Chapter 67: You Get Paid Just for Performing on Stage
It was a performance for two people, but no one said exactly who would be performing with Lin Muqing. What Sister Yu did wasn’t just a hint, it was basically a direct message.
Last night, since he didn’t meet any online friends or log into the game, Ye Ziming just played a little and then went offline. After that, he kept thinking about the performance.
He spent some time on it and came up with a pretty good performance idea, something that only he and Lin Muqing could do together.
“Wait… so all I need to do is go on stage and help with your performance, and I’ll get money?”
Right now, Lin Muqing was standing in front of the stage. She looked at the people performing up there and then turned to ask her good bro.
“Yep. You just need to remember who you’re supposed to be.”
Ye Ziming nodded, a calm smile on his face. He felt very confident in his script.
This anime convention wasn’t very big, and no really famous cosplayers were joining the contest. There weren’t even many well-prepared teams.
The gold and silver prizes were still hard to win, but Ye Ziming felt like they had a good chance at winning the bronze prize, or at least an “Outstanding Performance” award.
And also, he had a little bit, just a little, of selfish motivation. So he told Lin Muqing directly.
“Just joining means you’ll get paid!”
“I think I can do it!”
Without a second of hesitation, Lin Muqing agreed right away.
It was just a stage performance. She had never done something like this before, but if the pay is good enough, she'd even go poke around a top-secret, dangerous organization.
“Great. You’ll go on first when it’s time.”
He checked the time again. There was still a little while left before it was their turn to perform.
So Ye Ziming brought her backstage and greeted the staff member in charge of the competition, kind of like checking in.
After that, they just had to wait to be called.
While they waited, Lin Muqing quietly peeked at the crowd outside. It wasn’t packed, but it wasn’t empty either.
To Lin Muqing, it felt like a lot of people. After all, this was her first time ever performing on stage.
“What’s wrong?”
Ye Ziming noticed Lin Muqing looking at him and asked with some confusion.
“How long until it’s our turn?”
She asked in a soft and careful voice.
“Should be soon.”
Everyone’s performance time was different, so Ye Ziming gave a rough estimate based on his guess.
He didn’t know the exact timing either.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
He noticed that Lin Muqing didn’t look quite right. It seemed like she was holding something in. Seeing this, Ye Ziming quickly asked with concern.
“I’m not feeling unwell…”
Lin Muqing shook her head. But as she spoke, she nervously squeezed her milk tea cup, which still had half a cup left.
Right now, Lin Muqing felt a bit embarrassed. She’d been so happy drinking earlier, and when she heard there was money involved, she didn’t think too much about it.
But now that she saw how many people would be watching her perform, she started to feel nervous, and when she got nervous, she felt like she needed to pee.
And then…
“It’s our turn. If you’re really not feeling well…”
Just as Ye Ziming was halfway through speaking, the staff member walked over and told them the last performance had ended. It was time for them to get ready.
Because he cared about Lin Muqing, Ye Ziming wanted to make sure she was okay before going on stage.
“Ah—it’s fine! Let’s go quickly!”
She also heard what the person in charge said. After thinking about the pros and cons in her heart, she decided to finish the performance quickly and leave as soon as possible.
Then go to the bathroom.
“Okay. If anything happens, be sure to tell me. Don’t push yourself too hard.”
Ye Ziming put his hand on Lin Muqing’s shoulder and spoke seriously.
“Mm-hmm, got it.”
Lin Muqing was a little surprised by how caring her good buddy was. She could feel that he really cared about her.
It felt a bit strange… but before she could think more about it, someone pushed her onto the stage. It was time for her to make money (crossed out)… perform.
As soon as she walked onto the stage, Lin Muqing thought it wasn’t too bad. There weren’t that many people in the audience, and most of them were just taking pictures with their phones.
But when she reached the center of the stage and turned around to look for her good buddy, she suddenly froze.
Her face showed surprise and confusion. Then she started looking around nervously, trying to find where Ye Ziming had gone.
From the audience’s point of view, what they saw was a cute cat-eared maid anxiously looking for something.
“Hey, her acting’s pretty good. I’m getting nervous just watching her.”
“Not gonna lie, she’s too cute. Bro, can I borrow a blood pack? I think I’m going to faint.”
“Whose cat-eared maid is this? Can I take her home?”
“Come on, I saw her first…”
The audience chatted and laughed, all thinking this was part of the act, but no one knew that Lin Muqing was actually panicking.
She couldn’t find him. And on top of that, she really had to go to the bathroom. The nervous look on her face was completely real.
At that moment, Ye Ziming finally appeared on the other side of the stage.
Under the puzzled gazes of the audience, he slowly walked onto the stage, carrying a small microphone, and calmly went over to Lin Muqing.
It was like she had just seen her lifeline. From the moment her good buddy showed up, Lin Muqing didn’t look away from him once.
“…Sorry.”
The young master lowered his head slightly. While gently patting the little maid’s head, he spoke softly.
He didn’t say much, but the audience could clearly feel the word “gentleness” from him.
“Young Master…”
The little maid suddenly remembered something and carefully called out to him.
“It wasn’t until that moment… that I realized how important you are to me. I can’t lose you.”
As he spoke, Ye Ziming realized this wasn’t quite the line he had prepared.
But he didn’t care. He stared at Lin Muqing with deep emotion, fully imagining himself in that scene.
The rich young master had finally found his lost little maid. As he apologized, he also confessed his feelings, then pulled her into his arms.
The performance was short. Most of it was Ye Ziming talking, though it felt less like scripted lines and more like he was saying what was really on his mind.
After he held her hand and walked off stage with her, Lin Muqing still hadn’t fully come back to her senses.
When she was looking into Ye Ziming’s eyes and listening to those words, her heart had trembled a little.
It was a strange feeling. Her heart was racing, and her face felt hot, almost like it was burning.
When Ye Ziming finally pulled her into a hug, Lin Muqing got so nervous she nearly passed out. Her hands were clutched in front of her chest, not daring to move.
“…Huh? What’s wrong!?”
Ye Ziming suddenly patted her on the shoulder, snapping her back to reality. She let out a surprised yelp, clearly startled.
“Are you feeling okay?”
As he spoke, Ye Ziming frowned slightly, looking at her with concern.
He had just been talking for a while, but now it looked like Lin Muqing hadn’t heard a single word. She seemed totally lost in thought.
So when the audience had erupted in applause and cheers just now, she probably didn’t hear that either, her reaction had been oddly “calm.”
“Ah… I’m fine.”
She could feel Ye Ziming touching her forehead, then his hand moved down to her cheek, and it seemed like he was going to keep going.
Panicking, she quickly took a step back to dodge his hand, looking at him with a bit of wariness.
Her eyes were shifty, full of guilt and nervousness.