Chapter Sixty-Nine: An Elbow Strike Right Away
Hurriedly, he rushed to the company.
Zhang Huai glanced at his watch—only half an hour had passed. He nodded in satisfaction.
It seemed his son understood priorities after all.
“Take a look at this song. Practice it twice yourself first, get a feel for the emotions.”
“I’ll find a teacher for you—”
“No need. Teach what? Dad, don’t you trust me?” Zhang Yang interrupted Zhang Huai directly.
But as soon as he opened the score and glanced at it, his brows furrowed.
Seeing Zhang Yang's expression, Zhang Huai immediately understood what was going on.
“I’ll find someone for you. Go learn quickly and record the song!” Zhang Huai said irritably, then drove Zhang Yang out of the office.
I’ve been clever my whole life—how did I end up with such a foolish son?
…
The next day, Lin Ze opened his microblog private messages.
He saw a long list of people asking for songs.
“Sorry, sorry, the next song appointment will be half a month from now.”
A chorus of disappointed replies followed: “Looking forward to working together.”
Only Li Xiyan noticed Lin Ze had said “next song appointment,” which meant the previous one had already been taken.
“May I ask—who has the current appointment?”
“It’s Nan.”
“Chen Nan?”
“That’s right.”
Seeing Lin Ze's confirmation, Li Xiyan stared at her phone in a daze.
Right, right!
Last time, Chen Nan had pretended it was hard to imagine how Lin Ze would be in person.
If she guessed correctly, it must have been the day Chen Nan went to the venue.
Chen Nan, oh Chen Nan—so full of schemes!
Thinking this, Li Xiyan opened Chen Nan's chat.
“Chen Nan, Chen Nan, did you go to Lin Ze’s show the other day?”
Soon, Chen Nan replied.
“Hahaha, don’t tell anyone.”
“Alright then, I’ll go see him in half a month too. You keep it secret, and we’ll enjoy Lin Ze together!”
---
Without a second thought, Li Xiyan sent the message. Only after it was sent did she realize something was off.
She hurriedly tried to withdraw it, but just as she did, the other side sent a screenshot of her words.
“Treat me to dinner! Or I’ll send the screenshot to the entertainment reporters!” Chen Nan sent a mischievous smile.
“…Fine, you win.”
“Xiyan, have you rested enough? Come on!”
Hearing the call, Li Xiyan set her phone down and, gathering her skirt, ran over.
They were filming the MV for a duet—the male singer was Wu Qian, whose vocal skills were decent. He had a close friendship with Zhang Yang, mainly due to shared interests.
Wu Qian watched as Li Xiyan ran over, her skirt flowing, revealing glimpses of her pale calves.
Wu Qian unconsciously swallowed.
The MV was at the scene where they danced together. With gentlemanly composure, Wu Qian took her hand, placing his other hand on her slender waist, not shy about it at all.
He even pressed a little, his fingers absentmindedly pinching her waist.
Li Xiyan frowned but said nothing.
Her status was lower; better to avoid unnecessary trouble.
“Little Diva Li, the MV should be done today. Want to grab a drink after?”
Wu Qian flashed what he thought was a charming smile and whispered.
“No, thank you.”
“Don’t be like that. This is our first collaboration; who knows how many more there’ll be? For smooth cooperation, give me a little face.”
Wu Qian kept showing his roguish smile, leaning closer, exhaling smoke.
Li Xiyan frowned tightly, feeling nauseated as the smoke hit her face, making her eyes sting.
Her eyes watered; she blinked twice, eager to step aside and rub them.
Wu Qian thought she was flirting in return.
Just as Li Xiyan tried to retreat, Wu Qian pulled her waist toward him, puckering his lips for a kiss.
Her hand was on his shoulder; she couldn’t get enough distance for a slap.
His smoky mouth drew closer.
In desperation, Li Xiyan pushed Wu Qian with one hand, bending her other arm tightly with all her strength.
“Bang!”
With a dull thud, Li Xiyan landed an elbow right on Wu Qian’s mouth.
Wu Qian was stunned, his arms going limp. Li Xiyan broke free and quickly retreated.
Wu Qian’s tongue tasted blood; he realized his lips were scraped, wiped away a streak of skin, and rage surged.
“You little—”
---
Wu Qian raised his hand high, about to slap her. The surrounding staff reacted, quickly restraining him.
“Mr. Wu! Calm down, please!”
“Let go!”
“The cameras are rolling, Mr. Wu!”
Hearing the word “camera,” Wu Qian finally stopped, wiping the blood from his mouth.
“Fine, whatever, then stop filming!”
He shoved aside the two staff and his manager, strode to his chair, grabbed his jacket without bothering to change out of his costume, and headed for the studio exit.
“You…” Li Xiyan’s manager opened her mouth, “Oh, what happened? Why are you so impulsive?”
“That idiot tried to kiss me.”
Li Xiyan’s arm trembled with agitation.
“Don’t worry about me. Go get a copy of the video from just now.”
Now that it had happened, Li Xiyan grew calm.
Since things had already occurred, she must find a way to mitigate the impact.
Her manager understood at once. “Got it.”
The MV director was still fretting; the manager hurried over, taking advantage of the chaos to copy the footage.
If Wu Qian tried malicious editing later, they’d have evidence.
Li Xiyan braced herself for the coming storm, yet stubbornly remained where she was.
…
Lin Ze and Su Zitan had rested well for several days.
They occasionally browsed online, checking if the haters had invented any new insults.
Mostly, they just relaxed.
But after seeing that pile of props the other day, both felt a bit awkward. This had prevented anything substantial from happening.
For real progress, what mattered wasn’t props, but the right atmosphere.
They’d wait for another chance.
Zitanji’s assertive response, together with Lin Ze and Su Zitan’s sudden rise to fame, helped Zitanji overcome its difficulties. Thanks to the clothes the two wore on the show and later in competitions, Zitanji’s reputation had climbed even higher.