Chapter 16

The staff behind the cameras and monitors were even more astonished to discover that Chen Mo's slender fingers had become countless afterimages over the piano keys. Beads of sweat fell through the air, refracting colorful halos beneath the stage lights. Chen Mo's once somewhat youthful, delicate features now radiated an aggressive charm even more striking than his looks under such an extreme performance. Once people looked at him, they could hardly bear to move their eyes away.

It felt as though an eternity had passed, yet also like the blink of an eye. When the piece ended, the drenched Chen Mo slowly lowered his hands. He took a deep breath, rose to his feet, and brought a cigarette close to the blazing piano strings.

The next second, beneath everyone's burning stares, the cigarette was quietly lit.

With an "Ow!" a major shareholder who had been holding a cigar in his mouth without even noticing it had burned down to the filter stood up awkwardly and patted at his pants. As though the spell of petrification had been broken at that moment, the crowd, stunned speechless by Chen Mo's performance, finally came back to their senses.

It was as if the giant hand gripping their throats had finally loosened. The people who had forgotten to breathe immediately began gulping down air. The sound of everyone breathing in unison echoed through the silent studio. They were startled at first, then exchanged slightly embarrassed looks, before applause surged through the room like a tide.

For the previously spacious and silent studio, the applause seemed somewhat abrupt and thin. Yet the excitement and admiration of having witnessed a miracle with their own eyes were conveyed to Chen Mo with unmistakable clarity.

At that instant, Chen Mo suddenly felt lighter all over. A warm sensation rose from within his body and instantly spread through every limb. His spirits lifted, and it even seemed as though the mental energy he had expended over the past several days in the Immersion Space and Training Space had been restored. How should he describe that feeling... It was like a game character whose mana had instantly refilled, finally replenishing his energy.

Thinking that, Chen Mo smiled unconsciously and could not help mocking his own greed and wild imagination. This was not a novel. The idea of instantly restoring mana was far too unreliable. Maybe it was just the secret thrill of having trained for so long in the Training Space, then unleashing a big move and stunning so many people in one go?

While Chen Mo's thoughts wandered, Executive President Gu Huaiyin also rose excitedly and applauded for him. After lavishing Chen Mo with praise, he said, "Since A-Mo truly has this kind of ability, we'll need to rearrange his guest appearance at A-Bin's concert. A-Bin, do you have any objections?"

The suggestion that Chen Mo serve as a guest at his concert had originally been proposed by Yuan Haobin. Naturally, he had no objections. Not only did he have no objections, before anyone else could react, Yuan Haobin bounded onto the stage in a few strides, snatched both cigarettes from Chen Mo's hand, and blissfully took a puff from each. Exhaling smoke, he patted Chen Mo on the shoulder and said, "Of course I'm fine with it. My A-Mo is so amazing. From now on, when we practice songs and rehearse together, Mom will never have to worry about me running out of cigarettes in the practice room again!"

The moment Yuan Haobin said that, the others were fine, but Sister K's expression immediately darkened. She could not help thinking of how the company had always wanted to use A-Bin to promote newcomers over the years. Even though Sister K had truly been won over by Chen Mo's piano skills just now, this concerned her own interests. She still could not resist shooting Chen Mo a vicious glare, then looked at Yuan Haobin with an expression of difficulty and dissatisfaction.

Yuan Haobin was busy joking around with an arm around Chen Mo's shoulders and did not notice this. However, Gu Huaiyin had been watching Yuan Haobin and his manager ever since he finished speaking. Seeing Sister K's reaction, he secretly frowned.

He looked at Yuan Haobin and Chen Mo onstage, then suddenly said to Yang Qindong, "A-Bin has never liked paying attention to the company's newcomers. Yet this time, he's taken a liking to Chen Mo. It seems your eye for talent truly is exceptional."

