A thunderous cheer erupted in the bar as the song concluded—people never hold back their praise for something they truly recognize and appreciate.

"Thank you, everyone! Thank you all for listening to my singing!" Despite this being her debut performance, Lei Meow-Meow displayed unwavering confidence, completely unfazed by the stage. Could this be the talent that Master Yuwen had mentioned?

As the excitement gradually settled, Master Yuwen once again made his way onto the stage, leaning on his cane. He affectionately ruffled Lei Meow Meow’s hair and gave her a thumbs-up. The two of them stood together, beaming like a grandfather with his beloved granddaughter.

"Look at that—old master Yuwen’s practically treating your kid like his own granddaughter."

Even though they were her actual parents, the clueless couple beside me didn’t even dare to step forward.

Taking the microphone from the host, Master Yuwen surveyed the audience, his voice filled with pride as if he were a child boasting about his prized toy. "Well, everyone? Do you now understand this girl’s potential?"

"Excuse me for a moment, I need to get closer." Sis Yuanyue pulled a pair of sleek sunglasses from her handbag, put them on, and briskly made her way toward the stage. She maneuvered through the outer edges of the dance floor, slipping past the additional seats set up for the crowd, and positioned herself at the side of the stage.

"You’re not going?" I asked. "Wouldn’t your chances of convincing her be higher if you both went?"

Lei Luo shook his head. "Not with this many people watching. Do you think I should use public pressure to force her to come back? That would only hurt her future in the industry. Yuan Yue has the advantage of being the chairwoman of Yuan Yue Entertainment—her approaching Lei Meow Meow should be much more appropriate here."

So it wasn’t cowardice, but consideration for Lei Meow-Meow’s career?

"I’ll let her choose which agency she wants to sign with, but first, let me ask—do any of you understand what this child’s true talent is?"
Master Yuwen leaned on his cane, sweeping his gaze over the talent scouts and producers in the audience, who exchanged uncertain glances.

"Is it her singing ability?"

Master Yuwen shook his head.

That was an obvious answer, but while learning to sing at this level in just a single day was impressive, it wasn’t exactly groundbreaking in the entertainment industry, where prodigies were a dime a dozen.

"Her stage planning skills? From song selection to set design, the production value of these four short performances was truly captivating."

Master Yuwen chuckled. "I arranged all of that myself. So are you praising me?"

"Then it must be her stage presence—that confidence and commanding aura that naturally draws all eyes to her."

Another shake of the head.

"Her figure, maybe? Lei Meow Meow has fair, smooth skin, long legs, a slim waist, and a modest yet attractive bust… Honestly, she’s just thrilling to look at."

"Pervert!" Lei Meow Meow snapped.

"Good point. Get him out of here," Master Yuwen signaled to the security guards, who promptly escorted the fool out of the bar.

I cast a glance at Sis Yuanyue, who was still pacing near the stage, hesitating to step forward. Even with sunglasses, Lei Meow Meow would surely recognize her, wouldn’t she?

"Such a shame. Any more guesses, or should I just reveal the answer?"

"It’s the desire within her heart!" Sis Yuanyue adjusted her sunglasses and spoke up before Master Yuwen could. "The desire to be noticed, to be loved, to be cared for, to have someone by her side. A person with that desire can genuinely accept the love of their fans and turn it into motivation. That is the most crucial talent of an idol."

Master Yuwen raised an eyebrow. "I remember you are…?"

"Yuan Yue Entertainment."

"Eh—?!"

Lei Meow Meow let out a strangled yelp, beads of sweat instantly cascading down her face like a waterfall. Even if she didn’t recognize Sis Yuanyue with the sunglasses, there was no way she couldn’t recognize the Yuan Yue Group.

"You all heard that, right? That’s exactly the answer I was looking for! To put it simply, the reason she wants to be an idol is because she wants attention, she wants to be loved—she craves love!"

The audience erupted into murmurs, some skeptical of the dramatic claim.

"Some of you might think this old man is just rambling nonsense—after all, doesn’t every idol seek the love of their fans? But their reasons differ. And this child? Her desire is purely to be loved!"

Was this old gentleman poetic or just straight-up chūnibyō? He even repeated the most embarrassing part.

