Chapter Nine: Guidance

Yao Ling could hardly believe her ears. “Li Chuxi, are you deliberately opposing me?”

“Ling, you can report me to the company and have them sue me! If the court really rules that I must serve drinks, then I’ll abide by the court’s decision,” Li Chuxi said, blinking innocently.

After all, she was a law-abiding citizen!

“You—” Yao Ling was so angry she almost couldn’t speak.

“Ling, I have things to do, so I won’t disturb you and Liu Shangshang any longer.”

With that, she walked away, leaving behind an infuriated Yao Ling and Liu Shangshang softly trying to calm her down.

Feeling a bit bored, Li Chuxi began to wander around the company and soon found herself entering a music practice room.

As she pushed the door open, melodious music flowed out from within.

“Do you even know where this is? How do you have the nerve to just walk in?” a sharp voice cut through the air.

Li Chuxi looked up to see a man dressed a bit flamboyantly, holding out his hand to block her path.

“Sorry! I wasn’t paying attention and accidentally walked in,” she apologized.

“Yeah, right! No one would believe that. You must have ulterior motives,” the man snapped, almost pointing his finger in her face. “Everyone knows this practice room is exclusively for our Xingcan!”

Li Chuxi, initially feeling a bit apologetic, was quickly provoked by his attitude and fired back, “If you really don’t want anyone coming in, then just lock the door!”

The man was momentarily speechless, nearly at a loss for words.

Seeing his silence, Li Chuxi continued, “You’re not getting any younger. You should stop getting so worked up, or you might have a stroke and end up paralyzed. That would be tragic.”

Her cold words were infuriating to hear.

The man, Li Wei, was trembling with anger, even his hand shook as he pointed at her.

“Li Wei, that’s enough,” said Shen Xingcan, who had been playing the piano nearby. He stood and walked over to Li Chuxi, wearing a gentle smile. “Sorry about Li Wei’s rudeness. This is the company’s music room, so everyone is welcome to use it.”

Although Shen Xingcan often used the room, the company had never officially reserved it for him alone. It was just an unspoken agreement. If pressed, it was actually his fault.

“Xingcan, why are you apologizing to her?” Li Wei protested. “She’s clearly in the wrong. We were playing here peacefully, and she barged in all of a sudden.”

“She must be eyeing you, or maybe trying to steal your songs,” he added suspiciously.

Unlike typical pop stars, Shen Xingcan was a singer-songwriter, full of talent with many original songs to his name. Though relatively new, he had firmly established his place in the music scene.

In front of her stood a fair-skinned, unpretentious man—not stunning, but with delicate features, a clean aura, abundant talent, and a polite demeanor. Li Chuxi found herself quite impressed by him.

She didn’t even glance at Li Wei again. Instead, she smiled at Shen Xingcan and said, “You’re not bad at all.”

Hearing such praise, Shen Xingcan blushed and shyly lowered his gaze, scratching his head.

“Wow, wow, wow! How can there be such an innocent guy in the entertainment industry?” Zero妖, the voice in Li Chuxi’s mind, screamed excitedly. “No wonder so many older women adore him—he’s the perfect obedient little wolfdog those mature ladies love!”

Listening to the frantic screams in her head, Li Chuxi felt a little speechless.

“Stay away from Xingcan,” Li Wei immediately jumped up, clutching his chest and trembling. “I knew it! I knew you had bad intentions toward him. Now you’re flirting with him here. You—”

“Shut up!” Li Chuxi rolled her eyes and snapped sharply at Li Wei.

The sudden outburst caught him off guard, leaving him momentarily stunned.

Li Chuxi then turned back to Shen Xingcan. “On the second phrase, the third note—you should raise it by two semitones. It would sound perfect.”

Without another word, she turned and left decisively.