My daily life is getting weird because I am caught between being in a band and being an idol.

Do you know about virtual idols?

Chaoyang asked with a serious expression.

"Virtual idol?"

Xiangzi was slightly taken aback, clearly unfamiliar with the term.

Seeing this, Chaoyang secretly realized that this world might not yet have developed a mature virtual idol market. He continued speaking as he pondered this.

"Simply put, it's about using virtual avatars as a foundation and combining them with real voice actors to create idol activities. It allows for holding concerts, releasing merchandise, accepting advertisements, and even interacting with audiences worldwide across platforms. Most importantly, it has low risk, controllable costs, and extremely high fan loyalty."

Holo also reached a turnover of around 300 billion yen in just a few years... Although from a corporate perspective, that's not a lot—not even enough to cover my uncle's losses for half a year—my goal isn't to become some kind of Fortune 500 company in Japan.

Chapter 180 I'm sorry! Qian Sheng! (Xiangzi, Qian Sheng)

After listening to Chaoyang's explanation, Xiangzi did not respond immediately. Instead, she closed her eyes, picked up her teacup, and continued to sip her tea. Her movements remained elegant, but the cold expression on her face made the atmosphere somewhat stiff.

"Hmph... You don't need to tell me. This is your company. You can make your own decisions."

She said it casually, her tone indifferent.

"...Don't say that. From now on, we're truly in the same boat."

Chaoyang leaned closer with a grin, teasingly making it sound lighthearted.

"Snapped!"

Xiangzi slammed the teacup back onto the saucer with a sharp thud. She opened her eyes, her sharp gaze fixed on the rising sun, her tone tinged with annoyance.

"Are you deliberately trying to provoke me?"

"How could that be..."

Chaoyang quickly waved his hand, still smiling.

"I've already shared my thoughts, what about yours? You should at least offer some advice."

Upon hearing this, Xiangzi frowned slightly, lowered his gaze, and stared at the calm tea in his cup. After a moment of silence, he spoke softly:

"I don't understand what you're talking about, so I won't make a judgment. However, my opinion is that we should maintain the current pace for now and not make too many changes rashly. Too many ideas could lead to self-destruction."

She paused, looked up at the rising sun, and continued, "You're quite good at discovering talent. Why not do more talent scouting, find those promising but yet-to-be-discovered bands or independent musicians, sign them, and nurture them... However, this is ultimately just a drop in the ocean, and it's difficult to turn things around in a short time."

"but......"

Xiangzi's gaze became more composed. "After all, there are still three years left. My advice is to consolidate the current situation in the first year and proceed steadily. Wait until you have a deeper understanding of the market before considering venturing into new areas. Otherwise, you will only fail because of recklessness."

After all, it takes time to find someone to do the face painting.

At this moment, Chaoyang noticed that Xiangzi seemed to have other thoughts on his mind.

"..."

Chaoyang vaguely sensed a deeper meaning in Xiangzi's words, but her expression was so cold that it was impossible to guess what she meant. Although he had questions, Chaoyang didn't intend to press the matter further, as he was quite tired after a long day.

The two chatted casually, their conversation ranging from the current state of the agency to idol development and future plans. As time passed, the sky outside gradually darkened, and the light inside the room became dim and soft.

Chaoyang stretched and said lazily:

"...Hmm~ It's getting dark, and it's getting late... Let's wash up and go to bed."

Before he could even react, with a "bang," Chaoyang was ruthlessly thrown outside, and then the door was slammed shut.

Thrown outside, Chaoyang stood in the night, eyes wide, a look of disbelief on his face.

"Wait, this guy... how did he throw me out like that!?"

. .

The atmosphere in the office was more lively than usual, with whispers going around in almost every corner about the same gossip: the Toyokawa zaibatsu's 100 million yen remittance and the rumor that the president spent the night at Toyokawa Shoko's house last night.

"Hey, did you hear? The president spent the night with that Toyokawa guy yesterday!"

"Huh? Didn't they already have an affair?"

"What's even more shocking is that you might not know that Toyokawa Shoko is possibly the heiress of the Toyokawa zaibatsu! Yesterday, our company suddenly received a remittance from a Toyokawa-affiliated company!"

"how much is it?"

