Everyone Is Spending Money to Push Me Into A Center-Position Debut - Chapter 4

Chi Rui had also read plenty of novels on Green JJ, so of course she knew about things like so-called golden finger systems. It was just that after she transmigrated here, nothing of the sort had appeared for so long that she had thought she had been abandoned by the organization.

System: Do you need me to continue transmitting the target’s information?

Chi Rui: No! What did that girl do wrong? Even private information like her measurements has to be stripped bare and exposed in front of my eyes?

System: All right. Understood.

Fortunately, Chi Rui was also someone who had seen her fair share of storms. She quickly steadied her heartbeat, concealed her expression, and asked the system about the use of this so-called golden finger.

To put it simply, the number that had appeared above You Xiaotao’s head just now was what the system called her “money-spending index.” It represented how much money she, as a fan, had spent on Chi Rui. The unit was RMB. In other words, You Xiaotao had spent over a hundred thousand on Chi Rui in total.

Chi Rui was a little shocked. She had always buried her head in practice and did not understand the fandom circle all that well. She completely could not imagine that a girl who looked only in her early twenties could have a six-figure amount of money to spend on chasing stars?!

This challenged her understanding too much.

Only Chi Rui could see the “money-spending index,” and the system referred to people with these numbers above their heads as “target subjects.” What Chi Rui had to do was expand the number of her “target subjects” and increase the total amount of the “money-spending index.”

Chi Rui: So what use is this index to me?

System: You can exchange it in the shop for the skills you need.

Chi Rui opened the so-called shop. Inside, there were three major categories: singing, dancing, and variety skills. Each category had at least several dozen options once opened. For example, under dance, there were Latin, ballet, Chinese dance, folk dance…

Chi Rui, cold-faced: This is what you call a golden finger? For me, it seems… useless?

System, eyes widening: ???

“Sister Ruirui, it’s time to go draw the rehearsal order.” Xiao Li came to Chi Rui’s seat to call her.

Chi Rui: I’m working now. You can rest.

System, dramatically reaching out a hand: Wait, I think I can still try to sell myself a little more!

Back when Chi Rui had been a trainee, she occasionally worked as a backup dancer for seniors. If she was lucky, she could even appear in music videos. So she was fairly familiar with work such as on-site rehearsals.

Xiao Li discovered that today, throughout the entire rehearsal, Chi Rui was calm and unhurried, moving with ease. She did not even complain about being tired once. He felt so reassured that he was almost frightened. “Sister Ruirui, are you in a really good mood today?”

Chi Rui was communicating with the staff about the lighting and stage positions. Hearing Xiao Li’s question, she turned her head. “Why do you say that?”

Xiao Li saw that Chi Rui did not look like she was about to lose her temper at all, so he mustered up his courage and gave her a thumbs-up. “Nothing. I mean, your performance today was amazing.”

The moment he said it, he regretted it so much he wanted to slap himself twice. Wasn’t the meaning behind his words that Sister Ruirui’s past performances had all been bad?

Who knew that Chi Rui would only smile good-naturedly. “Thank you.”

Xiao Li was standing right beside Chi Rui. Being hit up close by this beautiful smiling face attack, he nearly stuttered so badly he could not speak.

After rehearsal came a long stretch of waiting time. Chi Rui did not idle around either. She continued wearing her earphones and watching practice videos, all the way until a staff member came to call her.

Chi Rui stepped onto the stage, the tips of her shoes lining up with the spot marked by yellow tape. She glanced down at the audience. As she expected, the number of spectators below was pitifully small, and it was very likely that more than half of them had been hired by the advertiser. A few middle-aged aunties holding coupons were pointing at Chi Rui’s red hair and making comments. Several young girls beside them who had recognized her did not look too friendly either. The only slightly better one was probably You Xiaotao, whom she had seen at the entrance earlier. Chi Rui responded to all these gazes with a smile.

