I was exposed for adding my female boss to my group of female friends.

“No, I’m thinking about something else,” Jia Yi said, frowning. “Do you think Chen Liang… he’s known President Gu for a long time?”

Chapter 456 must have been obtained through back channels.

"Do you think Chen Liang... knew President Gu a long time ago?"

After Jia Yi finished speaking, the previously lively atmosphere was suddenly doused with cold water, and everyone fell silent.

Meng Xing chuckled twice, breaking the silence, and said, "Jia Yi, why would you think that?"

Jia Yi said, "Think about it carefully. After Xiao Ran withdrew from the competition, the organizers promoted him, someone who had never had any works before, and suddenly there were all sorts of topics being hyped up online. Do you believe there wasn't a mastermind behind this?"

"Ah, this..." Meng Xing scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. "It's hard to say, isn't it?"

Jia Yi raised his head towards Jin Lan and said, "Look, after he arrived, Jin Lan had a conflict with him. Even Jin Lan's background couldn't suppress him. He's definitely not an ordinary person; there must be someone backing him up."

Jin Lan, who had originally intended to say a few words in support of Chen Liang, suddenly found herself in the conversation. Her face turned bright red, and she forgot all the words she had prepared to speak up for Chen Liang.

Guo Xiaoran poured wine for Jia Yi: "Let's not talk about this for now, let's have a drink first."

Everyone raised their glasses, and Guo Xiaoran said loudly, "From today onwards, Jia Yi and Li Chuan are temporarily leaving our class, but their hearts are still with us. We'll still be good friends. Cheers!"

"cheers!"

Everyone cheered and toasted, which reignited the atmosphere and broadened the topics of conversation.

Guo Xiaoran, holding her cup, asked Jia Yi, "What are your plans for the future?"

Jia Yi smiled wryly: "I'll just go home and lie down. I'm exhausted this time, so going home is a good way to relax."

"No, bro, the organizers have been bullying you like this, why don't you spill some dirt and get your revenge?" Guo Xiaoran said with a smile, trying to stir things up.

Jia Yi, however, was not in high spirits. He waved his hand and said, "Come on, what kind of gossip could I reveal? That you, Guo Xiaoran, are flirting with girls everywhere? Forget it, we don't have any powerful backers. Going home and working on a good single is the best way to get back at you."

"You've got guts, let's have a round." Guo Xiaoran gave a thumbs up.

After the two finished their drinks, Jia Yi said, "Of course, there are all sorts of negative comments about me online right now. If they spread them, my sales might be affected. I still need my brothers to help me out."

"Of course! I'll write your recommendation later," Guo Xiaoran said, patting his chest.

He had previously revealed the false questions, causing Jia Yi considerable harm, and he felt somewhat guilty. Although Jia Yi didn't show it on the surface, he might still harbor resentment.

After saying that, Jia Yi's mood improved significantly, and he raised his glass again, saying, "Alright, let's have another one."

Guo Xiaoran also raised his glass: "Let's finish this drink and call it a day, let's forget about what happened before."

"Stop joking around, let's drink."

The two of them downed their drinks in one gulp. Guo Lichuan, standing nearby, asked curiously, "What grudge did you two have against each other before?"

Jia Yi and Guo Xiaoran both smiled faintly and did not answer him, their expressions suggesting they were keeping something to themselves.

Having been rebuffed, Guo Lichuan immediately changed the subject and asked again:

"Teacher Jia just said that Chen Liang knows President Gu. Does that mean... President Gu is his backer?"

Jia Yi closed his eyes and shook his head: "I dare not say that."

Meng Xing smiled and said, "Lichuan, don't worry about this. Whether a lyricist or composer can become famous depends on how many song requests they receive."

"Having connections does make a difference," Jia Yi said. "Think about it, could an ordinary songwriter like Meng Xing hire Shiina Apple and others?

"When Shiina Apple and the others were first exposed, I knew this guy definitely had connections," Guo Xiaoran said, shaking his head. "How could he possibly know all of them? How could a nobody in the music industry like him know people of Shiina's caliber? And three of them at once?"

"Indeed." Guo Lichuan nodded.

"Inviting the three of them over meant that the person behind him was determined to promote him and use celebrities to boost his value. It's just that at the time, no one could guess who this backer was," Guo Xiaoran said. "Now we know, it's President Gu."

"Let's drink." Jia Yi said calmly, with a hint of envy, jealousy, and resentment in his calmness.

They're both songwriters, and it's understandable that they'd feel resentful if someone had such great resources. Guo Xiaoran raised her glass and drank with him.

Lu Chujiu frowned slightly as she listened from the side.

