chapter 12
When Shen Bai received Su Jinfan’s call, he was momentarily stunned. After a brief second of bewilderment, an inexplicable joy quickly followed.

Su Jinfan walked to the windowsill and gazed at the starry night sky. She suddenly realized that due to work commitments, she hadn’t been in touch with Shen Bai for quite some time. Her voice unconsciously softened as she said, “I’ve just been so busy lately.”

“Yes, yes, of course. A busy bee like you—how could a slacker like me ever compare to a big star like Su Jinfan?”

“How have you been lately?” Su Jinfan twirled her fingers around the railing of the windowsill.

A faint ripple stirred in Shen Bai’s heart—was she actually concerned about him?

“Everything’s been smooth.” Shen Bai’s lips curled slightly, as if recalling something. “There’s one more thing.”

“Go ahead.”

“I don’t plan to alert Liu Xin prematurely; I have other plans in mind.”

Su Jinfan trusted Shen Bai the most, so when he said this, she didn’t ask why but simply acknowledged with a soft “Mm.” Her feelings toward Shen Bai had always been slightly different—somewhere between friendship and something more. If called lovers, there was still a sense of unfamiliarity between them, creating a peculiar dynamic.

“By the way, Xiaofan, I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning. I know a teacher whose recording studio can definitely produce the theme song you’re aiming for.”

Over the years in the entertainment industry, Su Jinfan had rarely known concrete details about Shen Bai. She only knew he had been incredibly popular during his school days and was a rare genius in the legal field. But now, aside from that unbelievable investment at Dingsheng Group, he was casually offering to arrange a recording studio for her?

Su Jinfan hesitated to speak, but the other party had already laid out the specifics—what time to gather downstairs. Su Jinfan could only play dumb and replied, “Got it, Xiaobai! I’ll definitely be on time tomorrow.”

    ……

The recording studio Shen Bai took Su Jinfan to was Bee Studio, renowned in the industry as a prime location for producing gold records. It boasted world-class professionals, state-of-the-art equipment, and a comfortable environment. Moreover, Bee Studio wasn’t open to the public; only a select few diva-level artists had the privilege of recording albums there.

When Shen Bai arrived early at Su Jinfan’s doorstep and habitually pulled out the spare key to her home, he found her still lying in bed, disheveled, with cosmetics and clothes strewn haphazardly across the table and floor—clearly neglected for quite some time.

“Ah, Shen Bai, you’re here!” Su Jinfan shook her head slightly, trying to snap herself awake. She didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of Shen Bai. “What’s on the agenda today again?”

Shen Bai looked at Su Jinfan and shook his head helplessly—this girl was oversleeping again.

“I’m so hungry,” Su Jinfan mumbled as she slowly crawled out of bed, wearing a rabbit-themed pajama set.

“Should I go make breakfast now?” Shen Bai asked tentatively, never expecting Su Jinfan to be this deep into her laziness.

“Mhm,” Su Jinfan replied with effort as she struggled to stand up.

Shen Bai left silently, still with his usual demeanor. From the moment he first met Su Jin Fan, he thought she was a beautiful and capable girl. But the more he got to know her, the more he realized that Su Jin Fan was always late when going out and often misremembered the agreed meeting spots. These didn’t seem like major issues, yet Shen Bai found himself growing accustomed to such a lifestyle. He didn’t feel anything particularly wrong with it, except that the atmosphere was indeed slightly ambiguous.

Half an hour later, a refreshing breakfast was ready. After washing up, Su Jin Fan picked up her chopsticks and started eating without any regard for table manners, quickly shoving dumplings into her mouth, which amused Shen Bai.

Su Jin Fan raised her head slightly. What was this? Was Shen Bai mocking her? Did she really eat that unattractively?

“What are you laughing at? Aren’t you going to eat?” Su Jin Fan decided to ask Shen Bai directly whether it was because her eating manners were too unsightly.

Su Jinfan was originally a somewhat scatterbrained girl who loved to play little tricks. In her memory, she had never behaved improperly in front of anyone—even in the eyes of her parents, she was a well-behaved girl. Yet one day, she was actually laughed at by Shen Bai. This was simply a blatant provocation that absolutely could not be tolerated!

Shen Bai stared at Su Jinfan’s serious expression. Though he didn’t know why he had laughed, her feigned seriousness struck him as utterly adorable.

Then, he laughed for the second time. This time, he didn’t hold back and simply let himself laugh freely.

Su Jinfan’s dumpling chopsticks froze mid-air. Indeed, it was true—lawyers were simply neurotic beings! Even their laughter was so unpredictable!

“I feel like you’re laughing at me.” Su Jinfan sipped her soup while pointing her chopsticks at him. “Shen Bai, interview time—what exactly are you laughing at?”

“Ahem… I just randomly thought of a joke.” Shen Bai didn’t dare to call Su Jinfan cute outright—he didn’t think calling a grown woman “cute” was necessarily a compliment.

“Besides, you can’t prove I was laughing at you, can you?” He genuinely hadn’t been mocking Su Jinfan.

