After their confessions were rejected, they regretted it for the rest of their lives.

"Actually, from the very beginning, when you called me, I could already connect it to your brother."

Le Yi looked at Xia Weichan's face, recalling the events as she spoke:

"From the very beginning, just like you, when I first became the head of this company, I brought Xiao Hexu from overseas, and then, just like that, I put her into the trainees of that batch."

"..."

These words stirred up Xia Weichan's memories...

It really does look like six months ago when he brought Kurimaki Tsuruo to this talent agency.

That's how it was; Le Yi signed the contract in advance and then notified them, acting first and informing them later.

However, at that time, Tsuru's Chinese was not very fluent. It took her a long time to gradually improve before she was able to sing Chinese songs steadily.

The starting points for both playthroughs were surprisingly similar.

However, he was Xia Weichan, and the girl following behind her was Zhou Juzi.

He could understand Zhou Juzi's anxiety and lack of confidence after hearing those words.

An A+ in academic ability means that this girl is no worse than Kurimaki Tsuruo or Ke Yuexuan. On the contrary, Funagi Azusa is smarter than the two of them, at least in terms of learning ability.

However, birds, having long kept their wings folded, are unaware of how high they can fly.

Countless geniuses die from mediocrity.

All Xia Weichan can do right now is to help Zhou Juzi spread her wings, which are no less than anyone else's.

Let her experience firsthand what it feels like to spread her wings and soar.

"My brother and I are equally talented, but we specialize in different areas."

"A stringed instrument? But I don't see any trace of your fingers ever playing such an instrument." Le Yi glanced at Xia Weichan's hands.

She had some doubts about the confident words spoken on the phone.

After all, she had a knack for judging people. Normally, people who play guitar would inevitably develop calluses due to the friction between their fingers and the strings.

But Xia Weichan's hands did not have such marks, not to mention that he said he was going to play an electric guitar.

On the contrary, based on their first meeting, Leyi was more eager to see how the girl he brought would perform.

Zhou Juzi definitely knows how; you can tell just by looking at the marks on her slender fingers.

Even if Xia Weichan has a problem, as long as the girl behind her who is preparing to use connections passes the test, it will be fine.

Leyi had already prepared her excuses.

The company's facilities are much larger than those of typical artist management companies. After all, it's the company with the best benefits in the industry, so the equipment is naturally very complete, and there's also a large space dedicated to resting and relaxing.

After turning a corner, Leyi pushed open the door; this was the place for the trainee auditions and selections.

"Later, the selection of the debut group was also done in this practice room."

The room walls were covered with black sound-absorbing foam; once the door was closed...

The outside world was instantly cut off.

They walked through the backstage door where the interviewees entered.

Once inside, I stood perfectly in one corner of the stage, with the lights shining on the center.

Less than five meters away from the stage were the judges' seats and the audience seats at the very back.

If someone is a complete novice and steps into such a place for the first time, their fingers will definitely tremble, and they might even experience stage fright.

Leyi had already arranged for someone to handle this in advance.

I was sitting in the middle of the judges' panel, thankfully there was only one person there.

He was a man wearing a leather jacket, with a buzz cut and an earring, making it difficult to tell his gender at first glance.

How to put it? They're like hippies who came out of a street band.

"Let me introduce you first. This is Gao Jingshu, who is in charge of selecting female musicians. You can call her Instructor Gao. She specializes in rock music..."

Coach Gao didn't say anything, he simply snapped his fingers.

His imposing gaze went directly through Xia Weichan to Zhou Juzi behind him.

The invisible pressure and the atmosphere on stage caused Zhou Juzi to break out in a cold sweat. Even standing on the soft padded floor felt like being pricked by a thousand thorns.

It makes it somewhat difficult to stand up.

Although no words were spoken, the test began the moment he stood on the stage.

Having had interview experience, Zhou Juzi understands the importance of composure.

But here, compared to when I went on stage in the preparatory class... the stage is too big and too formal.

"I remember you weren't very resilient to stress?"

Xia Weichan turned her head slightly, looking at Zhou Juzi, who was hiding behind him with trembling fingers, and whispered a reminder:

"The first step for a musician is to have absolute self-confidence."

"I..."

Zhou Juzi's lips trembled slightly, and she looked away.

These are completely different...

The girl was filled with excitement upon entering, mixed with nervousness and apprehension from not being prepared. She even felt the urge to use the restroom.

The next moment, her cheek was gently pinched, causing her slightly lowered head to lift up.

"Hmm..."

Zhou Juzi's gaze settled again on that gentle and calm face.

Xia Weichan habitually pinched the girl's cheek, giving her a 'smile'—a habit he inherited from his second playthrough.

Whenever Ke Yuexuan got nervous on stage, Xia Weichan would pinch her lips and then lift them, drawing an upward curve on the girl's delicate pink lips.

Unfortunately, this habit wasn't put into practice on the third playthrough.

Kurimaki Tsuruo will bite, and will slap his arm while blushing, or step on his instep with her heel...

And today, looking at Zhou Juzi's pretty, dazed face, the "smile" he had conjured up...

what...

It seems I can continue this habit this time around.

"It's okay, I'll play after you're done."

Before Zhou Juzi could even show a puzzled expression, Xia Weichan released her hands from the girl's face and turned to look at Coach Gao below the stage.

He flashed a confident smile and snapped his fingers as well.

That's ridiculous!

Old buddy, have you ever had a "very high" qualification given by the system?

Do you put pressure on people?

Taking it for granted?

From beginning to end, Xia Weichan was never worried about this test that was specially prepared for Zhou Juzi and him.

"It seems the new boss trusts you a lot."

Leyi handed the electric guitar used for practice to Zhou Juzi and placed the effects pedal at her feet.

Before stepping off the stage, Leyi reminded the girl who was standing slightly behind the center:

"Just play it like you normally do. I don't know the specifics of your relationship, but don't let others down."

Trust...?

Why?

Zhou Juzi held her guitar, but her gaze remained fixed on Xia Weichan, who had just sat down in the spectator seats.

In his memory, he had never seen himself play the instrument, had he?

But why do they always have that "it'll definitely be fine" look on their faces?

This trust,

It made Tachibana's heart feel like it was being tightly clenched, and then it started pounding violently out of instinct.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

He bent down to hang the guitar in front of him, then skillfully reached behind his neck, flicked his wrist, and the long hair that had been pressed down by the guitar strap cascaded smoothly down.

I tested the sound with a pick, and it's fine.

I pressed the effects pedal.

Her gentle, peach-blossom eyes narrowed slightly, gradually transforming into a stubbornness unique to the girl's personality.

"Hello, judges. My name is Zhou Juzi, and I specialize in... guitar."

Although her voice trembled slightly, it was harmless.