Chapter 62: Sounds Like the Real Deal
An Yufei smiled as he stepped inside, casually removing his hat and mask, revealing his bright and cheerful face.
His eyes swept across the room, landing on the scattered lyric sheets and staff paper on the table.
"Oh? You're already working on a new song?"
Curious, An Yufei walked over, picked up a page filled with lyrics, and read it carefully.
"‘Ai Ya Ai Ya’? Interesting name, and the lyrics are pretty good."
He turned to Shen Xi, admiration clear in his eyes.
"Xixi, your talent is incredible. How about you give me an autograph now? It'll definitely be worth a lot in the future."
Hearing that, Shen Xi let out a small, helpless laugh and shook her head.
"Stop joking around. Right now, I’m just an ‘accused plagiarist’ getting hate from the entire internet."
"Xixi, that’s exactly why I came to talk to you."
An Yufei flashed a grin, his little tiger teeth showing, looking quite proud of himself.
"The recording studio you used last time had security footage, and your completed demo has already been preserved as evidence. The case is being processed, and in a few days, the truth will come out."
A warm feeling spread in Shen Xi’s heart, but her expression dimmed slightly.
Of course, she knew that these kinds of false accusations wouldn’t last long. But their goal wasn’t to win, they just wanted to stall her.
"Thank you, Yufei. But you know the real problem is time. The show is about to start, and I can’t wait for the clarification to come through."
"But you’ve already written a new song, haven’t you? That was what I was worried about."
With his usual sunny smile, An Yufei handed the lyric sheet back to her, then sat down on a chair in the room, playfully winking.
"Come on, let me hear your new song. I’ll even help you write out the sheet music."
Shen Xi looked at An Yufei, hesitating for a moment. She didn’t say anything.
Owing someone a favor was always tricky, especially as a woman owing a man.
An Yufei wasn’t a relative, just someone who appreciated her. He always seemed eager to help, never asking for anything in return.
Analyzing this from a logical standpoint, a thought suddenly popped into her mind, ‘Could it be… An Yufei has feelings for me?’
‘I mean, it’s not like I’m being narcissistic. Someone liking me is pretty normal, right? After all, I was once the male lead’s first love, his untouchable ‘white moonlight’...’
Well, except for him. Her cold, calculating husband, who only saw power and his business empire.
Shen Xi pressed her lips together and absentmindedly pinched the lyric sheet between her fingers.
Thinking back, she realized she had never actually mentioned her marriage to Yufei.
Could that be why? If she was wrong, it would be kind of awkward.
"What’s wrong?"
Noticing her hesitation, An Yufei tilted his head slightly and smiled.
"You're not afraid I’ll steal your song, are you?"
Shen Xi let out a deep breath and spoke calmly.
"Yufei, actually..."
Knock, knock.
Before she could finish, someone knocked on the door.
She froze for a second, her heart tightening.
No way... Is the big guy really here already?
Shen Xi wasn’t particularly worried about Gu Hanling caring that she was alone in a room with another man.
She just knew that what he would care about was the so-called Gu family’s reputation, then he’d use it as an excuse to deduct her salary or something.
That was what she was really worried about. If he took away her money, wouldn’t that be a death sentence?
"Xixi, your little room sure is lively today," An Yufei joked as he heard the knock.
Shen Xi let out an awkward chuckle, feeling a little nervous as she walked to the door. She took a deep breath and slowly opened it.
"Sister Xixi!"
It wasn't Gu Hanling standing at the door. Surprisingly, it was Su Kexin, her bestie, with a sweet and lovely smile on her face.
"Keke! What are you doing here?!"
Shen Xi’s nervousness instantly turned to surprise and joy, her eyes lighting up. Su Kexin shook the big bag of snacks and drinks she was holding.
"Look, Xixi! I brought you a lot of delicious food!"
"I saw all the nasty rumors online, so I came to cheer you up!"
A wave of warmth spread through Shen Xi’s heart, and her eyes stung slightly. She had never thought she would have such a sweet friend who cared about her so sincerely.
She reached out and gently pinched Su Kexin’s soft, chubby cheeks.
"Keke, you’re the best~ You even came all this way just to ‘charge me up’ with positive energy. If I turn into a man in my next life, I swear I’ll marry you."
But as she said that, her mind suddenly wandered to the morning when a certain someone had pinched her own smooth cheeks, way harder than this.
His grip was probably even firmer than Keke’s…
Wait, what was she even comparing here?! Focus!
Su Kexin was about to respond, laughing at Shen Xi’s playful words, when she suddenly caught sight of another figure inside the room.
She thought it might be Shen Xi’s husband, President Gu, and immediately her expression shifted to one of teasing amusement. Lowering her voice, she leaned in and whispered,
"Xixi, I think I came at the wrong time..."
Shen Xi instantly caught on and couldn’t help but laugh, shaking her head. Keke really has amazing luck. She just happened to run into her idol again.
"No, you came at the perfect time."
After Shen Xi pulled Keke into the room—
"Oh my god! Feifei!"
Su Kexin’s eyes widened in shock. She covered her mouth, nearly letting out a scream. An Yufei stood up with a warm smile.
"Hello, Keke. I remember you."
Su Kexin's voice trembled slightly.
"I... I never expected to see you here again!"
An Yufei’s lips curved into a gentle smile.
"Any friend of Xixi’s is a friend of mine. No need to be so nervous."
"Alright, alright! Since we're all friends here, why don’t we sit down and chat?"
Shen Xi laughed, motioning for them to sit. Just then, An Yufei’s phone rang.
"Hello, Sister Xia? What’s up?"
On the other end was Sister Xia, An Yufei’s manager and the head talent agent at Xinghe Entertainment. She had been the one guiding his career ever since his debut.
"Got it, I understand."
After hanging up, An Yufei’s expression darkened slightly, and he looked apologetic. Turning to the two women, he sighed helplessly.
"Sorry, I have to go. My schedule got moved up, and Sister Xia is rushing me."
Shen Xi nodded in understanding.
"Work comes first. Don’t let us hold you up."
An Yufei quickly grabbed his hat and mask, put them on, and left the hotel room.
The two women chatted for a while longer before Keke said she had to head back. She had an early morning shift at her job tomorrow.
At the hotel entrance, Shen Xi walked with Su Kexin to the curb and saw her off.
Just as Keke’s car drove away, a sleek black Rolls-Royce Cullinan smoothly pulled up in front of her.
Shen Xi’s lips twitched.
What is going on today? Why are all these ‘familiar faces’ showing up one after another?
The car door slowly swung open on its own. A tall man stepped out, his long legs touching the pavement first, followed by his familiar sharp, cold features.
He was holding a black square-shaped bag. It looked heavy.
"Hehe, I had a feeling the big brother was about to show up, so I waited here in advance."
Shen Xi forced a cheerful smile.
Gu Hanling glanced at her, his lips curling slightly in a half-smile, his tone light but teasing.
"Mmm... sounds convincing."
"Uh..."
Shen Xi’s forced smile froze, completely exposed.
Down the street, a man and a woman were walking toward the hotel.
It was Shi Jingyan and Lin Yueyue…