Chapter 19: Creating a Scandal (Part 2) (Second Update Seeking Recommendations)

  Thank you for the reward from Beifeng Qianqi classmates, thank you for the evaluation vote and urge to update from Royyi classmates... Didn't see it yesterday...

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  As I walked out of the coffee shop, the long street was filled with people swarming in all directions, chatting and laughing, children's playful shouts and cries blending together into a huge wave of noise hanging in the air. People were walking in twos or threes, either with friends or family members, entering and exiting various shops and stores, each one decorated with festive decorations outside. As I looked around, the street was teeming with people, and on both sides were rows of joyful red colors.

  If it were a few years ago, the Mid-Autumn Festival would not have been so lively on the streets. At that time, Koreans who still adhered to tradition would close their doors and take a break during the holidays. It wasn't until recently, when young people born in the 80s grew up to become the new backbone of society, and with the enrichment of entertainment facilities, that the power of tradition weakened somewhat.

  Not far from the coffee shop, in a large shopping mall, there was a crowded game zone. The music of the games was chaotic and noisy from row upon row of machines. Young people were excitedly wandering around, occasionally finding a game they liked but the machine was occupied, so they would stop and wait for a while, taking the opportunity to check out other people's skills. Sometimes they would also join in with the people playing the game, shouting excitedly together.

  In a corner, two young men and women wearing baseball caps and goggles, with somewhat suspicious behavior, were guarding a Beast King arcade game. The man was calm in temperament and rarely spoke, while the woman loved to pound on the machine, shouting loudly.

  "Come on, come on, come on...... Ah, what a crappy button, and the joystick isn't responsive either. Let's switch!"

  The two men changed places and the war went on.

  Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

  The girl continued to tap the keys vigorously, the machine groaned, and the screen came back to life. Her character was the old tiger used by the boy before, but she clearly wasn't very good at it, and soon her health bar was halved by the opposing batwoman.

  "I shine I shine... block! Why can't it be blocked ahhhhh!"

  "No way, I'm going to transform!"

  "Haha, I'm full of energy! Watch my combo... boom boom boom! Ah, why can you block it?!"

  The girl shouted loudly, her hand paused for a moment, then quickly seized the opportunity by the boy next to her, a burst of air killed, the screen shook violently, and the tiger was strangled by the bat.

  The girl was taken aback for a moment, staring at the jumping seconds on the screen, and then gritted her teeth, saying "Again!" in a disgruntled tone.

  Then continue.

  He looked at her with a bit of helplessness, An Junhe secretly shook his head. Originally, he brought Bao'er out of the coffee shop and into this mall, thinking she would go on a shopping spree. Who knew she pulled him straight to the game zone? A girl who's crazy about video games, unfortunately, her skills are terrible, but she refuses to admit defeat, making him feel a bit bored.

  They played two more rounds, and Baobao was still KO'd by An Junhe with full health. Baobao finally realized the insurmountable gap between them in gaming skills, and she huffily pulled An Junhe away to play other games. This time, however, she learned her lesson and didn't challenge An Junhe again, instead opting to bully younger kids.

  But apparently her skills were not enough to crush the little kids, sometimes she would win, and sometimes she would get beaten up with a swollen face, at which point she would puff out her cheeks, let An Junhe go up, help her regain the field, and after winning, she would proudly look down on the dejected little kid, with an air of superiority, as if she were the big sister who had just bullied the younger kids in kindergarten.

  "Don't you think this is too cruel?"

  He helped her get rid of another little friend who had previously killed her, and as he watched the boy's dejected back disappear into the distance, An Junhe shrugged his shoulders. "He must be very hurt now, and maybe even leave a psychological shadow."

  Bao'er was immersed in the satisfaction of having defeated another enemy, and with a casual wave of her hand, said "It doesn't matter, without experiencing wind and rain, how can you see a rainbow?"

  Of course, after saying that, she didn't continue with such childish and boring behavior. She took Ahn Jun-hee out of the game zone, went to buy some snacks, and then entered the amusement park on the upper floor.

  "Hey, isn't this something kids would come and play at?"

  Watching Bao'er jumping around a children's carousel, An Junhe patted his forehead and said with a mixture of laughter and tears.

  The little girl ignored him, looked for a while, tried it out, and found that she really couldn't get in. She reluctantly gave up and continued to wander around to see the trampoline, seesaw, and slide, all of which were children's versions, completely dispelling her enthusiasm: "Isn't there anything here that adults can play with?"

  Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, looking very dissatisfied.

  An Junhe smiled and said: "This is an indoor playground, if you really want to play, we can go to Lotte!"

  "Great... " Her eyes were distant and yearning for a moment, but then became gloomy: "Forget it, that place is too far away, we don't have so much time..."

  Yes, there isn't much time left. Although I managed to escape from my agent's side, I won't be able to leave for too long. When the sun outside the window sets, no matter what, I'll have to go back to their side and continue repeating the life I've planned out for myself. These happy and free days are, after all, just an occasional luxury.

  As they spoke, the vitality that had previously been so loud and clear seemed to suddenly leave her body, and the lively and cheerful Baby gradually faded away, replaced by the mature and independent superstar Baobei.

