Only a handful of people who considered themselves close to Bai Ling stayed behind.
One of them hesitated before speaking cautiously, "Whether a composition gets released or used depends on so many unpredictable factors."
Bai Ling's expression flickered slightly.
Another person, observing her reaction, chimed in, "Exactly. Without a company’s backing, how many newcomers ever make it big?"
Bai Ling sighed. "What a pity for them."
No matter how brilliant Zhong Ziyan’s composition was, what did it matter? A single word from someone with real power could bury it forever.
In fact, with the right maneuvering, she could even claim it as her own.
"—Couldn’t agree more. Born at the wrong time, cursed with bad luck—who can they blame?"
"Bai Ling, you were born in Rome—talented, with a family willing to back you. People would kill for that kind of luck!"
As the two took turns lavishing praise, Bai Ling quickly regained her composure, a plan forming in her mind.
After seeing off the two flatterers, Bai Ling finally noticed Fu Mingyao’s unusual silence. "Mingyao, what’s wrong?"
Fu Mingyao seemed dazed, murmuring, "Maybe she really bought the piano… just for the piano."
"Does that mean you don’t like my playing anymore?" Bai Ling teased lightly. "Weren’t you going to be my lifelong career supporter?"
Fu Mingyao flushed. "N-no, your playing is beautiful too."
Bai Ling’s eyes glinted as she nudged Fu Mingyao’s shoulder playfully. "Alright, alright. Sorry today didn’t go as you hoped."
"It’s fine," Fu Mingyao shook her head quickly. "I don’t dislike her as much now. Anyone who plays like that can’t be a bad person."
"Is that so?" Bai Ling replied noncommittally. "I need to see my Second Uncle. Want to come?"
"I won’t intrude," Fu Mingyao smiled. "Li Ye seemed distracted today too. Next time you record, call me."
At the mention of Li Ye, Bai Ling’s smile faltered for a split second.
Still, she courteously escorted Fu Mingyao to the elevator, bidding her farewell before her smile vanished completely.
Bai Ling stood before the elevator for a moment before returning to the top-floor CEO’s office. "Second Uncle."
"Perfect timing," Second Uncle Bai beamed, waving her over. "The new project’s a go. The company’s throwing a celebration tonight—a big shot’s coming. They specifically asked you to bring your piano. Go home and get ready."
Bai Ling blinked. "What big shot?"
Second Uncle Bai smirked mysteriously, pointing upward. "The one overseeing most of the city’s entertainment industry. Comes from a musical dynasty, has an eye for talent. Tonight’s our chance to leave an impression for the Bai family."
Bai Ling’s pulse quickened. "…Yu Qianshan?"
"Exactly," Second Uncle Bai clapped his thigh. "He might not carry the Wei name, but he’s practically part of the Wei family. Prepare two of your best pieces—make it count!"
"Don’t worry, Second Uncle." Bai Ling pressed her lips into a smile. "I actually came to discuss something before leaving. I’d appreciate your help with it."
She laid out the matter of Zhong Ziyan’s composition in careful detail.
Second Uncle Bai immediately puffed out his chest. "Such a trivial thing? One word from me, and it’s done! Focus on dazzling everyone tonight."
Bai Ling smiled. "Thank you, Second Uncle."
Meanwhile, Li Ye chased Zhong Ziyan into the elevator, relentless. "If you’ve composed more, why not write it down?"
"Busy."
Zhong Ziyan genuinely felt swamped.
Even unwrapping packages became exhausting when there were too many.
Add her culinary ambitions to the mix, and her days were packed.
Li Ye: "…" He offered sacrificially, "Hum it. I’ll transcribe it."
Zhong Ziyan pretended not to hear, pulling out her phone to browse online shopping.
Elven songs carried a subtle, albeit benign, hypnotic effect—but at their core, they were still a form of mental assault.
Even if an elf dared to sing, would a mortal dare to listen?
As she checked her delivery status, Li Ye’s rambling faded into background noise. A misclick opened a social media app instead, reminding Zhong Ziyan of the account she’d forgotten.
