Chapter 65: Rejected by the Company

After breakfast, Zhang Suxin took Lu Anzhi's clothes, put them into the washing machine to wash, spin-dry, and then tumble-dry. Feeling a bit embarrassed to let Zhang Suxin do all the work alone, Lu Anzhi went to wash the dishes and chopsticks.

The two of them, along with Qianqian, felt as though they were already living the life of a family of three. The only hitch was that there were no clothes of Lu Anzhi's in the house, forcing him to reluctantly make do with Zhang Suxin's bathrobe.

Zhang Suxin said, "Why don't you bring a couple of your clothes over and keep them here... Actually, never mind, I'll buy you a couple of pieces another day. Just in case there's an emergency situation like today's, you'll have something to change into."

Lu Anzhi replied, "Today was a rare exception. How often do such special circumstances happen?"

Zhang Suxin glared at Lu Anzhi, and he immediately fell silent.

Zhang Suxin continued, "Anyway, my wardrobe is large; it's not like it can't hold a couple of your clothes. Don't worry about it, just tell me your size."

Left with no choice, Lu Anzhi gave his clothing size and then politely asked for Zhang Suxin's size as well. He figured it wouldn't be right to only let her buy things for him; reciprocity was important.

Zhang Suxin was slightly surprised, not expecting Lu Anzhi to ask her, but she told him anyway. After giving her size, she added, "Don't just buy things blindly, though. I'm very picky about clothes. If you buy something I don't like and won't wear out, it'll just be a waste."

Lu Anzhi said, "Alright, when we have free time to go out together, I'll buy them for you then."

Zhang Suxin smiled involuntarily and said, "Then let's just wait for it to clear up and go shopping together."

Qianqian chimed in excitedly, "Qianqian wants to buy things too! Qianqian wants to buy things too!"

Lu Anzhi laughed and said, "Alright! Qianqian can buy things too!"

Only then did the little girl calm down.

Feeling a bit constrained in the pink bathrobe, Lu Anzhi accompanied Qianqian to read for a while. Zhang Suxin busied herself with tidying up the house, during which she sliced up some apples and brought them over for Lu Anzhi and Qianqian, saying, "Zhou Bo's drama is going to air very soon. Have you been paying attention?"

Lu Anzhi looked slightly surprised. "Ah? So soon? Shouldn't it go through censorship first?"

Zhang Suxin explained, "Censorship is very fast. The script was already reviewed before the project was officially approved, and after filming wrapped up, it was submitted for review once more. Since there are no major issues with the content, it gets approved immediately. Besides, this drama is taking over Xiangzhou TV's prime-time slot, so they're pressed for time. Xiangzhou TV has already started broadcasting the previews."

"I see."

Lu Anzhi nodded. "I rarely watch television, so I didn't know about this."

Zhang Suxin smiled. "You're really calm. You should at least pay a little attention to it. When I first debuted, my very first song was also a drama's ending theme. It was broadcast on television, and I was so nervous. I wanted to keep the TV on twenty-four hours a day, waiting for it to play, while also worrying about the audience's reaction once it aired. How come you don't seem nervous at all?"

Lu Anzhi replied, "There's no need to be nervous. It's just an ending theme. If it sounds good, people will pay attention; if they think it's not good, the audience will probably just ignore it."

Zhang Suxin murmured softly, "You see things so thoroughly. You really are a novelist..."

She had to admit that what Lu Anzhi said made complete sense; in reality, that was indeed how things worked. What truly attracted people to a television drama was the content of the show itself, especially since this particular drama had the nature of an idol drama, featuring handsome men and beautiful women falling in love, which was the primary focus for the viewers.

Opening and ending theme songs were merely the icing on the cake. If they sounded good, people would pay attention, but if they didn't, most people would simply overlook them.

It was just that... if she had thought of it that way back then, she probably still wouldn't have been able to help feeling nervous, right?

It was her very first song, after all; how could she not be nervous? Who could possibly be like this guy Lu Anzhi? He was just different from everyone else!

Zhang Suxin went back to her chores.

Once she finished tidying up, she sat down as well, joining Lu Anzhi to play with Qianqian.

Outside the window, the rain drizzled on, showing no sign of stopping anytime soon. The entire sky was gloomy, casting a dim light indoors. Zhang Suxin turned on the lights and sat with Lu Anzhi, teaching Qianqian the simple contents of those picture books.

After reading for quite a while, Qianqian couldn't sit still anymore, her attention diverted by other things. Darting around the living room sofa like a little monkey, she saw Lu Anzhi sitting there and tried to climb onto his back.

Lu Anzhi quickly grabbed the little fellow. Ordinarily, it would have been fine; he would have let Qianqian climb all over him however she liked. But right now, he was wearing Zhang Suxin's bathrobe, held together precariously by just the waist belt to cover himself. If Qianqian started climbing and pulling, there was a real chance she might accidentally pull the bathrobe right off.

Zhang Suxin noticed the situation as well and hurried over to pull the little girl away, finding some toys to keep her occupied.

Only then did the little one settle down.

Zhang Suxin chatted with Lu Anzhi, saying, "The demo tracks for your 'A Thousand Years Later' and 'Love in B.C.' have already been sent over to Zhou Bo's side, along with my song 'Withered Summer'. They were all sent together. We should get some results in a little while."

Lu Anzhi nodded and said, "Mhm."

He had already listened to the demo of Zhang Suxin's "Withered Summer". Both the lyrics and the melody seemed to speak of a destined romance that could never be fulfilled and lingering regrets. Yet, Lu Anzhi always felt as though there was a sort of simmering, scorching murderous intent hidden just beneath the surface of the song, making his heart race as he listened.

Just what kind of deep-seated grievances did this former diva of the music scene harbor?!

Lu Anzhi marveled inwardly.

Regardless, "Withered Summer" was genuinely a great song, living up to Zhang Suxin's reputation as a diva. Moreover, it was rare in that it didn't pick and choose its singer, being equally suitable for both men and women. Zhou Bo's side should be able to appreciate its value.

"Buzz..."

Zhang Suxin's phone vibrated. Picking it up to take a look, she smiled at Lu Anzhi and said, "What a coincidence, it's Zhou Bo calling."

She simply put the call on speaker and answered. Zhou Bo's voice rang out from the phone: "Hello, Sister Zhang. Do you have time to talk right now? Is Teacher Lu there?"

Zhang Suxin replied, "No problem at all, Lu Anzhi is right here. Has Mr. Zhou listened to the demos?"

Zhou Bo said, "That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. I've listened to the demo tracks for all three songs. Sister Zhang truly lives up to your name as a diva; the songs you write are simply fantastic! And Teacher Lu, how on earth did you come up with that singing style?! It simply astounds me like a heavenly being! Teacher Lu, if you weren't so far away, I'd honestly want to kneel right down and kowtow to take you as my master!"

This guy was laying on the flattery much too thickly.

Lu Anzhi said, "Mr. Zhou flatters me too much. I wonder which two songs Mr. Zhou has selected?"

Zhou Bo sighed and said, "Actually, I wanted to choose all three songs. Each of these three songs is more brilliant than the last, and I didn't want to give up a single one of them. However, when the company went through the review process, they stubbornly refused to pass 'Love in B.C.'. I argued with them logically for a long time, but I still couldn't win that battle. We can only choose 'A Thousand Years Later' and 'Withered Summer'. Teacher Lu, I'm truly sorry."