Traveling through the second dimension, the joy system encourages me to laugh heartily!

Chen Ming nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this: "Very good. As long as you handle this matter well, I will give you a mysterious reward..."

Upon hearing this, An Hemei's face lit up with a bright smile—not only could she sign with an entertainment company, but she could also mentor her senior, and there were even extra rewards… This amazing boss was too good to be true! The young girl could almost see the day she would "rise to the top," and she couldn't help but start dreaming of a glamorous future…

She chuckled for a while before solemnly saying:

"Thank you, Onii-chan! I'll definitely work hard for you!"

"Okay, let's get off, the Ferris wheel has stopped."

"Hi!"

Anhemei obediently responded and followed him out of the carriage, her steps as light as a bird that had finally found its home.

The glow of the setting sun cast a warm golden hue over the surroundings, where Qing Zijin and Hua Qianhui, who had exited the cabin earlier, were already waiting.

Qing Zijin naturally stepped forward, took Chen Ming's arm, and glanced lightly at An Hemei.

Seeing the Japanese girl's shifty eyes and somewhat guilty expression, she didn't say much, as if everything was normal and she remained calm and composed.

This calm and composed demeanor secretly relieved An Hemei.

Feeling somewhat uneasy and guilty, she glanced at Hua Qianhui on the other side.

Hua Qianhui, on the other hand, seemed completely unfazed, even sporting a faint smile, showing no trace of jealousy. After all, she had already positioned herself as "Little Nine," and if there were another "Little Ten," she could actually "move up in seniority," so why not?

An Hemei's initial fears about potential palace intrigue or exclusion did not materialize.

This quietly put her mind at ease, and she even found these two senior artists surprisingly easy to get along with. She couldn't help but think: It seems that my days at the company shouldn't be too difficult in the future...

As tour guides Liu Yuanyuan and Wang Manman emerged from their cabins, the sky gradually took on the gentle hues of dusk. The group then boarded a minivan and returned to Yokohama Port, where the Spectrum of the Seas cruise ship was docked, in silence.

After getting off the bus, An Hemei seemed a little reluctant to leave. She stood in front of Chen Ming and said goodbye softly:

"Onii-chan, I've already made plans with the band members to apologize tonight, and I'll try my best to persuade the leader... You really need to arrange for someone to come and sign a contract as soon as possible!"

Chen Ming smiled slightly, reached out and gently pulled her into his arms, whispering soothingly, "I can't bear to keep you waiting too long. The cruise ship will set sail for home tonight, and I'll arrange for someone to take over as soon as I get back to the country. Remember what you promised me..."

Upon hearing this, An Hemei lowered her head slightly, a shy blush rising on her face—she understood what he meant, of course, and nodded earnestly in response, "Yes! I'll wait for you."

The girl's beautiful expression reminded Chen Ming of a very fitting poem: "The gentleness of that lowered head is like a water lily shyly trembling in the cool breeze."

The same Japanese girl, the same reluctance to part.

After enduring the sorrow of parting for so long, Chen Ming finally said with relief, "Alright, you can go back now."

The girl suddenly stood on tiptoe and gave Chen Ming a quick kiss on the cheek, then swiftly stepped back, turned around and waved after a few steps, her smile bright:

"Gana~ Onii-chan..."

There's a bittersweet sorrow in that cry of "Gana"...

Watching An Hemei get into the taxi and drive away, Chen Ming opened the system interface to check the information he had just identified.

When he saw that the number of power banks on Anhemei's information panel was displayed as "0.5", he couldn't help but smile crookedly.

Because this is a good thing!

This means that the number of power banks is 0, which is truly zero experience!

Even if a girl only has some intimate contact with a boy and doesn't cross the line, the system can still accurately identify it—for example, An Hemei's "hand and mouth" for Chen Ming was judged as 0.5...

In this way, he doesn't have to worry about encountering "unclean" targets at all, and the probability of being deceived is zero.

In high spirits, Chen Ming turned around and led the women onto the ship.

Meanwhile...

After arriving at the place where she was supposed to meet the band members, Anhemei sincerely apologized to everyone and explained her intention to leave the band.

Then, she returned alone to her small, somewhat shabby rented room, which was only 10 square meters in size.

Accompanying her back was a beautiful young woman whose overall looks were in no way inferior to hers.

As soon as she entered the room, the pretty young woman frowned and asked, her tone clearly showing resentment:

"Mei-chan, do you know how much it hurts our band when you suddenly say you're quitting? Tomorrow is our next show, we've already booked the livehouse, and even paid for the temporary rehearsal space... We've all worked so hard for so long, and you're just going to leave like that?"

With a deep sense of apology on her face, An Hemei lowered her head slightly and said in a soft but clear voice:

"Star Song, I'm sorry... I know, I know it's selfish of me to do this. I will take responsibility for all the losses caused by the failure of this performance—venue fees, rehearsal room rental, promotional printing... I will bear all the expenses incurred due to my withdrawal. I am truly sorry for the trouble and disappointment I have caused everyone..."

