Chapter Forty: With a Tug and a Pull, Earned a Hundred Million?

“You came up with an idea in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea?” Xiyuanyuan looked utterly baffled.

Chen Fang swirled the teacup in his hand. The fine blue-green patterns on the porcelain, coupled with the fresh fragrance of the tea, evoked an ancient, elegant charm.

That’s it!

It had to be this song.

“Porcelain in Blue and White.”

When it comes to traditional Chinese style, there’s hardly a song more iconic than this.

Of course, it was also one of the few such songs Chen Fang could recall.

But before he adapted “Porcelain in Blue and White,” Chen Fang needed to do some research to confirm that porcelain of this kind actually existed in the history of Huaguo.

He smiled, spread his arms, and gave Xiyuanyuan a firm hug. “It’s all thanks to your tea.”

With that, Chen Fang hurried off.

Xiyuanyuan stared blankly after him, but the lingering warmth from his embrace brought a faint blush to her cheeks.

“That scoundrel…”

“But hugging him actually felt pretty nice,” she murmured.

The very next second, she shook her head vigorously. “Xiyuanyuan, you shallow fool, have some self-control!”

Despite her words, after Chen Fang left, she found herself daydreaming at the desk, unable to focus on the documents before her.

To borrow a classic line from a Stephen Chow film: You’re doomed! You’ve fallen in love!

And the silly grin tugging at the corners of her mouth made it all too obvious.

...

Meanwhile,

Chen Fang rushed back to his rented apartment.

Pang Tong, who hadn’t lost any weight, was sprawled on the couch watching variety shows.

A rare sight!

The gluttonous layabout wasn’t even scrolling through videos of pretty women for once.

That was unusual!

Chen Fang greeted him in passing, then retreated to his room to search for information on blue-and-white porcelain with his phone.

A few minutes later, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Huaguo’s dynastic history differed greatly from that of China on Earth, but the development of crafts and technology throughout its long history was much the same.

There was blue-and-white porcelain in Huaguo’s own ceramic tradition.

The only catch was that its existence had been brief.

According to the historical records Chen Fang found, blue-and-white porcelain had only appeared for a mere thirty years a few centuries ago, then vanished from the annals of ceramics altogether.

But that didn’t matter!

All he needed was a trace of its existence.

Chen Fang took out pen and paper and began recalling “Porcelain in Blue and White.”

To be honest, the lyrics came to him easily.

The melody, however, was a bit more difficult. He knew how to sing it, but couldn’t quite remember which instruments accompanied the song.

“There’s definitely a guzheng,” Chen Fang muttered, frowning slightly. But what else? If only the system could help him exchange for the song.

As soon as he grumbled inwardly, the system, which had been silent for ages, suddenly spoke: “Host, this system offers an exchange function. Would you like to use it?”

“Yes!” he replied eagerly. “I want the full score for ‘Porcelain in Blue and White’!”

Chen Fang was elated. What an intuitive system!

“Five million,” came the system’s cold, metallic voice, stabbing through Chen Fang’s chest like a dagger. He nearly coughed up blood.

“How much?!”

He couldn’t help shouting.

Outside, Pang Tong knocked on the door. “Chen Fang, what’s going on?”

Chen Fang quickly composed himself, forcing a casual tone. “Nothing, I just checked my bank balance. Let’s go out for a big meal tonight.”

Pang Tong didn’t suspect a thing. “No way, I must slim down and become a knockout!”

Chen Fang heaved a sigh.

Hopeless. The fat man’s diet must have fried his brain.

But soon, Chen Fang’s attention returned to the system. His tone stiff and somewhat confrontational, he pointed a finger as if he were a husky: “System, I’ll give you one more chance. Rephrase that. How much?”

“Host’s poor attitude detected. Exchange function will soon be permanently disabled.”

Not even a shred of mercy.

The next second, Chen Fang’s expression changed to that of Donnie Yen playfully pointing a finger at you.

See? He’s lost his cool!

Chen Fang adopted an especially gentle, friendly tone. “System, I just didn’t catch the price—no other meaning.”

System: ...

What a shameless host.

“As this is your first time using the exchange, you are entitled to a special offer. Five million for the complete lyrics and score of ‘Porcelain in Blue and White.’”

Five million!

Chen Fang managed a smile, but his heart was bleeding.

All the money he’d painstakingly earned from songwriting was about to disappear in a flash. Worse yet, those five million represented the value of three songs—and he still owed An Tinghan two more!

“Can I buy on credit?” he asked.

The system was silent for a moment.

“Host detected to be penniless and stingy. Exchange function will soon be permanently disabled.”

Damn it!

Chen Fang nearly cursed aloud.

“I’ll take it!” he gritted out.

Ding-dong~

A text alert sounded.

Chen Fang glanced at his phone: “Your account was debited 5,000,000 yuan on June 7, 2022, at 1:08 PM.”

Now he really was broke.

He felt close to tears.

“Item delivered.”

“Please check.”

In an instant, the complete lyrics and score for the song appeared in his mind. He could now perform the entire piece from muscle memory, no thought required.

Chen Fang tried to console himself. At least it was worth it; after all, “Porcelain in Blue and White” was a divine piece of traditional music. With it, he was sure to advance in the third round of auditions—and the royalties alone could earn him a fortune.

Without delay, he transcribed the lyrics and score onto paper, nodding with satisfaction at the freshly minted masterpiece.

Then, he practiced it briefly on his guitar.

No good! The guitar’s modern tone just didn’t fit.

He really needed a guzheng.

It seemed he’d have to find time to visit the company’s recording studio.

With the song for the third round finally settled, Chen Fang could breathe easy, and a rare sense of leisure found him. He asked the system, “You said I got a special offer. How much would it cost to buy the song at the regular price?”

“One hundred million.”

“Why not just rob me?”

“Please mind your attitude.”

...

Chen Fang said nothing, merely raised a middle finger in silent contempt.

Petty system! I despise you!

But he realized a serious problem: truly legendary songs were outrageously expensive. No wonder the system hadn’t mentioned the exchange function before—it probably knew he was too broke to afford anything.

Chen Fang had to admit, the system’s thinking was sound.

“How much for ‘As You Wish’?”

“One hundred million.”

Same as “Porcelain in Blue and White.”

But Chen Fang had obtained “As You Wish” for free from a daily lottery, without spending a cent.

That cheered him up considerably.

He’d saved a hundred million, after all.

Truly, nothing brings greater joy than getting something for free.