I Became the Top Competitor in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 5

Chi Meng: “System, mute.”

“Sorry, this is due to our poor management and has caused you a bad experience.” The manager said, “We’ll pay more attention from now on. What happened today will never happen again!”

A tall senior high student immediately retorted:
“Don’t give me those empty words. There are so many KTVs in this city, and we chose yours because of Chi Meng! But we didn’t expect your place to be this bad, bullying the weak with the strong!”

“Oppressing the weak!”

“Gang bullying the few!”

“Judging people by words!”

Manager: “……”

Ling-jie turned her head away, covering her mouth as she laughed.

Chi Meng pulled out a handful of candy from her pocket, distributing it as she smiled:
“Alright, I know you’re all strong warriors who just finished exams.”

Her calm smile was like a breeze that blew away the anger in their hearts. The students quieted down, embarrassed, and sat obediently like kindergarten kids holding out their hands for candy.

A freshman girl, who idolized Chi Meng, peeked at her and whispered:
“Senior, tell us honestly—are people here bullying you?”

The manager stiffened nervously. He knew well enough about the conflicts between employees. He’d even had the lock on Chi Meng’s rest room repaired. Employee squabbles were inevitable, though he had already warned those who went too far. But who would’ve thought those two would cause trouble in front of customers—and these customers happened to be Chi Meng’s classmates! Judging from how popular she seemed among students, it was no wonder student foot traffic at this KTV had multiplied in recent months.

Sigh!

Though smiling, the manager sighed inwardly and kept sneaking glances at Chi Meng.

Chi Meng, who couldn’t read minds, caught his troubled look and replied honestly:
“This is the only part-time job I found that covers meals and lodging.”

The students widened their eyes.

“But the boss here is very nice. They don’t withhold wages, they don’t mistreat staff, and every meal has meat.” Under the manager’s guilty gaze, she continued: “It’s just that two employees have a bit of a grudge with me. But it doesn’t matter—it doesn’t affect my work.”

She smiled lightly. “I didn’t expect it to affect your experience, though. Tonight, let me cover your bill. This place really is good. They often have discounts, and students get 20% off.”

The manager breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said:
“Xiao Meng, this is ultimately the store’s problem. Everyone, please continue your fun. Tonight’s expenses will be on the house. We’ll also throw in free snacks and drinks. As for those two employees—I’ll make sure they apologize to everyone and to Xiao Meng, and they’ll be strictly reprimanded afterward.”

A student scoffed: “Apologize to us?”

The manager instantly corrected himself:
“To everyone, to Xiao Meng!”

Chi Meng curved her lips, put her hands over her stomach, and said solemnly:
“Thank you all for giving me this opportunity.”

“Pfft.”

Her little joke finally broke the tension, making the students laugh. Ling-jie immediately arranged a VIP room for them and had food and drinks delivered.

After the students left, the manager’s smile vanished. He grabbed the intercom:
“Call Li Yan and Liu Ting over here! Do they still want this job? If not, pack up and get out!”

His angry voice echoed in every staff headset. The two who had been slacking in the break room, Li Yan and Liu Ting, jumped in fright, almost dropping their sunflower seeds.

“Did he eat gunpowder or something?” Li Yan rolled her eyes. “What did I even do?”

“Come on, let’s see what his problem is. Anyway, your cousin’s a supervisor here. If he’s picking on us, just tell your cousin.”

The two strutted over, dragging their feet under the excuse of serving drinks, taking half an hour before reluctantly entering the office. To their shock, sitting behind the desk wasn’t the manager but the KTV’s owner—and Chi Meng was there too!

“Boss.”

“Hello, Boss.” Their disdainful looks vanished instantly, replaced with bright smiles.

The KTV’s owner was a well-maintained, elegant woman who rarely visited. This time, she had come specifically to see Chi Meng.

She waved them off and turned warmly to Chi Meng:
“So, will you finally be our Xuexue’s tutor? Before, you said our place was too far from your school. But now that you’ve graduated and don’t have classes, why not just live with us? I’ll have the maid prepare you a big room!”

“Thank you, An-jie.” Chi Meng met her gaze, speaking slowly. “But—”

Before she could finish, the boss clutched her chest dramatically and waved her off, as if she didn’t want to hear it.

“Fine, don’t say it! Two thousand per hour still can’t buy your heart…”

“Cough!”

The manager, sipping water on the sofa, choked violently, grabbing tissues to wipe his face. He only knew that the boss had personally interviewed Chi Meng when she joined. He hadn’t realized they had private connections. Two thousand an hour for tutoring—several times the market rate, even higher than his monthly salary! And Chi Meng had turned it down?