Yang Qindong's heart stirred. Following Gu Huaiyin's gaze, he looked at Sister K as well and said with a smile, "A-Bin is actually a very good person. It's just a pity that his management team is so incompetent. Otherwise, he would have achieved far more than he has today."

For an artist, appearance and talent were merely some of the conditions needed to gain a foothold in the industry. Deep connections and outstanding public relations skills were the true foundation for surviving in the circle. Unfortunately, Yuan Haobin possessed the first two in abundance, yet had been dragged down by the latter two more times than anyone could count.

Gu Huaiyin agreed wholeheartedly. Looking at the two men onstage, he frowned thoughtfully.

Seeing this, Yang Qindong curled his lips in a similarly meaningful smile.

As one of the company's top managers, Yang Qindong had previously brought out two Best Actors, one Best Actress, and one Best Television Actor. Given his credentials, he had not dealt much with Sister K before. Naturally, there was no particular grudge between them. However, Yang Qindong had one flaw—he was fiercely protective of his own. So long as an artist had signed with him, he protected them carefully and never let anyone bully them. Now that Sister K had targeted Chen Mo twice right in front of Yang Qindong, she was essentially showing him no respect. Naturally, Yang Qindong was displeased.

So, once he noticed President Gu's dissatisfaction with Sister K, he immediately and unceremoniously added fuel to the fire.

Chapter 16

After the rehearsal in the studio, Chen Mo's treatment at Huaxia Entertainment rose dramatically. Although Chen Mo still did not have a single work with audience recognition to his name, President Gu nevertheless assigned him an assistant and a nanny van according to the standards for a quasi-first-tier artist.

Once the news spread, all the artists and staff in the company took notice. Not everyone believed the company was doing this simply because it cherished talent. Even fewer believed that Chen Mo could conquer President Gu and several other major shareholders with just one piano piece. Most people were more inclined to believe that Chen Mo was related to President Gu, had found a wealthy patron, or came from an extraordinary family background. In short, Chen Mo had to possess some special connections beyond his talent. Otherwise, Huaxia Entertainment had so many contracted artists, and there was no shortage of people with both talent and looks. Why was Chen Mo the only one receiving such special treatment?

Because of those rumors, Chen Mo noticed that when he entered and left the company these past few days, everyone's attitude toward him had become much more enthusiastic. Even in the elevator, people he did not know would come over to make small talk and subtly probe into exactly who Chen Mo was.

"Who am I? Obviously, I'm an ordinary person. A high school student, the son of a small restaurant owner, with no impressive background at all. It really was my outstanding talent and peerless beauty that conquered my manager, the company president, and the major shareholders. Why won't they believe such a simple, plain fact?" Chen Mo said one day after rehearsal, smiling as he sat before the piano.

Yuan Haobin, who was resting leisurely on the floor with his legs crossed, looked at his shamelessly smug partner and rolled his eyes in exasperation. He grumbled weakly, "I seriously can't take this anymore. How can you be so narcissistic?"

"This isn't narcissism. I just have a clear understanding of myself." As Chen Mo spoke, he took several more gulps of mineral water. Backlit by the light, he looked at Yuan Haobin and raised his brows. "No exaggeration, no lies. Doesn't the ability I've shown match the treatment the company's giving me?"

Yuan Haobin: "..." Although the kid was not wrong, for some reason, seeing that attitude of his really made Yuan Haobin want to punch him!

Noticing Yuan Haobin's hand scratching restlessly against the floor as if it itched to hit someone, Chen Mo glanced at him lightly. Yuan Haobin stiffened, quietly withdrew his hand, and admitted defeat with a broad smile. "Even if you do have the ability, why do you hate singing so much? With your talent, it'd be such a waste if you didn't become a singer."

Because of Chen Mo's formidable display of ability, as well as Yuan Haobin's rare enthusiasm and cooperation, the company had originally planned to have Chen Mo accompany one song at Yuan Haobin's concert, perform one piano piece, sing a duet with Yuan Haobin, and then sing one solo himself. They would also take the opportunity to promote the television drama Emperor Wu of Han: The Young Emperor.