Su Jinfan wasn’t buying it. “Fine, then tell me—what were you laughing at just now?”

“I was just thinking, if you’re always late for filming, wouldn’t the director scold you to death?” Shen Bai came up with a ridiculous excuse, successfully diverting the topic.

“In the future… if you don’t feel like cooking, just call me and I’ll do it.” Shen Bai spoke with utmost sincerity, more serious than any words he had just said.

Come cook when you have time! Come cook when you have time!

Su Jinfan listened carefully to every word, feeling there must be something wrong with her understanding.

Her face flushed crimson instantly as she stood up abruptly. “I’m full. Shen Bai, let’s go.”

Please forgive this single woman who’s been alone for too long to appreciate any warmth, let alone romantic notions.

Not long after breakfast, Su Jinfan followed Shen Bai to the recording studio. Located in the prime downtown area where land is worth its weight in gold, the studio’s size wasn’t particularly larger than others. Yet once inside, the equipment and decor were unimaginably luxurious. Su Jinfan had never encountered such gear before, but just by looking at its professional grade, she knew everything here was exorbitantly expensive.

Shortly after entering, an older man with a long braid approached. He looked somewhat familiar, as if she’d seen his name among the producers of various top-tier singers before. Moreover, being able to work here suggested he was no ordinary figure.

Shen Bai seemed quite familiar with the place and pointed at Su Jin Fan, saying, “Teacher Lai, please take good care of her.”

Ever since Su Jin Fan admitted to the media that she would sing the theme song, apart from Liu Ming recording a few demos for her, she remained unsatisfied. The repeated delays in releasing the song drove fans crazy. If not for her fear of losing followers due to further delays, she wouldn’t have cared much about this theme song at all.

“Got it. How could I not help someone you, Xiao Bai, brought along?” The man ran a hand through his hair, sighing with emotion. “Xiao Bai, you really are something—finding a celebrity girlfriend and only telling me now. Not very brotherly of you.”

Su Jin Fan: “…” This uncle must be nearsighted!

“This is Lai Zhi. You can just call him Teacher Lai from now on.” Finally, Su Jin was introduced to Teacher Lai.

Lai Zhi—wasn’t he the go-to chief accompanist for major films and a renowned musician? The songs he composed and the lyrics he wrote were of top-notch quality. His sheer talent alone had already made waves in the entertainment industry. Who would have thought Su Jin would one day meet such a rare, panda-level figure?

“Hello, Teacher Lai.” Su Jin was quite astonished as she glanced at Shen Bai, feeling even more admiration for him, her heart brimming with surprise. After a moment’s thought, she bowed respectfully, her face radiant with a smile. “Teacher Lai, I’ve never sung before.”

“Nowadays, how many singers in the entertainment industry can actually sing? Come in and give it a try first.” Lai Zhi replied bluntly, without much ceremony, gesturing for Su Jin to enter.

Shen Bai wouldn’t leave; he still wanted to hear what Su Jinfan sounded like when she sang. He didn’t mind spending an entire day on this.

Lai Zhi pulled out a stack of papers, clearly giving Su Jinfan no room to choose. It seemed he had already anticipated her arrival, as he had prepared several song demos and roughly written down the lyrics. “Here’s Draft A of ‘The Long Song Palace Walk.’ Listen to the accompaniment a few times first. Once you can mostly keep up, try singing it.”

Looking at the paper in Su Jinfan’s hand, she had no objections. She put on the headphones and quietly listened to the music.

Before the demo, a singer would first sing the entire song once to help Su Jinfan understand how the lyrics matched the accompaniment. “The Long Song Palace Walk” started off lively and playful before transitioning into a more somber tone. The lyrics vividly conveyed the story’s plot. By the third listen, Su Jinfan was already able to hum along with the accompaniment.

“Alright, that’s enough. Give it a try now.” After all, Lai Zhi was a professional in the industry. Seeing that Su Jinfan could hum the tune easily, he casually waved his hand and let her attempt to sing.

Su Jinfan wore her headphones, slightly closing her eyes. The delicate accompaniment still lingered in her ears as she tried to immerse herself in the character from the drama and began to sing.

Her voice was naturally different from most girls—husky and slightly sensual. When she sang, there was an inexplicable melancholy and emotion, as if she had traveled from the Qing Dynasty, plucking at heartstrings and leaping into different melodies.

The only time Su Jinfan had ever sung before was in a karaoke bar, so she knew nothing about pauses in syllables, techniques, or control. Yet, relying on her years of acting experience in the entertainment industry, she still managed to master this song.

Shen Baiyuan was walking around when he saw the girl inside singing with deep emotion, tears seemingly streaming from her eyes. The countless sorrows and her hoarse voice held him spellbound—he stood there, unable to tear his gaze away.

Su Jinfan was unaware of Shen Bai’s gaze from outside and continued humming the melody with heartfelt emotion:

Third Brother hesitated, words caught in his throat, unable to forget the bond between siblings.

The palace walls stood deep and secluded, where golden branches and wicked schemes made self-preservation a struggle.

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