Chapter 108: A Solo Serenade

Uncle Gao’s smile stiffened upon hearing this, and after a moment, he nodded slightly. “Xiao Chuan, what do you think of Zhang Xiaoqiao?”

“Zhang Xiaoqiao?” Lin Chuan was momentarily taken aback, his mind racing rapidly.

Zhang Xiaoqiao was the girl who had just left. She was young, yet adorned from head to toe in extravagant designer brands—clearly not something an ordinary person could afford.

But that wasn’t the point. The real issue was that Lin Chuan had only met Zhang Xiaoqiao once, without exchanging a single word, so he had no basis to judge her character.

Still, relying solely on first impressions... Lin Chuan smiled faintly and said, “She seems like a very fashionable girl...”

Uncle Gao smiled slightly. “So, what style do you think suits her? For example, what kind of songs would be fitting for her to sing?”

Lin Chuan furrowed his brow and gave Uncle Gao a deep look. “That depends on her musical style. We need to understand her style before making any decisions. Uncle Gao, are you thinking...?”

“Heh, I want you to write a song for her. As for her style, that’s no problem. If you agree, I’ll call Zhang Xiaoqiao right away...” Uncle Gao said as he pulled out his phone.

Lin Chuan nodded without refusal. In truth, he had no grounds to decline Uncle Gao’s request. Although he regarded Uncle Gao as an elder, Uncle Gao was still the boss of the company, and Lin Chuan was merely an artist under his wing.

The call went through. Uncle Gao’s face turned serious as he spoke just two sentences before hanging up.

The two sat in the office, chatting casually while waiting for Zhang Xiaoqiao to arrive.

They had assumed she had left long ago, so having her return to the company meant a bit of a wait. Yet, less than ten minutes later, there was a knock on the office door.

In walked Zhang Xiaoqiao, dressed in designer brands and wearing heavy makeup.

She swayed her slender waist as she entered, casting a sidelong glance at Lin Chuan seated across the desk, then smiled and said, “President Gao, you called me back? What’s the matter?”

Gao Mingyuan’s smile vanished, replaced by a grave expression. “Mr. Lin has agreed to write a song for you, but he wants to understand your style first. So, why don’t you sing something a cappella here? Anything you like.”

“Sing here? President Gao, you must be joking, right?” Zhang Xiaoqiao’s face changed instantly.

“Do you think I’m joking?” Uncle Gao’s expression darkened.

To be honest, he found this wealthy young lady rather insufferable. If it weren’t for the gratitude banquet, he wouldn’t have wasted a single word with her.

But for the future growth of the company, he had to swallow his pride and try to accommodate all of Zhang Xiaoqiao’s demands.

Zhang Xiaoqiao was stunned—she hadn’t expected that the usually gentle President Gao could lose his temper. Singing a song? That was nothing. Fine, she would sing.

She cast a cold glance at Lin Chuan beside her, cleared her throat deliberately, and began to sing.

“The night is beautiful, the wind is cool,
Lonely, I walk down a deserted alley,
Your image lingers in my heart,
Impossible to cast away, impossible to forget...
Cold wine, a lonely heart,
Memories of you flash through my mind,
How I long to touch your face,
How I long to smell your enchanting hair...”

This was a fairly popular song in the world, gentle and soothing, like telling a story.

A woman heartbroken by lost love, reminiscing about her ex-boyfriend on a lonely night.

Yet, when Zhang Xiaoqiao sang it, the tone changed entirely. The song lost its mournful beauty, instead carrying a hint of schadenfreude... Yes, schadenfreude—it almost sounded as if breaking up was a joyous event.

Listening to this “twisted” rendition, Lin Chuan couldn’t help but smile wryly, and so did Gao Mingyuan. Though he couldn’t sing, he could certainly tell a good song from a bad one, having managed some artists himself.

Just as Zhang Xiaoqiao was fully immersed in her song, a phone rang. Lin Chuan smiled apologetically, pulled out his phone, and rose to walk toward the door.

“Hello,” Lin Chuan whispered softly.

Soon, a youthful voice came from the other end. “Daddy, Xiao Yue and I are ready. We’re going to the cinema now. When will you be here?”

“Hmm, Daddy will be there soon. You two go ahead first...” Lin Chuan chuckled.

Then, a woman’s faint voice echoed from the phone, but Lin Chuan couldn’t make out the words.

“Okay, Xiao Yue said we’ll go ahead. You need to hurry and don’t be late!” The youthful voice carried an unmistakable excitement.

After hanging up, Lin Chuan stood still, images of his son and Wang Yue flashing through his mind. A faint smile appeared on his face.

This... was his very first date with Wang Yue. How could he possibly be late?

Turning back, he saw Uncle Gao and Zhang Xiaoqiao, and his body trembled slightly, startled.

Zhang Xiaoqiao stared coldly at him with a disdainful look.

Uncle Gao’s expression was quite different—half-smiling, eyebrows occasionally twitching as if conveying some hidden meaning.

“Sorry, Uncle Gao, I have something urgent and need to leave early... Miss Zhang, I have a rough idea of your musical style now. When I have time, I’ll write a song more suited to you.” With that, Lin Chuan opened the door and left without waiting for their response.

With a loud bang of the door closing, only the two remained in the office.

Zhang Xiaoqiao’s face darkened immediately. Lin Chuan was utterly outrageous, completely dismissive of her. She had complied with his demand to sing on the spot, but he hadn’t even finished listening before he just left? Urgent matters, indeed—if his were urgent, did that mean hers were not?

Angrier by the moment, she whipped her head around and glared furiously at Gao Mingyuan. “President Gao, what is this? Lin Chuan just left like that?”

“Oh, didn’t you hear? Xiao Chuan had something to attend to and left early. Didn’t he say he’d write a song more suited to your style later?” Uncle Gao shrugged.

That only infuriated Zhang Xiaoqiao more. She snorted coldly and stormed out without a backward glance.

Downstairs at the company, a sleek car was waiting by the entrance. A well-dressed man in his forties saw Zhang Xiaoqiao emerge, quickly got out, bowed respectfully, and said, “Miss, you’re back.”

He opened the rear door for her.

As Zhang Xiaoqiao approached to get in, she caught sight of Lin Chuan a short distance away, anxiously slipping into a taxi.

Her eyes narrowed, a cold smile curling on her lips. “Follow that taxi ahead. I want to see what could be so important that he would leave before I finished singing...”

(Phew, finally home. It’s been several days without an update—truly sorry, and thank you to the brothers and sisters who’ve steadfastly voted and supported every day.)