While they were waiting in the practice room, Venti went ahead to find Tony.
Lu Chen, a bit bored, kept Barbara company as they watched the trainees rehearse. Under the dance instructor's lead, the trainees were practicing a group routine.
Though their moves weren't quite at professional level, they were all giving it their best—sweat soaking through their dance outfits.
Barbara watched the girls singing and dancing with determined effort, her eyes shining with admiration.
Lu Chen remembered that Barbara's dream of becoming an idol had started with the witch Alice.
That adventurer who roamed the worlds—part prankster, part villainess, and the chaotic force who blew up the ruins of the Stormterror's Lair—somehow brought Barbara an "idol magazine."
With a mix of coaxing and trickery, she got Barbara completely hooked on the idea of being an "idol."
Supposedly, Alice had plans to assemble a full "Teyvat Idol Group" and had even approached Kamisato Ayaka multiple times...
But in the end, only the kind-hearted and simple Barbara fell for it. The group disbanded before it started, and Barbara ended up debuting solo in Mondstadt...
"Now that you've seen real idols, do you still like this job?" Lu Chen glanced at her sparkling blue eyes and couldn't help asking.
Venti had already taken them around Starlight, where they met all kinds of idols—rookies and stars alike.
"I really like it," Barbara nodded. "Lady Alice said that idols work hard to be loved by everyone, and they can heal people's hearts through song. I love that kind of work."
"Why do you have to make everyone like you?" Lu Chen asked, a little confused.
Barbara really did seem to live by that.
In Mondstadt, whether she was healing the sick or soothing hearts through music, she always gave it her all—striving to be someone everyone could love.
"Because I want to be like my sister~" Barbara said with a bright smile. "I want to help the people of Mondstadt, and I want to be recognized by everyone!"
Lu Chen nodded silently. Just as he thought. With a sister as accomplished as Jean, no matter how hard Barbara tried, she could never become the pride of the family in the same way.
So she followed in her sister's footsteps, and slowly found a different path that suited her. That drive—wanting to be recognized—had shaped the Barbara they knew now.
While they were talking, practice wrapped up. The sweat-soaked trainees grabbed towels and chatted happily with one another.
The dance room grew noisy. Lu Chen saw Barbara still sitting in her chair, looking reluctant to leave.
"Don't worry, if you join Starlight, there'll be plenty of practice days ahead..."
Lu Chen sighed. Barbara really did want to be an idol.
Well, that was a good thing. The system had dumped a "Become an Idol" quest on her, and at first, Lu Chen had thought she was reluctant.
"Mm..." Barbara nodded eagerly, full of anticipation.
Just then, the door abruptly swung open, and a tall, striking girl walked in.
She must've been one of Starlight's stars. The moment she entered, several trainees rushed to greet her, their tone somewhere between respect and flattery.
"Nana, good to see you!"
"Nana, you're here too? Here to practice?"
But this "Nana" wore a cold expression, clearly in a bad mood. Her replies were curt and indifferent.
After everyone had greeted her, "Nana" instinctively glanced over at Lu Chen and Barbara, then locked eyes on Barbara.
It was a scrutinizing look. Barbara, feeling a bit uneasy under her gaze, still gave her a gentle smile.
"New here?"
Barbara knew she was being addressed and nodded.
"Mm."
"Nana" stared at Barbara—whose looks far outshone anyone else in the room—and frowned slightly.
"Tch. So this is how rude newcomers are these days?"
"Ah..." Barbara looked confused and glanced at Lu Chen, unsure what she'd done wrong.
Lu Chen's good mood vanished. He shot a look at "Nana," his expression cooling.
Seeing Barbara still silent, "Nana" narrowed her eyes in annoyance, then turned and snapped at the rest of the room.
"Why are there still so many of you here? Didn't anyone check the schedule?"
She strutted straight to the center of the studio, and the trainees quickly stepped aside.
Her words made everyone a bit uncomfortable. Maybe they had gone overtime without realizing it.
People began whispering.
Thanks to Lu Chen's sharp hearing, he caught every word.
"Come on, let's go. Their group booked the room..."
"Wait, she's alone? She needs the whole studio by herself?"
"Just leave, you want to tick her off or what?"
As "Nana" stood there, arms crossed and eyes sharp, the trainees filed out under the pressure, changing out of their dancewear and quietly leaving.
The room emptied out quickly, yet "Nana" hadn't changed clothes—she just kept staring coldly at Lu Chen and Barbara, who remained seated.
"It's bad enough you didn't greet your seniors. Now you're just sitting there getting in the way? Move it!"
