Page 15

"My parents meant for me to go straight into high school with my brother once we got there," Qin Yi said. Qin Zhenguo had already arranged another student record at Seventh Middle School. Once the high school entrance exam results came out, he would transfer it directly to J City.

"That's even better. How did you do on the entrance exam?" Chen Mingfang glanced at the watch on her wrist and asked casually.

"Not bad! My brother tutored me for several months, so I managed to answer most of the questions." Qin Yi pursed his lips and smiled.

"That's good." Chen Mingfang nodded with relief, seeming hesitant to speak. After a moment, she finally asked, "Did you write songs for an entertainment company in Hong Kong?"

"Huh?" Qin Yi was caught off guard by the question.

"A company called Huayu Entertainment. A man came by a few days ago claiming to be a staff member from Huayu Company. He said you'd written songs for them. You were taking the entrance exam at the time, so I didn't ask much. I didn't give him your home address either. Yesterday, he came again and said that if you showed up, I should call him..." By the end, Chen Mingfang looked a little awkward.

Qin Yi understood what had happened. Chen Mingfang had accepted something from that man and promised to contact him when Qin Yi came by, but she was also worried that he might be a bad person, which was why she had hesitated. Still, if Chen Mingfang had not brought it up, Qin Yi would have almost forgotten about it.

"If you don't know him, then I'll..." Chen Mingfang thought for a moment and began.

"There really was something like that. But I was just writing for fun back then. Then I took the entrance exam and forgot about it. Teacher, you know that starting next semester, I'll be going to high school in J City. I might never come back to school again, so that Huayu Company person..." Qin Yi spoke while looking at Chen Mingfang with an embarrassed expression.

Writing songs and entering the entertainment industry had only been for the sake of gaining Faith Power. Although Andre had found a better method, even a mosquito was still meat. Since he had promised Andre that he would help him, he had to give it his all.

"I see!" Chen Mingfang smiled in understanding. After pondering for a moment, she said, "Why don't you discuss it with your parents first? I heard entertainment people in Hong Kong can be very persistent. And a lot of unscrupulous companies force their newcomers to sign all kinds of messy contracts. You're still a child, so your studies should come first. Why don't you go home first? If you really want to do something, have that man talk in front of your parents. Your parents are both successful businesspeople who've seen the world, so listen to what they think! If that Huayu Company person comes again, I'll tell him to go to your house and find you."

"That works too. Thank you, Teacher. I'll be going now, Teacher Chen!" Qin Yi immediately stood up.

"All right. Remember to come back and visit your teacher when you have time." Chen Mingfang got up as well and saw Qin Yi out. She did not forget to remind him, "Be careful crossing the street, and go straight home!"

"Goodbye, Teacher!" Qin Yi obediently waved, then turned and headed down the stairs. As he rounded the corner, a powerful force suddenly slammed into him, knocking him back several steps before he fell onto the stairs. This was followed by a clattering sound as a whole stack of exercise books scattered across the ground.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. The homework was piled too high. I didn't see anyone in front of me."

"It's fine." Qin Yi stood up, brushed the dust from his clothes, and waved with a smile.

"I'm really sorry." The girl in front of him crouched to pick up the books as she looked up and spoke.

When Qin Yi saw the girl, he felt a strange sense of familiarity. Before he could think deeply about it, she had already gathered the exercise books and swept past him like a gust of wind, leaving only a sentence behind.

"I'm sorry, class is about to start. I have to go..."

Behind her, Qin Yi watched the girl's whirlwind-like departure, scratched his head, and turned around in confusion.

The class bell suddenly rang beside his ears. The campus, which had been bustling moments ago, abruptly fell silent. Shortly afterward, waves of reading drifted out from the classrooms. Listening to texts that had long sunk into the depths of his memories, Qin Yi walked toward the school gate. Only after stepping out of the gate did inspiration strike, and he stopped dead in his tracks.

That girl who had just brushed past him... wasn't she Qin Yi's first love before graduating elementary school in his previous life...?

Under the blazing sunlight, Qin Yi suddenly chuckled.

So this was how fate in this world... could be so wondrous.

That fleeting emotion inexplicably brightened Qin Yi's mood. He softly hummed Fish Leong's "It Wasn't You" as he walked home along the old street. He had not gone far when someone suddenly patted his shoulder. Before he could turn around, he heard a breathless voice beside his ear. "Excuse me... are you... An-Andre?"

??

Qin Yi turned around in bafflement. Behind him stood a tall, slender man around 1.75 meters in height. His delicate features carried a slight baby-faced look, and he was bent over, gasping for breath.

"You... know me?" Qin Yi pointed at himself, looking completely bewildered.

"I'm Li Kaiwen from Huayu Company. You submitted songs to us before." Li Kaiwen took several deep breaths to calm himself before speaking.

"..."

"Our company sent you a letter last week, but it seems you didn't receive it. So the day before yesterday, they sent me here to contact you directly. But your teacher said you were no longer studying at that school and refused to tell me how to contact you. With no other choice, I could only wait outside your school gate for the rabbit." Li Kaiwen straightened up and looked at Qin Yi with admiration. "Wow, you're so young! But the songs you wrote are amazing! Was the song you were singing just now written by you too?"

"..." What Qin Yi really wanted to ask was how he had recognized him.

