Chapter 19 – He’s Always Been on Top

On the day the new EP was released, a well-known music critic posted on Weibo late at night:

“After listening to Symphony, I was so excited I couldn’t sleep. This is the work of a genius, a genius performance, and the best song I’ve heard in the past two years. Congratulations to Zhuang Lin, the budding musical prodigy, for letting the world hear your voice; and even more congratulations to Guan Lan for his triumphant return, using a genius work to sweep away the rumors of ‘talent exhaustion’ and surprising the world once again. This song carries the essence of Guan Lan’s peak era, overflowing with genius inspiration, and with each listen, I discover new details. Genius never fades, and at this moment, I am Guan Lan’s die-hard fan.”

Such a string of “genius” and unabashed praise made Guan Lan’s face flush. He reposted the Weibo, writing only one sentence: “I am unworthy of this.”

He truly felt unworthy because the song was actually written during his peak period, so it couldn’t be considered a triumphant return.

With such relentless praise, Guan Lan suspected that the boss had spent money on him. However, he knew these music critics well—he had categorized them in his mind: those who would speak for money, those who would selectively speak for money, and those who would still criticize you even after taking money. The critic who posted this Weibo was indeed the straightforward type who didn’t take money.

Clearly, this critic also had a good reputation among music fans. After the Weibo post went viral, Zhuang Lin’s Symphony became the number one download of the day, far surpassing the second place.

Guan Lan: “I just want to know, how much of this data is real and how much did we artificially boost?”

PR Manager: “Most of it is real. We did have some people boosting it initially, but when we saw the actual downloads were already high, we stopped. We didn’t artificially boost much.”

Guan Lan: “So it’s really a hit?”

PR Manager: “No doubt about it, it’s really a hit.”

Yang Peiqing: “Didn’t you confidently assure the boss that Zhuang Lin would definitely become popular? Why are you so unsure now?”

Guan Lan: “It’s been too long since I wrote something good. Suddenly having a hit song feels a bit unfamiliar.”

Yang Peiqing: “A triumphant return to your peak, congratulations.”

Guan Lan: “Yeah, at next week’s meeting, I can finally stand tall in front of the boss. If I didn’t produce results soon, I was worried I’d be fired.”

Yang Peiqing: “Don’t joke, Director Guan. He’d fire me before he’d fire you. All these precious talents in Tianlong—who didn’t you nurture? First, there were Zhou Junzhuo and Lu Qing, and now Zhuang Lin. If he dared to fire you, these people would all follow you out the door. He’d be heartbroken.”

Guan Lan: “How could they just follow me? The company’s legal team isn’t just for show. Their contracts aren’t toilet paper—they can’t just leave.”

Yang Peiqing: “The people I’m talking about—wouldn’t they risk breaching their contracts and paying fines just to follow you? Don’t you have that much confidence, Director Guan?”

Guan Lan had a strange feeling that Yang Peiqing was trying to fish for information.

Guan Lan: “Where would they go if they followed me? If the company doesn’t want me, I’d be unemployed. I’d be broke and have to rely on Chen Jin to support me.”

The PR manager felt like he had overheard something significant and quietly excused himself.

Yang Peiqing’s face darkened.

Guan Lan sighed: “It seems what I said to you last time, Director Yang, was wasted. You’re looking for a breakthrough point in the wrong direction. Have you talked to Chen Jin?”

Yang Peiqing: “…He won’t see me.”

Guan Lan: “Yeah, you two shouldn’t meet. Every time you do, you end up rolling into bed. I don’t think you can have a proper conversation.”

Yang Peiqing: “…You know about that?”

Guan Lan replied irritably: “How could I not know?”

Yang Peiqing: “And you don’t mind?”

Guan Lan thought, I do mind, but it’s the kind of minding a single dog feels toward a couple who like to show off.

Guan Lan: “Why would I mind?”

Yang Peiqing: “So, you two really broke up.”

Guan Lan was truly exhausted and decided to give him a push: “Yes, we broke up because he still can’t let go of you.”

Yang Peiqing was stunned for a long time before cautiously asking: “Did he tell you that? Then why won’t he see me?”

Guan Lan: “Enough already. I’m already doing you a favor by helping you after you cuckolded me. Do you really expect me to be your advisor? Can’t you chase your own partner?”

Yang Peiqing fell silent.

After a while, he seemed to make up his mind and asked Guan Lan with difficulty: “When you two were together, was it really taking turns?”

…So after all this soul-searching, this is the conclusion you came to? That he broke up with you because of mismatched preferences in bed?

Guan Lan: “Let me tell you the truth. He’s a natural top. He only bottomed for you because he liked you so much. When I was with him, he was always on top.”

Guan Lan’s words were self-deprecating but also a powerful blow. Looking at Yang Peiqing’s expression, he felt the self-shaming was worth it.

