Chapter 13: Who Would Believe Thereâs No Secret?
But this progress was too fast, wasn’t it? He didn’t expect Chi Shaochen could take down Xiahou Qian so quickly. Although Chi Shaochen was wealthy and handsome, Xiahou Qian was also excellentâgood looks, great singing, a graduate of the Huaxia Conservatory of Music, and even his personality seemed decent.
“He must have had a secret crush on you for a long time!” Otherwise, Lu Ke really couldn’t find a reason why Xiahou Qian would agree to Chi Shaochen so rashly.
If he didn’t know Xiahou Qian, he might think the boy was after Chi Shaochenâs status or money. But he had met Xiahou Qian; although it had only been a few days, he trusted his judgment of people.
Chi Shaochen said that night was the first time they met, but Lu Ke didn’t believe Xiahou Qian would give himself to a stranger. If one said he knew Chi Shaochenâs identity and wanted to use it to climb up, that wouldn’t be right either, because Xiahou Qian really hadn’t left any clues back then. Otherwise, Chi Shaochen wouldn’t have been able to find anything. To say this was all a calculation would be a bit too impressive.
There were indeed many stories of playing hard to get, and not leaving clues didn’t mean Xiahou Qian couldn’t find a time to appear before Chi Shaochen later. But then again, he hadn’t left any evidence; as long as Chi Shaochen didn’t admit it, he couldn’t prove anything. He couldn’t possibly have calculated that Chi Shaochen would be obsessed with him afterward, could he?
He still remembered Chi Shaochen saying he felt as if Xiahou Qian already knew him back then. And then there was yesterday: Xiahou Qian was clearly extremely resistant to signing with an entertainment company at first, yet he agreed without a second thought the moment Chi Shaochen spoke. And now, just one day later, Chi Shaochen told him they were together!
Who would believe there was no “secret business” (maoni) going on?
Compared to Xiahou Qian intentionally plotting against Chi Shaochen, he was more inclined to believe Xiahou Qian had liked Chi Shaochen for a long time.
Maybe Chi Shaochen really didn’t know Xiahou Qian before, but Xiahou Qian must have seen Chi Shaochen. But then again, maybe Xiahou Qian fell in love with Chi Shaochen at first sight? After all, it was also quite illogical for Chi Shaochen to fall for someone so easily.
“By your account, even including that night, today is only your third time meeting. How are you so sure you’re serious about him? It couldn’t just be because you don’t reject being close to him, could it?” If that were the case, it would be very unfair to Xiahou Qian. Although as Chi Shaochenâs friend, he couldn’t go and tell Xiahou Qian anything even if that were the truth.
Chi Shaochen didn’t answer; he just gave Lu Ke a look that said “You’re so shallow!”, which made Lu Ke curl his lips.
After finishing the bit of wine in his glass, Chi Shaochen picked up his keys and phone from the table and prepared to leave. He had come to Night Color specifically for Xiahou Qian. The company was busy lately; since Xiahou Qian was gone, he naturally had to go back to work overtime.
[Have you reached home?] Seeing this text from Chi Shaochen on his phone, Xiahou Qian finally found a trace of the feeling that he and Chi Shaochen were actually in a relationship.
[Iâm home.] Xiahou Qian replied.
[What are you doing?] Before Xiahou Qian could put down his phone, Chi Shaochenâs text came again.
[Surfing the web. How about you?] Xiahou Qian added the last four words afterward; otherwise, his attitude always felt too cold.
[Working overtime at the company. There have been many things to do lately.] Chi Shaochen replied.
[Then go back and rest early after you’re done.] Xiahou Qian sighed while texting; he didn’t expect Chi Shaochen would actually chat via text.
[I will. Don’t stay up too late yourself; rest early.] Chi Shaochen replied.
Xiahou Qian felt that was enough. Chi Shaochen surely had many things to handle, so he didn’t reply again. He opened Tianlai to check the data and found the numbers had broken into triple digits, and almost all of them were positive reviews. Although Xiahou Qian wasn’t someone who couldn’t handle criticism, having his songs recognized by others was always something to be happy about.
After checking, Xiahou Qian continued to struggle with the song Nirvana. He didn’t produce anything until bedtime, so he simply washed up and went to sleep.
The next afternoon, Xiahou Qian went to the teahouse he had agreed upon with Young Master Zheng. He arrived five minutes early. Two minutes prior, he had received a text from Young Master Zheng telling him the booth number; clearly, the boy had arrived even earlier than him.
“Booth 3,” Xiahou Qian told the waiter, who led him forward.
The waiter stopped before a booth and pushed the door open.
Xiahou Qian looked up and saw “003” written on the door plate. He stepped inside.
The booth wasn’t large. Inside sat two people: a young man and a youth. Their looks and auras were both excellent. The seating in the booth consisted of two-person sofas. The young man and youth were sitting side-by-side on one. When Xiahou Qian entered, they both turned to look at him.
“Young Master Zheng?” Xiahou Qian sat across from the youth and gave him a smile. The title “Young Master Zheng” was full of teasing, making our Young Master Zheng feel incredibly embarrassed at this moment. His ears turned red. The young man beside him used the action of drinking tea to hide the smile at the corner of his mouth.
