They all pushed me!

Seeing that Kitagawa Rumi looked a little uninterested, Hoshino Ai tilted her head and thought that she no longer had the same interest in the idol profession as before:

"Does this mean that Ruby doesn't want to be an idol anymore?"

"That's not the case."

Kitagawa Rumi shook her head, she looked at Hoshino Ai and said:

“I will definitely become an idol that is more powerful than love.”

"Then Ruby will have to work hard for a long time, but it's always good to have a goal."

Hoshino Ai smiled, thinking it was just the angry words of a child, and turned to Beichuan Liang and said:

"I feel like Ruby is very similar to Ryo. She is much more mature than other kids her age. When I was Ruby's age, I had never thought about what I would do or who I would become."

"You didn't see her crying and staying in bed and not wanting to go to school."

Kitagawa Ryo didn't quite agree with Hoshino Ai's opinion. In front of him, Kitagawa Rumi had always been a little kid who loved to act like a spoiled brat, and had nothing to do with the word mature.

When Hoshino Ai saw Kitagawa Ryo's answer, she skipped the topic, but she was still a little concerned. Perhaps because she was a bystander, she always felt that Kitagawa Rumi would show sensitive emotions beyond her age in some aspects.

"Speaking of which, the movie Spider that Ryo starred in a while ago seemed to have received quite good response overseas?"

"It's okay. At least Director Gotanda finally won the Best New Director award. It can be regarded as a wish come true for him."

Beichuan Liang picked up a piece of rice with chopsticks, put it into his mouth and chewed it slowly.

"The filming level of Spider is good, and the actors' acting skills are also good. It is within probability that it will win an award."

"By the way, didn't Ai just say that Ruby is more mature than the average child? I think that kid named Arima Kana fits that definition better."

"Is Maganai? Is she the kid who plays the second female lead in the movie?"

"Well, and for various reasons, I had her signed to the agency I was at."

"Did you see her potential? Well... I remember that this kid's performance in the movie was quite impressive."

“That’s probably part of the reason.”

When Kitagawa Ryo said this, he paused slightly, then sorted out what he had seen and heard, and told some things about Arima Kana and her mother.

"Having a mother like this... is indeed a bit troublesome."

After hearing all this, Hoshino Ai also sighed as if she felt the same way.

But if you think about it carefully, the three people present here combined don't seem to be able to make a biological mother who is even slightly human.

Seeing that the atmosphere at the table had become depressed because of this topic, Beichuan Liang also added two more words of comfort:

"But such mothers are only a minority after all."

"Ai, do you remember the Kurokawa couple we met when we traveled to Miyazaki Prefecture a few years ago? Their daughter is four years old this year. The three of them love watching dramas and are now regulars at the LALALAI Theater Company."

"Ah."

Hoshino Ai nodded thoughtfully:

"How is the business of LALALAI Theater now? I haven't heard any news about this for a long time."

“We have almost come out of the downturn of the past two years.”

Beichuan Ryo made a fair comment. Due to various schedules, he now has little time to go back to perform in dramas. He can barely maintain the frequency of three performances a year and occasionally make a guest appearance.

LALALAI Theater was his debut stage, but it also inevitably became his springboard.

"Now, in addition to drama, we are also actively taking on other types of drama, including the gradual transformation of the training and packaging of the actors in the troupe. Last time, I heard from Uncle Kindaichi that he was preparing to let the female actresses in the group participate in a love variety show."

“A few years ago, this would have been impossible.”

"Then there's the 2.5-dimensional stage play, which Ai should also know."

Speaking of this, Beichuan Liang also showed a somewhat helpless smile.

"Oh, I remember, I remember, my brother dyed his hair yellow those days, and he kept saying some weird second-year lines, but he was very handsome!"

Before Hoshino Ai could speak, Kitagawa Rumi raised her hand excitedly.

"In fact, when I first saw it, I felt like it was a character straight out of a comic book. Ryo's look was great, and there was no sense of disobedience at all."

After listening to Kitagawa Rumi's speech, Hoshino Ai nodded in agreement.

"Even though you guys said that, I don't want to participate in this kind of play anymore..."

Beichuan Liang held his face and sighed again.

His previous fan base consisted of aunts around 35 years old, but after that cross-dimensional stage play, he directly attracted a whole group of junior high and high school girls.

