Chapter 4: When Did They Fall in Love?

Lu Zhou moved out of the company dormitory where he had lived for many years, severing all ties with Jinhua Entertainment from that moment on.

To be honest, he felt a tinge of reluctance in his heart, but everything related to this place was nothing more than memories of his lackluster years—there was no need for excessive sentimentality.

He rented a studio apartment, set down his luggage, ordered soundproofing foam online, and rearranged the space so he could practice singing at home without disturbing the neighbors.

Once settled, Lu Zhou wanted to invite a few close friends over for a housewarming meal, to bring a little life into his new place.

Unfortunately, his circle was small. The people he reached out to were either trainees, tied up with intense rehearsal schedules, or artists already debuted, busy working out of town.

In the end, Lu Zhou ordered a family bucket for delivery and dined alone at home.

Lonely, cold, and empty.

Suddenly, the mood struck him.

He tossed aside the spicy chicken wing in his hand and, on impulse, wrote a song.

“Emptiness.”

As he was lost in the melody, his father called.

“Son, have you settled the contract termination? If you have, hurry home—don’t dawdle.”

“Your mother and I just rented a hundred acres of fish ponds in the neighboring village today, waiting for you to come back and teach you the ropes. I plan to let you practice with these hundred acres first; once you get the hang of it, you’ll be the new pond master of the family.”

His father’s voice was laced with undisguised anticipation and excitement.

Pond master… Lu Zhou couldn’t help but laugh, though a pang of guilt welled up inside him. He was afraid that title wasn’t meant for him…

The next day, Lu Zhou slung his guitar over his back and took the high-speed train home.

“How come you only brought this little with you? Where’s the rest of your luggage?”

His parents thought this time Lu Zhou was home for good, but when they saw he’d only brought a backpack and a guitar, they immediately sensed something was off.

Lu Zhou decided not to hide it anymore. He told them about his contract termination, how he’d gotten an opportunity to join a variety show after being injured while saving someone on stage, and declared his intent to keep pursuing a career in showbiz.

“You rascal! Such a serious injury and you didn’t even tell us? Since when have you been making your own decisions like this? If something had really happened to you, how do you expect your parents to go on living?”

His mother, Qin Fang, smacked him on the back, then, worried she’d hit too hard, quickly started rubbing the spot.

“Let me see—where are you hurt? Is it serious?”

As she spoke, Qin Fang tried to check her son’s wounds.

“It’s nothing, I’m almost all better now.”

Lu Zhou let his mother fuss over him, her rough concern making him feel a warmth inside.

His father, Lu Zhenkun, sat to the side, face dark, shooting his son a glare.

“You didn’t make much money, but you did manage to crack your head open. Truly impressive.”

Lu Zhou could only play dumb and laugh sheepishly.

He thought this might spare him a scolding, but—

“You’ve been messing around in showbiz for nearly ten years now—don’t you know your own limits? What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Now you’ve left the company and lost their support. Alone, blundering around, do you really think you can make it in this industry? Isn’t that just a waste of time?”

“If you ask me, coming home to join me in real business is the real way forward.”

Lu Zhenkun’s face was stone-cold as he continued his lecture, not a single word of encouragement.

Qin Fang nodded in agreement.

“That’s right, your father’s not wrong. Son, it’s no big deal if you chose the wrong path. Admit it, start over! You’re only twenty-five, still young. There’s nothing shameful about coming home and starting from scratch.”

Clearly, his parents did not support Lu Zhou’s decision to stay in the entertainment industry.

“Dad, Mom, my mind is made up. No matter how hard it gets, I’ll keep going. This has been my lifelong dream.”

Lu Zhou’s resolve was written all over his face.

“You—” Lu Zhenkun was so exasperated he shook his head, then pointed at his wife. “It’s all your fault for dragging him to that fortune-teller back then—now he’s so stubborn he can’t even turn around!”

Qin Fang lowered her head, silent.

She knew she was partly to blame; why did she have to take him to see that fortune-teller, and worse, believe in it…

Superstition had ruined her son’s life!

Seeing his parents so dispirited, Lu Zhou steeled himself. “Dad, Mom, trust me one more time. I’ll make something of myself this time!”

Lu Zhenkun let out a heavy snort. “Make something of yourself? With what, exactly?”

Lu Zhou patted the guitar at his side. “Talent!”

He was entirely serious.

But—

His father burst out laughing.

Old Lu turned to Qin Fang, merciless in his ridicule. “Look at what we’ve raised! Not a shred of self-awareness! If only we’d had another child, maybe he wouldn’t be so full of himself now.”

Lu Zhou: …Was that supposed to rhyme?

