Lu Chen's face instantly darkened.
He kept a straight face and made to leave the balcony.
"Oh come on, look at you being such a stingy spoilsport."
"Who made you the investor and my landlord? I'll sing, okay?"
Zhong Lan curled her lip and reached out to block Lu Chen.
Pausing for a moment, she recalled the lyrics and melody of the second half.
"Clink—"
Accompanied by the strumming of the guitar strings, Zhong Lan took a slight breath and gave a soft cough. The morning sun had also risen completely by this time, casting its light onto the profile of Zhong Lan as she held the guitar.
At that very instant, Lu Chen felt his heart skip a beat.
"It was just me thinking too much."
"Or are you dodging me too."
"If you really choose me."
"I'll gather the courage to accept it."
"Unawares, my gaze starts to flicker."
"Oh~ the first time I, when I said I loved you."
"My breath grew heavy, my heart trembled endlessly..."
This time, Zhong Lan's voice was much gentler than before. Both her playing proficiency and singing skills had improved to a certain extent. (PS: You can refer to Li Fanyi's version of The First Time)
As a professional, Lu Chen knew that Zhong Lan hadn't been lying just now.
Whether with the guitar or singing, she had clearly practiced and received training.
Lu Chen closed his eyes once more, immersing himself in the musical atmosphere Zhong Lan had conjured for him.
He listened with absolute fascination.
It sounded amazing!
And the song itself was brilliant!
Both the melody and the lyrics. In his view, it was not the least bit inferior to those gold-standard hits.
He was astonished—did such an all-round genius truly exist in this world?
Yet no matter how you looked at it, her behavior had nothing to do with being a genius.
Incomprehensible, simply incomprehensible!
As the final note faded, Zhong Lan gave him a resentful glare. "How's that, satisfied now? Hey... wait, are you crying?"
"Nonsense!"
Lu Chen immediately retorted, then hurriedly wiped a stray tear from the corner of his eye. "I just got some wind in my eyes, they're a bit itchy."
"Oh~"
Zhong Lan drew out her tone, wearing an expression that said: *Don't explain, I understand, I totally understand.*
With that, Zhong Lan leaned in closer, her gossip radar fully activated.
"Hey Lu Chen, how did you and your ex-girlfriend break up anyway?"
"Was she a regular person, or another celebrity in your circle? Is she pretty?"
"Hey, don't stay quiet. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. And don't worry, if there's one thing I, Zhong Lan, am good at, it's keeping my mouth shut."
...
Chitter-chatter, a noisy barrage of questions constantly rang in Lu Chen's ears. Like a mosquito—the universal enemy of mankind—it was thoroughly annoying.
Seeing that Lu Chen remained tight-lipped throughout, his already stern face faintly showing a flush of red.
Zhong Lan suddenly realized something and cried out in surprise.
"Good heavens, you aren't still a lifelong solo virgin, are you?"
"I remember you're turning twenty-six or twenty-seven!"
"What's wrong with twenty-six or twenty-seven?!" Struck right in his own weak spot, Lu Chen feigned composure and argued, "Besides, I just want to make music in peace. Establishing my career comes before starting a family."
"What's more..."
Lu Chen glanced at Zhong Lan. "Instead of worrying about me, I think someone else should consider herself first. After all, once a woman gets older, it's not so easy to find a partner in the marriage market."
"Hmph, if I don't look, I don't look."
"When I get rich, I'm going to keep 10... no, 31 male celebrities as my boytoys, and swap them out every single day."
The moment those words left her mouth, however, Zhong Lan regretted them.
Oh crap, how did she accidentally let her real thoughts slip out?
Sure enough, right as her voice trailed off, Lu Chen began sizing her up with a bizarre gaze.
For a moment, an awkward atmosphere filled the air.
Just as they both fell silent, Zhong Lan suddenly remembered.
She was planning to go back to her hometown to visit her parents today, and she had no time to waste. So without waiting for Lu Chen to speak, she fled the scene to quickly wash up and pack her things.
...
As the sun climbed higher in the east.
The brief coolness of the morning vanished without a trace in an instant. When Zhong Lan emerged from the bank, her forehead was already covered in beads of fine sweat. Thank goodness she never had the habit of wearing makeup, otherwise the powder on her face would have been a total mess.
Hailing a taxi, Zhong Lan dialed her mom's phone.
Scarcely a few seconds later, her mom's surprised voice came through on the other end.
"Hello, Xiaolan?"
"Yeah, Mom, you're not at work today?"
Their conversation flowed very naturally. After all, she had completely inherited the memories of her predecessor, and having been an orphan in her past life, she cherished this kind of plain yet sincere familial affection.
"That's right, business at the factory hasn't been good lately, they aren't hiring many people. My load has gotten a lot lighter all of a sudden. What about you, any progress with your work?"
Yang Cuifang had wanted to ask about her daughter's life, including her health, romance, and so on, but when she spoke, she subconsciously steered the topic toward work instead. Perhaps this, too, was a parent's subtle way of expressing care.
Hearing this, Zhong Lan smiled knowingly.
Naturally, she understood all of this, and hearing that her mom's job had become so relaxing made her genuinely happy.
Her mom was the personnel manager at a local electronics factory, specifically responsible for hiring and recruitment. In her memories, back when the economy was good a few years ago, her mom used to be endlessly busy and even fell ill and was hospitalized once during that time.
Knowing her mom had it easier now naturally brought her even greater joy.
After all, good health is always the most important thing.
Pondering for a moment, Zhong Lan said, "I'm doing great here. Didn't I mention before that I wanted to make a movie?"
"What, you didn't secure the investment? How much do you need? Do you want me and your dad to think of a way to help?"
"No need, no need, I secured the investment." Touched by her mother's unconditional support, Zhong Lan felt a warmth in her heart and quickly added, "The movie's production is going very smoothly, and I've already earned my first bit of money. I just transferred 100,000 yuan to your card. You and Dad should stop working, you can go out and travel and look around when you have free time. From now on... I'll support you."
Barring any accidents, the release of Calls should bring her a substantial income. It would likely elevate the quality of life for both herself and her parents quite a bit.
Upon hearing this, Yang Cuifang furrowed her brows in a reproaching tone. "We aren't short on money, what are you transferring it to us for? You're a young woman out there on your own, you need to keep some savings for your future. And don't blame your mother for being nosy, how... how did you suddenly make so much money?"
Her words were laced with worry.
The subtext was glaringly obvious, and Zhong Lan caught it immediately.
Zhong Lan laughed. "Mom, what are you imagining? You know my personality, I wouldn't do anything foolish."
"That's good, that's good then."
"Let me tell you, the entertainment industry is pretty messy. You must always watch out for your safety on a daily basis."
"Hehe, I know, Mom. Oh right, I'm on my way to the high-speed rail station, I should be home before dinner."
Hearing Zhong Lan say this, Yang Cuifang let out a long sigh of relief. "Wonderful, I'll have your dad cook personally tonight. What do you want to eat?"
Across the two ends of the phone call, the two of them spoke in unison:
"Cola chicken wings!"
With that, both mother and daughter burst into laughter.
...