The banquet was held at the Lu Family Villa. Lu Minglang was showing Ye Qiusuo and Xie Xi around the estate, though a closer look would reveal his smile was barely holding on.
The singer behind him kept striking up conversations with Professor Ye, to the point where Lu Minglang couldn't even get a word in edgewise.
"Professor Ye, you should try this. It's wine made from our own vineyard," Lu Minglang said, bringing over a bottle, uncorking it personally, and pouring a glass for Ye Qiusuo.
"I don't drink," Ye Qiusuo refused. She had driven herself and needed to work later, requiring a clear head.
"I'd like some," Xie Xi said, looking at the glass in Ye Qiusuo's hand.
"I'll pour you another..." Lu Minglang began, but before he could finish, Ye Qiusuo had already handed her glass to Xie Xi.
Xie Xi swirled the glass, watching the deep red liquid slosh before settling. He took a small sip. "Not bad."
Even though Lu Minglang was the host, Xie Xi completely stole the spotlight just by standing there, drawing the attention of everyone around.
"Xi Xi, let's go." Wei Qi found him and asked him to go backstage to prepare with the other performers.
Xie Xi placed the wine glass on a tray and winked at Ye Qiusuo. "Teacher, see you later."
Ye Qiusuo's brow furrowed slightly. She always felt there was an extra layer of meaning whenever Xie Xi called her 'teacher'.
"I never expected the famous singer Xie Xi to be so... lively," Lu Minglang said pointedly. "I'm curious, Professor Ye, how did you two meet?"
"By chance," Ye Qiusuo said, not dwelling on the topic, and directly began discussing the unfinished project with Lu Minglang.
The other man also turned serious, clearly placing great importance on this business collaboration.
"I thought Professor Ye would give this project to Tianqiu Tech," Lu Minglang said, finally relaxing the moment they signed the contract, his tone now carrying a hint of jest.
He had looked into Ye Qiusuo beforehand. Her ties with Tianqiu Tech ran deep; the company's foundational project had come from her hands, and several subsequent projects were major reasons for the company's current status.
"It's just one project," Ye Qiusuo said, placing the contract in her bag. Next year's funding was secured.
Giving the results of this project to Tianqiu Tech would definitely not have fetched this much money. Short on funds, Professor Ye was a practical person.
Besides, there was no rule saying she could only work with Tianqiu Tech.
Just one project. Lu Minglang lowered his eyes with a faint smile. Only someone like Ye Qiusuo could say such a thing with such confidence. Others would try to milk a single project for a lifetime.
"Professor Ye, shall we go over together?" For the rest of the day, aside from accompanying his grandfather for the birthday, the eldest young master Lu stuck close to Ye Qiusuo.
...
Grandpa Lu's 85th birthday celebration was extravagantly grand. The vast villa estate was surprisingly crowded everywhere.
"That area over there is the waiting zone for the performers who will go on stage later. They're all influential figures in the industry. Seize the chance to greet them," Mo Hong whispered to Wan Yurou, pulling her aside. "As for the people on the other side, engage if you can, but don't offend anyone if you can't."
She had only managed to get two invitations through connections, ensuring Wan Yurou attended in her finest attire, all for the purpose of networking with industry bigwigs or figures from politics and business.
"Xie Xi is here too," Wan Yurou spotted him immediately in the very center.
When she had gone to record the show as a guest performer, they had been extremely close, even exchanging glances. Xie Xi had also commented on her singing. Wan Yurou couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity upon seeing him.
Moreover, so many influential people were gathered around Xie Xi.
Wan Yurou felt her heart flutter, tinged with envy. "If only I had that kind of status," she murmured, to be the focus of everyone's attention and admiration.
"You will, sooner or later," Mo Hong said, standing beside Wan Yurou and adjusting her shoulder strap. "Xie Xi is good for nothing but singing. Your educational background is leagues above his. You can sing and dance. All you need is the right opportunity to break out."
"He's recently casting for the female lead in a new MV. I want to try out," Wan Yurou tugged at Mo Hong's sleeve. "Mo-jie, could you contact his manager for me?"
"It's already cast. Going now would be useless," Mo Hong refused.
Wan Yurou watched Xie Xi amidst the crowd, biting her lip in frustration.
Xie Xi was the benchmark for male and female celebrities in the industry. His rise to fame had been too fast, and he had stayed on top for too long. Everyone wanted to pull him down.
Unaware that he was a living target under everyone's gaze, Xie Xi, standing in the crowd, asked boredly, "Can I go on first?" He wanted to finish singing early and go back to gaming.
"No, you're the finale," Wei Qi pressed him down. "By the way, what were you doing following Professor Ye earlier?"
"I was curious about what they were talking about," Xie Xi said, twirling a rose in his hand. He carefully plucked off all the thorns and tucked it behind his ear. "Does it look good?"
The fiery red rose tucked behind his ear accentuated his already stunningly handsome features, adding a breathtakingly gorgeous flair.
Wei Qi gasped in shock. "...Take it off, Xi Xi! Behave yourself!"
She was going to die from anger because of him one of these days.
Reluctantly, Xie Xi took the rose from behind his ear. "It's just a flower. Why so serious?"
