Marry a female star at a bargain price

Chapter 245, Section 246: Male Heroism

Looking at the sheet music in his hand, and recalling Lin Xiao's words.

Within ten seconds, Cao Yuanzhi experienced a profound and exhilarating tremor in his soul.

"Brother, are you serious?" he asked incredulously.

"Of course!"

Lin Xiao looked completely calm.

He hadn't made up his mind before, but seeing Cao Yuanzhi's state today, and hearing his "heartbreaking" story of setting a trap... ah, I mean, his emotional experience, made him change his mind.

Lin Xiao felt that there was no one on Earth more suitable for the song "Love Like a Tide" than Lao Cao.

The song has a very romantic name.

To put it bluntly, it's actually a story about a simp who ends up with nothing after simply pursuing someone.

When you're young, you don't understand. You mistake a backup plan for love and take empty promises like "I don't care who else is in your heart," "I won't regret it since I've loved you," and "I'm willing to bear any hardship" as declarations of love.

Not to mention lines like "I don't want other men to see your charm" or "Promise me you'll never get drunk in the middle of the night again."

This is a new level of licking; his tongue is practically smoking from all the licking.

This song only gained popularity on Earth because of the era it was created in.

If it had been released thirty years later, it's uncertain whether it would have become a hit or a classic, but it would definitely have been a hit!

However, it didn't become popular because of its quality, but rather because it was criticized by this generation of netizens.

Lin Xiao found the thought exciting.

So even though his wife suggested he could sing the song himself, after careful consideration, he decided it was better not to take the risk.

The main reason is that he is very happy now, and he can't capture the essence of this song when he sings it.

Old Cao, who was deeply hurt in love, is more suitable.

Moreover, Cao Yuanzhi's current predicament is largely due to Lin Xiao.

It could even be said that he was the one who caused it.

Old Cao was caught up in the whole thing and still thought he and that bitch Zhong Jiawen were in love. To this day, he has never suspected that it was this woman and her agent who were setting him up from the beginning.

But Lin Xiao could tell at a glance that Zhong Jiawen and Liu Gang were there for him, or more precisely, for "Ma Yao".

Unable to find Ma Yao, they decided to target Cao Yuanzhi, Ma Yao's only contact within the industry.

So they laid a trap, creating the chance encounter between Cao Yuanzhi and Zhong Jiawen, their rapidly developing relationship, and a series of events such as her ex-boyfriend catching her in the act, the fight that shattered their ancestral jade pendant, all to frame Cao Yuanzhi, make him reveal Ma Yao's contact information, or directly obtain an unreleased new song from Ma Yao.

From an outsider's perspective, Lin Xiao felt that this game was full of flaws, yet extremely ingenious.

The reason it's considered full of loopholes is because matters of the heart are hard to fathom, and Cao Yuanzhi is also a player; even with his extensive experience, he might not fall for the trap.

Not to mention, the fact that her ex-boyfriend caught her in the act is just too dramatic.

It can be described as extremely ingenious, because Chung Ka-man is such an amazing woman.

Judging from her ability to win over wealthy patrons and have them spend lavishly on her to help her quickly rise to fame in the entertainment industry, it's clear that this woman is absolutely a master at controlling men's hearts.

It is precisely because she has absolute confidence in herself.

So even though the scheme was full of flaws, she still took action.

As she expected, Cao Yuanzhi took the bait and followed their script exactly... except for the last step.

Zhong Jiawen and Liu Gang probably never expected this.

This guy would rather sell his house and quit his job than reveal Ma Yao's contact information.

Moreover, he did this not as a backup plan, but purely out of loyalty to his brothers... Anyway, the truth is that Lao Cao got himself into the role.

In psychology, there is a term for this condition: "heroism syndrome".

The main characteristic of this syndrome is that people will choose to sacrifice themselves to change the situation in extreme circumstances. This sacrifice is not necessary, but rather to satisfy a kind of heroic fantasy and to make the reality more dramatic and conflict-ridden...

In short: He got too caught up in the role and overdid it!

Cao Yuanzhi has been in the entertainment industry for too long and has frequented brothels for many years. Deep down, he no longer believes in love.

Only within the lies and deceptions woven by Chung Ka-man could his mind deceive himself, telling himself that he had finally found true love, and that he had to protect it even at the cost of sacrificing everything.

If Ma Yao's contact information is handed over.

Then he would be "unfaithful" in this relationship and would feel that he is not good enough for Chung Ka-man.

So even if he lost everything, severed ties with Chung Ka-man, and lost this unforgettable "love," he did not regret it.

