The Color of the Sky

As the song ended, a gentle breeze rustled the leaves, causing ripples to dance on the water's surface. Reflections wavered, as if those from the past were gazing across time to the present.

The melody lingered in the air, soft and serene, like a stream of clear water that washes away all worries and joys, leaving behind an inexplicable mix of sorrow and happiness.

"This is the most beautiful Japanese song I've ever heard. Even if there are others that are technically better, none have touched me as deeply as this one," Chu Chu said, holding Tina as she stood up and leaned against a tree, gazing up at the sky.

"Although the previous duet with Inori was lovely, I also think this song is even more beautiful, Sister," Inori added, gently smoothing her pink hair that draped down to her waist, smiling softly as if she were savoring something wonderful.

"If someone could paint the scene that this song evokes, it would surely be incredibly beautiful," Li Xiuer mused, though she knew her own drawing skills were just at a beginner's level, far from being able to perfectly capture the scene depicted by the song.

However, someone here was capable of such a feat—someone whose artistic skills had already reached the level of a master and was on the verge of becoming a grandmaster. Her words reached Chu Chu, who smiled and said, "Although time might be a bit tight, I'll do my best to paint these scenes within a month. That's the fastest I can manage."

"No need to rush, Chu Chu. Let the song simmer in people's minds for a while. Even though our video only shows this scene, I believe those who listen will be satisfied," Chu Lian finally spoke up, her face still adorned with a gentle smile. It was unclear whether she was pleased with her performance or reminiscing about something beautiful.

"Well, with you and us in the video, Sister, even if we just stood there, plenty of people would still watch. Attention isn't an issue. My only concern is Japan—they don't know us well. No matter how perfect we seem, they might not accept us," Chu Chu expressed her worries. Had she heard this song a month ago, she would have been confident in drawing a series of illustrations that would drive Japanese fans wild. But now it was too late, and she wasn't sure how the live-action version would be received.

Chu Lian chuckled at her concerns before responding, "Chu Chu, you underestimate our neighbors in Japan and their 'gentlemanly nature.' For those young Japanese who prefer to stay holed up at home, what could be more appealing than a real-life loli that closely resembles one from anime?"

"Although I'm reluctant to admit it, to them, we're probably the perfect lolis they've been dreaming of all their lives. Well, I won't admit that, but whether you do or not is up to you... If they don't go wild over us, I'll start questioning whether they've all become die-hard Seishun Buta Yarou fans."

"So don't worry about whether they'll accept us. I guarantee that after they see the video, our fame will spread across Japan."

If there was one thing Chu Lian was most confident about, it was undoubtedly her stunningly beautiful appearance—an exquisite face that would be hard to match anywhere in the world. Even though she was still young and hadn't fully matured into her looks, it didn't stop others from recognizing her beauty.

And as much as she hated to admit it, the truth was that with her current age and build, the most she could be described as was a loli, not a young woman. Even Chu Chu, who bore a slight resemblance to her but had a more mature figure, was still seen as a "jururi loli" due to her petite frame. As for Li Xiuer, who often carried a shy expression, she was the type of loli many would want to tease.

Among the four of them, only Inori could be considered a young woman, but her appearance was so unique—pink hair, a delicate figure, skin as white as snow, and features as refined as a character straight out of a CG illustration—that she perfectly matched the type most adored by Japanese fans.

With such a variety of lolis and a beautiful young woman, how could anyone not be captivated?

Incidentally, as the ACG culture in China continued to flourish, many young people had started adopting similar aesthetic tastes to those in Japan. In simple terms: lolis are the best, otome forever, onee-san are the greatest, and the queen should be worshipped.

This was also why Chu Lian's popularity was so high—her appearance was too perfect, fitting their ideals precisely. Combined with her charming personality and talents as a writer and musician, she had quickly become well-known throughout China.

Li Xiuer watched Chu Lian silently, her eyes filled with slight fear as she worried that she might become the type some pervert would fantasize about, leading to unsavory thoughts.

Spending time with Chu Lian had subtly changed her previous indifferent attitude toward men, making her more averse and unwelcoming. She had grown closer to other girls instead. Simply put, she had developed yuri tendencies, which made her more resistant to the idea of being objectified.

Noticing Li Xiuer's thoughts, Chu Lian knew she had to address the issue before it became a deeper psychological hurdle. She brushed her hair aside and frowned slightly, thinking for a moment before coming up with a half-solution.

"Xiuer, I don't agree with your thinking (actually, I do, but I can't say that). Please don't think so poorly of young people nowadays (even though many of them are awful). They're mostly just protective of lolis (protecting them while thinking about how to push them down) and don't really have any bad intentions (for them, pushing down equals caring). So don't overthink it (even though I know there are a lot of them), and stop scaring yourself (I can't tell you the truth)."

