Superstar System: Crowned in Stardust

Lucas, David, and William stood frozen in place.

Before they could react, a girl in a white dress dashed past the three of them. 

She was struggling to run in her high heels, eventually giving up and carrying them in her hand. 

It was the girl who had been robbed. “Stop!”

She sprinted as fast as she could, throwing one of her high heels at the thief, but it missed and fell uselessly to the ground.

Then, Lucas took off running. 

However, the thief was faster. 

From behind, William surged forward, overtaking both the girl and Lucas. 

There was no denying it—Lucas couldn’t match William’s physical strength. 

William had an athletic build and never missed a day of training.

As the gap between William and the thief narrowed, William sprang forward and swung his right leg out. 

He kicked the thief hard in the back, sending him sprawling face-first onto the ground.

Without wasting a second, William grabbed the thief’s arms and locked them behind his back. 

He pressed his knee into the thief’s spine, pinning him down completely.

“Please! Let me go!” the thief cried out in pain.

“Idiot! You think I’m going to let you get away?” William growled.

Lucas and David quickly caught up and stood beside William. 

The girl who had been robbed arrived shortly after, panting heavily, her vision slightly blurred from the exhaustion.

“Ah, this is exhausting,” she gasped, bending over with her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. “Thank you.”

When she lifted her gaze, she saw the three young men standing in front of her. 

Despite two of them wearing hats and masks, she could still make out their handsome features. 

It left her flustered, and a blush crept onto her cheeks. “Wow, is this really a disaster? Or maybe… a blessing?”

Lucas picked up her bag, which had fallen beside the thief, and handed it to her. 

She nodded, thanking him repeatedly.

David, in his usual cool manner, asked, “Should we call the police?”

William responded, “Of course. He needs to learn a lesson.”

The thief, now desperate, pleaded, “Please… please let me go. I swear I won’t do it again.”

At that moment, a familiar voice reached Lucas’s ears.

“What are you guys doing? Causing a scene in broad daylight?”

They all turned to the source of the voice.

“Ms. Grace?” Lucas said in surprise.

It was Grace, the police officer who had once saved Lucas when he nearly drowned in the river. 

She wasn’t on duty this time, dressed casually in a white pencil skirt that stopped just above her knees, paired with a sky blue chiffon blouse. 

A set of white heels completed the look, making her appear even more elegant.

David couldn’t help but stare, mesmerized by her presence.

Recognizing Lucas, Grace seemed slightly taken aback. 

Before she could say anything, the girl who had been robbed quickly spoke up to explain what had happened.

“Someone stole my bag, and they came to help me catch the thief. They weren’t fighting.”

Grace glanced at the thief, who was still struggling in vain under William’s firm grip. 

After hearing the full story, she quickly pulled out her phone and made a call.

A few moments later, a police car arrived. Two officers stepped out and approached Grace. 

She instructed them to take the thief into custody and asked the victim to give her statement.

“Lucas, do you know her? I heard you say her name,” David whispered.

“Yeah, that’s Grace, the officer who helped me after I almost drowned in the river.”

“Damn. She’s the most beautiful cop I’ve ever seen,” David muttered under his breath.

Grace, now standing with her arms crossed, looked up at the three men, all of whom were taller than her.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Grace, a police officer,” she introduced herself, then turned to Lucas. “Mr. Lucas, are these your teammates?” she asked.

Lucas nodded in response.

Even though their faces were partially hidden by masks, Grace recognized Lucas as a member of Stellarix, the idol group made up of three young men.

“It seems you’re all good guys. That was a brave thing you did,” Grace remarked.

“Of course. We’re good young men, with good backgrounds, and a bright future ahead,” David replied with a grin.

Grace nodded. “You’ll all need to come to the station to give your statements.”

William was the first to respond, “I can’t make it this afternoon. I’ve got a schedule. Dave, you said you’re free, right? You should go and represent us.”

“Why should I go alone?” David shot back, but then quickly shifted the conversation. “Ms. Grace, it looks like you’re off duty today. And aren’t you friends with Lucas? How about joining us for a meal?”

Grace smiled at the invitation, knowing full well that the three men in front of her were strikingly handsome. 

