Chapter 28: "The First Person I Ever Loved"

As Wang Bingling and Zhang Fuyu watched with growing astonishment, Su Chen wrote swiftly, the only sound in the room being the scratch of pen on paper. The entire process was as fluid as a master painting a canvas, without the slightest pause or hesitation.

In just ten short minutes, Su Chen not only finished the lyrics to the entire song but even completed the sheet music. And it was written in staff notation, no less.

“Phew... It's finally done. I haven't written in a while—my hand's a bit rusty. If you think my handwriting is ugly, don't laugh at me!” Su Chen said with a grin.

He set down his pen and handed the page, filled with lyrics and music, to Wang Bingling.

Wang Bingling took it, dazed, and looked over the contents.

“The First Love...” she murmured the title, and it was as if her soul was drawn in, her wide, mascaraed eyes growing ever larger, nearly pressing against the page as she read on.

Zhang Fuyu, seeing Wang Bingling’s expression, grew even more curious.

“Hurry, let me see too,” Zhang Fuyu said, squeezing in next to Wang Bingling, their heads pressed together as they read.

Su Chen, meanwhile, appeared a bit bored. He picked up the lemon water from the table and waited quietly.

Truth be told, the sight of two beautiful women huddled close together was quite pleasing to the eye.

At last, after a long, drawn-out gasp, Zhang Fuyu looked up at him. The look in her eyes was like that of an old woman who could draw dust from the earth at fifty, gazing at a towering, virile young man brimming with vitality.

Though she hadn’t heard the song yet, Zhang Fuyu’s instincts as a diva told her at once: this was surely another hit.

“Su Chen, are you some immortal of song come down to earth? You wrote something like this in ten minutes? Others dream of writing just one song like this in a lifetime!”

Waves of emotion crashed in Zhang Fuyu’s heart; her amazement reached an unparalleled height, leaving her at a loss for how to react. In other words, she was completely stunned.

“Ahem... Would you believe me if I said I’d prepared it in advance?” Su Chen replied with an awkward laugh, only now realizing he might have come across as a little too extraordinary.

But then he thought, so what? Extraordinary is extraordinary. This wasn’t some fantasy world where standing out brings disaster. In this entertainment empire, the more extraordinary you are, the more eyes you attract—and those eyes are the power that will make him a superstar.

Zhang Fuyu didn’t believe a single word. With Wang Bingling’s outlandish request, who could possibly have prepared a song like this in advance? Even a deity wouldn’t have thought of it.

Yet Su Chen’s modesty only made Zhang Fuyu like him more. Handsome, talented, and humble—he was born to be a star.

Zhang Fuyu thought that Su Chen might not even need two years to reach her current level.

“This song’s lyrics are about heartbreak, but the melody isn’t so heavy. The real effect depends on how Bingling sings it... Bingling?” Su Chen’s soft call brought Wang Bingling out of her reverie.

She had been reading the song over and over in her mind, convinced that this was the song she needed.

“Ah... Okay. I’ll try singing it a cappella first, without accompaniment,” Wang Bingling said.

She didn’t bother going to another room, but began singing right where she stood.

Indeed, someone called the “Sweetheart Princess” couldn’t lack talent. After just a few glances, Wang Bingling could sing the whole song without missing a note—though some details were still a bit raw.

“Gray skies, your face.
After loving, crying, laughing, hurting, all that’s left is goodbye.
My tears wet my face.
Losing my first love feels like this.
I always thought love was the beat of my heart.
When we lose love,
We die a little more, bit by bit...”

“The First Love” was still a song of heartbreak, but the catchy lyrics and lively melody gave it a lighter feel. Su Chen chose this song because of Wang Bingling’s uniquely girlish voice and her adorable accent from the Bay Province.

Only with Wang Bingling’s sweet and coquettish style could the song avoid feeling heavy.

“When I lost you in that moment,
My heart suddenly grew old.
The day you went away.
On a noisy street, no one noticed my tears, forgotten at the corner.
The day you went away...”

Gradually, as the song went on, Zhang Fuyu found herself swaying unconsciously. She felt none of the sorrow or heartbreak in the lyrics!

“The first love, his faults and his charms,
Like a tattoo over my heart, an eternal mark.
Following my breath, until my heartbeat stops.”

When the song ended, Zhang Fuyu was already entranced. No matter how sad the lyrics, she forgot that every life has its tears and sorrow, and ignored the quiet side of the world.

Looking at Su Chen, Zhang Fuyu felt this boy possessed an extraordinary kind of magic.

“Impressive—getting it right on the first try. Bingling, you’re truly amazing!” Su Chen applauded.

Wang Bingling blushed, but her gaze was earnest.

“I can feel that this song isn’t easy to sing, but it fits me surprisingly well. Su Chen, you’re truly a genius!”

“No, not at all. I just happen to have a bit of talent in this area. The difference is, I seized that talent,” Su Chen replied with a smile.

Su Chen and Zhang Fuyu suggested that Wang Bingling record “The First Love” in this very studio, but she refused.

Recording is exhausting, and she was too embarrassed to trouble Su Chen any further.

“It’s fine. I want to polish this song carefully. There’s no rush to release it. I can wait until I’m back in the Bay Province to record it. Besides, we’ve already been in this closed space for so long—if we stay any longer, Fuyu will suffocate!” Wang Bingling said, leading the way out. Zhang Fuyu smiled helplessly and didn’t insist.

Perhaps that’s why, even in the insincere world of show business, these two could still be friends.

Seeing this, Su Chen checked the USB drive, confirmed everything was in order, and handed it to the owner.

“How come you took so long this time—almost four hours? Don’t you usually come out after just two?” the owner asked curiously, taking the drive.

Then, smacking his forehead, he added, “Oh right, there were more people this time. That does take longer...”

Su Chen: “...”

Su Chen felt there was a double meaning in the owner’s words, but looking at his honest, sincere face, he couldn’t quite believe he was that kind of person...