Xu Yu was alone in the living room, so Su Yuanjiu didn’t stay long in the study. After a few sentences, he ended the call with Ji Zhouchuan and continued to chat via WeChat.
Back in the living room, the TV was just previewing “My Song, Your Song.” Su Yuanjiu watched for a moment. Xu Yu didn’t even lift his head, focusing intently on finding parts from the diagram.
Su Yuanjiu seemed to guess something. He walked over and quietly unplugged a wire behind the TV.
“Hmm?” The sound suddenly disappeared, and Xu Yu looked up in confusion. “Why can’t I see it?”
Su Yuanjiu casually checked, “It’s been unused for too long, probably overdue on payments.”
Xu Yu stared blankly at the paralyzed TV screen for a while, then lowered his head again and continued to study the diagrams. “Then what do we do?”
Seeing that Xu Yu wasn’t too anxious, Su Yuanjiu’s suspicions were confirmed.
Probably since the day of the recording, he hadn’t been happy. Just thinking about it casually, Su Yuanjiu also felt somewhat unhappy.
Su Yuanjiu: “It’s okay, I’ll ask someone about it tomorrow.”
Xu Yu responded with a soft “mm,” and didn’t ask further about the TV.
Soon, Ji Zhouchuan sent Su Yuanjiu a video. The video wasn’t long; it was recorded by someone on-site with a mobile phone, and the image wasn’t very clear.
Ji Zhouchuan: Cellphones aren’t allowed on this show.
Ji Zhouchuan: I managed to find one.
Su Yuanjiu sent a thank-you message to Ji Zhouchuan and then took his phone to the kitchen.
While washing fruit in the kitchen, Su Yuanjiu put on headphones and watched the video.
The video started with Xu Yu going on stage until he started singing, about half a minute in total. Everything Ze Chen said, everything the lead singer next to Ze Chen said, and Xu Yu’s performance were all very clear.
After Su Yuanjiu finished watching, Ji Zhouchuan sent two more clips.
The first clip was from a different angle and was a bit longer than the previous one, covering Xu Yu’s time on stage from the beginning until he got off, including his singing.
The second clip was from another angle, not from the competition but from the afternoon rehearsal when Xu Yu sang on stage.
Ji Zhouchuan: I just listened to it. The aired program seems to have also edited Xu Yu’s voice. You wouldn’t notice it if you didn’t listen carefully, but something is missing.
Ji Zhouchuan: However, I noticed it right away, so I got the recordings from the show and the rehearsal.
Ji Zhouchuan: Public relations are sorted out. After the show airs, we’ll see how the online reaction is and then take action.
Ji Zhouchuan: No rush, it’s manageable.
Su Yuanjiu: Will this be disadvantageous for Xu Yu?
Ji Zhouchuan: It shouldn’t be.
Ji Zhouchuan: Ze Chen and the program team are just picking on someone with less fame. Given Xu Yu’s three years in the industry, they must have decided that even if the show airs like this, Xu Yu won’t stir up much trouble. So I don’t think they have any follow-up measures. We’ll catch them off guard.
Ji Zhouchuan: The brilliance of this show lies in its continuous gimmicks. When one segment fades out, the next one picks up.
Ji Zhouchuan: After the show ends, who will remember those few small fry who were criticized initially?
Ji Zhouchuan: Who knows, they’ve run into our President Su.
Ji Zhouchuan: It’s fine to bully others, but bullying our President Su’s treasure?
Su Yuanjiu chuckled softly upon seeing the word “treasure.”
Su Yuanjiu: As long as you think it’s fine.
Su Yuanjiu: I’ll leave it to you.
Ji Zhouchuan: It’s a small matter.
Ji Zhouchuan: It’s been a while since I did something like this. I’m a bit excited, too.
Ji Zhouchuan: Mainly, we rely on facts and strength to steer the situation in our favor.
Su Yuanjiu: Mm.
As they chatted, Su Yuanjiu finished preparing the fruit and put away his phone, carrying it to the living room.
Just as he set the plate down on the coffee table, Xu Yu looked puzzled. “Strawberries?” Xu Yu raised his head to look at Su Yuanjiu. “Did you get them from the fridge?”
Su Yuanjiu nodded. “Mm.”
Xu Yu asked, “Why didn’t I see them just now?”
Su Yuanjiu replied, “They were hidden behind the wine in front.”
Xu Yu thanked him and then asked, “Do you also like strawberries?”
Before he could answer, Xu Yu hesitated and immediately continued, “Never mind. I know you don’t have to answer me.”
Su Yuanjiu smiled and also picked up a strawberry. “Can’t I like strawberries?”
Xu Yu lowered his head and answered slowly, “Of course, you can.”
Xu Yu quickly finished the strawberry, and there was just a little left.
They were assembling a ship, and its shape was beginning to take form.
Su Yuanjiu had just sat down on the sofa when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and saw a new message from Ji Zhouchuan.
Ji Zhouchuan: By the way, your housemate can sing pretty well. I’ve listened to it three times, haha. If I try to contact him directly without going through you, will you kill me?
Su Yuanjiu: Give it a try.
Ji Zhouchuan: Haha, just kidding, just kidding. But I really do want to collaborate with him.
Ji Zhouchuan: The more I listen, the better it gets. Did he write both the lyrics and the music?
Su Yuanjiu immediately opened the music app on his phone and sent over the two songs Xu Yu had given him last time.
Su Yuanjiu: He wrote both.
Su Yuanjiu: The other one too, both were released on the same day.
Su Yuanjiu: He’s been working on new songs recently.
Su Yuanjiu: Impressive, right?