Because psychologically, he felt he was great, a hero, and the breakup only deepened the tragic aspect of this heroism.

This powerful psychological suggestion was enough to sustain him for a long time.

As for how long this timeframe will last, that remains unknown.

Lin Xiao had no intention of commenting on his senior's behavior.

He just wanted to mock Zhong Jiawen, that woman who set up such a big scheme, throwing herself at a man she looked down on while playing hard to get, using all her charms and even sleeping with him, only to end up with nothing but a few million dollars...

Lin Xiao found it funny just thinking about it, and almost burst out laughing in front of Lao Cao.

Now I'm thinking about it.

It's possible that Zhong Jiawen failed with Cao Yuanzhi, which is why she had to start from scratch and collaborated with Hunan TV to design a "piggybacking" incident in the final episode of "The Voice of China," achieving widespread internet fame by riding on Han Xixi's popularity.

Thinking about it this way, Lin Xiao became even more wary of Zhong Jiawen, and even felt a sense of lingering fear.

What a terrifying woman!

We will not give up until we achieve our goal, and we will stop at nothing to achieve it!
Lin Xiao was terrified. He told himself that he must make sure his wife was careful around this crazy woman in the future; she was just too terrifying.

Right now, all he wants is to help Cao Yuanzhi get out of his current situation and get back on his feet.

Hearing his affirmative answer, Cao Yuanzhi still couldn't believe it.

"This song is so good, you really want me to sing it?"

"Of course, we're like family!"

"But……"

Cao Yuanzhi's joyful expression quickly turned serious, as if he had just thought of something.

He handed the sheet music back to Lin Xiao, looking dejected, and said, "I can't sing it... If I sing this song, Liu Gang will soon find me and use my relationship with Jiawen to blackmail me, or she... The only way I can protect Jiawen's safety is to disappear from the entertainment industry and make sure he can never find me again!"

Lin Xiao was utterly dumbfounded.

No way, buddy, you've got a wild imagination. You've actually created an epic, earth-shattering love story based on your own fantasy?

Lin Xiao was speechless, but he knew that this syndrome of his was already incurable, and reasoning with him wouldn't work.

He abandoned the plan immediately.

"This is easy to handle!"

Lin Xiao lied, "I wrote this song as the theme song for our Chaobai Town. So after it's recorded, it won't be released publicly. Instead, it will be directly included in our town's promotional video. Only in this way can netizens be forced to watch our promotional video in order to listen to the song, thus completing a viral spread."

Cao Yuanzhi listened intently, but his face was full of confusion.

"No, junior! You mean you wrote a song that might become a classic, a hit song, just to make a promotional video for your poor, remote little town?"

"Uh……"

"You made dumplings just for a dish of vinegar?"

"Um……"

"Junior, you're this one!"

Cao Yuanzhi gave a sincere thumbs up.

Lin Xiao was stunned for a moment, then belatedly realized... If Lao Cao's experience this time was a case of heroism syndrome, then wasn't he himself the same?

In order to fulfill his professional ideals, he aimed to develop remote towns and improve the living environment of the villagers.

He didn't hesitate to use cheat codes, taking classic songs from Earth as scraps.

To put it bluntly, isn't this also to satisfy some kind of heroic fantasy?

This discovery caught Lin Xiao completely off guard and left him stunned.

But he can quickly make peace with himself.

"Everyone gets sick at some point in their life; we all have to achieve something on this journey of life!"

Lin Xiao thought to himself.

He embraced his own heroic tendencies and vanity, and achieved a profound empathy with Lao Cao, whose symptoms differed from Lao Cao's but whose underlying principles were the same.

He stopped mocking Lao Cao and said firmly, "This song is yours. If you don't want Zhong Jiawen and Liu Gang to find out, then you can keep the song from being released. If you want to release it, you can wait until this wave of hype has passed. You can just use a stage name, it's no big deal!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Yuanzhi was finally tempted.

Looking at the sheet music again, the notes on the paper were already creating melodies in his mind, demonstrating his professional competence as a musician.

He really loved it.

"Is this...really possible?"

"Unless you want to use this whole room full of empty bottles to prove that Chung Ka-man fell in love with a loser!"

"!!!"

Cao Yuanzhi's eyes widened.

Lin Xiao immediately knew that adding fuel to the fire of his heroism syndrome would be far more effective than trying to scold him awake!
As expected, after the shock to Cao Yuanzhi's pupils, his entire demeanor immediately changed.

He was still disheveled and had a stubble beard.

But in Lin Xiao's eyes, it was different.

He looked like a beggar just now!

Now? Well, where did this performance artist come from!

