Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

Yang Che was grinning when he saw himself on the TV wall to the side of the stage. He was inexplicably excited and stood up, waving his arms wildly, which was completely different from his usual quiet and solitary habits.

It's contradictory yet real, but that's normal; most successful people in the world are like this. The desire for quiet stems from a focus on self-growth, an intrinsic driving force for success, also known as the ability to shield oneself—a top-tier skill. After all, anything or anyone that drains you is unacceptable to even glance at. Seeking the limelight, on the other hand, is a craving for attention and recognition—an external need.

Wang Fei, standing on the stage, looked over and couldn't help but smile. Then she quickly looked away. She couldn't help it; her boyfriend was too funny, making an exaggerated heart shape with his hands.

Meanwhile, the audience below the stage erupted in cheers, the joy of receiving wedding candy.

This is very different from the port city.

After all, the people there felt that Wang Fei belonged to them, and it must have been very difficult for Wang Fei to date Yang Che, a person from the mainland.

Huh? Why don't those Hong Kong actresses feel bad about marrying foreigners? They're foreigners, how can it be the same?

Of course, there are also some similar despicable individuals in mainland China. For example, there's the fashion guru who spends 650 yuan on breakfast and still complains that others' "meals are too low-class."

Doing housework in China? They claim it's like chaining women to the home, a feudalistic oppression of women.

Cooking for my husband's family of fifteen in the French countryside, I was exhausted and covered in sweat, but that sweat was filled with pride and happiness. They call it cultural export... export my ass, they're just lowly servants at heart.

...........

Mainland fans are more accepting of Yang Che and Wang Fei's relationship, mainly because Yang Che's increasingly apparent abilities, financial resources, and influence are gradually becoming a match. Of course, Wang Fei's own attitude also plays a role; in almost all publicly available photos, Wang Fei always looks like a happy, content woman next to Yang Che.

Given all this, it's perfectly normal for fans to be making such a fuss at this point.

Then Wang Fei sang "You're Happy So I'm Happy," completely ignoring the audience's shouts for her to sing it again.

A cultural bureau official in front of Yang Che turned around, smiling broadly, and tentatively said, "How about we sing it again? We can't ignore the people's voices."

Yang Che immediately laughed: "That's wonderful, boss. You have no idea how much effort I put in to get someone to sing a few lines of this song, and how many complaints I received. I'm so grateful to you."

The cultural bureau official's smile froze on his face. He opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't know what to say. Then, feeling a bit of neck pain, he gave an awkward laugh and turned back.

Gradually, the audience quieted down again, especially when the melody of "Red Bean" started playing.

As the concert progressed, people gradually realized it was coming to an end and started making noise again, reaching a peak in volume when the song ended.

"Encore, encore, encore..."

"In my song, in my song..."

Wang Fei did return for an encore, but she sang "I'm Willing".

The audience was helpless, but the reporters and music critics were amused. They felt that if "You Exist in My Song" was Yang Che's confession, then "I'm Willing" was Wang Fei's response.

No wonder Encore wanted to sing this song; the way it expresses love is so romantic.

Some reporters who ship couples have already figured out how to write their articles.

Yang Che didn't listen to the whole thing; he had already led Li Xiangdong and Cui Qiu'an to the side of the stage.

When Wang Fei was about to step down from the stage, he stretched out his arms.

Wang Fei, as always, gave her boyfriend face, pursed her lips, hugged him, and said, "I'm tired."

"Then you go back first, I'll handle the team for you."

"No need, we'll just say hello and go back to rest. We'll have a late-night snack later."

"Alright."

The two returned to their hotel room. Wang Fei didn't refuel; she just lay there letting her boyfriend massage her, moaning and groaning the whole time. Yang Che was in a lot of discomfort.

..........

The next day arrived in the blink of an eye.

