Then it was the next person’s turn to perform. About halfway through their song, Jian Chenxi descended the stage and took a seat not far from Ling Momo, flirting with one of ES’s high-ranking executives every now and then.
Ling Momo sat quietly on the side, knowing there was still some time before her own performance. From time to time, Jian Chenxi would glance back at her, and upon seeing her sitting alone, couldn’t help but let a look of increasing scorn cross her face.
Ling Momo noticed every condescending glance from Jian Chenxi, but her expression remained unchanged as she focused intently on the concert.
When it was the third-from-last performer’s turn, Jian Chenxi whispered something to the executive from ES and stood up with a laugh. Silently, she moved to sit next to Ling Momo. "Why are you all alone? Did your sugar daddy ditch you?"
Ling Momo’s face was calm. She slowly turned her head to look at Jian Chenxi. "Sorry, but I have something to take care of, so I’m leaving now."
Thinking that she ought to go backstage to prepare, Ling Momo said as much, and then rose from her seat.
Seeing her actions, Jian Chenxi interpreted them as fleeing in a panic.
Jian Chenxi’s lips curled into an even more aggressive sneer, her words dripping with sarcasm, "The concert hasn’t ended yet; what’s your hurry? But then again, if I were you, I’d leave too—watching others shine on stage while sitting in the audience. Both dreaming of being a star, yet the gap is so painfully wide..." Jian Chenxi fiddled with her nails, "It must be quite a blow to your ego, isn’t it? If I were you, perhaps I wouldn’t come back tonight at all..."
With her back to Jian Chenxi, Ling Momo heard all the scornful mockery but just curled her lips into a faint smile. Let her say what she wanted now; soon enough, she would make her understand just how ridiculous she was! Updates are released by n̷o̷v̷e̷l̷f̷i̷r̷e̷.net
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No matter how many times she told herself not to be nervous, when it really came time to step onto the stage, she was still jittery.
Ling Momo’s palms were covered in sweat. She kept taking deep breaths, standing slowly at the backstage entrance, listening to the host’s words on stage.
From there, Ling Momo could see Jian Chenxi had changed seats again, now sitting beside a man and speaking to him in hushed tones.
The host’s voice paused for a moment before slowly rising again, "Next up, please welcome our final singer to bring Xu Meijing’s ’Qingcheng’ to us."
As the host’s voice faded, the stage lights dimmed.
A faint light glowed before Ling Momo as the music for "Qingcheng" began to play.
Ling Momo stopped suddenly, lifted her chin slightly, and set her gaze in the distance. She stepped forward gently, walking out bit by bit.
With her entrance, the faint light gradually brightened.
There were none of the colorful special effects that had accompanied other performers. All that illuminated Ling Momo was a simple beam of white light that gave a sort of dreamy comfort.
Smiling, Ling Momo walked to the very center of the stage where the lights grew brighter, shining so intensely that she could barely keep her eyes open—this was perfect, as she could easily pretend not to see the audience below and imagine herself alone on the stage.