"One hundred million!"

Discussions arose one after another, and even intensified.

"What? One hundred million? I heard it's one billion! And that's just Miss Toyokawa's allowance for one day!"

"No way... The Toyokawa Zaibatsu is so rich, what does she see in our president? He's only average-looking and his education is just so-so."

"To be honest, I thought the president would end up with one of his idols, but it turned out to be Toyokawa Shoko! Men really do love money more... I'd definitely choose Ms. Shirasagi!"

"Hmm? What's wrong with me?"

A cold voice suddenly rang out behind the two gossipy employees, instantly making them feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar. The two turned around stiffly, only to see Bai Lu Qian Sheng standing there with a smile, elegant and gentle, yet there was a strange sense of oppression in that smile.

"Ah! White, Miss White Heron, good morning! Sorry, we were just bragging!"

If you hear anything, please don't take it seriously, I'm a huge fan of yours! So... well, anyway, I'm sorry!

One of the employees was so nervous that he was incoherent, and even had beads of sweat on his forehead, as if he had committed a terrible crime.

Qian Sheng chuckled gently, her tone completely devoid of any hostility: "Hehe~ How could that be? I'm overjoyed to be liked by fans. As long as it's not too excessive, it's fine. However, please keep your gossip conversations within limits during work hours. Alright, you guys get back to work."

After saying that, Qian Sheng walked straight towards where the sun was. However, the moment she turned her head, the smile on her face vanished, replaced by a cold expression.

When Qian Sheng reached Chao Yang's workstation, he stopped, crossed his arms, looked down at Chao Yang who was flipping through documents, and asked with a forced smile.

"…Agent, can you explain what's going on?…Is there something I don't know?"

Chaoyang thought for a moment and then answered.

"Uh... I don't even know where to begin."

"Producer, do you think I'm joking with you?"

"...Haa..."

Chaoyang sighed, knowing there was no way to avoid it this time, but also knowing he couldn't reveal the whole truth. So he scratched his head and said helplessly, "Actually, although I don't know what rumors you heard, they're definitely unrelated to the truth. However... this matter involves Xiangzi's privacy, so... I can't say more."

"Oh?"

Qian Sheng narrowed his eyes, a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone, "Then what is the real situation? Producer, hiding things like this is easy to cause misunderstandings."

Chaoyang smiled wryly and looked up to meet Qiansheng's gaze, his tone sincere and firm.

"However, one thing will never change: no matter what happens, I will continue to be your producer."

Upon hearing this, Qian Sheng was slightly taken aback and gave a wry smile.

"...Honestly, producer...you always use sweet talk...It's true, even though nothing has happened yet, I'm always worried. It's really one of my bad habits."

I'm sorry, a lot has actually happened to Qian Sheng!

Chapter 181 You guys need to make a lot of money for me (PasPale)

Inside the firm, the employees watched Chaoyang and Qiansheng walk out of the company, and then they started gossiping and chattering together again.

"...Could it be that Miss Shirahime was cruelly abandoned by the president, so she went out to negotiate?"

"No, his expression seems quite normal."

"Idiot, Miss Bailu has been an actress since she was a child. Of course, she can't show her emotions!"

"What a pity, I thought the club president would end up with one of those girls from Chuxing..."

Discussions rose and fell, with everyone seemingly completely absorbed in their own gossip world.

Finally, it was an assistant in charge of scheduling who spoke up to remind them.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Miss Bailu has an outdoor shoot today. She was scheduled to go out for work, which is why she came to the agency today to go out with the part-time producer president."

However, the main characters who were being hotly discussed, Asahi and Chisato, who was wearing a mask, hat, and sunglasses, had already gotten into a taxi.

As Chaoyang leaned back in his seat, gazing thoughtfully out the window, he suddenly spoke to himself.

"...I guess it's better to buy a car in the future?"

Upon hearing this, Qian Sheng frowned slightly and responded in a flat tone.

"Honestly, the firm has only just started to recover, and you're already thinking about wasting money. The firm still has a lot of debt; it's too early to think about enjoying life."

"It's not about enjoying life, it's just that I feel like I don't have any privacy."

Sensing the rising sun getting too close, Qian Sheng's ears turned slightly red, but he didn't back away, remaining silent.

