"The money will be transferred directly to your card."
"Now sign the divorce agreement and the non-disclosure confidentiality form."
"The gap between the two of you is too wide. Staying together will only drag her down."
Inside the spacious living room of Tongshan Villa, Ye Nan placed the documents in front of Zhou Chen and offered well-intentioned advice.
Zhou Chen flipped open the agreement and saw Zhao Min's sweeping, flamboyant signature on the final page. His heart turned completely to ash.
"Where is Zhao Min?"
Ye Nan frowned, clearly impatient with his dawdling attitude. "You just need to sign now, and thirty days from now, you two can go collect your divorce certificate."
"With the two of you divorcing, Minmin has given you quite a bit of compensation. It's a huge payout."
Zhou Chen thumbed through the agreement.
Looking at the neatly listed terms—clauses that clearly hadn't been put together on the spur of the moment—he couldn't help offering a sarcastic remark:
"Three million in savings, a single-floor apartment, and a van."
"Indeed a huge payout."
Yet, this money was merely a drop in the bucket for a skyrocketing music duo.
The money earned over the years had long ago been transferred away by Zhao Min's manager through hired lawyers, leaving behind only these scraps to dismiss a beggar!
"Zhou Chen!"
Hearing his unmasked sarcasm, Ye Nan raised her voice in a warning tone. "This is your best choice! Otherwise, you might not even get these!"
"Just think, if it weren't for Minmin, could you possibly own so much right now?"
"In a two-person duo, the fans are basically all Minmin's alone! The fans have always had complaints, and Minmin kept pacifying them because she was afraid you'd be anxious and worried! She asked them to give you some tolerance and understanding, bearing most of the pressure herself! But how do you repay her? You only know how to lock yourself in your room and turn a deaf ear to everything! Your lyrics keep getting fewer and fewer! You slack off on stage! The fans are already unhappy with your attitude while you still take half of Minmin's money, and they're all saying you're making money effortlessly, binding yourself to Minmin purely out of your own selfish desire to be a star! Frankly speaking, this duo is no different with or without you! Rather than letting the fans keep talking like this, it would be better to let Minmin go solo directly! That way she wouldn't have to endure the fans' anger and accusations because of you."
"Minmin is a woman with ambition and strength. She wants to go higher. If you're still a man, let go of her hand, won't you?"
Listening to Ye Nan's accusations, Zhou Chen asked, "These words are all Zhao Min's true thoughts, aren't they?"
"Yes!"
Having reached this point, Ye Nan had nothing left to hide. She looked at Zhou Chen. "You've always indulged in your own world, pushing all the pressure onto Minmin. If Minmin keeps enduring this, she's bound to break down!"
So this was how Zhao Min viewed him.
Zhou Chen had always believed their hearts were in tune with one another, and that Zhao Min's vocal range and timbre required specific music to fully shine. In order to find songs for her, he had wrung his brain dry and stayed up all night, yet he never expected that in Zhao Min's eyes, he was merely a do-nothing, hands-off manager!
He never imagined that after living two lifetimes, his judgment would fail him so thoroughly!
Yes.
He hadn't originally belonged to this world.
In his past life, he had studied crazily and spent ten years as a trainee, only to be dragged off to accompany clients for drinks at the celebration banquet on his very first night after debut. Unwilling to cooperate, he was pinned down by bodyguards who forced bottle after bottle down his throat until he could drink no more.
Amidst the dizzy haze, his field of vision became a bizarre kaleidoscope.
When he woke up again, he was already a college freshman in the parallel world of Blue Star.
In this parallel Blue Star, cultural and entertainment development lagged far behind Earth. Naturally, he wasn't going to let such a great opportunity slip away.
Resisting the university rule prohibiting freshmen and sophomores from participating in any entertainment shows, he planned to wait until his junior year to officially release songs, but he never expected to meet Zhao Min.
With her sweet, innocent looks and a pair of dimples that went straight to his heart, Zhou Chen was irresistibly drawn to her. If there was such a thing as love at first sight in this world, he had truly experienced it then.
She also had a musical dream, and had even self-taught how to play the dual-row keyboard! In the domestic entertainment industry, which was currently languishing in a cultural lowlands, this was practically a blockbuster bomb!
The two hit it off immediately.
Zhou Chen searched for song after song, ultimately discovering that while Zhao Min looked sweet, her vocal range was vast and boundless.
And so, based on her vocal range and skills, Zhou Chen arranged songs from his past life's mega-hit duo, willingly taking a backseat to support Zhao Min:
"Above the Moon", "Moonlight over the Lotus Pond", "The Most Dazzling Ethnic Style"…
Especially "China Style", a custom piece tailored specifically for the dual-row keyboard, which even prompted an invitation from CCTV to perform on stage!
The good news: their duo had completely blown up.
The bad news: the only thing that blew up was the dual-row keyboardist, Zhao Min.
Moreover, he was hounded and cursed at by Zhao Min's solo stans for having too few lyrics while taking half the money, squeezing Zhao Min dry!
But so what?
They were a duo!
The only person he cared about was Zhao Min.
It was just a pity.
Zhao Min didn't seem to feel the same way.
Sudden fame, massive internet traffic, adoring fans, fame and fortune combined—the look in her eyes when she looked at him no longer held trust and adoration; even her affection seemed to dwindle day by day.
