After being dumped by the diva, I was picked up by her arch-enemy.

Over the next few days, Jiang Yichen's schedule was extremely tight.

The buzz surrounding his championship victory continues to surge across the internet, with his name dominating the headlines on major social media platforms.

He struck while the iron was hot and uploaded the official studio version of "Wujiapo" to major music platforms.

Unsurprisingly, this traditional Chinese folk song with its old-style opera vocals once again sparked a frenzy across the internet upon its release.

The number of comments exceeded 10,000 in a very short time.

They're all urging for the official release of "The New Drunken Concubine".

In the study on the second floor of the small villa in the western suburbs.

Jiang Yichen wore monitoring headphones and his fingers flew across the computer keyboard.

The screen is filled with densely packed audio tracks.

He is working on perfecting the arrangement of "The New Drunken Concubine".

The lonely piano on the grand finale stage, though held up by his incredible dual-voice singing, needed a grand and magnificent arrangement to be released as a single.

Only in this way can it be worthy of the song's profound meaning.

He reconnected with the two folk music teachers who had previously stood him up.

Guzheng, Erhu, Pipa, and traditional Chinese opera percussion instruments.

He skillfully blended various folk music elements into the framework of modern pop electronic music.

He closed his eyes, his fingers pushing and pulling levers on the mixing console.

The guzheng needs a crisper tone, while the erhu needs to suppress its mournful quality.

During this period, he traveled between the recording studio of Star Entertainment and the small villa in the western suburbs every day.

Miss Gu Ruanxing has taken security to the extreme.

Every time I go out, I must be escorted by three black SUVs.

Several bodyguards in black provided close escort.

The spectacle was even more exaggerated than that of top-tier celebrities.

Jiang Yichen sat in the back seat, next to two expressionless, burly men in black.

He watched the street scene recede outside the window.

He knew very well that Gu Ruanxing was not making a mountain out of a molehill.

Bai Yanqiu, that madman, hasn't dared to make a move yet, though he's been suppressed by public opinion.

But venomous snakes always lurk in the shadows and flick their tongues.

In Shanghai, the Bai family has too many ways to kill someone without anyone noticing.

three days later.

Star Entertainment Headquarters, Recording Studio A.

Jiang Yichen stood in front of the microphone and took a deep breath.

The accompaniment started playing in my headphones.

A grand string accompaniment sets the stage, followed by the crisp, clear strumming of the guzheng.

"The snowflakes fell on the plum blossom branches that year—"

"Too much sorrow remained by Huaqing Pool that year—"

.........

The recording went very smoothly.

Jiang Yichen finished work at 7 p.m.

He walked out of the Star Entertainment Building surrounded by bodyguards.

A black Mercedes SUV smoothly drove out of the Star Entertainment Building.

In the back seat, Jiang Yichen leaned back, watching the neon lights rushing past the car window.

The night view of Shanghai is indeed beautiful.

But he knew he couldn't stay there forever.

There's no reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days.

Moreover, Jiang Yichen is not the kind of person who would feel at ease hiding behind a woman.

He had to return to the capital.

He knew that area better; his master, fellow apprentices, and even the school's professors were there. Most importantly, it was far enough away from the Bai family's territory. A gentleman's revenge is never too late.

He needs time to accumulate sufficient capital and influence.

When he has enough influence, he will come back and settle accounts with Bai Yanqiu, interest and all!

The car stopped in front of the small villa in the western suburbs.

Jiang Yichen pushed open the car door, picked up his bag, and walked into the yard.

The lights in the living room on the first floor were still on.

Gu Ruanxing was nestled on the sofa, holding a tablet computer and looking at something. On the coffee table were half a bag of potato chips and an unopened can of iced cola.

Hearing the door open, she looked up and glanced at it.

"You're back?"

"Um."

Jiang Yichen changed into slippers, sat down on the single sofa, and stared blankly at the silver can of cola.

Gu Ruanxing sensed that something was wrong.

She put down her tablet and turned her head to look at Jiang Yichen.

"What's wrong? Did you go crazy from recording?"

Jiang Yichen raised his head and looked at Gu Ruanxing.

There's something I need to tell you.

