CH 25

Translator: Lynn

That night, a post appeared on a popular forum titled: “Exciting News! Ding Jiangyu Came to Shoot the MV at Our School!” The author, a student who witnessed the filming process, provided a detailed account and even included high-quality photos taken with their mobile phone as evidence for fellow fans.

In reality, this post was a well-executed plan by Lei Ting’s network planning department. Since the college students who were present might not necessarily share their experience online, they needed a little push. Lei Ting’s clever guidance prompted netizens to discuss Ding Jiangyu while paying attention to which single from his new album the MV was for, effectively promoting the album.

Netizens quickly deduced that the MV being filmed was for the new single “Start Over,” as many had already purchased the record. Since Ding Jiangyu was not the only person in the photos, some observant netizens noticed a handsome young man photographed alongside him. Curiosity piqued, everyone started asking about this new and attractive artist and speculating about the MV’s storyline. The most common theory revolved around a forbidden love between a teacher and a student, while the female artist who occasionally appeared in the photos was largely ignored.

The post gained traction and was quickly shared on various platforms. Spark Company, naturally, took notice. Several senior executives made a swift decision even before Long Zichen proposed it: to expedite the production of Jian Jie’s new album.

The first task at hand was song collection and selection. This process could be time-consuming and challenging for others, as exceptional songs might be difficult to come by. However, Jian Jie’s singing and composing abilities provided a vast pool of over 40 songs. All that was needed was a thorough discussion to decide which tracks would make it onto the album.

The song selection meetings for Jian Jie’s debut album took place several times at the company, with department heads in attendance. After listening to song demos, they provided opinions from market and stylistic perspectives and voted on which songs to include. Jian Jie cherished every song he had written, so he sat quietly in the conference room, attentively listening to everyone’s input. This time, Long Zichen adopted an authoritative stance. If he disliked something even a little, he would engage in verbal debates with the others until he emerged victorious. Of course, most discussions ended in his favor.

In the end, ten songs were selected. The subsequent arrangements were relatively straightforward. Whenever Long Zichen had free time, he would sit down with Jian Jie’s songs and conceive the arrangements. Some songs even had accompanying tapes prepared in advance, as they were bound to be used in the future.

As a result, Jian Jie found himself spending most of his time in the recording studio, with Long Zichen dragging him to Cedar Records for recording sessions whenever possible. They enlisted the best musicians for the soundtracks, with some songs featuring orchestras for a grandiose effect. Naturally, the costs were substantial, with fees reaching tens of thousands of yuan per song.

Long Zichen paid no mind to the expenses. He had already made arrangements to bring in a renowned foreign sound mixer for the final mixing stage. Flying in from afar, it was normal for them to demand appearance fees exceeding 100,000 yuan. After enduring a prolonged period of financial blows, Mr. Yuan was on the verge of tears. The production costs for Jian Jie’s album had already reached millions. Long Zichen’s actions were truly merciless!

The exorbitant expenses incurred during Jian Jie’s album production sparked anger in many people. Moreover, with the recent success of “Start Over” as the second wave of Ding Jiangyu’s chart-topping title track, Jian Jie gained further attention as a chorus singer and songwriter. Inquiries about him skyrocketed, leading to numerous interview requests and press briefings from Xinghuo. In light of the upcoming “Super Star Interview Show” and its significance, even though Jian Jie would only accompany Ding Jiangyu, the company decided to grant him his TV debut. Interviews and announcements were scheduled following the talk show. At a time when it was difficult for most newcomers to secure television appearances, Jian Jie had a lucky start, which naturally fueled rumors among some people.

On that day, Yuan Chao approached Long Zichen with an uncertain expression on his face. However, Long Zichen was preoccupied, working on rearranging the accompaniment for one of Jian Jie’s songs. Annoyed, he quipped, “Did your hemorrhoids flare up again? You look constipated. What’s the matter?”

“I don’t have hemorrhoids!” Yuan Chao snapped, furious at the malicious rumors. He couldn’t contain his emotions and blurted out, “It’s about you and Xiaojie! In the past couple of days, rumors have been running wild in the company, claiming something happened between you two, which is why you’re so protective of him.”