Having just received a huge sum of 820 million yen, she spoke with great confidence. Compensating for the initial investments was no longer a heavy burden for her; she genuinely wanted to use this to make up for the losses she had caused the band.

The girl whom An Kazumi calls "Hoshika-chan" is none other than Chihaya Hoshika, the leader of the Starry band. She is also the current president of the school's light music club, a year ahead of An Kazumi and her classmates, and usually takes care of the four juniors like an older sister.

Chihaya Seika is a little different from them; this isn't her first time forming a band.

A year ago, she had formed a girl band with the previous year's seniors from the light music club. They rehearsed, wrote songs, and performed tirelessly, but the competition in this industry was too fierce, and they ultimately failed to make a splash.

As the older female students graduated one after another, some went on to further their studies, and others entered the workforce. The pressures of reality forced them to give up their musical dreams, and the band had no choice but to disband.

As the youngest member of the band at the time, Chihaya Seika harbored a deep sense of resentment. She was unwilling to accept the outcome of "failure" and wanted to try again.

So she took on the responsibility of head of the light music club, recruited four like-minded members from the new students, and not only saved the club from the brink of disbanding, but also re-established the Starry band. To continue the unfinished dream of her predecessors, she didn't even change the band's name…

Chapter 235: Qing Zijin's Fate

It has to be said that Chihaya Hoshika is quite lucky. Her four newly recruited teammates are all like her—girls with dreams and great potential—to put it bluntly, they are all attractive and have their own unique charm.

Although three of the female students already have boyfriends, this does not affect the band's performance.

Therefore, Xingge had high hopes for this newly formed Starry band. She patiently and unreservedly shared her past experience with the younger students, guiding them in song selection and rehearsals...

She often fantasized that one day, the Starry band would truly make a name for themselves, be spotted and signed by a powerful entertainment company, embark on a professional career, and realize their long-cherished dream of performing on stage.

Among these four junior students, the one Chihaya Seika has the highest hopes for is An Kazumi. Not only does she have an outstanding appearance and an incredibly captivating drumming style, but more importantly, her eyes always burn with the purest desire for the stage.

Unexpectedly, just as the band was getting on track, her most promising member suddenly quit, which was a huge blow to Chihaya Seika – her dream, which she had painstakingly rebuilt, had just begun to take shape when a crack suddenly appeared.

But Chihaya Seika didn't have any better options than to try her best to persuade them, because the band was formed spontaneously out of interest, without any contractual obligations, and the members were completely free...

No matter how unwilling or sad she was, she could only suppress her emotions and, like a considerate senior student, calmly communicate with An Hemei:

“Mei-chan, this isn’t about compensation. We’ve worked so hard together for so long, watching the band gradually improve. It’s such a shame to disband now… Can you tell me why you chose to leave at this time? Was it because your family objected? Or because… you found someone better?”

When the other three team members were present, Anhemei did not explicitly state the real reason for her withdrawal—after all, Chen Ming clearly stated that he only had eyes for the captain, Chihaya Seika, and saying it would only provoke the other team members, as if she were showing off.

So Anhemei simply insisted on withdrawing, only to be criticized by the other three in turn. Feeling guilty, Anhemei didn't argue with them, but silently left after repeatedly apologizing...

Only Chihaya Seika was unwilling to give up. After calming down the three team members, she followed An Kazumi to her rented ten-square-meter room.

She had to find out the reason, otherwise it would feel like a thorn in her heart, hard to let go—this band was something she had built from scratch, and no one cherished it more than her…

Faced with Xingge's sincere inquiry, Anhemei knew that now was the best time to tell the truth and implement the "recruitment plan".

So she slowly raised her head, looking directly at Xingge with an expression she had never shown before:

"Is our band... really getting better little by little? Sister Xingge, there were only 7 audience members at the last performance, and they were all our friends who came to support us..."

"..."

Chihaya Seika was momentarily speechless upon hearing this, but she patiently explained, "That's because we're still a new band and don't have much fame! Looking at all the girl bands in the high school scene, achieving this level of success at the beginning is already quite good. Mi-chan, the process of pursuing your dreams is bound to be arduous, and we can't rush it. As long as we keep working hard..."

"But Hoshika-chan, I don't want to try anymore—at least I don't want to make this kind of hopeless effort anymore."

Before Chihaya Seika could finish speaking, An Kazumi gently interrupted her.

Upon hearing this, she stared blankly at the junior in front of her, feeling as if the other person had changed overnight.

"Don't want to work hard anymore?" The Anhemei of the past would never have said such discouraging words—she was clearly a sunny and beautiful girl full of energy, vitality, and hope for her future.

Just as Chihaya Seika was stunned, An Kazumi continued:

“Star Song, I’m about to sign with an entertainment company, so I won’t be able to perform at livehouses with the band anymore… I hope you can understand.”

"What!?" Chihaya Hoshika couldn't believe her ears and asked incredulously, "How is this possible? Mi-chan, are you kidding me?"

