A writer has arrived in the Chinese entertainment industry.

Chapter 110 My mother... hasn't come back yet.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Chen Duling's eyes sparkled, and she clapped her hands together lightly a few times.

"What? You've already switched sides and are going to become a fan of Teacher Xu Song?" Su Liu teased, turning his head to the side.

Xu Song was pulling himself away from the melody when his gaze followed the sound.

Chen Duling froze instantly, frantically trying to salvage the situation, "That's just how I am."

"Really? Aren't you a Mayday fan?"

Xu Song put down his pen and quipped, "Oh—so that's how it is."

"No, no." Chen Duling waved her hands so fast they were like a fan, hurriedly trying to explain, "I'm also a fan of yours, Teacher Xu. I've heard every single one of your songs."

Seeing her looking like she wanted to dig out her playlist to prove her innocence, Su Liu couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Teacher Su," Xu Song said, his demeanor now gentle, his eyes clear and focused, "could you tell me the story of this drama?"

"Of course." Su Liu cleared his throat and began to speak, "Unnatural Death is about death, but it's about seeking life. The male and female protagonists, Chen Meiqin and Cheng Liyan, each carry painful pasts..."

'

Death is easy, but living is much heavier. Being alive is a blessing in itself; live earnestly and with all your might.

Starting from the first episode, Su Liu speaks in a plain and descriptive tone, slowly recounting the experiences and choices of the two main characters in the drama.

From Chen Meiqin's struggle to survive her family's suicide attempt by burning charcoal, to Cheng Liyan's dissection of his beloved girlfriend, which sowed the seeds of a years-long burning desire for revenge, the story ultimately follows the two protagonists' personal growth and self-redemption in their pursuit of the truth.

Death is inevitable, but we can choose how to face it and how to live well in the present. That's what I want to convey to the audience through this story.

A long silence fell over the office.

Chen Duling didn't move, nor did she respond as before. She turned her head slightly, her gaze fixed on Su Liu's profile.

They've known each other for six years, and Chen Duling considers herself the person who understands him best in the world.

"...Do I have to work hard and diligently?" she thought to herself. "But Su Su, I don't know when it started, but I always feel that you are like a tourist who is just passing through, with a strange sense of alienation from the whole world, and an almost absurd indifference to fame, fortune, success or failure, and even yourself."

"You tell your story so movingly, but why do you observe all living beings so casually, as if you're ready to walk away at any moment?"

Chen Duling stared quietly at Su Liu's profile until he noticed her gaze, raised an eyebrow and looked back. Only then did a smile bloom on her lips.

On the other side, Xu Song didn't speak. He lowered his head, and his usually gentle eyes behind his glasses looked somewhat deep at this moment. His slender fingers tapped unconsciously on his knees.

"Teacher Su," he slowly raised his eyes, "after hearing all this, I truly understand the saying, 'A masterpiece is born of nature, and a stroke of genius is often a matter of chance.'"

Xu Song looked down at the sheet music and said slowly, "This piece of music is just like it was tailor-made for this drama."

The verses are bright and expansive, corresponding to the living's memories of the past and their attachment to life; the chorus is low and gentle, corresponding to the grief of loss and the longing for the deceased, moving from hope to sorrow and finally to acceptance.

He showed the emotional side of a singer, combining the story with the song, and you could feel the breath in the melody.

"Teacher Xu, have you decided how you want to produce this song?"

"I need to think about it some more," he suddenly asked cautiously, "Ms. Su, can I put this song on my next album?"

"Of course," Su Liu said nonchalantly. "However, the copyright for this song will be jointly held by Fusui Culture and you personally. Is that alright?"

"Of course."

Before they knew it, lunchtime had passed. Just as the two were about to continue chatting about lyrics, Chen Duling's stomach suddenly protested.

The two people who were chatting suddenly stopped and their eyes turned to her.

Xu Song first lowered his head and pursed his lips, then couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. Su Liu was even more direct, laughing out loud, making Chen Duling extremely shy.

Just then, Su Liu's stomach also emitted a series of muffled rumbles, even louder than Chen Duling's.

The air froze for a second.

"Hahaha." Su Liu immediately changed the subject, glancing at the time. "Teacher Xu, let's stop here for today. If you have any questions, we can contact you by phone."

"Okay, no problem."

Xu Song smiled and got up, escorting the two of them to the elevator.

