The venue for the Martial Arts Capital Charity Gala was brightly lit. The massive stage was decorated with an atmosphere that was both warm and grand; colored light strips wound around the supports, and the background screen played Jing Liuli's latest music video on a loop.
Jing Liuli had just finished arranging late-night snacks for the staff. She took the sheet music handed over by her assistant and leaned against a sofa at the edge of the stage to look through it. Her long purple hair was loosely tied into a bun, with the ends draping over her shoulders. She had shed her usual naive playfulness, replacing it with the elegant aura of a stage performer.
"Sister Liuli, it'll be our turn for the final rehearsal in half an hour. The costumes and makeup are all ready," the assistant reminded her softly, her eyes involuntarily drifting toward a few boxes of desserts piled next to the sofa.
Those were specifically requested by Jing Liuli as "energy supplies" to replenish her strength during rehearsal breaks.
"I know. I'll head over once I finish smoothing out this melody." Jing Liuli waved her hand, picked up a mango gummy with her fingers, and popped it into her mouth. With puffed cheeks, she mumbled, "Oh, and remember to keep my cup of hot mango drink warm. I want to drink it after the rehearsal."
Seeing Jing Liuli on screen acting like a lazy otaku girl rather than a big star, the bullet chat immediately erupted in banter.
'Hahahaha, Liuli really can't leave her desserts behind no matter where she goes. It's carved into her DNA.'
'Just a second ago, someone said she had a big star aura, and the next second she exposes her foodie nature.'
'Suddenly, I'm worried about what will happen if Instructor Yun Meng shows up and confiscates her sweets (doge face).'
Just as the words were spoken, a sudden commotion broke out at the entrance of the venue, accompanied by gasps from the staff and a low beastly growl.
Jing Liuli looked up in confusion just in time to see a crimson shadow flash over her head. The massive body of the Purgatory Demonic Dragon landed steadily on the open ground in the corner of the venue. Its scorching breath caused the surrounding temperature to spike instantly, sending the staff scrambling backward in fear.
Yun Meng sat perched atop the dragon's head, her black "big sister" style dress shimmering coldly under the lights. Her ink-black hair hung loosely over her shoulders, and her eyes carried a lazy smile.
Soon enough, Yun Meng's gaze accurately locked onto the bewildered Jing Liuli at the edge of the stage, her tone carrying a hint of mockery.
"Little Liuli, long time no see. You've certainly grown into your star status."
"?!"
The sheet music in Jing Liuli's hand hit the floor with a thud. She nearly choked on the gummy in her mouth and stood up abruptly, her first instinct being to find a place to hide.
"In... Instructor??? Wh-why are you here?!"
Faced with Jing Liuli's panicked state, the bullet chat began to roll instantly.
'Help! Liuli's reaction is too real! Her childhood trauma DNA is acting up.'
'Hahahaha, going from composed to utterly aghast takes only one Instructor Yun Meng!'
'Little Jin: I'm just a passing background character, here to snag a bit of screen time (holding a rose in mouth).'
Yun Meng leaped down from the dragon's head, her footsteps light as she wove through the crowd. The staff wanted to stop her but didn't dare, forced to watch as this woman with a powerful presence walked up to the stage. She reached out to pat the Purgatory Demonic Dragon's head, signaling it to stay quiet, and then walked step by step toward Jing Liuli, the smile in her eyes deepening.
"What? Are you that scared of me?"
"Seeing you like this makes your instructor quite sad."
As she spoke, Yun Meng put on an expression as if she were about to cry. But whether it was Jing Liuli or the interdimensional viewers, everyone could see that these were clearly crocodile tears! Because the corners of Yun Meng's mouth... hadn't dropped for a second!
"I-I'm not scared!"
Jing Liuli forced herself to be calm, straightening her back, though she unconsciously took a half-step back until her back nearly hit the sofa. "I just didn't expect you to come..."
Hearing this, Yun Meng walked over to Jing Liuli's sofa as if no one else were there. Her gaze swept over the beautifully packaged boxes of sweets on the table, and she lightly tapped them. To Jing Liuli's pained expression, Yun Meng accurately picked up a piece of mango mousse.
That was the "ultimate dessert" Jing Liuli had been eyeing and planned to save for the very end.
Yun Meng ignored Liuli's micro-expressions and playfully shook the mousse in her hand, the teasing in her voice growing thicker. "Liuli, you still love sweets this much. The smell of sugar hasn't even left your mouth. But eating like this, aren't you afraid your breath won't be steady during the rehearsal, causing you to go off-key?"
"N-no, I won't! My breath is very steady!" Jing Liuli spoke while hurriedly reaching out to snatch back her precious mousse.
But just as she stood on her tiptoes and extended her hand, Yun Meng lightly stepped aside to dodge her. Liuli watched helplessly as Yun Meng took a small bite of the mousse, the delicate cream sticking to the corner of her lips.
At this sight, Jing Liuli's heart wrenched. It was gone. The mango mousse she had specifically commissioned, the only one of its kind in the entire venue, was completely gone!
