Zhou Tao gave Ye Chen and Zhu Peng a ticket each and grinned. "One apiece. Pretty generous of me, huh?"
"More than generous! I'm gonna dress sharp and practice the songs until I know them by heart. If the camera happens to swing my way, I'll even be able to sing along," Zhu Peng said cheerfully, taking the ticket.
Zhou Tao was just as excited. "I'll finally get to see Su Ningwei in person. I'll be so happy I'll wake up smiling from my dreams."
"If I could have a meal with the goddess Su Ningwei, I could die without regrets," Zhu Peng said, gazing longingly at his ticket.
Zhou Tao rolled his eyes at him. "Keep dreaming. You'll be lucky to catch a glimpse of her from far away, and you're talking about having dinner together? Maybe you could work something out at a signing event. At least then you'd get to see her up close."
"Haha, I'm just imagining things. I'll be more than happy just to see the concert," Zhu Peng replied with a grin.
"..."
Ye Chen took the ticket. The concert was scheduled for three months later.
Looking at Su Ningwei's stunning face on the ticket, he recalled the passionate encounter the night before and felt his heart race. The ticket seemed to burn in his hand.
I can't let my mind run wild. There's no way that woman last night was Su Ningwei.
By the time the sky had gone completely dark,
Cheng Tong finally returned to the dorm, supporting his aching back.
When Ye Chen saw him, he hurried over with concern. "How are you? Was everything okay last night?"
"Don't even ask. Rich people sure know how to have a good time. I'm practically a limp-wristed dandy now. My iron rod's almost been ground into a needle. Good thing you left first." Cheng Tong made his way to his bed and collapsed onto it, answering feebly.
Ye Chen frowned. "Want me to buy you some Liuwei Dihuang pills?"
"No need. I'll be fine after some sleep. I'm exhausted, but I made a good amount of money last night. You got yours, right?" Cheng Tong asked with a grin.
Ye Chen nodded. "I did. Thanks for last night. I've already paid you back the money I borrowed before."
"What are you thanking me for? I promised I'd make sure you got out in one piece. You didn't have to rush to pay me back. Did you get enough for your dad's medical bills? If you didn't, I've got some money." Cheng Tong said.
"It should be enough," Ye Chen said gratefully.
Cheng Tong rubbed his eyes. "Good. If you run into trouble, remember to tell me. I'm exhausted, so I'm going to sleep for a while."
Ye Chen felt a warm glow inside. The greatest thing he'd gained from college was probably meeting his three good brothers, Cheng Tong, Zhu Peng, and Zhou Tao.
Nine months passed in the blink of an eye.
Ye Chen and the others never got to see the Rose Girl Group's concert. Apparently, the concert was canceled because of lead singer Su Ningwei's health, and she even paid a huge penalty before leaving the group and retiring from public life.
The system still hadn't made a sound.
With the medical expenses covered, Ye Chen's father, Ye Dashan, received treatment in time and regained consciousness.
Unfortunately, it had been pitch-black the night of the accident, and Ye Dashan hadn't gotten a good look at the car that hit him—let alone remembered its license plate.
Ye Dashan's leg had been left with lasting damage, making it hard for him to walk. He still needed regular rehabilitation at the hospital, so he couldn't return to his old job as a truck driver.
Ye Chen opened a fruit shop in his hometown of Mountain City and left his parents to run it. At least it brought in some income.
Ye Yao got into college.
The more than five hundred thousand yuan in Ye Chen's account went toward his father's follow-up surgery, repaying the money he had borrowed, Ye Yao's college tuition, and opening the fruit shop...
It was just like they said: money flowed away like water and never went far enough. In only a few months, it was nearly gone.
Ye Dashan's continued rehabilitation would cost more, and the fruit shop was still new, with only average business.
Most of the burden of supporting the family fell on Ye Chen.
Life was still tight and hectic, but it was a little easier than before.
Since he thought there would be more opportunities in a big city, Ye Chen stayed in Magic City to look for work.
After graduating, Ye Chen realized that before a music student made a name for himself, it was hard to find a stable, well-paid job without connections, backing, or real talent.
Besides writing online and taking commercial performance gigs, Ye Chen was also sending out résumés everywhere, hoping to find something more stable and better paid.
As it turned out, college graduates earned less than delivery runners at the job fair.
As for a chance like that jewelry show he'd worked at before, he was unlikely to come across another one.
At the job fair,
an employee from a company glanced at Ye Chen's résumé and casually tossed it onto a tall stack.
"I'll keep your résumé. Go home and wait to hear from us," the employee said arrogantly.
Ye Chen had a stack of résumés in his arms and was about to head to the next company when his phone rang.
The number was unfamiliar.
Thinking it might be a job interview call, Ye Chen quickly answered.
"Hello, is this Ye Chen?" A sweet, anxious female voice came through the phone.
"Yes, it's me."
"Could you come to the third-floor operating room at Good Pregnancy Maternity Hospital right away?"
Good Pregnancy Maternity Hospital? Wasn't that the best private maternity hospital in the city?
Ye Chen suddenly had a flash of insight. He remembered the girl from the elevator.
Could it be that one night have led to a pregnancy, and I'm about to be a dad?
But wasn't pregnancy supposed to last ten months?
Ye Chen took a deep breath and asked in a low voice, "Who is this? Why do you want me to go to Good Pregnancy Maternity Hospital?"
"I'm Su Ningwei's best friend. Su Ningwei's about to give birth, and the baby is yours. She's having a difficult labor and could be in danger. Can you come right away?" The voice on the other end grew more and more frantic.
"Okay, I'll be right there." Hearing that, Ye Chen's heart leaped into his throat.
He really was going to be a father.
Wait, who was giving birth?
Su Ningwei was giving birth?
The baby was his?
Which Su Ningwei?
As Ye Chen headed out of the job fair, he asked, "Wait, which Su Ningwei are you talking about?"
"Of course I mean Su Ningwei, the lead singer of the Rose Girl Group! Who else have you slept with? Weiwei hasn't had any other men besides you. Do you know how much she's done for you? Nine months ago, if you hadn't done that to Weiwei..." The person on the other end grew angrier with every word.
"No, don't get the wrong idea. Su Ningwei is the only woman I've been with, too. I just wanted to make sure. I'm already in a taxi. I'll be there soon." Ye Chen climbed into a taxi, his heart pounding.
He could still vividly remember the blood that night, and Su Ningwei had never had a single scandal since her debut.
Given Su Ningwei's circumstances, she could easily raise the child on her own. And no one who had Su Ningwei could possibly refuse to take responsibility.
Ye Chen had no reason to doubt that the baby she was carrying was his.
Since the baby was his, Ye Chen would take responsibility to the very end.
"That's more like it. Hurry up!" Only then did the person on the other end end the call, satisfied.
Ye Chen's mind was in turmoil. He couldn't believe that it really was Su Ningwei, lead singer of the Rose Girl Group. So that night hadn't been his imagination after all.
No wonder Su Ningwei had suddenly left the group and retired from public life. She'd been pregnant.
He'd actually been with his idol for the first time.
The feeling was impossible to put into words.
It was just like a dream.
On the way, short on cash, Ye Chen messaged Cheng Tong and asked to borrow fifty thousand yuan.
Ye Chen figured that fifty thousand yuan should cover the hospital stay and childbirth expenses.
Knowing how hard things were for Ye Chen, Cheng Tong didn't ask questions. He transferred the fifty thousand yuan straight away.
Even the strongest man was helpless without money.
You didn't need a lot of friends.
Having one or two like Cheng Tong, who'd stand by you through anything and lend a hand when you were down, was more than enough.