"Ah... I..." Barbara started to rise.
But Lu Chen pulled her back down.
He looked at the celebrity and smiled calmly.
"This dance studio yours? You say leave, and I'm supposed to just leave?"
"Nana" finally looked at Lu Chen directly. Seeing his handsome face, she was momentarily stunned—then, picking up on the hostility in his tone, her expression grew even frostier.
"And who are you supposed to be? I don't recognize you. What group are you with?"
"I'm from the Teyvat Adventure Group," Lu Chen said.
"Excuse me?"
"What... group?"
She searched her memory for a boy band with a weird name like that, but when she saw Lu Chen's smirking face, she realized—
She was being played.
She stormed over. "What's your deal? Do you even know who I am? Are all newbies this blind nowadays?"
As she got closer, Lu Chen's expression turned serious.
He stared at her—this arrogant little celeb—and pointed dramatically.
"You…"
"You…"
His exaggerated reaction made her feel smug. "Recognized me? Then hurry up and—"
Lu Chen cut her off, pointing directly at her.
"Who are you?"
"..." The smug look on her face froze.
She hadn't expected that buildup to end like this.
He was still messing with her!
"What the hell!" she snapped, her temper flaring instantly.
"Lu Chen..." Barbara gently tugged at his sleeve, eyes full of concern.
"Let it go..."
She was trying to deescalate. It wasn't a big deal, after all.
Lu Chen gave a small shake of his head, then looked at her seriously.
Barbara was still too gentle. Even when someone confronted her head-on, she wanted to avoid conflict.
But if she joined this company, there'd be more incidents like this. To avoid trouble and stay clear of toxic people, she needed to set boundaries early on.
Just as Lu Chen was about to throw another jab at the bratty starlet, a warm voice called out from the door.
"Tony! Where are you? Where's the promising talent you mentioned?"
The moment she heard the voice, "Nana" changed her tune. She plastered on a sweet, innocent smile and looked toward the door.
"Oh! Mr. Starligh!"
"And Director Wang!"
She fluttered over like a butterfly.
Lu Chen and Barbara turned to look—and saw Tony, Venti, and a tall, lean middle-aged man walking in.
"It's Nana," the man addressed as Mr. Starlight nodded politely, his tone softening.
"Mr. Starlight, Director Wang! You're here to watch my rehearsal, right? That's great! For this year's Starlight Carnival, I—"
Halfway through her sentence, her smile froze.
After exchanging quick, lukewarm greetings, the group walked right past her to the seats by the wall.
Venti winked at Lu Chen, and Tony gave him an apologetic smile.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Let me introduce you—this is Victor Starligh, the general manager in charge of Starlight's vocal division."
Lu Chen smiled and shook hands with Victor Starligh. Barbara stood quietly beside him, looking a little nervous.
Victor Starligh glanced at Barbara, then smiled at Tony.
"Just like you said—great look. But musically..."
"Don't worry!" Tony patted his chest. "Her tone, her resonance—absolutely brilliant."
"Better than V.T..." Victor Starligh glanced at Venti, but quickly looked away, perhaps because there were others present.
"Better than V.T.?" he asked in a lowered voice.
Tony shot a look at "Nana," who was awkwardly lingering nearby, like an unwanted extra.
Although she looked confused and slightly stunned, she quickly nodded and scurried out of the studio.
"Mr. Starligh, Director Wang, I'll leave you to it. I'll step out for a moment."
A soft click followed as the door closed behind her.
Lu Chen hadn't looked at her once the whole time. What did catch his attention, though, was what she'd called Tony.
"Wow, look at you! Got a promotion?"
He remembered Tony used to be just a music producer. Sure, he was a veteran with a big name, but not yet a director.
Venti had told him that above the directors were the general managers, so Tony must've been promoted.
Tony gave Lu Chen a humble smile. "Well... Gu Cheng's departure ended up being a blessing in disguise..."
He looked toward the person who had single-handedly revived Starlight's music division.
Venti scratched his head sheepishly and smiled.
Tony laughed too. "When that scandal hit, two senior staff jumped ship to JiaShi Entertainment. With the sky falling, I was the tallest one left—someone had to hold it up..."
Victor Starligh clapped him on the shoulder with a grin. "You're the talent scout who recognized a gem from a thousand miles away. Without you, we wouldn't be where we are now."
His smile was genuine. Then he turned to Lu Chen and Barbara.
"Alright, let's head to the recording studio to talk in detail. I want to see this second musical genius that Tony's been raving about show off her voice."