Chapter 151: Connections

After returning to the country, Ye Fangfei took a few days off, during which she turned down all work offers.

Today, having some leisure time, she brought along Master Qin's favorite imported fruits to pay him a visit.

Master Qin, whose full name is Qin Yi, is a legendary figure in the domestic classical music scene, a top-tier classical composer, and a world-renowned piano master.

Young artists in the classical music circle all affectionately refer to him simply as "Master Qin."

Ye Fangfei grew up navigating the master classes of the classical music world. Her foray into the entertainment industry came later because of her broad range of interests and a desire to explore various forms of art, which eventually led her to step into show business.

If her instrumental skills were to be ranked, her true professional prowess lies in the cello. She is one of the proud disciples of a legendary cellist in the industry. Because her mentor and Master Qin are longtime friends, her relationship with Master Qin is also quite close.

Master Qin has always been very fond of her. Whenever she had free time as a child, she would follow Master Qin to learn the piano. Although she didn't quite meet his stringent requirements for taking on formal disciples, Master Qin could still be considered half her piano teacher, even though no formal apprenticeship took place.

As a musician straddling both the entertainment and classical music worlds, Ye Fangfei boasts extensive connections in the domestic music industry. However, she rarely reveals her involvement in the classical music circle to the outside world; those can be said to be her two distinct worlds.

"Uncle Qin! Take a guess which little darling has come to see you?"

Pushing open the grand gate, Ye Fangfei saw Qin Yi leisurely watering the flowers in his private garden. She immediately raised her voice and greeted him with a beaming smile.

Qin Yi stopped watering, looked toward the entrance, and upon seeing Ye Fangfei, a smile instantly spread across his face. He raised a finger and pointed at her, "You, you never truly grow up."

"It's better not to grow up. That way I can always throw tantrums and act spoiled under your and my mentor's watchful eyes."

Ye Fangfei very naturally slipped her arm through Master Qin's.

Qin Yi put down the watering can, shook his head with a smile, and the two of them walked toward the house.

As soon as Ye Fangfei put down the fruit basket in her hand, she heard Master Qin point to the aged piano in the living room and say to her, "Come, play a piece for me to hear and see if your skills have gotten rusty lately."

Ye Fangfei: "(-_-||)"

She instantly switched to a flattering, ingratiating smile, "Uncle Qin... I've only just stepped through the door, and my seat isn't even warm yet. What piano playing..."

Qin Yi: "Go play while sitting, your seat will warm up in a moment."

Ye Fangfei: "..."

"Even my mentor isn't as strict with me as you are," Ye Fangfei complained.

"Your mentor is simply derelict in his duty."

"Oh wow?! I am going to report this word-for-word back to my mentor's ears!"

"Go ahead and report it. Isn't he derelict in his duty? Otherwise, how could your cello skills be stuck at today's level? You should have been on the international stage long ago..."

"Oh dear! Here it goes again, here it goes again... Please spare me." Ye Fangfei covered her ears.

Qin Yi: "You hate hearing it the moment I mention it. Alright, hurry up and play a piece. Let me see if you've been slacking off lately and if your hands have lost their touch."

"I won't play. Playing will only get me scolded again. I certainly didn't come here today to be lectured by you."

Ye Fangfei resolutely refused to go anywhere near the piano.

Qin Yi: "Well, well? Then what on earth did you come here for?"

Ye Fangfei sat down on the sofa, picked up a strawberry from the fruit tray on the coffee table, popped it into her mouth, chewed, and mumbled vaguely, "Ouyang Xue told me that you wanted to see Lu Zhou, so I came to ask about it. Do you actually want to meet him?"

"Lu Zhou?" For a moment, Qin Yi didn't recall whose name that was. A fleeting look of confusion crossed his face, but after a moment of careful thought, a trace of recognition dawned in his mind. He said in sudden enlightenment, "Oh... you mean that young man who wrote the piece titled *Void*?"

Ye Fangfei tossed the strawberry stem into the trash can and nodded.

"You couldn't even remember his name, which means you probably didn't really want to meet him after all. Ouyang Xue must have misinterpreted your intentions again. It's a good thing I came to ask first, otherwise it would have been so awkward," she teased him.

Qin Yi let out a "tsk" and said, "Go ahead and invite him over. I'd like to meet him."

"I heard you went on a show recently to date this guy named Lu Zhou?" Qin Yi asked, eyeing Ye Fangfei up and down.

Hearing this, Ye Fangfei almost choked on the strawberry in her mouth.

