Chapter 3: How Will You Know If You Don't Try?

Lu Zhou did indeed have an ex-girlfriend, named Li Jiayan.

She was his first love, when he was eighteen. Back then, his first attempt at debuting ended in failure, leaving him idle in the company, ignored and forgotten. He came from the countryside, his father ran a fish farm in the village—a business that brought in money, depending on whom you compared it to. Compared to the villagers, his family’s income was decent, and his father, as the owner of the fish pond, was a figure of some influence locally. But compared to those above… it was nothing worth mentioning.

With such a background, Lu Zhou found it hard to make a living in the entertainment industry. Everyone knows that pursuing art is expensive. His parents nearly spent all their savings to give him a shot in show business.

At eighteen, after failing to debut, Lu Zhou felt he had let his parents down. He hadn’t made it in the entertainment world and still had to ask his father for monthly living expenses—a shameful thing. So, while he saw no future in the company, he went out and found a part-time job for himself—as a resident singer in an upscale bar.

It was there, in that bar, that he met Li Jiayan. She was working as a part-time pianist in the lounge. The first time they met, she wore her hair in a high ponytail, dressed in a flowing white dress, sitting elegantly at the piano. Her slender, agile fingers poured forth smooth, beautiful melodies, striking chords that resonated directly in Lu Zhou’s heart.

In that moment, Lu Zhou felt something indescribable stir within him. Perhaps it was the surge of youthful hormones, but after Li Jiayan finished playing a piece, he took the initiative to strike up a conversation.

Music gave them many shared topics, and their conversation was unexpectedly pleasant. That year, he was eighteen, she nineteen—at the age when emotions blossom easily. Naturally, they soon became a couple.

Love, at its beginning, is always sweet enough to make the heart bloom. But unfortunately, the sweetness between Lu Zhou and Li Jiayan was interrupted all too soon.

The reason for their breakup: parental opposition.

Of course, it was Li Jiayan’s parents who opposed. As for his own parents, they never even knew he had been in love.

Li Jiayan was then a freshman at Jinghua Music Academy. Her mother was a music teacher at the school, her father a lecturer at Jinghua Tech University. Her part-time job at the bar was something she’d secretly taken up during summer break, unbeknownst to her parents.

When her parents accidentally discovered she was working as a pianist in a bar—and dating an unknown male singer—they were so furious they nearly ended up in the hospital. Immediately, they grounded her and ordered them to break up.

In the eyes of Li Jiayan’s parents, Lu Zhou was simply not good enough for their precious daughter.

At first, never having faced the harshness of society, Li Jiayan refused to listen, crying and protesting, unwilling to break up. To persuade her, her mother directly approached Lu Zhou and firmly stated their opposition, making it clear there was no future.

Truth be told, Lu Zhou was quite upset at the time, but he understood that he and Li Jiayan were indeed worlds apart. A relationship discriminated against by the girl’s parents was bound for trouble—better a short pain than a long one.

And so, under strong parental opposition, their love was forcibly ended in less than half a year.

After the breakup, Lu Zhou quit his bar job and vanished entirely from Li Jiayan’s life. As for what became of her, he knew nothing.

She never reached out to him again. He never followed her news. Now, at twenty-five, Lu Zhou has been out of touch with his first love for more than six years, and he believes much has changed.

Is she still single? He doesn’t know.

Should he try contacting her first? Holding his phone, Lu Zhou stared at the name “Li Jiayan” in his contacts, caught in a swirl of indecision.

If she already has a boyfriend, or is married… wouldn’t contacting her out of the blue be unbearably awkward?

Forget it…

Better not do something so foolish.

Maybe she’s still single—it’s possible. These days, plenty of people are single at twenty-six… And with her parents’ high standards, if she hasn’t met someone with excellent qualifications, they probably wouldn’t let her settle down easily.

If she really is single, would she be willing to participate in that dating show as his “ex-girlfriend”?

A reality show about exes dating each other…

Would Li Jiayan agree to join such a program?

Thinking of this, Lu Zhou’s lips twitched slightly.

The chances seemed so slim.

But in this absurd world… who can say? Anything is possible.

Why not give it a try?

Now awakened, Lu Zhou had enough faith in his abilities. Yet anyone who’s been in show business knows: the industry never lacks talent, or even geniuses—it’s always short on opportunity.

His chance to make it to the final selection of “Shall We Exchange? Exes” came by accident, thanks to an injury. If the dancer beside Nan Qiao on stage hadn’t been him, it would have been a different story…

Miss a good opportunity, and who knows if another will come?

Now, he’s a nobody in the entertainment world—no capital, no background, overlooked by his company, twenty-five years old, which is considered old in this industry…

All talent, but uncertain how long he would have to struggle alone before finally turning things around.

With these thoughts, Lu Zhou made up his mind.

…

Two days later, Lu Zhou was discharged from the hospital.

A few days after, Sister Li from the company called him in for a meeting.

Sister Li’s full name was Liu Yali, director of talent management at Jinhua Entertainment.

Other than the group manager he had when he debuted at seventeen as part of a duo, Lu Zhou hadn’t had a manager since. To be exact, he was currently in a state of being uncared for by anyone.

Liu Yali called him to her office—his third time there.

The first time was the day before his debut, when he and his partner received a pep talk.

The second was the formal meeting when their duo was ordered to disband.

The third was today.

“Xiao Zhou, how’s your recovery?” Liu Yali sat behind her desk, smiling warmly as she watched Lu Zhou enter, politely inviting him to sit.

“Thank you for your concern, Sister Li. I’m doing well now, nothing to worry about.”

Lu Zhou found a seat, wondering why she wanted to see him today.

Before he could even settle in, she got straight to the point, skipping any preamble.

“I’ve been busy and only saw your contract termination request today. In your application, you wrote that you wanted to quit the entertainment industry?”

Liu Yali looked at him with a half-smile, an inexplicable pressure in her gaze.

Lu Zhou was about to reply, but before he could speak, Liu Yali continued:

“Indeed, in the blink of an eye, you’ve been signed with Jinhua Entertainment for nearly ten years.”

“Ten years without an official debut, Xiao Zhou, your journey has not been easy. Wanting to quit is quite understandable.”

“The entertainment industry is cruel—countless artists come and go every year for various reasons.”

“I hope you’ll find a more suitable direction in another field once you leave.”

“Your termination request has been approved. Just go to the legal department to sign the termination agreement.”

Liu Yali rattled off her words in one breath, leaving Lu Zhou no chance to interrupt.

Lu Zhou: “…”

Anyone could tell Jinhua Entertainment had no intention of keeping this old, failed trainee.

He had meant to tell Liu Yali his termination request was written in a moment of rashness and didn’t reflect his true intentions—he planned to retract it.

But after hearing her official statement…

Lu Zhou changed his mind on the spot.

Fine, a company like this isn’t worth staying for.

He pressed his lips together and smiled, “Alright, thank you, Sister Li.”

He didn’t linger in Liu Yali’s office, going straight to the legal department after their talk to sign the termination contract.

…

Stepping out of Jinhua Entertainment, it was already evening.

The sunset stretched his shadow long; Lu Zhou turned back for a glance at Jinhua Entertainment.

Farewell, ten years of youth.

Now he was free, his life’s path his own to choose!

His phone vibrated. Lu Zhou lowered his gaze and saw a new message—

[Hello Mr. Lu, I am Zhao Xing, producer of the show “Shall We Exchange? Exes.” Congratulations on passing the qualification review for the second season. If your willingness to participate has not changed, please add my private Wetalk account for further communication.]

He made it through, as expected.

Now, he just had to wait for feedback from his ex-girlfriend.