I was born in Suzhou, a peaceful city where I grew up under the careful protection of my family.
My parents are wealthy entrepreneurs, but they've always showered their children with love.
I have a younger brother who's two years younger than me — he's quite mischievous, and somehow already a whole head taller than me.
Since I was little, I've had a talent for singing and dancing. At school, I was always nominated to represent our class in talent competitions and even won quite a few prizes. One day, when autumn had just touched Suzhou, the air was crisp, and golden leaves drifted gently to the ground. I was sitting in math class, fully focused on the lesson, when suddenly the principal himself appeared at the classroom door and called me out. I quietly followed him to the office. As he opened the door, I saw a young woman already sitting inside. Before I could even process what was happening, she stood up and greeted me:
"Hello, my name is Wu Jinzhou. I'm a trainee manager from a Beijing entertainment company."
I felt a bit shy and simply replied:
"Ah… hello. I'm Zhao Anqi."
"I'm here to invite you to become a trainee at our company. I've seen your talent through the competitions you've participated in, and I truly hope we'll have a chance to work together on your future path."
I was quite surprised by her offer:
"I can't decide on my own. Could you please give me some time to talk it over with my parents?"
"Of course, that's perfectly fine. Here's my business card. If you have any questions, feel free to call me. I'll be looking forward to hearing good news from you."
After the school bell rang, I walked out to the school gate and saw my mischievous little brother, Zhao Annam, waiting there. His school jacket was tied around his waist, making him look like some kind of gang leader. He was surrounded by pretty girls—one handing him snacks, another asking for his WeChat.
I walked over and shouted:
"Hey! You coming home or what, punk?"
He casually walked up and slung his arm over my shoulder like he always did, and we started heading home. On the way, I felt pretty anxious, afraid that if I told my parents about the trainee offer, they wouldn't let me go.
Noticing I was unusually quiet, he knocked me on the head and asked:
"What's wrong with you today, scary sister? Did someone upset you? Want me to deal with them for you?"
"No one bullied me. Today, a manager from a Beijing entertainment company invited me to become a trainee."
Zhao Annam immediately smiled brightly:
"Isn't that your dream?"
"What I'm worried about… is whether Mom and Dad will let me go far from home—to a new place, living alone with no one to take care of me…"
Seeing the worry clearly written on my face, he didn't say anything more—just quietly walked home with me. At dinner, Mom served sweet and sour ribs, pork rib soup—all my favorite dishes.
I finally spoke up to the whole family:
"Today, a manager from a Beijing entertainment company came to my school and invited me to become a trainee at their company."
Dad paused, chopsticks in midair holding a rib, and looked at me.
"What do you think about it?"
"I told her I'd talk to you and Mom first before giving her an answer. Here's her business card."
I handed the card to Dad. He looked at it for a moment, then glanced at Mom. She nodded gently and said:
"Whatever you want to do, we'll always support you. As for going to Beijing, we'll take you there ourselves and hand you over to her—just so we can feel at ease."
Hearing that, I smiled so brightly my eyes nearly disappeared.
My brother cut in:
"This afternoon, you looked like you were about to cry on the way home!"
That dinner was filled with laughter. It felt so warm and full of love.