Just because I wrote "Zhu Xian," the school beauty sent me razor blades.

Xu Nian held the bowl of noodles, lowered her head and ate in small bites, her movements as refined as if she were filming a delicious meal.

Lin Yuan, on the other hand, slurped the soup with incredible speed and skill, even finishing his bowl by draining the broth. He patted his stomach contentedly, saying, "That was satisfying. This bowl of noodles is worth more than the celebratory feast I had after signing the contract with Sister Fei."

Xu Nian's eyes crinkled with amusement: "Is that all you've got?"

"You don't understand," Lin Yuan leaned back, swaying casually in his chair, "Eating too much fancy food can actually lead to fatty liver. This kind of down-to-earth, everyday life is the true soul of a working person."

Lin Yuan took out his phone and checked the time; it was already past one o'clock.

He put his chopsticks on the table: "It's getting late, I have to catch the high-speed train home to report to my parents about my work in Beijing."

"So fast?"

Xu Nian was stunned for a moment.

"There's nothing I can do," Lin Yuan sighed. "The Empress Dowager has decreed that if I don't see her son soon, she'll come to the capital to investigate. For the sake of the capital's security, I'd better behave myself."

Xu Nian couldn't help but laugh out loud, took a mask out of her bag and put it on: "Then... shall I take you to the station?"

"No need," Lin Yuan waved his hand, "I need to go back to the hotel to pack my things first. Besides—" He deliberately dragged out his words, revealing a serious expression, "You're now a near-top-tier female singer about to release a new single. If the paparazzi catch you going in and out with a nobody like me, tomorrow's Weibo trending topic will be 'Tianxing Entertainment's female singer's underground relationship exposed.' At that time, Sister Fei will skin me alive."

Xu Nian blushed: "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Just kidding." Lin Yuan waved his hand, picked up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. "Let's go. Go back and practice your singing properly, don't slack off. We've got the number one spot on the August charts."

He said it casually, as if he were saying, "The weather will be nice tomorrow."

As Xu Nian watched his figure disappear into the noodle shop, a quiet warmth stirred within her.

At 3 p.m., Lin Yuan boarded the high-speed train home on time.

Three hours later, he stood at the entrance of his residential compound, dragging his suitcase.

The old residential building had peeling paint, and the motion-activated lights in the stairwell were intermittent. But Lin Yuan stood downstairs, looking up at the window with the light on, and a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.

This is what life is all about.

No matter how famous a composer or how prestigious a music chart, nothing beats a bowl of braised pork ribs made by mom at this moment.

He took out his keys and opened the door. Jiang Wanqing's voice drifted from the kitchen first: "Old Lin, go see if our son is back—"

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Yuan had already poked his head inside: "Empress Dowager, your rebellious son has returned to the palace."

The spatula in Jiang Wanqing's hand almost flew out of her hand.

"You brat!" she exclaimed, both surprised and delighted, her eyes welling up with tears. "Why didn't you tell me beforehand?"

"I wanted to surprise you." Lin Yuan pushed the box towards the door, took a deep breath, and said, "Mmm, it still smells like home."

In the living room, Lin Jianguo, the father, was reading the newspaper while wearing his reading glasses. Upon hearing this, he took off his glasses, sternly snorted, and said, "So you still know how to come back? I thought you'd become a high-ranking official in the capital and then abandon your family."

"Of course not," Lin Yuan grinned and leaned closer, "I just went out to earn some retirement money for you two."

"You?" Lin Jianguo glanced at him. "Just don't spend all your living expenses in Beijing and come back to sponge off your parents."

"Old Lin, you're being narrow-minded." Lin Yuan slumped onto the sofa, grabbed an apple, and took a bite. "Your son's trip this time wasn't about spending money, it's about making money."

Jiang Wanqing came out of the kitchen carrying dishes, giving him a disapproving look: "What kind of money can you possibly make? Are you working on a construction site carrying bricks?"

