As the song faded, the breeze stirred the trees, leaves swaying, ripples spreading across the water where shadows reflected, like figures of the past crossing time to glimpse the present.
That drifting song still lingered in their ears, a soft murmur like a clear spring, washing away both sorrow and joy, leaving emotions unmoored, reason unknown.
"This is the most beautiful Japanese song I've ever heard. Even if there are technically better ones, none have touched my heart like this." Chu Chu stood with Tina in her arms, leaning against a tree and gazing up at the sky.
"Though the duet earlier was lovely, I also feel this one is more wonderful, Lian." Inori ran her hands through the pink hair falling over her chest, smiling softly, her whole being immersed in delight.
"If I could capture this song's scene in a painting, it would be beautiful beyond words." Li Xiu'er wanted to paint it, but her skills were only beginner-level. She was still far from being able to render it perfectly.
But there was someone else who could—someone whose painting had already reached the level of a master, edging toward grandmaster. Her words made Chu Chu laugh. "Though time's a bit tight, I'll try to finish painting all these scenes within a month. That's already the fastest I can manage."
"It's fine, Chu Chu. There's no need to rush. Let the song linger a while. Even though our recording only has this one scene, I think listeners will already be satisfied." Chu Lian spoke then, her face calm with a faint smile—whether from satisfaction with the song, or from recalling some distant memory, no one knew.
"Well, with Big Sis standing with us, even if we just stare blankly into the camera, countless people will watch. Popularity isn't the issue. I'm just worried about Japan. They don't know much about us. No matter how perfect we look, they might not accept it."
Chu Chu voiced her concern. If she had heard this song a month ago, she'd have had full confidence to draw illustrations that would drive Japanese fans crazy. But now there wasn't enough time. She didn't know if the live-action version would be accepted there.
Hearing her, Chu Lian suddenly chuckled before replying: "Chu Chu, you underestimate our neighbor's 'gentlemanly tastes.' For the Japanese youth who'd rather shut themselves in at home, what could suit them better than real-life lolis who look like they've stepped out of 2D?"
"Though I don't want to admit it, in their eyes we're probably the perfect lolis they've dreamed of chasing their whole lives. Mm, I won't admit it myself—whether you two admit it doesn't matter to me. But if they can look at us and still not be captivated, I'd suspect they've all become die-hard fans of Shishi instead."
"So don't worry about whether they'll accept it. I guarantee that once they see the video, our fame will spread across Japan in no time."
If there was anything about this body Chu Lian felt most confident in, it was her exquisite face—a divine beauty few in the world could rival. Though her young age kept the full allure from showing, it didn't stop anyone from recognizing true beauty.
On top of that, no matter how she denied it, the truth was that at her current age and figure she could only be called a loli, not yet a young woman. Even Chu Chu, who resembled her by five or six points but had a fully adult body, was affected—at best, a mature loli. As for Li Xiu'er, with her timid shyness, she was the quintessential shy loli—the type countless people longed to tease.
Among the four, only Inori could be called a young woman. But with her unusual features—long pink hair, delicate figure, flawless snow-white skin, and refined face like a CG character—she was exactly the type most adored by Japanese fans.
A mix of lolis and an exquisite young maiden—how could anyone not like them?
By the way, with ACG culture flourishing in Huaxia, many young people had started adopting aesthetic tastes similar to Japan's. Simply put: loli is supreme, maiden forever, onee-san the best, queen deserves your worship.
This was also why Chu Lian's popularity was so high—her appearance was too perfect, too in line with their aesthetics. Coupled with her likable personality, and the fact that she was a talented writer and music girl, she had quickly gained her current fame in Huaxia.
Silently watching Chu Lian, Li Xiu'er's eyes carried faint fear. She worried she might be the type some pervert would fancy, subject to bad fantasies.
Her time with Chu Lian had subtly shifted her mindset. Once neutral toward men, neither favoring nor disliking, she now leaned toward rejection and distance, and found herself closer to girls instead. Simply put, she had developed a yuri tendency, which made her resist such thoughts even more.
Noticing what weighed on Li Xiu'er's mind, Chu Lian knew if it wasn't resolved, it could become a knot in her heart. Stroking her hair, Chu Lian frowned slightly, then finally thought of a less-than-perfect solution.