She really liked working as a KTV waitress that much?

Li Yan and Liu Ting, standing stiffly like wall decorations, turned pale when they heard Chi Meng call the boss “sister.” Cold sweat trickled down their backs.

So Chi Meng knew the boss! She must have complained behind their backs—that’s why they’d been summoned, just so the boss could take her side!

Panic gripped them, but resentment too. If only Chi Meng had been more submissive, a little more accommodating, would they have targeted her so much? If she had revealed from the start she knew the boss, not only would they not bully her, they’d have treated her well! She had no tact, and now she was ratting them out. What kind of person was she!

Their hateful stares fell on Chi Meng. She noticed but didn’t care, chatting with the boss instead:
“An-jie, don’t worry too much. Xuexue is smart and motivated. She’ll catch up fine in senior year.”

She pulled out a folded paper and handed it over.
“Actually, you came at the right time. This is my resignation letter for HR. Just wanted to tell you personally.”

“Huh?” An-jie was surprised, taking the letter with a smile.
“Did you find another job? Or are you finally taking some time off to enjoy yourself this summer?”

“Something like that. Thank you for looking after me all this time.”

She stood and bowed, but An-jie quickly stopped her.

“Don’t! If it weren’t for the notes you made for Xuexue, she wouldn’t have gotten into Class One. She and her classmates have been wanting to treat you to a meal. Anyway, go home and rest today. I’ll still pay you for this month—hey, no refusing! You hear me?” She grabbed Chi Meng’s hand kindly. “Do you have a place to stay? Come home with me tonight?”

Chi Meng didn’t turn down her goodwill, smiling cleanly:
“Thank you, An-jie. I have a place to stay. Please go on with your work—I’ll get going.”

After she left, An-jie handed the resignation to the manager, instructing HR to process it, her smile fading into calmness.
“Add an extra five thousand yuan bonus to Xiao Meng this month. I’m leaving.”

She shot a glance at the two drenched-in-sweat employees, frowned, and headed for the door.

But before she could leave, the manager spoke again:
“You two gossiped about a colleague in front of customers, severely damaging the store’s image. Those customers were important students! Because of you, we almost lost them! Tell me—what on earth did Chi Meng ever do to deserve this from you?”

Chi Meng?

The boss paused, turning her sharp gaze on the two trembling employees.

Under her stern eyes, Li Yan and Liu Ting lowered their heads, nervous to their core. Especially Li Yan—she prayed the boss would leave soon so she could call her cousin for help.

But An-jie had no intention of leaving. Folding her arms, she said coldly:
“Tell me everything. From the beginning. Now.”

Both women felt as though they’d fallen into an ice cellar. No one could save them this time. They would have to pay for their behavior.

Meanwhile, Chi Meng changed out of her uniform. She handed a proposal titled “Supplementary Guidelines for Employee Conduct” to Ling-jie, asking her to pass it on to An-jie. She had no idea that before her suggestions were even reviewed, Li Yan and Liu Ting were already on the verge of being fired.

Riding all her worldly possessions on her bike, Chi Meng cruised along the riverside night breeze. The night market was bustling, barbecue stalls full of customers.

The stall owner, drenched in sweat over the grill, lit up when he saw her.
“Dream, didn’t you say you’d come help in a few days? But it’s great timing. Can you deliver this takeout order for me? You know Renxing Entertainment Building, right?”

“Sure.”

He packed the barbecue neatly, placing it in her bike basket, then stacked a case of chilled beer on the footboard. The cold drinks glistened with condensation. He hung a bag of skewers on the handlebar.
“Eat these on the way. The customer asked specifically for you to deliver to the side door. Call them downstairs—don’t go inside.”

Chi Meng had already seen plenty of strange requests while delivering food in the past few days. She didn’t think much of it and agreed crisply.

019 muttered: “Feeding the pig.”

Chi Meng pretended not to hear, pedaling across the bridge.

It was late now. Traffic was thinning, though the skyscrapers on both sides still blazed with light. Behind each window, someone was still working overtime.

Stopping at her destination, Chi Meng steadied her bike with her legs, looked up at the building, and sighed:
“Wishing everyone good health.”

System: “……”

“Let’s deliver first.”

She tapped at the watch on her wrist. A ringtone soon rang out nearby.

Surprised, Chi Meng turned toward the sound.

There, under the streetlight, stood a solitary figure.

Wavy black hair fluttered in the night breeze. Dark eyes quietly fixed on her, as if they had been watching for a long time. When Chi Meng finally looked over, the figure straightened from leaning against the lamp post, pulled a hand from their pocket, and pressed the phone in their palm.

“Hello?”

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