After Being Targeted By A Sweet Girl With Big Eyes - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Fans

On the other side, as Jiangxin Mingyue pushed open the door, the group of people who had been laughing and chatting on the sofa all simultaneously looked toward the entrance. A sudden silence fell, lasting for a few seconds before someone finally burst out in delighted cheers: “Wow! Ruyi! It’s not my birthday today! Did someone get my birthday wrong? What am I going to do now that my birthday standards have gone up!”

“Ruyi!”

“Ruyi! Have you eaten? Sit down and eat with us! Order more, order more of your favorite dishes.”

“How are we so lucky? We randomly booked a place and ran into the person we love!”

“You guys better thank me! I’m the one who found her! My eyesight, my eyesight is simply amazing.”

They chattered excitedly, but the conversation always revolved around Jiang Ruyi.

This was affection for her from people other than her family. This genuine love, without any other impurities, made Jiang Ruyi’s heart melt.

She had just been surrounded and guided to a seat, but she immediately stood up again, looking as happy as a marshmallow dissolving in hot cocoa. She started distributing gifts. “These are presents, for you. I won’t say any sappy words, but thank you for accompanying me all this way.”

“Oh my god, Ruyi! This can’t possibly be a deliberate setup, can it? You bought the gifts beforehand? How could it be such a coincidence? I’ve decided to celebrate my birthday today from now on!”

“This bracelet has a moon on it, for Jiangxin Mingyue. This one has a lotus flower, for Jiang Lianhua… Because we met so suddenly, these aren’t equal portions, and they’re not ranked by anything. I just walked around and chose jewelry that I thought matched your ID or your outfit today.”

“Like this ring,” Jiang Ruyi gently lifted a woman’s right hand and tenderly slid the ring onto her ring finger. “I think it really suits you.”

The woman clasped her hands to her heart, overcome. “I do.”

“Hmph hmph~” Jiang Ruyi said no more, turned to leave, and then gave a slight, flirtatious smile before returning to her seat.

Jiang Ruyi was genuinely touched. The mere idea that people would gather because they were thinking of her was incredible.

“Ah!”

“What do you mean, ‘I do,’ ‘I do’? I, I, I do too!”

They belatedly began to envy the last friend who was personally given a ring by Jiang Ruyi and got a seductive glance. But they were all friends, so besides envy, there was just more envy.

Jiang Ruyi was amused, and her happiness level slowly recovered. She laughed and bantered with them. “This meeting is our destined fate.”

“Oh my, what a sweet talker! Don’t go back to your hometown! Marry into my family, Sister will give you a residency permit!”

“My dear, I see you’re wearing green today, and you don’t have your usual jingly jewelry. Is it because you don’t have suitable pieces at home?” Jiang Lianhua, wearing a casual white silk dress, slipped off the jade bracelet she was wearing. “I’ll give you a gift, too, okay? It’s of average quality and not expensive. Look, how beautiful it looks on your hand! It matches your outfit today so well.”

The bracelet still held Jiang Lianhua’s body temperature. Jiang Ruyi lifted it to examine it. “What could I wear that wouldn’t look good? But rules are rules, I can’t accept it.”

“Hahaha, what rules? You didn’t renew your contract with the company. You’re a lone wolf now!”

“Hey, watch your mouth! Maybe I’ll find like-minded friends later and make a comeback! Wish me well, will you? All day long.”

“Oh! That’s even better! We can only wish for that!”

“Hehe.” When a person is surrounded by happiness, they can’t say anything else.

Once both sides had calmed down, the ten major fans at the table, excluding Jiang Ruyi, started their push.

“Ruyi, how long are you planning to rest? Don’t tire yourself out, but you absolutely cannot be idle!”

Jiang Ruyi chewed slowly. “Hard to say.”

“Ruyi, are you planning to sign with a company or go solo in the future?”

Jiang Ruyi hemmed and hawed. “No ideas yet.”

They were all career fans. Lazy Jiang Ruyi shivered. It was a good thing this was offline. Online, they were even scarier, practically whipping her with their demands.

The meal was finished, the conversation was done, and it was time to say goodbye. The atmosphere turned slightly melancholic again.

“Now that you’ve disbanded, get some good rest first. Stay away from people and things you don’t like. You must live your life well.”

“I will.”

“You have a great attitude, and your drumming has power. We will continue to like you. Don’t forget us fans! You must post more photos, live streams are better, and vlogs are best!”

“Okay.”

“Alright, I’ll say one last thing: don’t get too thin, but don’t indulge too much either. I really love your face and figure!”

“Okay.”

Just then, a message popped up on her phone from Shi Yuyan: I’m off work. Come to my place.

Jiang Ruyi: “Good.”

She put away her phone and insisted on paying the bill for them. “No, why are you arguing? Do I lack this money for food? Just let me settle the bill quickly.”

“We don’t lack this money either. Did you even earn more than you spent these past few years? Keep this money for yourself. It’s a small token of appreciation from your fans.”

Jiang Ruyi…

“Come on, I haven’t earned much money. It was all long gone from spending.”

The group of more than ten people was quite lively. Jiang Ruyi still managed to pay the bill as she wished. The group took two separate elevators down. The final farewell was sometimes as simple as a goodbye, but Jiang Ruyi’s eyes were slightly wet. She smiled as she saw them off, wiping away tears as she walked back toward Fu Tian’s private room.

Although she hadn’t encountered great bandmates these past few years, these fans were wonderful! They understood her talent, appreciated her beauty, and provided full emotional support both online and offline. What more could she be dissatisfied with?

