Chapter 51: Your Ambition Is Not Small

In the empty mansion, it was the perfect moment for Lu Zhou to indulge himself. The new song had already debuted, and now his purpose for joining the show was about to be fulfilled.

Once the sliding glass doors on the second-floor balcony were closed, the entire wall became a one-way mirror: inside, you could see the scenery outside, but from the outside, all you saw was a bright reflection, unable to glimpse the interior. The mirror was huge, the space vast—using it as anything other than a rehearsal room would be a waste.

Since no one was around, and idleness was idleness, Lu Zhou decided to rehearse the stage performance he’d designed for his song, “First Love.”

Carrying his laptop to the balcony, he turned on all the lights outside. Today, he’d even borrowed a violin from Pan Chengyi just for fun.

Yes, that’s right—he’d predicted there would be no one home when he returned, since everyone else had dates. Someone even had two dates scheduled today! With such an exciting world outside and a lovely companion at their side, they wouldn’t possibly come back so early, would they? He estimated none of them would return before nine o’clock.

Moreover, since the production team required everyone to return separately, the wait would be even longer.

So Lu Zhou confidently monopolized the mansion’s cameras, unafraid of disturbing anyone. This magnificent space was worlds better than the shabby rental he’d used; he might as well rehearse.

He set his laptop aside, opened the accompaniment for “First Love,” and set it to loop. The violin was tucked under his chin, and he played the prelude.

When the prelude ended, the vocals began, and the dance commenced.

“Wrong,” he muttered.

He’d messed up a dance move, so Lu Zhou paused and started over.

“Tempo’s too slow.”

Again.

“Forgot the transition…”

“Again!”

“Bad timing—again…”

“Slipped—again…”

Again and again, he repeated the performance, sweat pouring down his face, until finally he flawlessly and seamlessly executed the entire stage design for the song.

“Yes! Perfect!”

Triumphant, he struck the ending pose, smiling and punching the air in satisfaction.

In the absence of others, his exuberant nature was on full display.

It was stiflingly hot; sweat poured down his cheeks. He exhaled loudly, lifted the hem of his T-shirt, and wiped his face haphazardly.

Though only for a brief moment, he let his shirt fall again, yet the mansion’s 360-degree, high-definition cameras had already captured the outline of his eight-pack abs.

Of course, all of this had also been witnessed by another person.

Lu Zhou paused the music and prepared to head inside for a cold shower.

The sliding doors opened, and Lu Zhou, humming a tune, stepped into the room—only to find someone suddenly in his line of sight.

Ye Fangfei, dressed in hip-hop attire, hands in her pockets, a lollipop between her lips, was staring at him intently.

Lu Zhou: “…”

He froze in place.

Wait—weren’t you supposed to be on a date? Why are you back so soon… That doesn’t make sense!

How long has she been watching…

Lu Zhou suddenly remembered his crude act of lifting his shirt to wipe sweat, a flash of embarrassment flickering within.

But then, he thought, he wasn’t here to win anyone over—why worry about appearances in front of a woman?

Still…

No matter how he tried to rationalize it, a trace of awkwardness lingered. After all, this was their first meeting since he’d piggybacked off her social media traffic to release his song the night before.

“You…” Ye Fangfei removed the lollipop from her mouth, raised her elegant brows, and said, “Interesting.”

Lu Zhou hesitated, unsure whether she was praising him or subtly mocking him.

He couldn't quite decipher what she meant, but he was certain she’d seen everything, both what should and shouldn’t be seen.

Lu Zhou stepped inside, lips curling into a slight smile. “What do you mean?”

Ye Fangfei replied, “Just what I said.”

They exchanged a silent glance, then both broke into laughter.

“Are we playing tongue twisters now?” Lu Zhou joked.

Ye Fangfei gestured with the lollipop toward the balcony. “Watching your rehearsal just gave me inspiration for something new I want to try on my own stage.”

“Oh? Does that mean I might have the honor of being mentioned by you on stage again?” Lu Zhou’s lips curved upward in amusement.

“Hmm?” Ye Fangfei looked puzzled at first, then suddenly realized what he meant.

He was referring to her promoting him on DouLe the previous day.

Ye Fangfei smiled. “You’ve got ambition.”

“Just kidding.” Lu Zhou straightened, smiled sincerely, and said, “Having the privilege of receiving such a massive wave of attention from you on DouLe in this lifetime—I’m already deeply grateful. I wouldn’t dare wish for more.”

He didn’t directly mention his new song, but his words hinted at last night’s release.

Ye Fangfei caught the gratitude and apology in his tone.

Actually, she didn’t mind Lu Zhou using her traffic to release his song without warning.

“‘Senior Ye…’” Ye Fangfei popped the lollipop back into her mouth and mumbled, “I don’t like that title. Makes me sound old.”

Lu Zhou’s smile brightened.

Though they hadn’t spent much time together, Lu Zhou had to admit he liked Ye Fangfei’s carefree spirit.

“Was your rehearsal just now for your new song’s debut stage show?” Ye Fangfei asked.

“Sort of. I don’t know where the debut stage will actually be, so I was just practicing on a whim.”

“Who designed it for you?” Ye Fangfei was curious.

“I did…”

Ye Fangfei raised her eyebrows. “You really do everything yourself, huh?”

Lu Zhou’s lips twitched—what choice did he have, being broke?

“Anything I could improve? Any advice?” he asked.

“It was great, but there’s a small detail you could refine. Personally, I think you should look a bit more innocent while dancing—it’s ‘First Love,’ after all…” Ye Fangfei hinted.

“Good point.”

Lu Zhou nodded, genuinely taking her suggestion to heart.

Having just finished dancing and sweating profusely, Lu Zhou felt somewhat uncomfortable chatting with Ye Fangfei for so long.

“I’ll catch up with you later. Need to clean up first,” he said, gathering his laptop and instrument to return to his bedroom.

Ye Fangfei called after him, pointing to the violin in his hand. “Mind if I try that?”

“Of course.” Lu Zhou handed her the violin.

Ye Fangfei took it seriously, her attention fully absorbed.

Lu Zhou was curious, but feeling grimy, he didn’t linger and headed off to shower.

While bathing, he suddenly heard a bizarre, mournful violin tune from outside. It sounded vaguely like a Buddhist chant—yet not quite…

Was that really his violin making such sounds?

Lu Zhou couldn’t help but laugh until his stomach hurt. He nearly slipped and fell, almost landing flat on his back.

The earnest way Ye Fangfei had handled the violin made him think she was some sort of expert, but she was obviously a complete beginner!

No wonder she’d asked so curiously to “play with it”—she really meant to play.

After showering and changing into fresh clothes, Lu Zhou returned to the living room.

Ye Fangfei was still diligently sawing away at her “celestial music” on the violin. Lu Zhou approached, smiling. “A master at work!”

Ye Fangfei stifled a laugh, put down the violin, looked up at him, and blinked her captivating eyes. “Is this really the same violin you played earlier? Did you switch it out?”

For some reason, she seemed rather adorable.

He took the violin back from her with a smile and raised his eyebrows. “What would you like to hear?”

Ye Fangfei leaned over the back of the sofa, her dark eyes swirling. After a few seconds, she said, “Lose You Now? Can you play it?”

Lu Zhou didn’t reply, but simply rested the violin on his left shoulder. The next moment, smooth, melodious notes filled the mansion.

Ye Fangfei smiled, lips curving.

“I wish I could remember every second we had…”

She sang softly along.

When Li Jiayan returned, it was precisely this scene she walked in on.