Mu’ai’s puffed-up face, Chu Yuyao couldn’t help but let out a light laugh.

“What are you laughing at? If you’re so good, you try. This machine is just a money trap!” Hua Mu’ai turned around angrily.

“Okay, let me try.”

Chu Yuyao manipulated the joystick and pressed the button decisively. The claw caught the rabbit by its belly, swung it over the chute, and released.

Hua Mu’ai stood frozen.

Why?! She had just wasted so many tokens, all for nothing!

Chu Yuyao stuffed the rabbit plush into Hua Mu’ai’s arms. Her eyes were full of smiles.

“For you.”

A blush crept up Hua Mu’ai’s cheeks.

“Whatever. It’s because I softened it up with so many tries. The machine’s mercy payout triggered. You just got lucky. If I had tried one more time, I’d have gotten it too.”

She guiltily looked away. “Come on, let’s not play this anymore. Let’s do something else. I’ll take you racing.”

At the racing game area, Hua Mu’ai kept shouting and yelling.

“Ram him! Overtake him! Turn, you idiot, why won’t you obey!”

Chu Yuyao, on the other hand, was calm and steady, occasionally using her car to block other players’ collisions for Hua Mu’ai.

Afterward, they played Whac-A-Mole.

“So annoying! This speed is too fast!”

Hua Mu’ai’s temper flared. Why use the mallet? She directly pounced on the machine and tried to block the mole heads with her hands.

Chu Yuyao was startled, afraid the machine would catch Hua Mu’ai’s little hand. She quickly grabbed Hua Mu’ai’s arm and pulled her back.

“Dangerous! It’ll pinch your hand!”

Under the momentum, the two tumbled together. Hua Mu’ai crashed into Chu Yuyao’s soft chest.

The scent of jasmine from the shampoo wafted into their noses. They both stiffened and stared at each other in a daze.

Their breaths intertwined closely. After a moment, they separated, cheeks burning.

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