Chapter 4: Do Not Scorn the Young and Poor

Is this guy here to upstage me? With skills like that, why even come to my concert? Am I even worthy?

Zhang Fuyu stood frozen below the stage, so shocked all she could think was a string of expletives. Why did I have to pick this guy to come up here? With such a gem of a song delivered before mine, how am I supposed to sing my next few numbers? Suddenly, Zhang Fuyu felt that staying in the audience might not be such a bad thing—right now, the stage seemed like a gauntlet of knives and fire.

But this was her solo concert; there was no escaping it. Zhang Fuyu drew a deep breath and forced herself onto the stage, heart heavy. Taking the microphone Su Chen handed her, she managed to ask the crowd in a loud voice, “Did he sound good or not?”

“He sounded amazing!!!”

Over ten thousand people responded in near hysteria, a tidal wave of voices; some in the audience hadn’t even had time to wipe their tears. Such power to stir emotions—Zhang Fuyu had rarely seen it in her entire career.

Faced with a frenzy like this, she had no idea how she could possibly reclaim the stage. She could already picture tomorrow’s trending topic: “Diva Zhang Fuyu Outshined by Amateur Fan.” Her stiff smile grew even more bitter.

“Wow! Handsome, you really hid your true colors! Your vocals are easily as good as mine. Are you sure you’re not a professional singer?” she asked half-jokingly.

“No.” Su Chen shook his head. “This was my first time on stage. I only wrote this song today, after breaking up with my girlfriend.”

“You have such a gift for songwriting! Can I ask why you two broke up? Maybe I can help.”

Su Chen replied without hesitation, “Because I have no money.”

“Uh…”

Zhang Fuyu was caught off guard; she hadn’t expected Su Chen to be so blunt, not even sparing himself a fig leaf.

“Then… is there anything else you want to say to her?”

Su Chen paused, about to say no by instinct. But as he picked up the mic, something seemed to cross his mind. His lips curved in a faint smile. “If I must say something, I’d say this…”

“Thirty years the river flows east, thirty years it flows west; never look down on a young man just because he’s poor.”

At his words, the whole venue fell silent. After a moment of stunned surprise, the audience burst into laughter.

Not only could this young man sing, he had a great attitude too—cracking jokes even in this situation.

Zhang Fuyu covered her mouth, laughing lightly. “Hehe, you’re so interesting. I’m sure your ex will regret this one day. Hmm… one last question: does that song have a name?”

“‘Queen’.”

“...‘Queen’?” Zhang Fuyu’s smile froze.

To sing “Queen” at the Queen’s own concert—and thinking of the lyrics, too…

Definitely here to upstage me!

This guy may look gentle and refined, but who knew he was such a troll!

Thanks for the subtle shade!

Zhang Fuyu cleared her throat. “Ahem… That song ‘Queen’ was really well-written. Honestly, just giving you a signed album feels like I’m getting the better deal. How about this—let’s add each other as friends? Maybe we can make music together sometime!”

She pulled out her phone and gave Su Chen a playful wave.

Instantly, the crowd erupted.

To add the diva on WeChat! That was every fan’s dream.

Amid the thunderous screams, a slightly dazed Su Chen nodded, “Ah… sure.”

He fumbled out his phone, unlocked it, opened WeChat, and pulled up his QR code, all with an awkward clumsiness.

But it wasn’t nerves—he was simply feeling the full effect of the mixed drinks now. All Su Chen wanted was to get off that stage quickly; if he made a fool of himself in front of everyone, he’d rather just disappear.

As soon as he heard the crisp “ding” from her phone, he nearly snatched the signed album from Zhang Fuyu, shoved the mic back into her hand, and dashed offstage.

Watching his retreating figure, Zhang Fuyu felt a little disoriented.

Why do I get the feeling he’s so impatient with me?

Did this troll go through all that just to get a signed album to resell? If you’d just said so, I’d have given you one even if you sang a nursery rhyme!

How to clean up this mess, Zhang Fuyu didn’t know, and Su Chen neither knew nor cared. All he felt now was that his mind and body were lagging, like there was a network delay—he could barely walk straight.

Dragging his lagging self back to his seat, Su Chen leaned in to Han Jiangxue and whispered hurriedly, “Tonight… I’m sorry to trouble you. You… watch the concert, I… I’m leaving now…”

“...Leaving?” Han Jiangxue was taken aback, watching him sway as he tried to get up.

She was about to ask what was wrong when suddenly, a warm, heavy body collapsed onto her.

It was Su Chen!

He finally couldn’t hold on and had passed out drunk.

Their posture was extremely intimate—Su Chen’s head buried in her neck as if greedily seeking comfort. His hot, alcohol-laden breath brushed against her skin, sending shivers down Han Jiangxue’s spine and coloring her cheeks bright red.

“Hey! Don’t fall asleep on me!” Han Jiangxue was flustered.

She instinctively tried to push him off, but Su Chen clung to her like a drowning man to a lifeline, refusing to let go.

After a few futile struggles, Han Jiangxue could only give up.

Feeling the curious stares from all around, she grumbled in embarrassment, “You really know how to pick your moment! Not drunk before, not after, but right now!”

She glanced up at Zhang Fuyu, still singing her heart out on stage, then down at Su Chen beside her. After a few seconds of internal debate, she heaved him up, covered her face, and hurried out of the venue, mumbling all along.

“What a loss, what a loss… I didn’t even get to finish the concert!”

In the open-air parking lot not far from Huanglong Stadium, Han Jiangxue struggled to cram Su Chen into the passenger seat of her Porsche 918 and buckled him in.

“Running off to get drunk alone, and now I have to take you home. Seriously…” she muttered, then paused. “...Wait? Where do you even live?”

She turned to the unconscious Su Chen, slapped her forehead.

“Great…”

With a long sigh, she said, “Guess I’ll have to get you a hotel room. Your ID should be on you, right? Let me check…”

“Hmm… there’s a dashcam in the car, so I’m not taking advantage of you!” she said, half to Su Chen and half to herself, as her hands carefully searched his pockets.

Just then, a warm hand suddenly landed on hers, making Han Jiangxue freeze.

She looked up guiltily to see Su Chen’s eyes tightly shut, brow furrowed, whether from discomfort or some painful memory she couldn’t tell.

Han Jiangxue gazed at his profile, recalling how he’d just performed “Queen” on stage…

“If I leave you alone drunk, it’s a safety hazard…” she muttered through gritted teeth, getting in and locking the doors.

The 918 started up with barely a sound and drifted smoothly out of the parking lot.

Meanwhile, back at the concert, videos of Su Chen’s performance were already being uploaded to Douyin by the audience.