Chapter 13: The Red Exclamation Mark

Xu Fangyuan glanced at the caller ID, gave Lin Yanran a meaningful look, then smiled apologetically to the others at the table. “Please, continue drinking. I need to go to the restroom.”

Soon after, Xu Fangyuan left the private dining room and answered the phone. “Hello, Mr. Zhang.”

Zhang Yong, manager of the Affairs Department at Star Entertainment, oversaw all the agents at the company. Even Xu Fangyuan, a top-tier agent, ranked below him.

“Xu Fangyuan, where are you now?”

“I’m in Shanghai, discussing an endorsement deal with Yanran and a domestic brand. What’s the matter?”

“Socializing can wait. Come back to the office first thing tomorrow morning for a meeting.”

It was already midnight. She’d have to rush from Shanghai to Hangzhou at dawn? Was he joking?

Xu Fangyuan’s eyes widened as she tamped down her irritation and asked, “What’s so urgent?”

Zhang Yong explained, “Last night, someone sang a song at Zhang Fuyu’s concert, and this morning it’s trending online.”

“The company wants us to analyze what happened, learn from it, and reach out to this person. Ideally, we’d sign them to Star Entertainment.”

“Management believes this person has both talent and potential. If we sign him, you’ll be responsible for him… Just come back quickly.”

“...Alright, I’ll head back immediately.”

Xu Fangyuan hung up. Just then, Lin Yanran emerged from the dining room, noticing Xu Fangyuan’s displeased expression.

“...Fangyuan, what’s wrong? Did something happen at the company?” Lin Yanran asked, concerned.

Faced with Lin Yanran, Xu Fangyuan finally vented, “Some internet celebrity has popped up recently. The company wants me back early tomorrow for a meeting, to analyze the situation and preferably sign him.”

She grumbled, “Isn’t it normal for a couple of lucky influencers to emerge these days? What’s there to analyze! I can’t believe I have to go to the office over such trivial matters. An internet celebrity is nowhere near as important as your bid for pop queen!”

Hearing this, Lin Yanran frowned, finding the company’s priorities misplaced. Yet she didn’t voice her discontent, instead smiling, “It’s alright, Fangyuan. You go ahead—things here in Shanghai, I can handle.”

Xu Fangyuan sighed helplessly. “You just don’t fight for yourself! The entertainment industry isn’t a kind place—everything has to be earned.”

Lin Yanran smiled sweetly. “You’ve already done so much for me, Fangyuan. I need to consider your feelings, too. Besides, the endorsement deal is nearly settled. I can handle the rest alone.”

Xu Fangyuan was moved, and resolved even more firmly to help Lin Yanran reach pop queen status.

“...By the way, I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t checked Weibo. I wonder what this new influencer is like.” Curious, Lin Yanran pulled out her phone, opened Weibo, and glanced at the trending list.

The topic “A performance of ‘Queen’ that shamed so many singers” still dominated the charts, and its momentum had even dragged into question many musicians lacking talent and works.

Lin Yanran tapped her screen, and videos from last night’s concert popped up.

She adjusted the volume and played the top video. A voice, achingly familiar, echoed through the corridor.

The moment she heard it, the carefully drawn brows for the evening’s social engagement furrowed.

This voice... why does it sound so familiar...

It sounds... almost like Su Chen?!

Lin Yanran could scarcely believe the conclusion she’d reached. When she was with Su Chen, he’d sung to her many times. Her own remarkable singing skills had, unknowingly, been shaped by Su Chen’s subtle guidance.

Of course, she herself hadn’t realized this.

But Su Chen’s voice—she knew it well enough that, even with her eyes closed, she’d recognize him instantly.

Yet, faced with this blurry video from last night, Lin Yanran struggled to believe—or perhaps refused to believe.

She could not accept that the refined pianist on stage was Su Chen.

She could not accept that Su Chen, after leaving her, could become an overnight sensation.

It’s fake... It must be fake!

The footage was so unclear, the face indistinct. Maybe it was just someone with a similar voice.

Lin Yanran kept comforting herself, until she saw the name “Su Chen” in the video’s caption...

“Really... really him?!” Her eyes flew wide open, and she covered her mouth, stunned.

Beside her, Xu Fangyuan was busy messaging the driver about tomorrow’s schedule, commenting absent-mindedly, “This influencer sings pretty well. With this talent, being an influencer is a waste.”

Xu Fangyuan, occupied with her tasks, didn’t notice Lin Yanran’s sudden change in expression, her trembling frame.

“No way... Absolutely impossible!”

“He can’t be Su Chen!”

Lin Yanran kept shaking her head, her gaze evasive.

But the glaring “Su Chen” on the trending list was impossible to ignore.

The same voice... the same name... This was Su Chen!

Lin Yanran knew she could no longer deceive herself.

Her strange behavior finally caught Xu Fangyuan’s attention. “Yanran, what’s wrong? Who’s Su Chen? Didn’t you two break up?”

“Yes... we broke up...” Lin Yanran held her phone, her expression so complex even she didn’t understand herself.

Xu Fangyuan watched Lin Yanran’s dazed state and couldn’t help but take the phone from her hand.

On the screen: Su Chen’s name!

“...Su Chen? That loser?!” Xu Fangyuan was dumbfounded.

She quickly grabbed her own phone, opened TikTok’s trending list, and searched for Su Chen’s account.

The two videos on the homepage showed a clear, familiar face, leaving her frozen in disbelief.

Yesterday, this “kept man” she’d easily dismissed was now, just a day later, the hottest sensation?!

He’d dominated both Weibo and TikTok’s trending lists, prompting Star Entertainment to call an urgent meeting, with management eager to sign him.

Staring at that familiar face, Lin Yanran could no longer hold back. Eyes reddened, she muttered, “He knew I wanted to see Zhang Fuyu’s concert, wanted to become a pop queen even younger than her.”

“Yesterday, he must’ve wanted to take me with him. He bought tickets, cooked dinner, but what he got was my breakup...”

On her phone, Su Chen’s rendition of “Actor” from the pub played.

“But why did you love me so much and act out the details?”

“What should I become to delay your boredom?”

“So when love lets down its guard, all these things…”

“That’s the real test…”

Overcome by emotion, Lin Yanran clutched her head in pain, leaning against the wall and slowly sinking to the floor.

In that moment, she felt wretched—not for the breakup itself, but because she couldn’t bear to make herself the villain in their love story.

Then, as if remembering something, Lin Yanran almost snatched the phone back from Xu Fangyuan, opened WeChat, and clicked on the chat window marked “Su Chen.”

And then... she froze.

They’d broken up, and she’d been the one to initiate it. Lin Yanran had no idea what to say to Su Chen.

Her trembling fingers typed two words and sent them to him.

Lin Yanran: Are you there?

To her surprise, as soon as she sent the message, a red exclamation mark appeared beside it.

Striking and cruel.