"Who on earth told you that?" Her eyes widened.

"Yanhao said you went on a variety show with that younger son of the Zhang family to rekindle old flames, but you ended up looking down on him and instead got all cozy and lovey-dovey in the program with another young male star from the entertainment industry. And this young male star happens to be the creator of that piece *Void*. Isn't that how it went?"

"All cozy and lovey-dovey?!" Ye Fangfei swallowed the bits of strawberry in her mouth and declared, "Don't ever let me run into Wang Yanhao again, or I'll definitely tear that mouth of his apart."

Qin Yi looked her over for a moment, "So what he said isn't true?"

Ye Fangfei: "Of course it's not true! What cozy and lovey-dovey... We were just engaging in a normal exchange of artistic skills, putting on an act for the sake of recording the show."

"So you aren't dating him either?" Qin Yi raised an eyebrow.

"No! We're just ordinary friends!" Ye Fangfei stretched out her neck in defense, "You don't watch the show, you don't distinguish right from wrong, you just listen to other people's gossip, don't you?"

"At my age, how could I possibly watch that kind of show? I have no such hobbies," Qin Yi waved his hand dismissively and said, "Just invite him over so I can meet him. I really am quite interested in his piece *Void*, and I'd like to hear about his creative concepts."

"Alright! I'll invite him for you!" Ye Fangfei grabbed a tissue to wipe her mouth and said,

"Actually, even if you hadn't mentioned it, I was already planning to introduce you two anyway. When I first heard him play that piece on the show, I immediately thought of you and knew you would definitely love it."

"I understand your preferences so well, aren't you going to praise me?" Ye Fangfei smiled, fishing for a compliment.

Qin Yi pointed at the piano once more, "To the piano, and then I'll praise you."

Ye Fangfei: "..."

***

Meanwhile, Lu Zhou was meeting with Pan Chengyi, earnestly discussing the matter of partnering up to establish a company.

He had turned down all the talent agencies that had extended olive branches to him, intending instead to set up his own studio.

Pan Chengyi is a well-rounded music producer with a solid reputation in the industry and abundant connections and resources. Crucially, he is not blinded by money; he has his own pursuits and ideas regarding music, is not easily swayed by powerful influences, and above all, he had been optimistic about Lu Zhou from the very beginning.

In Lu Zhou's view, he is an excellent business partner. Pan Chengyi understands composition, has previously run his own independent music studio, and knows how a company operates.

At this stage, Lu Zhou genuinely needed such a helping hand.

The two hit it off instantly, and Pan Chengyi was thrilled beyond words when Lu Zhou took the initiative to invite him into a partnership to start a business.

Although the current Lu Zhou had only gained exposure through a single emotional observation reality show, the musical skills he casually showcased on the program have propelled him into the spotlight, making him a prized commodity that major record and entertainment companies in the industry are eager to secure.

Pan Chengyi had been extremely optimistic about Lu Zhou's prospects right from the start, and now that he understood him even better, that sentiment had only grown stronger. Naturally, he was overjoyed to collaborate with Lu Zhou.

He proactively took charge of tasks such as registering the company and building the team.

The two also reached a consensus regarding the recruitment of the core team: they would not pursue a large headcount, but rather a lean and elite group. Anyone brought on board had to be highly capable, trustworthy in character, and tight-lipped.

Additionally, Lu Zhou added one more condition: no employees originating from Jinhua Entertainment.

Pan Chengyi simply assumed that Lu Zhou wanted nothing to do with his former company and didn't ask any further questions, readily agreeing.

After finishing his discussion with Pan Chengyi and heading out, Lu Zhou discovered that Ye Fangfei had taken the initiative to contact him.

Ye Fangfei: [As I mentioned to you before on the show, regarding the composition of your piece *Void*, I can recommend a high-level arrangement master in the industry to offer you some pointers. I wonder if you'd be interested in meeting him?]

***

After reading it, Lu Zhou immediately knew whom she intended to introduce to him.

Naturally, he was interested.

Lu Zhou: [Sure, when?]

Ye Fangfei must not have been looking at her phone, as a long time passed after the message was sent without any reply.

It wasn't until Lu Zhou returned to his residence that he received her response.

Ye Fangfei: [Whenever you're available]

Lu Zhou: [Whenever is fine, depends on your schedule]

Ye Fangfei: [Are you really this idle?]

Lu Zhou couldn't help laughing and replied: [An eighteenth-tier artist is just like this]

Ye Fangfei: [...]

