May 3rd in the Gregorian calendar, the beginning of summer.

Who would have thought that the crown prince of Jiangshan Entertainment would become a talent manager?

Jiangshan Entertainment, the largest entertainment company in the Dragon Nation, boasted both excellent resources and a stellar reputation. In an industry infamous for its pitfalls, it was a rare example of a company with integrity. Yet Ji Fanxing had her own plans in mind and was ready to refuse. But when she saw Chu Hao’s earnest expression, she curled her lips into a smile.

“All right. If you defeat me this time, I’ll go.”

The conversation returned to Chu Hao’s earlier claim that he would surpass her and become the champion. Chu Hao’s expression froze. Did she really think he couldn’t win? Unconvinced, he raised his eyebrows, “It’s settled, then.”

They made a wager—informal but binding—their fates decided by victory or defeat. It was as if they had returned to the moment their team first came together, the air charged with hidden rivalry and unspoken tension.

Chu Hao glanced down at the girl before him, who had just issued a challenge. With his imposing stature, he was intimidating. “Just wait and see. My song will set the whole stage ablaze.”

“Oh? I’ll be watching closely,” Ji Fanxing responded, undaunted.

Backstage, time pressed. After exchanging words, they parted ways—one heading toward the stage, the other to the dressing room to change.

Turning the corner, Chu Hao’s figure vanished from sight. Ji Fanxing passed by Ji Shengxue’s dressing room once more. Through the open door, she glimpsed her mother, Ruan Lin, speaking on the phone with someone.

Ji Fanxing couldn’t be bothered to pay attention and walked straight past, but before she had taken a few steps, she was called back.

“Ji Fanxing! Stop right there!”

Paused in her tracks, Ji Fanxing noted that only moments ago her mother had acted as if she would rather not see her. Now she was calling out to her. It must be Ji Ruo Feng’s behavior that had angered her.

With her own performance imminent, Ji Fanxing had no time for a confrontation.

“Mother, I need to change my clothes,” she replied, nonchalantly, and prepared to leave.

Ruan Lin strode swiftly from the dressing room and grabbed her arm. “Ji Fanxing!”

Ji Fanxing was forced to stop and turned to ask what her mother wanted. Just as she faced her, a slap came whistling toward her cheek.

Ruan Lin’s actions were quick and unexpected, the force considerable—had it landed, it would have left a mark. But Ji Fanxing was quicker, catching her mother’s wrist in a reverse grip.

Her expression was unreadable, her tone devoid of emotion. “Mother, what are you doing?”

Ruan Lin hadn’t expected her reaction to be so swift, and her eyes flickered with visible panic. Yet, remembering that this was her second daughter—always quiet and lacking ambition—she withdrew her hand and became indignant.

“What did you do to Ruo Feng?! How could you humiliate him so publicly?!”

Ji Fanxing narrowed her eyes. “I merely gave him a small lesson.”

---

“Lesson?!” Ruan Lin’s tone sharpened, her previous uncertainty vanishing, replaced by burning anger.

“What gives you the right to teach him a lesson?!”

The corridor was empty and unmonitored; Ruan Lin made no effort to hide her feelings. In the past, Ji Fanxing would have shrunk in the face of her mother’s fury and admitted fault. But now, she showed no fear. Knowing her mother well, she knew Ruan Lin would be angry at Ruo Feng being bullied, but she would never display her anger in public.

“So what if I did? Do I need permission for that?”

She spoke as she stared into Ruan Lin’s eyes, stepping forward.

“No singer would ever go on stage with a slap mark on their face,” Ji Fanxing’s voice was cold. “Mother, you haven’t told me why you tried to hit me just now.”

Her sharp gaze forced Ruan Lin to step back.

Although Shengxue had said more than once that Ji Fanxing had changed, every time Ji Fanxing faced Ruan Lin, she was courteous. In her mother’s subconscious, this daughter was merely rebellious, difficult, but still easy to control.

Now, she found herself intimidated by her own daughter’s gaze.

Ruan Lin had once navigated the entertainment world in her youth, and as Ji Changming’s wife, she’d seen much of society. Steadying herself, she stopped retreating.

Just moments ago, Changming had called her, asking her to persuade their second daughter to give up the fight for the invitation letter. Given Ji Fanxing’s current momentum in the competition, Ruan Lin feared unexpected outcomes and agreed.

She had intended to speak gently, but the sight of her rebellious daughter’s disregard angered her, leading her to slap her without thinking.

Ruan Lin knew her actions were ill-advised—the National Music Exchange Conference was Shengxue’s chance to shine and a major event for the Ji family’s reputation. It could not be handled carelessly.

At that moment, Brother Du’s robust voice echoed faintly from the front desk.

“Congratulations to contestant Ji Shengxue, who is currently in first place with a high score of 90.8!”

Hearing this result, Ruan Lin’s face showed a hint of relief. “Fanxing, your sister is now ranked first. You can aim for the championship in this competition, but don’t think about anything else.

This is also your father’s wish.”

Ji Fanxing sneered. So it all came down to their fear she would seize the invitation letter meant for her elder sister. And to force her compliance, they even invoked her father’s name.

What a joke. Was Ji Changming’s word law?

She hadn’t cared much about the invitation letter before, but now her rebellious spirit was stirred.

“We’re all Ji’s. What difference does it make if I get it or my elder sister does?

Would it be some unspeakable shame for the family if the invitation letter came to me?”

Ruan Lin was bewildered by Ji Fanxing’s two consecutive retorts, reflexively answering, “Of course…”

---

“Teacher Ji, why are you still here! You’re about to go on stage! Hurry and change your clothes!”

A staff member, badge dangling from his chest, saw Ji Fanxing still in her formal dress and rushed over in alarm.

With someone present, Ruan Lin could not continue her tirade. She whispered a final warning.

“What you did has already crossed the Ji family’s boundaries. If you still refuse to listen to your father today, you will never be welcome in this house again!”

With banishment as her threat, Ruan Lin believed Ji Fanxing would not dare disobey and relaxed, letting the staff lead her daughter away to change.

Inside the dressing room, an electronic calendar displayed:

May the third, Beginning of Summer.

Old memories surfaced, haunting her once more.

In her previous life, she hadn’t made it to the finals of “The King of Songs.” In that monochrome world, she knelt at Ji Changming’s feet, begging desperately.

The vivid, glaring handprint on her face was the only color in that black-and-white world.

“Father! I really didn’t do it! Please believe me!”

“Get out! I have no daughter like you!” Ji Changming, furious, kicked the girl away at his feet.

Her lungs struck, she stifled the suffocating pain in her throat, then crawled on her knees toward her beautifully dressed mother.

“Mother… cough… please speak for me… I have never harmed my elder sister…”

“Child, it’s my fault for not raising you well… Go there and reflect on your behavior…”

…

The black-and-white scene shifted to a snow-swept foreign street. Weak and frail, Ji Fanxing was dragged roughly from a phone booth by a tall man.

“You vagrant! Don’t occupy our public facilities!”

Her legs, once violently broken, were twisted and bent. Cold and starving, she couldn't stand, only lie helplessly on the icy snow.

When she didn’t move, the man waved his hand, and several fierce men gathered around her.

The blows hurt terribly, but Ji Fanxing did not cry out. She stubbornly stared at the phone booth, hoping the phone inside would ring.

Scarlet blood stained the snow. As she faded, only one thought remained.

“Three days… Sister, we promised… why haven’t you called yet…”

…

“You were never my family, were you?”