Chapter 12 Cheers

“Keep it simple. Speak plainly.”

“Leave out the escalating emotions; you’re not an actor.”

“Don’t script out those scenarios.”

“I don’t mind, I just want to see how you’ll talk your way out of this.”

“Your sadness is so superficial, like an actor without talent.”

“The audience can see it at a glance.”

...

The moment Su Chen’s deep, magnetic voice rang out, for reasons unknown, the once bustling little tavern—where people had been eating and chatting—quickly fell silent. All eyes turned toward the young man on the stage.

“Hey? Why has the performer changed? Isn’t it usually Old Chen on Thursdays?”

“But this guy’s singing is really good...”

The tavern soon grew completely quiet. Even Old Chen, the middle-aged man resting offstage, couldn’t help but look up at Su Chen. He’d seen plenty of customers take the stage for a song, but never one who sang so beautifully. And this song... It was honestly moving.

On stage, Su Chen’s gaze was distant, his fingers expertly plucking at the guitar strings. With every turn and strum, a sense of powerlessness and heartbreak naturally flowed from him, deeply moving the audience.

Including Han Jiangxue.

When the chorus arrived, the emotions in the song reached their peak.

“I played along in your performance, acting as if I didn’t see.”

“Forcing the one who loves you most to improvise.”

“When did we start hiding our bottom lines?”

“Going along with the times, watching those clumsy acts.”

Su Chen didn’t belt out the lyrics, but the emotion in his voice drilled straight into the soul, making everyone tense up. It was a kind of despair, as if someone had pressed down on your body, leaving you unable to move—clenching your teeth, but not knowing how to muster any strength.

For a moment, everyone in the tavern was submerged in that feeling, eyes reddened by unshed tears.

The song continued, yet the emotion did not rise further. Instead, it seemed to release, like a gentle letting go.

“But if you once loved me so much, why act out every detail?”

“What must I become to stave off your growing indifference?”

“So it turns out, all these things after love lets down its guard—”

“Are the real test...”

Su Chen stopped singing right there, choosing just the right moment. Like the character in the lyrics, he let himself go, and the audience felt their bodies relax as well. In that instant, a release washed over them, both physical and emotional, sending chills up their spines. Only as tears dropped onto their hands did many realize they’d been crying.

The echoes of the song lingered. After a brief silence, applause broke out—soft at first, then swelling into a roaring ovation.

Su Chen rose from his high stool, offered a slight bow, set down his guitar, and stepped off the stage.

It was as if Old Chen awoke from a dream. He hurriedly called out to Su Chen as he passed.

“Hey, young man, what’s the name of the song you just sang?”

Su Chen replied, “It’s called ‘The Actor.’”

“‘The Actor’... How come I’ve never heard this before? With a song this good, it shouldn’t be so obscure!” Old Chen muttered.

Su Chen smiled and said, “Thank you. Of course you haven’t heard it—it’s the first time I’ve ever sung it.”

Old Chen froze, then suddenly jolted upright in shock.

He wrote this song himself?!

When Old Chen looked again, Su Chen was already heading back to his seat.

Han Jiangxue was watching a video on her phone, one she’d recorded of Su Chen while he was singing.

Seeing Su Chen approach, Han Jiangxue said, “‘The Actor’ is wonderful, every bit as good as ‘Queen.’ And... you’re quite captivating when you sing!”

“This video will do great on TikTok, too. It’ll boost your popularity. Take a look—how’s this filter?”

Han Jiangxue looked up, wanting his opinion, just as Su Chen leaned in to watch the video with her.

Their faces were only ten centimeters apart.

In that moment, time seemed to freeze. Both of them were motionless, caught in the moment.

Su Chen could even feel the warm breath from Han Jiangxue’s lips, carrying the sweet scent of Baileys—fragrant and intoxicating.

Their eyes met and darted away, a rush of heat flooding their minds, both of them flustered, hearts pounding.

“Um…”

Su Chen straightened, a little embarrassed. “You pick. I trust your taste.”

Han Jiangxue didn’t dare look up, murmuring a soft agreement.

Su Chen sat back down, and silence fell between them. He picked up his phone and opened TikTok to check his video.

It seemed the app had started pushing his video to more people; the number of likes was skyrocketing, increasing by hundreds—sometimes thousands—with each refresh.

Without a doubt, the video had gone viral, and Su Chen’s follower count was soaring.

Han Jiangxue noticed too. She tossed aside her earlier awkwardness and exclaimed in excitement, “You’re trending! Su Chen, you’re a hit!”

“I know... You’ve said those two words at least a dozen times today…” Su Chen replied, half-exasperated, but the corners of his lips couldn’t help but curl up as he looked at her.

“Is that so?” Han Jiangxue grinned, raising her glass to Su Chen. “Then we have to celebrate tonight. Cheers!”

Su Chen lifted his own cola. “Cheers!”

They drank and snacked together, stretching the night out until midnight before Su Chen finally returned with Han Jiangxue to her place.

Truthfully, he shouldn’t have been going to a girl’s house at this hour. Although he’d stayed at Han Jiangxue’s before, that time he’d been drunk and she’d brought him home, which had made it more forgivable.

But tonight, showing up again like this... it felt rather shameless.

Still…

“Han Jiangxue? Han Jiangxue, wake up! We’re home!” Su Chen tried to support the drunken Han Jiangxue against the doorframe, doing his best to maintain his gentlemanly composure.

He hadn’t expected someone who looked so slender to be this heavy.

Just carrying her across two intersections had left him gasping for breath.

But finally, they were home.

Su Chen half-carried, half-dragged Han Jiangxue into the master bedroom and carefully helped her out of her coat and socks.

Despite his caution, his clumsy hands tugged her shirt askew.

In that moment, with her bare shoulder exposed, Han Jiangxue looked like a hidden treasure, brazenly displaying her allure to him.

If he wanted, Su Chen could have had her right then and there.

But he did nothing. Instead, his eyes were filled with a gentle concern.

He fetched makeup remover from the bathroom and wiped her face clean of the light cosmetics, then boiled some water to help her drink.

All this, he’d learned from Lin Yanran.

After wiping away his sweat, Su Chen looked at Han Jiangxue, whose brow had finally relaxed as she lay on the bed, and felt relieved.

“So this is how troublesome it is to take care of someone drunk… I wonder how you managed to bring me back last night,” he murmured, giving Han Jiangxue a long look before switching off the light and quietly closing the door behind him.

Meanwhile, far across town, Xu Fangyuan—who was still at a business dinner with Lin Yanran for an endorsement deal—received a call from the office.