Shrine - Chapter 50
Chapter 50
A minor war of public opinion announced Ruan Ruan's official entry into the ring.
However, the two people involved slept day and night at home for three days. On the fourth day, they went downstairs to play mahjong with Tao Jin and Chen Piaopiao, and lost two hundred yuan. On the fifth day, An Lu sent a message: "Shrine has entered its promotional period."
Ruan Ruan was faintly expectant, but the internet was calm and tranquil, without a single piece of news leaking out. On the sixth day, Shi Ran asked her if she wanted to go see Wang Rushi's concert that evening.
Wang Rushi could be considered a junior diva in the current music scene. Hers was also the first ten-thousand-person concert to be held at the Beicheng Stadium in the last three years, and the tickets had long since sold out.
Ruan Ruan, wearing a robe, was lying on the bed reading a book. She crossed her calves and swung them gently. "You have tickets?"
"No." Shi Ran was standing just outside the walk-in closet, picking out clothes.
Ruan Ruan put down her book and tilted her head.
"First, I need to ask you: do you just want to see the concert, or are you okay with being photographed with me," Shi Ran said. "That will determine how I get the tickets."
"How so?" Ruan Ruan's interest was piqued.
"Usually, if an acquaintance in the industry wants to invite you to their concert to generate buzz, they'll contact your manager and send tickets. If you accept, it means you tacitly agree to appear on camera, and they might introduce you and interact with you from the stage," Shi Ran said, looking down to try on a bracelet. The silver chain wrapped around her fair, white wrist was like a handful of snow being gathered up. "If we don't want to be on camera, we won't go through their team. We might, say, buy the tickets ourselves, or ask a friend."
"So, if you just want to enjoy a concert, I'll have someone buy box seats, and we'll enter after the show starts. If you're okay with being photographed, I'll have Xiao Lin contact her manager."
"You know Wang Rushi?" Ruan Ruan asked, pressing her lips together.
"I don't." Shi Ran shook her head.
"Then…" Ruan Ruan didn't understand. If they didn't know each other, they could just directly ask her team to arrange tickets, and on the very day of the concert?
"Will she give them to us?"
"She will."
"Why?"
Shi Ran turned to glance at her, then looked down, scanning herself from head to toe. Then she looked back at Ruan Ruan and tilted her head.
Ruan Ruan's eyes instantly curved into crescents, and she laughed out loud. The implication in Shi Ran's gaze was obvious—because she was Shi Ran. If it had been anyone else, Ruan Ruan might have found it overly confident, but Shi Ran's gaze was cool and detached, which made it seem sincere.
Shi Ran bent down to pick out a ring, thought for a moment, and smiled as well.
"You pulled it off again," Ruan Ruan said softly, suppressing a smile.
"Come pick out your clothes," Shi Ran said, understanding Ruan Ruan's meaning perfectly. "Since we're going to be photographed."
"Yes, Boss." Ruan Ruan put down her book with a grin, the hem of her robe brushing against her calves.
Beicheng Stadium Road was gridlocked with traffic due to the bustling concert, and the traffic lights were a solid sheet of red. In the darkening sky, orderly streetlights began to switch on. Both sides of the road were lined with promotional teardrop banners and light boxes for Wang Rushi, a dazzling array of different designs. Outside the venue, fans gathered in groups. Many wore fan club outfits and distributed support items in an organized fashion, while vendors had laid out their wares on the ground, selling homemade merchandise.
Ruan Ruan leaned against the car window, watching. Their car was guided to a rear entrance, and they went directly through the staff passage.
The four-sided stage was built of steel beams. The large screens and sound system were still being tested, and the air held that unique mix of relaxation and tension that comes before a show begins. The two of them took their seats in the center of the third row on the floor. This area wasn't sold to the public; the people around them were high-level executives from various brands, heads of music companies, and friends from the industry. As a result, even as the seats around them gradually filled up, no one paid much attention to Shi Ran and Ruan Ruan.
This was one of the areas closest to the sound system and stage effects, yet it was also the least boisterous.
Wang Rushi was singing and dancing energetically on stage, while the industry insiders below only swayed their light sticks faintly. Amidst the tsunami of cheers that rolled in wave after wave from behind them, they seemed to have had their mute button pressed.
