A Good Deed for the Day

"You're a singer too?" Li Fei looked at Zhao Yu in surprise.

"No, it's just a hobby." Zhao Yu took Li Fei's guitar and plucked at the strings, tuning it.

To be honest, he wasn't some saint, but seeing someone like Li Fei while he was feeling sentimental reminded him of his former self.

Though he hadn't been a folk singer like Li Fei, there had been times when he couldn't afford food and had been forced to go hungry.

Back then, it was only because someone had helped him that Zhao Yu had barely managed to pull through.

He could tell that although the man before him was struggling, he still held on to his own convictions.

Zhao Yu didn't intend to say much to him. As long as Li Fei figured out how he wanted to move forward, that was enough. Zhao Yu merely wanted to pass on that spirit of helping others.

"What are you going to sing?" Li Fei asked casually.

"Chengdu..." Zhao Yu answered without looking up.

This was a folk song Zhao Lei had made popular in 2017, one about the city of Chengdu.

But he had no idea whether this song had become popular in this parallel world, especially since this place wasn't even called Chengdu now.

"Chengdu?" Li Fei mulled over the title. After a while, he finally recalled that Chengdu had once nearly been given that name.

But there didn't seem to be a song like that, did there? Li Fei didn't remember any singer having written one.

Was it an original song? But hadn't Zhao Yu said it was just a hobby?

While Li Fei was still puzzled, Zhao Yu had already strummed the strings and begun to sing.

"What makes me shed tears is more than last night's wine. What makes me reluctant to leave is more than your tenderness..."

His voice was calm yet powerful, unfolding like a story. Li Fei couldn't help being drawn in by Zhao Yu's singing.

The passersby around them also stopped in their tracks at the sound of Zhao Yu's voice.

They had never heard this song before, yet its lyrics seemed to depict everyone's everyday life.

"That sounds so good..." a girl murmured.

And he was pretty handsome too. Looking at Zhao Yu's profile, the girl blushed and secretly took out her phone to record him.

"The lyrics sound so familiar. Is he singing about Chengdu?" one of the onlooking boys quietly asked his friend.

"Probably not? Didn't he sing Chengdu?"

"You'll hold onto my sleeve, and I'll tuck my hands into my pockets. We'll walk to the end of Yulin Road and sit outside the little tavern." Zhao Yu's singing continued.

"He mentioned Yulin Road. It's definitely Chengdu!" the boy declared with certainty.

"But isn't he singing about Chengdu?" his friend still couldn't let it go.

"You kids don't understand. Chengdu used to be called Chengdu too," an auntie in the crowd answered him in a thick Sichuan accent.

As the lyrics continued, the onlookers seemed to recall their own memories of this city, and nostalgic expressions appeared on their faces.

Li Fei, who was recording nearby, thought of the girlfriend who had always supported him. Once upon a time, he too had walked through every corner of Chengdu with her.

This place was filled with memories of his girlfriend. Could he really leave just like that without regret? Li Fei couldn't help wondering.

Soon, the song came to an end, and Zhao Yu stopped playing.

The surrounding audience burst into applause, and the guitar case was quickly filled with bills.

"Wait! He's not busking..." Li Fei was about to say something, but the crowd cut him off.

"That was amazing! Sing another one, handsome!" the girl at the very front shouted without hesitation.

"Another one, man!" the others around her echoed.

"No, I'm just playing around." Zhao Yu shook his head, then looked at Li Fei.

"This guy is the one who sings here. He sings pretty well too, so everyone can give him a listen."

A flicker of surprise appeared on Li Fei's face. Only then did he understand that Zhao Yu had sung to draw an audience for him.

"Really?"

"I think I heard him earlier. He sounded pretty good too, didn't he?"

"Why don't we let him sing and see?"

The audience began discussing it. They had been drawn over by Zhao Yu, but they couldn't force him if he didn't want to sing, could they?

Still, since he was here, he must have come with that young man beside him. Once that young man finished singing, they could ask Zhao Yu to sing again, right?

