The Reluctant Idol’s Crash Course

“Get that away from me, I absolutely refuse to wear it! I’d rather die than put that on!”

“Is it really that hard to accept something like this?”

Mu Yan lifted the little dress she held, which only made Liu Yu shrink back into a corner, terrified.

“Don’t come near me!”

Mu Yan watched Liu Yu’s utterly panicked expression with a wave of speechlessness.

For a young girl to become so weepy and dramatic over a dress, it made her wonder: could this person truly be a male cross-dresser…?

Suspiciously, she glanced down at the girl’s abdomen…

It was flat, with no discernible bulge, though she couldn’t dismiss the possibility of a rather modest size.

“What the hell are you staring at, you perverted, lecherous old hag!”

Feeling the strange gaze, Liu Yu instinctively covered her lower body.

Even for a tomboy who usually paid little heed to such things, she possessed an awareness of self-protection when others were around.

“Has anyone ever told you that your mouth is just asking for a beating? Hurry up and change; it’s time to start practicing.”

“No exposed legs, I can’t show my legs.”

“…Then wearing leggings should be acceptable, right?”

After all, this person could attract a legion of Vanguard fans with just their face.

The impact of not showing their legs would likely be negligible.

“What’s that?” the girl, utterly devoid of feminine common sense, countered.

Having no other choice, Mu Yan found a pair of black leggings and tossed them onto Liu Yu along with the dress.

“Not pink, no pink!”

Even with her “doom” imminent, Liu Yu continued her desperate struggle.

Finally, Mu Yan, her patience utterly exhausted, seized Liu Yu by the scruff and dragged her into the changing room.

A cacophony of screams and thumps followed, and a moment later, Liu Yu emerged, shuffling awkwardly in a sky-blue dress and black leggings.

“Excellent, excellent. Truly the person I had my eye on.”

Mu Yan offered her praise, acknowledging Liu Yu’s foul mouth, terrible temper, lack of refinement, and introverted nature.

Yet, her natural beauty, already possessing the raw essence of a Vanguard, and further refined by Mu Yan’s masterful touch, meant that this face alone could conquer the entire industry.

Unfortunately, Liu Yu couldn’t truly appear on stage with this face; Mu Yan would have to reluctantly apply some disguise.

Otherwise, a Vanguard appearing in such full regalia would undoubtedly stun the entire audience.

“What the hell are you looking at?”

Liu Yu, her face flushed, cursed back, still unaccustomed to the light, airy outfit.

‘Indeed, with this appearance, even being cursed at becomes acceptable… What in the world am I thinking?’

Snapping out of her charmed state, Mu Yan led Liu Yu into an empty room and addressed her.

“I had originally planned a small stage for you to get accustomed to, but construction during this period would likely disrupt your training, so it’s been temporarily postponed.”

‘Couldn’t it disrupt me a little more?’

Liu Yu grumbled inwardly, then suddenly remembered something.

“Wait, why do I need to practice? Didn’t we agree I just had to stand on stage and space out?”

“You want to get paid for doing absolutely nothing? You little brat, you’re dreaming too big.”

“But that’s exactly what I came for! And what do you mean ‘doing nothing’? Haven’t I contributed myself? Look, look at this face—it’s the same model as [Vanguard]! Others can’t even get a glimpse, yet you get to see it every day.

That’s good fortune you accumulated in a past life.”

“…Oh, right. How much do you think I could get in endorsement fees if I took on some advertisements?”

As she spoke, Liu Yu became completely absorbed in her world of fantasy, occasionally letting out strange giggles, with a hint of drool even glistening at the corner of her mouth.

‘I feel a profound pity for my past self, who once suspected this person was a Vanguard.’

Reining in her emotions, Mu Yan’s expression turned stern.

“Attention!” she barked.

“Huh?”

Liu Yu looked utterly bewildered, glancing around, but eventually, she succumbed to Mu Yan’s serious gaze and obediently stood straight.