What does the content in parentheses mean? Chu Lian claimed she didn't know; she only said what was outside of them. If someone saw the parentheses, that was entirely their own interpretation, nothing to do with her.

"Really?" Li Xiuer asked, still somewhat skeptical. She could sense that something wasn't quite right and didn't fully trust Chu Lian's reassurances.

"Of course it's true (your intuition is spot on, it's false). Although I can't deny that there might be some weirdos among them (not just some, nearly all), most of them are decent people (I'm handing out red cards, be grateful). They might have had those thoughts before (I guarantee they still do), but after seeing how cute you are, they definitely wouldn't think that way anymore (in fact, your shy demeanor is so adorably illegal that it's precisely why they do it!). Don't worry about it (why do I suddenly feel uneasy myself?)." Again, the content in parentheses is purely your own imagination!

"Alright, I hope things turn out as you say," Li Xiuer sighed with relief. After saying this, she dipped her face into the pool, trying to calm herself down.

Chu Chu and Inori, who had been listening to Chu Lian's attempt to comfort Li Xiuer, finally allowed themselves to smile, both sighing softly at the sight.

Chu Chu's sigh was one of speechless at her cousin's shyness. Now that she was famous, it was inevitable that she would have to face such situations. Looking back, even from her early teens, girls as pretty as her had likely been the subject of many young boys' fantasies. Worrying about it now seemed both too early and too late.

Inori's sigh, on the other hand, came from a desire not to dwell on such things, knowing it would only lead to discomfort and unease. Why trouble oneself? During her time in her own world, while she didn't understand emotions, she had come to terms with this reality as a famous net idol and had long since learned to ignore it.

Shrugging, Chu Lian got up, put on her sunhat, jumped down from the rock, and walked over to the "black-tech camera," removing it from the tripod and reviewing the footage they had just recorded.

Thanks to its advanced technology, the camera had a resolution of 300 million pixels, capturing every detail in vibrant color.

As she listened to her own voice singing the song, Chu Lian couldn't help but press her lips together in satisfaction. The song she had exchanged 40,000 Culture Points for was worth it; her mastery was already at its peak. Even without musical accompaniment, she was able to sing at just the right rhythm, and her youthful, ethereal voice, though lacking the original's tranquility, added a lively charm.

"That should do it. Have you all rested enough?" Chu Lian casually stored the camera and tripod back into her system space, then turned to ask the others.

Chu Chu didn't find it odd to see things appear and disappear out of thin air, as she knew her sister had been the "Valkyrie" who had appeared at Jiuzhaigou. After witnessing Chu Lian's ability to walk on air, these little things no longer surprised her. In fact, she might never have been surprised by them to begin with.

"I'm ready, and I think Cousin Xiuer is too, right?" Chu Chu placed Tina on her shoulder and walked over to Li Xiuer, gently pulling her out of the water.

"Huh? Yes, I'm ready to go right away," Li Xiuer replied, slightly out of breath from holding her breath underwater, but with her spirits clearly lifted, she seemed to have recovered from her earlier heat exhaustion.

"Then let's get going..." Chu Lian took out a white silk handkerchief, walked over to Li Xiuer, and gently wiped the water droplets from her face, speaking softly.

"Mmm~" Inori's light pink figure floated over to Chu Lian, and with a graceful leap, she landed beside her, nodding in agreement.

"Well, the sooner we finish, the sooner we can head back. We still need to set aside some time tonight to find a recording studio and properly record this song with music. No matter how beautiful an a cappella is, it can't beat a version with music," Chu Lian stretched her slender waist and casually decided on their next steps.

By now, it was already 4 PM, and they would need to wait until at least 6 or 7 PM to see the sunset. Afterward, it would take another hour to head back, meaning they wouldn't return until 8 PM at the earliest. With all the tasks they had to manage, the earliest they could carve out time for recording would be after 9:30 PM. Even though their flight abroad was scheduled to depart later in the evening, giving them a bit more time, they still had to be on the plane by 3 AM.

In other words, they had less than three hours to perfect the song's recording. And of course, they needed to leave some time for sleep—after all, not getting enough sleep would harm their skin and stunt their growth!

With their plans settled, the group didn't delay any further. They followed the small path, making their way towards the mountain summit.

It was now 4 PM, and they hoped the sun would set a bit earlier today.

Since arriving in Tai'an, the best thing so far was that nothing strange had happened—no time-traveling merchants, no aliens, no dreams, no goddesses, no Qin Shi Huang, no Xiang Yu—everything had been peaceful.

And it was this peace that Chu Lian cherished the most.