A bulging vein doesn't necessarily mean it's an arm; a stab in the back doesn't necessarily mean it's a knife; a flushed and hot body doesn't necessarily mean it's a high fever; difficulty breathing doesn't necessarily mean it's asthma; a heart-wrenching scream doesn't necessarily mean it's a sign of being wronged; and the morning sun doesn't necessarily shine through.

After letting Wang Fei take a nap, Yang Che took Li Xiangdong to Lishe Airport and boarded a plane to Bincheng at 9:40 a.m.

Yang Che sensed something was wrong at the airport, and it wasn't until a well-dressed couple approached him that he realized it was a consequence of yesterday's concert.

The couple are from Guangzhou and are loyal fans who come to Ningbo specifically to see the concert. They said they would fly to Jinan to see it again soon, and they have already bought the tickets.

"That new song is really good, is it called 'You Exist in My Song'?"

Seeing their excited expressions, Yang Che maintained his friendly smile: "Yes, that's the name. Thank you for liking it."

Then the couple got even more excited. Perhaps they felt that Yang Che was more approachable, and they also felt that it was inappropriate to ask so many questions right away, so they started telling their story.

They met at Wang Fei's concert in Guangzhou last year. Although they fell in love at first sight, they didn't take it any further, which they both regretted. Unexpectedly, they met again at Wang Fei's concert in Zhuhai last year, and then they decided to get together.

The woman said, "We cried with emotion when we heard this song. It's our theme song, it's a pity we didn't sing it again, haha. Uh... we'll definitely support your new movie."

Looking at their expressions, Yang Che was certain they were telling the truth. He thought to himself, "I wonder how excited you'll be when you hear 'Legend'."

"Leave your phone number. When the crew goes to Guangzhou for a promotional tour, we'll give you two tickets."

"Really? Thank you so much!"

"..."

The couple was so excited... and then they left the girl's phone number.

Li Xiangdong immediately contacted Guo Xiaoyue to inform her of the matter, which was also part of the "work process" that Guo Xiaoyue had repeatedly instructed him to follow.

After boarding, the flight attendants were quite enthusiastic, but it was the kind of enthusiasm that extended to everything related to Yang Che, which made Yang Che feel sad.

The local newspaper delivered by the flight attendant immediately featured a headline: "[Wang Fei and Yang Che's Sweet Interaction at the Concert]..." The accompanying photos were a bit blurry, but that's to be expected given the large screens of this era.

The article published the lyrics of "In My Song" in detail, as well as the fact that Wang Fei returned to sing "I'm Willing" again. Well... this is not just speculation, because Wang Fei said last night that this is exactly what she meant.

Business class passengers would give Yang Che a friendly smile as they passed by, while Yang Che, ever patient, kept his head down drawing storyboards.

P.S.: My grandmother has been buried, and I have returned to Longcheng, but I have fallen ill with a severe cold.

There's no such thing as sadness, because I don't have the time or the inclination to be sad.

I get up at four or five o'clock every day and go to bed at midnight. Besides the various "rules" of the funeral, I also have to welcome and send off guests. In addition to relatives, my father, my brother, and my local or out-of-town friends come to pay their respects every day. I have to take care of every guest's food, drink, and daily needs.

Some families come along for sightseeing, and arranging accommodations is a challenge. Datong is arguably the busiest tourist city in China this summer, so you can imagine how difficult that is...

Well, my grandma only has two grandsons, and one of them still has to work... She's very tired, mentally tired, physically tired, and financially tired, but you can't buy a paper offering at the grave with a thousand pieces of gold, so she can only comfort herself with that thought.

Yes, I still have to update my novel. I've had countless thoughts about maybe I should just stop writing. But I can't bear to, I can't bear to part with all those guys who regularly contribute their love, comment, and tip... This isn't just being sentimental, it's a genuine feeling of guilt.

Don't worry, during my two-month stay in Sanya this year, I was able to update my blog three times a day even though nobody was reading "Ten Years"... let alone this book.

Please forgive me if the latest chapters contain some inappropriate wording, as every word was typed on my phone.