Chapter 81: The Bestie’s Freakout Literature

Chapter 81: Chapter 81: The Bestie’s Freakout Literature

Selena, who had her head tilted back to drink water, choked the moment she heard those words. She coughed uncontrollably. Wiping the water from the corner of her lips, she gasped, "Mother of pearl, heavens above, you have got to be kidding me!

"Question: What should I do if my bestie is my ultimate idol’s direct boss?! Asking for a friend! Urgent!!!"

At this moment, Selena’s eyes were as wide as saucers.

Seeing Selena’s dramatic reaction, Rian Sinclair smiled. "Careful with the water. Come on, let’s get out of the car. We’re going to see your idol."

Getting out of the vehicle, Selena clung tightly to her best friend’s arm. "Ria, I heard that Radiant Entertainment is the driving force behind this idol survival show. Don’t tell me you’re the big boss of Radiant Entertainment!"

Yan, who was leading the way, overheard her. He glanced over, thinking to himself that this lady had hit the nail right on the head! The news that the big boss was visiting the set had already spread like wildfire, so they kept hearing greetings from every employee they passed.

"Good afternoon, Boss!"

Selena felt as if she were walking on clouds the entire way down the corridor. Although she had already witnessed Rian’s immense wealth on Sharkstream, that was just the internet. This was a domineering CEO stepping right into reality!

Her expression as she looked at Rian completely shifted. Suddenly, she threw up two finger hearts and declared, "Ria! You! Are! My! God!"

A sudden, dead silence fell over the corridor. Rian covered her face, lowered her head, and immediately turned to walk away. What do you do when your bestie is this embarrassing?

Seeing her best friend speed off, Selena hurriedly chased after her. Yan certainly hadn’t expected the boss’s best friend to be so... uninhibited.

Inside the private lounge, the chief director gave Rian a comprehensive rundown of the variety show, while Yan took Selena to finally meet her idol. Reviewing the show’s setup, Rian found it quite reasonable.

There were five mentors, officially referred to as "Appreciation Officers" on the show. Four were A-list celebrities, and the last was an A-plus-list Best Actor known for his exceptional singing and dancing skills. It was an incredibly luxurious lineup.

The Best Actor, Zane Shepherd, was an artist under Radiant Entertainment. The idol Art Miller and the singer Eric Shefrey were also from Radiant. Zane went without saying—wherever he was, sky-high ratings followed. Art and Eric both boasted massive fan bases, with Eric’s fans being particularly cohesive and fiercely loyal. Naturally, neither of their talents could be underestimated.

The remaining two mentors were Auspice from Kaelen and Yvonne Forrest from Golden Scale. One possessed phenomenal dance skills, while the other had achieved impressive milestones in the music industry.

When Yan returned with a beaming Selena, Rian knew her friend had successfully met her idol. Checking the time and seeing that the live broadcast was still a little while away, Rian decided to go check on the trainees. Leaving Selena to rest in the lounge, she headed out with Yan.

Only when they arrived at the trainee breakroom did Rian truly grasp the meaning behind *Idol Debut*. The young boys’ faces radiated joy, their eyes brimming with aspiration. Singing and dancing was their ultimate passion.

The girls were just as driven. The trainees hadn’t been divided into classes yet, and the two practice rooms were separated only by a pane of glass. The girls were giving it their all, dripping with sweat. Some gathered in twos and threes to help correct each other’s dance postures. The same fiery passion and longing shone in their eyes.

By bringing these dream-filled youths onto the grand stage of *Idol Debut*, the show employed a hundred-person elimination format. Ultimately, nine trainees would debut as a group. However, the chief director had added a special twist: an additional spot for a solo debut. The boy and the girl with the absolute highest number of votes would debut solo as the center.

Looking at these kids, Rian resolved to ensure that the voting process remained completely public and transparent throughout the entire show. There would be no shady back-room deals; the final debut spots would be earned entirely on merit.