"Grandpa Yuwen, please stop... I'm about to explode from embarrassment."

Being called out twice in front of her own mother for "craving love," her ears turned bright red. Under the spotlight, she looked like a glowing red lantern.

"As a reward for the correct answer, Yuan Yue Entertainment has earned the opportunity for a one-on-one negotiation with our lovely Lei Meow Meow-chan."

Before stepping off the stage, Old Master Yuwen patted Sis Yuanyue's shoulder, whispering something to her. But without a microphone, I couldn't make out what he said.

The hostess led us to a large private room in Lost Moonlight, which turned out to be the very same lounge Lei Meow Meow's group had been using earlier. When we walked in, Xiao Lei was busy stuffing her face with fried shrimp… with three empty plates stacked beside her. This was the fourth.

Seriously, does this bar only serve fried food?

"Commander! You finally came to rescue me! Hic! They’re trying to make me stuffed to death!"

"Nobody forced you to eat! And don't come at me with those greasy hands!"

Haitang lent me this high-end outfit—it’s expensive!

Master Yuwen excused himself with a simple, "This is a family matter, so I won’t be getting involved," before leaving with the hostess, closing the door behind them.

Now, only those in the know remained in the room.

And so, Lei Meow Meow found herself sitting face-to-face with Sis Yuanyue.

Behind her stood about a dozen guys in matching support T-shirts, holding glow sticks... looking exactly like a group of idol superfans.
On Sis Yuanyue’s side, her "support squad" consisted of me, Xiao Lei (OvO confused mode activated), Uncle Lei Luo, Tian Xi, and Lü Le... wait, what?

Lei Meow Meow noticed the issue right away. She smacked the table and glared at Tian Xi and Lü Le.

"Wait a minute, why the hell are you two standing on her side?!"

"Sorry, boss… but I really think… having a real family would make you happier than you are now."

"Apologies, boss—no, Miss—actually… I've been an undercover agent all along."

"You were an undercover agent?!"

Nearly everyone in the room shouted in unison.

No one had expected this thick-browed, sharp-eyed, masked pompadour dude to have deceived them all.

Sis Yuanyue then calmly stepped in to clarify.

"That's right. On the third day of your disappearance, Xiao Lü here reached out to me. He’s been sending me daily updates on your situation—including… the fact that you’ve become a girl."

So that's how she knew everything from the start… and here Tian Xi thought it was old man Yuwen who had ratted them out. But in reality, their whereabouts had already been compromised long ago.

Lei Meow Meow was furious over the betrayal. "I trusted you, damn it! And you turned out to be a snitch! Was it for the money?!"

"Money was part of it, sure—I've been saving up for a surgery here… but more than anything, I just thought there was still a way to bring the young master back."

"There’s no going back! Lei Kelie doesn’t exist anymore! I have nothing to say to them!"

She puffed up her cheeks and turned away—like an angry little hamster.

Seeing this, Sis Yuanyue seemed to make up her mind.

"Your father and I are willing to remarry for your sake. We’ll make time to give you the love you lacked growing up. Come home."

I hadn't expected Sis Yuanyue to throw out her trump card so soon.

Lei Meow Meow stared at her mother in shock, but no one looked more surprised than Uncle Lei Luo.

"Yu… Yuanyue?"

I elbowed him in the ribs. "She’s saying she agreed to remarry you!"

"Hmph, I-I didn’t ask her to remarry me."

What kind of reaction was that? Is this some kind of tsundere uncle? Gross.

"Even if you two remarry, you can’t make up for lost time." After the initial shock wore off, Lei Meow Meow didn’t seem happy. If anything, she looked indifferent. "In the end, you guys never really cared about me—so why should I believe you now?"

She didn’t need them anymore. With her newfound abilities, all she had to do was sign with one of the major entertainment companies, and she’d be financially independent from Sis Yuanyue. She could even take care of the gang of little brothers she now saw as family.

To our surprise, the trump card had no effect. Sis Yuanyue's expression darkened—she had stepped into unfamiliar territory again.

Looks like it’s time for the protagonist to work his magic.

I straightened my collar, brushed my hair back, and activated my elite aura.

Ding! Your friend [Negotiation Specialist Chang Kai] is now online.