"Did something happen to Jiang Mo’s family?"
Wang Feiyu, whose attention was caught, quickly asked.
"Oh, you don’t actually know?"
Sisi feigned surprise, then came to terms, "Well, Momo probably wouldn’t go around broadcasting that sort of thing..."
As Sisi said this, Qu Jie and Lele, who had been disinterested, were now intrigued, even Jiang Mubai perked up her ears.
When she first saw Jiang Mo, her mind was filled with inferiority and envy. Now, she was curious. With Zhou Wang’s status, what kind of girl could make him humble himself and accompany her to a part-time job?
She had deliberately gone over to look just now; Zhou Wang didn’t even have a seat, standing beside the stage, yet he looked so content.
"Oh, it’s nothing really, just that some time ago, Momo’s family went bankrupt, and her dad was also arrested... Anyway, it was pretty rough for her then, she even asked me for help, and I lent her tens of thousands."
Faced with everyone’s attention, Sisi hesitantly explained, "Later, I heard... well, forget it, I better not say, it’s not appropriate."
"Sisi, what’s so hard to say? There are no outsiders here, no one’s going to blab."
Lele urged, "Come on, tell us!"
Sisi sighed, "Alright, but I only heard it from one of Jiang Mo’s relatives, that... it seems she was being kept by someone."
Sisi’s final words were delivered in a lowered voice but just enough for everyone to hear.
At this, everyone was taken aback, their expressions varied for a moment.
Wang Feiyu found it hard to believe, "No way, Jiang Mo doesn’t seem like that type of girl..."
"I didn’t believe it at first either, but after seeing Momo today, it seems I had to believe it."
Sisi shook her head helplessly, "Her family went bankrupt, her parents aren’t around. If she wasn’t being kept, how could she afford to study at the music academy... Sigh, being kept is a small matter, I’m worried Momo might be earning money through other means. Her relative’s hesitant expression at the time felt very problematic."
Faced with Sisi’s bombshell, Wang Feiyu fell silent, for he knew Jiang Mo wasn’t engaged in any usual part-time work; today’s performance was an exception.
Moreover, he heard she was also taking classes at Qingmei, so she couldn’t possibly have much time for work-study...
Just as Sisi said, without a stable source of income, how was she managing to study and live in Beidou?
When Zhou Wang first appeared in the school’s lecture hall, Wang Feiyu was actually there. He vaguely heard Jiang Mo call Zhou Wang "husband," but he thought he must’ve misheard.
How could a term of endearment be spoken from the lips of the aloof Jiang Mo?
Now, everything seemed to make sense.
The goddess he had long admired, her private life was allegedly scandalous beyond imagination...
The thought of this possibility filled Wang Feiyu with a complex mix of emotions, including an indescribable sense of resentment, so was your aloofness in front of me all just an act?
"Brother, if paying could get you in, you wouldn’t be any worse than that Zhou Wang, then why doesn’t she even look at you?"
Qu Jie clicked his tongue playfully.
...
Thud!
When the final piano note fell, with the lead singer Wang Ying’s gentle trailing voice, the song "Dusk Till Dawn" came to an end.
On stage, Wang Ying and others, along with Jiang Mo standing at the piano, bowed to the audience. Wang Ruixi, who had been sitting in the distance, was the first to stand up and give them enthusiastic applause.
With Wang Ruixi leading, it seemed inappropriate for others to remain seated, willingly or not, so they all had to stand up and clap.
Amid the continual applause, seeing Wang Ruixi apparently in high spirits, Wang Feiyu’s father, Wang Yaolong, couldn’t help but mutter softly:
"Mr. Wang seems to genuinely appreciate this performance..."
Standing to the side, Qu Jie felt a sudden impulse; he pulled Wang Feiyu aside and whispered, making him nod in agreement. He then said something to Sisi, and the two of them started walking down the aisle towards the stage.
Jiang Mubai had a vague idea of what was going on, so she first took out her phone to text Zhou Wang before following at the end.
...
"Our performance seemed quite successful, didn’t it?"
Below the stage, the band members excitedly regrouped, and someone eagerly said, "I saw several famous local media recording us; do you think we’ll go viral?"
"They’re obviously focusing on Momo, nothing much to do with us."
Wang Ying, seeing things clearly, directly doused their enthusiasm.
"Sister Ying, they did film you guys too, I saw it."
Brother Jie couldn’t help but interject, "And you sang really well."
Hearing the usually honest Brother Jie say so, Wang Ying couldn’t help but smile, "Anyway, we’re certainly benefiting from Momo’s spotlight... Since the restaurant invited influencers and celebrities, there’s bound to be marketing follow-up. If it goes well, it might be easier for us to book commercial shows in the future."
After chattering for a while, as the girls calmed down, Zhou Wang, who had been waiting beside them, smiled and said, "So does that mean I can take the senior sister away now?"
According to the agreement with the restaurant, Wang Ying and others were supposed to perform two pieces tonight. The other was to be played at the end, but as Wang Ying and Jiang Mo had privately agreed, Jiang Mo only needed to perform the first song with them.