"Teacher Su, and student Chen, see you later."

"See you later." Su Liu and Chen Duling both waved.

The metal door slowly closed in front of the two people, and the elevator began to descend slowly.

After leaving the Ocean International Center, Chen Duling seemed to be in a good mood, even skipping along.

"What are you doing?" Su Liu was being pulled along, walking haltingly.

"I'm thinking, if I could do it all over again, I definitely wouldn't study science!"

"What? Did studying 'The Signal' really make you stupid?"

Mentioning this fills Chen Duling with resentment. "You simply can't understand it. Continuous and discrete signals, periodic and aperiodic signals, Fourier series, Laplace transform... it's like reading gibberish!"

"Okay, okay, I don't understand any of what you're saying."

"So, it was actually a good thing that I studied music honestly back then, so that I could become as good as Teacher Xu Song."

""

The two crossed the pedestrian overpass they had come from and entered a shopping center across the street.

"That's hard to say, these things depend on talent."

"What?" Chen Duling turned her head to look at her. "You think I'm not good enough?"

"No, I didn't say that."

Su Liu quickly tried to salvage the situation, fearing that she might inadvertently reignite her competitive spirit and cause her to take music lessons in addition to her already overwhelming coursework.

As a result, Chen Duling immediately saw through Su Liu's intentions, "I'm not going to study music! The course 'Signal' alone is enough to keep me busy, and I'm not stupid."

The two walked around the shopping mall for a while and finally chose McDonald's.

It was probably past lunchtime, because there were only a handful of people in this McDonald's.

Su Liu bought two classic single-person set meals and then sat down at a window seat.

Chen Duling had a rare good appetite today. After eating a Big Mac, she also finished her Coke.

Wow, you're really hungry today.

"Nonsense," Chen Duling pulled out a tissue and vigorously wiped her mouth, "You two just keep talking and you don't care about me at all."

"You insisted on coming along."

"You're going back to Shanghai tomorrow, right?" Chen Duling asked matter-of-factly. "Who knows when we'll see each other again."

"May Day is just around the corner, come to Shanghai for fun then."

"Why am I the one who has to come to Shanghai?" Chen Duling retorted, unconvinced. "Why don't you come to Nanjing?"

"Sure, I can do it too."

Su Liu noticed a bit of brown hamburger sauce on her cheek and reached out to wipe it off for her.

"Forget it, you're so busy, I'll do it," she said softly.

After dinner, since it was still early, Chen Duling dragged Su Liu to the mall. They even specifically went to men's clothing stores, saying she wanted to buy him clothes.

"If you ask me, just buy it online. Online shopping is so convenient these days."

You wouldn't understand the joy of shopping.

"You don't like shopping either, do you?" Su Liu exposed her. "Isn't it you who'd rather stay in bed all day?"

"Stop nagging." Chen Duling tossed the words at him without turning her head, then casually slapped a shirt into his arms.

Go give it a try.

Women seem to have this innate talent; at times like these, they transform into fabric experts. Chen Duling was no exception, holding the clothes up against Su Liu and touching the material, looking like she knew everything.

After browsing up and down the stairs, she finally chose a light blue casual suit, saying it would make her look more sunny and prevent people from always saying she was gloomy.

"Thank you." Su Liu's lips twitched slightly.

It wasn't until evening that the two returned to the hotel carrying several bags.

Su Liu had just put her things down when there was a knock on the door.

He walked over and opened the door. Chen Duling was standing under the dim yellow wall lamp in the corridor.

She had changed out of the canvas shoes she wore during the day and was now wearing the hotel's soft white slippers. Her hands were behind her back, and her fingers were unconsciously fidgeting.

"What's wrong?" Su Liu asked.

"Hmm..." Chen Duling lowered her eyes, her voice somewhat muffled, "My mom hasn't come back yet."

Su Liu was taken aback, then pulled her into the room.

Before the sound of the door slamming shut had even faded, Chen Duling was pinned against the wall. Su Liu kissed her deeply, his tongue catching her lingering gasp.

The two kissed their way from the entrance hall to the edge of the bed. In her dazed state, Chen Duling suddenly turned her head and said, "No, no, not like last time."

So she nestled in Su Liu's arms, facing the ceiling.

That familiar, controlling rhythm enveloped the two of them once again, leaving only the sound of their intertwined breathing in the room.

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