After three or four songs, a panting Wang Rushi held the microphone and began the audience interaction segment.
On stage, her smile as radiant as a flower, she joked with her fans, fanned herself amidst the screams, and drank some water. The big screen flashed past one interacting fan after another; some were so excited they lost their voices, others were weeping uncontrollably.
Ruan Ruan couldn't help but look back at the dense, dark crowd, which had become shadows amidst the sea of light sticks.
Wang Rushi's voice came through the speakers. She bent down to put her water bottle away, walked to the center of the stage, and said, "A lot of good friends have also come today."
A commotion was already stirring in the audience. The camera on the big screen panned across the crowd, and Ruan Ruan's heart felt like it was being brushed by a calligraphy pen—thump, thump, thump.
The venue fell silent for a moment, then suddenly erupted in piercing screams.
Ruan Ruan looked up. In the center of the massive screen, Shi Ran's face was frozen in a close-up.
At first, her head was slightly tilted as she watched the screen intently. After realizing the camera was on her, she looked up, took off her baseball cap, casually fluffed her hair, and then gave the camera a faint smile.
Ruan Ruan's eardrums nearly burst. Wang Rushi grimaced, playfully holding the microphone far away as if pretending her ears couldn't take it.
Then she teased, "You all knew she was coming, didn't you?"
The fans roared with laughter. Shi Ran smiled too, saying hi to the fans via the big screen.
Ruan Ruan's mouth went dry. She glanced at the half of her own face that was also caught in the shot.
"Shi Shi, are you enjoying the show?" Wang Rushi asked her from the stage.
Shi Ran nodded, her eyelashes fluttering slightly, and gave her a thumbs-up.
Another round of screams. Wang Rushi laughed loudly. "You guys are so extra."
A staff member brought over a microphone. Shi Ran took it, and Wang Rushi said with a smile, "Let's go through the lucky audience member routine, shall we? My friend in the audience, did you come alone?"
Shi Ran, with one leg crossed over the other, held the mic. "I came with a friend."
She turned slightly towards Ruan Ruan. "Why don't you say hello, friend?"
Ruan Ruan's heart skipped a beat. This was the first time she and Shi Ran had interacted in public, and it was under the gaze of tens of thousands of people. Her mind went blank in an instant. She found herself thinking about the teams behind the rise and fall of trending topics a few days ago. If she and Shi Ran ended up on the trending list again tonight for another high-profile appearance together, would that really be a good thing?
With her heart pounding like thunder, Ruan Ruan leaned towards the microphone and said softly, "Hello everyone."
Shi Ran held the microphone for her and smiled.
Ruan Ruan's face flushed red, like a juicy peach under the concert lights.
In a daze, her eardrums still ringing, she listened as Shi Ran and Wang Rushi interacted gracefully for a few more moments. The concert continued, but for the latter half, Ruan Ruan was completely distracted. She couldn't control the urge to check social media. What was the situation now? Would An Lu contact her?
It felt as if her heart was being squeezed, and to make matters worse, she was surrounded by the bone-shaking vibrations of the concert's sound system. She felt as if she'd been drinking, and her vision began to blur.
A few songs later, a staff member slipped in quietly, whispered a few words to Shi Ran, and Shi Ran then softly told Ruan Ruan it was time to leave.
It was almost over, and there were media members waiting by the exit. It was better for them to leave early.
It was too intense. Even after getting into the car, Ruan Ruan's hearing was still back in the concert venue, with the lingering echoes of the music reverberating in her head. Meanwhile, Shi Ran was discussing what takeout to get for the night with Xiao Lin. Xiao Lin said it was too late and suggested she not eat. Shi Ran suggested that Xiao Lin not make suggestions.
The anxieties of the poor Little Bread were something the regular on the trending list beside her seemed unable to comprehend.
Although she had wanted to be famous for a long time, this was, after all, her first time experiencing it.
She restrained herself all the way home. Shi Ran went to shower first. Ruan Ruan took a deep breath, opened Weibo, and froze.
Shrine had appeared in the trending topics.
A marketing account had broken the news: Shrine to begin filming after the New Year. Leads: Shi Ran, Ruan Ruan.
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