I Hate You, Devil! 269 Presen

Xiaolei was extremely busy in the days that followed since the release of her album. She was busy with her promotion but what actually took most of her time was still her job as Star Castle's CEO. She didn't promote normally like what all artists were doing. Despite that, her album was being sold like crazy. Everyone was desperately waiting for her to perform on stage but to everyone's dismay, Xiao Mimi didn't show up. Not even in radio.

Media was confused and curious about this artist's uncanny behavior. Was she just going to release album and then disappear like what she was doing before after she released a song? She was the talk of the country and it didn't seem like the issues about her would fade anytime soon.

Fans were demanding answers from Star Castle so the company released a statement which was actually from Xiao Mimi herself saying that Xiao Mimi had signed a contract with Star Castle in one condition, that the company will not force her to do anything and let her stay free from the company's rules. Star Castle explained that the company had an exclusive agreement with her so they couldn't control her.

Of course, this outrageous statement created another ruckus. Some said that Xiao Mimi was being unreasonable. But surprisingly, most people supported her, saying that she must do what she wanted.

"Listen ya'll, I think this was the reason why Xiao Mimi didn't debut in this past four years. It's because she couldn't find an agency that would let her freely do what she wanted. I think Star Castle is her savior, don't you think? Like, I actually understand her. Music industry in our country is very strict. People want idols to be saint and flawless that's why entertainment companies literally caged their artists. They control everything what the idol's do including what they eat. They even control what they say or what they sing. Honestly, I can't blame Xiao Mimi. I think she's brave and Star Castle is also brave for having an agreement with her. Bash her all you want you people but I will support Xiao Mimi. Let her stay free. She didn't want to be caged like all the other idols. I want her to stay free and flying up the sky like a phoenix. Let her freely do what she wants. I think that's why her music was so soothing."

"Poster from above. I agree with you. Xiao Mimi is bravely breaking the norm. I'm fine even if she will not promote live or show up live. As long as she releases beautiful songs, I will always support her."

"Me too. I stan a queen like her! Go for it Xiao Mimi, we're support you all the way!!"

With that, the commotion kept on. Xiao Mimi continued to dominate the trends.

And then then, Friday quickly came.

Xiao Mimi suddenly appeared unannounced in one of the country's biggest music show and performed her song "dream" on stage. She was dressed in white, wearing her usual black mask and her black guitar.

The fans were caught off-guard by her sudden appearance. The studio fell silent when she started singing. They didn't fall silent because they were bored and not because they don't want to support her, it was because they were just mesmerized.

Her voice was magical. 'Dream' was a soothing song and the vintage video playing behind her as she sang, which were scenes from her music video, captured everyone's heart. Her performance came out of nowhere, after the intense, loud and fiery performances of idol groups, there was suddenly a calm after the storm and everyone was mesmerized. Even the idols had the same reaction.

When Xiaolei's performance ended, the studio remained silent. She bowed and said thank you before the lights turned off. When everyone came to their senses, Xiao Mimi was already gone.

"Oh my god!!! Xiao Mimi!!!" one girl suddenly screamed. And then, a commotion followed. Everyone began to clap. It was a standing ovation, a scene that was pretty rare in this kind of music shows where fans were divided by the different fandoms. For once, fans supported an artist in unity. They weren't even her fans. But from that night onwards, everyone who listened to her song had become her fan.

When all the artists were gathered to announce the winner, everyone was looking for the masked girl but she didn't appear.

After that show, her performance immediately trended. Her fans were not happy that the show didn't announce her appearance. They complained that they could have gone there to support their idol.

Because of the ruckus, the music show released a statement that they had invited Xiao Mimi to perform but she never confirmed if she would appear or not so they didn't put her in the lineup. However, she suddenly appeared in the last minute asking them if they will let her perform. Everybody knew that something like this wasn't the culture in this country's music industry. Music shows don't usually give special favors like this but since Xiao Mimi's performance didn't need preparation and the directors were actually also dying to have her on air, they actually agreed.

Many had shown their disappointment because of Xiao Mimi's unprofessional action but then, again, most defended her, saying that that was just how she was. They argued that Xiao Mimi was just being her usual mysterious and unpredictable self and that was her personal flavor, something that only her could pull off. Others even argued that there might be a reason behind her action since everyone was still wondering why she was not promoting her songs the normal way, like performing live in all the music shows like what everyone does.

And thus, once again, all the top trends in various social medias were dominated by Xiao Mimi.

"Xiao Mimi's voice is even more amazing live guys!! I'm not her fan but since I witnessed her sing before me, I felt like goosebumps crawled all over my body. I'm her fan now!!"

"I love the performance. I love that she at least showed up. But I am still wondering why she suddenly decided to show up. She was so good. Her voice is angelic. I don't understand why she does not want to perform on stage more."

"Well, Xiao Mimi is just being Xiao Mimi. She's a secret to begin with. This was why she's interesting, don't you think? Artists nowadays are too public. Fans could dig even the slightest thing about them. And some artists show everything, even their daily routines. What I'm trying to say is that, secrecy, privacy and unknowingness is what keep people enthralled, but social media has wiped most of that mystery away. While others share their every waking moment online, Xiao Mimi remained reclusive and unreachable, just like every celebrity before social media took over the world."

"Aww… that's deep but yeah, I actually think the same. Well, never mind, I just love Xiao Mimi. I'm just glad that she at least gave as a surprise performance."

As the social media continued talking about her, nobody knew that the reason why Xiao Mimi decided to perform in that music show was actually because it was her birthday present for her husband.

Chapter end

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