“Today, besides teaching you some basic knowledge, I have another objective: to train your…” Mu Yan carefully chose her words, “…reaction capabilities…?”

That uncertain tone made Liu Yu roll her eyes.

“Could you be clearer? What exactly are ‘reaction capabilities’?”

“Ahem, ahem… Do you remember our original plan?”

“Fraud?”

“Yes, it’s fr… You little brat, you’re just asking for a beating, aren’t you?”

Mu Yan raised her fist as if to strike, scaring Liu Yu into covering her head and repeatedly shouting.

“No more hitting, no more hitting! You’ll make me stupid!”

Liu Yu’s swift surrender completely disarmed Mu Yan.

“From now on, I speak, you listen. Understood?”

The small, grey-haired head nodded vigorously, like a pestle pounding garlic.

“While it pains me to dampen your spirits, compared to those professionals who’ve been honing their craft for countless years, your skill level is, at best, that of a newborn infant—you possess no advantages.

Even if you can leverage that Vanguard face to con a loyal fanbase as your foundation, you’ll pretty much stop there.”

“So, how can we elevate a complete amateur to stage-performance level in a short amount of time?”

Mu Yan held up two fingers.

“To achieve this, I’ve outlined two provisional plans.

The first is the lip-syncing strategy I mentioned yesterday: I’ll arrange for a singer to perform secretly on your behalf, even handling all your speeches.”

“Secondly, to prevent you from making mistakes or becoming fearful on stage, which could expose your true abilities, I will put you through obedience training.”

‘This, this, this… That word sounds really ominous.’

Recalling the illicit contents of certain ‘books’ she had secretly perused, Liu Yu paused, words catching in her throat, as sordid, suggestive imagery began to etch itself into her mind, painting scenes that set her blood afire.

Unaware of Liu Yu’s increasingly flushed face, Mu Yan continued.

“As for the content of the obedience training… it’s quite simple.

I’ll engrave my voice into your physical instincts.

The moment you hear me speak, you’ll instinctively follow.

That way, when you’re on stage, you can simply clear your mind and listen to my commands.”

The grey-haired girl’s face darkened considerably.

“You stinky old hag, you didn’t just copy some dog-training method, did you…?”

A sinister and terrifying aura emanated from Liu Yu, subtly coalescing into the phantom image of a monstrous creature.

The intense pressure made Mu Yan suspect that a single wrong word could lead to her bleeding out on the spot.

‘This child truly possesses some special ability, otherwise, with her level of naive innocence, she would have been bagged and taken home long ago.’

Facing the immense pressure emanating from the girl, Mu Yan, who had long since figured out Liu Yu’s true nature, calmly uttered a few words.

“I’ll give you more money.”

“Huh? How much more?”

The grey-haired girl’s imposing aura vanished instantly, and she reverted to her usual goofy, innocent self, her large, fluttering eyes filled with anticipation.

“This much.”

Mu Yan gestured a number with her hand.

The grey-haired girl nervously clutched her chest, panting heavily, her rapidly beating heart a testament to her profound excitement.

‘As long as… as long as I get through this month, I’ll take this money and fly far away.

At that point, what do idols, what do stages, have to do with me…?’

‘Hehehe…’

“Understood! From today on, whatever you say, I’ll do.”

Liu Yu attempted a military salute, mimicking it awkwardly, her comical posture drawing a laugh.

‘Would you even strip if I told you to?’

Despite dragging Liu Yu into the changing room and her strict defense, Mu Yan still couldn’t tell if this person was truly a male cross-dresser.

‘A male cross-dresser with breasts…’

‘Ugh, how bizarre.’

Shaking off those distracting thoughts, Mu Yan began her dog-training—no, her idol crash course.

The girl’s training commenced…

****

“I’m going home now, bye-bye.”

“Be careful on your way.”

Mu Yan stood by the window, watching Liu Yu leave the compound.

She took out her phone, sent a few messages to a friend, then leaned back against the wall, letting out a weary sigh.

“Don’t disappoint me, Future. I’d rather not resort to forcibly bringing you here.”