Chapter 89 - 90: Music Variety Show
"Oh, that," the manager’s face broke into a smile when the topic came up. He hadn’t expected the grand prize for the regional champion to be a trip to the Capital Planet. It was a pleasant surprise.
"I heard the Little Prince on the Capital Planet has taken a liking to music recently. The higher-ups probably want to curry favor with him, so they’ve specially organized a music variety show. The contestants aren’t limited to the Capital Planet, either—they’ve also invited people from all the major subsidiary planets."
The organizers had only just revealed this news to him.
He’d been buzzing with excitement ever since he heard. That was the Capital Planet—the Capital Planet everyone dreamed of visiting.
"With Miss Wexler’s talent and ability, you’ll definitely have even better career prospects on the Capital Planet!"
He was sure that Sophie Wexler would become a star. Then, whenever people talked about Sophie Wexler, they would know she came from their company, Stellara. That would bring them all a great deal of prestige.
In complete contrast to the manager’s excitement, Sophie Wexler’s face showed no trace of happiness.
Seeing this, the manager’s expression faltered. He hesitated before asking, "Miss Wexler, are you not pleased?"
Sophie Wexler looked as if she wanted to say something but held back. Just as she was about to speak, Benjamin Wyatt saw her expression and quickly cut in, telling the manager, "No, you’re mistaken. She’s very happy."
Then he started shooting frantic looks at Sophie Wexler.
Sophie Wexler: "?"
Benjamin Wyatt: "...You, come outside with me for a moment."
He then apologized to the manager and asked him to wait for them for a little while.
Outside the door.
Sophie Wexler stood with her arms crossed, looking at Benjamin Wyatt. She knew, of course, that he wanted her to go to the Capital Planet.
"I recall the contract stating that in the event of a disagreement, my decision is final," Sophie Wexler said.
Benjamin Wyatt: "...Yes, I know. I also know you don’t want to go."
Hearing this, Sophie Wexler raised an eyebrow. ’You know, and you still wouldn’t let me refuse?’
"Because it’s useless even if you refuse this. You are definitely going to the Capital Planet," Benjamin Wyatt said, his tone firm and decisive.
Sophie Wexler looked up at him. "?"
"Don’t you know? This year is the Empire’s triennial Matching Banquet," Benjamin Wyatt explained.
"Every Healer-class individual in the Empire is entered into the matching system and must travel to the Capital Planet. After their Level is tested, they attend the Matching Banquet in different batches."
"So, even if you don’t participate in this music show, you still have to go to the Capital Planet," Benjamin Wyatt said with a smile, shrugging.
’This was also why he hadn’t objected when Cillian Forrest had asked to add that clause to the contract.’
’First of all, he deeply respected his partners and generally wouldn’t force them to do things they were unwilling to do. And Sophie Wexler wasn’t the type of person to be irresponsible about her career, so they were unlikely to have many professional disagreements.’
’The only point of contention would be the Capital Planet.’
’But she had to go to the Capital Planet, because the Empire required it.’
Sophie Wexler blinked slowly. "..."
’She’d never considered this possibility. No one had ever mentioned it to her!’
’No, that wasn’t entirely true. A long time ago, Ethan Cross—the original male lead of the story—had mentioned the matching system.’
’Because she had been deliberately avoiding them, she’d barely had any interaction with the original male and female leads, and she had completely forgotten about it.’
’But he never said anything about having to go to the Capital Planet!’
Sophie Wexler felt like dying.
’So there was no escape for her, was there.’
"So, do you still want to refuse this music show?" Benjamin Wyatt asked with a smile.
Sophie Wexler: "..."
’Since I have to go anyway, what’s the point of refusing?’
’Fine, I’ll go.’
The two returned to the room.
The manager’s gaze swept back and forth between the two, a hint of confusion in his eyes. From the way Miss Wexler had acted just now, it seemed she really didn’t want to go to the Capital Planet.
"Miss Wexler, do you have some reservations about the prize being a trip to the Capital Planet?"
Sophie Wexler: "No."
’What reservations could she possibly have now?’
Seeing Benjamin Wyatt looking at her and smiling, Sophie Wexler forced a smile through gritted teeth. "I’m very happy to have this opportunity to go to the Capital Planet."
The manager: "." ’You don’t look happy at all.’
’Even if she didn’t want to, there was no changing it. She might as well just accept it.’
Sophie Wexler asked, "When do we go?"
The manager thought for a moment and said, "It won’t be until after the New Year, so in about a month or so."
After all, the contestants needed time to prepare.
"As for the specific details, once each planet has confirmed its contestants, the organizers on the Capital Planet will send an email to every participant’s communicator."
Sophie Wexler nodded, indicating that she understood.
’So there was still some time.’
"By the way, Miss Wexler," the manager said, "production on our song is complete. It will be released on New Year’s Day. When the time comes, you can share it from your own account."
"We’ll also be doing some promotional warm-ups over the next couple of days."
"So soon?" Sophie Wexler was a bit surprised. ’Shouldn’t song production take a long time?’
"Our production time has always been like this."
The manager was a little puzzled by Sophie Wexler’s reaction but explained nonetheless, "With today’s advanced technology, the production cycle for songs is very short. Plus, your recording was excellent, so there was no need to spend much effort on post-production touch-ups."
So, it was only natural that the production was fast.
Sophie Wexler said she understood. After discussing a few more work-related matters, she left.
—
In her room, Sophie Wexler was curled up on the sofa, sighing.
Some time ago, Sophie Wexler had returned from the military district and was no longer living with the Seventh Legion.
She only went over at specific times to help soothe the soldiers.
When Cillian Forrest came out, he saw her looking rather downcast.
"What’s wrong?"
Hearing his voice, Sophie Wexler noticed the person beside her. She shifted over, patting the spot on the sofa next to her as an invitation for him to sit.
Cillian Forrest’s eyes swept over Sophie Wexler. Because of her casual posture, the collar of her shirt had slipped down, revealing her slender neck and a small section of her shoulder.
His eyes darkened almost imperceptibly as he slowly reached out his hand.
Sophie Wexler: "??"
She watched as the man’s long, slender fingers reached toward her and gently pulled her collar back up.
In the process, his fingertips accidentally brushed against the skin of her neck.
Sophie Wexler froze for a second before realizing the problem with her clothes. She quickly reached up to fix her collar, her movements swift. A closer look would have revealed a trace of unease in her expression.
"Um, I wasn’t paying attention."
The man withdrew his hand and gave a soft "mm."
A faint, almost imperceptible romantic tension instantly filled the air.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
In the end, it was Cillian Forrest who broke the silence. "What were you thinking about just now?"
At his question, Sophie Wexler’s train of thought was instantly pulled back to the present.
Remembering something, she immediately sat up straight, her eyes shining as she looked at Cillian Forrest. "You’ve spent a long time on the Capital Planet, so you must know a lot about it, right?"