Chapter 189: Investing Not For Profit

I pulled up my System interface, letting the translucent blue light hover in front of my eyes where no one else could see it. I scanned the girl who had just hit that soaring, unscripted high note.

The readout flickered into view:

[TARGET ANALYSIS] Current Potential: 6.8 / 6.9 Status: Peak Ceiling (Near Max Capacity) Investment Cashback Multiplier: 2x System Note: High-potential targets are recommended for maximum returns. Investing in low-potential targets yields minimal system rewards.

A 2x multiplier was practically nothing compared to what I usually got. From a purely financial and system-optimization standpoint, investing in her made zero sense.

I looked over at Ruby. She was leaning forward, her eyes soft, full of empathy, fixed on the young singer standing awkwardly on stage while her bandmates gave her the cold shoulder. Ruby knew exactly how it felt to have talent, to be misunderstood, and to be pushed aside by people who didn’t get your vision.

She turned to look at me, her soft brown eyes pleading without saying a single word.

I glanced back at the screen, then closed the floating panel. I didn’t need the System’s cash, and I certainly didn’t need another multiplier.

"System’s just a recommendation tool," I whispered, reaching out to slide my hand into Ruby’s. "I don’t need the money anyway."

Ruby looked up, her face instantly brightening. "Wait... Ethan, are you saying...?"

"We should help her, right?" I smirked, squeezed her hand, and nodded toward the stage. "Let’s go make this girl’s night."

Ruby looked at me, a little puzzled. "How? We can’t just throw money at her in the middle of a country diner."

"Watch and learn," I whispered with a grin.

We walked right past the stage toward the narrow hallway leading to the back rooms, where the ginger girl was leaning against the wall by herself. She was clutching her microphone to her chest, head down, furiously cursing herself under her breath in a quiet, panicked murmur.

"Hi," Ruby said softly, stepping into the dim hallway light.

The girl flinched, snapping her head up. Her eyes went wide for a second before she quickly tried to brush off her frustration.

"Oh... hi," she stammered, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. She glanced over at me with a polite, nervous nod. "Hi there. I... I haven’t seen you two around before. You guys new to town?"

"Yeah, just passing through," I said, stepping up beside Ruby.

Ruby hesitated for a second, rubbing the back of her neck. "Umm... so..."

I took charge before things got awkward. "Look, I just wanted to say—that high note you took during the bridge? That was awesome. Seriously, incredible range."

The girl’s jaw dropped slightly, her eyes widening. "Really? You... you really thought so?"

"Yes, absolutely," I said with a confident nod. "It brought the whole place down."

"Thank you so much," she exhaled, a tiny wave of relief washing over her face before her shoulders slumped again. "It’s just... I ruined the set. The girls are furious with me. I kind of stole the spotlight, and honestly, country isn’t even... it isn’t really my style."

While she was talking, I flicked open the System panel in my mind and ran a deeper diagnostic on her profile:

[TARGET STATS]

Current Bottleneck: Lack of Confidence

Primary Requirement: Unshakable Vocal Pride

Presence Effect: Unlocking confidence will push her performance quality to its absolute peak (6.9/6.9) and set her up for a solo career.

She didn’t need technical vocal lessons—her raw talent was already there, capped by her environment. What she lacked was the confidence to own her voice and stand out without feeling guilty.

I leaned against the wall, locking eyes with her. "They’re mad because you outshone them. You’re trying to fit a stadium voice into a background harmony, and you’re shrinking yourself to make them comfortable. Stop apologizing for being good."

Ruby chimed in right away, stepping up beside me with a proud grin. "Yeah, you should really listen to him! He’s the one who made me a star."

"Wait... really?" the ginger girl asked, her eyes darting between us in total disbelief.

Ruby tilted her head, giving her a sly, playful look. "What, you don’t think I look like a star?"

Ruby scoffed loudly, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Well, obviously I am!"

"Oh... right, yeah! Of course," the girl stammered out quickly, nodding along just to be polite.

It was completely obvious she wasn’t buying a single word of it. To her, we were just two strange, overly confident tourists in a country diner claiming to be a music mogul and a famous pop star. But even though she treated it like a joke, the sheer absurdity of Ruby’s response made the girl laugh, cutting through the heavy tension she’d been carrying all night.

"Look," I said, leaning in slightly with a calm, grounded tone. "Your main issue right now isn’t your voice—it’s your confidence. You’re holding back because you’re scared of making a mistake or offending people."

She looked down at her sneakers, swallowing hard. "I guess..."

"So how about this," I continued. "Meet us tomorrow at Mrs. Gable’s farm."

"For what?" she asked, frowning in confusion.

"Just us," I said. "No bandmates, no crowd, no judgments. You just stand in the open air and sing whatever the hell you want. Hit every high pitch, push your limits, and scream those notes out until you own them."

She blinked, utterly surprised by the offer, then a soft, tentative smile broke through her hesitation. "Well... I’ve known Mrs. Gable since I was a kid, so that’s fine by me. Okay... I’ll be there."

"Good," I smirked. "See you tomorrow, singer."

The next morning found us back out in the fields, sweating under the blazing sun. Ruby was happily tending to the livestock while I hauled heavy wooden crates of feed, looking every bit like a seasoned farm hand instead of a billionaire with a System and a multi-platinum pop star by my side.

After a few hours, the rest of the ranch hands moved toward the barn, leaving us alone near the fenced pasture. I set down a crate, stretched my aching back, and let out a long, heavy sigh, wiping the sweat dripping down my forehead.

"Even in my broke days, I never worked this hard under the blazing sun..." I muttered, shaking my head with a dry chuckle.

Ruby looked over from where she was filling a water trough, resting her hands on her hips, her cheeks flushed red from the heat.

"Alright, superstar," I said, leaning against the fence and looking her in the eye. "Have you gotten your answer yet? Because how long am I going to have to do manual labor out here?"