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This Star Only Wants More Money - Chapter 1

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  2. This Star Only Wants More Money
  3. Chapter 1 - Bittersweet Awakening
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Translator: Diviner

“Xu Feng, congratulations on the promotion! It’s been seven or eight years, right? Finally, the hardships are over. Not an easy journey, huh?”

“I heard that Brother Xu is taking us to a concert today?”

“How many times do I have to tell you, use titles while working—call me Minister Xu!”

Xu Feng smiled as he listened to his colleagues’ banter, daydreaming about the future while walking towards the staircase.

Just as he stepped onto the first step, perhaps because of sitting for too long, his calf suddenly gave way, his ankle twisted, and he lost control, tumbling down the stairs and hitting his head hard on the ground.

Crack!

He tried to open his mouth to call out, but his eyelids involuntarily drooped, and his vision went black.

…

He didn’t know how long had passed when a gentle melody reached his ears.

“Mo Ci Geng sits again to play a tune, for you I perform ‘The Pipa’s Melody’…”

After the clear, melodious female voice, the surroundings erupted in fervent cheers.

“Lin Shenghuan!”

“Ahhh! The ancient style, the illusion of magic—who can understand this?!”

“Is the concert ending already? I haven’t had enough yet.”

The voices filled his ears, and Xu Feng suddenly opened his eyes, finding himself seated in a VIP seat in the front row of a concert.

‘Who am I, and where am I?’

‘Is this a concert?’

‘Did those unscrupulous colleagues not send me to the hospital after I passed out but directly to a concert instead? Could people actually do such a thing?’

‘But why are all the faces around me unfamiliar?’

Lost in thought for a moment, a slender, attractive woman sitting to his right seemed to notice that the concert was coming to an end. She suddenly turned her face towards him and said, “Xu Feng, thank you for inviting me to this concert. You are a good person, but accepting your invitation doesn’t mean I agree to be with you.”

Xu Feng, who still hadn’t figured out the situation, immediately turned his head in shock, looking at this woman as if she were trash.

It wasn’t because he had inexplicably appeared at a concert, nor because he had suddenly received the “good person card.”

It was because he didn’t even know the person in front of him!

Who are you? Do I know you? Why would I invite you to a concert? Do I even know you to be together?

“Where did this self-absorbed woman come from, imagining things? Seriously, she must be delusional.”

Just as Xu Feng muttered these words, a sudden pain shot through his head, and memories that didn’t belong to him flooded in.

This place was very similar to Earth, but the details were entirely different.

And his predecessor, unfortunately, was a pathetic simp and a complete failure.

To please the girl beside him, Chen Huihui, a manipulative woman, he had spent time and effort, even going as far as maxing out two credit cards to buy these two excellent seats that allowed them to see the entire concert clearly.

Naturally, the manipulative woman accepted the gifts but kept him in an illusion, always giving him the false hope that he could win her over if he just tried a little harder.

Oh, this…

After crossing into a strange world, not only did he get nothing good, but he also inexplicably inherited a debt of 70,000 yuan?

The money wasn’t much, but the insult was strong.

Aside from his good looks, his predecessor had no redeeming qualities. His skills, personality, and behavior were all things Xu Feng despised—a pathetic simp who couldn’t get his life together. It was only natural for him to have such a miserable fate.

After understanding his situation, Xu Feng felt mentally defeated—he had painstakingly worked his way up in the company, earning a promotion and a raise, only to have to start all over again because of a fall? This wasn’t even starting from zero; it was starting from the negatives!

“…”

Beside him, Chen Huihui’s face flushed with anger, her eyes filled with disbelief, seemingly shocked by Xu Feng’s harsh words.

Before she could say anything, the concert was nearing its end. Lin Shenghuan, on the stage, slightly raised her eyebrows and smiled, “I’m so glad to meet everyone in Luohe City. Your incredible enthusiasm and support have made me feel truly honored. I want to thank each and every one of you; I’m genuinely excited to be on stage today!”

“As usual, we will select three lucky audience members from the VIP seats. One will receive a limited-edition signed album, another will get to interact with me on stage… and for the last one, as always, we’ll throw the bouquet. Whoever catches it will come up on stage to sing a song; no escaping!”

“Backstage, please start.”

“…”

Only now, Xu Feng, who was utterly lost about his future, snapped out of his daze and glanced at the stage.

In his moment of confusion, the first round of the draw had already ended.

