Talent Scout

She smiled radiantly and said to them, "Yu Ning, you should take a break and have a meal before continuing."

All four people looked up at her at the same time. The first three put down their pens and stopped calculating, while the last one, with his legs crossed, only glanced at the newcomer and did not stop what he was doing.

The sound of flipping through a comic book was particularly noticeable as the five people looked at each other in bewilderment.

The crowd's attention shifted from the bookstore owner to Zhang Yuning, who was holding a comic book.

"What? You've finished your assignments?" The voice wasn't loud, and it was rather deep, but the question carried a hint of authority, a touch of threat, and a dash of nonchalance. It was just a casual question, yet it was incredibly intimidating.

The three shook their heads repeatedly, then quickly lowered their heads to continue calculating, as if afraid they wouldn't be able to finish.

"I see, Aunt Ru. They're not hungry yet. They'll do some more homework before they eat. You guys eat yours, don't worry about us."

The female owner of the bookstore glanced at them a few more times, wanting to say something more, but seeing that the children were studying diligently, she didn't want to disturb them any further. She nodded and quietly slipped out, telling the staff not to worry about the children behind the bookshelf, and just to prepare drinks for them.

As for lunch, I suppose they had their own ideas. I was originally planning to invite them to have a meal together, but seeing how resourceful her nephew was, I didn't ask any further questions.

When I heard some noise from the wall of books, the hands of the vintage wooden clock on the wall were already pointing to 1:30 PM. It had really been a whole morning of tutoring.

Zhang Yuning, carrying a comic book on one shoulder, pushed aside the wall of books and walked at the front, saying, "There's a pretty good grilled fish place next to the bookstore. It's less crowded now, and the owner is very generous with the portions. One medium pot is enough for the four of us. Their pickled pepper flavor is the most popular. How about it, want to go?"

Ou Liyao stepped forward quickly. "I think it's a good idea. My dad gave me some pocket money before he left. We can split the cost of the grilled fish among ourselves. It would be a shame not to have a big feast on such a nice weekend. I have a few coins in my pocket."

"Yes, Ou Liyao's idea is good, I agree. Xu Changjia, what do you think?"

When she was suddenly called, she tightened her grip on the white canvas bag she was carrying, nodded in agreement, and while answering, she casually placed the bag on the table next to her, took out some sticky notes she had jotted down while doing her homework, and stuck them on the bag.

Before the group could even descend the stairs, they were stopped by a shop assistant near the water station who handed them a packaged milk tea. The assistant explained that the boss had asked them to prepare it, and that he had originally intended to put it inside the bookshelf, but wouldn't allow them to disturb their studies, so he had to give it to them at this time.

Xu Changjia was startled and quickly stepped forward to take Ou Liyao's arm, listening to them chatting casually with the male bartender.

According to him, he learned from the proprietress, whom they called "Aunt Ru," that the handsome little boy at the head of the group was her nephew, whom she had watched grow up since he was a child. His academic performance had never caused his family any worry, and he had a wide range of interests. He was good at academics, drawing, playing ball, swimming, singing, and dancing. He was the kind of "other people's child" that everyone talked about, but he didn't like making friends.

Every time I come to the bookstore, I'm alone, grab two comic books and leave.

This is unprecedented. The proprietress told us that her nephew was bringing some classmates over for a visit, and she hurriedly asked us to clear out the bookshelf so that the children could sit down. Even the small blackboard inside was a new one that the proprietress bought yesterday.

There are only three of us in the shop. We've been busy for two or three days, but you've been so focused on learning that you haven't even noticed what we've been doing.

The three people followed behind whispering, but all they could hear was the handsome boy leaning down and whispering in the landlady's ear: "Auntie Ru, we'll be back for tutoring at the same time next week, so please reserve a spot for us."

Seeing the proprietress smile as she saw the two handsome boys off, the male shop assistant immediately pushed the two girls beside him forward, smiled and said goodbye to them. Being around young people made him feel like a withered tree had come back to life.

When I returned to the second floor, I saw a neat note on the table, on top of some very beautifully packaged pastries.

The male shop assistant smiled; this young lady was really thoughtful.

The Wan Zhuge Grilled Fish restaurant next to the bookstore isn't far; it's just a three- to five-minute walk away.

Although Aunt Ru brought them milk tea, Zhang Yuning still wanted a matcha latte. He originally wanted Zheng Ruoqian to take the two girls to order food first, but he was instead given a cup of milk tea. Zheng Ruoqian had already asked the two girls if they wanted ice cream cones and then ran off.

The three of them had no choice but to go to the grilled fish restaurant first, and chose a window seat to sit down while waiting for Zheng Ruoqian to go to the coffee shop across the street.

Seeing that the grilled fish was already on the table and he still hadn't returned, Ou Liyao asked, "Zhang, the academic genius, do you want to go check on him? He's been gone for so long and hasn't come back yet. Is the food too heavy and do you need someone to help you?"

