Today's schedule was much lighter than yesterday's. The morning was free time, then from one to two in the afternoon they would gather together and head to Mount Tai. After climbing Mount Tai, they would watch the sunset, then return. In the evening, they would take a private plane to Kyoto in Japan. The itinerary wasn't tight, so there was plenty of time for everyone to do what they wanted.
"Big Sis, should we go shopping?" Although Chu Lian had woken her up early, after having breakfast, Chu Chu had regained her energy. At the moment, she was hugging Tina, circling around Chu Lian.
Meanwhile, Li Xiu'er looked sleepy, her head drooping as she dragged herself along with them. Fortunately, Inori was holding her hand, preventing her from getting lost. Otherwise, the whole morning would have been spent searching for her.
"Hmm? Shopping for what?" They were still wearing outfits like the ones from Mount Li, though the colors were different. After all, many people already knew that Chu Lian and the others had arrived in Tai'an. Local fans were lying in wait everywhere, hoping to run into them.
Their outfits had already been photographed and posted online. If they wore the same clothes again, they would definitely be recognized quickly. Though Chu Lian didn't mind, who would want to be surrounded by a crowd while shopping?
"There's lots to buy—food, clothes, and little gifts. Anyway, we don't have to spend our own money. Zhao Ziming gave you so much budget for activities, Big Sis. It'd be a waste not to use it." Today Chu Chu wore the opposite of her previous black gothic outfit—a pure white version. The style was the same, but there were extra patterns in the details, making it look more like a princess dress. On her head was a white sunhat that shaded half her face.
Only her disproportionately large chest and the little Tina nestled between them, enjoying herself, really drew attention. Of course, despite how eye-catching it was, no one had realized she was Chu Chu. After all, Tina had never been exposed publicly. Still, no matter how you looked at it, Chu Chu's sultry aura didn't fit a pure white princess dress. Instead, it made her look even more seductive, her identity that much easier to give away.
"Stop bouncing around!" Chu Lian stared at Chu Chu's chest, which was jiggling up and down with her movements, and said lightly.
"Oh, okay! I know Big Sis is just jealous of Chu Chu's figure, but it's okay. Big Sis has a great figure too! You've got the genuine loli body type. That kind of body is the most popular, you know." Chu Chu just had to bring up the worst possible topic, pressing a finger against her cheek and tilting her head playfully.
The next second, a chilling aura enveloped her. She looked up to see Chu Lian smiling sweetly as she softly asked: "What did you just say? Why can't I seem to understand?" Chu Chu shivered, realizing that if she dared continue, the next day's headlines might read:
"Beautiful girl murdered in the street—killer shockingly her own sister! What could cause two sisters to turn on each other, leading to such a tragic story?" Just imagining it, Chu Chu could see her future.
"Big Sis, I was wrong! Please ignore what I just said!" Chu Chu immediately admitted fault, even scolding herself: "It's because Chu Chu's genes mutated that I developed this H figure. It's all my fault! Big Sis is the most beautiful!"
"Mm, that's better. So, Chu Chu, what were we talking about again?" The suffocating aura Chu Lian had been giving off vanished instantly, replaced by radiant warmth that even drove away the drowsiness from Li Xiu'er beside her.
"Right, we were saying to go shopping? Okay, let's go shopping then!" Chu Lian seemed to remember what they had been discussing and answered herself before Chu Chu could reply.
Seeing this, Chu Chu finally let out a sigh of relief. "Phew, if I had said one more word just now, I'd be dead! Dark Big Sis is way too scary. From now on, I can never bring up her chest before it develops, or my life will truly be a tragedy."
A pink figure walked up beside her, and Chu Lian's voice sounded in her ear: "Inori, what do you think we should buy?" Inori looked at Chu Lian, who was wearing a pink hanfu with her long hair draped over her shoulders and a thin black veil covering her face. Tilting her head, she stared blankly: "Lian, what are you talking about?"
Rolling her eyes, Chu Lian knew Inori must have been spacing out again. In fact, ever since Chu Lian shut down her computer, woke the two little sleepyheads, and brought her out, Inori had been in this state—sometimes dazed, sometimes full of spirit. Chu Lian had no idea what was on her mind. Even when asked, Inori wouldn't say. Chu Lian could only guess that she was planning something she wanted to do.
If her feeling wasn't wrong, then before long Inori would take the initiative to tell her. For now, it was best to let her be. After all, it was rare for her to want to take action on her own desires, and Chu Lian would support her no matter what. But at the moment, it was better to deal with this habit of hers to space out so often.
"I'm asking you, what should we buy when we go shopping?" Chu Lian reached out and pinched her cheek.
The scene was comical—a 1.4-meter-tall little loli, standing on tiptoes and pinching the cheek of a girl at least 1.65 meters tall. And the taller girl didn't even seem to resist. It was truly surprising.
