The Panicked Ex-Girlfriend

Song Dao didn't stay for the evening party. Instead, he slung his guitar over his back and walked out of the auditorium.

It was still early, so he planned to swing by the dorm and grab a few things.

The original owner had already rented an apartment off-campus.

He'd intended it as a love nest for him and his girlfriend.

And Miao Xiu? She'd visited plenty of times, but only to eat better—she'd never once stayed the night.

A young guy couldn't help but have thoughts, but Miao Xiu always said she wanted to save the most precious thing for their wedding night.

Forget playing poker; even a kiss was met with strong resistance.

The original owner was naive. Though it stung, he even felt a flicker of secret delight: My girlfriend is so pure...

But to a seasoned player like Song Dao, wasn't this just her not loving him while stringing him along, enjoying his kindness without a shred of guilt?

Once she'd drained him dry, she'd kick him to the curb without mercy.

Oh, so pure—like a white lotus...

And those memories of money flowing like water? He didn't want to think about them at all.

Simple reason: it pissed him off!

Even from a third-person perspective, it was infuriating!

Walking through the campus, familiar yet strange, breathing in the night air—hot but fresh—Song Dao felt refreshed.

Over there, he had nothing.

The original owner was also an orphan, with no ties.

After cutting ties completely with his ex-girlfriend Miao Xiu, from now on, the sea was wide for the fish to leap, the sky high for the birds to fly.

Music was dead?

No future, no hope?

Singers could only cover old songs?

New-generation songwriters had no fame, were looked down on, couldn't make a living, and writing songs was worse than delivering food?

That was before I showed up with the system!

The dorm was silent, completely empty.

Everyone was probably at the auditorium watching the show.

Song Dao packed up a few things and left.

At eight in the evening.

He returned to the rented apartment off-campus, turned on the computer, and prepared to upload the song—already registered by the system—to the music platform.

But his phone suddenly buzzed with a video call.

He glanced at the name.

—Baby.

Damn, forgot to delete it.

He hung up without hesitation.

Opened the communication app "Carrier Pigeon," similar to Earth's WeChat.

Deleted the friend, blocked the number. The whole process was smooth and seamless.

On the other side.

Miao Xiu froze on the spot!

Her eyes went wide, her face full of disbelief.

Just moments ago, someone had sent her photos and videos of Song Dao sitting on stage singing.

The guy was still so handsome!

She had to admit, her taste wasn't bad.

If Song Dao weren't good-looking, no matter how much he groveled, no matter how many years he licked her boots, she wouldn't have agreed—he wouldn't even have qualified as a backup lover.

When she opened the video, there was even a hint of indescribable smugness in her heart.

—See? I told you, that's just the kind of person he is!

"So childish. Even after all this, he thinks he can win me back with this?"

"But the world doesn't work the way you think!"

The next moment, she froze.

The words on the big screen behind him were too stark, too glaring—

See Through Love, See Through You!

As Song Dao sang, lines of lyrics flashed across the screen in the Central Conservatory Grand Auditorium, and Miao Xiu's mentality instantly shattered.

"He's gone too far—he's trying to destroy me!"

Someone who could know so clearly what they wanted at this age was naturally more mature than their average peers.

Miao Xiu, quickly calming herself down, was a bit frightened.

Once this song became popular and the news that she was Song Dao's girlfriend spread beyond their circle, she would be finished!

This song would become a label, following her for the rest of her life!

She wasn't an ordinary person who could hide herself away.

She was someone who was going to be a star!

And this song would become her biggest scandal—the more famous she became, the more people would stab her in the back!

Even now, there was that bitch in her dorm stabbing her in the back.

Eating her snacks for four years, only to turn around and expose her on the campus forum.

What about later?

The image of a gold-digger who sold love for money would plunge her into an abyss of no return.

She took a deep breath, struggling to calm her shattered emotions for a long time, intending to call Song Dao.

Not to yell or interrogate, but to hope for a proper talk.

She'd tell a small lie to explain, and give Song Dao a little hope.

At worst... at worst, she'd secretly give herself to him once!

Let him, for the sake of all those years of liking her, come out at the right time to clarify.

—Miao Xiu and I are just ordinary classmates; that song wasn't written for her, just artistic creation!

As for whether anyone would believe it, that didn't matter.

After all, only people inside the Music Conservatory knew they had been dating.

If the person involved denied it, what more could others say?

The stuff online... that was all just rumors.

—Start with a picture, make up the rest.

That kind of thing wasn't new at all.

But when she dialed the number, she was blocked!

"You narrow-minded piece of shit, you're so petty! Was it worth it? What good does destroying me do you?!"

The delicate and pretty Miao Xiu completely broke down.

She couldn't help but curse.

She was truly panicked.

Just then, the hotel room door opened, and a potbellied middle-aged man, reeking of alcohol, walked in with a smile.

"Baby, did you get tired of waiting? I specifically told them not to drink too late—someone's waiting for me!"

"Honey!" Miao Xiu burst into tears.

The middle-aged man was instantly stunned.

Ten minutes later.

Lu Wen, senior vice president of Times Media, after listening to Miao Xiu's tearful account of the whole story, showed no anger on his face.

Instead, he frowned, sitting there lost in thought.

