On the way to the airport, Shen Qiong had initially planned to accompany his younger sister all the way to school, but Shen Shi complained that round-trip plane tickets were too expensive and wouldn't let him come along.
"Your brother isn't short on money, okay? My little sister got into the Shanghai Drama Academy. How could I not take you to school?" Shen Qiong protested.
"No!" she said firmly.
Shen Qiong frowned. "The three essentials for starting college—you can buy them once you get to school. I'll send you some money in a bit."
"What three essentials?" She blinked.
"A phone, a tablet, and a laptop! I didn't get that kind of treatment when I was in school, so of course I want the best for my little sister."
Shen Shi shook her head. "No need! My phone's still working fine. I can use my old computer."
Shen Qiong realized he really was worrying over nothing. He smiled wryly. "All right. I'll send you the money anyway. Buy whatever you like. Makeup and things like that can be pretty expensive."
"Oh, there's no need! Your little sister isn't making a living off her looks." Because of her family's circumstances, Shen Shi had already gotten used to saving money.
Shen Qiong smiled. "I know! My little sister's going to be a great writer and screenwriter someday. But you should still dress up. Your fans will be screaming, 'Wow! Shen Shi is so pretty! She could make a living off her looks, but she chose to rely on her talent instead!'"
"Haha!" Shen Shi laughed at her brother's goofy expression.
"Study hard once you get to school, okay? And there's one most important thing!!!" Shen Qiong said solemnly.
Shen Shi looked at him curiously. "The most important thing?"
"Beware of fire, beware of thieves, and beware of upperclassmen..." Shen Qiong recited the popular saying from the internet.
She giggled. "It's not that bad!"
Shen Qiong knew that the start of each school year was prime time for upperclassmen to trick freshmen girls. He said righteously, "Anyway, if any ill-intentioned upperclassman approaches you, stay on your guard."
She smiled faintly. "Got it!"
"By the way, bro, come home and spend time with Mom when you can. I won't be able to stay home once I start college, and she'll be all alone. She must get lonely." Shen Shi spoke up.
Shen Qiong fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
Shen Shi suddenly smiled. "If you brought your girlfriend home, she'd be even happier."
Shen Qiong rolled his eyes at her. "Do I look like someone who can't find a girlfriend?"
"Oh! So you have a girlfriend after all! Come on, let me see..." Shen Shi exclaimed excitedly.
Shen Qiong's forehead was covered in black lines. "Uh, not at the moment."
"Ah!"
"Just not at the moment! At the moment!" Shen Qiong hurriedly explained.
Shen Shi covered her mouth and giggled. "It's okay. Once I get to school, I'll introduce you to some girls. I hear the Shanghai Drama Academy has lots of pretty girls!"
Shen Qiong rolled his eyes and glared at the little brat. "What are you thinking? Your brother puts his career first, so he doesn't have time to mess around with anything else."
Shen Shi looked at him skeptically. "Seriously? You're always bragging, so now I can't tell which things you say are true and which are lies."
Shen Qiong was speechless. Which of the things I say isn't true?
"It's all true, okay!" Shen Qiong retorted.
Shen Shi turned her little face toward him. "You make tens of thousands a month? That's definitely a lie."
"It's true!"
"You hired someone to run the shop and pay them over ten thousand a month? I don't believe it."
"It's true."
After trading lines like that, they finally arrived at the airport.
Only after seeing his younger sister onto the plane did Shen Qiong truly realize that she had grown up and was leaving his side to spread her wings.
Beep, beep, beep! His phone rang!!!
"Shen Qiong, when are you opening the shop? The appointment calls are going through the roof!" Ren Tianxue complained angrily.
"Isn't that what I have you for?" Shen Qiong grinned.
"Hmph! If I hadn't kept everyone waiting, you'd have lost a lot of money today," Ren Tianxue grumbled.
He really had forgotten to give her a heads-up. He gave an awkward laugh. "I'm heading back right now. I'm at the airport seeing my younger sister off."
"You have a younger sister?" Ren Tianxue asked curiously.
Shen Qiong's face darkened. "Of course, and she's prettier than you," he said deliberately.
"Oh, really? I don't believe that for a second!" she teased.
"Believe whatever you want! For a handsome guy like me, it's only natural that my little sister would be prettier than you." Shen Qiong said it without batting an eye.
Ren Tianxue burst out laughing. "Shen Qiong, do you have no shame?"
While Shen Qiong was "flirting" with the girl, he had no idea that his offhand remark had prompted Fang Yongkang to actually visit the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion and make an appointment as directed by the notice board.
After Fang Yongkang got home yesterday, he'd searched online for information about Master Shen. He discovered that Master Shen could even tell what talents someone had. In the past, he would have scoffed and dismissed it as a scam. He never would have believed it.
Could someone really figure out what talents another person had? That sounded way too fake!
In ancient times, people had a custom of letting children make a choice on their first birthday. They would place a pile of objects in front of the child—books, pens, money, food, knives, swords, and all sorts of other things.
The child could pick whatever they wanted, and the object they chose represented the path they would take in the future.
But as history rolled on, many places stopped believing in that custom.
Even so, Master Shen sounded so mysterious that Fang Yongkang thought he was worth a try. Even if it was only for peace of mind, he wanted to have his fortune told.
If it turned out he really wasn't suited to singing, then... then he'd just keep loving it in secret!
Fang Yongkang hummed to himself in his room.
"Rather than stay in a world where you don't want me, I'd rather forget you completely."
"Everyone knows that makes sense, and it's easy to say, but when you're in too deep, you still refuse to admit it."
"I'd rather stay within a few miles of you. If I can't get my heart back, then I'll give it to you."
"Because I love you, and it has nothing to do with you..."
His voice was hoarse, as if it carried a natural melancholy that drew listeners into his emotional world before they even realized it.
On a forum called Song Dream, countless people with the same dream gathered to chat about all kinds of things and share the songs they loved.
There was another kind of person, too: they recorded themselves singing and shared the recordings on the forum, hoping to get support from others.
"Within a Few Miles" was one of Fang Yongkang's favorite songs. He had saved up two months' worth of living expenses to upgrade his computer's sound card and buy a microphone. Now, he could finally upload the song.
He logged into his account carefully. As soon as he got on, he saw messages from fans asking why he hadn't recorded anything lately.
Fang Yongkang typed, "Thank you all for your support. If it weren't for you, I might have given up on this path long ago."
"I've spent a long time getting this song ready. I hope you like it!"
From struggling alone at the start to having more than a thousand fans, Fang Yongkang still couldn't calm down after uploading the song. He was afraid he hadn't sung it well and would disappoint them.
About half an hour later, the first comment appeared beneath the song.
"Awesome! I've always loved this song. You gave it a different kind of feeling. Keep it up!"
Fang Yongkang grinned. Just having one listener support him already made him happy.
Before you continue