Dancing Kitten

The "Dragon Clan" matter was finally coming to an end.

(A/N: YAAAYYYYY!!!!)

After two days of constant pressure, Zhang Xuanyi finally caved and posted an apologetic response to TMY. Though he didn't literally eat a keyboard, most netizens were pacified by his explanation that; since "eating a keyboard" was impossible, he said the phrase as a metaphor.

However, there were always those few netizens who never forget...

But, the book itself only continued growing in popularity. As the book was still being written, and since Miaoyi was short on time, she decided to pass off the writing aspect almost entirely to her co-author. Every week, the two would have a conversation about the future direction of the novel, but besides that, Miaoyi was leaving the more intricate details up to them.

So, what's next...

"Let's continue focusing on the new singles," Miaoyi said with a smile as she sat in front of her computer at this moment.

For Miaoyi now, the most important thing was the imminent release of her two new singles...

The two new songs, "Paradise" and "Seve," were almost complete. She had been working on them on and off ever since LPL won. It wouldn't be long before they would be unveiled to the world in all their glory.

"Paradise" had already ironed out all of its major issues, leaving only a bit of fine-tuning and polishing remaining. On the other hand, "Seve" lacked only one final chorus.

To be honest, these tasks, all things considered, wouldn't take more than two days. It was estimated that they could be finished by the evening of the next day since she didn't have school.

"Quite fast..." Miaoyi still felt a little bitter in regard to these two singles.

Cat girls after all...

Just then, An Qiuying timely lifted her head and inquired, "Do these two new singles really have choreography?"

Was there really choreography...

"Yes, but only "Paradise" does..." Miaoyi could only nod.

"Then what's your plan? Will you film a music video?" Qiuying's eyes brightened suddenly upon hearing this, as if there were stars within.

Qiuying was quite curious about this dance now.

How should they showcase it? Making a music video was probably the best option, right?

However, Miaoyi shook her head, countering, "No need for music videos. What matters most is the dance itself, so a music video won't affect that. Besides, the choreography for 'Paradise' isn't suitable for a music video."

"Not suitable? Why??" Qiuying expressed her confusion.

"No reason in particular, it's just that it's an otaku dance..." Miaoyi's voice carried a slightly gritted teeth tone as she said this, and her eyelashes couldn't help but tremble.

An otaku dance...

"pfft..." Qiuying's laughter started quietly.

Then, a burst of uninhibited laughter filled the air as it radiated from Miaoyi's room.

"Miaoyi, you're planning to do an otaku dance? So you have this side too? Why on earth would you choose an otaku dance? Oh dear, I can't take it anymore, hahaha! Girl, what experiences have you had? I can't stop laughing! I'm gonna die!"

The sound of her giggles made Miaoyi feel like she had endured a ten-thousand-point damage attack.

Could she endure this?

At that moment, Miaoyi's patience wore thin, and she retorted, "Do you think you can escape from this? You're going to be a part of it too. And then, we'll rope in that Song Ziyin. This dance requires three people. Missing one is not an option."

And indeed, that was the case. "Paradise" was a trio's otaku dance, and leaving out any of the three would likely result in the dance losing much of its charm.

As such, from the very beginning, Miaoyi had thought about pulling An Qiuying or Song Ziyin—or maybe even Lin Ruofang—into this plan.

Now, the situation was different. Miaoyi wasn't too embarrassed to pull An Qiuying in, at least not anymore.

She felt at ease with this plan!

The laughter ceased in an instant.

Yet, An Qiuying's response made Miaoyi feel like she had somehow lost: "Sure, no problem..."

"So, you're agreeing just like that?" Miaoyi was momentarily stunned.

Isn't this a bit too easy?

But in the next moment, An Qiuying added, "Well, you're the one who'll have to wear the cat-girl outfit anyway."

"..."

Miaoyi's eyebrows shot up, and she stared at An Qiuying in disbelief. "Wait, what? Why do I have to wear the cat-girl outfit?"

