"Why not?" Jimmie''s brow furrowed, his tone both pleading and cautious.


    Why wouldn''t she let her brother drive her? He really wanted to.


    "It''s too shy," Juniper said, pulling on her hat. "Besides—"


    She tilted her head back, her clear eyes meeting his. "We need to finalize the choreography for the music video tonight. I''ll send you the proposal. Let me know if you have any issues so I can make adjustments."


    Jimmie had a million questions for his sister, but knowing she had to get back to ss, he simply nodded. "Okay."


    On that note, Rachel chimed in. "All the dancers have been fired. I don''t think we''ll have time to audition new ones."


    "We don''t need to," Juniper said, already walking toward the exit. As she reached the door, she nced at a figure huddled in the corner. "One backup dancer is enough."


    "Huh?" Rachel blinked, then hurried after her. "Just one?"


    "Mmm-hmm." Juniper beckoned with her hand, and the girl immediately scurried over, her head bowed timidly.


    "Mr. Tate, Master Lunar, Rachel," she mumbled. She had seen everything that just happened. In less than ten minutes, an entire group of dancers had been fired and cklisted. It was terrifying. She had been trembling in the corner the whole time, thankful she had stayed out of it.


    "She''ll do," Juniper said, gesturing toward the girl with a nod of her chin.


    "Is one backup dancer really going to be enough?" Rachel asked carefully, biting her lip. It wasn''t that she doubted Master Lunar''s talent, but the original n had been choreographed for ten dancers. Changing it now could be a major problem.


    "If I say it''s enough, it''s enough," Juniper said, looking at Rachel with a deep, steady gaze. Her voice was low and soft, yet it carried an undeniable authority that was surprisingly intimidating.


    "Oh! Okay!" Rachel felt goosebumps rise on her arms and didn''t dare to argue.


    "That settles it. We''ll do as Juniper says," Jimmie dered, handing Juniper her backpack. His voice was impossibly gentle. "Call me anytime, okay?"


    Juniper nodded and reached for her bag, but she couldn''t pull it away. Jimmie was holding on tight.


    Juniper shot him a warning look.


    "Be careful on your way back," Jimmie said, reluctantly letting go. His gaze then shifted to Rachel, his expression serious. "Make sure she gets back to school safely."


    Rachel rolled her eyes. She was starting to think that Mr. Tate, having found his sister, was even more unhinged than before.


    The remaining dancer was also stunned, her mouth hanging open. She had just seen Mr. Tate not only carry Master Lunar''s bag but also speak to her with such incredible tenderness.


    "Alright, I''m leaving," Juniper said, shouldering her backpack. She took a couple of steps, then seemed to remember something and walked back to Jimmie. She tilted her head up. "Smile."


    Jimmie''s brow twitched. What did his sister want him to do?


    Smile? He wasn''t very good at that. But if his sister wanted to see it, he would try.


    And so, the bewildered dancer watched as the famously stoic Mr. Tate suddenly broke into a wide, stiff grin.


    tter-


    The items in her hand fell to the floor as she recalled Master Lunar''s words from earlier: "Have you ever seen Jimmie smile? I''ll make him smile for youter!"


    Oh my god! She had seen Mr. Tate smile! What on earth had happened in thest fifteen minutes? How had Master Lunar tamed the untouchable superstar?!


    After personally seeing his sister off, Jimmie pulled out his phone and found Shanley''s number. That guy was always so arrogant, boasting that the girl he liked was beautiful, kind, one-of-a-kind, and that even Jimmie''s long-lost sister couldn''tpare. Now, he could finally rub it in that old man''s face!