Although she was heartbroken over her dessert, faced with Yun Meng's powerful aura, Liuli could only suppress the urge to snatch it back. She clenched her skirt with both hands, glaring at Yun Meng with a pitiful, aggrieved look. With her slightly reddened eyes, she looked like a little hamster whose hidden stash of food had been stolen but didn't dare to resist. She even forgot to wipe the leftover gummy crumbs from the corner of her mouth.
'I'm dying of laughter! Liuli's "furious but dares not speak" look is too cute.'
'Instructor Yun Meng accurately grasped Liuli's weakness: sweets + childhood dark history.'
'I suggest Tendo and Caroline get here fast, or else Liuli's desserts are going to be ruined.'
Seeing the undisguisable grievance in her eyes, Yun Meng curled her lips in a good mood and handed the remaining half of the mousse back to her. "Alright, I'll stop teasing you. Here, take it, lest you lose your strength and collapse during the rehearsal."
Before Jing Liuli could breathe a sigh of relief, Yun Meng spoke again slowly, accurately poking at her childhood dark history. "By the way, I heard from Tendo that back then, to escape the weighted run arranged by the Doctor, you secretly hid a 'Dream Pillow' in your clothes. In the end, you were caught red-handed by the Doctor and cried, saying you'd never train again. Is that true?"
Hearing this, Jing Liuli's face turned red from her cheeks to the tips of her ears, looking like a ripe cherry. She quickly took the mousse and stuffed it into her mouth, defending herself indistinctly.
"That was just because I was young and didn't know better! And I finished the run later anyway! Instructor, why do you always bring that up? That was so many years ago!"
As she spoke, Jing Liuli stole a glare at Yun Meng, her eyes full of the accusation: If you bring it up again, I'll cry for you to see. Yet, she didn't dare glare for too long, fearing Yun Meng would leak even more embarrassing stories. Thus, she could only chew the mousse rapidly, pretending to be an oblivious "ostracized ostrich."
Just then, an assistant ran over with an anxious tone. "Sister Liuli, the rehearsal is about to start. The director is rushing us."
Hearing this, Jing Liuli seemed to catch a lifeline. She waved her hand hurriedly at Yun Meng, her voice tinged with haste. "Instructor, I have to go to rehearsal! I'll chat with you after it's over!"
After speaking, Jing Liuli practically fled toward the backstage, her purple skirt sweeping across the floor, even forgetting to pick up the sheet music left on the sofa. Her disheveled retreat looked as if a wild beast were chasing her, fearing that a single second of delay would result in Yun Meng digging up more childhood embarrassments.
Watching her flustered silhouette, Yun Meng chuckled and turned to the Purgatory Demonic Dragon. "Little Jin, let's wait for her here and see just how capable our little star really is."
The Demonic Dragon gave a low howl and lay obediently on the ground, its golden beastly pupils curiously scanning the surrounding lights and crowds, looking like a large pet out on its first walk.
'Hahahaha, Liuli escaped so fast! I feel like if she stayed another second, she'd suffer social death.'
'Little Jin: It's my first time watching a concert rehearsal, how novel (peeking).'
'Instructor Yun Meng's sitting posture is too cool! Sitting on a dragon's head as an audience member—peak status.'
Backstage, Jing Liuli quickly changed into her performance outfit while the makeup artist touched up her look. She was absentmindedly mumbling, "It's over, it's over. Why did the Instructor suddenly show up... surely she isn't really going to talk about my dark history at the gala?"
"Sister Liuli, is that lady an elder of yours? Her aura is so strong," the makeup artist asked curiously.
"Sort of... she was my instructor when I was little. She's super scary!" Jing Liuli wrinkled her face, recalling the days of being supervised by Yun Meng during training, and couldn't help but shudder. "She was always confiscating my snacks, and she'd make me cry every time."
As she was speaking, Jing Liuli's communicator rang. It was a message from Caroline, telling her that she and Tendo had finished processing the base matters and were on their way to Martial Arts Capital. She specifically added: "Instructor Yun Meng should have arrived by now; don't let her scare you again."
Seeing the message, Jing Liuli's grievance hit its peak, and she replied instantly. "Hurry up and get here! The Instructor is bullying me! She even stole my mousse!"
On the other side, inside the aircraft, Caroline laughed as she read the message and handed the communicator to Tendo. "Liuli says she's being scared by Instructor Yun, and that the Instructor stole her mousse."
Tendo took the communicator, a trace of a smile flashing in his eyes as he looked at Jing Liuli's aggrieved emoji. "It's just a box of mousse, not a big deal." He paused and added, "Besides, compared to that, I'm more curious about Sister Yun's purpose in making a public appearance this time. You should know that many people within the Association still remember what happened twenty years ago."
Hearing Tendo's words, Caroline instantly understood what he meant. Actually, thinking about it, with Yun Meng's talent, she must have been quite famous before joining Ember. But such a genius Star Envoy had actively chosen to become a member of an underground organization like Ember. No one would believe there wasn't a story behind that.
