Chapter 170

Sienna looked at Joshua. Yesterday, he had been utterly humiliated by Phoebe and her group. She figured there was no way he would just let that slide.

Joshua was eating when he noticed Sienna staring at him. He said, “My throat hurts, my voice is hoarse; I can’t go busking and singing today. How about we just slack off and find another restaurant to play the piano or violin at!” He really didn’t want to do any more tiring work. Playing the piano or violin at least didn’t require him to talk.

Sienna thought Joshua was absolutely hopeless. Not only was he not thinking about getting revenge, but he actually wanted to slack off. It was unbelievable. She turned to Reece and Jamar. “What about you two? Should we try a different way to make money?”

She was sick of playing instruments. Right now, she wanted to do something eye-catching, something that would win back the audience’s favor and restore her luck. Losing luck, along with the backlash that came with it, not only affected her appearance but also made everything she did far less smooth than before. More importantly, she could clearly sense that her two brothers’ attitudes toward her had changed. She couldn’t let that happen.

Jamar found it amusing that she didn’t even ask about Joshua’s throat before jumping straight to performance strategies. Shrugging, he said, “I don’t feel like doing anything else today either. Let’s just slack off.” After all the singing and dancing yesterday, plus staying up late, he was exhausted. Besides, he had no interest in following Sienna’s schemes. No matter what they tried, they weren’t going to outshine Phoebe’s group. Therefore, they shouldn’t be bothered. At worst, they just wouldn’t gain popularity, which, honestly, was better than last time. Last time, despite all his effort, he had been torn apart by the audience. Over a million fans had unfollowed him on Twitter.

Reece, who had never been particularly motivated about anything, agreed. “I think that’s a great idea.”

Sienna felt like she was about to lose her mind. These three men were lazy and unambitious, yet they were award-winning actors or prestigious heirs. She found it completely unfair. Their fanbases were massive, so they didn’t even have to work hard. Sienna was furious, but she kept her frustration hidden. “Fine,” she said, “let’s go with that. We’ll find another restaurant to play at today?” She added, “But tomorrow, we’re doing something different to make money.” Playing instruments every single day wasn’t going to keep their audience engaged. No audience meant no popularity; no popularity meant no luck. The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became. She was fuming that she ended up with these three useless men.

Recce shrugged. “We’ll see tomorrow.”

Joshua nodded in agreement. “Yeah, we’ll see tomorrow.”

If it weren’t for the live broadcast, Sienna would have cussed them out already. But she didn’t dare. So she had to grit her teeth and go along with their laziness—for now. For a moment, she found herself envying Phoebe. If Phoebe wanted to curse someone out, she just did. If she wanted to lose her temper, she lost it. No need to hold back. Sienna quickly shook her head, pushing that thought away.

She started looking for other restaurants, hoping a change of scenery might attract more viewers. But after calling several places, they were either fully booked or simply uninterested. Sure enough, with her luck dwindling, even finding opportunities was getting harder. In the end, she had no choice but to contact the manager from yesterday’s restaurant. Luckily, he agreed to let them play there again.

Meanwhile, Phoebe and her group had confirmed their participation in the internet cafe gaming competition three days later. Now, they needed to figure out how to eat, sleep, and have fun in the meantime.

They browsed the app for job opportunities but found nothing suitable for the daytime. However, two bars were hiring live singers for the evening shift, something Quintus excelled at. “I’ll go sing at the bar tonight to make some money,” Quintus said. Maddox added, “I can do that too.” The pay was decent. It wasn’t as much as what Phoebe could earn in one go, but still good enough.

Phoebe chuckled. “If we don’t find anything better during the day, I’ll join you both in singing tonight.” The three of them stood up, ready to go out and explore.

Just then, two other hotel guests who had finished their breakfast walked by, chatting. Phoebe caught part of their conversation and immediately stepped forward, flashing a polite smile. “Excuse me, may I ask you something?”

The two people nodded courteously, asking what she needed. Phoebe spoke with them for a moment, then returned to her team, grinning. After thanking the two, Phoebe walked back. She smiled and said, “Let’s go. I found us a way to make money.”

Since they were nearby, Maddox had also overheard the conversation. His eyes widened in surprise. “You’re entering a motorcycle race?”

The two guests had mentioned an amateur motorcycle race happening that afternoon, which they were planning to watch. Phoebe had asked a few questions and learned that the registration deadline was 10 a.m. Participants needed to show their motorcycle license and pass a few test laps before being allowed to compete. If they left now, she could still make it in time.

Phoebe nodded. “Yep. The first-place prize is 50 thousand dollars.” She had spent a lot of time riding motorcycles with Brenda and had even competed in a few races before. So, as soon as she heard about it, she saw it as the perfect money-making opportunity.

Quintus was stunned. “Phoebe, you can ride motorcycles too!”

Phoebe grinned. “Yeah. I have a friend who’s obsessed with bikes and used to drag me along all the time.” She continued, “Also, I have a habit of carrying all my important documents with me. So I have both my car and motorcycle licenses on me. I’ll give it a shot. If I win, great. If not, at least I had fun.”

Neither Maddox nor Quintus objected. “Alright, we’ll go with you.”

The three of them took a cab to the race venue. Phoebe registered, showed her license, and received a number plate to take the qualifying test. There were a lot of people, so she had to wait in line for over ten minutes before it was her turn.

Maddox, Quintus, and the live-stream viewers watched as Phoebe expertly adjusted the motorcycle’s settings. Then she put on her helmet and sped off. She passed the test with ease and secured her spot in the competition.

When she returned, Maddox’s eyes sparkled. “Pheebs, you’re amazing!” He had played racing games before but had never ridden a motorcycle. Watching Phoebe ride, he couldn’t help but think that she looked so cool.

Quintus was equally in awe. “Phoebe, you’re incredible.” He had watched dozens of people take the test, but none of them had ridden as well as she did.

Phoebe beamed. “Thanks for the compliments!”

The event organizers provided lunch vouchers for all registered racers. Phoebe waved the vouchers in her hand. “Lunch is on the house.” Each racer could bring up to three guests, so Maddox and Quintus could join her.

The two of them cheered. “Pheebs, you’re the best!”

The three of them went to the rest area. Maddox took pictures of Phoebe’s test run, her competition number, and their lunch vouchers. Then, he posted them in the group chat.

Maddox: [Are we going to have an easy win today!]