Being a gigolo was too much for him, so he had to become a music superstar.

Her tone sounded very casual.

But Lin Buyi could hear what was underneath.

He counted silently in his mind.

From the time he started practicing singing to prepare for the competition until now—a full five days.

For five days, Su Nianwei asked for nothing. She didn't call him at night, didn't stop him in the morning, and didn't even give him a hint. She gave him a day off and provided him with a guitar, a practice room, and nutritional supplements.

But he understood this woman.

She's just enduring it. Enduring it until she deems it reasonable, and then collecting everything she owes.

And now—having just passed the preliminary selection, his reasons for preparing for the competition are no longer strong enough.

It's time to collect the debt.

"I know." Lin Buyi put down his water glass, looked at her, and carefully chose his words. "Senior, I just finished a competition today, and I'm actually quite tired..."

"I'm tired too," Su Nianwei interrupted him.

She put down her wine glass, slowly moved from the corner of the sofa, and leaned against him. Her movement was deliberate, carrying a sense of certainty.

Her right hand rested on the back of the sofa, her fingers idly twirling a strand of her hair.

"I've been waiting for you for five days, junior."

Her voice was low.

"Sleeping alone every night for five days—do you know how bored I was?"

Lin Buyi did not respond.

He didn't know how to respond.

He knew very well that he couldn't avoid this debt. Regardless of how tired or in good form he was from today's match, Su Nianwei had already reached her limit after waiting for five days. If it dragged on any longer, she would feel neglected—something Su Nianwei found particularly intolerable.

Besides, to be honest, he really did owe her.

These days, she not only gave him time off, but also provided him with all sorts of support. She bought the guitar, vacated the practice room, and even arranged for someone to make bird's nest soup for him every day. She even subtly catered to his preferences when it came to dinner.

From a transactional perspective—she's taken on a lot of advances these past few days, and he really should pay it back.

Lin Buyi sighed.

He didn't struggle or resist. He leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes.

"Okay."

His voice sounded somewhat helpless, more like a sense of resignation.

Su Nianwei's lips curved into a smile.

She reached out and switched on the floor lamp. The living room suddenly went dark.

The curtains were drawn, preventing the streetlights from getting in. Only a faint light from the kitchen could seep out, illuminating two blurry outlines.

Su Nianwei moved closer. She carried the lingering scent of shower gel after a shower, mixed with the aroma of the red wine she had just drunk.

"I'll take five days' worth tonight," she said softly.

Lin Buyi rolled his eyes in the darkness.

Five days' worth? What's this woman's zodiac sign?

But he didn't say it aloud, and could only prepare to face Su Nianwei's fierce offensive.

……

It was past 2 a.m.

All the lights in the master bedroom were off. The curtains were drawn tightly, not a single ray of light could get in.

Su Nianwei lay on her side with her eyes open.

Lin Buyi, who was sitting next to him, was fast asleep. His breathing was even, one breath at a time, without any change in rhythm.

She could hear his breathing.

It's very light and very stable.

Su Nianwei wasn't sleepy. She stared at a point in the darkness, her mind a jumble of thoughts.

She turned her head and looked at Lin Buyi.

She couldn't see his face clearly in the darkness, but based on her memory and intuition, she knew his brows were relaxed now. When he was awake, his brows were always furrowed, with a subtle tension, as if he was always on guard against something.

I only put it down when I'm asleep.

Su Nianwei's finger stretched out in mid-air, hovering next to his cheek.

I hesitated for a moment.

It was taken back.

She turned over, her back to him, and picked up her phone from the bedside table.

The screen's light was too bright in the dark, so she turned the brightness down to the lowest setting.

I opened my browser and typed a few words in the search box:

Future Star Season 2 Preliminary Results

Search results are scarce. The production team has not yet officially released the complete list of successful applicants; currently, there is only a blurry grouping chart posted on the official Weibo account and some scattered information.

Su Nianwei browsed through several small forums in the entertainment industry.

Some people are discussing which trainees from which companies were eliminated, while others are speculating about which contestants were pre-selected. But regarding the name "Lin Buyi"—

There wasn't a single discussion.

She searched again, changing the search term to "Lin Buyi (amateur)".

There's still nothing there.

He was so inconspicuous. A nobody who was added to the team through a supplementary recruitment process and didn't even have a company, nobody cared whether he passed or failed.

Su Nianwei put away her phone and looked at the ceiling.

For some reason, she remembered that evening a few days ago.

As she passed the basement stairwell, she heard a sound coming from under the door.

"One cup to liberty, one cup to death."

The voice was hoarse and tired, but there was something indescribable about it. It wasn't about whether the voice was pleasant or not; it just left a tightness in your chest, a feeling of wanting to say something, but not knowing what to say.

She turned over in frustration.

Some issues she didn't want to face started running through her mind.

She initially brought Lin Buyi to her side simply because she wanted something new.

A handsome but poor junior student, stubborn to the extreme, was gradually forced to submit by her money. Watching that cold face change from resistance to compromise, and from compromise to resignation—that sense of conquest gave her a great sense of satisfaction.

She enjoyed the feeling.

But during this time, things slowly began to deviate from her planned course.

He started having things to do.

He practiced guitar, sang, and participated in competitions. He was no longer like he was when he first arrived—having nothing but her.

Su Nianwei didn't like this feeling.

It's not anger. It's not jealousy.

It's unease.

What if he actually wins the championship?

What if he actually gets that five million?

Does that mean he doesn't need her anymore?

Will he pay back the money he owes her, then leave the villa and her life without looking back?

The moment the thought crossed her mind, Su Nianwei's chest tightened.

She immediately cursed herself in her mind.

What kind of championship can he win? An amateur who doesn't even have the basic skills, a contestant who was vetoed twice, what makes him think he can win a championship?

She forcefully suppressed the thought.

He rolled over.

He turned over again.

Can't sleep.

……

the next morning.

Lin Buyi woke up around 6 a.m. He was very tired, but his biological clock had been adjusted during the intense training over the past few days, and he automatically opened his eyes at 6 a.m.

He sat up quietly and glanced to the side.

Su Nianwei was still asleep. But her sleeping posture was messy; the blanket was half off, one arm was draped over the pillow, and her hair was disheveled. She looked completely different from the always impeccably groomed woman she was when she was awake.