Chapter 6: The Violent Father

Ps: Many thanks to Dai Xiaobai for the reward.

"Hello, esteemed judges. My name is Lin Chuan, I am twenty-eight years old, and I work as a bar singer..." Without a trace of hesitation, Lin Chuan introduced himself.

"That song you just performed—did you write it yourself? What is it called?" The white-haired judge nodded with a smile and continued to ask.

"Yes, that song is called 'Love Is Not by Choice,'" Lin Chuan replied, his expression calm and unflinching.

"I'm curious, when you wrote this song, what were you feeling at the time?" At this, a female judge in her fifties, seated nearby, asked with interest.

"Uh...when I wrote this song..." Lin Chuan furrowed his brow and slowly recounted the so-called "story" behind the song.

Of course, this so-called "story" was entirely a fabrication of his own.

After a moment, another judge—this one in a suit and tie and appearing somewhat younger than the others—laughed heartily and said, "Ah, the beauty of youth! Inspiration can be found in every detail of life, and it's wonderful that you can compose such a good song. But now, I'm even more interested in that college crush you mentioned..."

"After graduation, she left for another city. In a way, this song is an interpretation and a reminiscence of my university days," Lin Chuan replied with a bitter smile.

"Although this is just the preliminary round, contestants often fall into a blind spot when choosing their songs, especially with original pieces like yours. While the judges may give bonus points for originality, there's also the risk of a lower score. Weren't you afraid of the latter possibility?" The smile vanished from the white-haired judge's face, and he spoke with great seriousness.

"I didn't think that much at the time. I just considered that, after listening to so many songs, the judges might experience auditory fatigue, so I wanted to use my own song to offer something fresh," Lin Chuan answered calmly.

Hearing this, the three judges exchanged glances. In the end, it was the white-haired judge who spoke: "You are very honest, and indeed, your song gave us a refreshing experience. However, I hope that in the next round, you will surprise us again!"

Lin Chuan was taken aback by these words, not immediately grasping their meaning.

Then, the younger judge below the stage laughed heartily and said, "What are you daydreaming about, young man? You've made it to the next round!"

"I... I've advanced?" Lin Chuan murmured in disbelief.

"That's right, young man, congratulations on advancing!" the female judge beside him confirmed with a smile and a nod.

When Lin Chuan left the studio, he still felt as if he were in a daze. Though he was confident in himself, he had been overcome by a nervousness he couldn't explain, especially when he first saw the elderly white-haired judge.

After finishing his performance, he had exchanged a few words with the judges, but his nerves had never relaxed. So, when he heard he'd advanced, it took him a while to recover from the tension.

"Dad, are you all right?" Lin Yiyang hurried over, holding Lin Chuan's hand with concern.

"Hey, brother, how did it go? Did you advance?" the young man from earlier asked, frowning anxiously.

"I think... I made it to the next round," Lin Chuan replied after a long pause, as if talking to himself.

"The next round? Brother, you advanced!" The young man was even more excited than Lin Chuan himself.

Some people nearby, upon hearing the news, quickly gathered around, all talking at once and asking about what had just happened.

Lin Chuan didn't say much, simply laughed it off and slipped away from the crowd, leading Lin Yiyang out of the building in a hurry.

Because there were so many contestants in the preliminary round, it was expected to take another day or two to finish the selection. During this time, Lin Chuan had the opportunity to carefully choose another song and adjust his mindset.

After leaving the TV station, Lin Chuan took Lin Yiyang to a nearby shopping mall.

After all, he had made it to the next round, and the upcoming competition would be fully recorded. For the sake of his image, Lin Chuan finally decided to buy himself a decent set of clothes.

Tianheng Fashion Department Store was not a large mall by the standards of Beining City, but it was always crowded. The products, both in style and price, were popular among young people of ordinary means.

On the first floor, all the passageways were packed with people, and many stalls were crowded with customers.

"Are things free today, or why is it so crowded?" Lin Chuan frowned and muttered in confusion.

The first floor mostly sold women's hair accessories, cosmetics, and other small goods, so Lin Chuan didn't linger, but led Lin Yiyang straight to the elevator.

On the second floor, there were noticeably fewer people, at least enough to move about without being jostled. This floor mainly sold men's clothing, so Lin Chuan began inspecting each stall carefully.

