Chapter 6: The Name of a Dream
Liu Zhimin, with her backpack on and the transfer certificate given by her teacher after reporting, arrived at the sycamore tree where she had agreed to meet Jiang Shu.
From a distance, Liu Zhimin saw a figure in a sharp suit, with his back to her, standing under that sycamore tree.
The young man's fingers held a fallen sycamore leaf, and he raised the leaf to the bright sun in the sky.
Sunlight filtered through the treetops, passed through the leaves, and fell on the young man's profile.
Shadows and sunlight intertwined, outlining a spring scene.
Liu Zhimin stood still, looking at this scene, a little lost in thought.
The first time she saw Jiang Shu, she was also amazed by the appearance of this Chairman Jiang of DM Entertainment, but that was all.
She was not a girl who particularly liked appearances; in her opinion, a good match and compatibility were much more interesting than mere looks.
But at this moment, Liu Zhimin had to admit one thing: the scene of the sunlight passing through the treetops and leaves and falling on his face was deeply imprinted in Liu Zhimin's heart.
Seemingly sensing someone watching him, Jiang Shu put down the leaf in his hand and turned his head to look.
Upon seeing that it was Liu Zhimin, Jiang Shu stepped towards her.
In just a moment, Jiang Shu had already arrived in front of Liu Zhimin.
"Done?"
"Mm," Liu Zhimin stared at Jiang Shu's face and responded, handing the transfer documents in her hand to Jiang Shu.
Jiang Shu took them, scanned them, and then returned them to Liu Zhimin.
"Let's go, let's go to the classroom to take a look."
"What are you going to do?" Liu Zhimin looked at Jiang Shu in confusion.
"As a parent, accompany you," Jiang Shu said with a grin.
Liu Zhimin was going to the dance class; maybe he could meet some familiar faces.
"But you're not my parent," Liu Zhimin frowned.
"I can be."
Liu Zhimin wanted to say something else, but Jiang Shu pressed her head down with one hand.
"Shut up, listen to the Chairman!"
Liu Zhimin's head was pressed down hard by Jiang Shu, and she couldn't say anything she wanted to, so she could only helplessly follow Jiang Shu to her new class.
...
It turned out that meeting Lily had exhausted Jiang Shu's luck. Even after following Liu Zhimin to the teaching building, he didn't encounter any familiar faces; perhaps there were some, but he didn't notice them.
This was a school, after all; he couldn't just pull up girls one by one to see what they looked like, could he? He would really be kicked out then.
But it didn't matter; one Lily had already solved the urgent problem.
The new girl group was most in need of a main vocalist, and now this puzzle piece was in place. Next was whether he could fish out a trainee with a C-position bond when he went to YG.
He was now eager to test whether the bonds truly existed.
Among the trainees he had encountered so far, only Liu Zhimin and Lisa had bonds.
Among Liu Zhimin's bonds, the dual C-position activation probability was the highest. As for Lisa...
Lisa (S Card)
Bonds: Crazy Horse Empress (1), Streaming Girl Group (4).
Crazy Horse Empress: Lisa's exclusive bond.
Effect: Greatly increases global visibility upon activation, but the visibility is negative.
Four Streaming Girl Group: BLACKPINK's exclusive bond.
Effect One: Hot search effect doubles upon activation, but increases the chance of hostility from fans of contemporary girl groups.
Effect Two: Reduces the rate at which frequent hot searches increase public dislike, but increases dependence on streaming media.
With her blatant "Crazy Horse Empress" bond, did Jiang Shu dare to take her?
Once the bonds were real, then this was the underlying logic of this world, which meant that as soon as Lisa debuted, her "Crazy Horse Empress" bond would be activated, without even needing to wait for her to truly perform at the Crazy Horse show.
What the hell was he supposed to do with this?
Did he want DM Entertainment to die faster?
Compared to such a huge bomb that could blow up the entire company, the landmines of the other three kings seemed like minor skirmishes.
No, he had to send this divine being away quickly!
Returning to the car alone, Jiang Shu took out his phone and called Choi Ji-yeon.
"I'm done here. Bring Lisa out."
On the other side.
After cleaning the designated area of the sports field, Lily hesitated for a moment and did not choose to go to her favorite vocal class. Instead, she held Jiang Shu's business card in her left hand and her phone in her right, and ran to sit in the audience stands of the sports field.
She dialed a call to Australia.
The dialing sound was like Lily's nervous mood, fluctuating up and down with the rise and fall of the sound.
Beep.
"Lily, my dear," a gentle male voice came through the receiver after the call connected.
"Father," Lily switched to English, "How have you been lately?"
"Very well, everything is fine at home."
The father and daughter chatted about their daily lives, and Lily's originally somewhat anxious mood gradually calmed down with the conversation.
"So, my Lily, have you encountered any difficulties that need your father's help?" Lily's father's smiling voice came through.
"Yes, Father. Today I met someone..."
Lily told her father about meeting Jiang Shu.
"Oh? Is a trainee a pre-debut training identity for idol artists in the Korean entertainment system?" Lily's father asked.
"Yes, every idol artist has to be a trainee for a period of time before they can debut as an artist."
"Dream Entertainment... Oh, found it! Lily, my dear, from Google's search results, this is not a very excellent entertainment company."
Honestly, Lily's father was being quite polite.
"Then I'll refuse Chairman Jiang," Lily thought her father was telling her to refuse.
"No rush," Lily's father said with a smile, "Lily, do you want to go?"
"I..."
"Baby, why did you go to Seoul?"
Lily fell silent.
In 2009, a big fire swept through Lily's hometown, and familiar relatives and friends were mercilessly swallowed by the fire. Young Lily was enveloped by painful negative emotions.
To alleviate her emotions, Lily's parents brought Lily to Seoul. When they discovered their daughter liked music, they used music as a means to heal her childhood wounds.
It turned out that this decision was correct. Lily truly emerged from it and has since settled in Seoul, studying music at an art school.
And now, Lily's father's question reawakened this past that Lily was reluctant to recall.
"Child, being a trainee was not a choice in the life plan your father originally set for you, but our lives are full of various unexpected events. When facing the unexpected, what we need to do is accept it openly."
"Father wants to use past experiences to seek a happy future for you, but father's experiences are just the past and may not be entirely correct. Your path in life, after all, still needs to be walked by yourself."
"Lily, trust your inner thoughts. Father and Mother will be your strong backing, always supporting you."
The gentle words were like a ball of light enveloping Lily's heart. At the same time, something hidden deep within her heart gradually became active at this moment.
The seed named 'Dream' took root and sprouted in Lily's heart.
