In the fourth side story of Shao Qingge and Ye Qi
, after Ye Qi acknowledged Zhao Chen as his master, his life gradually became richer.
As a poor student, returning to high school to relearn math, physics, and chemistry—subjects he couldn't understand—made Monday through Friday feel like an eternity for Ye Qi. But every weekend, Shao Qingge would always pick him up on time, no matter how busy he was, rain or shine.
Ye Qi initially didn't mind being picked up and dropped off by Shao Qingge, but as time went on, he felt a little guilty. "Mr. Shao, there are direct buses to Rongcheng, running every hour. I can take the bus myself." After all, Shao Qingge runs a company and is so busy. It's such a waste of his time for him to drive every weekend. For Mr. Shao, time is money.
However, Shao Qingge said, "You're a minor. I don't trust you to take the bus by yourself."
Ye Qi argued, "16 isn't a minor. The current law only protects minors up to 16. Besides, it only takes 3 hours by bus to Rongcheng. You're so busy, there's no need for you to pick me up personally
." Shao Qingge thought to himself, "Picking you up and dropping you off on the weekend is a rare opportunity to spend time with you. I have to come, no matter how busy I am. "
Moreover, listening to Ye Qi chatter on about interesting things at school and his progress in learning with Teacher Zhao, Shao Qingge couldn't help but be infected by his cheerful mood. The business world is like a battlefield. He's usually very busy, his eyes glued to stock charts and financial data. Only with Ye Qi can Shao Qingge find true relaxation.
That's why he picks Ye Qi up every weekend.
Ye Qi is unaware of this; he just feels that Mr. Shao is too good to him, so good that he feels uncomfortable.
Sensing Ye Qi's predicament, Shao Qingge has to compromise, "How about this, from now on, I'll only pick you up one day, Saturday or Sunday, and I'll send a driver to pick you up on the other day. I'm really busy lately, and I might not be able to find the time to pick you up two days in a row."
This compromise seems acceptable.
Ye Qi thinks about it and doesn't refuse Shao Qingge's kindness.
He secretly resolves that since Mr. Shao is so good to him, he will definitely repay him when he makes a name for himself.
Time flies.
From Monday to Friday, Ye Qi looks forward to the weekend. And on the weekend, he looks forward to the next weekend.
During his Chinese class, he would diligently memorize vocabulary, since a songwriter needs a solid foundation in Chinese. He'd studied with Teacher Zhao for so long; he couldn't possibly write a cheesy pop song like "I miss you so much,"
that would be too embarrassing for his mentor . As for
science subjects, Ye Qi couldn't understand them anyway, so he'd just study them briefly and be satisfied with passing the exams.
He started putting in real effort in Chinese class, and the teacher clearly noticed his progress. Especially in composition; Ye Qi used to be notorious for going off-topic, always serving as a negative example, writing incomprehensible nonsense. Now, at least his writing was legible, occasionally even producing some beautiful sentences.
The Chinese teacher was pleasantly surprised and spoke with Ye Qi, patting him on the shoulder and encouraging him, "Actually, you're very smart. Look, in your first year of high school, your Chinese score has improved by more than 40 points. If you work hard on other subjects, you'll definitely get into a good university."
Ye Qi earnestly replied, "Thank you, teacher. I'm not good at studying, and I haven't thought about getting into any top university. In my senior year, I'll take the art exam and go to a music academy. I want to be a singer in the future. Academic subjects aren't my forte; I want to devote more energy to the music I love."
The Chinese teacher was astonished. "You want to be a singer?"
Most first-year high school students don't have plans for their future; they just drift along, focusing on their studies or simply following their parents' arrangements. The teacher hadn't expected Ye Qi to have such a
clear-headed future. Meeting the boy's determined gaze, the teacher realized that Ye Qi was perhaps the most insightful person in the entire class.
Later, when other teachers spoke with Ye Qi, he used the same reasoning, leaving them speechless.
The world is full of all kinds of talented people; it's not that everyone needs to excel in academic subjects to succeed. Ye Qi's musical talent was evident to his teachers; learning so many instruments was no small feat.
Over time, the teachers learned that Ye Qi wanted to take the arts entrance exam, so they simply let him be.
This made Ye Qi even more carefree. In his spare time, while other students were frantically doing practice tests, he would bite his pen, pondering how to write songs, doodling in his notebook. He actually made some progress, but he was too embarrassed to show it to Teacher Zhao, afraid of being laughed at by his teacher. During
the winter break of his first year of high school, Ye Qi told his parents that he was going to Rongcheng to attend a music training class. His parents were very supportive and gave him some money. In reality, Ye Qi lived in the teacher's studio, learning from Teacher Zhao every day. He saved all the money his parents gave him, not spending a single penny.
The same thing happened during the summer break of his second year of high school; Ye Qi went to Rongcheng as soon as the break started. Although his parents were puzzled, they couldn't stop their son's love for music.
In his senior year of high school, while his classmates were all preparing for the college entrance exam, Ye Qi became the most carefree student in the class.
His classmates said enviously, "Ye Qi is so lucky, deciding to take the art exam so early, unlike us, who are drowning in practice books every day." "Yeah, Ye Qi doesn't have to do those tests, it's so comfortable." "Sigh, if I had artistic talent, I'd want to go to a music academy or art academy too."
Of course, there were also many envious voices: "With his looks, becoming a singer? I bet he'll end up busking under a bridge with his guitar." "I think Ye Qi's singing is pretty average, just karaoke level, how can he be a singer?"
Ye Qi just smiled at these comments.
His inner thoughts were firm; no matter what others said, it wouldn't affect him.
Besides, his classmates had no idea that at this point, Ye Qi, even just starting out, had already reached a height that many music lovers could never achieve in their entire lives.