Long Zichen was taken aback. “What, what, what? Can you explain clearly?”

“Do you have to be so clueless

? I’ve never seen you this dense before.” Yuan Chao felt exasperated. “Do you understand the implications of protecting someone like this? Just tell me, is there something going on between you and Xiaojie? Tell me the truth. What are your intentions towards him? He’s still young and naive. I genuinely think you two are incompatible.”

While Yuan Chao continued to persuade Long Zichen to “return from the wrong path,” Long Zichen couldn’t hear anything. He stood there with a bewildered expression on his face, lost in his own thoughts.

“Hey, Dachen, say something! Show me that you genuinely care for Xiaojie. If your feelings are genuine, I won’t object. After all, it’s just two men, and we’ve seen stranger things before.” Long Zichen remained unresponsive, leaving Yuan Chao increasingly anxious.

Yuan Chao was still eager to offer suggestions and persuade Long Zichen about pursuing Jian Jie, but Long Zichen turned his face and said, “There’s nothing wrong with it, don’t meddle! Hurry up and refute the rumors for me. Whoever dares to spread gossip and tarnish Xiaojie’s reputation will be kicked out. If I can’t do that, I’ll suddenly find a lot of time to discuss your past love life with your girlfriend!”

Yuan Chao’s face darkened. This so-called friend who knew everything was truly irritating! He was currently deeply infatuated with a girl and passionately pursuing her. How could Da Chen ruin things for him at a time like this? Yuan Chao couldn’t help but burst into tears. “I can’t do it for you. I’ve changed my mind!”

“Let’s see how you behave,” Long Zichen snorted coldly and left with his head held high.

Watching Long Zichen’s confident departure, Yuan Chao silently complained, “He’s just pretending. It’s clear how nervous he gets when he meets Xiaojie every day. No one will believe him if he claims there’s nothing going on!”

Thinking about doing something that would upset others, Yuan Chao once again felt dejected. Hmph, since he’s being bullied, he decided he would tease Xiaojie later!

Back in his office, as soon as Long Zichen closed the door, he couldn’t hold back any longer and wore a mournful expression. What the hell was happening! His mind was in disarray, and he had only acted tough earlier because he was afraid that Yuan Chao’s loose lips might accidentally reveal the truth, which could have a negative impact on Jian Jie.

Now, Long Zichen felt overwhelmed with chaotic thoughts, and he wanted to scream: Is this love, damn it? But was it really? He was genuinely confused.

They say to cherish talent, but this felt different. The first time he saw Jian Jie, he was instantly drawn to him and wanted to treat him well, to protect him from any harm, and especially to prevent him from getting involved with someone else. He had always believed it was love at first sight, but could it truly be?

Long Zichen was distressed, confused, and torn. He had never liked anyone before in his life. Please forgive him for not considering those aspects earlier. It truly wasn’t his intention to have low emotional intelligence.

After some contemplation, Long Zichen had a sudden idea: Why not search online? After all, people always say “You’ll know when you search for it.” Long Zichen quickly turned on his computer, typed “What is it like to fall in love with someone,” and pressed Enter. Various explanations and answers appeared, nearly blinding his eyes.

“Do you miss them even if you haven’t seen them for a minute? Do you feel jealous when you see them with others? You just want to be kind to them, be captivated by them, and miss them…”

Long Zichen fell silent. These were written by young, romantic authors. Did every single point have to hit so close to home? It was truly embarrassing to admit. Long Zichen held his face in his hands and thought, Well, it seems there’s nothing wrong with liking Xiaojie. Xiaojie is gentle, cute, and so amazing. It’s only natural to like him! It can only be said that someone’s focus is completely off.

Jian Jie was still in class. Thinking about him, Long Zichen suddenly felt bashful. After chuckling to himself for a while, he couldn’t help but worry again: Xiaojie never mentioned what type of person he likes, but he definitely wouldn’t like someone like him! It didn’t matter if he was a man, but he was nearly the same age as Jian Jie, had no money, no house, only a beat-up car, and his personality was like this… He had no competitive edge at all!

Long Zichen sank into a deep self-disgust.

Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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