—

During the time when Zhuang Lin’s popularity exploded, Zhuang Lin himself was learning how to make soup.

After he called his mother to express his desire to learn, she said:

“Before you went abroad, I told you to learn how to cook. Not only would you eat better over there, but it would also make it easier to find a wife in the future. And what did you say? You said, ‘If she can’t make soup, she’s not worth having.'”

“So, now you don’t want to wait for your wife to make soup for you?”

Zhuang Lin, embarrassed and angry: “Are you going to teach me or not? I can just find a tutorial online.”

His mother laughed at him for a while before finally passing down her lifelong cooking skills.

Zhuang Lin then bought a full set of equipment and practiced making a yam and pork bone soup at home, refining it like an alchemist.

When Qi Fei entered his house, she was nearly knocked over by the strong smell of pork ribs.

Zhuang Lin served her a bowl.

Zhuang Lin: “How is it? I’ve been tasting it so much these past two days that my sense of taste is almost gone. Can you try it and tell me if it’s delicious? Does it make you want to keep drinking? Does it warm you from the heart to the lungs? Can you taste the flavor of happiness?”

Qi Fei took a couple of sips and gave an objective assessment: “It’s okay.”

Zhuang Lin: “…That’s not enough.”

Qi Fei felt completely baffled. Is it really necessary to go this hard just to learn how to make soup? Are all artists this weird?

Zhuang Lin pulled out a large thermos: “No, you’ve had my mom’s soup too much growing up, so your standards are too high. Take this back for your brother-in-law and Lulu to try. Ask them how it is.”

Qi Fei: “…Put the soup down. Let’s talk business.”

Qi Fei: “Have you been online these past few days?”

Zhuang Lin: “What’s the news now?”

Qi Fei: “What news? You’re famous—don’t you know?”

Zhuang Lin: “Oh. Isn’t that normal?”

Qi Fei felt like Zhuang Lin had lost all love and passion for music and was now fully committed to a career in cooking.

Zhuang Lin wasn’t indifferent or unhappy about this, but his mind was entirely occupied by another matter.

Of course, it wasn’t soup.

By now, he had figured it out—Guan Lan probably didn’t want to sleep with him.

Maybe he had considered it at first, but after realizing Zhuang Lin’s genuine talent, he decided not to treat him like just another pretty face and gave up on the idea.

The best time to make unreasonable demands would have been either when Zhuang Lin was on the verge of fame or before he became famous. Guan Lan didn’t make any moves before signing him, nor before giving him the song to sing. Now that the song was released and Zhuang Lin had gained some recognition, making demands at this point would be rather pointless.

This actually suited Zhuang Lin just fine.

Benefits-for-sex transactions weren’t a good foundation for a healthy relationship, as they could create long-term issues. He still wanted to have a beautiful start with Guan Lan.

He felt that Guan Lan might have some emotional gaps, which made it hard for him to know how to start a relationship that wasn’t based on patronage or quid pro quo. Therefore, Zhuang Lin needed to take the initiative.

But what would make for a beautiful start?

Diamonds, roses, candlelit dinners on the beach—not only were they clichéd, but they also felt hollow.

Food was the real source of happiness.

As Qi Fei was talking to Zhuang Lin, she noticed his mind had wandered off again.

She felt there was something seriously wrong with him lately—he must be lovesick.

Lovesickness wasn’t scary; it was natural for a grown man to want to chase after a woman. But as an excellent caretaker, she needed to know which woman he had his eye on.

However, she wasn’t in a rush to ask.

There are two things in the world that cannot be hidden: coughing and love.

Qi Fei pretended not to notice and continued: “Director Yang’s opinion is that exposure should focus on quality over quantity. We can’t let your image drop or your persona collapse, so we can’t just have you appear on any random show. However, it’s okay to do some acting. Right now, there’s a Spring Festival comedy called Dragon vs. Tiger with a good director and cast. It’s just a two-scene cameo, and it doesn’t require much acting. I can try to get you in…”

Zhuang Lin suddenly snapped back to reality: “No acting.”

Qi Fei: “What?”

Zhuang Lin: “I won’t act. I’ll cooperate with other promotions, but no acting.”

Qi Fei knew that once he got stubborn like this, no one could change his mind.

Qi Fei sighed: “If I ask you why, I’m sure you won’t tell me, right?”

Zhuang Lin was unapologetic: “I need to focus on music.”

Qi Fei thought, I don’t see you focusing on music at all. You’re clearly focusing on stewing pork ribs.

Qi Fei: “Appearing in a movie for a moment would distract you from your music, huh?”

Zhuang Lin thought, It wouldn’t distract me from my music, but it might distract me from pursuing my love interest.

Zhuang Lin: “Yeah.”

Qi Fei: “…Okay, as long as you’re happy.”