Cao Yuanzhi's eyes trembled, and after a long while, he patted Lin Xiao's shoulder: "Brother, thank you... I will definitely not let you down!"

This was a conversation between men.

Lin Xiao sensed Lao Cao's determination and his courage to regroup.

But he wasn't moved at all; in fact, he was a little disgusted.

"Uh... 'Brother' is my wife's special nickname for me, please don't taint it, okay?"

Lin Xiao thought to himself.

……

After pulling Cao Yuanzhi out of his despondency, the guy perked up and wanted to treat Lin Xiao to dinner, drink with him to celebrate, and even wanted to swear a blood oath with him on the spot and become sworn brothers.

Lin Xiao couldn't refuse, because this guy was currently extremely excited.

As soon as Lin Xiao said he was leaving, he started crying and whining, as if he was being abandoned by the whole world.

Lin Xiao could only stay with him until dark.

He managed to escape only after he had drunk himself into unconsciousness again.

It was already past 8 p.m. when I got back to Chenxi Apartment.

Chen Jiajia has always fulfilled her duties and mission, and has not left.

When Lin Xiao returned, she packed her things to leave, and before leaving, she explained in detail what Han Xixi had eaten and drunk that afternoon.

The key point is that Lin Xiao even analyzed and recorded it in a very serious manner.

Xi Xi sat on the sofa, looking at the two adults with an embarrassed expression, feeling that the scene was somewhat similar.

I thought about it for a long time and then I remembered.

"Isn't this just like when I was in kindergarten, every time my mom picked me up, she would ask the teacher what I had eaten, what I had drunk, and whether I had pooped?"

Xi Xi recalled in her heart.

Although it was a little embarrassing, I felt that I was already at the age to be a mother, yet there were still people who cared about and looked after me so much.

This feels really good.

She sat cross-legged on the sofa, clutching her stomach and laughing to herself.

A short while later, Chen Jiajia and Lin Xiao finished their shift handover.

Jiajia is gone.

Lin Xiao sat down next to her and naturally pulled her into his arms, laughing, "I heard someone was unhappy today. They ate half a cream cake tonight and even wanted ice cream... Is that true?"

Xi Xi shrank her neck, looking like she'd been caught doing something wrong.

"Um... I ate the cake, but I didn't get any ice cream. Jiajia wouldn't let me have any no matter what..."

As Xixi spoke, she cupped her face in her hands, completely unaware that her action was incredibly cute.

Lin Xiao couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"So, you're actually a little unhappy today?" he asked. "Um... a little!"

Xi Xi admitted it.

Lin Xiao nodded, not in a hurry to ask further questions, but said, "Since you're in a bad mood and have eaten too much, I'll take a shower first, and then I'll go for a walk with you?"

Xi Xi thought she was going to be criticized.

Hearing her husband's doting tone, she burst into laughter: "Okay~~"

Lin Xiao ruffled her hair and got up to take a shower.

Ten minutes later, the two arrived outside the apartment and strolled through the dazzling night view of Shanghai.

"Why are you unhappy? Is it because you're trending again?" Lin Xiao asked.

"You know everything?"

"Yeah, I just glanced at my phone when I got back and saw that you were trending on social media because of the press conference this morning!"

Lin Xiao spoke calmly.

In fact, there's nothing surprising about this; it was bound to trend on social media.

Han Xixi's last public appearance was at the final of "The Voice of China," which was two months ago.

In just two months, she gained nearly 20 pounds.

Lin Xiao didn't realize it because he spent so much time with her, but netizens who saw the photos were bound to be shocked.

Unpleasant words naturally followed.

In addition, today the Kalia Magic series officially announced Chung Ka-man as its new spokesperson.

Although Zhong Jiawen's treatment has been greatly reduced thanks to Lin Xiao's "friendly communication" with the brand, her plan to sing "The Magic of Love" with Han Xixi to further gain popularity has also fallen through.

But she still managed to secure the endorsement deal.

Han Xixi is the original singer of "The Magic of Love" and one of the songwriters. Zhong Jiawen became famous by covering "The Magic of Love".

The two are about the same age and even similar in height, so they are naturally compared by netizens – which is the main reason why Chung Chia-wen keeps targeting her and desperately tries to gain attention.

Now, both of them are brand ambassadors for the Kalia Magic series, and they are also appearing together at the brand's new product launch.

It's understandable that netizens are comparing them again.

In the last comparison, the online reviews were fairly evenly matched, with netizens on both sides taking sides equally.

This time, however, they all rushed towards Zhong Jiawen.

There is no other reason.

