Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

350  A staff member apologizing?

The concert at the Aurora Hall today was organized by Jack-o'-Lantern, a company celebrating its anniversary with this event.

This agency has skyrocketed in recent years, becoming a rising star in the industry. Their most famous artist is Liam Hudson.

Ethan was attending the event today because he was personally invited by the company's CEO.

A few years back, due to a part-time job, Ethan had crossed paths with the CEO, an interesting American named Maxwell Sterling.

Since Ethan knew Lila wouldn't be able to perform in his place, he had already arranged with Maxwell to switch performers.

Maybe Maxwell had a soft spot for Ethan, because he agreed to the request without hesitation.

So, when Ethan arrived at the venue, he showed the invitation on his phone to the staff and was smoothly escorted inside. A staff member even guided him to where he needed to go.

Since today's event was set up like a large-scale concert, there were promotional posters everywhere, and Ethan recognized quite a few familiar faces.

Soon, he followed the staff to the backstage prep room, which was shared by several groups.

As soon as he walked in, he noticed someone was already there—a blonde girl with a cool, edgy vibe.

Seeing her, Ethan was a bit surprised. He had seen her on the event posters earlier, but he didn't expect to be sharing the same prep room.

"Hello," Ethan greeted her first, then asked, even though he already knew the answer, "Are you Sierra?"

That's right—the person in the room was Sierra Blake, the guitarist and songwriter for the popular idol group Neon Vibes. Ethan also knew she was childhood friends with Vanessa, someone he had just met today.

Sierra had already noticed the pretty girl when she walked in, and she politely responded, "Yes, I'm Sierra Blake. And you are?" n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"I'm Lila Harper," Ethan introduced himself, then added, "I'm a fan of yours."

Sierra didn't seem too surprised by this. She smiled lightly at the girl in front of her and asked curiously, "Miss Harper, are you also performing today?"

After all, she had seen the staff bring her in, so it wasn't likely that a fan had bribed their way backstage, right?

"Yes," Ethan nodded. "It's an honor to perform alongside you."

Sierra's curiosity grew.

Today's event featured not only Jack-o'-Lantern's own artists but also invited guests like Neon Vibes. But she had no recollection of this striking girl in front of her.

Could she be a mysterious new artist Jack-o'-Lantern was planning to debut tonight?

"No, no," Ethan could see her confusion and explained, "I'm not an artist. I'm just a video creator."

"Huh?" Sierra was clearly surprised and asked, "Do you make music videos?"

"Yes, my account is called Guitar Queen," Ethan nodded. He didn't think there was any need to hide Lila's online presence, but to stay in character, he added modestly, "Though I'm not exactly a big influencer or anything."

"Wait, you're Guitar Queen?" Sierra's eyes widened, and she covered her mouth in surprise.

"I've seen your videos! You're an amazing guitarist, and I'm actually a fan of Guitar Queen on TikTok!"

As Sierra's interest in "Lila" grew, the atmosphere became much more relaxed and friendly.

But Ethan, trapped in Lila's body, felt a bit awkward.

Oh no, a real fan.

He couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

With the ice broken, Ethan and Sierra quickly hit it off, chatting like old friends. It almost felt like they were destined to meet.

Ethan even managed to make Sierra Lila's second new friend of the day.

But inwardly, Ethan sighed. He was supposed to be socially awkward, yet here he was, effortlessly doing things Lila herself would probably struggle with. Maybe she should take a few lessons from him!

Sierra was increasingly impressed by the girl in front of her. As their conversation deepened, it became clear that Lila wasn't just a skilled guitarist—her understanding of music was on a professional level.

Sierra had already suspected that the person behind the Guitar Queen account might be a professional musician. Now, after hearing Lila's insights, she was convinced that this girl must be the secret rising star that Jack-o'-Lantern was grooming for the industry.

So, she decided to ask directly, "Lil Bunny, are you finally making your debut?"

It seemed like Ethan was successfully spreading this new nickname, as Sierra had started using it too.

But Ethan shook his head. "No, why do you ask?"

Sierra hadn't expected that answer. After a brief pause, she explained, "Because all the guest performers today are established artists. You seem to be the only exception."

She was just stating a fact, with no intention of belittling Lila.

"Oh, that's what you meant," Ethan said with a smile, clearing up her confusion.

"Sierra, didn't you notice? The guest performers today have wildly different styles. That's because they were all invited based on the CEO's personal taste. From what I know, he's a pretty eccentric guy. Even a completely unknown street performer could get invited if he liked them."

Sierra finally understood and couldn't help but admire Lila even more. No matter how modest Lila was, the fact remained: she hadn't even debuted, yet she was performing at a concert like this. Sierra knew she wouldn't have been able to pull that off.

Just then, the door to the prep room swung open, and a staff member walked in.

"Miss Harper, could you step outside for a moment?"

Ethan was a bit puzzled but waved goodbye to Sierra before following the staff member out.

Sierra didn't think much of it and pulled out her phone to post a quick update.

"So happy to have met one of my favorite video creators, Guitar Queen, in the prep room today. I can't believe I get to perform on the same stage as her! I'm really looking forward to it."

Just as she finished posting, the door opened again.

Sierra glanced up and saw that it was her bandmate, Tessa Wilde, who had just walked in.

"You're back," Sierra said, looking at her.

"Why do you sound a little disappointed?" Tessa teased, then leaned in with a mischievous grin. "Sierra, you'll never guess what I just saw at the door."

Sierra wasn't particularly interested, but she played along. "What did you see?"

Tessa continued, "I saw someone who looked like a Jack-o'-Lantern staff member apologizing to a girl. Something about putting her in the wrong prep room."

"Huh?"

Sierra's ears perked up, and she looked up in surprise.

At the door? A staff member apologizing? Could Tessa be talking about Lil Bunny, who had just stepped out?

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