"I... I understand. I'll do my best!" Jiang Li stammered. But how could she possibly remain calm? To be honest, she had never felt this nervous, not even during job interviews with her boss.
After all, if an interview failed, she could simply apply to another company. But this was different—this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet Robin herself!
What should I say?
Compliment her looks? Praise her singing?
Would asking for an autograph right away be too forward?
As Jiang Li's mind raced, Robin spoke directly. "I've reviewed the script. I personally love this type of story, so I took some time to prepare an original song for the film—under two minutes long."
"However, I won't publicly announce that I sang for this movie, and I won't help with any promotion."
It's worth noting that Robin had carefully considered making the song an interlude. Initially, she had planned to promote it heavily, but she realized that if everyone's primary motivation was to hear her new track, it might overshadow the film itself.
It's no exaggeration to say that even the best film score couldn't surpass the beauty of Robin's voice. If Robin were to actively promote the movie now, audiences would flock to theaters solely for her new song, completely missing the film's merits, regardless of its quality.
They'd be impatient, wondering when Robin's song would finally appear, unable to immerse themselves in the plot.
However, if Robin remained silent, ordinary moviegoers would enter the theater with no specific expectations, engrossed in the film's narrative. As the plot reached its climax, the sudden insertion of Robin's song would create an utterly breathtaking experience.
Even without Robin's active promotion, these moved viewers would naturally become passionate word-of-mouth advocates, sharing their overwhelming emotions with others and raving about both the film's brilliance and the song's captivating beauty.
Newcomers, dragged to the theater by friends and family, might initially think:
Is this movie really that good? Hmm, well, since Robin's new song is featured, I might as well give it a try. At worst, I'll just consider it a trip to hear her sing.
The entire meeting lasted about forty minutes. When Jiang Li finally emerged from the barbecue restaurant, she still felt somewhat dazed. In her left hand, she clutched a notebook bearing Robin's elegant signature, written in graceful handwriting. Her right hand held a USB drive—Robin's prearranged "surprise."
The conversation itself was unremarkable. Robin skillfully guided the discussion, while Jiang Li, as if her language module had malfunctioned, kept stuttering and stumbling. Yet Robin remained remarkably patient throughout.
"Miss Robin is just so gentle!" Jiang Li slipped the USB drive into her pocket, then hugged the notebook tightly to her chest, burying her face in it and taking a deep breath. "Mmm~ I can almost still smell her fragrance!"
"Ew~" Sparkle, standing nearby, shuddered at the sight. No way, sis! I much preferred your old rebellious self—all fiery aggression and punching bosses. How can such a tough girl act so bashful and coy like a lovesick teenager?
"Alright, the job's done. Let's get out of here before you start acting crazy!"
"But... it's Robin! I feel like I could die right now and have no regrets!" Jiang Li glanced at Sparkle. "Honestly, your reaction is the weird one! You spent the whole time buried in your food and barely said a word!"
"...Sparkle looked utterly exasperated.
To be fair, Sparkle could understand Jiang Li's fanatical behavior. But to act like this right in front of Robin herself, and then question why Sparkle wasn't joining in, was beyond ridiculous.
Of course, Jiang Li didn't know that Sparkle and Robin were the same person. But even if she did, the situation would still be utterly surreal.
After admiring the autograph for a long while, Jiang Li finally started walking. The two set off on foot toward a nearby intersection to hail a taxi back to the dilapidated factory in the secluded outskirts.
It's worth noting that along the way, Sparkle casually checked the System. She saw that the "Elation" objective was already at ninety-six percent completion. Despite the movie not being finished or even released yet, the task was nearly complete.
It seemed that the process of making this film had turned out far more amusing than she had anticipated.
Whether it was the joy of sharing her favorite stories or the amusement of watching Jiang Li's antics, Lü Heng was undoubtedly the mastermind behind it all.
"It's not really fair to keep targeting the same person with pranks," Sparkle mused. "I should make it up to him sometime."
As for how to compensate him, that was simple: she could have Robin buy him a small gift.
However, just as Sparkle was contemplating this, the saying "Speak of the devil..." proved true. The moment she reached the intersection, she turned her head and saw Lü Heng and Invincible Bro striding directly toward her.
Lü Heng, looking apologetic, said, "Anyway, I'm really sorry about that. How about I treat you to barbecue this time? Trust me, this place is amazing!"
Invincible Bro looked skeptical. "Is it really that good?"
"Yu Lin herself vouched for it," Lü Heng retorted. "If you don't trust my taste, surely you trust hers, right?"
Longcheng was a vast metropolis, and Sparkle never expected to run into Lü Heng here. It seemed like an incredible coincidence, but overhearing their conversation, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it than mere chance.
As they talked and walked, they inevitably noticed Sparkle and Jiang Li not far ahead and couldn't help but steal a few glances.
Jiang Li, with her disheveled hair and heavy dark circles, was one thing. But Sparkle was undeniably a stunningly beautiful young girl. Was it really so strange for a straight man to steal a few extra glances?
Lü Heng's gaze was harmless enough, but after a moment's hesitation, Invincible Bro actually activated his Ability.
Invincible Bro was a man of integrity. He rarely misused his Data Vision, and even when he uncovered secrets through it, he never revealed them without the individual's explicit consent.
But after meeting Robin and Miss Peace Dove (Firefly), two irresistibly adorable Outsider girls, he hesitated when he saw Sparkle. Her extraordinary beauty gave him pause.
After silently apologizing, a panel filled with garbled code materialized before him. Data Vision couldn't access information about Outsiders!