Chapter Ninety-Four: Xi Yuanyuan in Confusion

This song needs no elaborate accompaniment.

Under the night sky, with the sea breeze stirring softly, Chen Fang and An Tinghan sat upon the reef. As darkness settled over them, the scene became all the more tranquil and serene.

Not far away, the cameras following the director were fixed tightly on Chen Fang and An Tinghan. The angle was exquisite. Chen Fang’s suddenly tender, affectionate side profile and An Tinghan’s slightly uplifted face, full of longing and anticipation, formed the most beautiful of pictures.

At that moment, everyone understood why An Tinghan had fallen for Chen Fang.

Because a man like that was far too magnetic.

Any woman who came close to him, who came to know him, would find it hard not to be drawn in.

Even someone like An Tinghan, the reigning queen of the charts, could not escape the romantic vortex of a young girl’s heart.

The intro began.

The guitar emerged, soft and steady.

Chen Fang did not look at An Tinghan. Instead, he gazed out at the sky full of stars.

In a deep voice, he sang with a low, resonant warmth that any viewer who had heard him before would instantly recognize.

In that instant, a sense of loneliness and vast emptiness became especially intense.

The songs of the Escape Plan had always run counter to the name of the band. This one, The Brightest Star in the Night Sky, was not about running away, but about teaching everyone how to face life head-on.

There was solitude. There was desolation. There was melancholy.

But none of these were the song’s true heart.

Chen Fang’s mind drifted blankly as the guitar in his arms rang out with clear notes. Perhaps one truly had to live through certain things before one could understand what a song meant.

Yearning for those who are gone. Remembering ideals that have faded. Looking back on one’s tender youth. These things could not be forced; the moment they were forced, they became false. It was like filming a show—if one tried too hard to create an effect before the camera, it would only seem contrived.

Chen Fang felt a quiet emotion stir within him.

Perhaps.

His crossing over to this world called Huaguo was a good thing.

Not only because he could ride the songs of Earth and soar by relying on the system’s extraordinary help, but for an even more important reason: he was gradually beginning to understand the emotions within every song.

Something he could never have done on Earth.

Because the Chen Fang of Earth had not been pure.

He had already been worn smooth by the ordinary smoke and fire of life, no longer thinking about impractical things, caring only about enjoying life.

After all, he had earned so much money on Earth. To not enjoy it would have been a waste.

Having crossed into Huaguo, Chen Fang had set aside the utilitarian mindset of a businessman. The moment he picked up his dream of singing once more, his state of mind was destined to be completely different from before.

And precisely because of that, he could feel the emotions inside these songs.

Perhaps this was what people called emotional resonance.

To sing a song and move the audience, the first requirement was always to move oneself.

“Chen Fang is really so handsome.”

An Tinghan’s face was full of adoration.

When Chen Fang sang, that was absolutely when his charm was strongest.

The barrage of comments online also sank into the mood of the song, and hardly anyone even paid attention to the look in An Tinghan’s eyes.

“Used to envy Chen Fang, now I envy An Tinghan.”

“Can we replace An Tinghan and let me go up there?”

“Why isn’t it me sitting next to Chen Fang listening to him sing? I want to hear him live so badly...”

“When is Chen Fang going to hold a concert?”

“I’m definitely going.”

These netizens had already begun looking forward to Chen Fang’s concert. In truth, however, Chen Fang had no such plans at all for the moment.

For one thing, he simply did not have enough songs yet.

All told, he had only released a little over a dozen.

The requirements for concerts in Huaguo were different from those on Earth. Here, a concert had to last at least two hours, and a dozen songs would not be nearly enough to fill that time unless mysterious guest performers were invited.

For another, Chen Fang thought it was too exhausting.

In fact, Chen Fang was rather lazy by nature.

He wanted to make money while lying down.

Of course, that was not very realistic.

He understood the principle of enduring hardship before tasting sweetness, so at this starting stage he did not dare to be lazy. But being diligent now was for the sake of lying flat later.

Chen Fang’s plan was simple: if there was no need, then he would avoid holding concerts as much as possible. If he did hold one, it would certainly mean he had run out of money and came out to earn a little pocket change.

At the Xi household, the family of three sat in the living room watching the program.

From the start of the show until now, Xi Dong and Liu Ke had worn expressions of helpless frustration. Chen Fang was simply too skilled at wooing women, and even An Tinghan had been charmed to the point of losing her composure.

If this went on, their foolish daughter would not have the slightest chance.

Yet their daughter herself was not anxious at all.

It was truly the emperor not worried while the eunuchs fretted.

Just then, Xi Dong and Liu Ke heard The Brightest Star in the Night Sky, and astonishingly, their urgency vanished at once.

Chen Fang was simply too talented.

Their daughter really did seem unworthy of him.

An Tinghan and Chen Fang were a much better match.

More importantly, Xi Dong knew a little about An Tinghan’s family background.

The An family was rich beyond belief... truly filthy rich. The Xi family had money too, but compared with the An family, they simply did not seem nearly impressive enough.

By any measure, Xi Yuanyuan could not compare to An Tinghan.

In looks, An Tinghan was prettier.

In figure, Xi Yuanyuan had not inherited Liu Ke’s excellent genes.

In family background, the An family utterly outclassed the Xi family.

If Chen Fang’s mind was working properly, he would definitely choose An Tinghan instead of Xi Yuanyuan.

“Child, you don’t have a chance,” Xi Dong sighed.

Xi Yuanyuan did not understand what he meant.

But Xi Dong and Liu Ke were experienced; some people are lost, and at the time one feels nothing, yet the real pain only begins when one finally realizes what has happened.

Liu Ke also shook her head and sighed. What a wonderful son-in-law he would make. If she were twenty years younger, she would probably not have been able to resist making a move herself. Why did her foolish daughter not understand?

Xi Yuanyuan looked at Chen Fang on the screen, her gaze drifting into a dazed haze.

Chen Fang truly was outstanding.

Outstanding men never lacked women.

That much could be seen from An Tinghan’s behavior alone.

Before she knew it, a wave of irritation rose in Xi Yuanyuan’s heart.

Especially when she saw An Tinghan gazing at Chen Fang with such adoring eyes, the irritation in her heart grew even stronger.

Had she missed her chance?

But... what had she missed?

Xi Yuanyuan recalled the first time she had seen Chen Fang at the street intersection. Back then, he had been singing for money with a guitar in his arms, and his voice and appearance had been so dazzling. Standing beneath the streetlamp, Chen Fang had looked like a male lead stepped straight out of a comic book.

“I still have a chance.”

Xi Yuanyuan tightened her grip on the cushion in her arms.

An Tinghan had only spent seven days with Chen Fang, while she saw him every day at the company.

Xi Yuanyuan felt a little afraid.

She feared that An Tinghan would really snatch Chen Fang away.

Only she did not know why she was afraid.

Was it from the company’s perspective, afraid that Chen Fang would be poached? Or from her own perspective, afraid that Chen Fang would leave her?

She could not quite tell.