Evening.
After dinner, Cicc, who had been playing all day, couldn't resist the drowsiness, her little head nodding down bit by bit. Nevertheless, she forced herself to stay awake, insisting on hearing Louis tell her a bedtime story before drifting off to sleep.
Louis smiled, tucking the blanket snugly around the little one. He kissed her forehead gently, tiptoed to the living room.
It was only 7 o'clock in the evening. Louis had been contemplating what kind of song to prepare for Anna, but so far, he had no clue.
There were too many songs in the original world, leaving him overwhelmed and confused. Moreover, there hadn't been any news from Anna since she arrived at Ocean Music Entertainment.
After pondering for a moment without any inspiration, he decided to open TikTok and browse some videos before going to bed.
"Only Ordinary" still hadn't lost its popularity online. Louis scrolled through three or four videos, and he could basically find one related to the song.
Many netizens sighed that after listening to Cic's song, they couldn't listen to any other songs. They even spontaneously formed Cic's fan support club, with their avatars all showing Cic's expression when she sang courageously.
Louis then noticed that at some point, they had made Cic's expressions into emojis frame by frame and were using them with great enthusiasm!
Fortunately, most of the netizens' focus was on Cic, with only a few mom fans and child fans being Cicc's fans. Otherwise, the little one would have to wear a mask every time she went out in the future, which would be troublesome!
Apart from the popularity of this song, the hottest topic online now was the upcoming Star Showcase.
The annual Star Showcase always featured one or two breakout singers, which many people loved to discuss. The fans of the singers participating in this Star Showcase were even more active, actively drumming up support for their favorite artists.
The Star Showcase was broadcast live throughout, with four famous veteran mentors casting votes. There was no tie because there was an additional vote, which was cast by the vast number of netizens in real-time.
This directly increased the participation of the audience. Sometimes, a single vote from the audience could directly decide the fate of a contestant.
The schedule of the Star Showcase was also straightforward. There were a total of sixteen contestants, competing in pairs with opponents determined by drawing lots. There were no resurrection rounds. The winners advanced, and the losers were eliminated.
Survival of the fittest, very cruel yet very realistic.
Even in the semi-finals, it was still a draw to determine the opponents. The winners advanced to the finals, while the losers could only compete for third or fourth place.
Only in the finals were there three rounds of competition. The organizers provided keywords for the songs, and the singers produced corresponding original songs based on the keywords for the competition.
It is worth mentioning that in the second round of the finals, guest singers could be invited to perform together!
This not only tested the contestants' own performance but also the abilities of their lyricists and composers, as well as their connections.
So after each Star Showcase, many popular original songs would appear online, greatly satisfying the ears of the vast number of netizens.
Louis just glanced at it briefly and then scrolled past. He was only so familiar because of the memories of the original owner. Almost no one in the entertainment industry didn't know about the Star Showcase.
But now Louis wasn't very interested in it.
Louis kept scrolling and found that the big data was really outrageous!
He had barely paused, and now all the videos pushed to him were either about "Only Ordinary" or the Star Showcase!
Having had enough, Louis had to turn off his phone and quietly return to the bedroom.
Sleep! He still had to take the kid out tomorrow!
Early the next morning, Louis was awakened by the ringing of his phone. Cicc, who was beside him, had already woken up, her big black eyes wide open, counting her eyelashes.
But the little one could only count up to 50 now. Every time she counted to 50, she started counting from 1 again.
Louis didn't know how long the little one had been playing, but he could see that she was having a great time.
He patted Cicc's little head and picked up his phone. The incoming call displayed on it was surprisingly from Freya, that little girl.
"Hello? What's up so early in the morning?" Louis yawned and asked.
"Hey! Louis! You have to do something about Anna! She's gone crazy! She hasn't slept since last night!"
Freya whispered as if she were a thief, making the call to Louis behind Anna's back.
"Hmm? What's going on?" Louis frowned. Why was this person so careless about their own health? He had worked so hard to put some weight on them, and now they might lose it again!
