Chapter 136: Confrontation at the Dining Table

Bai Chenxi watched as the two men refused to give an inch over the piece of food held between their chopsticks.

"Thank you! I love both of them," Bai Chenxi said, holding her utensils with no idea where to begin.

"Why don't you two let go first?" How am I supposed to eat when you're both holding the food?

Chu Muyun withdrew his chopsticks first, not forgetting to add a smile. "No rush, eat slowly."

Xia Yan thought to himself: *He beat me to it again. Who on earth said Chu Muyun was taciturn and destined to be single forever? Show yourself, I need to have a word with you!*

Bai Chenxi lowered her head and silently ate what was already on her plate. The food was delicious, but no matter who was eating it, the atmosphere was simply too much to bear!

Sensing Bai Chenxi's awkwardness, Chu Muyun said, "It's fine, just go ahead and enjoy your meal!"

Chu Muyun's words put Bai Chenxi at ease, allowing her to focus entirely on the delicacies before her.

Realizing she had eaten almost enough, Bai Chenxi announced, "I'm going to the restroom for a moment," and slipped away, leaving behind her merit and fame.

As soon as Bai Chenxi left, the previously confrontational atmosphere vanished instantly. Neither of them spoke, leaving a silence that felt like the calm before a storm.

Chu Muyun poured himself a glass of water before calmly speaking up, "I heard your manager has arranged quite a packed schedule for you. I'm surprised you even had time to come out."

Xia Yan forced the words out through clenched teeth, "That's none of your concern."

Because Xia Yan had frequently and intentionally brought up Bai Chenxi in public recently, it had caused quite a stir in the news. Now, his manager wouldn't even let him touch Weibo, and had flooded his schedule with work precisely to limit his contact with Bai Chenxi.

Today, he had managed to steal some free time and sneaked out behind his manager's back. He had expected a pleasant date with Bai Chenxi, only for Chu Muyun to crash it halfway through—not only ruining his date, but sitting here making sarcastic remarks.

"If your fans find out, do you think you can handle the fallout?" Chu Muyun had never spared any effort when it came to striking at a love rival.

Hearing this, Xia Yan furrowed his brow tightly. "I won't let her be wronged. But you—I heard the fandoms of you two are still at each other's throats right now!"

Playing dirty and exposing each other's sore spots? Who couldn't do that?

Chu Muyun took an unhurried sip of water and slowly replied, "I don't rely on fans for my livelihood. As for you, how exactly do you plan not to let her be wronged? Are you going to abandon your fans? Did your manager agree to that, or did Chenxi?"

Imitating Chu Muyun's composed demeanor, Xia Yan asked with feigned profundity, "Are you scared?"

Playing it cool? Let's see who can put on a better act.

"If you aren't scared, why did you shamelessly tag along? Isn't it because you're afraid of Chenxi spending time alone with me?"

Chu Muyun let out a disdainful snort. "Ridiculous!"

Xia Yan wore an expression of having seen right through him. "Then why did you chase after us like a lost puppy? I asked Chenxi out on a date; did I invite you?"

"I came here to accompany Chenxi. What does that have to do with you?"

When Bai Chenxi returned, she felt the atmosphere had grown even heavier; the conversation must have gone poorly. *Sigh! It seems I'll have to find another opportunity.*

"Oh, that's right!" Bai Chenxi clapped her hands suddenly. "You're both singers—do you have any particular habits when writing music? Do you always have to write in absolute silence, or do inspiration strikes whenever and wherever?"

Since they were both singers, talking about music was bound to be safe. Maybe they would find some common ground the more they discussed it.

"I write whenever inspiration hits, without that many restrictions." Chu Muyun always answered Bai Chenxi's questions without fail.

"Yeah!" Xia Yan nodded as well. "Usually, I just record the inspiration whenever it comes and organize it later."

