Scorching the Pot Bottom

You little sister!

System, you're really a dog!

I was happy for nothing!

Song Dao wanted to curse his mother right now.

He originally thought that with two Silver Treasure Chests, he could at least get two pretty good songs.

But he had thought too much.

--Sona Intermediate.

--Dizi Intermediate.

Why are they skills?

And seriously, can you be any more malicious?

If you click on me, you have to play an instrument, right?

Filled with resentment, Song Dao furiously ranted in his mind.

Then he chose to use them.

His Sona and Dizi skills both advanced to Intermediate.

No joke, seriously, if someone handed him a Sona now, he could probably play a "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" that netizens would find hard to distinguish and experts would find expressionless...

What was the melody of "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" again?

Song Dao struggled to recall for a long time, only managing to remember a few melodies.

He cursed the dog system a few more times in his heart.

Only then did he turn his gaze to the two Golden Treasure Chests.

They weren't "premium," but based on his previous guess, Golden Treasure Chests should contain representative works of top-tier superstars or golden hits from Heavenly Kings and Queens.

He wondered what kind of songs they would be.

After silently chanting "open" in his mind, two lines of text appeared before Song Dao again.

Scar

Question

"It's the Heavenly Queen Lin's?"

Song Dao pondered Lin Fei's vocal timbre and singing skills, nodding silently.

Since she could easily handle a song like "Lovesickness," she actually possessed the ability to easily master all pop songs.

To put it immodestly, Lin Fei's current singing of pop songs was a downward compatibility, a dimensional reduction attack.

Her debut was her peak, and after five or six years of refinement, in a sense, it might not be a bad thing.

Looking at these two songs, Song Dao felt that for the time being, he was probably destined to just lie flat.

As a lyricist and composer, under the pen name "Water Strike Three Thousand," he could make Heavenly Queens make a comeback or help newcomers like Kong Xi undergo a complete transformation.

He could easily make a nobody like Hu Wei famous in between.

And as a singer-songwriter, using his real name "Song Dao," he could only sing those once popular but now considered cheesy pop songs.

System, you're something else!

July 26, 2025.

It had been a full month since Song Dao arrived in this world.

Today was a good day.

Hu Wei's ex-girlfriend was getting married.

On the stage, Zhang Qian, wearing a pure white wedding dress, was radiant.

She leaned happily and sweetly beside a middle-aged man of decent build.

This man was a vice president at Starry Sky Film and Television named Liang Hua.

He held a significant position in the industry.

He was the type of big shot whom even A-list celebrities would greet with respect and courtesy.

Even though it was her second marriage, many people considered Zhang Qian's marriage to him to be a definite step up.

However, Zhang Qian had maintained a good public image over the years.

She had only dated one boyfriend, and after their breakup, she focused on acting seriously and never caused scandals.

As for being kept by investors, that was out of the question.

She was a very cunning woman.

Even if she was kept back then, she maintained considerable caution and discretion.

She never used big-name luxury brands.

After meeting Liang Hua, she left the sugar daddy who had grown a bit tired of her without hesitation.

It was a mutually beneficial arrangement from the start, and both parties were satisfied with the outcome.

The only thing that felt like a pity was that Hu Wei actually became famous just as he was approaching the "advanced age" of thirty.

His rise to fame was sudden and caught her off guard, making her feel a bit dizzy.

She was no longer the innocent, ignorant young girl she once was; she had seen too much by the side of big shots over the years.

Naturally, she understood what Hu Wei's fame meant.

Commercials, endorsements, business performances, variety shows... Even if he only had the most basic newcomer contract in the industry, he could earn enough in a year to buy a nice house in a place as expensive as Jingcheng.

Not to mention he had signed with Feiyang Music Movement.

The boss, Lin Fei, was privately called a "disruptor" by many.

Famously generous!

She wasn't sure how Hu Wei's song contract was signed, but his agency contract with Feiyang definitely wouldn't give him less than a forty percent split.

The thought made her feel even worse.

In the eyes of outsiders, she had married into wealth and become a phoenix.

A small actress marrying a big shot in the industry.

From then on, not only would her career have the chance to soar, but her life would instantly become that of a rich wife.

But only she knew how difficult it actually was.

Being a stepmother, facing a strong father-in-law and mother-in-law as a young wife – these weren't major issues; she was confident she could handle them.

First of all, Liang Hua wasn't exactly great in bed.

As a woman nearing thirty, her desires were strong.

However, apart from the initial period of passionate love, his interest in her had recently become rather lukewarm.

He treated her well enough.

But he hoped she would stay home and take care of the family.

In Liang Hua's words: "Our family doesn't lack money, and we don't need you to earn a living. Just be a wealthy wife and do your job."

He even seemed less inclined to give her the leading role in the TV series he had previously promised her.

This wasn't what Zhang Qian wanted.

She wanted to be famous!

Having children was something she hadn't even considered.

So, standing on stage at this moment, facing the witty remarks of a certain famous host acting as the emcee.

Zhang Qian smiled brightly, but inwardly she was thinking: How long could this marriage last?

Later, during the toast, an incident occurred that made her extremely angry.

To be precise, it wasn't an accident.

As she, dressed in a bright red Xiuhe dress, toasted her own group of friends and family – her classmates from the Central Conservatory of Music.

Just as everyone stood up, a male student's phone suddenly rang—

"I'd rather watch you, sleeping so peacefully, than see you awake and heartlessly breaking apart. You say you want to escape, yet you're destined to settle down. Love is extinguished, passion has cooled, leaving an empty heart, do you want it or not..."