Lin Shenghuan, holding the microphone, was interacting with the first lucky audience member—a voice that was both soft and charming. Her face was delicate without being cold, a perfect blend of an ice-cold beauty with a warm and lively personality.

The elegant, fitted qipao she wore outlined her perfect curves, and her long, slender, fair legs under the skirt made her a visual feast, hard to look away from.

If it were any other time, Xu Feng might have glanced a few more times, but now he had no interest in admiring beautiful women; his mind was filled with his bleak future.

Was there any chance for a comeback? This world was very different from Earth. Although Xu Feng’s abilities remained, his predecessor’s education was also decent. But without an information advantage, it would take as much time as his previous life to struggle his way up. To climb from the bottom again for another ten years, without knowing if he could achieve the same success as his previous life—just thinking about it was despairing.

Smack!

Suddenly, amidst his chaotic thoughts, a light breeze brushed past, and Xu Feng suddenly felt something being stuffed into his hand.

Looking down, Xu Feng’s gaze froze—it was none other than the bouquet that would require him to go up on stage and sing a song!

How did it end up in his hand?

Xu Feng turned his head to the left and saw a chubby guy looking panicked. In a low voice filled with apology, he said, “Bro, I’ve always been tone-deaf. I can’t bear to embarrass myself in front of my idol… I’m really sorry, please take my place this time. I’ll treat you to a big meal afterward!”

“???”

This guy spoke as if Xu Feng had a fantastic singing voice.

He hadn’t even figured out his future, and now he had to go on stage and make a fool of himself?

Just as Xu Feng was about to refuse and find an excuse to go home and think of a way to break free from his predicament, a hollow voice suddenly came to his ears, and several lines of small text appeared in the upper right corner of his vision.

[Detecting employment behavior…]

[Entertainment Mercenary System 1.0 launching]

[The system will reasonably calculate the enhancement of the host’s abilities based on the value of the employment and the employer’s requirements. The higher the value, the greater the ability enhancement]

[A stranger is offering a 300-yuan meal invitation for the host to sing a song on stage at the concert… Calculating]

[Based on the commission value, the host gains a +60 buff to “Nursery Rhyme Ability” and a +30 buff to “Foreign Language Ability.”]

[Current abilities of the host: Singing: 2 (Nursery Rhymes 62); Performance: 11; Appearance: 84; Luck: 40; Martial Arts: 0; Dance: 10…]

[Each time an employment task is completed, the host will receive a permanent increase in various attributes based on the value of the commission. The host can also improve their attributes by mastering the corresponding skills through self-study]

[Based on the commission amount, the host will receive corresponding points, which can be used to draw blueprints for various entertainment works from Earth, obtain corresponding props, or convert them into cash]

[Since this is the host’s first employment, a novice gift pack will be awarded upon completion]

“This… this is…” Xu Feng stared at the sudden panel, and his anxious mood turned into excitement, “A golden finger?!”

Feeling as if he had grasped a life-saving straw, Xu Feng carefully examined these lines of text.

“Entertainment Mercenary System… So, if someone hires me for a job and pays more, my abilities will increase accordingly?”

Xu Feng knew his own limits; he understood that even with his good looks, he had no chance of surviving in the entertainment industry. So, he had never thought about moving in that direction.

But seeing this system, Xu Feng’s sharp intuition told him that this was an opportunity he should not miss.

Who knows? It might actually work!

At least it was much more promising than sending resumes blindly, starting over from scratch, and struggling to please others for another ten years in the cutthroat workplace.

Now, at this concert, he had a great opportunity for exposure!

“It’s just that the value of this guy’s dinner is too low, so I only got a reward for nursery rhyme singing skills and a bit of foreign language proficiency…”

Watching Lin Shenghuan elegantly lift her skirt and approach, Xu Feng forced himself to stay calm, racking his brain on how to make the most of these two newfound skills to seize this rare opportunity.

At this moment, several large screens behind the stage were already locked onto Xu Feng’s face.

Objectively speaking, this face had a lot of potential to survive in the entertainment industry, giving Xu Feng more confidence about entering the field.

“Wow, a handsome guy!”

“Is he single?”

“Isn’t that girl next to him his date?”

“…”

Lin Shenghuan had already reached the front of the stage. As a singer, she knew how to work the crowd, “Hey handsome, did you come with the beautiful lady next to you?”

