A song called "The You of the Past" has prompted the entire internet to beg me not to leav

Sunday morning.

In Qingqiu Studio's office area, the telephones rang incessantly.

The telephone lines of the publicity department, planning department, and business department were almost burned out.

The outside world has completely gone mad.

"Love You" and "Later" topped the charts, locking in the top two spots on NetEase Cloud Music's New Song Chart and Tencent Music's Hot Song Chart.

The viewership data is so disparate it's almost unreasonable, leaving the third place far behind.

"President Li! Chairman Wang from Huayu Media just called personally to ask where President Shen's celebration banquet will be held tonight. He'd like to book the entire venue!"

"Attorney Zhang! Shengshi Entertainment has sent a message through someone, wanting to send ten rare Hermes bags to President Shen, just for an invitation to the celebration banquet!"

"Old Liang! Stop grinning like an idiot! Those top-tier musicians are all scrambling to find Director Lin's private WeChat, saying they want to toast him three times at tonight's party!"

The studio's executives were incredibly busy, but each of them wore a wild, self-satisfied smile, as if to say, "I'm finally the best in the world!"

In the entertainment industry, after such a huge success, a celebration banquet is inevitable.

This is not just a celebration, but also a stage for networking and exchanging resources for fame and fortune.

Countless eyes in the industry are fixed on Qingqiu Studio, waiting to see which ultra-luxury five-star hotel in Xinghai City will host their celebratory banquet tonight.

However, Lin Yan and Shen Qingqiu were nowhere to be seen.

At 7 p.m., in a villa on the hillside in Xinghai City, a gentle breeze was blowing on the spacious open-air balcony on the rooftop.

Lin Yan was squatting in front of a dark, black iron charcoal stove, holding a tattered palm-leaf fan in his hand, fanning the glowing red charcoal vigorously.

Shen Qingqiu was sitting cross-legged on a small plastic stool, completely disregarding his image.

She gripped a pair of disposable chopsticks tightly in her hand, her eyes fixed on the sizzling pork belly on the wire mesh, swallowing hard without any attempt to hide her saliva.

"Flip it over! Flip it over now! The edges are going to burn!" Shen Qingqiu pointed at the pancake with his chopsticks, his eyes wide with anxiety.

Lin Yan rolled her eyes, slowly picked up the metal tongs, and flipped over several evenly sliced ​​pieces of pork belly.

The red and white slices of meat curled up instantly under the heat of the charcoal fire, and the fat dripped into the embers with a sizzling sound, sending up a plume of white smoke carrying the rich aroma of cumin and chili powder.

"What's the rush? The pork belly needs to have all the fat rendered out and grilled until crispy before it's good with rice."

Lin Yan casually grabbed a handful of premium chili powder and scattered it like a fairy scattering flowers.

"Ding ding ding".

The phone on the small round table next to me started vibrating like crazy.

The screen lit up, displaying Lao Liang's name.

This is the seventeenth phone call Lao Liang has made tonight.

Shen Qingqiu didn't even look at it, and with great skill, he stretched out a finger to press the mute button, and then casually placed the phone face down on the table.

His movements were so fluid and graceful that it made one feel sorry for Lao Liang for a second.

"Aren't you really going to do anything about it?" Lin Yan handed over a skewer of grilled mutton.

"I heard that the vice president of Tencent Music flew to Xinghai City overnight with a 30 million yuan publicity contract, just wanting to have a toast with you at the party."

Shen Qingqiu took the lamb skewer and took a bite without any ladylike manners.

The scalding hot juices burst in her mouth, and she squinted her eyes in comfort.

"What are we going there for? To listen to those old foxes spouting official jargon?" Shen Qingqiu mumbled indistinctly as he chewed on his mutton.

"Hypocritical. Before, when Xingyao Entertainment was trying to take me down, they all ran away faster than rabbits. Now that I've helped you, this monster, take off, they're shamelessly coming back to me. If I don't go, I'll just say I have a cold and a sore throat."

Lin Yan gave a thumbs up: "Boss, you're awesome. Here, this piece of pork belly is ready. Wrap it in lettuce and eat it to cut through the greasiness."

The two of them sat on the rooftop of the villa halfway up the mountain, enjoying the breeze, looking at the starry sky, and eating a few cans of iced cola with their mouths greasy.

What are the rules of the entertainment industry, what are the comings and goings of the fame and fortune world? They're nothing compared to barbecue skewers.

Lin Yan is enjoying her current state.

Having lived two lives, he possesses the entire world's cultural and entertainment treasure trove in his mind. If he were to venture out and compete, no one in the world could rival him.

But he's just lazy. He'd been doing that kind of work where you have to wear a mask and socialize for three years at Xingyao Entertainment, and he was already disgusted with it.

The two were enjoying their meal when the doorbell rang downstairs.

With a roasted leek in his mouth, Lin Yan pressed the intercom screen next to him.

On the screen, the security captain looked a little strange: "Mr. Lin, Mr. Shen, there's someone outside who wants to see you. This person... is dressed rather suspiciously."

The camera feed switches to the main gate surveillance camera.

A man wearing a black trench coat, a black baseball cap, and a large black mask covering his face was standing awkwardly under a street lamp.

