“What? Start a YouTube channel?” Emma’s voice sounded shocked over the phone.

Lucas had decided to pitch his idea directly to her. 

Technically, he hadn’t been officially cut from the agency, but the contract was barely holding on.

“Yes. What do you think?” Lucas replied. “You mentioned there’d be no more monthly allowance, and you haven’t provided me with any work. I still need money to live.”

Emma was taken aback by his proposal. What kind of content could he even create? 

To most people, Lucas seemed too quiet and insecure for streaming.

“Hold on,” she replied. “I’ll need to discuss this with the team. After all, you’re still under contract with the agency.”

“Why are you all so selfish?” Lucas said. “No jobs, no allowance, and some of the basic perks have been cut off. I still have to survive. Whatever you decide, I’m going through with it.”

He hung up.

“Could he really be this exhausted? This is so strange,” she murmured to herself.

Since his last encounter with Emma, the one right after he’d fallen into the river, Lucas had been commuting to school by public transport. 

No agency car, no perks; he was left to fend for himself entirely.

Emma was stunned. “How did this kid suddenly become someone so different? Is he really Lucas? Was he… unwell all this time?”

The Lucas she’d known was quiet, compliant, and somewhat resigned. 

But now, he spoke with conviction and assertiveness, a completely new side of him.

After finishing up, Lucas settled onto the living room sofa, reaching for David’s guitar. 

He started tuning it, just as William joined him.

“David’s out late tonight?” William noted.

“Yeah, he said he’s got a full schedule,” Lucas replied, eyes focused on the guitar strings.

William raised an eyebrow as Lucas positioned the guitar in his lap. “Interested in learning guitar again?”

Lucas didn’t answer right away; he was focused on feeling the strings beneath his fingers. 

“Maybe? I need to start pushing myself harder from now on,” Lucas muttered, determination in his voice.

“I feel for you, Lucas,” Will said, half-mocking, half-joking.

He just wanted to test how much his skill had improved since the system boosted his guitar proficiency by two levels.

As he started to play, he was surprised. 

His fingers moved more smoothly, and his playing felt sharper, more fluid.

At first, he could only mimic simple riffs. 

But now, his hands seemed to have a mind of their own, moving fluidly over the strings as if he’d been playing for years. 

He could manage complex patterns with ease.

“Wow, this is incredible,” he murmured, getting more and more excited as he played.

William, just as astonished, watched Lucas in disbelief. “Lucas, since when did you get this good at guitar? Wait, don’t tell me—you blew your savings on guitar lessons?!”

All this time, everyone in Stellarix, even the agency, knew that Lucas wasn’t great at playing the guitar. 

His skills were average at best, and certainly not reliable enough for a performance on stage.

“Do you really think that’s possible?” Lucas replied.

Fueled by his progress, he attempted a song he’d always struggled with before. 

To his amazement, he played it as if he’d practiced it a hundred times, even throwing in a few improvisations.

“Damn! How can you play like that? Did you suddenly get some kind of divine inspiration?” William exclaimed, unable to hide his shock.

The last time he’d seen Lucas play the guitar, his performance had been painfully average. 

William was convinced that such a dramatic improvement couldn’t have happened overnight—especially since he hadn’t seen Lucas touch a guitar since that last lackluster attempt.

Ignoring the remark, Lucas asked, “Will, what would you think if I started my own livestream?”

William was caught off guard. The original Lucas would never have had an idea like this. 

Recovering, he asked, “What kind of content are you planning to make? Studying? Playing guitar? Or singing?”

“All of it,” Lucas replied curtly.

William had his doubts about Lucas’s plan.

Playing guitar? William thought Lucas’s skills still weren’t impressive enough to stand out.

Studying? Lucas had only recently started putting in serious effort—it had barely been a few days.

Singing? Well, most of his fans already knew that while his voice was decent, it wasn’t exactly extraordinary.

With Lucas’s limited popularity, would a livestream even bring in enough income for him to get by? 

Still, he held back from voicing his concerns, not wanting to discourage Lucas’s newfound drive.

“As long as the agency’s okay with it, I don’t see why not. Besides, you need the extra income.”

For the past few days, Lucas had been living with unwavering commitment.

Each morning, he woke up earlier than usual for a jog, then headed to school ahead of time. 

During school hours, he spent his breaks listening to audiobooks and reading. 

After classes, he stayed back to study, joining the same study group as Chloe and Mason.

Lucas was determined to study harder than ever, with one clear goal in mind: to gain admission to one of the country’s top universities.

The trial exams for college entrance were coming up at the end of the week, and Lucas was set on being fully prepared.

In the evenings, after school, he made time to practice guitar using David’s instrument. 

He worked on improving his playing while singing at the same time.

William and David, however, remained oblivious to Lucas’s progress. 

Their own schedules had been packed lately, leaving them returning home late at night and waking up well past dawn.

Now, just one day remained before the trial exams.

The school bell rang at the end of classes, the sky glowed with a warm orange hue. 