As one of the few people with a very good relationship with Yun Meng, Tendo was clearly one of the rare individuals who knew her origins.
[8:00 PM, Martial Arts Capital]
On the stage, the music slowly began. Jing Liuli took a deep breath, suppressed the fluster in her heart, and walked to the center of the stage. Faint purple Star Source slowly spread out as "Daydream" enveloped the entire venue. The gentle halo interlaced with the images on the background screen, instantly maximizing the atmosphere.
As she began to sing, a clear and powerful voice immediately spread throughout the arena. Before long, Jing Liuli was completely immersed in her stage world, her previous fluster long gone.
On the other side, Yun Meng sat atop the dragon's head, watching Jing Liuli on stage seriously, a hint of gratification flashing in her eyes. She lightly tapped the dragon's scales, her tone carrying a bit of sentiment. "This girl has become much more reliable than before."
The Demonic Dragon gave a low howl, seemingly in agreement, its golden beastly pupils fixed on Jing Liuli on stage. It looked obedient and well-behaved, a far cry from its status as a Cataclysm-class Star Beast.
'Liuli's stage presence is amazing! Truly a big star.'
'Instructor Yun Meng's gratification can't be hidden! She really is sharp-tongued but soft-hearted.'
'Little Jin: I'm just a good baby watching the show (nodding).'
When the song ended, thunderous applause rang out. Jing Liuli bowed slightly, her gaze instinctively sweeping toward the corner of the venue, locking right onto Yun Meng's eyes. Her heart tightened, and she was about to bow and exit when she saw Yun Meng raise a hand and make a "come here" gesture, a playful smile still on her lips.
Jing Liuli trudged over slowly, her head hanging low and her hands nervously clutching her skirt. She rehearsed various responses to teasing in her mind, bracing herself for another "critical hit."
However, to her surprise, Yun Meng took a warm bottle of drink out of her spatial accessory and held it out to her. The bottle glowed with a faint orange-red light and emitted a slight heat. That was a special drink Yun Meng brewed using Lava Crystal Cores; it had a rich but not greasy taste and was something she would occasionally reward them with back then when they performed well.
"Not a bad song. This is your reward." Yun Meng's tone was flat, but she specifically held the drink out to her hand and added, "Remember not to eat sweets all the time. Change your palate once in a while so your throat can handle high-intensity singing."
"Th-thank you, Instructor..." Jing Liuli froze, instinctively taking the drink. The warmth traveled from her fingertips to her heart, making her forget her nervousness instantly.
She held the drink and looked up, seeing the gratification Yun Meng couldn't hide. The instructor's eyes lacked their usual severity and mockery, instead showing a hint of tenderness. Liuli remembered that when she used to cry from exhaustion during training, Yun Meng was always like this—scolding her for being fragile while silently handing over an energy drink. After confiscating her snacks, she would compensate her twofold when she performed well.
At this thought, the fluster in Jing Liuli's heart gradually dissipated, replaced by a spark of warmth. She whispered softly, "Actually... Instructor, you're not that scary."
Although Liuli's voice was as quiet as a mosquito's hum, Yun Meng caught it.
'!!! Instructor Yun Meng actually gave a reward! "Sharp-tongue soft-heart" confirmed.'
'Liuli's stunned look is so cute! Her childhood trauma was instantly healed by a single drink.'
Just then, familiar voices came from the entrance. Jing Liuli looked up to see Tendo and Caroline walking toward them. Tendo was holding a familiar tin box, and Caroline walked beside him with a gentle smile.
"Tendo! Caroline!"
Jing Liuli's eyes lit up. She instantly ditched Yun Meng and, like a little beast finding its backup, ran over quickly. She grabbed Caroline's arm, rubbing her head against her shoulder while complaining pitifully.
"You guys finally made it! The Instructor bullied me! She stole my mango mousse and kept bringing up my embarrassing childhood stories. I almost suffered social death!"
As she spoke, Liuli didn't forget to steal a glance at the approaching Yun Meng, her eyes full of the expectation: Hurry and help back me up!
However, Tendo clearly didn't fall for it. He laughed and rubbed her hair, then handed the tin box to her. "Alright, Liuli, stop it. I brought something for you. Look and see what it is."
Jing Liuli took the tin box and opened it. Inside were faded blueberry patterns and sugar that had clumped from moisture. She instantly recognized it as another jar of candy she had hidden in the base's ceiling back then. Her eyes lit up instantly. "My candy! You guys actually found it!"
Yun Meng walked over. Seeing Jing Liuli hiding behind Caroline, only sticking her head out to peek at her, the instructor shook her head helplessly and lightly flicked Liuli's forehead. "You ungrateful little thing. I bought you a drink and you still say I'm bullying you."
Although Yun Meng's tone was full of reproach, there was no true anger. The Purgatory Demonic Dragon lay obediently to the side, its golden beastly eyes full of boredom. After all, in its mind, what was the point of candy? How could those tiny things stuck in teeth be better than big, hard metal? It really couldn't understand what these people were thinking.