"Same as always, private room three. Ning Caiwei, what would you like to drink?"

"Just black coffee."

"Got it. One cappuccino, one black coffee, and a dessert." With that, the two entered the room.

"I'm sorry!" Ning Caiwei bowed her head apologetically to Ouyang Qianxue the moment she stepped inside.

"I've caused you so much trouble this time."

"It's fine. I've told you before not to dwell on it," Ouyang Qianxue said, sipping her coffee.

"Hey, Ouyang Qianxue, am I really that useless?" Ning Caiwei asked, her voice trembling.

"I never expected you to say that. Aren't you the active idol who stood out from tens of thousands of auditionees?"

"But my talent is like a pebble beside your jade. I feel like just a hollow popularity idol. If someone else were packaged instead, they might shine brighter than me."

Seeing Ning Caiwei's dejected posture, Ouyang Qianxue sighed and set down her cup.

"Ning Caiwei, I ask you: is this all the resolve you have as an idol? Giving up after one setback? Didn't you expect rivals with greater skills when you chose this path?"

"But your talent is overwhelming—I can't even catch up. How could I ever surpass someone like you?"

"Do you want to know why I'm stronger than you?"

"Is it because of your talent..."

"Talent? I don't know if mine surpasses yours. But my effort? Many times more than yours!" Ouyang Qianxue's gentle tone hardened instantly.

"Impossible! I sing until my voice turns hoarse daily. I dance before dawn breaks!" Though Ning Caiwei had inwardly accepted her inferior talent, she refused to let her efforts be dismissed.

"Pfft. Efforts like that are nothing to brag about," Ouyang Qianxue snorted.

"What did you say!" Ning Caiwei glared, but met an even fiercer stare.

"What, do you think I'm all talk?"

Ouyang Qianxue recalled vividly the day Wang Shimin took her in.

Eight years ago, at Wang Shimin's agency, several children were groomed from childhood for the idol project. Ouyang Qianxue was merely one candidate—she stood out not just through talent, but through effort that shamed others.

Wang Shimin's training was brutal. By nightfall, the exhausted kids collapsed into bed. Only Ouyang Qianxue slipped out to practice alone after lights-out.

"For my mother and sister, I must be chosen. Mastering Wang Shimin's hardest song would boost my chances. I have to sharpen my voice."

She borrowed vocal technique books, drilling every exercise. To avoid disturbing roommates in their shared apartment, she practiced in a nearby park.

When drowsiness hit, she pinched herself hard. By dawn, her arms were bruised purple.

Winter nights on Western River were bone-chilling; she often returned numb. Summer brought swarms of mosquitoes. She endured this for three years.

Before her father's bankruptcy, she'd lived in luxury. She'd never faced such hardship—she'd cried alone in secret. But she knew her mother and sister's fate rested on her shoulders. Failure meant ruin for them.

Whenever she nearly quit, she remembered her father who abandoned them. She'd whisper: "Will you discard your family like he did?" That thought pushed her to practice longer.

Effort paid off. At the three-year audition, Ouyang Qianxue dominated every category. Most shockingly, she flawlessly performed Wang Shimin's most difficult song.

Even Wang Shimin was moved. She immediately named Ouyang Qianxue the project's star trainee.

After that, Ouyang Qianxue's privileges soared. Wang Shimin fulfilled her every request.

Jealousy festered among the other kids. Too afraid to confront Wang Shimin's favorite openly, they conspired to ignore her completely.

The isolation weighed heavily on Ouyang Qianxue—but it fueled her harder work. Within a year, even Wang Shimin's active artists admitted she outshone them.

"So my effort far exceeds what you imagine!" Ouyang Qianxue revealed part of her past.

"You lost to me not from lack of talent, but lack of effort!" Overwhelmed by Ouyang Qianxue's intensity, Ning Caiwei slumped into her chair.

"My belief drives me to push harder than you ever could!"

"A person only becomes truly weak when they surrender to weakness. I never see myself as weak—I have something precious anchoring me. For that, I refuse weakness. And you have it too; I've seen it long ago."

"That precious thing is your love and dedication to being an idol!"

"But—" Ning Caiwei started, but Ouyang Qianxue cut her off.

"Your fury when I mocked your effort proves how fiercely you cherish this dream. Will you really abandon it—and deny all your hard work—over one small failure?"

"I don't want to!" Ning Caiwei blurted out unconsciously under Ouyang Qianxue's gaze.

Ouyang Qianxue smiled, satisfied.