Listening to the system’s continuous notifications in her mind, Rian noted that most of the contestants here were incredibly good-looking. After all, these two hundred trainees were the cream of the crop, handpicked from over ten thousand applicants during the auditions.

Seeing the boys and girls so full of fighting spirit, Rian simply smiled. Instead of going inside to interrupt, she turned around and left the practice room with Yan.

Back in the lounge, Selena was sitting as obediently as a grade-schooler, craning her neck toward the door. The moment she saw Rian appear, she bounded over.

"Ria, let’s go watch it live! I was just scrolling through the forums, and there are apparently so many good-looking guys and girls. It’s absolute paradise! Nothing but hotties and beauties!"

Selena had stars in her eyes. Rian felt a wave of helpless amusement. After asking Yan about the number of staff members present, she ordered some afternoon tea on her phone, making sure there was enough for everyone.

Once the order was placed, she escorted Selena to the live recording set. Selena stuck to Rian like glue. Even though she kept going on about wanting to see hot guys and pretty girls, Ria was the ultimate beauty in her eyes. Ria was her true love!

Rian took the face mask Yan handed her and put it on before entering the venue. The studio featured circular, tiered seating wrapping around a massive central stage. On the stage sat two large, pyramid-like seating structures, with seats clearly numbered from 1 to 100. The mentors’ panel was situated between the stage and the audience, keeping a safe distance from the crowd.

The director had arranged the seats with the absolute best vantage point for Rian, which was obvious from the sheer delight plastered across Selena’s face.

When Zane Shepherd finally made his appearance, the entire venue erupted in excitement—Selena included. She shook Rian’s arm frantically, pointing at Zane on stage and squealing, "Ria, look at my precious son! He’s so freaking handsome!"

"What the heck?" Rian turned her head in shock. "Isn’t he your idol? How did you suddenly become a mom-fan?"

Selena covered her face shyly. "Well, I accidentally stumbled into a mom-fan group, and they said raising a ’son’ is way better than raising a ’husband,’ so I converted!

"Just look at him! Isn’t it great to have a son without the pain of childbirth? Raising a son on the internet! And such a big one, too!" she added, pointing at Zane.

Hearing Selena’s flighty logic, Rian shook her head helplessly. It didn’t matter what kind of fan she was, as long as she didn’t get scammed by some scumbag in real life.

The entire recording lasted nearly five hours. Even after the show ended, Selena was still buzzing with adrenaline, frantically typing away on her phone to promote her "son" on the forums. Hearing her friend’s slightly hoarse voice, Rian could only smile and shake her head.

The afternoon tea was originally supposed to arrive earlier, but since the show was already underway, Rian had delayed the delivery by two hours. Now that the recording had concluded, she signed the receipt and instructed Yan to distribute the treats to the staff.

Smiling, Rian waved off the chorus of "thank yous" from the crew. She grabbed a portion, shoved it into Selena’s hands, and led her out.

Upon arriving at the villa’s entrance, Selena pointed at the massive estate in pure shock. "No way, sis! Don’t tell me this is your villa! Huh?! AAAAHHHH!"

The moment she stepped out of the car, Selena practically ran laps around the property, howling like a maniac. Watching her friend lose her mind, Rian pressed a hand to her forehead, utterly speechless. Auntie Alden walked over carrying a bowl of rock sugar and snow pear soup, bewildered by the sight of a sweet-looking girl running around like a wild monkey.

"Miss, Miss Hughes is certainly energetic."

Rian took the pear soup and glanced at Selena. "She’s always like this when she’s around people she knows. Auntie Alden, please prepare a guest room for her later."

Auntie Alden nodded and went to handle the task.

Once Selena had finally finished her crazy spell, Rian handed her the warm rock sugar and snow pear soup. "I had the kitchen brew this. Drink up."

Only after Selena polished off the soup did Rian finally lead her inside. But the very moment they stepped through the door, a little white furball immediately latched onto her leg.