Superstar System: Crowned in Stardust

“Ms. Grace, you look like you’re in your early twenties—only a few years older than us. So, why are you starting with arranged dates?” Lucas asked, curious.

“Do I really look that young?” Grace chuckled. “I’m already twenty-six.”

“Wow, how do you stay looking so young? But no worries, I still look older than you do,” David replied, laughing.

“Oh, so you’re trying to flatter me now?” she teased. “And what about you three? No girlfriends in the picture?”

They fell silent for a moment.

“So, just handsome faces then,” Grace smirked. “Aren’t you usually sneaking out on dates at your age? Or is that off-limits because of your agency?”

“Not exactly,” Lucas replied. “I’m still in my final year of high school, and honestly, love isn’t on my mind right now.”

William added, “Same here. I’m still in high school, and dating hasn’t caught my interest yet.”

Grace turned to David. “And you, you seem a bit older than the others, right?”

“Do I really look that old?” David asked. 

Then he added, “Well, yeah, I’m in college. But relationships are just too complicated for me—too much effort. Though, maybe I’d reconsider if the woman were you, Ms. Grace.”

William gave David a light punch in the stomach. “Are you seriously flirting with her right now?”

Grace just smiled. “It’s alright. With that smooth talk of yours, I’ll make sure I’m nowhere to be found in your future.”

“Ms. Grace, don’t underestimate me! I’m a member of a boy group, you know. And you’d be shocked if you knew my family’s wealth,” David joked.

“So, you’re mocking Bob one minute and now pulling the same act?” Grace teased.

“Hey, at least I can guarantee my assets beat that naïve guy’s by a mile,” David replied.

Grace nodded and said, “But honestly, I want to thank you all. Thanks to you, I got out of a pretty bad situation.”

“Of course, we’re young, good, and brave,” Lucas replied. “We had to live up to that praise you gave us earlier, right?”

Grace chuckled, “Poor young men—should I give you badges of courage?”

William nodded. “Absolutely. We’d wear them with pride.”

They all laughed together. 

Although this was her first time meeting them, Grace felt comfortable and at ease.

She had never really interacted with people from the entertainment industry before, so this was a new experience for her. 

She found them surprisingly down-to-earth and easygoing.

In truth, the boy group Stellarix wasn’t exactly a household name. 

They had debuted three years ago, but their popularity hadn’t skyrocketed as hoped. 

If not for their loyal fans and relentless promotions, the group might have dissolved before even reaching their three-year mark.

Grace had once been a fan of a boy group herself. 

In recent years, boy bands had become hugely popular across the country, known for their glamorous lifestyles and tendency to keep their distance from ordinary people. 

Meeting these three had shifted her perspective on what it meant to be a star.

The young men in front of her were nothing like that image. 

They blended in easily, behaving like regular people, though their striking good looks set them apart. 

What impressed Grace even more was their kindness, courage, and sense of justice.

Among the three, Lucas stood out the most to her. 

Although their group wasn’t extremely famous, Grace still recognized them. 

And in this brief encounter, they had already made her rethink what it meant to be in the spotlight.

Grace had once stumbled upon details about Lucas’s past. 

She knew that he had lost both his parents and, unfortunately, was raised by an uncle with a drinking problem who often turned abusive, using Lucas as a source of money. 

She also knew Lucas had been scouted by his agency out of pure sympathy when they found him working in a store, drawn by his good looks and potential.

Most of the comments she’d read online described Lucas as quiet, shy, and lacking self-confidence. 

But after meeting him, Grace realized this impression wasn’t quite accurate. 

He was reserved, yes, but there was a quiet strength in his gaze—a mature confidence that set him apart from David and William.

After spending some time eating together, they went their separate ways to tackle their own schedules. 

David offered Lucas a ride to school.

David’s popularity meant that as soon as his car entered the school grounds, it instantly drew the attention of other students. 

Crowds gathered around his car as it pulled to a stop.

“That’s David’s car, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I’m sure it’s him.”

“Is he dropping off William or Lucas? Oh my gosh, he’s not just handsome and wealthy; he’s so kind too!”

When the car finally stopped in front of the lobby, a group of students, mostly girls but also a few boys, stood watching, only a few meters away, eyes fixed on the car.

“See? This is why I told you not to bother driving me,” Lucas muttered before getting out. “It just stings when everyone’s attention is on you.”

David and William exchanged glances, momentarily silent after Lucas’s remark.

Original Lucas was the type to keep everything bottled up, preferring silence over expressing his feelings.

“Dave, have you noticed? It seems like our Lucas is speaking his mind more freely since that time he fell into the river. Do you think that’s a good sign or a bad one?” William mused.

David nodded thoughtfully. “Maybe it’s a sign we should drag him to a doctor, just to be sure.”

“I told you two to stop exaggerating,” Lucas muttered before stepping out and heading into the school building.

The crowd gathered around the car continued cheering for David, barely glancing at Lucas as he slipped past. 

Walking to his classroom, Lucas’s thoughts drifted back to his past life—a life from a parallel world.

He sighed, murmuring to himself, “I’ve been through all this once before. Now, do I really have to start over from scratch?”

Frustration gnawed at him, knowing he’d have to rebuild and fight for everything all over again. 

But he had no other choice; life would keep moving forward.

This was his final year of high school. 

He had one more year to prepare for the college entrance exams next June. 

How far could he go this time? Lucas didn’t know.

He had no idea what the subjects in this world would be like and could only rely on the original Lucas’s memories. 

Unfortunately, those memories weren’t much help—original Lucas hadn’t exactly excelled academically.

“Ah, great. How could this guy be so useless?”

Lucas’s friends watched in shock as he took out his book and started reading. 

They couldn’t believe the sudden change. 

The original Lucas had always been too lazy to study—rarely even bothered to open a book.

Lucas, however, didn’t pay any attention to those around him. 

He’d never been close to his classmates anyway, given his status as an idol. 

When he came to school, it was strictly to attend class. 

As soon as lessons ended, he’d head straight back to the agency’s schedule, leaving no room for a normal high school life or friendships.

Afternoon classes began, and this was Lucas’s first time experiencing a lesson in the original Lucas’s world. 

With only the original Lucas’s fragmented memories to guide him, he found himself struggling. 

Those memories held little substance when it came to academics.

Lucas knew he’d have to work hard, but luckily, some subjects—like math and science—were similar to those in his parallel world. 

And thankfully, there was no language barrier between the two worlds.

Almost every aspect of life in this parallel world mirrored his own, which made adjusting easier. 

“Honestly, how useless was this guy?” he muttered to himself.

History, however, was his biggest hurdle. 

He now had to learn the history of this world with only a shallow understanding to start from. 

The college entrance exam system emphasized five core subjects: math, science, English, history, social studies, and a foreign language.

Foreign language was another issue. 

In his original world, he knew Mandarin, while the Lucas in this world had no such skill.

“Wait,” he muttered to himself. “Would people get suspicious if I suddenly became fluent in it?”