The prelude of the song sounded. She slowly sat down on the footstool, her back straight, her long hair draped over her shoulders. She sang a relatively popular lyrical song to warm up the atmosphere.

When she closed her eyes, she inhaled slightly. When she opened her mouth again, a steady and beautiful singing voice flowed out. When she reached the high notes, Chi Rui’s lashes, lowered over her eyelids, trembled faintly like butterfly wings, carrying a fragile kind of beauty. A few passersby stopped out of curiosity and moved closer to the event stage.

“Does Chi Rui sound a lot better than before when she sings, or is it just my imagination?” A girl in a school uniform whispered to her companion.

“She’s lip-syncing, right? The brand probably got fed up with her always going off-key and cracking her voice, so they kindly made that request.”

“That makes sense…”

The first and second songs were sung back-to-back, but the second song was a singing-and-dancing number. During the gap when the song changed, staff members came up to remove the chair. Seeing this setup, the audience knew there would be a big move coming up. Some nosy people even raised their phones and began recording.

Everyone knew dance was Chi Rui’s weak point. During the most embarrassing incident, she had forgotten her movements at her own concert and tripped herself on the spot. That video could be said to have become famous because of one fall.

But who could have imagined that after withdrawing from the industry, this arrogant eldest daughter of the Chi family would actually be reduced to dancing at commercial performances to earn a living?

Yet Chi Rui’s following performance made those waiting to see a joke drop their jaws. This was called not knowing how to dance? This was freaking explosive, all right!

The moment the music began, Chi Rui made a large movement and pulled open the buttons of the coat that had been getting in the way, generously revealing beautiful collarbones and a slender, graceful shoulder and neck line. Her long hair, which had originally been neatly draped over her shoulders, also began to swing freely with the movements of her dancing body. Under the powerful stage lights, her red hair seemed to become dazzling rubies, leaving one carefree arc after another in the air. Chi Rui’s bangs became a little messy, but paired with her expression, it made her entire person come alive.

This was completely a different person from the one who had sat there quietly singing just now!

There were even people below the stage swaying along with Chi Rui’s rhythm. Several bold young students raised their arms high and waved in support. The host at the side, holding a microphone, was full of astonishment. Had she come today to Alfredo’s offline promotional event? Was she sure this was not Chi Rui’s personal concert?

“There’s no way she’s lip-syncing, right? I heard her breathing just now. She’s doing movements this big and still isn’t panting. That’s too awesome.” The girl who had spoken earlier pulled her companion and squeezed farther into the inner circle. “Let’s get closer and see. Is the person on stage really Chi Rui herself?”

The companion who had originally been making sarcastic remarks also had no reaction after seeing this stage. She only knew to hold up her phone and film like crazy. “With Chi Rui putting on this kind of performance, she must be planning to make a comeback, right? To be honest, if it weren’t for all those messy scandals, that face of hers would really attract fans like crazy.”

Because of Chi Rui’s hardworking performance, the coupons and signed photos that no one had wanted even when staff shouted for people to take them were instantly snatched up clean.

After singing and dancing through five songs, Chi Rui not only did not feel tired, but instead grew more and more excited. Although there were not many audience members below the stage, and the stage beneath her feet was only a temporary display platform, she had tasted the sweetness of standing on stage and being watched by everyone once, and she did not want to let go of it again.

After the five songs ended, she even performed two encores at the audience’s request. At the end of the song, she walked to the very front of the display stage and stood before the girl who was looking up at her with eyes full of starlight and worship. She met her eyes and sang softly.

“It was your gaze that gave me courage. If I can, let me take your hand and walk forward with you…” This was a song Chi Rui had specially written for her fans back then. You Xiaotao had listened to it on single-song repeat countless times. Never in ten thousand years had she imagined that one day, Chi Rui herself would stand in front of her and sing it to her.

Was this a dream? Originally, she had wanted to come here today to take one last look at Chi Rui, then say goodbye to this crazy memory of chasing stars. In the end, she never expected that Chi Rui’s astonishingly improved stage performance would pull her firmly back in again.