Two comments awaited her:
[WorldsGreatestHunk: Try gaming—Shining Nikki, Onmyoji, Fate/Grand Order, JX Online. Say goodbye to your savings!]
[ThirtyNotThirteen: Gaming ruins your wallet; idolizing ruins three generations.]
The word "gaming" instantly conjured "death games" in her mind. Hard pass—she’d had enough life-risking for one eternity.
She typed a new post:
[SpendingMoneyDaily: Crowdsourcing complete. Step one of idolizing someone—what is it?]
The elevator doors opened just as the post went live.
Zhong Ziyan stepped out, her gaze catching on a face in the opposite elevator—a man in a black cap, his features half-hidden.
She paused, watching until the doors closed again.
Li Ye, never one to quit talking, perked up. "You like Luo Yin?"
"That guy in the cap?" Zhong Ziyan asked.
"Yep." Li Ye shrugged. "Came from a talent show but can actually sing. Though…"
He trailed off pointedly.
Zhong Ziyan searched Luo Yin’s name.
Online, his photos revealed a strikingly pale, coldly handsome face—eerily familiar.
She smiled faintly. Different name, same face as her chatterbox teammate from back then. Nostalgic.
That teammate had always whined about being broke. Maybe she’d spend some money on this lookalike—a distant tribute.
Closing the browser, she asked Li Ye, "Luo Yin counts as a celebrity, right?"
Li Ye barely swallowed a "Is that even a question?" before answering, "Obviously."
"Good." Zhong Ziyan turned away, typing rapidly again.
Li Ye groaned. "Hey—wait! When are you handing over the score?"
Zhong Ziyan rubbed her temples. "Stop being so clingy."
"You like Luo Yin, right? I can introduce you two! I can even get him to sing your songs—how about that?" Li Ye quickly adapted his strategy to the situation. "Perfect timing too—he's currently short on resources... Hmm."
Zhong Ziyan didn’t pay attention to Li Ye’s abrupt pause. A new comment had just appeared under her Weibo post, from the same person who had previously remarked, "Chasing stars will bankrupt you for three generations."
The other person seemed to have followed her, hence the quick response.
[Shi Thirty_Not Shi Thirteen: First, you need to have a bias/ultimate favorite.]
Zhong Ziyan swiftly replied: Already found one.
[Shi Thirty_Not Shi Thirteen: And who is the lucky guy or girl?]
Without hesitation, Zhong Ziyan typed two characters: Luo Yin.
The helpful netizen promptly tagged an account in the comments.
[Shi Thirty_Not Shi Thirteen: @ProtectingTheBestLuoInTheWorld, time for the official fan club to step in and recruit this new wealthy fan.]
The official account, with millions of followers, clearly wasn’t as quick to respond. Zhong Ziyan turned off her screen and gestured for Li Ye—who was still rambling—to stop. "Got it. I’ll write when I have time."
Li Ye scoffed, wearing an expression of disbelief. "I’ve heard procrastination excuses for twenty years—none of them are trustworthy."
Zhong Ziyan: "..." Fair point.
Li Ye pressed on: "I’ll directly connect you with my musical producer friend. He’ll liaise with Hou Tu. I guarantee they’re sincere, and the price is negotiable."
Zhong Ziyan, who had been tuning him out, suddenly perked up. "How much?"
Li Ye seized the opportunity. "Market rate plus thirty percent."
Zhong Ziyan immediately agreed. "Deal. I’ll write it when I get home."
Li Ye: "..." So after all that, it was just about the money? That Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet on her wrist must be a damn knockoff.
After exchanging contact details, Zhong Ziyan walked a few more steps and boarded a car waiting by the roadside.
Li Ye, hands in his pockets, watched her leave—only to see her step into the backseat of an obviously custom-made, luxurious Cadillac limousine. "...??"
On her way home, Zhong Ziyan passed by the ice cream shop she had visited when she first arrived in this world. After a moment’s thought, she told the driver, "Stop by the mall across the street."
The part-time girl from before was still working there. She froze when she saw Zhong Ziyan, then broke into a wide grin.
