After Being Targeted By A Sweet Girl With Big Eyes - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Fu Tian

Jiang Ruyi, startled, immediately lunged into Fan Ling’s arms and spun her head around 180 degrees to glare at the person who had frightened her.

When she looked, she saw the person: big eyes, perfectly separated lashes, and though she wasn’t smiling with bunny teeth at that moment, her lips held a look of interest as she stared directly at Jiang Ruyi. Who else could it be but the very person she was grumbling about in her mind?

Jiang Ruyi was so genuinely shocked that the habit she had developed since childhood—to apologize when wrong—failed her. She just stared at the person dumbfounded.

My god, I’ve had terrible luck lately. Complaining about someone behind their back to a friend, and having the target hear it—and her description was so specific! There was no way to argue her innocence, especially since she wasn’t innocent.

Seeing the person make a move, Jiang Ruyi closed her eyes, prepared to face the impending “storm.” Even if she had to suffer embarrassment, she would do it with composure. Jiang Ruyi pouted. If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have ordered such a sticky, high-concentration juice. It’s ruining my outfit today.

Ah, what a pity. She had only taken a few photos in the mirror before leaving. She rarely dressed this way. She had planned to have Fan Ling take more pictures. Even though their band had broken up, their fans were still around! The “10 CP” fans wouldn’t get the privilege of consuming her last bit of fan service.

But she waited and waited, and the promised splash of the drink never came.

Fan Ling rested her chin on Jiang Ruyi’s shoulder and asked confusedly, “Why are you closing your eyes?”

Jiang Ruyi finally opened her eyes. Wasn’t it expected that, given this environment, the available means, and her big mouth, any socialized person would teach her a lesson?

The person’s previous motion was just turning around to speak to someone else. So, standing in front of Jiang Ruyi now were two people.

The newcomer looked slightly puzzled by Jiang Ruyi’s baffling maneuver but simply smiled at her.

Fan Ling lazily spoke up from behind her shoulder, “Sis.”

“Oh, hi, Ling.” She then turned to Jiang Ruyi and greeted her, “Hello, Ruyi. I’m Meng Meifang, the owner of this bar, and this is Fu Tian from Sunset Pact. I have some private connections with them and invited them here to give back to my old customers. However, their drummer ran into some trouble, and I gave the original band the night off yesterday. The performance time is coming soon, and the person can’t make it back, but a band without a drummer kills the atmosphere, right? How important is a drummer, you agree? Fu Tian said she spotted a drummer senior in the industry—I saw it was Fan Ling’s bandmate—so I wanted to brazenly ask you to fill in in an emergency. I can pay for your services.”

“Ah, Sister Meng, Fan Ling’s friend is my friend! What’s with the pay? If time is tight, let’s hurry up!”

She spoke candidly, but she intentionally pushed Fan Ling to walk between herself and Fu Tian. She glanced at Fu Tian, who was also wearing a casual, short Lolita dress today, but her style was worlds apart from Jiang Ruyi’s. It was a red apple-themed JSK with small puff sleeves. Paired with her name (Fu Tian, “Sweet Fortune”), it was as if she was the ultimate fan of red apples. She’s quite tall wearing that style. Ugh, I really don’t want to criticize her.

Jiang Ruyi grew increasingly displeased with Fu Tian the more she looked, but this time she dared not utter a sound. Halfway there, Fu Tian unexpectedly turned back, startling the 172cm-tall Jiang Ruyi (who was wearing heels) into reflexively hiding behind the shorter Fan Ling, her heart pounding.

She thought, “I didn’t say it out loud! Can this person read minds?”

Stunned by the encounter, Jiang Ruyi crossed the crowd as quiet as a mouse. Along the way, she overheard some gossip. Some people in the crowd were fans of Sunset Pact. They were discussing, “Hey, was that Fu Tiantian who just walked past?”

“I didn’t notice, I was on my phone. Wait, my group chat says my Sun was taken away by the police?”

“What are you saying? Our Sun is just a little girl who likes to cosplay. She couldn’t have committed a crime. Impossible, absolutely impossible.”

Yo, key information successfully extracted! That lines up perfectly. Jiang Ruyi gave a big internal thumbs-up. Self-sacrificing for others! She couldn’t speak for the rest, but the person had definitely saved her from the agony of traffic. You guys didn’t follow the wrong person; she’s reliable.

Then she thought about it again: if it weren’t for that sister, she wouldn’t have been caught by Fu Tian speaking ill of her, and she wouldn’t have to fill in for her. Truly, the circle of karma is unrelenting.

Jiang Ruyi sat backstage while the customers in front were already restless. She could hear them discussing in hushed tones. Fu Tian handed her an iPad. “Here are the scores. Familiarize yourself. Just follow the cues and improvise. You got this.”

It wasn’t a question; it was a statement of certainty. Jiang Ruyi appreciated the flattery, but she choked when she finished flipping through the scores: “These are all your songs.”

She wasn’t saying their songs were difficult, but mainly that while Jiang Ruyi had heard them, she was completely unfamiliar with them, and there were so many!

“These are all your band’s songs?” she asked, unwilling to give up.

“They are.”

“Mhm-hm-hm-hm.”

This is the disparity between bands. Burning Heart and Sunset Pact were direct competitors. Burning Heart debuted at the end of the year, and then the rival company launched Sunset Pact right after the new year. Both were all-female bands targeting female fans. Burning Heart started with an all-Aesthetic style and indeed attracted many fans initially, but the company discouraged them from focusing on music, instead pushing them to research how to sell CPs (couples). But fake is fake. What baffled Jiang Ruyi the most was that she, the only lesbian on the team, had the fewest fans. She was totally exasperated.