Lucas chose to skip the evening classes tonight—tomorrow was his first practice exam for college entrance, and he wanted to rest and prepare.

As he walked down the corridor, he ran into Chloe and Mason.

“Hey, Lucas! Not joining the evening class tonight?” Chloe greeted him warmly.

Lucas shook his head. “No, tomorrow’s the big day for the exam. I want to stay calm and prepare everything properly.”

Mason laughed mockingly. “Are you nervous? Haha, typical loser. Don’t stress yourself out too much.” He smirked. “But yeah, of course. That’s normal for a beginner like you.”

“Mason!” Chloe scolded, giving his arm a sharp squeeze. 

Mason had a habit of making snide remarks toward Lucas, and she wasn’t having it.

“That’s great, Lucas,” Chloe said warmly. “If you need any help with studying, don’t hesitate to ask me or Mason. We’d be happy to help.”

Mason frowned, visibly annoyed. “Chloe, why do you always offer my help without asking me first? I don’t want to assist a loser like him!”

“Thanks, Chloe,” Lucas replied calmly, ignoring Mason’s hostility. 

He gave her a small nod and continued on his way, throwing a knowing smile back at Mason as he passed.

“What? He just walked off like that? Isn’t that a bit arrogant and full of himself?” Mason scoffed. “Chloe, why are you suddenly so concerned about him?”

“Whose side are you on, Chloe? His or mine?” Mason asked. “Helping him study just gives him a better shot at winning the bet. Do you want me to lose and have to run naked as punishment?”

“Mason, listen,” Chloe said, her tone softening. “I owe Lucas a favor, even if he doesn’t realize it.”

“What favor? You’ve never mentioned this before.”

Chloe sighed. “You know that I went to the same middle school as Lucas, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, before our language exam, a girl from our class tried to bully me into giving her all my answers.”

Mason’s eyebrows shot up. “What? And?”

“When the teacher found out, I was accused of cheating, of helping someone on purpose. I nearly lost my passing grade over it.”

Chloe paused, remembering. “It turns out Lucas was nearby when it happened, though I hadn’t seen him. He’d secretly recorded the whole thing and gave the video to the teacher as proof. Thanks to that, I was cleared of any blame.”

“Chloe, why are you bringing that up now?” Mason said, surprised.

“Then, years later, I found myself at the same high school as him, even in the same class in our first year,” Chloe continued. “And now, with Stellarix about to disband and him not having any other work lined up, I just want to repay the favor.”

“But isn’t helping him study a bit much? You’ve got your own heavy schedule.”

“Fine, Mason, just forget it if you’re not interested,” Chloe said, turning to leave.

“Wait, Chloe, that’s not what I meant,” Mason protested, quickly following her. 

He knew he couldn’t say no when Chloe was set on something. 

Besides, the idea of Chloe studying alone with Lucas was enough to make him both irritated and jealous.

Meanwhile, Lucas arrived back at the dorm, immediately dropping his bag by the sofa and stretching out.

“You’re home early today?” David asked, already dressed to go out.

“Yeah,” Lucas replied.

“I’m heading out to eat with some friends. You wanna come?” David offered.

“Nah, I’ve got a test tomorrow. I’d rather stay in and clear my head.”

David chuckled. “Nervous? This is your first test since you started buckling down with your studies. A night out might help you relax a little.”

“Pass,” Lucas replied, smiling slightly. “But I wouldn’t mind if you brought something back for me.”

David looked at Lucas in surprise. “Wipe that disgusting look off your face. Are you really the same Lucas I know? You’re actually bold enough to ask me to bring you food?”

“Better get used to the new Lucas,” Lucas replied.

David laughed. “Idiot, you should’ve had this attitude from the start.” 

And with that, he headed out.

As the door closed, Lucas’s mind shifted back to tomorrow’s exam—his first real test in this world. 

Determined to set a new high score, far above anything the original Lucas had ever achieved, he got to work.

He quickly freshened up, then sat at his desk, fully focused. 

“Alright, Lucas, let’s nail this!” he thought with resolve.

He switched on his desk lamp, picked up a book from the stack in front of him, and slipped on his clear, black-framed glasses, ready for a night of concentrated study.

After two hours of studying, the clock showed 10 p.m. David returned, carrying a takeout bag. 

He pushed open Lucas’s door and tapped on it.

Lucas glanced up, raising an eyebrow. “Aren’t you supposed to knock first?”

“I brought you food, so eat up,” David replied. “I’d rather not have you collapsing and making even more trouble for me.”

Lucas’s stomach growled in response, and he grinned. “Dave, you’re the best.”

“Shut up and just eat,” David muttered.

They settled in the dining room, eating together.

“William’s not back yet?” David asked.

“No, I think he had a shoot today,” Lucas replied.

David shook his head. “He told me he didn’t have any shoots scheduled tonight.”

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and Lucas and David exchanged glances. 

When Lucas opened the door, he froze—William lay motionless on the ground outside their dorm room.