With cracks in their hearts, the two of them slept in the same bed while dreaming different dreams.
No matter how he tried to protect her, the pure white campus girl had still been stained by the great dyeing vat of the entertainment industry.
"Let's get a divorce, Zhou Chen!"
"Zhou Chen, you know very well how many good opportunities Minmin has turned down for your sake. So you can't selfishly make Minmin compromise for you her whole life!"
"If you still have feelings for Minmin, then get a divorce."
Ye Nan stared intently at him. All the subsequent promotional campaigns were already prepared; whether Zhou Chen was willing to divorce today or not, they were getting divorced today!
This wasn't just Zhao Min's demand; it was the unanimous goal of both the fans and the company!
Thud!
A heavy object dropped from the second floor, bearing witness to the presence of a third person in the villa.
But Zhou Chen knew that Ye Nan had made foolproof preparations for today's events; the people in this villa had long been given the day off, and there was definitely no outsider here. The only person who could still be upstairs now was—
Zhao Min.
She had been watching them all along!
She had been listening to their conversation all along!
She had been waiting for him to make a decision all along!
Yet she didn't dare say a single word to him in person.
Zhou Chen was disappointed.
Completely and utterly disappointed.
"I'll sign."
He raised his hand and dropped his signature onto the paper.
"I originally thought husband and wife should complement and support each other all the way through; I never expected that in your eyes, I was merely a blood-sucking parasite."
"Since that's the case, let's see just who the dead weight really is!"
"Zhao Min, thirty days from now at eight in the morning, I'll see you at the civil affairs bureau!"
Zhou Chen's deep, defined facial features were filled with absolute resolve.
Once, for the sake of the person he loved in his heart, he had altered his own plans to debut as a duo.
Now, free of attachments, he could finally go and do what he wanted to do!
Full circle!
He was going to reclaim his original aspiration!
Spread his wings and soar!
Watching Zhou Chen sign his name without a moment's hesitation and stand up to leave, the heavy burden in Ye Nan's heart eased slightly.
As for the harsh words he had dropped?
Heh!
Which divorcing man didn't leave a few parting threats?
She didn't take them to heart at all.
Upstairs, Zhao Min rushed down impatiently. Staring at Zhou Chen's signature on the agreement, with complex emotions she couldn't quite put into place, she asked:
"He just signed it like that?"
"He signed it!"
Ye Nan hadn't expected it to be so easy either. He had originally prepared several tactics, never imagining not a single one would be needed.
It was so easy!
It seemed he really had let her go.
Zhao Min bit her lower lip gently, a slight mist of tears blurring her vision.
Clearly, he had loved her so much before…
If she were only a woman who longed for stability, she would have chosen to live comfortably with Zhou Chen for a lifetime.
Unfortunately…
She didn't want to stop here!
She wanted to climb!
Climb higher!
The trace of vulnerability in Zhao Min's eyes vanished in a flash, and her resolve grew all the firmer in her heart!
"Oh my goodness, watch it! Your face still needs to go on the big screen. If you bite it and the fans notice, they'll kick up a fuss again," Ye Nan hurriedly reminded her.
Then she added: "You saw how wildly popular the first season of 'King of Singers' was. As long as you go on the second season and I pull some strings behind the scenes, the next Best Singer will definitely be you!"
"However, the production team hasn't sent us an invitation yet." At best, Zhao Min was currently a tier-two celebrity; she was still a long way from truly being a top-tier heavy hitter!
Because of the first season's success, the show had reached a status where even top-tier heavy hitters could be picked over like vegetables.
There were simply too many people who wanted to go!
The director's team could easily get dazzled browsing through the candidates.
"Rest assured, once we kick Zhou Chen out, all the resources will be yours in the future. What kind of invitation won't you get if you want it?"
"Leave it all to me!"
Ye Nan was full of confidence; he had his people over on the assistant director's side.
As long as they coordinated properly, he wasn't afraid of failing to get an invitation!
"Mn!"
Without Zhou Chen, that dead weight holding her back, she would definitely be able to climb to the peak sooner and faster!
At this moment, Zhao Min's gaze was resolute, making no attempt to conceal the intense ambition and desire burning across her face.
***
Emerging from the villa, Zhou Chen drove slowly down to the riverbank.
He had always known Zhao Min was an ambitious woman.
Though her vocal skills were good, her timbre had severe limitations, and the currently booming sentimental sweet songs on the market didn't suit her. In order to expand her unique style, every song he chose for her underwent meticulous deliberation and even modification before he presented it to her, striving to let her steadily build her footing step by step without rush or impatience.
With time, she would finally be able to justly and honorably climb to the peak.
Yet he never expected…
While he was steadying his mindset against rushing for instant success, Zhao Min couldn't wait to kick him aside.
The bleak autumn wind blew in, sending withered yellow leaves tumbling and spinning down, left to be crushed under the footsteps of pedestrians with a crisp *crunch, crunch* sound.
Zhou Chen got out of the car, put on a face mask, and sat down on a stone bench by the river.
Without Zhao Min, his previous plans were all disrupted.
He needed to think carefully about what his next move should be.
The autumn wind swept past.
The silent wind suddenly carried a wave of bustling human voices as it washed gently over him:
"… Now let's randomly ask a lucky audience member to duet with me."
"There's a masked guy over there who looks pretty handsome! Let's go over and ask!"