He's unconventional, he's unconventional... Wei Qi repeated to herself several times before finally calming down. "It'll be your turn to sing in at most an hour."
"Once you're done singing, you can go back and rest, play games as long as you want," Wei Qi said with a smile, though inwardly she thought that since Professor Ye was also here today, it was a good chance to ask her to adjust the teaching plan.
In the end, Xie Xi properly placed the rose in his suit jacket's breast pocket and sat in his seat, waiting for his turn.
Just then, Grandpa Lu was helped out, greeting everyone with a smile. Lu Minglang, as the eldest grandson, stood beside him.
Due to Grandpa Lu's physical strength, the speech duties were handed over to Lu Minglang. Standing on the stage, his appearance rivaled any celebrity's, his every move carrying the refined elegance of someone from a prominent family.
Ye Qiusuo glanced towards the lower area. The Lu family seemed to be gathered together, and Lu Mingzhe was also seated nearby.
According to hints in the book, Lu Mingzhe came from a well-off family and had an older brother. Connecting this with Lu Minglang, Ye Qiusuo naturally guessed that Lu Mingzhe was the second young master of the Lu family.
After finishing his speech, Lu Minglang stayed by his grandfather's side. Before stepping off the stage, he specifically nodded towards Ye Qiusuo.
"Is that Ye Qiusuo?" Wan Yurou, seated below, naturally saw the eldest young master Lu's nod. Following his gaze, she spotted a familiar face.
Mo Hong frowned. "It seems they know each other."
"If she's managed to latch onto the Lu family, it should be a breeze for Professor Ye to enter the industry," Wan Yurou said flatly, adjusting her shoulder strap, unable to completely hide her jealousy.
"Not necessarily. Looking at that section, it's all business people. I remember Young Master Lu happens to own a tech company. They might have a collaborative project," Mo Hong, being a manager, quickly figured out the likely connection.
No matter how unbalanced Wan Yurou felt inside, there was nothing she could do.
Because of Young Master Lu's nod earlier, Mo Hong paid more attention to Ye Qiusuo. Later, she noticed Xie Xi's manager talking to her, and they also seemed quite familiar.
"Professor Ye, could we possibly adjust the teaching content for our Xi Xi a bit?" While Xie Xi was backstage, Wei Qi hurried over to find Ye Qiusuo.
"In what direction?" Ye Qiusuo looked up and asked. Xie Xi's cultural level wasn't low; there wasn't much she could teach him. The copying assignments were merely to summarize the fonts as seen by someone with dyslexia.
Wei Qi coughed, a bit embarrassed. "Our Xi Xi is a little too... unpredictable. He seems quite receptive to your discipline, Professor Ye. If you could just manage him a little..."
Ye Qiusuo glanced at the person stepping onto the stage to sing. "That might be a bit difficult."
"Professor Ye, money is not an issue. We can increase the salary." Wei Qi gestured with a number. "His temper isn't well-received in the industry. If it could be tempered just a little, it would be better than the current situation."
"I haven't noticed any particular problem with his temper." Ye Qiusuo was about to refuse.
Wei Qi grasped Ye Qiusuo's hand. "Professor Ye, you don't need to teach him anything specific! Just... if Xi Xi could learn even a tiny bit of steadiness from you!"
Otherwise, she felt like she was babysitting every day.
On stage, Xie Xi stood before the standing microphone, softly humming a nameless tune. A single line captured everyone's attention; the entire mountain villa fell silent, as if his voice was the only sound between heaven and earth.
Ye Qiusuo withdrew her hand and nodded to Wei Qi, essentially agreeing. She then looked up, listening intently to his song.
No matter who had sung before or what they had sung, at this moment, everyone's eyes and hearts held only Xie Xi.
After he finished singing, Grandpa Lu stood up to applaud him personally for the first time.
Xie Xi gave a graceful bow. When he came down, he was already holding a phone with a game open on the screen.
"Sister Wei, are we heading back?" Xie Xi asked, cradling his phone without looking up.
"Grandpa Lu might want to see you. Wait a little longer." Wei Qi wiped her forehead, feeling somewhat guilty. After approaching Professor Ye earlier, she felt like she had secretly sold Xie Xi out.
Having stayed this long, Xie Xi wasn't in a particular hurry. Cradling his phone, he wanted to find a quiet spot to play his game.
"Brother Xie Xi." Wan Yurou suddenly appeared in front of him to greet him.
"Yes?" Xie Xi glanced up; she looked somewhat familiar.
"I heard you're recruiting for your MV..."
"That's not under my purview." Xie Xi said and made to leave.
Wan Yurou moved aside to let him pass. In that instant, seemingly lost in thought, she suddenly twisted her ankle and fell directly into the swimming pool beside them.
Xie Xi: "?"
He put away his phone and slowly, deliberately crouched by the pool's edge. "Are you trying to scam me?"
Wan Yurou: "..."
Shouldn't a normal person feel guilty and then proactively offer her an opportunity?
A delicate female lead falling into the water, wearing a long dress, her chest offering an unlimited view in the water—this was the scene Ye Qiusuo came upon when she arrived.
