Volume One: Debuting at the Peak Chapter Seven: Part-time Work

Chen Jing played the jazz drums, his slightly melancholic singing echoing in everyone’s ears.

Tonight, Wang Menglan didn’t leave the bar early as she usually did. Perhaps she sensed that she might never again see Chen Jing perform, so she sat quietly, watching his performance until now.

“I will remember your face, I will cherish the longing you gave me…” Chen Jing sang, and unconsciously glanced towards Wang Menglan. At that moment, she was also watching him. Their eyes met, and Wang Menglan smiled sweetly.

She sat motionless, gazing at the brightest young man on stage, her eyes filled with extraordinary gentleness.

“…Walk forward without looking back, without turning back~” Chen Jing struck the final drumbeat, slowly bringing the song to an end. When the music faded, he stood up and said solemnly, “Today’s farewell is for a better reunion tomorrow. Goodbye, my friends.”

“Ahhh—!!!” The bar erupted with screams, instantly igniting the entire place. Everyone shouted wildly; some couldn’t contain their excitement and rushed the stage as if about to riot. Fortunately, the head of security, A-Zhe, had the foresight to station guards in front, stopping these frenzied fans.

“Chen Jing, I love you! Don’t leave, I want to have your babies!” screamed the crazed female fans.

“We love you too…” some even crazier male fans shouted.

Listening to these cries, Chen Jing broke into a cold sweat as he watched the wild audience, but he also felt gratified. If his songs could bring people joy, that was the greatest affirmation for his existence in this life.

“Thank you all. Though the world changes, the rivers flow on—until we meet again.” Smiling, Chen Jing bowed to the crowd, then ignored the continuing screams as he stepped off the stage and made his way backstage.

At one thirty in Xiang City, the night was peaceful and serene.

Chen Jing got out of the car, gently closing the door. He looked at Wang Menglan, poised in the driver’s seat, and thanked her: “I’m home now. Thank you, Sister Lan, for giving me a ride.”

Wang Menglan shook her head with a smile and, looking at Chen Jing leaning on the passenger window, said, “So you live around here? It’s pretty close to our bar.”

Chen Jing nodded. “Yeah, it’s only about a fifteen-minute bike ride to the bar from here. I’ve been living here for almost two months, but I’ll probably move in a couple of days—my company is arranging accommodation for me.”

“I see…” Wang Menglan hesitated, then said, “Um… Ah Jing, your Sister Lan has a small request…”

“Hmm? What is it?” Chen Jing asked, puzzled.

Wang Menglan sighed. “It’s about Youxuan, of course. She’s been interested in music since she was little, always saying she wants to be a pop star when she grows up. Especially after meeting you, she’s become utterly obsessed.” Wang Menglan shook her head with a helpless smile. “Now she’s in her second year of high school, and this term she needs to choose a specialization. She’s been telling me she wants to enroll in the music and arts track.”

“Uh…”

“She’s a bit naive—being a pop star isn’t that easy,” Wang Menglan lamented. “Never mind the resources, you need real talent and works to your name. No star becomes famous by accident.”

Chen Jing nodded in agreement. There were countless aspiring singers, but only a rare few ever truly rose to the top.

“So, I thought, if she can’t focus just on singing, she could at least pick up an instrument.”

Chen Jing found this idea sensible. It’s never a bad thing for a girl to learn an instrument; nowadays, girls who can play are quite popular.

“She agreed, actually—she said she’d enroll in an instrument class, but on one condition.” Wang Menglan looked at Chen Jing, teasing, “That is, she insists you must be her teacher.”

“Uh…” Chen Jing was momentarily speechless and considered his schedule ahead.

Seeing Chen Jing’s silence, Wang Menglan continued, “In fact, this is also what I want. I know how capable you are, Ah Jing. If you teach Youxuan, I’ll feel completely at ease. So…” She looked at him, full of hope.

“I know you’ll be busy from now on, so I won’t ask for much. Just, whenever you have time, could you take on a part-time role as Youxuan’s teacher?”

Chen Jing saw the hope in her eyes. He couldn’t bear to refuse, nor did he ever want to. He smiled and replied, “That’s great. Youxuan is like my little sister. If she wants to learn an instrument, I’ll teach her myself. I wouldn’t trust anyone else with it.”

Wang Menglan broke into a wide grin. “I knew you were the best, Ah Jing.”

Chen Jing shook his head, his tone earnest. “Sister Lan, I’m grateful for all you’ve done for me. No matter what, you’re like family to me now. Your problems are my problems.”

Hearing this, Wang Menglan’s smile blossomed as she feigned nonchalance. “You men, always so charming with your words. Don’t let it go to your head, Ah Jing.”

“…,” Chen Jing was left speechless. How did the conversation get here?

“Alright, enough chatting. It’s late. Go on up, wash up, and get some rest. You have a busy day tomorrow,” Wang Menglan said, waving her right hand at him.

“Okay. Drive safely, Sister Lan. Text me when you get home.”

She nodded with a smile. “Got it. I’ll message you when I’m home.”

Chen Jing waved. “Bye-bye.”