Qiuying grinned mischievously, "Well, it's only fair. You roped me into this otaku dance gig, so it's your turn to take the spotlight as the adorable kitten dancer."

Miaoyi groaned dramatically, "You're just enjoying this way too much, aren't you? Fine, I'll wear the cat outfit, but you owe me one!"

Qiuying winked, "Deal! And don't worry, you'll make a fabulous kitty."

Miaoyi shook her head, exasperated, "I can't believe I'm agreeing to this madness."

- - - - - - - - - -

What did it mean anyway that she would be the one to wear the kitten outfit?

That was just downright uncomfortable...

To be honest, when it came to other things, overcoming countless challenges wasn't an issue. Dancing itself wasn't much of a problem. The main source of Miaoyi's frustration and resistance was the term 'Cat-girl outfit.' That was the primary reason!

Any skilled web diver knew what a cat-girl outfit looked like. The mental image... even thinking about it gave Miaoyi the sensation of wanting to die.

It seemed her artistic style was diverging more and more now.

At this point, Miaoyi really wished she could climb back through the corridors of time and give her past self a good slap. She genuinely couldn't fathom why she had said such things at the time.

And of all times, LPL had to actually bring home the world championship trophy for China...

"Actually... I just wanted to see the dance routine you choreographed, Miaoyi." Qiuying explained, "And I thought that Miaoyi, you in a kitty outfit, would look really cute..."

Miaoyi: "...Heh heh."

"Oh, come on, take it lightly..."

"Heh heh..."

"It's alright..."

"Heh heh..."

Qiuying's attempts to cheer her up left Miaoyi feeling utterly defeated. With a wry expression, she made it clear she didn't want to talk anymore.

Now that she had already agreed, with so many people as witnesses, Miaoyi had no choice but to figure out a way to toughen up and face it head-on. Since struggling was futile, all she could rely on was her determination, especially given the circumstances.

After all, for Miaoyi, this was about an artist's integrity, something she held in high regard.

The most pressing issue now was to release the two new singles as soon as possible.

The work always came first, with everything else taking a backseat.

And after a brief silence, Qiuying suddenly remembered that they hadn't finished discussing how to present the dance.

So, after composing her thoughts, she asked again, "By the way, how do you plan to showcase this dance if you're not making a music video?"

"Making a music video has never been my first choice." Compared to before, Miaoyi had managed to regain some composure. Her complexion had improved, and she mumbled, pouting, "Is making a music video and releasing it on a music platform the only option? What about other platforms? Like video-sharing platforms, places similar to Light Cloud?"

Video-sharing platforms...

Qiuying grasped Miaoyi's idea, but not fully: "Are you saying you'll record a pure dance video and upload it to another platform, independent of the original music?"

"Exactly. It's ideal for this kind of otaku dance. It has its own unique audience." Miaoyi nodded, and Qiuying understood the core point.

"Do you have platform preferences?" Qiuying asked.

"Of course." Miaoyi smiled, revealing, "Think about the platform best known for otaku dance. Which suits it?"

Perhaps only one answer exists...

"XIAO Dian Shi (Little Television)?" Qiuying caught Miaoyi's gesture, her eyes brightening. "Bilibili?"

"Right," Miaoyi confirmed. "We could get certified as creators there first; it's perfect."

Yes, Bilibili – the perfect stage!

In Miaoyi's mind, "Paradise" had no better debut place.

Bilibili, called "B Station" by fans, is China's youth cultural hub, focusing on second-dimensional (2D) and ACG culture. In Earth's world and this world, Paradise–style dances flourished there. Miaoyi's logical choice was clear.

"Have Yun Jie contact the administrators. Official certification is important. Then you can upload everything," Miaoyi suggested. "Without it, making a name there is tough."

"No issue." Qiuying nodded. "Surprised you're into Bilibili. I've never seen you watch it."

"Just diligent..." Miaoyi responded far too quickly.

"..."