Seeing this conversation, Xu An couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Yet as he laughed, his eyes grew moist, and tears slowly rolled down his cheeks.
All because the conversation reminded him of a figure he missed with all his heart.
Just as foolish, just as naive; but unfortunately, he could never go back.
In his past life, Xu An was a music producer, and his musical talent went without saying.
Deeply scarred by his first love, he had never once considered looking for another partner in the six years following their breakup.
Originally, he thought he would grow old alone, but then he met a girl.
She was very pretty, especially her pair of bright, soulful eyes, but she was clumsy at everything. Even the most serious matters would turn hilarious in her hands.
For instance, right after she joined the company, she happened to be assigned to work under Xu An.
Xu An was about to go on a business trip and felt a bit uneasy about the fish he kept at home, so he asked her to help look after them.
These fish were extremely precious to Xu An, and he always cared for them meticulously.
Who could have imagined that just two days after Xu An left, he received a message from her.
"Producer Xu, is your business trip going smoothly?"
"Yes."
"The fish you asked me to feed are really pretty. What breed are they? I want to buy some, too. My mother loves them so much. Really, could you tell me where you bought them? And I showed pictures of the fish to my dad, and he loves them, too."
"A few died."
"/Poor, six died, and three are left. I really, really tried my hardest. I constantly monitored the water temperature and everything just like you instructed. As for the fish food, I fed them on a strict schedule. I've never been this punctual about eating my own meals."
Xu An didn't reply, but a day later, she sent another message.
"/Crying, Producer Xu, they're all dead."
Or take the Chinese New Year period as another example: in the company group chat, everyone was sending messages saying "Happy New Year, wishing you great fortune and success," and she was the only one who sent, "Thank you everyone."
....
....
Recalling these past events, Xu An was just about to have a good cry to vent his emotions when someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder, giving him such a start that his sorrowful mood and tears vanished in an instant.
"Are you Xu An?"
Xu An turned around, glanced first at the employee badge hanging on the other person's chest, and then looked up into their face with some confusion. "I am. Is something the matter?"
Through the fusion of his memories, he knew very well where he was and what his duties were.
His job was to give Du Hui some advice on musical arrangement. Although no contract had been signed, it was a perfect fit for Xu An, who had just graduated from university, which was why he had ended up here.
The assistant director looked at the other man's slightly red eyes, somewhat puzzled, but he didn't press the matter. "There is an urgent matter that requires your help right now. Are you available?"
Xu An looked at the anxious assistant director and shook his head without a moment's hesitation. "I'm not available."
The assistant director had prepared a whole slew of things to say, but he never expected the other person to refuse flat-out without even asking what it was about. He was completely dumbfounded.
"Wait... don't be in such a hurry to refuse. Do you have any idea how many singers dream of an opportunity like this? This is a music variety show on CCTV, you..."
Before the assistant director could finish, Xu An interrupted directly, "I have other work to attend to. We can talk after I'm done."
With that, Xu An turned around, intending to go rest in a corner, as he truly had many things he needed to do.
For instance, what on earth was going on in this world?
And what exactly were those scenes in the original owner's memory fragments?
Because in this person named Yan Luomeng, he seemed to have caught a glimpse of *her* figure.
Just as Xu An turned to leave, the assistant director behind him hurriedly called out, "I can pay you!"
At those words, Xu An instantly stopped in his tracks.
Not for any other reason, but because he was genuinely broke!
He had spent all his savings to treat his parents' illnesses and even sold their house, but in the end, he couldn't save them.
While he didn't have crushing debts, he was completely penniless.
Du Hui had only given him a thousand-yuan deposit, and the remaining balance wouldn't be paid until the recording of the show was finished.
On top of that, meals and lodging were provided for this period, which was why Xu An had agreed to take the job.
After spending money over this past period, he didn't even have a hundred yuan left in his pocket. It wouldn't be much of an exaggeration to say his pockets were cleaner than his face.
"How much?"
Xu An turned back to look at the assistant director, his eyes filled with a desperate craving for money.
A single penny can stump a hero.
"Twenty thousand! You just need to act as a guest for today's recording!"
The assistant director raised his right hand and flashed a peace sign at Xu An.
Right at that moment, a continuous series of "pop, pop, pop" sounds rang out.
Xu An turned his head and saw that as the sky grew darker, several spotlights had lit up the recording set.
He withdrew his gaze, looked back at the assistant director, and asked, "The guest is... someone like Du Hui?"
If he remembered correctly, Du Hui seemed to be a guest on this show.
And guests on shows like this needed to get on stage and sing, right?
At this thought, Xu An panicked a little. He had never been on a stage in his life!
Although he worked in the music industry, he had always been a behind-the-scenes worker and had never performed under the lights.
It wasn't because his appearance or figure were lacking, but rather that he simply didn't like exposing himself to the lights for people to gawk at.
The assistant director stepped forward, brought his hand down to pat Xu An's shoulder, and spoke in a rather serious tone, "To be honest with you, this time you're simply stepping in to take Du Hui's place. Due to some unexpected circumstances involving Du Hui, he can no longer participate in the recording. The head director and I chose you, so I hope you won't let down my choice, seeing as I was the one who recommended you to the director."
As he spoke, he even gave Xu An's shoulder a firm squeeze, as if to encourage and cheer him up.
I really need to thank you so much...
Xu An muttered internally while asking rather cautiously, "Is there really no other choice..."
The assistant director shook his head. "Go ahead and do it with confidence. Even if it doesn't turn out too great, it's fine; you're only participating for one episode anyway. Oh, do you happen to have the song Du Hui prepared? You can just go on stage and sing that when the time comes."
"I do have songs of my own, but having me sing... is that really a good idea? Setting copyright issues aside aside, the main thing is that I genuinely think that song is garbage..."
Xu An was already prepared to agree. Just as the other man said, wasn't it just filling in for a single session? It was completely fine.
Of course he knew the song the assistant director was talking about, but he held it in utter contempt.
After all, with so many songs from Earth existing in his mind, it was only natural that he looked down on these crudely cobbled-together pieces.
"What do you mean? Are you planning to change the song?" The assistant director frowned upon hearing this.
"I suppose I can?" Xu An wasn't entirely certain, but he already had a song in mind.
After all, right in front of him were the Dunhuang Grottoes that he knew so well; he had visited this place more than once in his past life.
Coupled with the fact that the original owner's memories had given him an understanding of the show's rules, even though he was only singing once, he had no intention of settling for mediocrity.
After all, he was never a man who liked to compromise.