Watching Xia Yan actually agree with Chu Muyun, Bai Chenxi felt a surge of wild joy. *See? I told you talking about music was the right move!* Don't stop, keep going. March forward on the path of reconciliation!

Then why did the conversation take such a sharp turn?

"By the way, that song we listened to in the dressing room last time is about to be released. Make sure to listen to it!"

Bai Chenxi said with pleasant surprise, "Really? I'll definitely check it out when it drops. Is there choreography?"

Xia Yan answered extra loudly, as if afraid someone might not hear him: "Yes! It's the exact dance you saw that day."

Bai Chenxi nodded repeatedly in delight; she still vividly remembered the dance Xia Yan performed that day—it was simply too cool. Once it was released, she would definitely have to watch it a few more times.

"I never knew you liked so many songs."

Chu Muyun's chilly voice drifted over from the side, instantly freezing half of Bai Chenxi's excitement. How could she have forgotten she was still one of his fan-girl romantic interests? With his level of pettiness, he certainly wouldn't want his fan to like someone else's music.

Who on earth was the one who brought up music in the first place? How foolish!

Bai Chenxi offered a dry laugh to gloss over it. "Brother Chu's songs are wonderful too. You two should exchange pointers more often."

Chu Muyun glanced at her and stopped speaking. Bai Chenxi had every reason to believe that look meant: *I'll settle accounts with you when we get back!*

To her surprise, Chu Muyun actually continued the topic: "Most of my songs are vocal-heavy and lean inward. His lean more toward singing and dancing."

Seeing the look of disappointment on Xia Yan's face, Bai Chenxi brushed aside her fear of Chu Muyun's anger and comforted Xia Yan instead, "From what I hear, they're both equally great."

Chu Muyun cast a sideways glance at Bai Chenxi as she continued, "I believe in you. One day, you'll be able to write the music you truly want to write. In my heart, you've always been a powerhouse of pure talent."

Having been through it all, Chu Muyun understood the subtext immediately upon hearing those words.

"You don't like your own songs?"

No matter how frantically Bai Chenxi signaled him with her eyes, Chu Muyun pressed on: "You don't like being defined as a mere idol, and by extension, you dislike this style of song that combines singing and dancing?"

Having his inner thoughts exposed, Xia Yan looked at him with defensive irritation. "What business is it of yours?"

"It's none of my business."

Chu Muyun looked at Xia Yan with such intense earnestness that Bai Chenxi, who had been tugging at his sleeve, unconsciously relaxed her grip. She felt intuitively that she shouldn't interrupt him right now.

"Are powerhouse artists and idol artists determined solely by the genre of their music? Everyone calls me a powerhouse, but if you handed me a song with heavy choreography, I wouldn't necessarily dance better than you do. You feel that singing and dancing easily gets you labeled as an idol—well, are you the absolute top tier, the most talented performer within that category? Idol and powerhouse labels are just external tags slapped onto you by the outside world. Where are there so many rigid boundaries in music? If it can win the affection of the general public and spark resonance, then it is good music."

This was the first time Bai Chenxi had ever heard Chu Muyun say so many words at once. In that moment, Chu Muyun seemed to radiate light in her eyes. Truly, a man at work was at his most dashing; Chu Muyun talking about music was impossibly handsome beyond measure.

The gaze Bai Chenxi directed at Chu Muyun was filled with unmasked, utter adoration.

However, Xia Yan didn't notice this at all, because the look he was currently giving Chu Muyun was remarkably similar—though slightly more restrained than Bai Chenxi's starry-eyed expression.

Xia Yan's inner monologue at that moment was: *I really don't want to agree with you, but I have to admit, what you said makes a lot of sense!*

After finishing the meal and stepping outside, Xia Yan still spoke with a hint of lingering awkwardness, "Thanks!"

He wasn't a fool; he could easily tell that Chu Muyun had intentionally given him guidance just moments ago. He would note down this favor, though anything beyond that was out of the question.

"I won't give up."

"Neither will I."