Chapter 278: Chapter 278 - 278 - 199: Some People Win from the Start Without Doing Anything

“Huh?”

Shit, he thought he was caught stealing glances at Shen Jinyue by Lin Wanzhou.

Who knew the corridor led straight to the recording studio, no one is a sage. Nobody would dislike the maid outfit, right? At that moment, he even peered at Shen Jinyue’s chest several times.

He was already prepared to sweat profusely, but this is it? A false alarm, who would fall for Shen Jinyue.

Hearing this, Xu Qingyan suddenly calmed down and chuckled.

“No, I just think she looks pretty good in the maid outfit. Although she’s usually quite annoying, I feel she looked a bit easier on the eyes in that outfit.”

“Oh.” Lin Wanzhou pulled back, silently switching the topic, “The post-production is all done, and I think the effect is okay, let me play a section for you.”

With that, she turned on the computer at the central console.

The clicking of the mouse echoed in the room, the afternoon sun, golden like rum on the rocks, she sat there with her back to him.

Her hair was pinned up, exposing her snow-white nape, strands of hair gleaming with an ancient gold luster.

Lin Wanzhou was not short, had a good figure, and didn’t slouch. The pink short-sleeve made her exposed forearms look whiter; her thin waist probably made her look slender.

Xu Qingyan took a few steps forward, seeing her profile, her cheeks were fair, hair was fine, and her nose bridge stood tall.

A sudden impulsive desire surged in his heart, wanting to capture this moment. Then he thought taking out his phone would waste time, better to take a few more looks.

Click, the mouse started the playback, the post-processed intro of “Fragrance of Rice” slowly flowed out.

Worthy of the borrowed second-hand million-dollar sound system, one could tell it was something good.

He had recorded the song for a full day, sung until he was about to throw up, and was thoroughly schooled by the strict Teacher Lin. Now, listening to the post-processed version didn’t feel much different.

“Go home, back to the original bliss.”

Xu Qingyan listened to his own singing, feeling it was somewhere between good-sounding and wanting to dig his toes into the ground. He couldn’t immerse himself in the mood of the song, inexplicably feeling out of place.

“Does it sound good?” Lin Wanzhou asked with a smile on her face, obviously satisfied.

“Not bad.”

While speaking, distant sounds of Qi Ting and Shen Jinyue’s banter traveled from outside, and they both stopped talking. Roughly two minutes later, Qi Ting knocked on the door.

After coming in, Shen Jinyue was still chattering. Qi Ting looked at Lin Wanzhou and then at Teacher Xu, a barely noticeable smile on her face.

Something was off, very off.

At six in the evening, “Fragrance of Rice” was uploaded on all platforms on time.

Xu Qingyan’s creator backend was empty, only this one song, which was originally meant for her, but after a round, it still ended up in his hands.

Not only was the song production helped by Lin Wanzhou, even the release was fully managed by her. This wasn’t giving a song, but rather receiving a gift from her.

All the rights and profits of “Fragrance of Rice” belonged to him alone, automatically settled every month. As long as the website settled the revenue, money would be promptly deposited into his card each month.

Xu Qingyan glanced at the time, 6:05 PM, and casually asked.

“How many downloads so far?”

“Teacher Xu, wait a moment, we haven’t done any promotion yet.” Qi Ting, sitting at the computer composing a post, replied without looking back, “Give me one minute, it will be ready soon.”

“Promotion?” He was confused for a moment, “Buying traffic?”

Honestly, he didn’t have high expectations for the sales of “Fragrance of Rice.”

Although he had some fame, the audience for his music and those who enjoy spectacles didn’t overlap much. Writing a song, Lin Wanzhou singing it would obviously net higher earnings than him.

But since the girl was willing, let her be.

After all, releasing a song was definitely profitable, no matter the amount, who would complain about too much money. But he hadn’t considered doing promotions, if it cost money there was no need for them.

“No, just need to post it on Weibo,” Qi Ting said.

“Oh, that’s good.”

Qi Ting used the studio account to publish the promotional post, Lin Wanzhou logged into her personal account to share the post, and added a comment, “This song sounds great, I’ve obtained the rights to cover it.”

Ten minutes later, Pei Muchan also shared the post.

The comment was straightforward, just a string of ellipses, “….”

“Hahaha!!!!” Qi Ting, laughing her heart out, slapped Xu Qingyan on the back with tears in her eyes, “Teacher Xu, you’ve got to see Sister Pei’s post.”

Xu Qingyan was speechless, gave Qi Ting a sidelong glance, thinking what’s there to laugh at, you guess why I’m not laughing.

Shit, now he was truly sweating bullets.

Under the post, comments surged. Fans originally thought it was Lin Wanzhou releasing a new song and had come excitedly. But when they found out it was Xu Qingyan, they left disappointed.

“What? Teacher Xu released a song? Wow! Yay, not listening.”

“What? Released a song, not buying.”

“Let’s not have so much negativity, guys, it’s just a new song. Teacher Xu was a respectable man before he passed; for Zhouzhou’s sake, spit and then go.”

“Came here from Sister Pei’s place, was Zhouzhou also coerced by Teacher Xu? Not a peep means consent, let’s give Teacher Xu a poor rating, help him stay humble.”

“I’m seriously wondering if the dating show hasn’t ended yet, and all this is the director’s script. F*ck’s sake, what’s the meaning of holding two rising stars?”

“Guys, came back after listening to the song, it’s all part of Teacher Xu’s plan.”

“I bought it, played the song loudly, and now my entire dorm is mocking me, what should I do? A moment of courage, and I’ve become introverted for my four years in college.”

