Chapter 113: The Fresh Meat

PS: Thanks to Kawasal for the tip.

Evening.

At Yun Capital KTV, inside a large private room, a few girls sat on the sofa, whispering anxiously, their faces tinged with worry.

In another corner, two bright and handsome young men were seated. They were not very old. One wore a cold expression, sitting silently in the corner, neither singing nor speaking.

The other was different—cheerful and lively, clearly someone who couldn’t stand being idle.

“Miss Gao, is Brother Chuan coming or not?” the lively young man leaned in and asked.

“Of course he’s coming. Just wait a bit longer,” one of the girls replied.

“But we’ve been waiting for over an hour. I’m telling you, Xia Tian said if Brother Chuan doesn’t show up in ten minutes, we’re leaving...”

Hearing this, the girls grew uneasy, especially the one who spoke. She stood up nervously and glanced toward the door. “Don’t worry, I’ll call and hurry him up.”

She took out her phone, found Lin Chuan’s number, and dialed.

Before the phone even rang twice, the door to the room opened. A man entered, holding a birthday cake, smiling warmly. He glanced around before apologizing, “Sorry for being late, Gao Meng. Happy birthday…”

A simple blessing, a modest entrance.

At his words, everyone in the room—including the two handsome young men—paused briefly, then erupted into cheers.

“Brother Chuan, we’ve been waiting for you! Come, sit here,” the cheerful young man hurried over, pulling Lin Chuan’s arm.

Lin Chuan smiled, nodded, and took a seat on the sofa.

At that moment, the boy who had been sitting silently like a block of ice finally smiled. He approached and said, “Brother Chuan, hello. I’m Xia Tian, a fan of yours.”

“Ah, right. I’m Chu Fei, also a fan. It’s so exciting to meet you here today…” the lively young man introduced himself as well.

Immediately, led by Gao Meng, several girls flocked around, asking to take photos and get autographs.

Lin Chuan didn’t refuse; soon he was mingling comfortably with everyone.

The once quiet room instantly became lively with Lin Chuan’s arrival. Some sang, others drank.

Through conversation, Lin Chuan learned that Xia Tian and Chu Fei were also artists under Tiandi Culture—the fresh-faced pop duo the driver Xiao Wu had mentioned when he first returned: the Power Boys.

The two accompanied Lin Chuan, chatting animatedly, while Gao Meng lingered nearby, attempting several times to speak with Xia Tian but never quite finding the moment.

Time flew by, and before long, another hour had passed.

Xia Tian glanced at the time, his brow furrowing slightly. “Brother Chuan, sorry, I have to leave now.”

“What? Leaving so soon? Stay a bit longer?” Before Lin Chuan could respond, Gao Meng jumped up anxiously.

“No, I have something to do. By the way, happy birthday. This is a small gift I prepared for you. I hope you like it,” Xia Tian said, pulling a delicate little gift box from his pocket.

Gao Meng took it, tears streaming down her face, wanting to persuade Xia Tian to stay longer, but he had no intention of lingering.

Watching this tall, handsome figure disappear through the door, Gao Meng suddenly wilted.

“It’s fine, Brother Chuan. Let’s not worry about him,” Chu Fei laughed heartily, raising his glass.

Lin Chuan nodded, lifted his cup, gently clinked it with Chu Fei’s, and downed his drink.

To ease the awkward atmosphere, Chu Fei kept pouring one toast after another. The girls, who had been disheartened by Xia Tian’s departure, picked up the microphones again and resumed their raucous singing.

Perhaps a little drunk, Chu Fei’s chatter grew more and more abundant—stories from all over, strange tales, everything he had heard or seen.

Finally, he grasped Lin Chuan’s hand and said, “Brother Chuan... you’re a big star, you don’t understand the struggles of newcomers like us. The Power Boys are about to break up…”

“Huh? What happened?” Lin Chuan was taken aback. Gao Meng also turned to look.

“Heh, you probably don’t know. We only signed a short contract with Tiandi Culture, no real binding terms... Xia Tian said he doesn’t want to sing anymore...” Chu Fei slurred slightly, clearly tipsy.

“That can’t be. Xia Tian wouldn’t give up singing. You must be drunk,” Gao Meng protested unhappily.

“You don’t understand... Miss Gao, do you have dreams? Heh... you don’t. You’re a rich girl, born into wealth, living a life of ease... You just don’t get it...” Chu Fei repeated “don’t understand” twice. Though the room was dim, tears glistened in his eyes.

Lin Chuan frowned. “Chu Fei, what’s going on? If you don’t mind, please tell me.”

“Alright, Brother Chuan, if you want to hear it, I’ll tell you... Xia Tian’s family isn’t well off. His parents are ordinary workers; a couple of years ago, they lost their jobs... To support Xia Tian’s dream, his father sold their house so he could study music... But just a few days ago, his father had a car accident...” Chu Fei’s words came in fits and starts.

“What? Could it be that Xia Tian’s father...” Gao Meng covered her mouth, shocked.

Chu Fei waved his hand vigorously. “Don’t say that. Uncle Xia isn’t dead, but he broke his leg... Because of that, Xia Tian needs a lot of money for treatment, but... their situation is bad. So Xia Tian doesn’t want to waste time anymore; he wants to work and earn money.”

“Why didn’t they go after the driver who caused the accident to cover the medical bills?” a girl asked, stepping forward.

“Damn, don’t even mention that bastard. If I ever catch him, I’ll beat him black and blue. He hit someone and ran...” Chu Fei’s anger flared.

“Gao Meng, has the company had any commercial performances recently?” Lin Chuan asked, turning to her.

“Uh...” Gao Meng hesitated, stammering for a long time without a word.

Finally, Chu Fei took over. “Forget about commercial gigs. After signing with the company, Mr. Gao arranged for us to do a show, but before we could even perform, they kicked us out, saying we have no fame and no original songs...”

“Is that even possible?” Lin Chuan was speechless. Gao Meng, Chu Fei, and the girls looked equally stunned.

“Maybe I can help Xia Tian,” Lin Chuan smiled after a moment.