  She turned back to him with a smile, shaking the snacks and hot coffee in her hand, saying: "There's a small park next to the mall, come sit with me for a while!"

  He also smiled gently, warm and tolerant: "Hmm!"

  ……

  "...Just now in the mall, you must have thought I was very childish, right?"

  The small park is not large, standing in a circular shape near the city, surrounded by a concrete steel fence. Inside is a forest, with several shaded paths crisscrossing through it. At the end of the forest, there is a pond in the center, and the autumn wind blows ripples on the water. The sunlight from the west passes through the trees, casting dappled shadows.

  By the side of the pond, there were some wooden benches. The two of them casually found one and sat down after brushing off the fallen leaves. Holding snacks, Bao'er was eating absent-mindedly while staring at the rippling golden light on the water's surface, and asked him.

  An Junhe thought for a moment and nodded: "A little!"

  "Hmph!" She laughed and nudged him with her shoulder, then let out a sigh: "After entering the company at 13, I never went back to those places again. At that time, I didn't understand anything, Teacher Li Xiuman and the people around me all said I was great, that I could be a big star, so I just thought about debuting quickly and living the glamorous life of stars on TV, practicing hard, practicing, and still practicing. Then at 14, I really debuted, and really became a big star quickly, but suddenly discovered that being a star wasn't as wonderful as I thought. In the summer, I couldn't wear cool clothes to go out because I was afraid of being seen through; in the winter, I couldn't wear thick down jackets to keep warm because they weren't fashionable; when eating, I couldn't gobble my food because I had to be elegant, and even when happy, I couldn't laugh loudly because it would ruin my image... nothing was allowed, nothing was okay. The more I grew up, the more successful my career became, but looking back, life became less and less happy..."

  She turned her face, the gentle breeze blew, a few strands of hair fell from the brim of her hat, blown messy by the wind. Underneath the hair was her faint smile: "...Actually, I don't like those games, I just want to find back my old self - the me who doesn't need to worry about so much, and can do whatever I want."

  Looking at that slightly melancholic smile, An Junhe opened his mouth, but didn't know how to comfort her.

  He is not a treasure, can't understand the loneliness and desolation of living under the spotlight and camera at 14 years old.

  The air between them was a bit dull for a while, with only the gentle rustling of leaves and the sound of trees swaying in the wind. It wasn't until a pleasant piano melody drifted over from afar that they suddenly broke free from this stifling atmosphere.

  She smoothed out those few disheveled strands of hair, smiled and said: "Hehe, this topic seems to be a bit sad, let's finish the snacks and head back?"

  Looking at her, An Junhe said softly: "Don't play anymore? The sky hasn't darkened yet."

  "It doesn't matter, what's the point of trying anyway? Another hour or two won't make a difference." She shrugged indifferently and then seemed to remember something, looking towards the direction where the sound of the accordion was coming from - it was a small plaza on the other side of the pond, where a street performer was playing for people strolling by.

  She suddenly pulled An Junhe and laughed: "Let's go, we're going over there!"

  "What's going on?"

  "Go and you'll know!"

  An Junhe was unclear, so he had to let her pull him along, and the two of them jogged past the small road. In the fountain square, a crowd had already gathered to listen with interest to the street performer's music. After arriving at the destination, Bao'er asked An Junhe to wait for a moment, then squeezed into the crowd and said something to the street performer. Afterwards, she saw the street performer nodding and smiling as he handed over his accordion.

  Holding the accordion, Bao'er excitedly pulled An Junhe to sit down at a small flower bed by the square and, with a cute gesture, slightly curtsied: "Junhe, to thank you for your company just now, I'll play a song for you, okay?"

  An Junhe smiled and looked at her, then nodded: "Okay!"

  "Hmm, have you seen the movie "Amélie"? I'll play a waltz for Amélie, I've practiced it for a long time!"

  As she spoke, she pulled it twice, tried the sound, and after a moment, a happy and elegant melody rang out on the small square by the pond.

  The sun hanging in the western sky, gradually revealed the crimson of sunset, under the swaying tree shadows extending from that side, the girl slightly closed her eyes, immersed in the classical piano sound. The weak sunlight passed through the gaps between the leaves, casting a light spot, gently enveloping her, in the soft glow, beside her seemed to rise a hazy mist, in which, as if there was a vague shadow of a girl dancing lightly.

  For some reason, although it was a lively tune, Ahn Jun-hee suddenly felt a pang of sadness. He quietly gazed at her, the smile on his lips slowly fading away.

  The crowd that had been watching the street performer play earlier also slowly gathered around, listening quietly as well, until a certain moment was shattered by a sharp scream:

  "It's Treasure! She is Treasure!"

  In this scream, people stared blankly at the girl pulling the accordion, and in the next moment, more screams came.

  The crowd surged forward, the accordion sound stopped abruptly. An Junhe, who was blocked outside, looked through the chaotic figures and saw the girl surrounded by people swarming around her, hugging the accordion with elegance and smiling graciously.

  Suddenly it seems like I understand a little, why there is sadness.

  At this moment, in his feeling, the last trace of "Quan Baoer" on that girl's body disappeared...

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