The reason is that Chung Chia-wen looks slim, sexy, and refined in the photos, while Han Hsi-hsi looks a bit chubby and her dress is loose and casual. Compared to Chung Chia-wen, Han Hsi-hsi looks like a typical female star who doesn't care about her image and gets carried away just because she has a few representative works.

Even more surprisingly, many netizens guessed that she was pregnant, given how quickly she gained weight.

Han Xixi, on the other hand, was determined not to make her pregnancy public.

So, he could only watch helplessly as Zhong Jiawen made him look utterly worthless in comparison online, and he could only sulk alone.

Lin Xiao saw the trending topic and guessed his wife's reaction.

As the one who started the problem of making his wife gain weight.

Of course he felt sorry for his wife, who was giving up a promising career to have a baby with a big belly at such a young age... Where can you find such a good wife?

So even though he was drunk and disoriented at Cao Yuanzhi's place, all he wanted to do now was close his eyes and sleep forever.

But he forced himself to stay awake.

Take your wife out for a walk to help her relax.

A gentle breeze blew through the September night, and Han Xixi did indeed feel much better; her eyes and brows brightened.

Lin Xiao laughed and said, "Don't worry, wife. As a singer, I always rely on my strength and my work. Even if you are ridiculed for your figure for a while, it doesn't matter. I'll write a few more good songs for you later... and I can easily win back your popularity, or even make it more stable. That Zhong Jiawen can't catch up with me even if she rides eight horses!"

Han Xixi wasn't angry anymore.

Hearing her husband's words, she was overjoyed, her eyes shining brighter than the stars in the sky.

"We don't race horses, so what are we chasing?"

"I misspoke, you really can't race horses with this woman!" Lin Xiao said seriously.

"why?"

"Because she's a really good rider!"

"Ok?"

Xi Xi tilted her head, looking puzzled.

Lin Xiao pursed his lips and touched his wife's belly, thinking that this was definitely a negative example of prenatal education, and he hoped that the child hadn't heard it.

"It's ok!"

Lin Xiao laughed and said, "Netizens are just mean-spirited. Once this hype dies down, everyone will forget about it. I'll say it again: your husband is your strongest support. You can rest as long as you want, and whenever you want to stand on the stage and shine again, I'll fully support you!"

These words softened Xixi's expression.

Their fingers were intertwined, and she felt the strength emanating from this man through his rough right hand.

"But...didn't you say before that you wanted me to fade out of the entertainment industry?" Xi Xi asked back.

"Um, I do have that idea!"

Lin Xiao said seriously, "But the reason I think this way is because the entertainment industry is too dirty. Even if you have no desires and only want to sing, others will not think of you that way. Your competitors will unconditionally slander you, attack you, and frame you!"

Lin Xiao recalled Zhong Jiawen, that crazy woman, and the two-pronged attack she launched on Xixi, and even the early autumn weather couldn't help but send chills down his spine.

It's really terrible!

He himself wasn't confident he could escape unscathed from such a crazy woman, let alone his innocent wife.

Lin Xiao said, "Take this trending topic for example! Even if you've gained a little weight, I saw the pictures from the event, and it wasn't that noticeable. It shouldn't be the reason for this widespread criticism online. Besides, you handled the situation perfectly and didn't lose your composure at all, yet you're being attacked so extensively... Don't you find that a bit strange?"

Only after hearing what he said did Han Xixi belatedly realize what was going on.

"You mean... someone is deliberately stirring up trouble?" Xi Xi exclaimed in surprise.

"This isn't about starting a fight, it's about unilaterally throwing mud at you!"

Lin Xiaodao said.

Han Xixi quickly identified the person as Zhong Jiawen and was so shocked that she couldn't speak.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiao was thinking to himself, "This silly girl doesn't know that Zhong Jiawen set up a scam on Cao Yuanzhi. Otherwise, she would be even more terrified!"

For the sake of his child's emotional well-being, he chose to keep it a secret.

"The entertainment industry pie is only so big. If you take a bigger slice, others have to take a smaller slice. Do you think they'll resent you?"

"Yes, I want it!" Xixi honestly admitted.

"That's why I want you to back out—it's not about giving in or admitting defeat, but a way to protect yourself!"

Lin Xiao said gently.

Xi Xi nodded in agreement, but her expression still showed hesitation.

Lin Xiao was aware of this as well.

Back then, as a top star, he was very active in the entertainment industry. Even though he often felt lonely and empty late at night, he still couldn't bear to part with the screams of his fans and the cheers on stage.

That kind of vanity, when it's been filled to the extreme and inflated, is really hard to give up.

If it weren't for trading my life for a chance to live again...

