Volume One: Debut at the Pinnacle Chapter Thirty-One: Refusing All Commercial Endorsements

The song “Drifting North” became an overnight sensation; as soon as it aired on Voice of China, it soared to the top of all the major music charts in the country. As the rapper featured in “Drifting North,” Li Qingwei’s name spread like wildfire—his rise to fame was nothing short of meteoric.

Chen Jing arrived early at Lin Xi’s office; fortunately, she was already there.

He greeted her, “Good morning, Sister Lin Xi.”

She nodded in return, “Good morning!”

“How’s ‘Drifting North’ doing?” Chen Jing asked first.

Lin Xi smiled and handed him the morning’s data. “Everything’s here. Take a look.”

Chen Jing accepted the papers and glanced through them, surprise flickering across his face. “It’s already number nine on the Most Popular Music Chart? That’s fast!” He couldn’t help but be shocked—the song had only been released last night, and just a few hours had passed since then.

Lin Xi shook her head. “I didn’t expect it to explode this quickly, though I knew it would be a hit.”

Chen Jing grinned. “Li Qingwei must be thrilled. With these results, he won’t have to worry about signing with a company.”

Speaking of Li Qingwei, Lin Xi looked at Chen Jing and asked, “Do you have any thoughts about him?”

“Is the company considering signing him?”

“Yes, that’s the idea.”

“Then go ahead. Li Qingwei’s a good guy—give him an opportunity, and he might well become a top-tier star.”

Lin Xi nodded. In truth, the hesitation among some of the higher-ups about signing Li Qingwei stemmed from the belief that his success was entirely due to Chen Jing—or rather, Chen Jing’s song. Everyone knew the main reason for the song’s popularity was Chen Jing: he wrote it, composed the music, sang part of it, and even personally taught Li Qingwei how to perform it. As Wang Lu had said, as long as the replacement wasn’t tone-deaf, anyone could have filled Li Qingwei’s part and the song would still have achieved the desired effect.

Lin Xi continued, “Let the executives discuss it further. Let’s not dwell on this for now. Have you seen the rules for the third round of Voice of China?”

Chen Jing nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t expect the third round to still be a group battle.”

Lin Xi shook her head. “I sensed they might go that route, but didn’t pay much attention.”

Chen Jing shrugged. “It’s fine—a group battle is still a group battle. With the influence Li Qingwei and I have now, the only group that might worry us is the one with Xie Weiyu and Gu Tao; the rest don’t matter.”

Lin Xi couldn’t help laughing at Chen Jing’s casual attitude. “You and I may not be worried, but I’m concerned about Li Qingwei.” She frowned slightly and sighed. “Even with ‘Drifting North’ as his foundation, when it comes to other songs, Li Qingwei’s singing is honestly not outstanding. The contestants who made it to the third round are all formidable. I’m worried that if Li Qingwei’s performance falls short in a head-to-head, the gap will widen, and you’ll be left carrying all the weight.”

“Don’t worry. Worst case, I’ll write another rap for him and have him fire up the stage again,” said Chen Jing with a smile.

“You have more—” Lin Xi started to ask if he had more rap songs, but recalling the stack of songs Chen Jing had previously brought in, she let the question drop and simply smiled. “Li Qingwei is truly lucky to have crossed paths with you.”

Chen Jing waved it off, saying nothing. He only volunteered his songs for Li Qingwei because he respected the man—he wouldn’t bother for just anyone.

Finally, Lin Xi made a decision. “Let’s settle the Voice of China competition like this. When the time comes, help Li Qingwei pick a song. I’ll persuade the company to sign him.” Since Chen Jing was willing to write for Li Qingwei, Lin Xi wouldn’t let the company miss out on this promising newcomer.

“Alright, then. Let him know to come by. I’m off to help Sister Xueyue with her album. We’ll discuss the third round with him this afternoon.” Chen Jing turned to go, but Lin Xi called him back.

“Wait, don’t leave yet—there’s one more thing.”

Chen Jing paused, puzzled. “What is it?”

Lin Xi explained, “A beverage company wants you to be their spokesperson for an ad, but—”

Before she could finish, Chen Jing shook his head. “Sister Xi, I’d rather avoid product endorsements if I can.”

“You’re turning down all endorsements? Why?” Lin Xi frowned.

Chen Jing shook his head. “I just don’t want to. I don’t know those products, and endorsing randomly is too risky. If there’s ever a problem with something I endorse, it would be terrible for my reputation. I just don’t want to do that kind of advertising.”