Most of the audience shared that thought. For a moment, no one left, and they simply waited for Li Fei to begin.

Li Fei took the guitar from Zhao Yu with trembling hands and whispered in his ear, "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"It's fine. Do your best..." Zhao Yu patted him on the shoulder and stepped into the crowd.

"Next, I'd like to sing one of my original songs. I hope you'll like it." Li Fei bowed to the crowd and began performing.

Before long, the audience's attention was drawn to him, and Zhao Yu quietly slipped away.

"Thank you all for stopping to listen. Thank you!" After the song ended, Li Fei bowed to everyone again.

"That was pretty good."

"It wasn't as well written as that other guy's song, but it still sounded nice!"

"Keep it up, young man!"

As the audience put money into the guitar case, they praised Li Fei.

"Can that handsome guy sing another song?" the girl from earlier asked.

Li Fei instinctively looked toward where Zhao Yu had been standing, only to discover that he had already left.

"Sorry, everyone. I don't actually know him either. It seems he's already gone..." Li Fei explained apologetically, telling the audience how he had met Zhao Yu.

"So that's what happened."

"That young man really is a good person..."

"Don't give up either! I think you can definitely make it!"

The audience praised Zhao Yu while offering Li Fei words of encouragement.

"Thank you... thank you!" Li Fei choked up slightly. This was the greatest kindness he had received in a long time.

After the crowd gradually dispersed, Li Fei looked at the guitar case full of bills, a complicated expression on his face.

He had actually planned to give all the money to Zhao Yu, since Zhao Yu had drawn in the audience.

But Zhao Yu's departure ruined that plan, so Li Fei could only take the money home.

"I'll consider it a loan from you. If we ever meet again, I'll definitely pay you back," Li Fei muttered to himself.

"A Fei! You're here!" A girl's voice came from not far away.

"Xiao Yan? Why are you here?" Li Fei looked at the girl, his expression slightly awkward.

"If I hadn't come, how would I have known you were busking on the street?"

Xiao Yan crossed her arms angrily, but then softened and took off the scarf around her neck, wrapping it around his.

"Look at you. You're freezing like an idiot."

As she straightened Li Fei's clothes, Xiao Yan muttered to herself.

"Xiao Yan, how about we go back home?" Li Fei held Xiao Yan's hand and spoke softly.

"Huh? Didn't you say you wanted to chase your dreams? Why are you giving up now?" Xiao Yan's eyes widened.

"I just think I've treated you too unfairly..." Li Fei was about to explain when Xiao Yan cut him off.

"Shut your mouth! I've been with you all this time not because I wanted to enjoy an easy life. I'm with you because I like you, and that's why I'm willing to chase your dream with you. Do you understand?" Xiao Yan said angrily.

Zhao Yu's song echoed in his mind, and Li Fei recalled when they had first arrived in Chengdu.

He had thought Xiao Yan liked this big city. Only now did he understand that what Xiao Yan had always liked was him.

Back then, he had even foolishly promised Xiao Yan that he would become famous and buy her a house in Chengdu afterward.

"Okay, I understand..." Li Fei pulled Xiao Yan into his arms.

"Then I'll give it another try. This time, I definitely won't let you down."

Meanwhile, in his studio apartment, Zhao Yu stretched lazily in satisfaction.

"I guess that counts as a good deed for the day, right? Time to sleep!"

Elsewhere, after returning to his rented place, Li Fei began busily working at his computer.

Xiao Yan watched him curiously. "What are you doing?"

"I met a kind person today. I want to upload a video of him singing to the Sound platform. I hope a singer like him doesn't get buried," Li Fei said, pointing at Zhao Yu playing guitar on the screen.

He felt that Zhao Yu, like himself, was an unknown folk singer. Someone like that would sooner or later become famous; he simply lacked exposure.

Since he had no way to give Zhao Yu any money, Li Fei could only express his gratitude in the simplest way he could think of.

The sleeping Zhao Yu had no idea that his casual act of kindness would make him famous.