Volume One: Debut at the Pinnacle Chapter 43: In This Life, No Regrets Entering Huaxia!

As noon approached, Chen Jing had just returned from practicing his instrument in the recording studio. He was barely back in his office when Lin Zitan came rushing over, excitement written all over her face. "Jing, Jing, Sister Lin Xi is looking for you!"

Seeing how animated Lin Zitan was, Chen Jing couldn't help but ask curiously, "What’s up? Did something happen?"

She grinned. "Hehe, it’s payday! I saw your payslip—it’s over a million!"

Chen Jing paused for a moment before realizing that his wages had finally come in. "Really? Finally, I don’t have to scrape by anymore," he joked.

"Go on, go on, Sister Xi is waiting for you," Lin Zitan urged.

With a spring in his step, Chen Jing made his way to Lin Xi’s office. He found her absorbed in paperwork, and after knocking on the door, he stepped inside.

Looking up from her report, Lin Xi smiled as she set the papers aside. "That little rascal Lin Zitan has already told you, hasn’t she?"

Chen Jing flashed a broad grin. "She did! Quick, let me see how much I made this month."

Lin Xi took out a bank card and slid it across the desk to him. "Here you go, the bank card I asked you for earlier. All your personal income for this month is here, after subtracting about 20% in taxes. It comes to 1.52 million."

The bulk of this was the million earned from producing Xue Yue’s album, with the rest made up of copyright royalties and sales revenue from songs sold by the company.

Chen Jing picked up his card, feeling a surge of excitement—not because he’d never seen this much money before; he’d handled sums hundreds of times greater. But this was the largest single-month wage he’d ever earned across both of his lifetimes. Everyone says being a celebrity is lucrative; now he knew it was true.

After admiring the card for a while and letting the excitement settle, Chen Jing handed it back to Lin Xi.

She looked at him, puzzled. "Hmm? Why are you giving me your card?"

He shrugged. "I still owe you over a hundred thousand from before, don’t I? Transfer it back to yourself. Also, could you help me find a way to donate 760,000 to the military? The rest you can give back to me."

"You want to donate 760,000?" Lin Xi was taken aback. That was half his earnings.

Chen Jing nodded. "From now on, for all my personal income, donate half. Military, scientific research, national defense—any of those is fine." This was a deliberate decision on his part, a way to make amends. Any income he earned from works originating in his previous life, he would donate half.

Lin Xi opened her mouth to say something, to persuade him otherwise, but in the end, she said nothing. She simply shook her head with a smile, then asked curiously, "Why do you want to do this?"

Chen Jing’s smile was bright and proud as he replied, "Because I was born in Huaxia, and I was once a soldier."

At that moment, Lin Xi had to admit, when Chen Jing said those words, he really did seem impossibly dashing. Perhaps this was his most compelling charm.

After work that afternoon, Chen Jing had an appointment—a dinner with Zhou Qing, the editor-in-chief at Huaxia Publishing. That’s right, Zhou Qing had recently been promoted to editor-in-chief—a rise that was, of course, closely tied to Chen Jing.

Over the past month, the popularity of "Return of the Condor Heroes" had soared. Numerous television directors wanted to buy the film and TV rights but, unable to contact the elusive author "Cultural Porter," they turned instead to Huaxia Publishing. The leadership at Huaxia naturally sought out Zhou Qing. Besieged by requests, Zhou Qing eventually had no choice but to reach out to Chen Jing at the behest of his superiors, insisting on a meeting.

Coincidentally, Chen Jing had just finished writing another novel and wanted Huaxia Publishing to handle its serialization and publication. After all, their past cooperation had been pleasant enough. So, he agreed to dinner with Zhou Qing that evening.

Zhou Qing brought along his deputy, Huang Hao.

Zhou Qing regarded Chen Jing with an incredulous smile. "Mr. Chen, I truly didn’t expect you to be a singer—a talented one at that. My apologies!"

After "Voice of Huaxia" became a sensation, anyone with even a passing interest in the entertainment industry would recognize Chen Jing. Having met him before, Zhou Qing was not surprised to discover that Chen Jing, the literary prodigy, was also the celebrated musical talent.

Chen Jing shrugged modestly. "I just like singing and writing songs, that’s all. I can hardly call it talent. The novels are the same—written while standing on the shoulders of giants. There’s nothing praiseworthy about it."

Zhou Qing hurried to disagree, though he thought to himself, "As expected from a songwriter who pens novels—even his humility is artful, never feeling out of place."

Once they’d finished eating, it was time for business.