Although the spending power of fans in this age group is not as amazing as that of housewives, their fanaticism in chasing stars is even higher.

And compared with Kitagawa Ryo's previous fan base, they are undoubtedly classified as a type of "girlfriend fans".

Even if Beichuan Liang is willing to open the private messages of his social account, he can easily see all kinds of private photos and confessions.

Since the two people present were his closest people, Beichuan Liang had no intention of hiding anything and just spoke out his worries.

Hoshino Ai listened with a thoughtful look on her face.

That night, Kitagawa Ryo received a private message from Hoshino Ai.

He clicked on it without any precautions, and what came into his sight was a photo:

The student-style sailor suit is paired with a pleated skirt, and the two white thighs are crossed at the knees and stacked together. The top-down camera allows people to easily see the delicate and small collarbone. The arc supported by the chest draws a perfect semicircle. The black stockings that just reach the knees perfectly wrap the calves, emitting a charming halo under the light of the room. There is a heavy black line on the top that is slightly tight on the flesh, and you can see a faint mark.

"If Ryo wants to watch, just watch me alone."

She declared so.

Chapter 5: Destiny will catch up with you (5k)

"Mom, mom, rewind, rewind, I want to watch it again!"

"Akane really likes Ryo."

The mother smiled, picked up the TV remote control, and rewound the tape to the beginning of the video.

"Because I think it's very cold."

Akane Kurokawa stared at the picture on TV. It was the first appearance of Ryo Kitagawa, who was only five years old at the time, in a morning drama.

“He is a talented child actor who can make everyone in front of the TV laugh in just ten seconds.”

"He's handsome, a great actor, and has been a top actor until now. He has been improving since he was a child. Just thinking about it is a great thing."

While saying these words, there was a gleam of longing and yearning in Kurokawa Akane's pupils. She even walked to the TV unconsciously and stretched out her hand as if she wanted to touch Kitagawa Ryo's face directly through the screen.

"In that case, why don't you try your hand at acting too, Akane?"

Mr. Kurokawa, who was sitting on the other side of the sofa and reading a newspaper, looked up and said with a smile.

"Oh, isn't that good? After all, our little Qian is also very cute."

The mother beside her also touched her head gently.

"When I went to see a play not long ago, Mr. Kindaichi told me that the LALALAI Theater Company is currently recruiting new child actors. How is it?"

After noticing their daughter's interest, they pointed out the direction and paved the way for her, while quietly waiting for Kurokawa Akane's choice.

"But... I'm so shy and timid that I can't do anything well."

Akane Kurokawa showed a childlike timidity.

"What's the big deal? Even if you don't become an actress, you can use this experience to change your personality. Qian, don't be too timid."

The father's tone was slightly serious, while the mother on the other side raised a finger and smiled as she drew a pie for Kurokawa Akane:

"And maybe I can act with Ryo."

"In the movie that won an award not long ago, wasn't there a girl about the same age as Akane in it? I heard that because her performance was so good, Liang recognized her acting skills and asked his agency to sign her."

Mr. Kurokawa also nodded and added:

"Just like what Mr. Kindaichi said, Kitagawa is a senior who likes to take care of his juniors. And after all, that child made his debut in the LALALAI Theater."

"If Akane can join the troupe, she'll be like a direct junior."

After hearing this, Kurokawa Akane finally nodded vigorously as if she had made up her mind.

She looked at Beichuan Liang on the TV, and only one thought remained in her mind:

If she could perform on the same stage with Liang once, she would be so happy that she would die.

-------------------------------------

"I've only had a few days' rest, and you're ordering me around again."

"I can't help it. Something happened to me suddenly, so I had to stay and entertain you. I just found a moment to run to the bathroom and call you—"

There was a loud burp from the other end of the phone, and then Kindaichi Toshiro hurriedly gave another order:

"At six o'clock in the evening, in the reception room on the third floor of our theater building. You know where the key is. Just help me take a look. I'll hang up now. The other party has come to urge me."

"Damn it! I, Kindaichi Toshiro, have been in the bar scene for so many years, but this is the first time I've been laughed at for going to the bathroom to soothe my throat after just a few drinks. I'm going to go back and teach them what..."