"Our company wants to sign you. You—"

"Sorry, you have the wrong person." Qin Yi suddenly spoke, looking utterly confused. "I don't know Andre at all."

"You're lying! I've actually been waiting outside your school every day. You haven't come to school these past few days. Right after you left the school gate, I went to your teacher's office and asked. You're that kid who took the entrance exam, is preparing to skip a grade, and will transfer to J City next semester." Li Kaiwen tried hard to widen his eyes, attempting to put on an expression that said, "Lying is bad."

"..." Qin Yi touched his nose. This time, he truly did not know what to say. What persistence! No wonder Hong Kong paparazzi were so famous. It turned out Hong Kong entertainment people were this tenacious too!

"..." Li Kaiwen, glaring angrily.

"..." Qin Yi, deeply curious about why he was so persistent.

Thus, the two stared each other down without giving an inch for quite a while. After a long moment, Qin Yi blinked his painfully sore eyes and said dejectedly, "Fine, I give up."

"Hmph! I've never lost a staring contest." Li Kaiwen immediately boasted triumphantly.

"..."

Qin Yi shot him a sharp look, and Li Kaiwen immediately wilted. Qin Yi instantly became pleased with himself. So what if you won? I had to stretch this out and wear you down.

Hmph!

Then Qin Yi turned around and left without saying another word. Li Kaiwen immediately followed behind him with a servile look, introducing the company as they walked. "Our company offers especially good terms. Especially for this contract with you... If you agree to sign with Huayu, we promise to give you the best promotion..."

When they reached the Qin family's gate, Qin Yi raised his right hand and dug at his ears, which were nearly growing calluses, then smiled and waved at Li Kaiwen. "I'm home. Bye!"

Author's note: Little Eight is getting more and more diligent~~

Everyone, please leave lots of comments~~

O(∩_∩)O~

☆, Chapter Eighteen: Coercion

"Chapter Eighteen

"Xiao Yi, who were you talking to?" In the yard, Qin Rong tossed a bone to Big Black and turned to ask Qin Yi.

"It was that songwriter... Nothing, just a passerby." Qin Yi had just started to explain when Qin Dingbang walked out of the house, so he abruptly changed his wording.

The overly stiff and obvious lie made both of them break out in cold sweat. After Qin Dingbang turned around and went back inside as though nothing had happened, Qin Rong gave Qin Yi a helpless look.

"I didn't do it on purpose," Qin Yi said innocently.

"Forget it!" Qin Rong walked to the window, scooped a ladle of water from the water vat, and washed his hands clean. Then he said to Qin Yi, "Mom just said we're out of soy sauce. Come buy some soy sauce with me!"

"Okay!" Qin Yi obediently nodded, then went into the kitchen and came out with the empty soy sauce bottle. As he passed the living room, he awkwardly glanced at Qin Dingbang, who was watching television, then shrank his head and went outside.

The moment they stepped out of the gate, Li Kaiwen, who had been squatting outside, immediately sprang up and ran two steps to Qin Yi. "You changed your mind, didn't you? Let me tell you, our company—"

"Sorry, I came out to buy soy sauce!" Qin Yi said apologetically as he looked at the excited Li Kaiwen.

"..."

"..."

Ignoring Li Kaiwen's miserable expression, which looked as though he might burst into tears, Qin Rong forcibly suppressed the urge to twitch at the corner of his mouth and pulled Qin Yi away.

"Brother, I was telling the truth," Qin Yi said seriously along the way.

"I know!" Qin Rong nodded calmly.

The grocery store was fifty meters after turning left at the end of the alley. Inside was a room of about ten square meters. The old shelves and faded display counter showed the distinctive atmosphere of more than a decade ago. Qin Yi walked familiarly to the counter and said to the shopkeeper, who was holding a child, "Fill a bottle with soy sauce."

"How many jin?" The shopkeeper placed the child on a chair nearby and stood up.

"... Just fill it up." Qin Yi glanced at the bottle in his hand and answered casually.

Hearing that, the shopkeeper inserted a funnel into the mouth of the bottle and poured in two cups of soy sauce. Then she said to Qin Yi, "Fifty cents. Want anything else?"

"No." Qin Yi shook his head. In the past, he had loved buying snacks from grocery stores, but after more than ten years, Qin Yi's palate had become too refined to tolerate this junk food.

"Xiao Yi is such a good boy. You never ask for snacks. If my eldest were as sensible as you, that would be wonderful." The shopkeeper suddenly said, then casually added, "Auntie heard from my Wang Rui that Xiao Yi also took the entrance exam. Are you confident?"

Qin Yi looked blankly at the curly-haired woman in her forties before him. His brows furrowed as he tried and failed to remember whether he knew her.

But in the grocery store owner's eyes, Qin Yi was simply too embarrassed to talk about his grades. The frustration in her heart eased considerably. Just as she thought! How could Qin Yi, who always failed his tests and was both stupid and clumsy, suddenly become capable enough to take the entrance exam? It really was just the old Qin family putting on a show. As if it was not enough for the Qin family to have produced one genius in Qin Rong, they had to pull this attention-seeking stunt too. They had no idea how to keep a low profile—just like nouveau riche.

Naturally, Qin Yi had no idea what the shopkeeper was thinking. He carried the soy sauce bottle out of the grocery store. Qin Rong was picking out fruit beside the fruit stand.