Chapter 19: The Goddess of Fortune

Su Chen and Zhang Fuyu discussed the matter of buying songs over the phone in brief terms. When it came to copyright issues, Zhang Fuyu was careful, even pointing out many industry secrets to Su Chen and highlighting clauses in contracts that tend to be problematic.

During their half-hour conversation, Su Chen gained a lot of valuable insight.

“Alright, I’ll transfer you one hundred thousand first. As for the remaining four hundred thousand, I’ll pay it all at once after we sign the contract in person this weekend when I come to Hang City.”

“I have to prepare for the next concert, so I won’t keep you. Let’s get in touch then,” Zhang Fuyu replied.

“Okay.”

After Su Chen hung up, he saw that Zhang Fuyu had transferred him one hundred thousand via WeChat. He accepted the payment and let out a quiet breath.

One phone call and he’d received one hundred thousand. With some money left on hand and another four hundred thousand coming in a few days, he wouldn’t be short on cash anytime soon.

“That sense of urgency is gone all at once. Sure enough, when you’re out in the world, money brings confidence,” Su Chen murmured with a smile.

He remembered how, not long ago, all his hard-earned money went straight to Lin Yanran, while he tightened his belt and scrimped, only for Lin Yanran to see him as a burden.

Yet now, just three days after the breakup, he’d made half a million...

Life truly is strange.

At that moment, Su Chen’s old phone buzzed again.

But whether it was the phone lagging or the power button acting up, he couldn’t get the battered device to turn on.

Fortunately, WeChat was still logged in on his computer, and there he saw a new message.

It was from Xiaomeng.

“What’s Xiaomeng looking for me for at this hour...” Su Chen wondered as he clicked into their chat.

Xiaomeng: Brother Chen, I just saw what happened on Weibo. I'm sure Qiqi and Teacher Zhou must have misunderstood you. I’ll go talk to them today and clear things up.

Misunderstanding?

Su Chen paused, then shook his head with a wry smile.

This girl is still too naïve.

There’s no such thing as misunderstanding in the entertainment industry. When the stakes are high enough, even brothers can turn against each other, let alone strangers.

Thinking about it now, Su Chen realized that even without Xu Fangyuan’s instigation behind the scenes, someone would have done the same. It was just that Xu Fangyuan happened to see him as a thorn in her side, eager to crush him.

He sighed at Xiaomeng’s innocence, knowing it could only get her hurt in this business, but he didn’t want to expose her to all that ugliness.

So Su Chen typed: It’s alright, the seniors meant well. Don’t trouble them.

He really just wanted to protect Xiaomeng.

He could already foresee that if she spoke up for him, she’d likely get a tongue-lashing.

Xiaomeng: It’s fine! If there’s a misunderstanding, we just need to talk it out!

Seeing her reply, Su Chen knew nothing he said would change her mind today.

She was the type who wouldn’t give up until she hit a dead end.

Su Chen sighed, “This girl... Xu Fangyuan is targeting me, it has nothing to do with you...”

“Well, if she can’t stay at Starshine, I do need an assistant... Maybe when I break out from 'Tomorrow’s Star.' For now, it’s too early to say.”

He checked the Penguin Music backend—those two songs had been approved. The corners of his lips lifted.

No rush. Let the bullets fly for a while.

Su Chen left the internet café, and the first thing he did was head to a large phone store to replace his old device.

Suddenly flush with cash, he only bought a two-thousand-yuan Android phone. To him, a phone was just a tool—so long as it worked.

Once Su Chen had switched to the new phone, it was already three in the afternoon. He hurried off to the nearest market to Han Jiangxue’s house.

He’d been intruding on her for days, and his words had been less than careful previously, so he decided to cook her a meal himself as a gesture of thanks and an apology.

After buying the groceries and returning to Han Jiangxue’s place, he knocked on the door, but no one answered.

Han Jiangxue’s apartment had an electronic lock. She’d told him the code two days ago, something he’d felt uneasy about, but she hadn’t minded, saying it was for convenience and that if she ever discovered he was a creep, she’d just change the code.

Su Chen had found it absurd at the time.

If I were a creep, changing the code would be too late!

Standing at the door, Su Chen was puzzled. It was mid-afternoon, and Han Jiangxue didn’t have to work; where could she be?

He sent her a WeChat message.

Su Chen: Are you not home?

She replied almost instantly.

Han Jiangxue: I’m out shopping. I’ll be back before dinner. If you’re done, just wait for me—I have something for you.

Su Chen: ...Okay.

Reading her message, Su Chen was baffled.

“Something for me... She’s not thinking of silencing me, is she...”

He thought about it and decided that was unlikely, so he went inside to prepare dinner.

Su Chen planned to cook some homestyle dishes. Back when he was with Lin Yanran, he often cooked. His skills weren’t exceptional, but at least his food wasn’t bad.

He made four dishes: scrambled eggs with tomato, stir-fried pork, braised eggplant, and a pot of corn and pork rib soup.

He glanced at the time and murmured, “Two hours till dinner—should be just right.”

Time slipped by quickly, and by the time he finished preparing dinner, it was already dark outside.

“...Han Jiangxue still isn’t back?”

He picked up his phone, about to call her, when footsteps sounded outside the door.

The keypad beeped, and Han Jiangxue entered, dragging a cardboard box half her height.

It didn’t seem heavy, but it was large, and she struggled to carry it with both hands.

Su Chen quickly put down what he was doing and took the box from her, asking curiously, “What did you buy?”

“Hehehe, it’s for you!”

“...For me? Why are you buying me things for no reason?”

“This lady is rewarding you—considering your care for me last night!” Han Jiangxue said with a playful smile.

Su Chen was helpless.

His dinner of thanks hadn’t even been served, and she already had a gift ready for him.

She really wouldn’t let him take even a bit of advantage!

“You took care of me the night before, I took care of you yesterday—no need to keep track so precisely between friends.”

“If not for you, I never would have gone to Zhang Fuyu’s concert. It was only because of you that I became an overnight sensation. If anyone should be giving gifts, it’s me to you, Lady Luck.” Su Chen joked.

Lady Luck...

Han Jiangxue blushed, her eyes darting aside. “I already bought it, and you said we’re friends. What’s wrong with giving a friend a gift?”

“If you don’t accept it, you’re refusing to acknowledge me as a friend!”

She blocked all his escape routes, and seeing his helpless expression, her lips curled mischievously.

“Why don’t you guess what’s inside~” Han Jiangxue teased.

Su Chen really had no idea.

But he’d already made up his mind: if the gift was too expensive, he wouldn’t accept it.

Otherwise, he’d owe her too much...