"Like I said, you don't have to answer if you don't want to," I said casually. "But I'll offer you a deal. If you tell me your true identity, I'll also tell you mine."
"Your true...identity?" she echoed, eyes widening. "You mean...Kai Xuan isn't your real name?"
I shrugged. "Who knows?"
She pouted a little at how mysterious I was acting, and after some careful thought she gave in.
"F-Fine! B-But you can't tell anyone else...okay?!"
"Sure. Of course, that's only if you do the same for me," I replied calmly.
Then, after glancing both way carefully, she removed her mask gently. My eyes widened.
"Wait a minute...you are...the famous popstar, Su Ning?!"
She immediately began blushing and covered her face again. "D-Don't say so loudly! Someone will hear!"
I cleared my throat. "A-Ahem...right, sorry. I was just...very surprised. I never expected you to be...uh, a celebrity."
I knew I saw that pink and blue hair of hers somewhere before, on TV...Su Ning, the famous popstar who suddenly entered the pop scene around a year ago. Her angelic looks played a major part in her skyrocketing popularity, but her skills in singing and dancing were the real thing too.
But still...now that I compare Lan Xiao Su and Su Ning's looks in my mind, they really do look similar. The only difference is their hair...but now that I really look at it, she's probably just wearing a wig below her real sky blue hair.
"A-And? What about you?" Lan Xiao Su asked, fidgeting nervously and covering her face with her hands.
"Hold on..." I muttered. "Which one is the real you? The energetic and outgoing popstar Su Ning...or the nervous and slightly clumsy Hunters' Guild receptionist, Lan Xiao Su?"
"As I said earlier...my job at the Hunters' Guild is something I genuinely enjoy. There, I can be my real self. And though interacting with people at such a close distance can be scary sometimes...it's pretty fun, too."
She had a genuine look of appreciation in her eyes when she said that, and with this, my answer was confirmed. Lan Xiao Su, the receptionist, was this girl's real self. But that still left many questions...
"If that's the case, then why did you become a popstar at all?"
"T-The reason for that is kind of embarrassing..." she murmured quietly, averting her gaze. Then, after a deep breath, she continued. "T-The truth is...I need money."
I narrowed my gaze. "Money? Does the Hunters' Guild not pay you enough?"
She shook her head. "It's enough if it was just for me, but...my mother was poisoned by Lan Gui Ying's mother almost a year ago...more accurately, it was a curse known as the '1 Year Curse'. If she is not given an antidote before one year is over...she'll die. That's why I left the family, too. I needed to make money, and fast. For that, I quit school as well..."
School...? Is she the same age as her sister then? 14?
"And where is your mother right now?" I asked, folding my arms.
"Luckily, my father brought her to the safe zone successfully. I visited her earlier, in my normal appearance."
I sighed. "That's good. But...if you work as a receptionist during the day, that only leaves night for you to work as a popstar..."
She nodded. "That's why I can't do any live performances, ahaha..."
"...Is it not tiring?"
She looked out the window of the cafe we were in. "It would be a lie if I said it wasn't, but...in order to save my mother, I have to do this."
I blinked at her for a while, then chuckled. "Lan Xiao Su...you're strong, y'know that?"
She blushed at the compliment, and quickly buried her face in her hands once more. "W-What do you mean?"
"I mean...not a lot of people can do what you're doing right now. Working two jobs tirelessly, all to save your mother. Most will just give up, but...from the determination I see in your eyes, I doubt that's going to happen. Despite how clumsy and nervous you are on the surface, deep down, you're a strong person."
She turned even redder than before, and I swear I saw steam come out of her ears.
"T-T-Thank you!" she yelped.
I sighed. "You're working so hard to get this money, so I assume you have already found someone who has the antidote?"
Lan Xiao Su calmed down a little. "Yes...but he asks for a lot of money, and I honestly don't know if I can gather enough in time..."
I raised an eyebrow. "Who is this man?"
"I don't know his name or anything, I just have his phone number..."
