Honkai Impact 3rd: Join Anti-Entropy at the start and dominate the entertainment industry.

It would be hard for others not to notice, especially since Mei and Kiana are Bronya's friends, so they would naturally pay even more attention to information about Anti-Entropy.

They were aware of the overwhelming negative comments about anti-entropy online last month, and even called Bronya to comfort her. However, in less than a month, the situation has completely reversed, and now anti-entropy is being praised online again.

And all of this was made possible by a person named Qu Yin.

"Hello, my name is Raiden Mei." Raiden Mei extended her hand to Shiro Chigaku. "I'm the head chef of this Houmu restaurant."

Bronya added, "Chiku, Mei-nee is not only the head chef of Houmu Restaurant, but also the biggest owner of this restaurant. Her cooking skills are amazing, and she has won world-class culinary awards. She is known as a genius food girl!"

Upon hearing this, Mei gave Bronya a reproachful look, and then said to Bai Qianqu somewhat embarrassedly, "Don't listen to Bronya's nonsense. I just like to figure out cooking skills on my own. I'm not some kind of genius."

Kiana, meanwhile, somehow crept up behind Bai Qianqu, leaned forward, and sniffed her deeply. Her eyes lit up!

Wow! You actually smell like Bronya!

Bai Qianqu was immediately filled with question marks: ? ? ? ? ? ?

Girl, were you born in the Year of the Dog? Your sense of smell is so sensitive!

Bronya's face flushed instantly, and she scolded playfully, "Kiana, you idiot, what nonsense are you talking about? Chikage came in my car, of course she would!"

Bronya was too embarrassed to continue, she couldn't very well say that Bai Qianqu had picked up her scent, could she?

Besides, what smell do I have? I smell delicious!

Kiana, however, seemed to have noticed something and winked at Bronya: "Oh wow! Bronya, you're actually letting guys ride in your car for the first time ever? You used to not even let guys touch it!"

Bronya started to panic: "Isn't this just on the way? It's not as exaggerated as you're making it out to be!"

Kiana ignored her and went straight to Bai Qianqu, extending her hand and saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Kiana Kaslana! My dream is to eat my way around the world! I'm currently an apprentice at Houmu Restaurant, following Mei around!"

Bronya retaliated by exposing Kiana's shortcomings: "This girl is actually just a lazy shut-in who now just sticks around Mei-nee's side eating, drinking, and having fun."

"Bronya! You bastard—" Kiana, enraged, swung her little fists and charged at Bronya, but Bronya easily dodged them. Then, she started a cat-and-mouse game around Mei, who helplessly rubbed her forehead.

Seeing the three of them so loving and affectionate, Bai Qianqu couldn't help but smile.

He felt a pang of emotion, thinking that if the Honkai hadn't descended, the three of them would have lived such a wonderful life, instead of enduring so much suffering.

The group enjoyed a pleasant meal in a harmonious atmosphere. It must be said that the food at this Houmu restaurant was really good, much better than any five-star hotel in the original world. No wonder so many people come here to eat.

Kiana ate way too fast! It was like she was starving, you couldn't get any food unless you grabbed some.

As she got into the enjoyment of the meal, Kiana stood up, holding a glass full of juice.

"I'm so happy to have met Teacher Qu Yin today! Let's wish Teacher Qu Yin all the best in writing more and better songs in the future! Cheers!"

Everyone stood up, clinked glasses, and drank it all in one gulp.

Finally, after a satisfying meal, the dinner party came to a pleasant end.

Chapter 54 Challenging the Venue

After dinner, Mei took Kiana home. Seele, who was muttering to herself, was pulled away by Hill, leaving only Bai Qianqu and Bronya. The two of them went home together.

However, Bai Qianqu didn't understand why Hill secretly gave her a thumbs up before leaving.

With no other option, Bai Qianqu had to sit in the passenger seat of Bronya's car.

On the way back, the two remained silent, creating an awkward atmosphere.

Just as Bronya was deciding what to say, Bai Qianqu spoke first.

"Bronya, isn't that the Flamefire Bar over there up ahead?"

