Back in her apartment, Jiang Qin changed into a set of cotton pajamas.
It was quite amusing, really—pure cotton clothing had become almost nonexistent in the interstellar era. Even when it did exist, it was reserved solely for high-end custom garments. What the average person could afford were all imitation cotton fabrics.
Anything even remotely related to natural plants was prohibitively expensive.
Given the current state of the atmosphere, ancient species like cotton could only survive in environment-simulated incubation pods.
Naturally, the cost was sky-high.
Still, the imitation cotton clothes weren't bad. Jiang Qin felt they were good enough.
She was just about to relax and browse the star network when she received a call from an unfamiliar terminal ID.
She chose the voice-only option and accepted the call.
"Hello, is this Miss Jiang Qin?"
Jiang Qin was a little puzzled. "Speaking."
"Apologies for the intrusion. I'm Weir, an agent from Tianwen Entertainment. I'd like to ask if you have any interest in signing with a management company."
"I'm already signed with Moonlight Bar."
"We're aware of that. But if you're willing, our company is prepared to cover the cost of your contract termination and develop a personalized career plan just for you."
It sounded like a good offer, but Jiang Qin still declined.
She'd had enough of a life dictated by agencies. In this lifetime, she just wanted to live freely—and maybe bring great works into the interstellar world along the way.
"Miss Jiang, please consider this seriously. At the end of the day, Moonlight is just a bar. No matter how popular it is, there's a limit."
"I'm sorry. I truly have no interest."
"Alright. If you change your mind, feel free to contact me anytime."
That call seemed to flip some kind of switch.
Afterward, several more unfamiliar calls came flooding in, leaving Jiang Qin extremely irritated.
She hadn't expected that even in the interstellar age, spam calls could still be a thing.
Though it was illegal to access someone's private information—especially that of a female—in today's interstellar society, there were always those hiding in the shadows looking to make a quick profit.
Especially in the vastness of the galaxy, true regulation was difficult.
After all, there were still many semi-developed or entirely undeveloped planets—junk planets, barren planets, frontier worlds, and low-level stars.
Once criminals fled to these places and changed their identities, they were nearly impossible to catch.
Although she had mentally prepared herself for a potential data breach, Jiang Qin never expected it to happen so fast—and so completely.
Late at night, several night owls noticed a new post that had quietly appeared on the star network.
"Exposing That Hype-Driven Low-Class Female"
The title alone was enough to catch attention.
That night, Jiang Qin had just uploaded her recorded version of "Ningxia" to the platform, and it had barely made it onto the charts.
Meanwhile, the song "As Wished," released that afternoon, had climbed to No. 10.
"Anonymous Comfort" was trailing not far behind, currently sitting at No. 15.
Even though this was just a new songs chart, it was still an impressive feat.
The overwhelming praise for her music had netizens exclaiming that her songs were among the most emotionally stirring they'd heard in years.
Some songs were catchy but easily forgotten, lacking any real depth.
But these two? People were confident that even years later, they'd still find them moving.
Jiang Qin had gained a small wave of popularity on the star network, and Moonlight Bar had ridden the wave as well.
At least on Azure Planet, anyone who followed entertainment news had likely come across a video of her playing the piano.
Perhaps that was exactly why someone had decided to dig into her background.
Because she had disrupted the delicate balance of Taiyi Street!
The post detailed Jiang Qin's life over the past eighteen years.
Born on a barren planet. No citizen ID. Survived by scavenging. Lived among the lowest class. Received no formal education.
All of that was true. But what followed was a blend of half-truths and lies.
In reality, she had been taken back by her biological family—the Jiangs. But in the post, the story was twisted: she was portrayed as a pitiful orphan found and adopted by the Jiang family during their visit to a barren planet.
After arriving on Azure Planet, the story claimed, she grew envious of their real daughter, Jiang Rumeng, and pushed her down the stairs out of jealousy. Out of fear, she then ran away from the Jiang family.
It continued: driven by greed, she started working at a bar. After becoming popular, she ruthlessly cut ties with the family that had "rescued" her.
A textbook ungrateful wretch. A cruel and vile low-class female.
[No way! I was just feeling bad for her—turns out there's a twist??]
[She never had any education? So she's illiterate? Then how did she write those songs? Oh god… did she plagiarize them?]
[I used to love her songs. Thought she was a gentle, pure soul. Turns out I was totally wrong!]
[The poster might be telling the truth. I live next door to the Jiang family, and they did bring back a girl from a barren planet. Haven't seen her around lately, and a few days ago, their daughter really was hospitalized.]
[Thought this was just a smear campaign, but now I believe it. Unfollowing and turning against her!]
[Gross.jpg. I wouldn't touch that dirty low-class female with a ten-foot pole.]
[What a waste of that pretty face. Who knows how many low-class males she slept with back on that barren planet.]
Overnight, the post went viral across the entire star network.
Jiang Ruhai had just finished watching his favorite streamer's late-night broadcast when he stumbled upon the post.
He clicked on it, purely out of curiosity and gossip.
But as he read, he realized—wait a second, this gossip was about his own family!
The "Jiang family on Azure Planet" was clearly referring to them.
And the so-called "low-class female" and the "injured Jiang family daughter"? Who else could it be but Jiang Qin and his sister?
The more Jiang Ruhai read, the angrier he got—he was practically fuming.
Without hesitation, he pulled up the terminal number Jiang Rumeng had sent him before and called it.
"Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please leave a message after the tone."
"Damn it! She actually turned off her terminal!"
The number he had called was actually Jiang Yulian's secondary brain-link ID—no one in the Jiang family had Jiang Qin's new contact information.
So now, even though Jiang Ruhai wanted to give her a scolding, he had no way of reaching her. He could only fume in frustration until morning and wait to report her to the family elders.
Well-rested, Jiang Qin woke up early feeling refreshed. After washing up, she turned her terminal back on.
After all, she didn't believe anything urgent would happen in the middle of the night.
To ensure a good night's sleep, she always powered down her terminal before bed.
But today, the moment she turned it back on, she was flooded with an avalanche of messages.
Among them were over a dozen voice memos, all from You Wei.
Thinking it might be something work-related and urgent, Jiang Qin quickly opened the messages.
"Miss Jiang, whatever you do, don't go outside today. I'll try to handle the situation online."
The rest of the messages said more or less the same thing—urging her to stay indoors and wait for further instructions regarding today's work.
ps: advance chapters come to my https://www.patreon.com/c/Seraphim777