Because of Shao Qingge, Ye Qi's mentor was Zhao Chen, a top singer in the industry who respectfully addressed him as "Teacher." The owner of "Starlight Entertainment Group," the entertainment industry's largest producer of singers, was Shao Qingge's childhood friend. With just a word from Shao Qingge, signing Ye Qi to this star-making factory would be a piece of cake.
However, Shao Qingge didn't want Ye Qi to achieve instant success.
He found the best teachers for Ye Qi to build a solid foundation. He would secretly help Ye Qi in the future, but he wouldn't use money to buy him an award. He hoped Ye Qi would become a truly recognized and excellent singer through his own efforts.
Only then would Ye Qi feel a sense of accomplishment and realize his dream. While it would be easy
for Shao Qingge to simply throw money at a talent competition and then spend money to garner votes to help Ye Qi win
, it would be an insult to Ye Qi's dream.
Ye Qi's pure love for music, his eyes always lighting up whenever music is mentioned—a persistent, optimistic young man who speaks eloquently about his passion for music—isn't that exactly the kind of person I admire most?
I remember back then, the secret room of the Nine of Hearts in the card game world was the entertainment industry. Ye Qi sang on stage in that room as a singer. Back then, Ye Qi, holding his guitar, sat under the spotlight, so dazzling.
However, the concert was linked to a murder case, and Ye Qi couldn't sing with peace of mind. Shao Qingge made up his mind then and there that if he could return to the real world, he would help Ye Qi hold a concert of his own. He
was getting closer and closer to that goal.
In his senior year of high school, Ye Qi took the art exam and was admitted to Jiangzhou Conservatory of Music as he wished.
Friends in the Card Room WeChat group sent congratulations one after another
. Xiao Lou: "Congratulations, Ye! Come find us when you come to Jiangzhou, let's have dinner together."
Liu Qiao: "When Ye Qi holds a concert in the future, remember to save tickets for us. We promised a long time ago."
Lao Mo: "If Ye really becomes a star, I can brag to my daughter that I know a star, hahaha."
Qu Wanyue: "If you need backup dancers for the concert, you can contact me. I know a lot of people in dance troupes."
Ye Qi felt warm inside when he saw everyone's greetings. He quickly typed and sent a message: "Thank you everyone. I will work hard. The national singer selection competition will start soon after school starts. Please vote for me then."
Everyone said that they would mobilize their relatives and friends to vote for Ye Qi.
Time flew by, and by the end of August, Ye Qi had packed his bags, said goodbye to his parents, and returned to Jiangzhou.
Entering the familiar Jiangzhou Conservatory of Music, he found himself at the registration area for new students. His university classmates were still there; Ye Qi recognized them immediately. But for them, it was the first time they had ever seen him.
Just as Ye Qi finished settling into
his dorm room, a roommate opened the door and said, "Ye Qi, someone's looking for you downstairs." It was Shao Qingge's driver, arriving in a low-key black Volkswagen.
This was a testament to
Shao Qingge's thoughtfulness. While Shao's garage was filled with luxury cars worth millions, even tens of millions, he always drove this black Volkswagen when picking up Ye Qi, and few people would notice on the street.
After all, Ye Qi was a student; using an extravagant luxury car for transportation would easily attract strange looks from his classmates, which wouldn't be good for his reputation and might even lead to negative rumors like "Ye Qi is being kept by a rich man."
For the past three years, this car had been appearing near Ye Qi's home every weekend, picking her up and dropping her off at her classes with Teacher Zhao in Rongcheng. Ye Qi knew it intimately, and upon seeing the car, she excitedly ran over and obediently called out, "Uncle Chen."
Uncle Chen, the driver, was also familiar with Ye Qi and smiled as he opened the car door. "Little Ye, Mr. Shao asked me to pick you up."
Ye Qi got into the car and asked curiously, "Mr. Shao didn't send me a WeChat message. Is there something wrong with him suddenly picking me up?"
Uncle Chen replied, "I don't know. My task is to take you to Mr. Shao's house."
Ye Qi had never been to Shao Qingge's home in Jiangzhou.
The car drove out of the school, onto the highway, and an hour later arrived at a high-end villa area. Uncle Chen parked the car in front of a villa, and Shao Qingge personally came out to greet him. He walked up to Ye Qi with a smile and asked, "Are you adjusting well to university life?"
Ye Qi immediately nodded, "Of course! I spent a year here before, and compared to the other freshmen in my class, I know the school best. I even know which window in the school cafeteria has the best food."
Shao Qingge turned back and said, "Uncle Chen, you can go back now." Then he led Ye Qi into the house.
Ye Qi curiously looked at Mr. Shao's residence—a three-story detached villa. The first floor had a living room, dining room, and kitchen, with both Chinese and Western styles. He didn't go up to the second floor, which was probably Mr. Shao's bedroom. The villa wasn't decorated with the luxurious European-style furniture he had imagined; instead, it had a more modern, minimalist style, with fabric sofas adding a touch of warmth to the living room.
Seeing Ye Qi looking around, Shao Qingge introduced, "This house was just bought last year. Lao Mo helped me a lot; he did the design. I asked him to make it cozy. It looks alright, doesn't it?"
Ye Qi smiled and said, "It's beautiful! The life of the rich is so simple and unpretentious."
Hearing his joke, Shao Qingge couldn't help but reach out and ruffle his hair, then led him to sit down in the dining room. Ye Qi immediately noticed a birthday cake on the table with "Happy 18th Birthday, Ye Qi" written on it.
Ye Qi froze. "My birthday?"
He remembered; today was his 18th birthday. After midnight, he would officially turn 18.
Shao Qingge's gaze softened. "That's right, our little Ye is finally 18. We brought you here to celebrate your birthday."