The managers on both sides had nearly finalized everything, but Chen Mo himself rejected the company's arrangements. He had no problem performing two piano pieces, and reluctantly agreed to sing the ending theme of Young Emperor at the concert to promote the drama. However, he firmly refused the duet with Yuan Haobin, even claiming that he did not want to take up too much concert time and steal the spotlight...

Whenever Yuan Haobin thought of what Chen Mo had said that day, he felt uncomfortable all over. He abruptly sat upright, stared at Chen Mo, and asked, "Hey, don't tell me you look down on my ability, so you refuse to sing a duet with me?"

The more Yuan Haobin thought about it, the more he felt that, given Chen Mo's arrogant personality, he really could do something like that. After all, this guy was a musical genius who did not need a second take in the recording studio, did not need post-production, and could use his raw vocal track directly.

Watching Yuan Haobin work himself into an indignant, puffed-up rage over who knew what, Chen Mo rolled his eyes dismissively. If you had obsessive-compulsive disorder too, and needed to sing every song tens of thousands of times before daring to show it off, you probably wouldn't feel like singing either.

Of course, Chen Mo would not say such a reason aloud. He merely gave Yuan Haobin another casual glance and said coolly, "What's so good about being a singer? You can't eat spicy food, drink alcohol, or eat anything too sweet, too cold, or too irritating. Even smoking a cigarette becomes a huge concern. You have to remember to protect your throat every second of every day. If you catch a cold, you practically want to get several anti-inflammatory injections. I don't want that kind of life."

Yuan Haobin: "..."

After a moment of silence, he weakly protested, "It's not as miserable as you make it sound. For example, I—"

Before Yuan Haobin could finish, Chen Mo picked up the phone from the piano and called for takeout. He said directly, "Hello, I'd like an order of mala tang. No kelp or cilantro, make it extra numbing and extra spicy. Add one spicy duck neck and four duck wings, one serving of spicy mixed vegetables, and two bottles of ice-cold beer..."

"Hey! Hey, hey!" Seeing Chen Mo deliberately pretend not to hear him, Yuan Haobin angrily climbed up from the floor, strode over in a few steps, snatched the phone away, and hung up. He shouted unhappily, "What is wrong with you? Where's the most basic warmth and trust between people?"

"I never asked you to eat it." Chen Mo looked innocently at Yuan Haobin, a sly grin on his face. "I'll eat while you watch. If that doesn't work, I'll sit while you stand. There should be at least some basic trust between people, right? I believe that with the Heavenly King Yuan's professional dedication, you won't be tempted by food."

Yuan Haobin was choked speechless. All he could do was grit his teeth, scowl furiously, and confiscate Chen Mo's phone.

Chen Mo watched Yuan Haobin's actions with a smile and said sincerely, "See? That's why I don't want to be a singer—not only do you lose the freedom to eat for yourself, you even deprive other people of their freedom to eat."

Yuan Haobin glared viciously at Chen Mo, utterly unable to respond.

As a Heavenly King-level figure in the Chinese music scene, Yuan Haobin had debuted at seventeen and had now been active for ten years. Over those ten years of ups and downs, countless fans and peers had witnessed his transformation from a newcomer into a Heavenly King. Moreover, Chinese people had always had an incomprehensible obsession with round-number anniversaries, so this year's concert was titled The King's Arrival, celebrating the tenth anniversary of Yuan Haobin's debut.

The first stop of The King's Arrival tour was set in the capital, Huajing, on November 11—Singles' Day—at Huajing Stadium. Every time Chen Mo saw that schedule, he secretly wondered whether Yuan Haobin had chosen that date to imply that even after ten years, the Heavenly King Yuan was still tragically single...

Of course, that was purely Chen Mo's private speculation. Although the two got along well, they were still far from close enough to sit down and discuss such personal matters.