She simply couldn't believe that Anhemi, who had only appeared in a handful of performances with barely any audience, could be scouted by any entertainment company. It was utterly unbelievable—if signing a contract were that easy, there would be far more than just a tiny fraction of the thousands of high school girl bands in Japan who actually made it big…

But Anhemei shook her head seriously, her expression more resolute than ever before:

"I'm not kidding. I'll be signed to an entertainment company as an S-level newcomer, and the boss has personally promised to give me a lot of support, including plenty of performance opportunities, stable exposure, and even custom songs and projects for me..."

"This……"

Chihaya Seika was completely stunned upon hearing this. The boss personally made a promise?

Does this mean that Anhemei has already met the boss of the entertainment company?

This sounds so unbelievable...

After all, under normal circumstances, it would be a stroke of luck for a newcomer who hasn't signed a contract to even meet the company's general manager. How could they possibly have direct contact with the company's boss?

She looked at the burning light in An Hemei's eyes as she spoke, her expression one of unwavering conviction, and felt a pang of worry.

Although she didn't want to dampen her spirits, Chihaya Hoshika hesitated for a moment, but still couldn't help but kindly remind her:

"Mei-chan, could you... have encountered a scammer? I remember telling you guys before that there are many scammers who impersonate talent scouts or agents, specifically targeting young and pretty girls. It happens all the time that people are scammed out of money and sexually assaulted, and some have even been tricked into making adult films..."

As a senior student, Chihaya Seika's first reaction was that Anwami might have been deceived.

Although saying such things was cruel and would inevitably shatter the other person's newly ignited hope, she felt she had to remind her out of concern for her junior.

However, Anhemei had already considered this issue.

Because she was wary, she insisted on waiting until after the formal signing of the contract before fulfilling her promises to Chen Ming.

Although she had already paid a "deposit," Chen Ming still transferred 820 million yen to her in real money. If scammers were all this generous, she really hoped she would encounter more of them...

Thinking of this, An Hemei smiled sweetly and said confidently:

"Don't worry, Hoshika-chan, it's not a scam. Because so far, the boss hasn't done anything too outrageous to me; in fact, he transferred 820 million yen to me in advance for living expenses..."

As she spoke, the girl showed the transfer information from her bank app.

?

Chihaya Seika was once again stunned into silence upon hearing this. She found it all too unbelievable, but the radiant smile on Anwa's face and the astonishing number in the bank app clearly told her—this seemingly outrageous thing was actually true!

She stood there stunned for several seconds, and only after a long while did she curiously ask:

"Congratulations, Mei-chan! Which company is this? They're so generous..."

"It's an entertainment company from China. China's population far exceeds Japan's, so if I develop my career there, I'll definitely gain a much larger number of fans..."

An Hemei answered truthfully, then smiled slyly, "By the way, I also recommended you to the boss, saying that you're prettier than me and more capable than me..."

"what??"

Chihaya Seika felt that today was the day she was most surprised by all this year.

Hearing An Hemei say that, her heart started pounding, and she completely lost her composure. A feeling of gratitude welled up within her, and she stammered, "..."

"Then... what did the other party say?"

Her voice trembled—no, her whole body trembled slightly, filled with boundless anticipation and longing.

Just as An Kazumi had predicted, Chihaya Seika was truly eager to sign a formal contract and debut, to the point that it had almost become an obsession—after experiencing a band failure, she was deeply discouraged and, knowing that hope was slim, she regarded the rebuilt Starry band as her last chance...

An Hemei's departure left her somewhat disheartened.

Hearing An Hemei's words at this moment undoubtedly rekindled her hope, causing her emotions to rise and fall like a rollercoaster...

After asking the questions, Chihaya Seika looked at Anzumi with a mixture of anticipation and fear, as if awaiting the judgment of fate.

An Hemei didn't keep anyone in suspense and went straight to the point:

"The boss wasn't initially interested in you, but I said a lot of nice things to him, practically wore myself out... In the end, he decided to give you a chance because of your good looks. But after you sign the contract, you'll need to give up something valuable; whether you're willing to do that is up to you..."

Of course, Anhemei also used a little trick here, taking all the credit for herself, so that she could establish a united front with Chihaya Seika after going to China in the future.

"..."

Upon hearing this, Chihaya Seika's expression immediately became uncertain, filled with conflict. Her usual gentle smile vanished, and she remained frowning for several minutes.

Because she understood the meaning of An Hemei's words: "to give up something precious."

Actually, this kind of thing isn't exactly news in the entertainment industry; she'd heard about the existence of unspoken rules before, but she never imagined that one day she would face such a choice herself…

After a moment's thought, Chihaya Seika sighed sadly, her voice filled with undisguised desolation: "Really... there's no other choice?"

When An Hemei saw that she did not refuse outright, she knew that she was actually reluctant to give up this rare opportunity.

But Anhemei didn't think there was anything wrong with it, after all, she had already made a compromise when faced with the same choice.