Volume One, Chapter 8: How Could It Possibly Be Him

“Awesome, Fourth!”
As they walked downstairs, the roommates were all visibly excited.
“I thought you were just talking big, but you actually let go!” Wang Hong threw an arm around Jiang Yu’s neck.
“Yeah! And I never expected you to be so bold! That was incredible!” Xiong Tao was thrilled as well; he had long been annoyed with that girl, but had held his tongue for Fourth’s sake.

But just then, Wang Mingxu suddenly shouted,
“Holy crap, Fourth, someone posted a video of you singing at the bar last night on TikJoy!”

That got everyone’s attention.
They all whipped out their phones.
A video popped up: a handsome guy, singing with melancholy in a bar.

In the video, Jiang Yu’s slender fingers danced lightly over the keys.
A gentle voice rose above the notes.
“If I look at you again, will there still be a feeling?”
“How pure you were, back then, with a bare face.”
“No thick eyeliner, no concealer smoothed on.”
“Braving the rain, strolling, stifling laughter as others’ makeup ran.”
…
“Longing can never take us back.”

The likes on the video were skyrocketing, and the comments multiplied with each refresh—
100…
1000…
10,000…

They opened the comments.
[My god, this is so beautiful. I looped it all night, woke up, and my eyes were sore from crying.]
[The lyrics are amazing, and though the video’s a bit blurry, you can tell—this guy is so handsome. He should debut.]
[So touching, it’s like you sang my heart. I, too, once loved a pure, innocent girl. Pity that reality’s a butcher’s knife.]
[Love it! Love it!]
[As a professional music critic, this song brings calm to the frantic music scene—it surpasses at least ninety percent of current singers!]
[Has he installed a camera in my life? How does he know my story so well?]
[You’re not the only one with this kind of experience.]
[“I miss it, but longing can never take us back”—that line broke me.]
[…]
Every comment was praise.

“Fourth, you see this? You’re famous now!” Wang Hong thumped Jiang Yu’s back, elated.
Xiong Tao said, “From now on, I’m the roommate of a superstar!”
Wang Mingxu cheered, “Fourth, you’re awesome!”
Jiang Yu just smiled and shook his head. “Don’t make a big deal. It’s just one song going viral. I’m not the only one who’s blown up online.”

He knew well what the internet was like.
He was popular now only because he was still an unknown, a regular guy.
Plenty of people had their fifteen minutes online, but as soon as they became stars, all sorts of strange comments would appear.
No matter who you were, what kind of person, or what you created—online, behind a screen, people would insult you at will.
Keyboard warriors—he was all too familiar.
Still, after this, his life probably wouldn’t be peaceful anymore. It wouldn’t be long before a slew of agencies reached out.

Maybe signing with a good agency now was the best move for him.
But as someone who’d crossed over from Blue Star, he knew the score.
There were no good people in this business.
It wasn’t just newcomers—even established stars were nothing but merchandise on a shelf.
People would use you as they pleased, treat you as a tool.
If you had contract issues and wanted to leave, the penalty would bleed you dry.
Such scandals had already been exposed back on Blue Star.
Some companies would even sign a bunch of nobodies just to milk penalty fees.

He didn’t want to be merchandise on a shelf; he wanted to be the one selling.
So he wanted to start his own studio, and one day, his own company.
But for now, he didn’t have the resources.
The graduation gala—a school-organized talent show—was his chance, and he had to seize it.
…

Meanwhile, on the way back to the company’s training base—
Zhao Yiyi sat in the passenger seat of a BMW, watching the scenery whip by, feeling gloomy.
She couldn’t stop thinking about Jiang Yu’s cold words, or the image of campus beauty Su Muyu clinging to his arm, staking her claim. Jealousy and bitterness gnawed at her.
Zhao Yiyi couldn’t understand why she was feeling this way.
She was the one who dumped him, she had a boyfriend who could fast-track her path to success by two and a half years, and she had already debuted, appearing before the public.
But she just wasn’t happy!
Was it envy? Jealousy?
Jiang Yu had always doted on her—why had he changed so suddenly? And how could the campus beauty possibly be interested in him?
How could there be a woman better than her who’d fall for him?
It was impossible!

Unconsciously, she’d picked at the skin on her finger until it broke.
The sharp sting made Zhao Yiyi gasp softly. She quickly put her finger in her mouth, the taste of blood sobering her.
“Yiyi, what’s wrong? Still thinking about your ex?”
Seeing Zhao Yiyi so absent-minded, Li Jiang couldn’t help but ask.
“No, Brother Li, I’m completely over him. We have nothing to do with each other anymore,” Zhao Yiyi replied quickly.
Li Jiang smiled. “Good. You’ve just debuted—don’t let trivial things distract you. Focus on your work, leave the rest to me.”
“Thank you, Brother Li. I wouldn’t be where I am today without your help.”
Li Jiang nodded with satisfaction, reaching over to stroke Zhao Yiyi’s fair thigh. “Be good. As long as you listen, you’ll be a star.”

Just then, the phone rang.
Li Jiang answered via the car’s system.
“Hello, Manager Liu? What’s up?”

Liu Hao, manager of Starfall Entertainment’s business department, was his peer in rank, but since he managed all company operations, he wielded more real power than Li Jiang.
Not that it mattered; Starfall Entertainment belonged to their family.

“Young Master Li, where are you? There’s a meeting this afternoon. The company wants to sign someone.”
“Signing new talent? Can’t you handle it without me?”
“It’s Mr. Li’s order.”
His father, personally involved? Li Jiang frowned. “Who are we signing?”
“Here’s the story: last night, at a bar called Little Moonlight in University Town, someone sang a song that went viral—hit the trending lists, got reuploaded all over TikJoy. So Mr. Li wants to get in touch with this person.”
“All right, I got it. I’ll head back now.”

After hanging up, Li Jiang grumbled, “Why’s Dad making such a fuss over this? Is a viral internet celebrity so rare these days that it warrants a meeting?”

Hearing their conversation, Zhao Yiyi grew curious and opened the short video platform.
“I’m making my changes—no need to dwell on the past.”
“So please, don’t meet with me again~”

A song she’d never heard before filled her ears.
But the voice sounded familiar.
Looking closer, Zhao Yiyi’s eyes widened. She clapped a hand over her mouth, utterly incredulous.
The video was a bit blurry, but she’d never forget that figure. She could never mistake him.
Impossible!
It couldn’t be!
How could it be him!