"Don't worry, that coffee shop is crowded, it's normal to have a queue." But Zhang Yuning couldn't help but glance out the window with her arms crossed.

Xu Changjia, with his sharp eyes, spotted a man coming out of the coffee shop across the street, his hands full of bags. "He's back. Isn't that Zheng Ruoqian?"

The three men's eyes followed him as he walked toward the grilled fish restaurant. Before he had gone far, he was stopped by a tall man coming from the opposite direction.

The group disregarded everything else, leaving their belongings on their seats, pushed open the door, and rushed towards Zheng Ruoqian's location. Only when they got closer could they hear their conversation.

"Handsome young man, I really don't mean any harm, and I'm not a scammer. I'm from YL Entertainment in H country. You're really suited to be a trainee and debut." As soon as he finished speaking, he was surrounded by three people who had rushed over.

Hey, instead of being angry, he was delighted. These guys were promising talents. If he brought them all back to the company, their future would definitely be bright and their careers would be illustrious.

He stared at the children, looking them over from left to right, then back again, and even walked around them with his hands behind his back, examining their physiques and conditions several times.

I'm very satisfied. These are all promising talents who will become future Best Actor and Best Actress winners, rising stars in the entertainment industry.

He quickly pulled out a few more business cards from his wallet and shoved them into their hands. "Kids, do you want to get into the entertainment industry? I work for YL Entertainment, a legitimate agency in H country. Do you know the Three Roses group? They're one of our artists. If you want, we can make you famous and a global sensation."

"Really? You guys are so amazing!" Ou Liyao's eyes sparkled with excitement.

Although Xu Changjia didn't know whether her mission was related to this agency, she was happy to listen to a few more words and leaned her head closer to Ou Liyao.

Zhang Yuning seemed to be used to this kind of thing, and her attitude was very indifferent. She didn't say much, but just quietly watched the YL Entertainment Company perform, talking non-stop. Then she said at the right time, "The grilled fish is getting cold."

She reached out and pulled Zheng Ruoqian over, taking two cups of coffee from his hands. "Let's go." She turned back and gave him a fierce look.

The two girls followed behind them and left. When Xu Changjia turned around, he saw the tall man staring at the small note in his hand. Could it be...?

The agent took two steps forward, intending to catch up with them and say something more. He had just taken the little boy's parents' phone number and felt that the boy had great potential to become a star, so he wanted to persuade him to stay a little longer.

But the other boy's cold gaze, and that one glare as he turned back, made him stop in his tracks. He could only watch their departing figures, secretly thinking that he would give his phone number to his boss when he got back, and have his boss personally talk to the boy's parents. He was sure it would work.

Meanwhile, as the four of them walked towards the grilled fish restaurant, Ou Liyao was still commenting on the man who was acting suspiciously. Did becoming a big star in the entertainment industry mean acting like him? They almost thought that Zheng Ruoqian was about to be kidnapped by bad guys.

Zheng Ruoqian seemed to be thinking about something and didn't respond to her. Even when eating the grilled fish, he was somewhat absent-minded. After taking a couple of bites, he suddenly stood up and said, "Well, I'm going back first. I haven't finished my homework yet. I'll go back and finish it. See you at school tonight."

The three men followed him all the way until he disappeared from the grilled fish restaurant. Something was wrong, very wrong, but they couldn't ask him directly. After all, everyone has their own private matters and secrets.

After he left, Zhang Yuning sped up her eating, quickly finishing her bowl of rice. She then took out a comic book and leisurely sipped her coffee while waiting for the two ladies across from her to finish their meal.

Ou Liyao's little mouth never stopped smacking, taking a sip of coffee and a bite of pickled pepper fish, and occasionally "commenting" on things in the entertainment industry. Since the academic genius Zhang across from her ignored her, she could only pull Xu Changjia aside to talk.

Xu Changjia nodded repeatedly, taking small bites of grilled fish into her bowl. The grilled fish smelled so good, and she had friends to eat with her. It was as if she had saved up all the good fortune from her past life to use up in this one.

She was actually quite inclined to let them all enter the entertainment industry. After all, the rescue mission was to let them return to the time when they were in their prime in their previous lives. If she understood correctly, what she meant was that they would become well-known to the public because of some event or some point in time that affected the entertainment industry.

She just didn't know if they had debuted so early. Why hadn't she paid more attention to the entertainment industry in her previous life? All she knew was that she had heard Zheng Ruoqian's song by chance when she was in her twenties, thought the singer was good and remembered his name, and she had played that song on repeat for a long time. That was all she knew.

They ate until almost 3 a.m., but Zheng Ruoqian left early because he had to go back to school for evening self-study. The others didn't stay any longer. After finishing their meal and settling the bill, they went home and agreed to continue their tutoring at the same time next week. They said they would see each other at school for evening self-study.