Ye Fangfei: [Don't shamelessly bring up the eighteenth-tier anymore, you're already off that list]

Lu Zhou: [I should have free time these days. Just let me know in advance when you've set a date, I'll work around your schedule]

Ye Fangfei: [Alright then]

Ye Fangfei: [Aren't you even curious about which master I'm going to introduce to you?]

Looking at her newly arrived message, Lu Zhou smiled inwardly and thought: I'm not curious at all, because I already know.

Yet, he still had to play along. Lu Zhou replied: [Curious, so who is it?]

Ye Fangfei shot back an expressionless emoji.

Ye Fangfei: [Qin Yi, ever heard of him?]

Lu Zhou thought to himself that of course he had, but the words he typed out were: [Never heard of him, who's that?]

Ye Fangfei: [A badass figure in the music world, go look it up yourself]

Ye Fangfei: [He's very interested in your piece *Void*]

Lu Zhou: [Understood]

Lu Zhou: [Extremely grateful.GIF]

Ye Fangfei subsequently replied with a "you're welcome," and the conversation ended there.

Upon returning to his rented apartment, Lu Zhou began browsing through the real estate listings recommended to him by Pan Chengyi.

Yes, he was planning to move again.

The privacy of the apartment he was currently living in was subpar, and the surroundings were crowded with prying eyes. Although he wasn't particularly famous yet, his exposure had skyrocketed thanks to the romance reality show *Shall We Swap? Exes*, and he was no longer an obscure artist.

Consequently, he had to worry about being recognized, and every time he went out, he had to go through the trouble of disguising himself.

Now, with quite a few commercial endorsement offers actively seeking cooperation, Lu Zhou's wallet was no longer as tight as it had been before the show. He now had both the conditions and the necessity to consider a better living arrangement.

After reviewing the listings and nailing down a few that looked promising for an on-site visit another day, Wetalk suddenly popped up with several new notification alerts, and his phone buzzed continuously.

Puzzled, he tapped into the app and discovered that the production team of *Shall We Swap? Exes* had created a group chat for the eight participating guests.

The staff announced that edited full episodes during the live broadcast period would subsequently be aired on the Orange Light TV platform, and everyone's active cooperation was needed for some promotional work.

The others who received the message successively replied with "Received" stickers in the group, after which everyone fell silent.

The atmosphere was delicate; it was a slightly awkward group chat.

Lu Zhou followed the trend, copied a sticker, and tossed it out.

The person who replied right after him was Zhang Chen. He proved to be unusual—he neither sent a sticker nor replied with "Received," but instead directly asked: [What do we need to cooperate with?]

Staff: [Just helping to share and repost the show's official updates on Weibo and stuff like that]

Zhang Chen: [The show is already over, why are we still posting that?]

Staff: [Although it's over, the full episodes during the live broadcast haven't been fully released on the platform yet. Later on, it will still attract a wave of viewers who haven't seen the live stream to watch, which can boost your personal popularity, you know]

Zhang Chen: [My popularity is already quite high right now]

Staff: [Congratulations]

Zhang Chen: [Give you a look, figure it out yourself.GIF]

Chu Yao: [Your stickers are quite popular online right now @Zhang Chen]

Immediately following that, Qi Jiajia tossed a sticker of Zhang Chen into the group.

Zhang Chen: [I really have to thank you @Qi Jiajia]

Qi Jiajia: [Haha]

Wen Yiming: [Is the promise you made while playing games on the show still valid? @Zhang Chen]

Zhang Chen: [What promise]

Cwen Junze: [He's probably referring to the punishment from the Truth or Dare back then. Did you wire the money you lost to him?]

Zhang Chen: [...]

Staff: [Guests who won the chemistry grand prize on the show previously, the corresponding staff will contact you later to communicate regarding the follow-up, please keep an eye out for it @Qi Jiajia @Lu Zhou @Ye Fangfei]

Qi Jiajia: [Alright then, thank you!]

Lu Zhou: [Received]

Ye Fangfei never once surfaced in the group chat from beginning to end.

Exiting the group chat, Lu Zhou found several new friend request notifications on Wetalk. He opened them up and saw that Qi Jiajia, Cwen Junze, Chu Yao, and Li Jiayan had all sent friend requests.

Lu Zhou tapped "Accept" one by one, finally pausing at Li Jiayan's request. After a brief moment of silence, he clicked approval as well.

