Invite Him

"Sky blue waits for the misty rain, while I wait for you?"

Shen Jin stared in puzzlement at the prominent headline on the VA Site homepage.

When she had chatted with the great Lone Cloud last night, he had been so aloof and oblivious to romance. Why had he suddenly gone all poetic today?

If Shen Jin hadn't seen the name Lone Cloud beneath that headline, she would have thought it was a line from some genuinely sleazy guy on VA Site.

Still.

Scarcity made things precious. In his two days on VA Site, Lone Cloud had neither interacted with other uploaders nor replied to fans in the comments.

That inevitably made viewers think of him as an aloof heartthrob, yet now he had suddenly pulled this stunt, almost like a love poem addressed to someone.

It piqued Shen Jin's curiosity.

"Blue and White Porcelain? Isn't that just pottery? What's there to sing about?"

Shen Jin put on her Bluetooth earphones, sat in her studio chair, and closed her eyes to listen quietly.

"On the unglazed clay, brushstrokes deepen, then fade; the peonies painted on the vase resemble your first touch of makeup. Sandalwood incense drifts through the window, and I understand what weighs on your heart..."

Once again, there was a guitar. A warm, rich male voice began singing softly, with the same white wall in the background, though its shade looked somewhat familiar.

This actually sounds pretty good?

Shen Jin's pretty face grew slightly serious. Her earlier playfulness vanished as she focused on appreciating the song's nuances.

"What beautiful lyrics. It's just that this instrument doesn't have nearly enough expressive range."

Shen Jin sighed softly, while an idea for inviting Lone Cloud took shape in her mind.

With his previous song, she could still stretch the explanation and say Lone Cloud simply preferred the guitar. But lyrics this powerful were again being expressed through nothing more than a lone, thin-sounding guitar.

That suggested he was just an amateur songwriter and composer.

And if he was an amateur, there was an easy way to handle this.

She could let Lone Cloud use her studio's instruments for free, on the condition that he wrote a few songs she could sing, and give him a share of the songs' earnings as well.

Without realizing it, Shen Jin had put the song on repeat. Compared with Lone Cloud's music, she felt there wasn't a single listenable song in the entire episode of I Am a Singer. Having those wonderful voices sing disposable pop songs was such a waste of talent.

I have to sign Lone Cloud!

As the song looped, Shen Jin considered it carefully. Since he was an amateur, one thing was certain: this young man before her was a songwriter and composer with tremendous untapped potential.

I have to get him to meet me. Even if I can't sign him, I can't make an enemy of him!

A songwriter like him was bound to carve out a place in the future pantheon of Chinese music.

"Sister Hua, hurry and reply to Lone Cloud through China Star Entertainment's official account. Invite him out-tonight! If he lives far away, send a private car to pick him up and take him home. If he lives nearby, bring him over anyway!"

Shen Jin spoke anxiously to Sister Hua.

"Oh, all right!"

Meanwhile.

Yun Xiaoran was bored out of his mind. Honestly, making money through music was still too slow. His enthusiasm, combined with a few tricks from his previous life, could keep him going for a while.

But he would have to move out in a month, and he might very well end up living in a rented room.

Yun Xiaoran also took a look around the internet. Sure enough, none of the cultural or tourism hits from his previous life existed here.

Why not write novels?

As the thought popped into his head, Yun Xiaoran felt it was a perfectly viable approach.

Right. Now that I'm in this world, I can't rely on music alone to make it big. I need to succeed on both fronts.

Having made up his mind, Yun Xiaoran turned on his computer and habitually logged onto VA Site, only to see a private message from China Star Entertainment pinned firmly at the top.

"Mr. Lone Cloud, we cordially invite you to attend tonight's cocktail party. Shen Muge, the Top Diva of Chinese Entertainment, and other guests will be present. We will reimburse your travel costs and all other expenses."

In fact, China Star Entertainment's invitation was quite sincere. Not only had they brought up their boss, Shen Muge, but they had also offered to cover every expense.

Yun Xiaoran was honestly a little tempted.

"Read. Busy today. Invite me another time."

He wasn't going. He was indulging his whims.

Besides, it wasn't simply that Yun Xiaoran didn't want to go. He actually had a little PTSD about the entertainment industry now. Anything involving divas or celebrities put him off.

That was largely thanks to his ex-girlfriend.

And Yun Xiaoran was actually a little socially anxious, which was also one of the reasons he had chosen music and novels.

"He's not coming?"

Holding Sister Hua's phone in her slender hands, Shen Jin stared blankly at Lone Cloud's message. Even after tucking her hair behind her ear, she still couldn't believe it.

Damn it.

Who could have imagined that the Top Diva of Chinese Entertainment, a star of the Chinese music scene, would personally invite an amateur songwriter, only for him to politely refuse despite knowing she would be at the gathering?

Shen Jin opened her mouth, then stopped. Her alluring eyes went round and looked ready to spit fire, while her delicate hands clenched into fists.

"Muge, don't be angry. Maybe Lone Cloud really does have something to do and can't come?"

Sister Hua offered quiet comfort from beside her, but her words sounded feeble and unconvincing.

"No. I'm getting an explanation out of him today. How dare he turn me down!"

"May I ask if you're busy, Lone Cloud?"

Yun Xiaoran was surprised to see the message. He had thought his one-line reply would be enough to shut down any normal conversation, but somehow the other party had kept it going.

"Sorry, I don't like socializing, and I don't like drinking."

Shen Jin laughed in exasperation at the message. A grown man of twenty who didn't drink? Could his lie be any more obvious?

"Drinking can perk you up and clear your head. It can also wash your worries away. Why not drink? (smile)"

"Drinking gets in the way of things. Besides, drinking this late might worry the people at home."

Yun Xiaoran made up an excuse, the lie slipping out effortlessly. China Star Entertainment had no idea how many people lived in Lone Cloud's home anyway.

Sure enough.

That really did leave the person on the other end speechless. The status kept saying they were typing, but no words appeared.

Shen Jin stared fixedly at the line before her. Her previously animated expression fell silent.

When the other party still failed to send a reply, Yun Xiaoran grew impatient. He typed one more line and logged off:

"My following is still too small right now. I'll accept China Star Entertainment's invitation when I reach a million followers. I hope to maintain a lasting partnership with your company."

Yeah, right. Yun Xiaoran was already desperate to strike out on his own. That was why he was pushing himself to release a song every day.

Besides, living under someone else's roof wasn't exactly comfortable.

"Muge, what should we do now? Do we invite him, or...?"

"No, we're not inviting him anymore. Hmph, he doesn't know what's good for him. Tonight, I'm hosting. It's my treat!"

A dejected look flashed across Shen Jin's face. After putting down the phone, she cheerfully made her announcement, then took advantage of her good mood to think of that husband she had acquired so easily.

Then she smugly typed a message:

"I'm going drinking at a nightclub tonight."

After typing it, Shen Jin admired her handiwork, then noticed a message Yun Xiaoran had sent at five that afternoon.

"What kind of noodles would you like? I'll make them for you."

I seem rather like a wife who isn't doing her job. Oh, forget it. Out of sight, out of mind.

Shen Jin quickly switched off her phone and put her happy expression back on.

Ding-

A message arrived. Shen Jin picked up her phone with her slender hand, and her lovely, alluring eyes settled on the screen. It was a message from Yun Xiaoran.