“Thank you for coming here to see me today.” Chi Rui extended her hand toward You Xiaotao, who was still dazed.

You Xiaotao suddenly covered her mouth and looked like she was about to cry. She lifted her head and met Chi Rui’s gentle gaze, then stretched out her right hand with trembling fingers.

Chi Rui remembered her. Her idol had actually recognized her at a glance in the crowd!

Chi Rui gently supported You Xiaotao’s hand with her palm. “The me from before wasn’t perfect enough and disappointed my fans many times. But if I can, I want to be like the lyrics of this song say and hold your hands as we keep walking forward together.”

“WOOOO! Chi Rui! Chi Rui! Chi Rui!” The audience, infected by the atmosphere, shouted Chi Rui’s name loudly.

The host exchanged a glance with assistant Xiao Li, who was waiting at the side. Her expression was a little confused. “Which marketing account said your Chi Rui doesn’t spoil her fans? Looking at this setup, I’d believe it if she proposed in the next second.”

Xiao Li scratched her head with a silly smile. How would she know? She also felt that her own boss seemed to have become a different person.

Host: “Wait. Can you help me get an autograph from Chi Rui?”

Xiao Li: “I… I should be able to?”

Unlike the previous commercial performances, this time, after Chi Rui left the stage, she did not leave immediately. Instead, she walked to the back of the display platform, took out a pen, and signed autographs for the few fans who had already been waiting there.

She observed them for a moment. Most of the young fans had only three or four-digit numbers above their heads. Only You Xiaotao alone had a long string that was especially conspicuous.

“Chi, Chi, Chi Rui, can you… give me an autograph?” When it was finally You Xiaotao’s turn, she seemed to still not have recovered. The arm she used to hand over the album was still trembling slightly.

“Of course.” Chi Rui smiled and pointed at the phone in her hand. “Do you want to take a photo together too?”

“Can I?”

Chi Rui nodded. She took the initiative to handle the phone and considerately stood closer to the camera herself. She raised her arm, smiled, and pressed the shutter.

From beginning to end, You Xiaotao wore an expression as if she had been hit by a winning lottery ticket. She only knew to hand over the gift she had prepared long ago when Chi Rui returned her phone. “This is a gift I wanted to give you… It’s a doll I designed myself based on your appearance. I hope you like it…”

“Thank you.” Chi Rui accepted it with both hands, took out the handmade doll inside, and placed it beside her own face. “It’s so cute. Your hands are very skilled.”

“Really?” What could possibly make someone happier than being personally praised by her idol? You Xiaotao felt like she was about to fly right now!

“Yes. The handmade mung bean cakes you gave me at the last signing event were also delicious,” Chi Rui said with a smile. “But I remember you seemed to have given me a designer bag once too? Don’t give such expensive gifts next time. Just writing me a letter would make me very happy.”

“You said in your last letter that you found a job you liked, right? Congratulations.”

After saying this, Chi Rui was dazed for an instant. How did she know all this?

Then she remembered what the system had said just now.

As the host, she could freely view any information related to “target subjects.” The higher the money-spending index, the more information she could access. According to the money-spending index, there were five levels in total, arranged from low to high as D, C, B, A, and S.

When she had seen You Xiaotao at the entrance earlier, she seemed to have heard the system say that You Xiaotao was an A-rank target. No wonder she knew You Xiaotao’s affairs in such detail.

System: See? I’m still a little useful, right?

Perhaps Chi Rui’s gaze as she looked at her was too gentle. In that instant, You Xiaotao was so moved she wanted to cry.

“I, I, I…” You Xiaotao had originally thought it was already rare enough that Chi Rui remembered her face. In the end, the other party even remembered every gift she had given! She had even read all of her letters!

Leave the fandom? What fandom was she leaving! She wasn’t leaving anymore! She, You Xiaotao, would hang herself on this tree called Chi Rui for the rest of her life!