Gu Ruanxing blinked, pulled her legs off the sofa, and sat up straight.

"explain."

Jiang Yichen didn't beat around the bush.

"The master tapes for 'The New Drunken Concubine' have been submitted, and it will be available online tomorrow. Everything that needed to be done here has been completed."

"I plan to leave Shanghai and return to Beijing."

There was a two-second silence in the living room.

Gu Ruanxing's expression froze.

"What did you say? Back to the capital?"

Jiang Yichen said calmly, "You know about Bai Yanqiu's situation. Staying in Shanghai will only lead to trouble sooner or later. I can't rely on you to send bodyguards to protect me forever."

Gu Ruanxing opened her mouth, wanting to refute something, but found that she couldn't find a reason for it.

She knew, of course, that Bai Yanqiu wouldn't let this go.

In the past few days, she had someone inquire about the situation, and it turned out that the Bai family's attitude towards the chemical plant incident was quite subtle. Although Bai Yanqiu had been severely scolded by his father, the Bai family had not apologized publicly or made any attempt to compensate him.

This means that the Bai family simply felt that Bai Yanqiu was not clean enough in his dealings and that his methods were too crude.

It's not that I think he did something wrong.

If Jiang Yichen continues to stay in Shanghai, he's putting himself on someone else's chopping block.

She understands the truth.

But I just don't feel comfortable.

After a long while, Gu Ruanxing took a deep breath.

She tossed the cushion aside, stood up, and turned to walk into the study.

Jiang Yichen heard the sound of a drawer being pulled open.

Then came the rustling sound of something being rummaged through.

A minute later, Gu Ruanxing came out of the study.

She held a bank card in her hand, walked straight up to Jiang Yichen, and shoved the card into his hand.

"Take it."

Jiang Yichen looked down at the silver-gray card.

"What is this?"

"Your song revenue sharing"

Gu Ruanxing crossed her arms, raised her chin slightly, and resumed her haughty and aloof demeanor.

"I've already given you an advance on the estimated revenue sharing for 'The Red-Haired Girl' and 'The Puppet Show'."

"There's a million inside."

Jiang Yichen was stunned for a moment.

One million?

According to the contract's settlement cycle, this money will not arrive for at least two or three months. This advance payment is essentially Star Entertainment paying for this money out of its own pocket.

However, given Gu Ruanxing's personality and style of doing things, this money was most likely not paid through company procedures.

She paid for it herself.

Jiang Yichen held the bank card in his hand and looked up at the person opposite him.

Gu Ruanxing turned her head away, refusing to look at him.

The living room light shone on her delicate profile, revealing that the tips of her ears were slightly red.

Don't overthink it.

Gu Ruanxing's voice was strained, "This is the money you deserve, it's not a gift from me."

She paused for a moment, then added.

"The password is six zeros."

Looking at her proud and arrogant appearance, which clearly cared a lot but was stubbornly trying to save face, Jiang Yichen felt a mix of emotions.

He put the card in his pocket.

"Thanks."

Don't give me that.

Gu Ruanxing strode to the coffee table, grabbed the can of iced cola, pulled the tab, and took a big gulp.

The bubbles in the cola made her cough twice.

She quickly wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, her eyes slightly red, but she still stubbornly turned her head away, leaving him with only the back of her head that seemed to say "Get lost."

"When are you leaving?"

"The day after tomorrow."

Jiang Yichen said, "I'll finish up what I'm working on in the next couple of days."

Gu Ruanxing remained silent for a few seconds.

"OK."

That evening, Jiang Yichen sat in his bedroom, stroking the thin bank card in his pocket.

One million.

For him now, this is enough start-up capital to allow him to gain a foothold in the capital.

He took out his phone and opened the ticket booking app.

Enter "Magic City - Beijing" in the search bar.

There are still seats available for high-speed rail tickets for the day after tomorrow.

Jiang Yichen made a reservation and chose a second-class seat by the window.

Confirm payment.

A message popped up on the screen indicating that the ticket purchase was successful.

He turned off his phone, put the bank card into the inner pocket of his backpack, and zipped it up.

I lay down on the bed and turned off the light.

Outside the window, the neon lights of Shanghai still shone brightly.

It's time for him to change his map.