Qi Jiajia was the first to send a message: [Haha, I didn't expect you to accept]

Lu Zhou: [Why would you say that?]

Qi Jiajia: [I thought you'd feel it was awkward to face me and wouldn't add me]

Qi Jiajia: [Mainly because we still have a Boboli brand commercial endorsement to shoot together later, so I added you to make communication easier afterward]

Qi Jiajia: [Don't worry, I'm not here to relentlessly pursue you haha]

Qi Jiajia: [My head has cleared up a lot after the show ended. Looking back at a lot of my foolish behavior on the show, I even want to laugh at myself]

Lu Zhou: [Everyone's the same, this show has some kind of demonic magic]

Qi Jiajia: [Yeah, yeah]

Qi Jiajia: [But I feel like your head stayed very clear!]

Qi Jiajia: [Let's be friends in the future, don't delete me haha. I want to be a star-chaser up close; my intuition tells me you're definitely going to be huge in the future]

Lu Zhou: [Haha, I hope you're a true prophet]

Lu Zhou: [Holding paws.GIF]

Shortly after a brief chat with Qi Jiajia, Lu Zhou went to reply to the greeting message sent by Chu Yao.

Chu Yao: [Hello]

Chu Yao: [Just reserving a spot on your friends list first, who knows, maybe I can bask in Big Star Lu's friend popularity in the future]

Lu Zhou: [Stunned.GIF]

After that, Cwen Junze also sent a message.

Cwen Junze: [Holding paws.GIF]

Lu Zhou: [Free for a meal together some other day?]

Cwen Junze on the other end was momentarily stunned by Lu Zhou's reply before typing back: [Sure!]

Lu Zhou exited Cwen Junze's chat window and switched to the next one.

Li Jiayan sent a message: [After thinking about it, I still feel I should apologize to you]

Lu Zhou: [???]

Seeing the message from Li Jiayan, Lu Zhou's mind was full of question marks. What kind of drama was she trying to stir up now? He had no idea why Li Jiayan would add him and start apologizing out of nowhere.

In his previous life, Li Jiayan had not added him as a friend during this post-show phase.

Her change in behavior caused a slight unease to well up inside Lu Zhou.

Li Jiayan: [Back on the show, my emotions were too intense. Some of my actions and words might have been inappropriate. If I caused you any psychological burden, I feel quite guilty about it. I hope you don't mind how I acted back then]

Li Jiayan: [Cute smiling face.GIF]

Lu Zhou looked at her new reply, fell into a brief moment of thought, and then typed out his response:

[I didn't mind. Under the atmosphere of that kind of show, it's hard for anyone to remain truly sober. Since we've cleared the air between us, it can be considered a clean break. You don't need to carry a burden regarding your past actions afterwards]

Li Jiayan: [As long as you don't mind. I'm just someone who tends to overthink things sometimes, as you know]

Reading these words appearing on his screen, Lu Zhou replied: [No need to think too much about it. Actually, if you look forward, certain problems will naturally resolve themselves]

Lu Zhou: [Jiayan, live your life well. May you find a good match]

On the other end, Li Jiayan didn't reply anymore.

Lu Zhou exited the chat window and saw another new friend request—Zhang Chen had added him.

Lu Zhou accepted the friend request. The moment he entered the chat window, the other party sent a message over.

Zhang Chen: [I just want to ask one thing]

Zhang Chen: [Are you and Ye Fangfei secretly dating right now?]

Lu Zhou: [...]

Lu Zhou: [What made you come up with that idea?]

Zhang Chen: [I guessed blindly]

Zhang Chen: [Did I guess right?]

Lu Zhou: [No]

Zhang Chen: [Truth?]

Lu Zhou: [Truth]

Zhang Chen: [Haha! I have to admit, Lu Zhou, you really are a coward]

Lu Zhou: [Give you a look, figure it out yourself.GIF]

Lu Zhou: [When are you treating me to tea?]

Zhang Chen: [Why should I treat you to tea?]

Lu Zhou: [I can treat you, that's fine too]

Zhang Chen: [Who wants to drink your tea?]

Lu Zhou: [Then what do you want to drink of mine?]

Zhang Chen: [???]

Lu Zhou: [Drinks are fine too, take your pick]

Zhang Chen: [Take my pick?]

Lu Zhou: [Right]

Zhang Chen: [Then you're going to go bankrupt]

Lu Zhou: [Let's wait and see]

***

Some people aren't meant to merely pass through your life.

In this lifetime, let's play the game differently.