Sounds kind of fishy to me. She's probably being scammed here...should I help her, or just ignore this? Honestly, I don't want to be caught up in any more shit, but...Lan Xiao Su did help me out quite a bit. And who knows? Maybe it'll come in handy to have a celebrity in my debt, kuku...eh, whatever. I'll help her out, I guess...there's still some time before the Midnight Syndicate gets here.
"Hm. Chances are, you're getting tricked right now."
"H-Huh?"
"I mean, you don't know how this man looks or anything either, right? How do you even know he's telling the truth when he says he's got the antidote? You have no way to verify that. It's better to be safe. Cut all contact with him, right now."
"W-Wait, then how am I going to save my mother?!" Lan Xiao Su exclaimed, slightly agitated.
I sighed. "Calm down. I know someone who can save her."
"R-Really?" she asked, eyes widening in joy.
"Yeah. Free of charge, too," I said.
Well, that's a lie. It's not completely free...it's just that money isn't the type of payment here. Debt is.
"Who is it?"
"Hm...I'll keep that a secret for now. How long does your mother have left before the curse activates?"
Lan Xiao Su looked down. "Less than three months."
I nodded. "I see...that should be enough time, considering her talent in Blessing Magic..." I murmured.
"Her?" Lan Xiao Su tilted her head.
"Nothing," I replied. "By the way, shouldn't Lan Gui Ying's mother have the antidote? She was the one who inflicted this curse in the first place."
Lan Xiao Su sighed in dejection. "She might, but...even if she did, she won't just give it to me. And my father...he doesn't even know anything about this. My mother insisted she was fine, and refused to tell father even when I told her to."
Goddamn...this is slowly turning into one of those Ancient China dramas with an emperor and his harem fighting over him...so much trickery, deceit, and complicated situations.
"I see. Well, the first thing we have to do now, is...meet the person who's going to save your mother," I said at last, standing up.
"W-Wait, Kai Xuan! You never told me your true identity!" Lan Xiao Su exclaimed in a fluster, also standing up.
I snickered. "You'll find out soon enough. C'mon."
"W-What's that supposed to mean?!"
As I began to walk away, Lan Xiao Su pouted and followed me. I pulled out my phone and sent a text message to a certain someone, then chuckled as soon as I received a reply. I began heading towards the place written in the message I had gotten back, Lan Xiao Su trailing behind me. But before that, I told her to go change back into her original appearance again, just to avoid trouble. Undoubtedly, those girls would recognize her as Su Ning, even with the mask and hat. Qing Yue especially was a hardcore fangirl.
On the way, I made idle chit-chat with Lan Xiao Su.
"Just curious, once your mother is saved, are you going to continue working as a popstar?" I asked, hands shoved in my pocket.
Lan Xiao Su fell into thought for a moment, then responded. "I'm not too sure, honestly...but it's not as if I dislike singing or dancing. In fact, I like it a lot. But...being a popstar has its negative sides, too..."
"Like all things, I'm afraid," I added. "Being a celebrity is harder than it looks, huh? And not everything is just riches and fame like what it seems on the surface."
She nodded. "Yes...I have to deal with haters and crazed fans alike...and honestly, it's pretty scary sometimes. But I really do like singing. You see...my mother used to sing in a church choir. That's how my father met her in the first place."
"Huh. So I'm guessing your mother must've taught you a lot of things about singing then?"
"Yes...when I was young, she used to constantly sing beautiful lullabies for me, and when I got older she began teaching me techniques and such. It's pretty nostalgic, ehehe..."
I blinked, then turned away from her, facing back to the front. She must've thought our conversation ended there, and looked slightly disappointed. But then, I spoke again.
"You know...now I'm kind of curious about your singing. I'd love to listen to a live concert of Su Ning sometime. A personal one...just for me."
Lan Xiao Su blinked a few times in surprise, and then realized what I had said.
"A-Ah! Yes! Of course!" she exclaimed as she began blushing deeply.
I chuckled. "I'll be waiting, then. After we save your mother."
Lan Xiao Su smiled brightly. "R-Right!"
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