However, not wanting to take advantage of their kindness or fame, she politely declined.

“Thank you for the offer, but unfortunately, I have something I need to take care of,” she said, turning away. 

Then, as if remembering something, she glanced back. “Oh, by the way, I realize you’re public figures. You might draw a lot of attention if you suddenly show up at the station. So, if you have time later, come by and explain the situation. I’ll get in touch with you.”

With that, she left.

David watched Grace walk away, still mesmerized.

William elbowed him in the stomach. “Stop staring, you playboy.”

“Wow, she’s so cool.”

“But didn’t she say she’d get in touch with us? How’s she gonna do that if she doesn’t have our contact info?”

“Oh, she already contacted Emma last night to pick me up,” Lucas chimed in, shrugging.

The three of them made their way into the restaurant, an expensive new spot with a romantic interior. 

Most of the patrons were couples, making them the only group of all men. 

Not wanting to draw attention to their identities, David had booked a VIP table for them, ensuring their privacy in the elegant setting.

As the wealthiest member of their group, David was the one who most often treated them to meals. 

So for Lucas and William, this kind of thing had become routine.

Meanwhile, William, still curious about what had happened to Lucas the night before, decided to revisit the topic.

“Lucas, tell us more about what you went through last night,” he urged.

Initially, Lucas hadn’t wanted to share too many details, but the situation had changed, and he couldn’t keep it to himself any longer.

He explained that someone had pushed him into a deep river. 

Unfortunately, he didn’t know who had done it, and even the CCTV footage from the area was too unclear to identify anyone.

“What?! Someone tried to kill you?” William and David asked in shock.

“Who would have the guts to do something like that?” David added, his voice sharp with concern.

Lucas shook his head. “I don’t know.”

David frowned. “But why would you go near the river at night? Isn’t that kind of reckless?”

Lucas hesitated before answering, “Actually, before it happened, someone sent me a letter.”

“Letter? You mean an anonymous letter? That’s so old-school,” William remarked.

Lucas nodded. “Yeah, and the letter mentioned something about my parents’ deaths. Strangely, it asked me to come alone. That alone should’ve been a red flag, but I was too curious to resist. I knew it was risky, but I went anyway, even though I had doubts.”

Their conversation was interrupted as a waitress entered, pushing a trolley laden with food. 

David had ordered an array of expensive dishes, all of which looked incredibly appetizing.

“Wow, this is making me really hungry. Let’s eat first,” William said.

“If you guys want anything else, don’t hesitate to order. I’ve got more than enough cash for this feast,” David added with a grin.

“This is already plenty. Are you just showing off how rich you are?” William teased.

“Do you think that would even work on you two?” David shot back, amused.

William stood up. “I’ll be right back, just heading to the bathroom.”

As soon as William left, David leaned in and asked, “Lucas, tell me. You went after receiving that anonymous letter—why? What made you so curious? What exactly was written in it?”

Lucas hadn’t expected David to dig deeper and found himself at a loss for words. “Uh, well—”

“Okay, never mind. Forget it if you don’t want to share the details. But listen, I don’t want something like this happening again. You know? It was pretty dumb of you to go.”

Lucas smiled and nodded. 

Despite David’s blunt words, Lucas knew that beneath his rough exterior, David genuinely cared about him.

“So, what about your plan to focus on studying seriously? Are you really set on that?” David asked.

“Absolutely,” Lucas replied with confidence. “I don’t have any work lined up right now, so I figure it’s the perfect time to dedicate myself to studying.”

“I’ve got to admit, that’s a smart decision for you at the moment, Lucas.”

David continued, “But… to develop your career, how exactly are you planning to do that?”

Lucas smiled, though he had no intention of revealing the system he’d acquired. 

“That,” he replied smoothly, “I’ll figure out later.”

“Or,” David added with a smirk, “I could ask Emma to give you one of my gigs instead?”

Lucas shook his head. “No, forget it. I’m sure she wouldn’t agree.”

He knew that Emma was even considering ending his contract, so a request like that would be pointless.

“By the way, what’s taking William so long in the bathroom? That idiot,” David muttered.