"Mom, what are you saying? Someone like me, who makes a living through talent, would go and do manual labor?" Lin Yuan sat up straight with a serious expression, cleared his throat, and said, "I'm officially informing you both that your son is now a senior composer signed with Tianxing Entertainment."

The air was silent for three seconds.

Lin Jianguo and Jiang Wanqing exchanged a glance, both with expressions that seemed to say, "Is this child suffering from heatstroke?"

"Tianxing Entertainment?" Jiang Wanqing asked hesitantly, "Is it that... company of that celebrity that's always on TV?"

"Yes, that's it." Lin Yuan nodded. "A top-tier entertainment company in China, with a ton of singers under its umbrella."

Lin Jianguo frowned: "When did you learn to write songs?"

"Dad, this is called talent awakening," Lin Yuan said earnestly. "It's like in a martial arts novel, where the protagonist falls off a cliff and finds a peerless martial arts manual. Mine is like taking a nap and suddenly having a breakthrough."

"Don't be so poor." Although Lin Jianguo didn't believe it aloud, the concern in his eyes was unmistakable. "Those big companies, aren't they scams? I've heard there are a lot of shell companies these days that specifically trick young people into signing contracts, only to make them lose money later."

"Don't worry, it's legitimate. I've carefully reviewed the contract." Lin Yuan pulled up a photo of the electronic contract on his phone and handed it to his father. "Look, it's all in black and white, with the official seal complete."

Lin Jianguo took the phone, took off his glasses and looked closely. Although he couldn't quite understand the technical terms, the four big characters "Tianxing Entertainment" and the bright red official seal certainly didn't look fake.

"Then... how much will you pay me?" Jiang Wanqing asked cautiously.

"An advance payment of 800,000," Lin Yuan mumbled, taking a bite of his apple. "There's also a share of the profits from the songs. If we can get to number one in August, Sister Fei said she'd give me an extra five percent."

"Eight hundred thousand?!"

Jiang Wanqing almost dropped the plate in her hand.

The newspaper in Lin Jianguo's hand was crumpled into a pretzel with a "whoosh".

The elderly couple gasped simultaneously.

"How much? How much?" Jiang Wanqing's voice cracked.

"Eight hundred thousand, after tax." Lin Yuan repeated, then added, "And this is just a prepayment. If the subsequent profit sharing goes up, buying two more apartments in this complex wouldn't be a problem."

Lin Jianguo opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a long time.

He worked as an ordinary laborer for half his life, saving every penny throughout the year, and his savings totaled only about 200,000 yuan. His son went out for a trip and came back telling him he'd earned 800,000 yuan?

"You...you didn't do anything illegal, did you?" Lin Jianguo finally managed to utter this question after a long pause.

Lin Yuan nearly choked on his apple: "Dad, does your son seem like that kind of person?"

"It doesn't seem like it." Lin Jianguo shook his head, then nodded, "But you're making money too fast; it makes me uneasy."

Jiang Wanqing finally realized what was happening, plopped down next to Lin Yuan, and her eyes reddened again: "My son has made something of himself... I knew it, my son has been smart since he was little, you know... exceptionally gifted!"

"Mom, you're getting better and better at using idioms." Lin Yuan said with a grin, putting his arm around her shoulder.

"Stop flattering me." Jiang Wanqing wiped her eyes, then remembered something, "By the way, what song did you write? Can I hear it?"

"It hasn't been released yet, mid-August," Lin Yuan said. "The singer is Xu Nian from Tianxing Media. You can search for it on music platforms when it's released; the song is called 'Summer Breeze.'"

"Okay," Jiang Wanqing nodded. "Mom will definitely listen to it then and see if my son's song is any good."

As she spoke, the corners of her mouth curled up again, her smugness barely concealed in her eyes: "So, can I tell people now that my son wrote songs for celebrities?"

"Absolutely." Lin Yuan gave a thumbs up. "Just wait and see, you'll become a household name in the square dancing community."

The family of three burst into laughter. Although Lin Jianguo still had a stern face, the corners of his mouth secretly curled up.

As dusk settled outside the window, the aroma of food filled the old living room.