She is still more inclined towards Chen Liang emotionally, but it's hard to say whether she will bring out Shiina Apple and the other two.

But does Chen Liang really have President Gu as his backer, as they say?

Meng Xing, who was standing to the side, said, "But then again, these days, no one becomes famous without a powerful backer; it just depends on their relationship with the person behind them."

Jia Yi smiled dismissively: "One is surnamed Gu, the other is surnamed Chen. If they're not relatives, what other relationship could they be?"

Guo Lichuan blinked, looking quite innocent, and asked, "What's your relationship?"

"It's about our relationship in bed," Guo Xiaoran replied, her tone laced with sarcasm, as if she had just drunk vinegar instead of wine.

Jia Yi slammed his wine glass on the table and addressed everyone there:

"Today's conversation is just between classmates, so don't let anyone at the table say a word out of this! Otherwise, it'll affect our relationships. And, we might even offend some important people!"

Guo Lichuan immediately raised three fingers to the sky and swore, "I, Guo Lichuan, guarantee with my reputation that I will absolutely not reveal today's conversation!"

"No, no, it's not that serious," Guo Xiaoran continued to pour himself a drink. "We all make a living with our skills. Of course, we try our best not to offend anyone. But having skills is still much better than being a celebrity or idol on stage. We don't have as many taboos. The reason I don't let you pass on messages is because I'm afraid you'll offend people."

"Well said!" Jia Yi shouted in approval, and encouraged everyone to raise their glasses together.

Jin Lan and Lu Chujiu didn't usually drink, but Jia Yi was a master at persuading them to drink, and he managed to get them to drink after just a few words.

People who can't drink, especially women, should avoid alcohol at the dinner table. Because once you start, it'll be a never-ending stream of drinks that you can't refuse.

Jin Lan and Lu Chujiu made this mistake, and the two of them were subsequently made to get completely drunk, since no one doesn't love to see a beautiful woman drunk.

After a few rounds of drinks, Guo Xiaoran, already tipsy, leaned close to Jin Lan and said:

"Jin Lan, let's be frank and open with each other. Today I just want to hear the truth. Can you give me the truth?"

"What?" Jin Lan's face was flushed, and she was also a little drunk.

"Did Chen Liang really write the song for you himself?" Guo Xiaoran asked. "We have to tell the truth!"

Jin Lan was a little dizzy, but not completely drunk, and immediately said, "You wrote it yourself?"

"Did you watch him write it?"

“Yes!” Jin Lan said, “And she writes very quickly! She finishes writing in just a few minutes each time!”

"A few minutes?!" Guo Xiaoran exclaimed, her eyes wide. "Don't lie to me!"

"I'm not lying to you, it really only takes me a few minutes to finish writing each time," Jin Lan said, feeling a little dizzy.

Even Meng Xing's eyes widened in surprise, after all, Jin Lan's words were too shocking.

“It’s not that he thought it all out in advance, but just wrote it down in those few minutes,” Meng Xing said. “There are also people who have the melody and direction planned out beforehand, and then write it down.”

“No, it really only takes a few minutes,” Jin Lan said. “Every round is like that. As soon as the theme is announced, we get back to the hotel and he starts writing, and then he finishes writing it for me in a few minutes, with both melody and lyrics.”

As Jin Lan spoke, she became somewhat proud, as if she had also contributed to Chen Liang's rapid writing:

"From the moment the theme was announced to the moment he wrote the song, there was only a short drive, about ten or twenty minutes, no more than half an hour. At most, he would have thought it through in the car and then write it down when he got back to the hotel."

Guo Xiaoran and Jia Yi exchanged a glance, then slammed their fists on the table and shouted:

"There's definitely something fishy going on here! The organizers must have leaked the questions to him beforehand!"

Jin Lan was caught off guard by their conclusion and asked in surprise, "Why do you say that? Don't you all write songs this quickly?"

"How could it be so fast!" Guo Xiaoran exclaimed, his neck turning red. "Who doesn't spend several days writing a song? This show's high-intensity songwriting has already exhausted everyone."

“Yes, it’s not just a matter of writing for a few days, it can take months,” Jia Yi said. “Meng Xing, what’s the longest you’ve ever written?”

Meng Xing pondered for a moment and said, "The song that took me the longest to write took two whole years."

After saying that, he added, "Of course, it's not that I only wrote this song in two years, but that I always felt that this song wasn't good enough, so I kept polishing and perfecting it, which is why it took two years to write it."

Jin Lan's eyes were glazed over, and her mouth was slightly open.

Her worldview was somewhat shaken.

Previously, she had only worked with Jia Yi and Chen Liang, and had never worked with anyone else.