Playing around is just playing around, but after two little divas shared a wave of promotional posts, the data in the back end visibly started to rise.

After squatting there for an hour, the paid download volume was two thousand.

“This result isn’t bad, conservatively estimated at eight thousand for the first day,” Xu Qingyan let out a sigh of relief, silently calculating in his heart that even if the song wasn’t a hit, it could steadily earn 300k over time.@@novelbin@@

Singers make money like this; as long as you have a name that people can recall, none are poor.

As evening slowly fell, the four of them went out to have a meal together. After dinner, Xu Qingyan didn’t stay long before leaving, taking Shen Jinyue home with him.

In the night, the black Panamera smoothly changed lanes, overtaking a white BMW.

“Sister Zhou Zhou.”

“Hmm?” She was sitting in the backseat, leaning on the half-open car window, replying in a muffled voice.

The car entered a dimly lit road, flanked by lush trees on both sides.

Qi Ting glanced at her through the rearview mirror. The sporadic light from the street lamps, weakened by the tree branches, danced across Lin Wanzhou’s face as if waiting.

The flickering light set off the delicate beauty of her face.

“What do you like about Teacher Xu?” Qi Ting casually asked, noticing a red light ahead and gradually releasing the accelerator, “His good looks, his talent?” Your next chapter is on empire

“No,” Lin Wanzhou turned to look out of the window, her dark eyes reflecting a faint light, “When I was a kid, I wasn’t in good health and could only watch them run and jump.”

“They didn’t like playing with me. It was really stuffy in the afternoons during summer, and they invited me to play by the reservoir. They tricked me into playing hide and seek and didn’t end the game until it got dark.”

“Were they that mean to you?” Qi Ting lightly applied the brakes, coming slowly to a stop at the crossroads. She was a good listener, “I hope the one leading them wasn’t Teacher Xu?”

“No, he liked to catch fish by the creek and didn’t like to go to the reservoir,” Lin Wanzhou explained, “I don’t know who told him, but in the end, he was the only one who came on his bike to look for me.”

Qi Ting rested her hands on the steering wheel, falling into a brief silence.

Being abandoned by a group at the rural reservoir at such a young age is something anyone would remember for a lifetime. It’s like the first time lying on your father’s back at night for a doctor’s visit, the first night away from home.

Having someone tirelessly search for you through the dark, over hills and rivers, is also something you’d remember for a lifetime.

“Was Teacher Xu that righteous when he was a kid?”

“Back then, he liked me.”

Suddenly, the light turned red. Qi Ting took a few seconds longer than usual to start the car again. Reflecting on what she had just heard, it seemed like Sister Zhou Zhou had said “back then…”

The information was overwhelming, and she was momentarily at a loss for words.

“I didn’t realize it back then, but I later found out through some old friends,” Lin Wanzhou continued, “He said it to others himself, that he liked me.”

“But he only liked me for a while, probably because he didn’t want me to get bullied.”

“Damn, who does Teacher Xu like then?”

“I don’t know; there were quite a few girls who confessed to him,” Lin Wanzhou spoke indifferently, “I’ve never seen him like anyone. Not before, and it’s hard to say now.”

“Then… Sister Zhou Zhou, aren’t you going to step up your game? With Sister Yun… what if Teacher Xu gets momentarily confused? It’s not impossible.”

Qi Ting was almost gasping for air, her eyes fixed on the road ahead.

“It would be better to settle things sooner. Teacher Xu is really good at writing songs. I suppose Sister Yun would probably not agree, but certainly wouldn’t object. It’s normal for singers to date.”

“No need, he has someone he likes more now,” she said.

“Sister Yun?” Qi Ting drove on, “I think they’re just close, not to that point yet.”

“Love doesn’t make sense, Sister Zhou Zhou. You don’t have to be pessimistic.”

“I’m not pessimistic,” she leaned against the back seat, “I had countless opportunities, if only I had paid attention when I was a child. If only I could’ve adjusted my state sooner last year, if only during that birthday…”

Qi Ting heard a very soft sigh coming from the back seat, and her heart twisted.

“That birthday was an accident; no one wanted that.”

“Yeah, I know.”

The car fell silent, and Qi Ting drove all the way back to the apartment. In the elevator, she even made a point of checking on Lin Wanzhou’s state, relieved to see her looking down at her phone.

It had been a tiring day, and Qi Ting went to take a shower as soon as she got home.

When she returned to her room in her pajamas, she found Lin Wanzhou sitting cross-legged on the living room sofa, listening to music. Up close, she saw on the tablet the song “Fragrance of Rice” playing.

The lyrics scrolled, right on the line, “Go back home, back to the original beauty.”

“Sister Zhou Zhou?” she called out tentatively.

“Hmm?” Lin Wanzhou looked at her with a calm face and a puzzled glance after taking off her headphones, “What is it? I’ll wash up in a bit.”

“It’s just that I was thinking…” she sat down on the sofa in her thin pajamas and said worriedly, “if there ever comes a day.”

“I’m not saying absolutely, just hypothetically. It’s obvious that Teacher Xu isn’t focused on that right now, he’s all about his work and doesn’t even think about that sort of thing.”

“You don’t have to worry about me, I won’t make trouble,” Lin Wanzhou knew what she meant and interrupted her, “I’m just a little jealous of Pei Muchan.”

“What I don’t have, she has.”

“I don’t know where his heart lies, perhaps with no one at all. Even without him, I would still be jealous of Pei Muchan; she has a better fate than me.”

“Sometimes I think, when he was scrambling for money, if I had known… I would have gone to find him. Then I could say to him, it’s my turn to find you now.”

“But sometimes fate likes to toy with people. If you’re just a little late, the outcome changes a lot.”