Chaoyang glanced at her expression and noticed that Qian Sheng's mental state seemed less calm than usual today. To ease the tense atmosphere, he changed his plans and whispered to the driver.

"Um... driver, could you please pull over to the artificial river ahead?"

The driver nodded and drove to the designated location. A few minutes later, the car stopped. Qian Sheng didn't ask any questions, seemingly unconcerned about the destination, and got out of the car on her own, walking to a bench by the river and sitting down gracefully.

Chaoyang followed her and stood beside her, watching her silent back, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him. He had originally intended to go straight to the studio, but seeing Qiansheng's condition, he felt it necessary to give her a chance to catch her breath here.

A gentle breeze brought a touch of coolness, but this tranquility was shattered by Qian Sheng's words.

"Don't say what you couldn't say earlier... just because you see me like this... it will disappoint the producer..."

Qian Sheng's voice was gentle yet firm, his gaze remaining fixed on the river, not turning towards the rising sun.

"Uh, of course not..."

Chaoyang quickly waved his hand, his tone tinged with worry, "However, if Xiao Qiansheng has any complaints about me... I hope you can just say so... Or, if you're not feeling well, I'll contact you..."

"Need not!"

Qian Sheng quickly raised his hand to stop her, his voice slightly hurried, "It's not easy for Pastel* to get work these days. If I mess things up at a crucial moment, people will have a bad impression of the whole team. If everyone's workload decreases because of me, I'll become the one who sins..."

She paused, her tone softened, and her eyes flickered slightly, as if she were trying to convince herself.

"Upon closer reflection, it's true that it's inappropriate for Pastel* to be so willful in my own way while I'm clearly becoming more and more involved."

"Huh? Sen, Sensato!? You don't mean... that kind of thing, do you?! No way~"

Chaoyang approached with a look of terror, pretending to be teary-eyed as she hugged Qiansheng and stood up.

"Wait, wait a minute, I just meant..."

A blush crept onto Qian Sheng's face as she pushed away Chao Yang, who was too close to her. "Producer, don't suddenly act like a child and stick to me like that! ...Mo~ I just can't do anything with you. I'm the one who's been wronged..."

Her cheeks flushed slightly. After a pause, as if she had made up her mind, she quickly pecked Chaoyang on the cheek.

Before he could react, Qian Sheng turned his face away to hide his shyness and said in a slightly awkward tone.

"...Finally calmed down, right? I never intended to separate from the producer...After all, the producer is very important to both my career and myself..."

To be honest, Chaoyang himself couldn't believe that Qiansheng, such a rational and realistic girl, could forgive him. Chaoyang even recalled that he had changed Qiansheng's common sense.

If Chaoyang could see whether there was a heart in Qiansheng's pupils, he would have taken her to a hotel room right away.

But Qian Sheng continued speaking.

"...Anyway, the producer also has to be responsible to me. Although I am indeed very concerned about what the producer is up to lately, so... *sobs*..."

Before she could finish speaking, Chaoyang couldn't resist leaning in and sealing her lips with his. Qian Sheng's eyes widened, but after struggling for a few seconds, she gradually closed them, accepting the sudden intimacy.

After a long while, the two slowly separated.

"...In the future, if Qian Sheng goes to university..."

Chaoyang chuckled, her tone a mix of teasing and seriousness, "Let's live together~"

I'm going to lock you in the dungeon!

. .

The other side is the practice room.

"Yahoo, Xiao Cai!"

With a clear, crisp voice, the practice room door was pushed open, and Hina walked in with a bright smile.

She was as energetic as ever, waving and greeting Maruyama Aya who was standing in front of the mirror.

"Aya, Hinata-chan, Good Morning Eve-chan, and Maya-chan too."

Maruyama Aya smiled slightly and waved gently. The group of friends, who hadn't seen each other for several days, reunited, and the practice room was instantly filled with a familiar atmosphere.

Just as everyone was exchanging pleasantries, the dance instructor pushed open the door and entered, holding a thick notebook in his hand, and began to speak.

"Ms. Bailu will not be coming to practice today because she is still filming on location. However, the producer said that after you finish practicing, please do not go back. Go to the agency's conference room. There is something to tell you."