"Xiu'er, if you think that way, I can't agree (though I actually do, but can't say that). Don't think of today's youth as so awful (though they really are). To them, being into lolis is about protection (while also imagining how to push them down). They don't really mean to harm (for them, pushing down equals cherishing). So don't overthink it (even though I know many of them absolutely do), and scare yourself (alright, I can't say the truth)."
What was with the parentheses? Chu Lian claimed she had only spoken the parts outside. If anyone saw what was inside the parentheses, it must have been their own imagination, nothing to do with her.
"Really?" Li Xiu'er looked doubtful. Clearly she sensed something off, and her suspicion showed in her tone.
"Of course it's true (mm, your intuition's right, it's false). Though I can't deny there are indeed some perverts who act like that (not some, almost all), there are still more good people (I'm handing you a pass here, thank me). Maybe they once had such thoughts (I'd bet they still do), but after seeing someone as cute as you, they definitely won't anymore (actually, your shy cuteness is exactly why they would). So don't worry (why am I starting to feel uneasy myself?)." Once again—the parentheses were all just your own delusions!
"Well, alright. I hope it's as you say." Relieved, Li Xiu'er dunked her face into the pool, trying to cool her head.
Having listened to Chu Lian coax Li Xiu'er, Chu Chu and Inori finally smiled. Yet both let out a soft sigh as well.
Chu Chu sighed because her cousin was too shy. Since she was already famous, such things were unavoidable. Honestly, with her looks, she was probably the subject of countless boys' fantasies from the moment she entered middle school. To only worry about it now—was she too early, or too late?
Inori sighed because such thoughts weren't worth entertaining. They only made one uncomfortable and upset—why bother? Back in her own world, though she hadn't understood emotions well, as a popular internet diva she understood this truth clearly, and had long since chosen to ignore it.
Shrugging, Chu Lian stood, put on her sunhat, and jumped down from the rock. She went to the "high-tech camera," dismantled it from its stand, and checked the footage.
Being high-tech, its resolution reached 300 million pixels, rendering every scene brilliantly vivid.
Listening to her own a cappella, Chu Lian pressed her lips together. No wonder it had cost 40,000 Culture Points to exchange for this song. At least in terms of mastery, it was already at the peak. Even without musical accompaniment, she could sing it with the perfect rhythm, and her tender, ethereal voice—though lacking the original's serenity—carried even more spiritual charm.
"Alright then, have you all rested enough?" Chu Lian made no attempt to hide it, retrieving the camera and tripod into the Dungeon Space right before their eyes, then turned to ask the three of them.
Seeing items vanish into thin air, Chu Chu felt nothing unusual. After all, she knew her big sister was the "Valkyrie" who had appeared at Jiuzhaigou. Having already seen her walk on air as if it were flat ground, these little tricks were nothing surprising. Perhaps she had never truly been shocked to begin with.
"I'm fine. I think Cousin Xiu'er is rested too?" Chu Chu placed Tina on her shoulder, walked to Li Xiu'er, and gently pulled her out of the water by her shoulders.
"Ah? I'm fine too. I can set out right away." After holding her breath underwater for several minutes, Li Xiu'er was panting lightly, but her spirit was good. She had clearly recovered from her near-heatstroke state.
"Then let's go…" Chu Lian took out a white scarf, stepped forward, and softly wiped the water droplets from Li Xiu'er's face.
"Mm~" A pink-and-white figure fluttered as Inori tapped her toes and leapt lightly to Chu Lian's side, nodding in agreement.
"Well then, the sooner we finish watching, the sooner we can get back. Tonight we still need to find a recording studio and put together the music for this song. No matter how good a cappella is, it's not the same without accompaniment." Chu Lian stretched her slim waist, deciding it casually as though it were nothing.
At this hour, the sunset wouldn't be until around six or seven. By the time they finished watching and returned, it would be at least eight. After dealing with various matters, the earliest they could free up time would be after nine-thirty. Even though their international flight would depart late, they still had to board by three in the morning.
That left them no more than three hours to finish the music for the song. And of course, they still needed to sleep a little. After all, lack of sleep damaged a girl's skin and even hindered growth!
With their schedule set, the girls wasted no more time, following the narrow trail upward toward the summit.
It was now four in the afternoon. Hopefully, today's sun would set a little earlier.
Yes, since arriving in Tai'an, the best part was that nothing strange had happened. No spacetime traveling merchants, no aliens, no dreams, no goddesses, no Qin Shi Huang, no Xiang Yu of Western Chu—everything was peaceful.
And this peace was exactly what she liked most.