The male supporting character was actually myself.

"How about this, give me some more time to think it over, and I'll give you an answer in a couple of days." Zhang Qi pretended to be hesitant, but gave them a glimmer of hope.

The two sisters expressed their gratitude, and even after Zhang Qi walked away in her high heels, Ouyang Anning gazed into the distance, feeling both uneasy and hopeful.

What if Sister Zhang gives me a chance?

Then we can successfully sign a contract to become professional singers!

Although we desperately need money, singing is our dream. As long as we can stand on the stage and sing, as long as more people can hear our voices, it's all worth it!

"Oh ho! After whetting their appetites and letting them experience ups and downs, disappointment and loss, suddenly giving them the hope of signing a contract will definitely make these naive young girls fall into the contract trap!" The little white cat meowed, licking its paws.

Jiang Chen stepped forward with one hand in his pocket and said softly, "That woman is no good. I advise you to be careful if you want to sign the contract."

"Huh?!" Ouyang Anning was still immersed in complicated emotions when she suddenly heard someone speak. She trembled like a startled rabbit, and then she realized that there was a young man with a straight posture and wearing a mask standing in front of her.

His eyes and eyebrows were very handsome, his nose was high and straight, and he wore a sparkling earring on his left earlobe. He was dressed fashionably, his chestnut-colored hair was a little fluffy, and there was a faint, pleasant scent wafting over.

"You...you mean Sister Zhang? Do you know her?" she asked in a low voice after turning off the microphone.

Jiang Chen pondered for two seconds, then shook his head and smiled, "I don't know her, but I've heard of her. She's notorious in the industry for being a shrew, deliberately signing a lot of young people with dreams of stardom, but then failing to secure any good resources for them."

If you want to develop your business, you have to find your own way, and she'll take 70-80% of the money you earn.

If she wanted to terminate the contract, she'd have to pay an astronomical sum in breach of contract fees. Her small, shell company lived off exploitation; if she got lucky and became famous, she could live off them for years. If the other party wanted to go solo, they'd have to pay tens or even hundreds of millions in breach of contract fees—either way, she'd make money.

"Is that so?" Ouyang Anning looked at the distant place where no one had been seen in a long time with surprise, and was at a loss for words.

The opportunity to sign a contract and become a professional singer, which I had been looking forward to for a long time, turned out to be a scam.

Ouyang Anjing, who had been sitting in front of the electronic keyboard, listened intently to the conversation between the other person and her sister. She stood up, touching her cane beside her, and looked over with blank eyes. "Excuse me, are you Li Jiangchen? The Li Jiangchen from the NZ group on the show 'The Voice of China' who later withdrew from the competition because of her teammates?"

Jiang Chen was taken aback. "You know me?"

"Ah?! It really is you!" Ouyang Anning covered her mouth in surprise and excitement, then, afraid of alerting others and causing unnecessary trouble, she lowered her voice and said, "I was saying that your voice sounded familiar. Are you really Li Jiangchen?"

My sister and I are both your fans!

I heard that all the pieces you composed for the competition were your own compositions, is that true?

The original owner truly deserves his title as the best supporting actor; his talent is not to be underestimated. Meeting fans here makes things much simpler, doesn't it?

Jiang Chen pulled down her mask, revealing her fair and delicate celebrity face, and smiled faintly, "It's so rare to meet fans who like me. It's not too late yet, how about I treat you to a late-night snack? I can also teach you about the traps in the industry so you won't be fooled by Zhang Qi and fall into a pit that you can never get out of."

Do you want to join in Chapter Ten?

"Huh? Isn't that a bit inappropriate?" Ouyang Anning subconsciously turned to look at her sister.

From a young age, her grandmother taught her that girls must protect themselves when they go out, especially since her older sister was blind and she had to protect both of them all by herself. She never struck up a conversation with strangers, which is why Ouyang Anning fell into Zhang Qi's trap. After all, compared to the opposite sex, the same sex has a natural affinity.

She is highly suspicious of men who casually approach her and is wary of any advances or ulterior motives, making her less likely to be fooled.

Zhang Qi is the older sister type, and she established a trusting image as soon as they met. In addition, her professional attitude and the topics she discussed were opportunities that the two sisters desperately wanted. Only those who are involved can be blinded by their own feelings and fall into her trap.

Ouyang Anjing, who had been blind since childhood, had developed exceptional hearing. She was able to identify the other person just by listening to a few words.

She could hear the sincerity in Li Jiangchen's voice, and what's more, the opportunity to communicate with her favorite idol and learn some professional knowledge from him was truly rare.