"Most expensive one. Three scoops." Zhong Ziyan pulled out her phone at the counter.
"Coming right up!" The girl, cheeks flushed, scooped three massive, densely packed ice cream balls.
"Do you chase stars?" Zhong Ziyan asked casually while scanning the payment code.
"Of course!" The girl laughed sheepishly. "Though I switch biases every few days... Song Guangji, Luo Yin—they’re all my favorites..."
"What should you do when chasing stars?"
The girl thought for a moment, then clenched her fist. "First, no freeloading! Second, don’t bring them hate!"
Zhong Ziyan: "..." So much jargon.
The girl scratched her head. "Ah, I mean... spend money, but be rational about it!"
"How do you spend money?" Zhong Ziyan asked earnestly.
"Support their work! Buy their endorsements, official merch, stuff like that!" The girl listed examples enthusiastically.
Zhong Ziyan raised a brow. "Got it."
As new customers entered the shop, Zhong Ziyan bid the girl farewell and headed into the mall, dialing Li Ye again.
Li Ye answered instantly, sounding shocked. "Done already?! Or are you backing out?!"
"What endorsements does Luo Yin have?" Zhong Ziyan cut straight to the point.
Li Ye: "...Don’t use me as Google!!"
Despite his words, he grudgingly listed a few of Luo Yin’s high-profile brand deals.
Zhong Ziyan hung up, licked her ice cream, and checked the mall directory. Spotting one of the brands, she headed straight for it.
At the storefront, she suddenly realized it was a perfume brand and hesitated.
Elves had sensitive noses—perfume wasn’t her thing.
As she stood there deliberating, a sales associate approached. "Hello, are you looking for men’s or women’s fragrances?"
Zhong Ziyan glanced at the large poster of Luo Yin by the entrance and pointed. "This one."
The associate smiled. "This is a ten-piece gift set, sold as a whole. We have men’s and women’s versions. Would you like to sample them?"
"No need." Zhong Ziyan kept her hands in her pockets. "I just... don’t want to freeload."
The associate’s smile brightened. "Thank you for your support."
Zhong Ziyan considered how many sets to buy.
The poster listed the full set at 18,888 yuan. While she found it pricey, Wei Hanyun might consider it cheap... and she had no use for it herself.
As if reading her mind, the associate chimed in, "If you won’t use it, it makes a very elegant gift."
Zhong Ziyan’s eyes lit up with an idea.
Just then, her phone buzzed.
She checked it—the official fan account @ProtectingTheBestLuoInTheWorld had left an exhaustive guide under her Weibo post.
Too long; didn’t read. Zhong Ziyan skimmed it and replied: I’ll buy his endorsements. Official account, help me run a giveaway?
Perfume wasn’t fitting for Wei Hanyun’s status, but she could give it away!
The fan account, still active on her page, responded swiftly via private message: "Luo Yin’s 24th birthday is at month-end. We do have a retweet giveaway planned. If you’d like to add to the prize pool, you may submit a request."
The tone was formal and detached.
Zhong Ziyan typed: "His perfume endorsement."
Fan account: "Jo Malone? Specifications?"
Zhong Ziyan: "The 18,888 set."
The account sent an ellipsis, then quickly recalled it, replacing it with: "Men’s or women’s?"
"Ten of each."
The usually prompt fan account fell silent for an unusual stretch. When it replied again, the tone had shifted entirely: "Of course! Darling, are you aware of the price? Are you absolutely sure about adding this to the giveaway?"
Zhong Ziyan: "...Isn’t the 18,888 set 18,888 per box?" Wow, two-faced much?
Fan account: "Yes, darling! The person behind the account misspoke in the heat of the moment, darling!"
Zhong Ziyan silently set her phone down, letting the clearly money-dazzled admin cool off.
"Do you have enough stock?" she asked the associate.
The sales associate smiled with confident poise. "Our store is the largest specialty counter in the province. May I ask how many gift sets you'd like to purchase?"
"Twenty," Zhong Ziyan replied, pulling out her payment QR code. "Alipay, please."
The sales associate's smile froze. "..." Damn it, they really didn’t have enough stock.