"Anna is participating in the Star Showcase, but we don't have a song. Anna has gone crazy trying to create a song!"
Louis scratched his head. He hadn't expected Anna to participate in the competition so soon after arriving! Originally, the contract with Ocean Music Entertainment stated that he would write songs for her. This was indeed his negligence. He had been thinking about a song for a long time, but it seemed urgent over there!
"Got it, I'll give her a call. Freya, thanks for taking care of her."
"Psh! Who said I was helping you? Taking care of Anna is only natural for me. Alright, that's it! Anna is out!"
Freya quickly hung up the phone, glancing nervously at Anna.
Fortunately, Anna hadn't slept all night, so she was in poor spirits and hadn't noticed Freya's little actions.
Anna was feeling irritable. She felt like she was about to grasp the melody, but she always fell short. She didn't understand what was missing, so naturally, her mood wasn't very good.
At that moment, Louis's phone rang.
Anna quickly adjusted her mood and answered the phone.
"Hello? Is it Cicc missing me?"
"If Cicc didn't miss you, can't I call you? I am your husband after all!"
Louis's voice came through the phone, and Anna's face turned slightly red. This was the first time Louis had called himself her husband.
Anna didn't answer, and there was a moment of silence between them.
After a while, a sigh came from the phone.
"Why didn't you tell me you were participating in the Star Showcase?"
"Why make yourself so tired when it's something easily solved? Cicc would be so sad if you exhaust yourself and get sick again."
Louis said helplessly. In his opinion, this was something that could be easily accomplished. Anna could have just told him directly, but she didn't.
Anna had stayed up all night, and her spirit was on the brink of collapse. Now, hearing Louis's question like this, she felt like he was questioning her.
She suddenly felt a great sense of grievance overwhelming her.
She subconsciously bit her lip, a touch of stubbornness flashing across her face, and tears gradually filled her eyes.
Anna didn't speak. She was afraid her voice would reveal her current state.
She didn't want him to see her embarrassed side.
Louis couldn't see her expression and subconsciously furrowed his brow.
After a moment, he suddenly heard sobbing from the other end.
Was she crying? What happened?
Louis felt it was a bit out of line. He hadn't said anything, had he? This is getting complicated! Relationships are hard to figure out!
"Hey! What's wrong with you crying all of a sudden?"
He couldn't help himself. Anna felt useless.
"Louie!"
Anna's voice, tinged with tears, was loud, sounding somewhat angrily embarrassed to Louis.
Louis was stunned. It was the first time he had heard Anna speak to him like this, with a trembling voice full of grievances. Suddenly, he could imagine her current expression.
Anna pursed her lips, her eyes still shimmering with tears. She realized her loss of control but felt uncomfortable not expressing some of her thoughts. "Louis, do you think I'm useless, just relying on you? I don't want to be like this, I..."
"I'm sorry! I'm not blaming you. I'm just worried about your health. Forgetting to write a song was indeed my negligence!"
So she was thinking about that? Louis realized his mistake belatedly and hurriedly apologized with a sheepish smile.
Before Anna could finish her sentence, Louis interrupted her. On the other end, he laughed, a surprisingly cheerful tone? Even when she was feeling so wronged, he still laughed! Anna felt even more aggrieved. After encountering Bailey, the mature woman, she suddenly felt inadequate compared to her.
That woman had the figure, the temperament, the knowledge, and from her eyes, Anna could see her admiration for Louis. Anna was lost in her thoughts when Louis's voice came through the phone again.
"But Anna! I really want to knock on your little head and see what's inside! For me, you and Cicc are the best gifts from heaven!"
"Don't think too much! I'm telling you seriously, you, Anna, are my wife, unique, and no one can replace you."
Louis said loudly, his voice so firm. Since he came to this family and was accepted by Anna and Cicc, they were a family. In a family, there's no one relying on another; there's only mutual support.
Anna was stunned by Louis's words. She didn't expect him to say that—wife, unique. These words made Anna's originally rosy face instantly blush, her watery eyes gleaming with crystalline light. She had never heard him speak so dominantly romantic before.