Dressed like that in the middle of the night, people would believe he was there to scout the place.

"I won't see you." Shen Qingqiu waved decisively, her mouth stuffed with lettuce wraps and meat.

"It must have been some paparazzi or a powerful investor who used connections to get security to kick them out."

The man in the surveillance video seemed to have guessed something, and suddenly looked up and ripped off his mask.

The cold light of the streetlights shone on his slightly haggard, unshaven face.

Lin Yan paused for a moment, then swallowed the chives in one gulp.

Shen Qingqiu also stopped chewing and widened her eyes slightly.

"Xue Zhiqian?" the two asked in unison.

Xue Zhiqian was once widely recognized as a top love song artist in the Chinese music scene.

Three years ago, his sad love song swept the streets and alleys, winning awards left and right.

However, he was too stubborn and inflexible, and his head-on confrontation with capital offended several big shots in the industry.

Subsequently, in an effort to quell the anger of the powerful figure, his agency did not hesitate to sideline him.

In the past three years, he has not released a single new song, nor has he appeared on any public appearances, and has completely disappeared from the public eye.

Some time ago, there were rumors that he had sold all his assets and gone into the catering business.

What is he doing here in the middle of the night?

"Let him in." Lin Yan pulled out a tissue to wipe his hands.

A few minutes later, the door leading to the rooftop terrace was pushed open.

Xue Zhiqian stood at the door, staring at the surreal scene before him, completely frozen in place.

A tin oven, plastic stools, and empty Coke cans scattered all over the floor.

There's also the aloof diva who's eating kebabs without any regard for her image, and Lin Yan wearing floral shorts and flip-flops.

He had mentally prepared himself for today, expecting to be surrounded by bodyguards, surrounded by cigars and red wine in a lavish and prestigious setting. And this is it?

"What are you standing there for? Have you eaten or not?"

Lin Yan waved and handed him a can of beer.

"We're out of iced Coke, this is all we have. Please, make yourself at home."

Xue Zhiqian swallowed hard and carefully pulled over a stool to sit down.

Taking the beer, the icy touch brought him back to his senses.

"President Shen, Director Lin... Director Lin." Xue Zhiqian's voice was hoarse and hesitant.

"Call me Brother Yan." Lin Yan didn't even look up, continuing to brush sauce onto the meat skewers.

Xue Zhiqian was several years older than Lin Yan, but he called him "brother" without the slightest hesitation: "Brother Yan."

"What do you want? Just say it, I'm too lazy to guess."

Lin Yan tossed a handful of roasted chicken feet into the iron plate.

Xue Zhiqian took a deep breath and gripped the beer can tightly with both hands.

"I... terminated the contract." His voice was low, but it carried a resolute determination, as if he had nothing to lose.

"Yesterday morning, I used all the shares of my two hot pot restaurants to pay off the company's final breach of contract penalty. I am now a free man. I left with nothing, my pockets are emptier than my face."

Shen Qingqiu stopped what she was doing and looked at him with a complicated expression.

She understands all too well the feeling of powerlessness when you're squeezed dry by capital, leaving nothing but bones and dregs.

"Last night, I sat on the curb and listened to your song 'Later'." Xue Zhiqian's eyes reddened.

"I hadn't touched a microphone in three years. But after listening to that song, I knew I was still alive."

He suddenly raised his head, staring intently at Lin Yan, his eyes burning with fervor.

"Brother Yan, I'm at my wit's end. Nobody in the industry dares to hire me, nobody dares to write songs for me."

"But I can still sing. Singing is all I know in my life!"

"Please... take me in. Write me a song."

As Xue Zhiqian spoke, he stood up and made a gesture as if to bow.

The man who once stood atop the mountain is now willing to shatter his last shred of dignity for a chance.

"Stop." Lin Yan reached out and pressed down in the air.

Xue Zhiqian froze in mid-air.

Lin Yan stared at the charcoal fire, his voice calm: "You're a dead end in this industry. Using you would be tantamount to offending half of the entertainment circle."

He turned his head and looked at Xue Zhiqian.

"They've blacklisted you for three years, and now you're coming to me? Do you think I'm being stubborn, or do you think I'm doing charity work?"

The atmosphere instantly plummeted to freezing point.

Shen Qingqiu didn't interrupt; she knew what Lin Yan was considering.

Qingqiu Studio is currently riding high, and blindly taking on such a big problem would be a very unwise move.

Xue Zhiqian's face turned deathly pale, and he gave a bitter smile: "I understand. Sorry to have bothered Brother Yan and President Shen."

He turned around, dragging his heavy steps as he prepared to leave, his back view filled with loneliness.

The instant his hand touched the doorknob.

"etc."

Lin Yan's lazy voice came from behind.

Xue Zhiqian suddenly turned around.

Lin Yan stood up, stretched, and then pointed to a huge plastic basin next to him.

Inside, there were piles of greasy bowls, plates, skewers, and wire mesh covered in cumin, left over from the two people's meal.

"Our studio doesn't employ idle people. And I don't make empty promises."

Lin Yan looked at Xue Zhiqian and raised an eyebrow.

"Want a song? Sure."

"Wash this bowl first. If you don't get it clean, don't bother coming back."