“Bye~”

He watched her car disappear before shrugging and heading upstairs.

Meanwhile, in her car, Wang Menglan hummed a midnight serenade, unable to hide the smile on her face.

The next day, Chen Jing didn’t arrive at the company until after ten.

He pushed open Lin Xi’s office door and found her directing work to Lin Zitan.

Seeing Chen Jing come in, Lin Xi was surprised. “Weren’t you supposed to arrange the music for ‘Birch Forest’ at home? Why are you here at the company?”

Chen Jing waved the folder in his hand. “I finished, so I came in.”

“So fast?” Lin Xi was astonished—she’d expected him to come in the afternoon at the earliest. She thought for a moment, “Come on. Let’s check out your arrangement.”

The three of them headed to the company’s recording studio, which boasted a professional music production team.

“President Lin!” The staff greeted them as they entered.

Lin Xi, holding the arrangement for ‘Birch Forest,’ walked over to a slightly overweight, middle-aged man, who was deep in thought over some sheet music and hadn’t noticed their arrival.

Lin Xi called softly, “Mr. Guo.”

This man was Guo Xiaohui, head of arranging at Jingrun Entertainment.

Startled, Guo Xiaohui turned around. “Oh, President Lin, it’s you.”

She nodded, handing over the arrangement. “Mr. Guo, could you have a look at this arrangement for me?”

“Ah, is this another new song?” Guo Xiaohui took the score. “Let me see.” He began reading intently.

After about ten minutes, Guo Xiaohui finished and exhaled deeply. He turned to Lin Xi and nodded. “It’s fine, I didn’t find any issues. We can proceed with the accompaniment.”

Lin Xi was taken aback and cast a sidelong glance at Chen Jing, who sat calmly, showing no surprise at all.

Since there were no issues, the recording and arrangement could proceed as normal. The sound engineers would handle the rest.

As the session wouldn’t be finished immediately, Lin Xi took Chen Jing to complete some company formalities.

Once everything was settled, the three returned to the studio.

“Mr. Guo, is the arrangement ready?”

“Yes, it’s almost done, but…” Guo Xiaohui hesitated, “the finished track sounds a bit…odd.” He looked uncertainly at Lin Xi.

Lin Xi frowned. “Odd? Is there something wrong?”

“No, it’s not an error—it just sounds a bit off.” Guo Xiaohui glanced at Chen Jing behind Lin Xi. “Young man, you’re the one singing this song, right?”

Chen Jing nodded. “Yes.”

“How about you try singing it once? Maybe it’ll work out just right,” Guo Xiaohui suggested, sounding unsure.

“Alright,” Lin Xi agreed. In fact, she didn’t have much hope—Chen Jing could write songs, sing, and play several instruments. If he could also handle arrangements, was he even human? She’d already decided to have Mr. Guo redo the arrangement if it didn’t work out, which might not be a bad thing—perhaps it would humble Chen Jing a bit, so he wouldn’t become arrogant.

Chen Jing said nothing, just listened to the accompaniment. Yes—this was exactly the feeling he wanted, just like in his previous life.

He entered the recording booth, adjusted his mindset, and when he felt ready, signaled an “OK” to Lin Xi outside. The accompaniment began to play through his headphones.

A deep, slow introduction set an ominous, stormy mood.

“A quiet village, drifting white snow…”

The moment Chen Jing began to sing, Lin Xi and the others were shaken, utterly dazzled.

This was Lin Xi’s first time hearing the complete version of “Birch Forest.” The impression was direct and overwhelming—the emotion in his voice was palpable.

As Chen Jing’s beautiful singing told its tragic tale, Lin Xi was momentarily lost in a daze.

Hearing Chen Jing sing, Guo Xiaohui couldn’t help but praise him. “Congratulations, President Lin, you’ve found another great talent.”

As a veteran in the music industry with more than a decade’s experience, Guo Xiaohui could instantly distinguish the quality of a song.

Suddenly, something occurred to him and he asked Lin Xi, “By the way, who did the arrangement for this song?”

Lin Xi snapped out of her reverie and pointed to Chen Jing in the booth. “He did.”

“Him?” Guo Xiaohui’s jaw dropped in astonishment.

Lin Xi nodded silently.

Once he confirmed it, Guo Xiaohui stared in shock at Chen Jing, who was lost in his performance. Then a thought struck him, and he hurriedly asked, “Did he also write the song?”

“Yes.”

“No wonder. That explains it.” Guo Xiaohui was enlightened and explained, “Many composers have a specific vision for their own works. They know exactly what kind of song they created, because nobody understands a piece better than its creator.”

He sighed. “There’s nothing wrong with his arrangement. In fact, it feels as if the song was destined to sound exactly this way—that’s what’s truly remarkable.

“To compose, sing, and arrange—if this is his true ability, then all I can say is, he’s a genius.”

Lin Xi said nothing, simply gazing at Chen Jing, lost in thought.

A genius? Perhaps. This guy plays a bunch of instruments, too.

But is this really all Chen Jing is capable of? Her intuition told her—definitely not. He was still hiding much more.