Unfortunately, these slender girls with sweet voices, fair skin like snow, and outfits that were strange yet uniquely beautiful, all had either sunhats covering half their faces or veils hiding their features. Their appearance made it clear they didn't want to be recognized, just like famous stars sneaking out to shop in disguise.
"Stars? Don't want to be discovered? Hanfu, princess dresses, sisters?! A 1.4-meter girl? Four of them? Traveling here?!" Someone in the crowd who had been observing them suddenly realized something. Excited, he rapidly snapped more than a dozen photos of them with his phone.
But just as he finished snapping, the girls turned toward him—then bolted.
"Eh, eh, eh! BlackNeko-chan, don't run! I'm your die-hard fan! Since you've come to my city, let me give you a proper welcome!" The moment he shouted, Chu Lian and the others only ran faster.
Blocked by the crowd, his view and movement were obstructed. He could only watch helplessly as Chu Lian vanished from sight. At last, he looked at his phone with teary eyes and sighed: "At least I've got some pictures. Otherwise, I'd have gained nothing at all this time."
He opened his photo album to look through the shots. Although they were taken with a phone, his was a good-quality one with about eight megapixels. The images of the girls were displayed quite clearly.
"If I could keep these to myself, how wonderful that would be. But if I did that, once they found out, they'd kill me. Ugh…" The boy looked at the exquisite photos. Though there were flaws, they were still the best-quality shots compared to what others might take.
Grinding his teeth, he finally opened his Weibo and social feed. Selecting nine of the best out of the ten pictures, he left one aside as a personal keepsake and posted the rest.
"This morning, on a street in Tai'an, I happened to run into four uniquely dressed girls. After watching for a while, I confirmed they were the students from Sudi High School, Class 1, Year 1, who arrived last night on a study trip to climb Mount Tai. All right, I won't keep you guessing—this was Chu Lian's group, meaning Chu Lian, her younger sister Chu Chu, their cousin Li Xiu'er, and their new family member Inori. I know you want proof, so here are the pictures…"
After finishing, he reluctantly glanced at the photos once more before hardening his heart and hitting publish.
With that done, he let out a breath of relief. Since he had shared what needed to be shared, no one could blame him for keeping one picture as a memento. Thinking this, he opened the one he had deliberately withheld.
In it, Chu Chu circled around Chu Lian, who stood on tiptoe pinching Inori's cheek, while Xiu'er trailed along listlessly, held by Inori's hand. Together, the four girls made up a beautiful scene, like the most youthful and vibrant painting, brimming with allure.
"I just heard them say they were going shopping. Let's check the pedestrian street—maybe we'll find them again." The boy slipped his phone back into his pocket and headed in the direction Chu Lian's group had gone.
Normally, not many people followed his Weibo or social feed. But after he posted those photos of the four girls suspected to be Chu Lian and her companions, it instantly drew massive attention.
At first, some doubted he was faking. But as more Chu Lian fans pointed out that the body shapes and features of the four in the pictures matched them exactly, his post quickly exploded in popularity.
Before long, a fan group in Tai'an organized a "Citywide Search for BlackNeko" campaign. Their target: that very street and the nearby pedestrian district.
Although the boy had intentionally withheld the name of the street to keep something for himself, locals quickly identified it from the pictures. The location was exposed.
"Loli fans of Tai'an, take action! We can't be like those idiots in Chang'an yesterday, letting Chu Lian slip away right under their noses. This time we must find her—and then the celebration begins!" A slightly chubby boy, exuding an oddly gentlemanly aura, shouted fervently, his tone filled with almost religious devotion.
For the truest of loli fans, who could be a better loli than Chu Lian? Of course, ever since Chu Chu and Li Xiu'er appeared, the ranks of the loli fandom had begun to splinter slightly.
After all, big-bust lolis and shy lolis were both extremely moe. Fans of those two types weren't few. But in the majority fanbase that worshiped Chu Lian, their voices held little weight.
Even so, they supported this mission wholeheartedly—after all, both the big-bust loli and the shy loli were part of the group. As long as they found them, how could they possibly worry that their favorite type wouldn't be there?
This incident became the first independent mobilization, even before the two major fanbases clashed online. It later came to be known as: "The True Beginning of the Holy War—the Loli Fans' Awakening!"
Chu Lian and the others had no idea that in such a short span of time, hundreds of people were already rushing over to look for them.
Among them were students skipping class, office workers ditching their jobs, university students, and even countless middle-aged uncles and aunties—for older fans, no idol was more captivating than Chu Lian, who was as adorable as a daughter.
This was a major crisis! Would Chu Lian be able to escape? Stay tuned for the next chapter: The Whole City Are Chu Lian Fans…