Chapter 197: Harem Road Trip

We wrapped up our shower, the lingering warmth and quiet intimacy completely washing away the exhaustion of the road.

A short while later, fresh and changed, we headed straight down to the mansion’s private studio. Ruby was in comfortable studio clothes, pacing in front of the condenser mic with a sheet of paper clutched tightly in her hand.

She started humming a line, tried to hit the transition into the chorus, and immediately stopped with a frustrated groan.

"Ugh, no, that’s not it!"

She balled up the sheet of paper, tossed it toward the overflowing trash can, and ran both hands through her hair in pure irritation.

I stepped up beside the mixing console, leaning over the talkback button before walking into the tracking room. "Alright, timeout. What’s going wrong in that head of yours?"

Ruby slumped back against the high-back stool, clutching a fresh notepad to her chest and looking up at me with a tired pout.

"The lyrics are right here, Ethan," she groaned, tapping her temple. "I know what the emotion felt like when we were leaving that diner and standing out under the streetlamps. But every time I try to sing the chorus melody, my brain defaults to my usual pop structure. It sounds too polished, too calculated. I want it to feel raw—like how it felt when Emiliana was playing beside me. I just can’t bridge the gap between what I felt out there and what I’m hitting in here."

I walked up to her stool, taking a moment to just pace slowly around the room, letting the ambient lights of the soundboard reflect off the acoustic panels. I didn’t want to push her too hard, but I knew she needed a spark.

I paused behind her, resting a hand lightly on the wooden frame of her chair, and focused my mind.

The system panel flickered to life in my vision.

[Ding!]

Target: Ruby

Status: Creative Block detected.

[AVAILABLE GLOWUP: DEBUT ALBUM MILESTONE SPECIAL]

Effect: Writer’s Block Breakthrough

Completion Reward: 100x Cashback Multiplier

100x Cashback. The numbers barely made me blink. The system was just doing its usual job of laying out the incentives; the real problem was figure out how to actually get her through that wall. Writer’s block wasn’t something you could just force out of someone in a soundproof room with LED panels.

What could actually trigger a breakthrough for her right now? What brought her out of her shell in the first place?

My mind drifted back to where she was most herself—the open air, the diner in the countryside. The way she sang when she wasn’t trapped inside four foam-lined walls trying to make something "marketable."

That was it.

I casually spun her studio chair around so she was facing me directly.

"I have an idea," I said, leaning against the edge of the recording desk.

Ruby blinked, looking up at me through her messy hair. "What kind of idea?"

"What about an album?" I smiled, letting the concept take shape. "A full live album. Not recorded in some sterile studio, but right back in that town. We take a mobile setup, set up top-tier production right there on the farm or in the diner, and track it raw. The diner crowd, the countryside noise, Emiliana backing you up on guitar... the whole story writes itself."

Ruby’s eyes widened, the frustration instantly melting from her face as the vision hit her.

"A live country-pop fusion album... recorded right where it started," she whispered, a massive smile slowly breaking across her face. "Ethan... that’s genius! The media’s already obsessing over the ’runaway lover’ angle—imagine dropping an entire raw, live-recorded project from the exact place I vanished to!"

She leaped up off the stool, throwing her arms around my neck, her lost melody completely forgotten in the wave of pure, fresh inspiration.

"Should I tell my manager about it now?" Ruby asked, her eyes sparkling as she already started planning ahead. "We could have her prepare the rollout—start dropping tiny, raw teasers. Little acoustic snippets, unedited country clips... build up the mystery for the album release."

"That’s a solid strategy, but timing is everything," I warned, raising a finger. "Make sure she doesn’t launch the campaign before we actually finish tracking out there. The last thing we need is thousands of fans and paparazzi flooding that quiet countryside town before we even lay down the first vocal track."

Ruby snapped her fingers, nodding in instant agreement. "Right! Absolute secrecy until the live tracks are wrapped."

She pulled out her phone, her thumb flying across the screen as she composed a high-priority message. "I’ll tell my manager to hold the press release, get the studio gear logistics moving in secret, and prepare the teaser campaign for the exact moment we finish recording."

Chloe stood leaning against the studio doorframe, her arms crossed over her chest and an eyebrow raised in deadpan suspicion.

"Planning to disappear on me again?" she asked, tilting her head.

I chuckled, leaning back against the soundboard console. "I was literally just about to come up and tell you."

"Good," Chloe said flatly, uncrossing her arms. "Because I’m coming with you."

Ruby’s head snapped up. "Uh... wait, what?"

Before anyone could debate it, Patricia peeked her head out from behind Chloe, wringing her hands with a soft, determined smile. "Um... I’m coming too! I can help manage the logistics and make sure everyone actually eats real meals."

I laughed, looking past them into the hallway toward May, who was leaning back on the sofa tossing a set of car keys in the air. "What about you, May? Joining the country expedition?"

May smirked, catching her keys with a sharp snap. "Nope. I’m good. Someone’s gotta stay behind and keep the house from falling apart—plus, country roads are way too slow for my taste. Y’all have fun playing farm stars."

Ruby dramatically clutched her chest, letting out an outraged gasp. "Wait, what?! No way! It hasn’t even been a week yet! I was supposed to have you all to myself for twenty-eight days!"

She glared at Chloe and Patricia, wrapping her arms around my waist in a tight deadlock, practically pinning me to the soundboard.

"I smiled, patting her head while trying to untangle myself from her grip. "Relax, sunshine. There’s enough of me to go around."

"There is not enough of you," Ruby grumbled into my shirt, though her possessive pout was already starting to crumble into a stubborn smile.

"Alright, enough complaining," I laughed, clapping my hands together to get everyone’s attention. "If we’re turning this live album session into a full countryside road trip with the crew, we’ve got actual work to do. Everyone go pack your bags—we hit the road as soon as the gear’s loaded."

I leaned back against the hood of the lead SUV, tossing my small duffel into the back. Between Sarah’s terrifying efficiency and her team’s precision, the heavy recording equipment, mobile mixing rigs, and soundproofing gear were already packed, secured, and ready to roll.

The front doors of the mansion clicked open, and the girls started coming down the steps.

Chloe was the first to walk up, slinging a modest, sleek overnight bag over her shoulder. She stopped beside me, leaning against the vehicle and looking at the massive convoy with a weary, affectionate sigh.

"When was the last time we actually went out... just the two of us, without a full security detail or a portable music studio following behind?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

I smiled, reaching out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Honestly? Way too long. I owe you a whole lot of dates when this crazy album run is over, Chloe. I promise."

Chloe’s lips twitched into a soft, genuine smile, the tension completely leaving her eyes as she leaned her head against my shoulder for a brief second before opening the passenger door. "I’m holding you to that."