"Um..." Zhou Qing began with a wry smile, "many people have asked me whether the film and TV rights to 'Return of the Condor Heroes' are for sale. Our publishing house is very eager to purchase them—name your terms, and we’ll do our utmost to meet them. I hope you’ll consider it."

Chen Jing shook his head. "You know I’m in the entertainment industry, so I want to keep the adaptation rights for myself. I might need them in the future, so for now, I won’t be selling."

He paused, then added, "But how about this—there are two months left until the serialization is complete. Once it’s finished, I’ll reconsider."

Seeing that Chen Jing wouldn’t budge, Zhou Qing had no choice but to accept his answer. Still, at least there was room for future negotiation.

Chen Jing then raised the notebook in his hand. "Actually, I’m here because of this."

Zhou Qing’s eyes lit up. "Is this a new novel?"

The previous work, "Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber," which Chen Jing had published exclusively through Huaxia, had become an instant favorite among martial arts fans. Along with "Return of the Condor Heroes," these two books had become the twin pillars of the genre.

Handing the notebook over, Chen Jing explained, "It is a new novel, but not another martial arts story. This time, it’s a different genre entirely."

Intrigued, Zhou Qing took the notebook and read the title aloud, word by word: "Ghost—Blows—Out the Lantern!"

Chen Jing nodded. "It’s a supernatural tomb-raiding story…"

After an enthusiastic discussion, Chen Jing took his leave. Still puzzled, Huang Hao turned to Zhou Qing. "Boss, why are we offering Chen Jing the highest-level author contract? Even though his three novels are hits, that’s still not enough, is it?"

Zhou Qing shook his head. "No, it’s more than enough. You just haven’t seen the big picture. Take Chen Jing: with his influence in the music world, if he publicly claimed authorship of these novels—if people knew that Chen Jing from the entertainment industry wrote them—can you imagine the sensation? And that’s not even considering his potential. Not just the first three martial arts novels, but this one too." Zhou Qing lifted the notebook, marveling, "Once this book is serialized, I believe it’ll spark a whole new genre. In just a few months, he’s written four smash hits, both in quantity and quality. When that happens, will you still say he doesn’t deserve the highest-level contract?"

Huang Hao mumbled, "Is he really that remarkable?"

Zhou Qing clapped him on the shoulder with a smile. "Keep your eyes open in the future. Our next big promotion depends on Chen Jing..."

That evening, after returning home, Chen Jing watched TV with Molly for a while before heading back to his room to continue writing. He hadn’t been working long when his phone rang—it was Sister Xue Yue. He was a bit surprised; usually, she didn’t call unless it was important. And since their last awkward exchange, they hadn’t spoken on the phone at all.

He answered, "Hello, Sister Xue Yue? Is something up?"

"Jing, it’s nothing, really..." she hesitated, then continued, "I heard that for the fifth round of 'Voice of Huaxia,' the contestants need to invite a duet partner. I just wanted to ask if... if you need... a partner?"

Chen Jing gave a wry smile—how should he refuse her?

After a moment’s thought, he replied, "Sister Xue Yue, aren’t you filming an advertisement on Saturday? You probably won’t have time to join me for the competition."

She quickly answered, "I can postpone the shoot. I can talk to the advertiser."

"There’s no need for that, Sister," Chen Jing said helplessly. "No need to rearrange your schedule. If you don’t have time, that’s fine—don’t go out of your way for me. Besides, Ruo Han is free that day, and she’s already agreed to be my duet partner."

There was a pause on the other end, then Xue Yue replied softly, "Oh..." Silence fell.

Hearing the faint note of disappointment in her voice, Chen Jing sighed inwardly, then asked sincerely, "Sister Xue Yue, we’re friends, aren’t we?"

The question brought her back to herself. After a moment’s hesitation, she replied, "Yes, Jing—you’re my friend." You’re my friend, but I may not be yours.

Chen Jing shook his head. "No matter what, I consider you a true friend. And I believe that, as friends, we don’t need to constantly do things to make each other look good. Instead, it’s when the other is in trouble that we’re there, unhesitatingly, to lend a hand. As long as we each carry the other in our hearts, that’s enough."

Ah, I hope these heartfelt words can resolve the awkwardness between us, Chen Jing thought silently.

"In your heart... is there a place for me?" Xue Yue murmured, her eyes gradually brightening. "I understand, Jing. Good luck in the next round—I hope you win the championship!"

Hearing her voice return to normal, Chen Jing couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

He laughed heartily. "I will! Sister Xue Yue, just wait for me to come back and celebrate with you."

"Mm. Good luck!"