Bronya snapped out of her daze and realized that she had actually driven onto the street where the Flamefire Bar was located. The Flamefire Bar was on her way home, so she was just passing by.

"Yes."

Bai Qianqu remembered that Ji Zi still owed her a thousand yuan!

Now that I've finished customizing "The King's Avatar," I've spent all my savings. I'm short of money right now, so shouldn't I ask for more?

As Bai Qianqu was thinking, she noticed that there were quite a few people standing at the entrance of Xin Yan Bar, divided into two groups. Ji Zi was standing in front of one group and talking to the other group.

However, judging from the expressions and behavior of the two groups, the atmosphere seemed quite tense.

"What's going on?" Bronya also noticed the abnormality and quickly parked the car on the side of the road. She brought Bai Qianqu to the side and overheard Himeko's conversation with the other party.

Himeko's voice was clearly angry: "So, you're here to cause trouble at our Xin Yan Bar?"

The leader of the other side was a green-haired guy, so we called him Green Hair.

Green Hair was extremely arrogant, with a toothpick dangling from his mouth.

"You can't say that, sister. We're just here to exchange music. How can you say we're here to challenge us?"

A person next to Himeko gritted their teeth and said, "You know perfectly well that our Xin Yan's lead singer isn't here, yet you still challenge us. What is this if not disrupting our event? Isn't this taking advantage of our misfortune?"

"What does it have to do with us that your lead singer isn't here? Besides, as far as I know, a mysterious singer performed on your stage last month. Although the video has been leaked, according to people who were there at the time, that person sang very well. You should know that person, right? Why don't you just call him out and have him compete with us?"

Himeko finally understood that these people were after Bai Qianqu.

Although Bai Qianqu only sang one song that night, and it was a very short performance, it had a significant impact. Since then, many people have made special trips to inquire about her, wanting to meet this mysterious singer. There were even quite a few talent scouts who asked Ji Zi about Bai Qianqu's potential entry into the entertainment industry.

However, Himeko kept denying that she knew Bai Qianqu, and just when people were starting to lose interest in the matter, a group of people came today specifically asking to find him by name.

But where could she find Bai Qianqu at this point? Bai Qianqu had left without saying goodbye that night, and the two hadn't seen each other since. Moreover, she seemed to owe her a thousand yuan.

Of course, even if she could find Bai Qianqu, she wouldn't go looking for her. The other party was clearly there to cause trouble, so how could she cause trouble for Bai Qianqu?

Himeko stepped forward and said, "I'm sorry, the singer you're looking for isn't here. Go challenge someone else."

Green Hair clearly didn't believe it: "Hmph, I don't believe you. There were plenty of people who saw that guy go on stage to sing after saying a few words to you. If he wasn't familiar with you, boss, why would he have agreed to go on stage?"

Ji Zi had no way to express her bitterness. Originally, Bai Qianqu's performance of "Xiao Chou" brought a lot of popularity to the bar, which made her quite happy. But now it seems that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

She thought bitterly to herself: This kid has really screwed me over. I won't give him that thousand yuan next time we meet.

Seeing that Himeko was silent, Green Hair thought he had hit the nail on the head, so he said with a sneer, "I thought the singers in Changkong City would be really good, but after we came around, we found that not a single singer in all the bars was any good. I'm really disappointed."

The surrounding crowd was abuzz with discussion.

"These guys are supposedly a band from California, and they're pretty arrogant."

"What California? I heard the rap there is amazing, and several top-tier rappers are from there!"

"Hmph! These guys aren't staying in California, they've come to our Changkong City to bully us, it's outrageous! If they're so capable, they should go find a professional singer to compete with, what kind of skill do they have in hiring bar singers?"

"There's no way around it. In California, bar singers represent the highest level of singing in a region. If you beat a bar singer in a region, you've succeeded in your challenge. They probably think it's the same here."

"If that mysterious singer from Xin Yan had come out to compete, who knows who would have won! I was there that night. If that singer's song had been released on the new song chart, the number one spot this month might have changed hands!"

"It's hard to say. These guys from California are definitely quite skilled. They've taken on at least five bars recently and haven't lost a single one!"

"so smart?"