Chen Liang always wrote songs in a flash, which gave her the illusion that all songwriters wrote songs that quickly.

Jia Yi spent a day or two polishing his song, but she felt it was too slow and secretly thought he wasn't as capable as Chen Liang.

In retrospect, writing songs so quickly seems abnormal?

"Is it really impossible to write that fast?" Jin Lan asked.

Meng Xing shook his head and said, "It's not that it's impossible to write that fast. I can write fast when I'm in a good state, but it's impossible to write three songs in such a good state every time. That's unbelievable."

“Yeah, I’m not saying I’m jealous of their talent, but this is happening way too fast,” Guo Xiaoran said loudly. “Look, if writing songs were this easy, wouldn’t all those celebrities be releasing albums every day and making so much money they’d be rolling in it?”

“There must be something fishy going on. No one can write so fast. There’s only one reason why he could write so fast,” Jia Yi said. “The organizers gave him the questions in advance, and he just memorized those songs beforehand.”

"Is it really that dark?" Guo Lichuan asked, sounding a bit suffocated.

"Hehe," Guo Xiaoran patted him on the shoulder, "Young man, you're still young. There's a lot darker side to the entertainment industry."

Jin Lan was speechless after hearing this.

Before, she could still try to cover things up for Chen Liang in her mind, but now, with everyone saying the same thing, she really couldn't tell the difference.

Guo Xiaoran is very excited now, and her voice is getting louder and louder.

Previously, he harbored some envy, jealousy, and resentment towards Chen Liang. Now that he knows Chen Liang had his exam questions leaked beforehand, he's not so jealous anymore; instead, he feels a bit contemptuous. (Even though he himself had his exam questions leaked.)

What's with the arrogance? Isn't he just someone who gets in through back channels and underhanded tactics?

And who knows, maybe even the songs were written in advance by someone else, and he didn't write them himself!

Otherwise, how do you explain someone who has never had any previous works being able to write so many songs on the spot? You can't write songs unless you're on a TV show, right?

Thinking of this, Guo Xiaoran straightened her back and raised her voice.

You shouldn't drink alone in silence; the more you drink alone, the more intoxicated you'll become.

If you're drinking a celebratory drink, you'll get tipsy eventually, but you'll be even happier when you're tipsy.

Guo Xiaoran and Jia Yi both got carried away.

They had a minor disagreement before because of the leaked exam questions, and Jia Yi hadn't truly forgiven Guo Xiaoran yet.

After the drinks, the two had a heart-to-heart talk. Whether it was just for show or not, they both felt they had opened up to each other.

So the two quickly resumed their brotherly relationship, and a joyful atmosphere filled the entire table.

Just then, there was a knock on the door of the cubicle. When they opened it, they saw the proprietress kneeling outside.

The proprietress, dressed in a kimono, said in Japanese, "Dear guests, I'm very sorry, but the guests in the next private room have complained that it's a bit too noisy here. Could you please lower your voice a little?"

However, none of the people present spoke Japanese very well, so naturally they didn't understand.

"What did you say?" Jia Yi shouted, picking at his ear. "I didn't hear you!"

The proprietress repeated herself, speaking and gesturing, but unfortunately, no one could understand her.

Guo Xiaoran waved his hand and said, "Anyway, they all say they'll send some side dishes or ask us to promote it on WeChat Moments or something."

"You think this is in China?" Meng Xing burst out laughing.

"Boss, another pitcher of beer," Guo Lichuan said, holding out his hand. "I feel like we guys can still hold our liquor!"

Seeing that she couldn't convey her meaning and tried gesturing for a long time without success, the proprietress finally had to leave and go to the next table to explain.

The crowd quieted down a bit. Hearing the arrogant tongue-twisting sound coming from next door, Guo Xiaoran turned around and asked:

"What's going on?"

"I don't know, who cares?" Jia Yi picked up a bean. "We consumers only care about eating, let the restaurant handle the rest. Don't we understand the basic principles of running a business?"

"Come on, have another one!"

Here, glasses clinked loudly again, and laughter filled the air.

Everyone was still hungry after the meal (the Japanese food was too small), and Jia Yi stood up, feeling dizzy, and headed towards the restroom.

He was completely drunk and numb, staggering as he walked. He bumped into the bathroom and almost couldn't even find his belt.

A Japanese man walked in from the side. He was seeing double and couldn't make out the man's face. When he came out, he accidentally bumped into the man.

Unexpectedly, the person immediately reached out and pushed him.

"What are you doing, you little brat! Don't you have eyes? Watch your step!"

Jia Yi was pushed and stumbled, falling to the ground and hitting the back of his head against the wall.

His anger flared up, and he stood up and slapped the man across the face.