He wouldn't have the perseverance he has now to resolutely refuse to step into the entertainment industry.

The same thing happened to Han Xixi.

She neither reached the very top of this circle nor experienced a major crisis that prompted her to change her mindset, so it was naturally difficult for her to achieve profound enlightenment.

Lin Xiao couldn't force her, so he said, "I hope you'll leave the entertainment industry and live a peaceful, ordinary life with me. But I also know you have your own pursuits, and being a singer is your wish, so I will never force you. I just don't want you to get hurt, so my suggestion is to settle for second best—be a singer, not a celebrity!"

Han Xixi was stunned for a moment.

"Be a singer, not a star..."

She pondered those words, then her face lit up, and she tilted her head back, smiling gently, "Brother, I understand what you mean... I will try my best!"

Looking at her smile, Lin Xiao felt as if the winter sun was evaporating some of the chill in his heart.

He lowered his head and gently kissed her moist, cherry-like lips.

"By the way, brother, have you decided who will sing 'Love Like a Tide' yet?" Han Xixi suddenly asked.

"It's decided, Cao Yuanzhi!"

"what?"

Xi Xi was shocked, "Brother Cao... is he going to switch careers and become a singer?"

Lin Xiao laughed and said, "He always wanted to be a singer, but because he's not good-looking, no agency would sign him, so he was forced to become a music producer. That was the only way he could stay in the industry. Now that he's resigned from Fei Hong, everything is back to square one... It's no problem for him to pursue his dream again!"

Xi Xi didn't see anything wrong with this roundabout way of achieving her goal.

"Oh well..." she said with a hint of regret.

"What? You think the song 'Love Like a Tide' is so good that you don't want to give it to Brother Cao?"

"no no!"

Xi Xi quickly waved her hand and explained, "I just think your voice would sound really good in this song... I'm really looking forward to hearing your version!"

Lin Xiao burst out laughing; his wife was just too adorable.

"Don't get your hopes up, my singing of this song is an absolute disaster!" he said.

"how come?!"

Xi Xi said seriously, "Although you haven't received professional training, just based on your talent for writing so many songs, you'd definitely be a good singer. And I think your voice is very deep and sexy, you can definitely sing 'Love Like a Tide' well!"

Lin Xiao was truly satisfied to see and enjoy listening to his wife's earnest flattery.

He then said, "It's not that I lack confidence in my singing skills, but this song is too demanding in terms of both technique and emotion. Either you need to have perfect technique or you need to have rich emotion, and I don't have either of those!"

Lin Xiao sighed proudly, raised their intertwined hands, and said smugly, "Especially in relationships. I'm so happy now, do you think I could possibly sing a sad love song?"

Xi Xi was both amused and annoyed by his appearance, but she quickly gave up the idea of ​​persuading her husband to debut.

After all, as he just said.

The entertainment industry is no good place. He married me and wrote so many songs for me under the name "Ma Yao," making him an extremely dangerous person who could be exposed at any time.

He didn't want the news to be public, because it would definitely affect his career.

Therefore, it is definitely not a rational thing to do to sing "Love Like a Tide" in the music industry. It would be better to get rid of this idea as soon as possible.

"Okay~~"

Xixi's tone became light and playful again.

Seeing his wife's slight disappointment, Lin Xiao laughed and said, "Want to hear me sing? That's easy! I'll hold a solo concert someday, sell tickets only to you, and sing until you're satisfied!"

"Really?" Xi Xi exclaimed excitedly.

"Of course!"

"I want it now!"

"Now? Here? To?!"

"Um... let's go home!"

"If you're going home... it's settled, no changing your mind!"

"Sure……"

Just as Xixi was about to agree, she caught a glimpse of her husband's lecherous expression and realized what he meant.

She immediately became annoyed and chased after him, yelling, "Lin Xiao, are you trying to kill me? I've already told you to pay attention to prenatal education! Pay attention to prenatal education!!"

"I was wrong, I don't want it anymore!"

Lin Xiao quickly begged for mercy and didn't dare to run away, fearing that his wife would chase after him and cause him to fall.

So he could only stand there and let her deliver a gentle barrage of blows, making him feel like he was getting a massage all over his body.

He turned around and hugged his wife, who was playfully punching him.

The streetlights cast a dim yellow glow, casting halos of light on the sidewalk.

Several shadows appeared around them, all embracing sweetly.

Neon lights flickered and the city lights shone brightly in the distance.

In this dazzling sea of ​​lights and shadows, on this bustling city street with its fast-moving traffic.

They looked at each other, and then naturally and sweetly shared a light kiss...

(End of this chapter)