This time, Qin Fang was amused by her husband’s words. She punched Lu Zhenkun, saying,

“Alright, enough venting. Don’t put our son down like that. He’s talented—when he was little, he outshone all the neighbor’s kids by a mile!”

Truly, there’s no one like a mother.

Lu Zhou couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

“That was when he was a kid. Which neighbor’s child is he outpacing now? If anything, they’re leaving him in the dust!”

Lu Zhenkun retorted crossly.

“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have rented those fish ponds—wasting money and effort for nothing…”

He grumbled as he got up to leave, but after a moment, suddenly turned back.

“Didn’t you say you’re joining some kind of program?”

With this reminder, Qin Fang remembered too.

“That’s right, son. The singer you saved got you onto some show, right?”

In the end, the topic returned to this. Lu Zhou subconsciously touched his nose, trying to gloss over it.

“Ah… Just a dating show… But nothing’s settled yet, I don’t know if I’ll actually get to participate. We’ll have to wait and see.”

But his parents were no fools—he couldn’t brush them off that easily.

“A dating show?!” Qin Fang’s eyes immediately lit up.

Lu Zhenkun raised an eyebrow and sat back down, no longer thinking of leaving.

“It must be one of those matchmaking shows you like to watch,” he declared, slapping his thigh. “That’s good—forget about your career for now. Go find us a daughter-in-law first. I think that’s great.”

Qin Fang was even more energized.

“Which show is it, son? Maybe I’ve seen it.”

They’d already chosen to ignore his “not sure if I can participate” disclaimer.

“Is it ‘Exchange… Exes’?” Lu Zhou forced himself to answer.

His father frowned, perhaps not quite understanding what kind of show that was.

But Qin Fang caught on immediately. She suddenly exclaimed and clapped her hands.

“That show? I’ve seen it, it’s pretty good…”

Halfway through, she paused, looking at Lu Zhou in confusion.

“But isn’t that show for ex-couples who’ve broken up?”

“Yes…” Lu Zhou answered, bracing himself.

The room instantly fell into an odd silence.

Tick, tock, tick, tock…

“How long ago was this?” Qin Fang suddenly asked out of nowhere after a while.

“Huh?” Lu Zhou blinked.

“When did you start dating, who was the girl, and why did you break up?”

Without missing a beat, Qin Fang rattled off three questions in a row.

Lu Zhenkun watched his son with great interest, as if enjoying a show.

Seeing no way out, Lu Zhou confessed everything.

After hearing the whole story, Qin Fang and Lu Zhenkun’s expressions grew heavy.

“Seems like we’ll need to rent a few more fish ponds. With our financial standing, no wonder the girl’s family didn’t approve,” Lu Zhenkun sighed helplessly.

“That’s not the point. What they really minded was our son’s background. No matter how many fish ponds you rent, it won’t change that,” Qin Fang pointed out.

“Background… What, being a college lecturer is such a big deal?” Lu Zhenkun’s pride was clearly wounded.

Qin Fang sighed. “Old Lu, it’s harsh but true. People like that are considered cultured, in a different class from us. That’s not something money can buy, you understand?”

Lu Zhenkun fell silent.

Lu Zhou looked at his parents, surprised by how deeply they’d put themselves in his shoes.

“This has nothing to do with you. Her parents looked down on me because I wasn’t accomplished enough.”

He tried to comfort them with a play on words.

“Better to break up. If it’s not meant to be, it’s not meant to be. There’s no point forcing things you can’t reach,” Qin Fang said, trying to console her son.

Lu Zhou nodded. He didn’t agree with the idea of being “out of his league,” but he did agree that you can’t force what isn’t right.

“You’ve already broken up, yet you’re going on a dating show together—are you planning to get back together?” Lu Zhenkun interjected.

Qin Fang’s eyes widened. “Seriously? Son?”

Lu Zhou marveled at his parents’ imagination.

“Of course not… We haven’t even been in touch for years. There are no feelings left. I’m just going for some exposure.”

“Besides, she might not even agree to join. Nothing’s certain yet, so don’t worry about it.”

“I’m exhausted. I’m going to bed.”

Feigning a yawn, Lu Zhou grabbed his things and headed upstairs before his parents could say more.

“Kids are harder to control the older they get. Look how much he’s kept from us…”

“Let him figure things out for himself. His wings have hardened.”

“But watching him get hurt over and over, scraping by with nothing to show for it—I can’t bear it. I really regret sending him to study the arts.”

“There’s no medicine for regret in this world. He’ll have to live his own life—we can’t control him forever. All we can do is save as much as we can, so he’ll have something to fall back on.”

…

As he climbed the stairs, Lu Zhou vaguely heard their muted conversation.

Such is the heart of parents everywhere.

Lu Zhou gripped his guitar tightly.