Their company was incompetent, and later the team had internal strife, causing many group fans to scatter. Naturally, their popularity couldn’t compete with Sunset Pact, which followed a proper band style and had high output.

Jiang Ruyi put on her headset and looked at Fu Tian’s back. The curtain opened, and the light cut a perfect silhouette of her.

I didn’t even dislike Fu Tian this much back then. Could it be that this person has changed her style over the years? Oh god, am I really the kind of person Fan Ling mentioned, someone who only likes certain elements? And, by extension, someone who also hates people containing certain elements?

“A round of applause for Sunset Pact!”

“Woo—”

Bigger, bigger, bigger, bigger, bigger! As the intro kicked in, Jiang Ruyi exchanged glances with the bassist. Through her headset came the excited commanding voice, responding to the applause below, “Drummer, crank up the energy!!”

“Definitely!”

Well, their band has already broken up, and Sunset Pact is disbanding after tomorrow’s farewell stage. Let bygones be bygones. They play music, not human emotions.

Though Fu Tian’s appearance wasn’t to Jiang Ruyi’s taste, she had to admit that her voice quality was very unique and her breath control was incredibly stable. Listening to her vocal solo was utterly relaxing.

Below, the audience looked at the drum kit position through the lighting and gasped. “Hey, that’s not our Sun! Who is that? Our Sun wouldn’t dress like that. Playing drums in a Lolita dress—that’s quite a contrast. What is this, gentlewoman rock?”

“I don’t know. This was Sunset Pact’s schedule. Our Sun probably had something going on.”

Someone next to them leaned in. “Wait, haven’t you guys checked the internet? Sun was taken away by the police. She was directing traffic wearing a police cosplay outfit. Seriously, she’s crazy.”

“Ah!”

The two were speechless regarding Sun Yanli’s bizarre actions, only managing to give a thumbs-up. “She’s… she’s something else.”

After the performance, she knew Fu Tian had lied to her. With the farewell stage tomorrow, how could they have so much energy for a performance tonight? Did the lead singer not care about her voice?

Jiang Ruyi stood up and hugged the bassist, Tan Huiyun. The two had coordinated quite well, surprisingly, considering they had never rehearsed before. Also, due to certain gossip, Tan Huiyun had thought Jiang Ruyi was the impatient type, believing music reflected personality. However, Jiang Ruyi’s rhythm was excellent; she was great at controlling the stage tempo when showing off her skill and was rock-steady when needed. So, she socialized, “Hey, friend, you played great! Do you have plans after your band breaks up? Are you going to stay in a band? My friend in Beijing is forming one. Do you want to join?”

“No thanks. I don’t want to deal with bands anymore. I’m packing up and going home to feed cattle in a few days.”

“Haha,” she thought Jiang Ruyi was joking about herself and casually asked, “Seriously?”

“Seriously. Why would I lie?”

Beside them, Fu Tian cut in, “You’re not playing music anymore? Why?”

The other musicians called for Tan Huiyun for a review. She waved at Jiang Ruyi, assuming that since Fu Tian was able to call on Jiang Ruyi to fill in, they must have some connection. So, she said, “I’ll go over there first. You two chat.”

Jiang Ruyi still remembered speaking ill of her, so she dared not face her alone. Seeing Fan Ling approach, she bolted towards her as if she’d spotted a savior. “What do you mean, why? I just don’t want to play in a band. I want to rest! I just feel like going home to feed cattle.”

“Why the sudden talk about cattle?” Fan Ling asked, mystified.

“Are you really quitting?” Fu Tian persisted, the two playing hide-and-seek with Fan Ling as the boundary line.

Jiang Ruyi felt this wasn’t a good approach. “I just want to rest. Stop badgering me.”

She linked arms with Fan Ling and stopped dodging, scrutinizing Fu Tian carefully. The more she looked, the more surprised she was. This person had a cute, innocent face, but her actual height might be a few centimeters taller than her. You can’t judge a book by its cover.

Jiang Ruyi said, “I’m sorry, I…” She opened her mouth but still couldn’t bring herself to say the dishonest words. Wasn’t she targeting Fu Tian? She absolutely was.

Fan Ling closed her eyes, wishing she could just toss Jiang Ruyi away. Why does she have to experience this? But Jiang Ruyi’s arm was locked around hers and wouldn’t budge. Fine, fine. Jiang Ruyi, this is the last time I’ll help you.

Fan Ling offered an apologetic smile to Fu Tian, “I’m sorry. She’s just got a venomous mouth. She doesn’t have a bad heart.”

“Mm-hmm, respect my personal aesthetic,” Jiang Ruyi nodded vigorously beside her.

Fan Ling: Haha, whatever. I can’t handle this anymore. Going home to feed cattle sounds great. This kid is suited for feeding cattle.

“I still feel a little sad,” Fu Tian said.

“Then what do you want to do?” Jiang Ruyi asked.

Jiang Ruyi was helpless. Fu Tian’s eyes fluttered, but her appearance just wasn’t to her taste. She couldn’t bring herself to comfort Fu Tian, but since she was the one who said the nasty things, she had no recourse. Now, she was willing to agree to anything Fu Tian asked, hoping to settle the score right then and there, and avoid any future conflict.