Chapter 499 - 498: IF-Line: Did the Big Shot Compete for Favor Today? 67

Chapter 499: Chapter 498: IF-Line: Did the Big Shot Compete for Favor Today? 67

’It wasn’t acting like itself anymore...’

The words echoed in Shi Lan’s mind. ’Maybe the cat really was the original cat, but when my soul entered it, my human consciousness was stronger and temporarily suppressed the cat’s own soul.’

’And after I left, the kitten’s soul returned, which is why Jiang Xia felt like the cat’s personality had changed.’

’But he said... the cat looked down on him for being a slacker?’

Shi Lan didn’t know why he would think that. ’I never forced them to study or anything...’

She looked up, and seeing Jiang Xia’s crestfallen expression as he thought about the cat, she couldn’t help but say, "Even though cats can’t talk, they love their owners very much. You shouldn’t overthink it."

Jiang Xia’s teary eyes met hers. The corners of his rosy lips curved into a smile, and his face was full of emotion. "You’re so kind, Sis."

Shi Lan’s comforting expression stiffened for a moment. She shook her head helplessly. "Okay, you should head home now."

"Okay~"

Jiang Xia was reluctant to leave, but he had already talked with Shi Lan for so long. He felt it would be too shameless to stay any longer, so he could only nod.

After Jiang Xia left, Shi Lan closed the door and leaned against it, unable to stop a quiet sigh. She hadn’t expected her "departure" to have affected Jiang Xia so much, but she’d truly never looked down on the two of them for being slackers.

Still, she was genuinely happy for him, seeing that he’d managed to get into a good university.

Shi Lan pulled herself from her thoughts and went back to the sofa to continue eating her fruit. She opened her phone and checked her WeChat transfers, looking over the income from her shop’s orders. It really was nice to own a shop. After expenses, payroll, and other costs, the actual monthly profit was probably around thirty to forty thousand.

Last month had been the highest. The shop had gone viral, bringing in a lot of foot traffic and even some clout-chasing influencers, so the profit was over a hundred thousand.

Shi Lan hadn’t been to the shop much this month, but based on the daily revenue, she could make a rough estimate.

For a place like L City, with its cost of living, this income was already excellent. Shi Lan wasn’t greedy.

She was happily calculating her money when a WeChat video call came in. It was Chen Xinyi.

Shi Lan answered, but before she could ask what was up, Chen Xinyi started squealing with excitement from the other side of the screen.

"AHHHHHH! Sis! Sis! The most amazing news ever!"

"Teacher Yan’s first-ever concert is going to be at the L City Central Stadium! Oh my god, it’s right here! This is amazing!"

"I heard a while ago from Teacher Yan’s team that he was planning a concert, but since he’s been focused on breaking into TV and movies this year, I thought it wouldn’t happen. I can’t believe it’s not only happening, but it’s happening right here!"

"Oh, right, the first round of ticket sales starts at 3 p.m.! You have to help me try to get them. Or better yet, let’s go together! We’ll buy two tickets. Lanlan, you have to come with me, please! It’ll be my treat! AHHHHH, Teacher Yan, Teacher Yan..."

Shi Lan hadn’t managed to say a single word, but Chen Xinyi had already rattled off a whole speech in her excitement.

Yan Huoshui was the first celebrity she had ever seriously been a fan of, so she was quite emotionally invested.

However, her feelings were purely that of a fan for her idol, nothing more complicated.

It took a while before Shi Lan could get a word in. "Yan Huoshui is holding his first-ever concert here?"

It wasn’t just Chen Xinyi who was surprised; Shi Lan was also baffled. It wasn’t that L City was a bad place, but shouldn’t his debut concert be in a bustling, first-tier city or a venue with some special significance?

’But what’s so special about L City?’

"Yeah, yeah! Didn’t he release a teaser for a new single a while ago? He’s going to sing it at the concert. It’s called... ’Benefactor,’ I think? I’ve only heard the free snippet, but anyway, the style is a little different from Teacher Yan’s usual stuff. It’s dreamier and gentler..."

As she spoke, Chen Xinyi couldn’t help but cover her face, completely fangirling. She was normally a pretty serious person, but she just couldn’t resist how handsome Teacher Yan was, or how gentle he sounded when he sang. She’d been listening to those few lines on repeat at night, so much so that her boyfriend had gotten jealous a couple of times.

"Be-Benefactor?"

Shi Lan’s face fell. ’Why would he call it that?’

"Yeah, that’s the one. What’s wrong?"

"N-nothing..."

Realizing her expression must have looked strange, Shi Lan forced herself to stay calm in front of her best friend.

’Maybe I’m overthinking it. I was just a cat. Even though Yan Huoshui and the others named me "Benefactor," my charm couldn’t have been so great that he’d still be hung up on me, right?’

Luckily, Chen Xinyi was too caught up in the news about Yan Huoshui’s concert to pay much attention to her friend’s expression. She just said excitedly, "I’ll hum it for you."

She had been listening to it every day recently and was already very familiar with the opening melody, so she started to sing.

"The afternoon sun,

Like holy light grazing past you,

You lift your eyelids, ever so slightly,

And a speck of light leaps into my heart,

Like a phantom dream, bringing beauty in its wake..."

Shi Lan was completely captivated, but Chen Xinyi trailed off mid-song.

On the other side of the screen, Chen Xinyi saw her friend’s rapt expression and shrugged helplessly. "Lanlan, I’d love to sing the rest, but the full version hasn’t been released yet. It’s just a teaser. We’ll have to wait until after the concert to hear it all."

"But isn’t the opening great?"

For the moment, Shi Lan pushed aside her thoughts about Yan Huoshui’s motives and nodded in agreement. To be fair, Yan Huoshui was incredibly talented at singing and songwriting. When he was on that music competition show, the song that made him famous was one he had written and composed all by himself.

"So, for the sake of such a beautiful song, Lanlan, you have to come with me! Please, please~"

Chen Xinyi couldn’t help but resort to her ultimate wheedling technique. She would never ask her boyfriend to something like a concert; it was nowhere near as fun as going with her best friend.

A smile played on Shi Lan’s lips. "Who said I wasn’t going?"

Although she was still suspicious of Yan Huoshui’s motives, she was a human now. What was there to be afraid of? Besides, he was a huge star; it wasn’t like he could get too close to his fans anyway.

’After all,’ Shi Lan thought, ’we once had a master-and-pet dynamic. As his former cat master, what’s wrong with going to support him?’

Chen Xinyi was overjoyed. "That’s great! Okay, Lanlan, let’s both try to get two tickets each and see who succeeds. If we both manage to get them, we can just return a pair or sell them to someone else, right?"

"Though the chances of that are pretty slim."

Teacher Yan has a massive fanbase, and this is his first concert. She was more worried about not getting any tickets at all than getting too many.

That’s why she’d already mobilized several people to help her camp out for the ticket drop!

As if sensing her friend’s anxiety, Shi Lan reassured her, "Don’t worry, we’ll get tickets."

’If my friend wants to go this badly,’ she thought, ’I’ll help her get a ticket even if I have to pay a scalper’s price. It doesn’t matter if I go, but I have to help her make this wish come true.’

"Mhm, okay, Lanlan! I’ve got to get back to work, but don’t forget to keep an eye on the time!~"

"Okay."

Shi Lan smiled. Worried her friend was working too hard, she added, "If you get tired, stop by my shop for some tea and dessert to rest a bit. Put it on my tab."

"Mwah!~ Thanks, my favorite big boss."

Chen Xinyi was grinning from ear to ear. Seeing this, Shi Lan finally hung up the call.