"They all sing rap songs in the competition, which are perfect for creating a lively atmosphere. Moreover, rap culture has been developing in the Americas for a long time, while it's just starting out here, so naturally we can't compare in some ways."

"No matter what, we can't let outsiders run rampant! I hope the boss of Xinyan can contact that singer as soon as possible and show them what's what, let them know that Changkong City is not to be trifled with!"

Listening to everyone's discussion, Bai Qianqu and Bronya roughly understood what was going on.

Bronya looked at Bai Qianqu strangely, not expecting that a chance incident would cause such a dispute.

Fortunately, she acted quickly. If she had hesitated even slightly, Bai Qianqu might have been poached by another company.

Bai Qianqu never expected that one of her songs would cause such a stir. It can only be said that she is a superstar, and that song "Xiao Chou" is really suitable for singing in a bar.

Bronya joked, "Your song 'Sorrow' is really a killer weapon; it has attracted so much attention."

Bai Qianqu nodded naturally. That song had won the Best Arrangement Award for Chinese Songs of the Year. Putting it on a small bar for a resident performance was a complete disaster.

Green Hair continued, "Anyway, we've made our point clear today. One month from now, each of us will release an original song. The venue will be right here, and the audience will vote. Whoever gets the most votes wins!"

After saying that, without waiting for Himeko's objection, Green Hair and his men laughed and strode away, as if victory was already in their grasp.

Chapter 55 The Reverse Pipa

Seeing this, the surrounding onlookers dispersed, waiting to come back a month later to continue their gossip.

It's easy to imagine that after this period of fermentation, a lot of people will definitely come to watch. If Xin Yan Bar can't come up with any songs, it will be very embarrassing.

After everyone had left, Himeko, looking distressed, prepared to depart, only to see Bronya standing not far away, along with—

Bai Qianqu.

Himeko was immediately overjoyed, but quickly restrained herself and walked over with an indignant expression.

"You little idiot, you've really screwed me over!"

Bai Qianqu smiled sheepishly: "Really?"

"Of course! You must have seen it just now! Those guys from California are going too far! They act like they're guaranteed to win. And if they really do win, what will become of my Flame Flame Bar's reputation? They might have to close down in a few days."

"Is it that serious?" Bai Qianqu asked in surprise. "It's just a singing competition, why is it like this?"

Bronya interjected, "What Himeko said isn't an exaggeration. Bars often organize competitions between their resident singers. The winner naturally gains a lot of popularity, while the loser has a tough time. Moreover, this time, Xin Yan is facing an outsider. If they lose, people will definitely take their anger out on Xin Yan Bar."

Himeko sighed, "I didn't want to accept it at first, but the other party was obviously very cunning. They deliberately chose the time when there were the most customers to issue the challenge, so I couldn't refuse."

"These people are actually quite intelligent," Bai Qianqu remarked.

"Did I ask you to praise them?" Himeko was exasperated for a moment, then looked at Bai Qianqu with expectant eyes, "The California band is really good at rapping, can you?"

Bai Qianqu looked troubled: "I've never tried it before."

As a pop music composer, he had no experience with rapping techniques. Even his last performance of "Sorrow" was a song that didn't require much skill.

Moreover, rapping demands a high level of skill in terms of tone and speed, and just getting the rhymes right is a real challenge, not to mention the ideas that need to be conveyed in rap.

Those rappers who whine and repeat the same few lines throughout their songs are nothing but clowns trying to pass themselves off as something they're not.

Bai Qianqu naturally lacked confidence. Although those people from California were arrogant, they did have the right to be arrogant.

However, at this moment, the system also sent out a task.

[Ding! New mission detected—God of Rap!]

[God of Rap: Rap is a form of traditional Chinese performing arts, still in its nascent stage. Please help Himeko create and release a rap song to solidify your position in the rap world. A professional-grade rapping technique experience card (one hour) will be awarded, along with the song "Reverse Playing the Pipa"!]

[Mission Reward: Gain unique professional rapping skills.]

Bai Qianqu was tempted when she saw the mission rewards.

His voice isn't what it used to be, but it doesn't affect his rapping much.

And this time the system didn't even offer a reward for failure? Doesn't that mean it's incredibly profitable?