The sound was incredibly loud.

Like a knock-off phone from twenty years ago.

Hu Wei's highly recognizable hoarse voice, tinged with a hint of sadness and helplessness.

In the banquet hall, with soft background music playing, it had an extremely penetrating quality.

It was even a bit jarring.

Not just this table, but even people at the adjacent tables couldn't help but look over.

The male student fumbled, hung up with an embarrassed look, and raised his glass apologetically: "Sorry, sorry, I forgot to put it on silent."

The dozen or so people at the table, along with the Central Conservatory of Music students at the next table, all wore strange expressions.

They wanted to laugh but felt embarrassed, holding it all in.

The reason Zhang Qian believed it wasn't an accident was because this guy was very close to Hu Wei!

In school, they were the kind of buddies who could share the same pair of pants.

So this was clearly meant to humiliate her!

Unfortunately, her husband Liang Hua had no idea that his wife had a past relationship with Hu Wei.

He only knew that Zhang Qian had a boyfriend before, but he didn't know who it was specifically.

Seeing the other person's awkwardness, he even smiled to smooth things over, "This must be Hu Wei's well-intentioned but misguided effort, right? This guy is a late bloomer. Oh right, isn't he also from your Central Conservatory of Music?"

Everyone nodded with awkward smiles.

Zhang Qian's expression changed slightly and she said, "Hurry up and toast. Why so much nonsense?"

"Hahaha, okay, okay, come, thank you everyone..." On this joyous occasion, in front of his wife's classmates, Liang Hua was very accommodating.

Although this matter was smoothed over, no one would continue to disrupt the occasion.

But in Zhang Qian's heart, a thorn had been planted.

As Hu Wei became more and more popular, the affair between them would eventually be exposed.

But this was their wedding day, not the time to discuss this with her husband.

They would talk about it later!

Afterwards, during the toasting, she tried her best to maintain a smile.

Her heart, however, was in turmoil.

[How to describe my pain]

[I wrongly let go of your hand my whole life]

Is this meant to disgust me?

I'm not in pain!

So what if you're famous now?

This old lady is a billionaire now!

In Song Dao's new home.

Yan Yu and Lin Fei, two beautiful women, were cooking in the kitchen.

Hu Wei was helping out.

Kong Xi, who always caused more trouble than help, was kicked out and sat in the living room chatting with Song Dao.

"Master's new home is quite nice!"

With "Dark Sky" becoming a hit, Kong Xi respected Song Dao more and more, calling him "Master."

Song Dao had corrected her a few times to no avail, so he just let it be.

As long as the music royalties didn't change, he didn't care about anything else. He'd accept it even if she called him "Little Song."

"It's alright. The environment and property management are quite good."

"I'm also thinking of moving. The place I'm living in now was accidentally leaked by a classmate, and paparazzi are always watching." Kong Xi said unhappily.

"Accidentally leaked?" Song Dao glanced at her.

"Maybe...?" Kong Xi was a little unsure.

She wasn't stupid, just unwilling to think the worst of people.

"You should find a new place quickly," Song Dao said.

"I think Master's place is great," Kong Xi revealed her true intentions. "The neighborhood is very nice, it's close to Master, and I can come over and help Master tidy up whenever I have time."

"That's fine too," Song Dao nodded. Where she moved was her own business.

"But forget about helping me tidy up..."

This had nothing to do with his wariness of women; it was just that the "Somersault Cat" girl was... well, not very good at it.

Clumsy, she had just gone to help in the kitchen for three minutes and broke a plate and a bowl, so she was immediately kicked out.

He didn't even know what her own place looked like.

In the kitchen.

Yan Yu was showing off her skills.

Even with the range hood on, the aroma still wafted out.

It was hard to imagine how a rich second-generation who grew up in luxury had developed such good cooking skills.

Lin Fei was surprisingly just as good.

She could understand that.

Her parents divorced when she was young, and her mother raised her alone through hardship, so the chances of her being ignorant were very low.

Hu Wei was also capable, perfectly able to cook some home-style dishes.

A Heavenly Queen, a rich second-generation beauty, and a recently popular young singer cooking together.

This lineup was truly something else.

If they took a video of it and posted it, it would instantly hit the headlines.

Song Dao wasn't that bored, naturally.

He was a little flustered now.

Because Yan Yu had come with alcohol.

It was a housewarming tradition to liven things up and bring some energy to the place.

He didn't have many friends, nor did he want too many people to know his address.

He had only invited a few people close to him. His agent, Li Qingqing, would be here later. After seeking a few opinions, he had also called over Kang Peng, who had been in contact with him all along.

When Yan Yu arrived, she brought him a crystal horse figurine.

It was majestic and spirited in its design, and finely crafted.

It was likely from a major brand for next year's zodiac collection.

And Song Dao's zodiac sign was indeed the horse.

The "big sister" was thoughtful.

The problem was that she also brought two cases of alcohol.

One case of red wine, one case of white wine.

Of course, Hu Wei carried them in.

As soon as the "big sister" walked in, she declared they wouldn't leave until they were drunk that day.

If this had been any other place, Song Dao would have fled halfway through. But this was his home, there was nowhere to run!

What was worse, Hu Wei, for reasons unknown today, actually smiled and said, "Alright, we can drink until dawn."

It was Yan Yu who found an opportunity to tell him in secret.

"Hu Wei's ex-girlfriend is having her wedding today, he's in a bad mood. You, as his master, can't drop the ball..."