As soon as she asked, she handed the microphone over.

At that moment, the camera zoomed in on the two of them, and the whole venue was filled with ambiguous whistles.

However, before Xu Feng could answer, Chen Huihui anxiously squeezed into the frame, raised her index finger, and indicated “1,” signaling that she had come alone.

She seemed eager to clarify her relationship with Xu Feng as soon as possible.

After making the gesture, Chen Huihui looked at Xu Feng with a vigilant gaze—as if every time this happened before, Xu Feng would argue with her.

This was at a concert; she couldn’t afford to lose face here.

This scene caused the once-rowdy audience to fall silent, bringing a rare moment of awkwardness to the lively concert venue.

Originally, Xu Feng, who was centered in the camera, became even more noticeable, and everyone was curious about how he would respond.

Shocked? A big quarrel? Or something else entirely?

Xu Feng, who had crossed over, was eager to separate from this clingy woman, and he quickly took the opportunity, turning to Lin Shenghuan and shaking his head, “I came here alone.”

His past experiences had taught him that it was best to stay as far away as possible from troublesome people.

But this unexpected response left Chen Huihui stunned.

Usually, they would argue for a bit, but today there was nothing… Could it be, was Xu Feng planning to cause trouble on stage?!

Chen Huihui’s vigilance immediately heightened, her tone lowered, containing a hidden threat, “Xu Feng! I don’t know what you’re planning, but if you dare spread rumors on stage, I… I will never speak to you again!”

Is there no end to this? I already said I don’t know you!

If it weren’t for the camera on him, Xu Feng would have cursed already.

Luckily, this sentence wasn’t picked up by the microphone.

Because Lin Shenghuan’s left hand had already lightly covered the microphone, her face still maintained a smile that reached her eyes, as if she hadn’t heard the previous words.

So quick and smooth… Beautiful, sweet, and kind.

Even with Lin Shenghuan’s deft move, the audience could tell that something was off—these two clearly knew each other.

The concert venue grew noisy again, with many people whispering and gossiping.

Most felt that this woman, who had come with someone else and was now publicly distancing herself, didn’t seem like a decent person.

On the other hand, this young man, who neither got flustered nor defensive, appeared quite composed, earning some goodwill and empathy from the crowd.

“…”

With the time he bought from this commotion, Xu Feng had already come up with a plan.

Without giving Chen Huihui even a glance, he got up and followed Lin Shenghuan to the center of the stage.

After a bit of small talk, Lin Shenghuan got to the point, “So, handsome, are you going to sing one of my songs, or pick one you know well?”

As a new-generation singer with an ancient style, Lin Shenghuan’s songs often included high notes and falsetto; even if they were popular, most people couldn’t sing them well.

Fans invited on stage who couldn’t manage to sing her songs could choose something else to get by—it was just a fun concert interaction, not meant to put fans in a tough spot.

“I’ll choose my own,” Xu Feng replied, then added with a joke, “Don’t worry, I won’t be promoting any of your competitors.”

Lin Shenghuan blinked, “No worries, I don’t have any competitors in my lane right now.”

Upon hearing this, the audience started chatting again, “This guy seems confident, is he a KTV star?”

“In front of Sister Huan, all are equal.”

“Is he showing off in front of a master now!”

“Others are just casually singing, don’t take it too seriously.”

“…”

Xu Feng’s expression remained unchanged as he communicated with the backstage staff about the song he wanted to sing.

He tapped the mic and cleared his throat, “This song, I want to dedicate to someone who is also here today, right now, in the audience… I believe everyone knows who I’m talking about.”

Wow!

The crowd burst into noise again, and even Lin Shenghuan’s bright eyes showed a rare hint of curiosity and gossip.

Was this going to be a surprise confession song by a hopeless simp? Or a breakup anthem tearing everything apart?

People always love watching drama, even celebrities.

Three seconds later, the prelude began.

However, the cheerful music coming from the speakers left everyone stunned.

“Doo doo doo doo doo doo~ Doo doo doo doo doo doo~”

Isn’t this the prelude to a nursery rhyme?

What’s going on? Where’s the promised love song?

Where’s the ten-thousand-word romance drama?

Xu Feng calmly said, “This is a German song called ‘Schnappi’.”

Then, Xu Feng’s voice blended with the cheerful melody of the nursery rhyme, pouring out all the insults he had just thought of:

“A dumbass, still thinking they’re so cool!”

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