The call was hung up at this point. Kitagawa Ryo shook his head helplessly and put the phone back into his pocket. Kindaichi Toshiro is already in his mid-40s this year, but he has no plans to start a family. In the past few years when the market was not doing well, he basically devoted himself to the various work matters of the LALALAI Theater. In the eyes of outsiders, this troupe is more like his children.

If the other party hadn't brought up the old matter every now and then and wanted to be his and Ruby's father, Beichuan Ryo might have believed it more.

While sighing, he greeted Kitagawa Rumi who was watching TV. Kitagawa Ryo's apartment was not far from the LALALAI Theater Company. After calculating that there was enough time, he gave up the idea of ​​troubling Mr. Izaki to help pick him up and walked over by himself.

According to Toshiro Kindaichi, he had agreed to meet with the Kurokawa couple tonight. Their daughter seemed to want to come to the troupe to study acting, and this meeting was also to make some specific communication on this matter.

But unexpectedly, he suddenly received a call from Kaburagi Katsuya in the middle of the process, saying that a 2.5-dimensional stage play project that he had been striving for had made some progress, and asked him to come over quickly to talk to the production team. Because it was really urgent, Toshio Kindaichi had to give up the Kurokawa couple's request and let Kitagawa Ryo take over temporarily.

Because it was a matter that had been agreed upon in advance, and Toshiro Kindaichi himself was the head of the entire troupe, and considering it somewhat impolite to ask other staff members with lower positions to receive guests on his behalf, he made a call to Kitagawa Ryo.

After all, to be honest, the only one in the entire troupe who is on par with Kindaichi Toshiro is Kitagawa Ryo, the absolute top star.

When Kitagawa Ryo arrived in front of the LALALAI Theater Building, explained everything to the front desk, and was about to go to the reception room on the third floor, he bumped into another person who didn't seem to be paying attention to the road at all at the corner of the stairs.

Because both sides were walking very slowly, the force of the collision was naturally not great. Beichuan Liang's feet only paused slightly. He looked at the girl who was shorter than him and was bumping into his arms at this time, and said with some doubt:

"Love? Why are you here?"

"I'm not sure... Oh, it's Ryo."

Hoshino Ai, who was originally preparing to apologize, raised her right hand with full energy after seeing Kitagawa Ryo:

"I just happened to be quite free, so I wanted to come and see what the LALALAI troupe is like now."

At this point, she also made a 'yeah' gesture:

"After all, I am considered a famous guest here."

"The training alone took two and a half years, and he hasn't officially performed on stage a few times, right?"

Beichuan Liang laughed and teased when he heard this:

"How is it? Do you feel any changes?"

"I just finished touring the first floor here. So far, it seems that nothing has changed."

"The stage equipment has actually been refurbished quite a bit. If you're interested, you can go over there and take a look. It's changed a lot since we performed the play back then."

Beichuan Liang nodded and introduced Hoshino Ai, then glanced at the time on his phone and said with some apology:

"I have something else to do, so I won't go shopping with you for now."

"Oh, yeah, I haven't asked Liang what he's doing here yet."

"Helping Mr. Kindaichi entertain guests can also be considered recruiting new members for the troupe."

Beichuan Liang glanced at Xingye Ai, shrugged, and exclaimed in an exaggerated tone:

"I just hope that he won't be like someone else, who ran away after receiving training. That really pissed off Uncle Kindaichi."

In fact, even Kitagawa Ryo himself was not quite clear about what Hoshino Ai was thinking. The huge success of "Youth Forbidden Game" had already proved that Hoshino Ai had the qualifications to be an actor. But not long after that play ended, after the two returned from a trip to Miyazaki Prefecture, Hoshino Ai told him her decision to shift the focus of her work back to idols.

But by that time, Hoshino Ai's idol career was already on track. Living alone, her financial situation was indeed not as tight as when she first came to Tokyo. On the surface, it seemed that she really had no reason to be an actor. After all, Kitagawa Ryo brought Hoshino Ai into the LALALAI troupe under the pretext of whether she should take a second job.

However, all of this happened almost four years ago, and there is really no other meaning in Beichuan Liang bringing up the past now.

But what he didn't expect was that Hoshino Ai, who seemed to be in a very happy mood, seemed to have suddenly lost her mind. She pursed her lips for a long time before she raised her usual smile again:

“It did cause trouble for the troupe back then.”

"Don't take it so seriously. I don't mean to blame Ai, including Uncle Kindaichi."