Hearing her sister hesitate, she quickly agreed, "We should be treating you to something to eat. Please tell us the inside story in detail so we don't get scammed without knowing what's going on."

Ouyang Anning also longed for the opportunity to get up close and personal with her idol.

But she was burdened with the responsibility of protecting her sister, and she hesitated and felt uneasy, not knowing what to do.

Jiang Chen looked around and pointed to the coffee shop not far away, saying with a smile, "Let's go sit over there, have some drinks and desserts."

"Okay, okay." Ouyang Anning glanced around. The coffee shop was large and beautiful with a great view, so there was no need to worry about safety. The only problem was the price...

Hopefully it won't be too expensive, otherwise I won't be able to save up today's income.

She couldn't help but feel a little nervous as she thought this to herself;

Ouyang Anjing couldn't see what kind of shop they were talking about. In addition, her younger sister usually managed the money. As the older sister, she was more simple-minded and didn't even consider the price. All she was thinking about was asking about music. When she heard her younger sister agree, she happily began to fumble around and set up the electronic keyboard.

Jiang Chen also stepped forward to help.

The sisters' stall was pitifully simple, with only an old electronic keyboard that had been used for who knows how many years, with its broken edges carefully taped back together; a flimsy, low-quality microphone; and a small basin.

The electricity comes from a small battery housed in a hand-welded, wheeled iron box. It looks like the sisters can push it home when they pack up their stall to save some effort.

The props in "One Leaf Tells of Autumn" didn't indicate where they lived, but it must not be too far from this street, otherwise, given their physical condition, they probably wouldn't be able to handle it.

After packing up their things and pushing them across the road to temporarily leave them in front of the coffee shop, Ouyang Anning helped her sister into the simply and beautifully decorated shop, her heart pounding.

I wouldn't even dare to dream of coming to a place like this!

Three people eating something casually would cost over a hundred, right?

Jiang Chen noticed her sister's restraint, so she carefully ordered drinks and desserts that girls like, and then started searching for Zhang Qi's studio on her phone to show them the negative information.

There are many, many small entertainment companies like this in the industry.

They prey on the eagerness of young men and women with dreams of stardom to sign contracts and debut in the entertainment industry, signing them into contracts riddled with traps and loopholes. Waiting for the other party to break their promise and pay breach of contract penalties without any further intervention is actually considered somewhat ethical;

Even more ruthless ones will send agents to brainwash them daily, sending attractive girls to serve their sugar daddies and exchange their bodies for resources.

Ouyang Anjing was taking small bites of the caramel pudding her younger sister had put on the plate when she heard her idol say this and was immediately stunned. "W-There's such a thing?! Then...wouldn't it be safer for boys?"

"A boy?" Jiang Chen was surprised by the other's naivety. He took out the news that had been making headlines these past two days and showed it to Ouyang Anning. "Haven't you heard about my teammate Fang Wenche's news? Boys can also use their bodies to exchange for resources, either by serving rich women or by serving industry insiders with special interests."

As long as it's acceptable, there are always ways to get ahead.

If Fang Wenche's video hadn't been leaked, he might have already risen in popularity, boarded a big director's bandwagon, and left me behind to go solo.

"Huh?!" Ouyang Anjing's reaction was quite strong. "Anning, is it true? What video of Fang Wenche was exposed? So the NZ group withdrew from the competition because of him?"

Ouyang Anning blushed slightly and whispered, "I rarely tell my sister about negative news, so she doesn't know much about this... Sis, keep your voice down, let's hear what our idol has to say first."

"Aren't those singers all people pursuing their musical dreams? Why would there be such dirty deals?" This incident clearly shocked Ouyang Anjing's simple values ​​that she had held for many years, and she couldn't believe it for a moment.

In her mind, becoming a singer means being a successful person who can fulfill their musical dreams. They can create music that is touching, profound, or inspiring, enriching people's spiritual world.

Having been well protected by her grandmother and younger sister, she never imagined that someone in the music industry would rise to fame by selling their body.

Doesn't everyone succeed through their own talent and professional skills?

The little white cat perched on its host's shoulder, licking a marshmallow, and sighed, "No wonder in the original plot that the props reminded me of, my sister committed suicide so easily. It turns out she lived too purely, so she was very fragile and couldn't withstand the ruthless impact of reality."

Jiang Chen nodded subtly in agreement as he sipped his coffee.

"The entertainment industry isn't as simple as you think." He carefully chose his words to remind you, "Do you really only want to sing? Have you considered developing in other directions?"

Ouyang Anning put down her cup somewhat awkwardly, her voice still gentle and obedient, "When I was three years old, my father had an affair and abandoned my mother and me to live with that woman; my mother was in poor health and passed away due to illness, leaving only my sister and me and my grandmother to depend on each other for survival."