The waiter walked over. Seeing that the two already had drinks, Xiahou Qian ordered a cup of Longjing for himself.
“Hello, Xiahou. This is my brother; he insisted on coming along. We can talk about our business and ignore him.” After the waiter left the booth, the youth spoke. When he mentioned his brother, he shrugged with a look of utter helplessness.
“Alright.” Since Young Master Zheng said so, Xiahou Qian politely nodded at the young man and then ignored him as suggested.
“My name is Zheng Wenxin, from Meidu.” Zheng Wenxin introduced himself, showing none of the arrogance typical of a genius.
“Xiahou Qian, currently living in the Imperial Capital.” There was no need to mention where his hometown was.
“Your song I Don’t Love is truly wonderful. Whether it’s the lyrics, composition, or vocals, everything is excellent. What are your plans for future development?” Zheng Wenxin asked.
Seeing that Zheng Wenxin didn’t have the “chuunibyou” air typical of boys his age, Xiahou Qian felt at ease. He marveled that a genius was indeed a genius; he was much more mature than his peers.
“Iâm planning to sign with an entertainment company. So, regarding the contract with you, I also intend to draft it first and then sign a tripartite agreement.” Since he had decided to sign, Xiahou Qian naturally wouldn’t withhold a salary as Zheng Wenxin had suggested, even if Zheng Wenxin wasn’t short on money.
“Itâs already confirmed? Can I know which company?” Zheng Wenxin had previously planned that if Xiahou Qian didn’t have a suitable company, he could have his family recommend a company in Meidu.
“A friend’s company. I didn’t ask for specifics.” Speaking of the entertainment company, Xiahou Qian thought of Chi Shaochen saying he would transfer the company to his name. Although he felt it didn’t make much difference whether the company was in his or Chi Shaochenâs name, he wouldn’t refuse if Chi Shaochen really did so. Now, he truly didn’t care about the opinions of irrelevant people.
“Is it trustworthy?” Zheng Wenxin didn’t pry further, but he wasn’t at ease asking nothing, so he chose to ask parts that didn’t involve privacy.
“Trustworthy.” Xiahou Qian smiled. This kid was quite sincere toward him.
“I knew you were talented from your song, but seeing you today, I realized you’re actually this handsome too. If you don’t become famous, it would be a travesty. Thinking about being able to accompany you as you climb to the peak makes me very happy. You know, this is the first time I’ve been this eager to do something!” Zheng Wenxin was a bit excited, but his speech remained clear and organized.
In a short time, Zheng Wenxin lost the reserve caused by being a stranger and began to talk a lot, just like online. If Ye Rui saw this, he would probably cough up blood and die. Usually, if he said ten sentences, Zheng Wenxin wouldn’t reply with a single wordâit was too painful.
Although Ye Rui didn’t see it, Zheng Wenjie, as Zheng Wenxinâs second brother, was also dazed for a long time seeing his brother like this. Over the past few years, even at home, Zheng Wenxin had spoken less and less, as if he couldn’t find interest in anything. He had even specifically consulted some psychiatrists about it. Those people said geniuses were always different; their interests and goals were different from ordinary people. Looking at history, one could see examples. Zheng Wenxinâs “weary of life” attitude had really worried the family.
This time, Zheng Wenxin suddenly proposed coming to the Imperial Capital to meet someoneâan internet friend at that. They weren’t worried about him being scammed; after all, his brain was right there. They understood his brilliance better than anyone, and his combat strength wasn’t weak. However, the family still insisted he be accompanied under the pretext that he was still young. Zheng Wenxin didn’t stop them, but his displeasure was written all over his face.
Before this, he had no idea why Zheng Wenxin was meeting this internet friend or what their identity was. Hearing the two talk for a while, he realized the youth his brother called “Xiahou” was a very talented singer whose songs his brother liked immensely. It seemed his brother intended to help the youth establish and manage a fan club.
His brother had finally found something to do? But was the goal of being a celebrityâs fan club president a bit too “down to earth” for a genius? Shouldn’t a genius’s hobbies be especially high-end? Like physics, astronomy, or medicine?
“Your ideas are all very good. I can see you’ve made very thorough preparations.” After hearing Zheng Wenxin out, Xiahou Qian gave him full affirmation. He could be considered someone who had been in the industry, but he really hadn’t considered the fan club matters as thoroughly as Zheng Wenxin.
“So, don’t worry. Just leave the fan club to me. For now, you just need to quickly apply for a Weibo account and a livestream account… leave the rest to me.” Zheng Wenxin looked full of confidence.
“Alright. I’ll apply using my phone now.” Applying for a Weibo wasn’t a hassle anyway.
Xiahou Qian used to have a Weibo, but he hadn’t used it since his rebirth. If it weren’t for logging in via phone number, he would probably have forgotten the password. Having no intention of continuing to use that Weibo, Xiahou Qian directly deleted the account after verification and then re-registered. His nickname was just his name.
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