"Honey, what do I do? Song Dao is too ruthless—he's trying to destroy me. If this gets out, what will I do?"

Miao Xiu sobbed.

She was a bit tired from crying now, her hair disheveled, her almond-shaped eyes red and swollen with tears, looking pitifully at the middle-aged man.

What was that saying?

To be alluring, dress in mourning?

This kind of young, tender, pretty girl, with pear blossoms in the rain, had a unique charm.

Lu Wen, who had just finished a social engagement and had drunk a little but not much, suddenly felt in the mood.

Waving his hand dismissively, he said casually, "It's no big deal, baby, come here. Let's take care of business first—leave this to me!"

Four minutes later.

Lu Wen, fresh from the shower and wrapped in a towel, wore a look of post-coital clarity as he stared at Miao Xiu, who was curled up in the blanket, dazed.

"If this doesn't cause much of a stir, just ignore it. We'll take it step by step. I'll arrange for you to join a crew, start as a small actor—it's simple to make you famous!"

Miao Xiu pursed her lips, still somewhat lost.

"If it makes a big impact, then we'll start streaming right away!"

Lu Wen seemed eager for this to happen.

He even looked at Miao Xiu with some excitement.

"Huh? Start streaming? Become an internet celebrity?" Miao Xiu thought to herself, wouldn't I just get torn apart by the haters?

"What's wrong with being an internet celebrity? Times have changed, sweetheart. Those A-list stars, music industry Heavenly Kings and Queens, retired world champions, big shots from every field... plenty of them stream online!"

Lu Wen looked at Miao Xiu: "Did you do something wrong? You just broke up with an ex-boyfriend you didn't love. Isn't it normal for young people to get together and break up? When you're in the livestream, you can play the victim, and I'll arrange some bots to trash that kid, say he's narrow-minded, ruining you this way, morally corrupt!"

"Trust me, those idiots online have no judgment—they're all sheep following the herd!"

"Remember, black fame is still fame! These days, as long as you're tied to traffic, it's a nonstop stream of cash! I'll give you a push, and you'll definitely blow up!"

"Then you'll live in a mansion, drive a luxury car, use the best makeup, get the finest beauty treatments, buy the most expensive bags—what others say, can it affect your glamorous life?"

"But..." Miao Xiu hesitated.

"No buts!" Lu Wen said with authority, "Don't tell me you still have feelings for him? No way, you never even slept together, how could there be any leftover feelings? It's settled. A little brat who's never been beaten down by society—if I want to mess with him, I've got ten thousand ways to do it."

After deleting his ex-girlfriend's contact info, Song Dao thought about his future career path.

His original body's parents had gone to visit his maternal grandfather in Yuezhou when he was in his senior year of high school. They got caught in a landslide, the road washed out, and their car fell off a cliff—both died.

His grandparents were so heartbroken they passed away in the following years.

The only family left were his maternal grandparents and an uncle. Every time they met, it inevitably reminded him of his parents, adding to the grief.

So over the years, he hadn't had much contact with them.

Now that he was a different person, with his current mindset, he wanted to live undisturbed, in a way that suited him.

Sing some songs, make some money, travel around and see the world.

Living a second life, he wanted it to be easier, freer.

So he planned to upload this song to a music platform as an independent musician.

The original body had been drained too dry—he needed to recover quickly.

Even though this was an era of entertainment to the death, for talented musicians, making money to support themselves was still more convenient than in the past.

He'd see later if he needed to find a company for backing.

After all, going solo meant taking on a lot of risks and challenges, and required strong self-management and marketing skills.

Just then, a system prompt appeared before his eyes—

[Current heat has reached 100,000, converted to 100,000 reputation. Reward host with Bronze Treasure Chest x1]

[Congratulations, host, on successfully passing the beginner phase. From now on, heat and reputation will convert at a 100:1 ratio]

[Lottery function unlocked. 5,000 reputation per draw. Prizes to be discovered by the host. Songs obtained from treasure chests have been automatically registered for copyright and cannot be gifted]

[The system may trigger tasks at any time. Some tasks must be completed as required by the host. Failure will result in a deduction of reputation]

Song Dao was slightly stunned.

He wasn't surprised the video might have been uploaded to apps similar to Earth's Douyin or Kuaishou.

Based on his memory, it should be "Audio-Visual" and "My Show."

But the system notifying him that the heat had exceeded 100,000 so quickly—that surprised him.

He checked the time. It was only 8:20.

It had only been a little over an hour since he finished singing.

In such a short time, it was hard for anything to go viral. Yet over 100,000 people had already watched it?

Had someone paid to boost the traffic?

Were people these days really that bored?

What truly excited him was the unexpected gain!

His earlier Primary Variable Voice and Advanced Guitar Skills had already shown him the system's power.

As for the system reminding him that songs couldn't be gifted?

Unnecessary. Was I ever that generous?

For now, he ignored everything else and silently commanded in his mind.

"Open the treasure chest!"

A beautifully crafted bronze treasure chest appeared before him, slowly opening.

"Quite the ceremony," Song Dao muttered to himself.

Then the chest dissolved into text.

[From the Slobber Song Library...]

Song Dao saw the song title, froze for a moment, then slowly widened his eyes, his expression screaming, "Are you kidding me?"

"This is supposed to be a slobber song?"