My older sister has been blind since childhood, and my maternal grandmother did not have the money to send her to a special school, so she basically has no education.

My father beat me when I was three years old in an attempt to get rid of my mother and me, which resulted in a muscle weakness in my left arm that I still cannot do heavy work. After graduating from junior high school, I stopped going to school in order to reduce the burden on my grandmother.

Over the years, music has been the only thing that has kept us company and helped us relieve our distress…

She spoke as if she were telling someone else's story, her tone completely flat. Then she realized what she was doing and quickly waved her hand, saying, "I'm not trying to gain sympathy. I just want to explain that it's hard for my sister and me to find any other work besides singing."

What's more, we really like it!

Turning our feelings into melodies and lyrics, so that more people can hear them and resonate with them, is something we've always longed for.

And... if we could turn our hobbies into a career and earn money to treat my sister's illness and let my grandmother rest, it would be very important to both of us disabled people.

"I see." Jiang Chen put down his cup and asked directly, "After I went solo, I opened my own studio. Would you like to join me?"

The Ouyang sisters were clearly hesitant for a moment.

Is the music industry really that chaotic?

Can idols be trusted?

Could it be that he was motivated by pity and sympathy, and wanted to lend a helping hand?

Or perhaps there are other motives?

Seeing their complicated expressions and silence, Jiang Chen expressed his understanding, "If you've thought it through, you can contact me directly. If you still want to sign with Zhang Qi, I suggest you don't rush to sign and study the contract carefully first."

Chapter Eleven was right after all!

After warning them about the potential pitfalls in the contract, Jiang Chen then explained some music knowledge to them, including the professional equipment used in concerts and the basic process of producing a song, which captivated the two sisters.

When it was time to say goodbye with reluctance, the strong-willed Ouyang Anning insisted on paying, but after giving in to her idol, she asked to split the bill.

"How about this, I'll treat you this time, and you can treat me next time you have time." Jiang Chen really couldn't bear to let them pay for it, so he took out his phone and said with a smile, "Let's add each other as friends. Anyway, I'm going solo now and have more time. We can exchange ideas about music anytime."

Looking at her idol's brand-new and beautiful new phone, Ouyang Anning blushed slightly.

She pulled an old, outdated cell phone from her pocket and said softly, "I don't have data on this, and I don't chat much. If you don't mind, could you give me your phone number? We'd like to treat you to dinner sometime!"

The fluffy little dumpling wiped her eyes and said, "Host, why don't you give them my gaming phone? They're so pitiful! I used to really think that the stories in the news about families living on a few hundred yuan a month in welfare payments were fake."

I thought that as long as I had hands and feet, I could do any kind of work and not be living such a miserable life, but now…

"At this stage, we can't give anything away, and we can't be too hasty in preventing the signing of a contract."

Jiang Chen watched the two slender girls push their "suitcases" away, their silhouettes stretched long by the streetlights. He lowered his voice and explained, "They have a strong sense of self-respect. The more proactive I am, the more embarrassed they feel, and they even think I have ulterior motives."

This kind of help can only be given gradually, like a slow and steady stream.

The mission world may seem prosperous, but it is actually very unfriendly to the elderly, weak, sick and disabled.

There are indeed more opportunities in big cities, but there are also more competitors.

Needless to say, my grandmother is too old to earn much money by collecting garbage.

The older sister is quiet, blind, and has never been to school. What kind of work can she do? The younger sister has a low level of education and weak muscles in her left arm. Even if she were to sweep the streets or wash dishes, no one would hire her.

The poorer they are, the more likely they are to be left behind by the times. They have so little access to information; no wonder Zhang Qi could so easily deceive them in the original story.

"What if... what if they've been tricked?" The little white cat scratched its ears anxiously and paced around in circles. "If we hadn't run into them, that would be fine, but now that we've met these pitiful sisters, we have to find a way to help them!"

"What's the rush? I've already started getting involved in their storyline."

"But you're being too cautious this time, Host! You should have just gone all out and taken them on as your mistresses! I'm really worried they'll be fooled by Zhang Qi. How about... I keep an eye on them? If there's any sign of them being fooled, I'll call you to stop them?"

Jiang Chen couldn't help but chuckle, "Xiao Bai, we have nearly 10 billion yuan in our accounts right now. Even if those two were really scammed by Zhang Qi, it's easy to help them. Just acquire that company!"

"If we can waive the breach of contract penalty and help young people who see the chaotic state of the entertainment industry get rid of these exploitative companies, we'll have done a good deed."

Fluffy dumpling: w(°ｏ°)w