“Alright.” Lin Xi understood his concern. Besides, Chen Jing was in no rush to do endorsements—his time and energy were better spent creating. With quality work, fame would naturally follow, and he’d have his pick of good offers.

Chen Jing waved. “Then I’ll be off—”

“Go on—” Lin Xi was about to let him leave when something else occurred to her. She called him back again. “Wait, don’t go yet—there’s one more thing.”

Chen Jing, a bit exasperated, turned back. “What now?”

“How’s your breakdancing coming along?”

Chen Jing thought for a moment. “Not bad.”

“Are you ready to perform on stage?”

He was surprised, but nodded. “Sure. Why, is there an opportunity coming up so soon?”

Lin Xi smiled at him. “There’s an international street dance competition next month—not a broadcast event, but it’s well-regarded in the industry. Would you like to sign up and give it a shot?”

Chen Jing’s eyes lit up with interest. “Absolutely! Sign me up. I want to see what it’s like.” He was truly passionate about street dance and had worked hard to master it. With a chance to go up against top dancers from around the world, he wouldn’t let it slip by.

On his way to the recording studio, Chen Jing bumped into Li Manru again. As soon as she saw him, she marched over with an aggressive air.

Chen Jing felt helpless—how did he keep running into her? This company really was too small.

He greeted her first, “Good morning, Sister Manru.”

But as she stopped in front of him, Li Manru seemed at a loss for words, merely frowning at him.

Chen Jing smiled and looked back at her in silence. The atmosphere hung heavy for a moment before Li Manru broke into a flirtatious smile. “Where are you off to, Jing?”

“To the recording studio,” he replied coolly.

She narrowed her eyes. “Helping Xueyue with her album again?” Being in the same company—and having once been in the same group as Xueyue—Li Manru knew about Chen Jing’s involvement with Xueyue’s album. It was no secret in the company; most assumed Xueyue had lost her mind, entrusting her album to a rookie. But Li Manru saw things differently. She knew Chen Jing had been brought in by Lin Xi to help Xueyue, and of the three former National Style Girls, Xueyue had always been closest to Lin Xi. Why would Lin Xi bring in just anyone to harm Xueyue? Of course she wouldn’t. So, there had to be something special about Chen Jing. And rumor had it that the recently chart-topping “Aurora” was also written by Chen Jing for Ling Ruohan. Given Chen Jing’s performances on Voice of China, Li Manru was certain he was an unpolished gem. Since he was gold, she might as well take the time to get to know him.

Dropping the pretense, Chen Jing simply nodded.

“I heard Ling Ruohan’s ‘Aurora’ is your work?”

“That’s right.”

So it was true—he’d been playing dumb in front of her this whole time. Li Manru felt a pang of resentment. How unfair—Lin Xi had such a good eye, finding Chen Jing right after the National Style Girls disbanded. Why should she be so lucky?

Her thoughts were full of frustration, but on the surface she praised him warmly. “You’re really amazing, Jing.”

Chen Jing smiled but said nothing.

Seeing that he didn’t respond, Li Manru pressed on. “Actually, I want to release an album myself and was hoping you could help. I don’t expect you to handle the entire album like you’re doing for Xueyue—just write me a few songs, if possible?” She batted her charming eyes at him, looking at him tenderly.

But Chen Jing remained unmoved. “Sorry, Sister Manru, I really don’t have time right now. Once I finish Xueyue’s album, I need to start working on my own. I just can’t.”

“Oh… alright, then…” Li Manru managed a strained smile. She’d actually been turned down!

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going—I’m in a hurry,” Chen Jing said, then left, leaving Li Manru standing there.

She watched him go, gnashing her teeth. “Who does he think he is, refusing me? Just wait—when my album becomes a hit, even if you beg to write for me, I won’t let you.”

But Chen Jing didn’t care what Li Manru thought of him. Everyone has their own way of dealing with the world—even if he didn’t agree with someone’s approach, there was no need to force others to fit his expectations. As long as it didn’t affect him, it didn’t matter.

When he entered the recording studio, Xueyue was already inside practicing her vocals. Chen Jing didn’t interrupt.

She saw him, acknowledged him with a glance, and kept singing.

When she finished and stepped out, Chen Jing greeted her with a smile. “That was excellent.”

Xueyue responded with a shy smile, then said, “I heard you took first place again in the second round of Voice of China. You’re incredible, Jing.”

Chen Jing waved it off with a laugh. “That’s just routine—nothing to be surprised about.”

Xueyue nodded in agreement, not thinking he was joking at all. She truly believed that as long as Chen Jing set his mind to it, first place was his. This trust had nothing to do with personal feelings—after getting to know him, she was simply convinced: this man was just too talented.