Ji Zhouchuan: Impressive, impressive. I want to contact him right away; what should I do?
Ji Zhouchuan: How ironic is it that I happen to have his personal contact information?
Su Yuanjiu: ?
Ji Zhouchuan: It was the night he came to Jianshi to record the show. We met at the entrance, and I got his number.
Ji Zhouchuan: He even said he liked me.
Su Yuanjiu locked his phone and put it back in his pocket, then looked down at Xu Yu.
Xu Yu was focusing on fitting a very small piece, his head close to it, and even closing one eye.
The pocket vibrated again.
Su Yuanjiu stared into Xu Yu’s eyes for a moment before taking out his phone.
Ji Zhouchuan said: The other song is also good.
Ji Zhouchuan: They really picked the wrong person for “Hello Sing and Dance”. What has Xu Yu been doing these past three years? I’ve never heard of him at all.
Ji Zhouchuan: I happen to have some free time recently.
Ji Zhouchuan: Can I contact him?
Su Yuanjiu: Contact him through your studio.
Ji Zhouchuan: Of course, I’m a professional.
Ji Zhouchuan: By the way, wasn’t it you who said before to find an opportunity for us to meet?
Su Yuanjiu: Mm.
After replying, Su Yuanjiu put his phone away again.
After so long, the strawberries on the table remained untouched. Su Yuanjiu asked, “Aren’t you going to eat them?”
“I will,” Xu Yu replied, “but my hands are dirty right now.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Su Yuanjiu reached out with his hand.
Xu Yu’s hand slipped while holding a small part, and the part slid from between his fingertips.
However, instead of picking up the strawberry, Su Yuanjiu pushed over a nearby toothpick box and took out two toothpicks from it.
Xu Yu picked up the part and couldn’t help swallowing a mouthful of saliva.
“Are they sweet?” Su Yuanjiu asked him after he ate one.
Xu Yu nodded. “Yes.”
With his work almost finished in his hands and the strawberries about to be eaten, Xu Yu was about to bid farewell to Su Yuanjiu.
“I heard you participated in a program called ‘Hello Sing and Dance’ before,” Su Yuanjiu suddenly asked him.
Xu Yu nodded. “Yes, it was my debut program.”
Su Yuanjiu asked, “Is it convenient to chat?”
Xu Yu naturally picked up a piece and nodded. “Sure, what do you want to talk about?”
Su Yuanjiu asked, “Wasn’t that program not very good?”
Xu Yu pondered for a moment, “Well, initially it was okay. But later, someone from our group was exposed for using unfair means, and the show went downhill.”
Su Yuanjiu followed up, “What was that program about?”
“Sing and dance,” Xu Yu chuckled. “I learned my dance skills on that show, but they weren’t that great. The program focused mainly on teamwork and dancing within those collaborations.”
Su Yuanjiu asked, “Were you in third place?”
“Yeah,” Xu Yu reminisced briefly, “but towards the end, the rankings didn’t matter much anymore. Hardly anyone paid attention to the show by then.”
Su Yuanjiu queried further, “Why haven’t you been doing music these past few years?”
Xu Yu shrugged. “The company felt singing wasn’t a promising path.”
Su Yuanjiu nodded in understanding. “Do you know Ji Zhouchuan?”
Xu Yu lifted his head, visibly excited. “I know him, and I really like him.”
Su Yuanjiu paused briefly before saying, “He was my high school roommate.”
Xu Yu was surprised. “Really?”
Su Yuanjiu nodded. “He’s in the music industry. I’ll find an opportunity to introduce you.”
“Great,” Xu Yu said, looking genuinely happy, adding, “I bumped into him a few weeks ago in Jianshi, and he even asked me for my number.”
Su Yuanjiu responded with a soft “mm,” and said calmly, “It’s because of me. I mentioned you to him.”
Xu Yu was surprised and flattered. “Really?”
Su Yuanjiu nodded.
Xu Yu smiled as he continued assembling his Lego, but before he could finish, he looked up and said, “Thank you.”
Xu Yu’s spirits lifted, and then they lifted even higher and higher still.
Before long, he finished assembling the Lego.
“Done,” Xu Yu raised the ship. “It’s so delicate.”
Knowing that Xu Yu might not accept the Lego, Su Yuanjiu said, “Take it home. I don’t have a place to display it here.”
As expected, Xu Yu replied, “No, I don’t think I should.”
Su Yuanjiu asked, “Why not?”
Xu Yu suddenly choked on his words.
Su Yuanjiu’s voice softened as if coaxing him, “Take it home, okay?”
Xu Yu nodded. “Alright, then.”
After finishing the strawberries on the table, Xu Yu had no reason to stay any longer.
He stood up to say goodbye, and Su Yuanjiu didn’t ask him to stay, but he walked Xu Yu all the way downstairs to his building.
Xu Yu opened the entrance door, and Su Yuanjiu held it open for him to enter.
“Thank you for the dinner, the strawberries, and the Lego,” Xu Yu said, pursing his lips with a smile. “I’ve taken so many things from you.”
Su Yuanjiu nodded. “Yes, what should we do?”
Xu Yu was stunned, probably not expecting Su Yuanjiu to answer like that.
Xu Yu stammered, “Uh, then, I…”
Su Yuanjiu chuckled and interrupted him. “Then answer me one question.”
Xu Yu nodded. “Okay, ask.”
Looking into Xu Yu’s eyes, Su Yuanjiu asked, “Are you single?”
Xu Yu was taken aback before nodding. “Yes.”
Su Yuanjiu nodded. “Alright, I’m heading back.”
With that, Su Yuanjiu closed the door and waved goodbye to Xu Yu.