"Handsome, looking for pants? All our pants are imported and the latest styles. Want to come in and take a look?" As Lin Chuan approached a relatively quiet stall, a woman in her thirties greeted him with a big smile.

Lin Chuan didn't reply at once but looked inside. The pants hanging on the wall were indeed stylish and seemed to be of good quality.

He crouched down and told Lin Yiyang, "Yangyang, wait here and don't run around. Daddy will just have a quick look inside."

"Okay, Daddy!" Lin Yiyang nodded obediently.

With that, Lin Chuan turned and entered the stall, the saleswoman following closely behind and enthusiastically introducing the merchandise.

The stall was small and crowded with goods. With his guitar slung on his back, Lin Chuan found it difficult to turn around.

After a quick look, he picked out a pair of pants he liked, asked about the price, and decided to try them on.

Unlike specialty stores, this stall didn't have a fitting room. The saleswoman grabbed a large piece of cloth to shield him—an improvised changing area.

Just as he sat down on a chair, a scream came from outside, followed by a child's timid "Sorry."

"Yangyang!" Lin Chuan was startled and hurried out.

Sure enough, Lin Yiyang was standing not far from the stall, facing two fashionably dressed young women.

One of them had a large wet patch on her clothes, a half-finished cup of milk tea in her hand, and was glaring furiously at Lin Yiyang.

Lin Chuan's heart skipped a beat. He strode over and quickly apologized, "I'm so sorry. What happened here?"

"What's wrong with your kid? He doesn't watch where he's going and spilled my milk tea. Look at my clothes!" the girl with the milk tea complained loudly.

"I'm terribly sorry. Yangyang, apologize to the lady," Lin Chuan said, forcing a smile.

Lin Yiyang pouted and said in a very soft voice, "I'm sorry, sister. I didn't do it on purpose. Please forgive me, or else my dad will hit me when we get home!"

What on earth? When have I ever hit you? Don't talk nonsense like that!

Lin Chuan's face turned green, and he smiled awkwardly at the two girls. "Um, how about I help wash your clothes?"

"You? Wash my clothes? Forget it. I’m not in the habit of letting men do my laundry." The girl rolled her eyes impatiently.

At that moment, her friend—the one with a ponytail—looked down at Lin Yiyang and, with a slight frown, said, "Sir, let's just forget about this. My friend won't hold it against you. But I hope you won't hit your child when you get home. He's still young—mischievousness is normal!"

"Don't worry, I won't. Don't listen to his nonsense!" Lin Chuan quickly explained, glaring at Lin Yiyang.

But his effort only made things worse. Now he'd been painted as a violent father who routinely beat his child.

"Uncle, you don't seem like a responsible parent. Do you often hit your child at home?" the girl with the milk tea scrutinized Lin Chuan with suspicion.

Lin Chuan's mouth twitched. Originally, Lin Yiyang had bumped into the girl and spilled her drink. But now, the whole situation had turned upside down, and he was being cast as an irresponsible, abusive father.

What was this, a public censure? A trial? But he’d never done any of those things.

While Lin Chuan was at a loss for words, the ponytailed girl took out a piece of paper, quickly wrote down a phone number, and crouched to give it to Lin Yiyang. "Little guy, this is my number. If your dad ever dares to hit you, call me, all right?"

"Okay, I will. Thank you, sister!" Lin Yiyang took the number, his big eyes instantly filling with tears, obviously feeling aggrieved.

Good heavens, when did this kid get so good at acting?

Lin Chuan was at his wit’s end.

"Uncle, I hope you treat your child well, or else..." The ponytailed girl stood up and gave Lin Chuan a cold, unmistakably threatening look.

"Don’t worry, I will!" Lin Chuan forced a smile, nodding repeatedly.

Just like that, the farce quickly ended.

Once the two girls walked away, Lin Chuan said to Lin Yiyang, "Well, you’re really something now, kid. You could win an Oscar for that performance!"

"Dad, what’s an Oscar?" Lin Yiyang asked, raising his brows in confusion.

"Never mind. Come on, let's buy you some clothes—otherwise people will say I’m mistreating you again..." Lin Chuan shook his head and sighed.