“What’s wrong?”

Behind Jiang Ruyi, Fu Tian and Fan Ling suddenly appeared, asking as they walked up on either side of her.

“Ah! Ugh!” Jiang Ruyi snapped back, giving them both a huge eye-roll. She said crossly, “Ghosts! Walking without a sound!”

Fu Tian smiled, her eyes crinkling. She replied, “Logically speaking, ghosts don’t need to walk.”

“Do I need you to give me a lesson? Why are you two out here? Did the party break up? Where’s my bag? Did you grab it for me?” Jiang Ruyi turned to look at Fan Ling. Seeing her hands empty, she quickened her pace toward the private room.

Fan Ling said, “No, we were worried about you when you didn’t come back for so long.”

“Hahahaha, worried about what? I’m a grown adult! I met some fans over there and chatted with them for a while. Okay, for a long time. Hehe.”

Fu Tian and Fan Ling exchanged a look at the door of the private room. They didn’t go in but waited for her to come out. Fu Tian asked Fan Ling, “Where is she going?”

“How should I know? She doesn’t tell me everything.”

“Fan Ling, can’t you be a little useful?” Fu Tian said, feeling frustrated.

“Heh heh.”

Jiang Ruyi came out carrying her bags, confidently heading for her next date, completely ignoring the two self-appointed stone lions.

Fu Tian narrowed her eyes, chased after her, grabbed her arm, and pulled her to look at her. “You look so happy! Are you going to see someone?”

Jiang Ruyi quickly pinned her against the wall with a reverse grip, leaning close to Fu Tian’s face. “Oh, I almost forgot about you! Take out your phone and delete that screenshot yourself! Don’t delay me from going on my date.”

“Aren’t you broken up?” Fu Tian’s gaze passed over Jiang Ruyi and landed sorrowfully on Fan Ling behind her.

“Hurry up,” Jiang Ruyi said, wasting no time.

“Deleted,” Fu Tian reluctantly pulled out her phone, deleted the image, and showed the screen unwillingly.

“Good. Bye. Our debt is settled. I truly hope we don’t meet again.”

Before rushing off, Jiang Ruyi didn’t forget to call out to her best friend, Fan Ling, “Ling! I’m leaving! Go home by yourself!”

Jiang Ruyi was gone, leaving only Fu Tian and Fan Ling in the hallway.

Fu Tian stood still, and Fan Ling didn’t dare to move either.

Time ticked by. Fu Tian finally turned to look at Fan Ling, her eyes calm and undisturbed. The dragon fruit-colored miniskirt she’d changed into after the performance now made her complexion look even worse.

Fan Ling looked up. Ah, the ceiling is really something.

“Didn’t you say they already broke up?”

“Well, they can also reconcile.” Regardless of how they reconciled, if people break up, there’s always a 50% chance of reconciliation.

“Besides,” Fan Ling continued, whispering like a thief, “She seems to… kind of dislike you…”

No, she actively dislikes you.

Fan Ling carefully chose her words, watching her childhood friend’s face.

“Well, she told me the type of person she liked before, but she never told me she disliked your type. If I had known, I would have told you sooner. Maybe it’s better to just drop it. You can’t force a sweet outcome.”

“No! I like her even more now! How can she be so interesting? I can’t settle this with her, and neither can you.”

Fan Ling: I’m so annoyed. My childhood friend inexplicably became a lesbian and fell in love with my former bandmate.

…

When Jiang Ruyi arrived at Shi Yuyan’s apartment building by taxi, she knocked on the door for a long time, but no one answered. She figured Shi Yuyan must have been genuinely busy these past few days and still hadn’t returned home, even at this hour.

She sat on a long bench in front of Shi Yuyan’s building. The yellow streetlights tempted the moths. The swaying tree shadows seemed to loudly proclaim their death this summer. Jiang Ruyi frequently looked in the direction Shi Yuyan would return from.

She waited for a long, long time. Jiang Ruyi’s sleep-deprived brain couldn’t even focus on short videos anymore. Her inner anticipation was worn down by time. Her head bobbed. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard the familiar, steady footsteps.

Jiang Ruyi instantly jumped up, rushed forward, took Shi Yuyan’s bag, and said affectionately, “Sister, you’re finally home!”

Shi Yuyan sat down where Jiang Ruyi had been, crossing her legs and lightly rubbing her calves, which were aching from wearing high heels.

She looked at Jiang Ruyi quietly. This look, tired from work but with a gentle, lingering affection, was what Jiang Ruyi loved most. But at this moment, she felt bewildered and exposed under that gaze.

“What’s wrong, babe? Why are you looking at me like that without saying anything? It feels like we haven’t seen each other in ages!” Jiang Ruyi felt helpless and flustered, unsure what to do. She caught sight of the jewelry box she’d placed on the bench and quickly pulled out the contents. “Look, I bought you gifts!”

“A gold ring, a gold necklace, gold earrings. The three gold essentials. Are you proposing to me?”

Shi Yuyan raised an eyebrow, finally speaking.

Jiang Ruyi felt these gifts were a bit meager. What kind of person comes to beg for a reunion with just this much? She quickly explained, “No, no. I actually chose over a dozen pieces, but I ran into some fans while eating outside. They were the early, recognizable, major fans. Our group just disbanded recently, so I thought I’d give them a final thank you. Look, I have no ambition, and I don’t even know if I’ll return to this industry later. So, if you don’t think it’s enough, I can buy you more later.”

“Ha~”

Shi Yuyan was so amused by Jiang Ruyi’s innocent cruelty that she let out a forced laugh.