Volume One: A Debut at the Pinnacle Chapter Eighteen: If Others Respect Me an Inch, I Will Return a Yard

In the evening, Chen Jing went to Wang Menglan's house for dinner. After the meal, he accompanied Wang Youxuan to watch tonight's Voice of Huaxia.

“I wonder if there will be any outstanding contestants on tonight’s episode,” Wang Youxuan said excitedly. “Last night’s episode was really entertaining. Besides my brother’s performance, I thought the female contestant before him, Gu Tao, sang beautifully.”

Chen Jing nodded; that was contestant number seven. He’d watched her performance during the live recording and agreed she was excellent.

To his surprise, he saw Li Qingwei, whom he'd met during the preliminary rounds. Li was contestant number sixteen, and his performance was set to air tonight.

Li Qingwei chose rap once again. Chen Jing watched his performance and thought it was impressive—flawless throughout, clearly the result of diligent practice. Li Qingwei’s final score was 672; barring any surprises, he should advance.

“This rapper’s style is quite interesting,” Wang Youxuan remarked after watching Li Qingwei.

“I don’t really care for rap; it feels too noisy,” Wang Menglan commented with a frown.

This was the reality of rap in the music world: the younger generation embraced and enjoyed it, while the older generation found it incomprehensible.

By the time Chen Jing returned to his apartment, it was almost eleven. He took a moment to apply for Weibo verification.

No sooner had he submitted the application than someone followed his account. The ID was “Brother’s Little Fairy”—no need to guess, it was Wang Youxuan. He’d mentioned his Weibo application during their conversation earlier that evening.

Shortly after, another user named “Little Fairy’s Elder Sister” followed him—obviously, that was Menglan.

Chen Jing thought for a moment and posted an announcement about his new song’s release the next evening.

“Tomorrow night, my new song ‘Birch Forest’ will be released. I hope everyone will support it.”

Almost immediately, “Brother’s Little Fairy” commented first: “Haha, I’m the first!”

Chen Jing shook his head helplessly, closed Weibo, and went to bed. He disliked playing around online, finding it all too artificial; he’d hand the account over to Zitan in due course and let her manage it.

The next morning, Chen Jing arrived at the company as usual. He needed to help Ling Ruohan with the arrangement for Aurora, as promised the day before.

Arriving outside Ling Ruohan’s office, he coincidentally ran into Wang Li, who was just leaving. Chen Jing greeted her with a smile, “Good morning, Sister Li.”

Wang Li replied respectfully, “Good morning, Mr. Chen. Ruohan is waiting for you inside. I’ll let her know you’re here.”

After Chen Jing had left yesterday, Wang Li had asked Ling Ruohan why she was so formal with Chen Jing. She didn’t understand music and didn’t think the songs Chen Jing provided were especially remarkable. Ling Ruohan simply stared at her, frowned, and said slowly, “Sister Li, you’ve been with me for three years. You know some people can’t be treated like ordinary folk.” She shook her head, “Just be as genuine as possible with Chen Jing, and avoid any conflicts.”

From then on, Wang Li knew to be more respectful when meeting Chen Jing, even if she didn’t understand Ling Ruohan’s reasoning. She recognized the proper conduct of the workplace.

Chen Jing smiled. “Thanks, Sister Li,” and waited at the door.

Soon, Ling Ruohan emerged, dressed in a sleeveless short dress and Martin boots—slightly sexy and stylish.

“You’re here, Jing,” she greeted him with a smile. “Have you had breakfast?”

“I have.”

“Then let’s go straight to the studio.”

For the rest of the day, Chen Jing stayed with Ling Ruohan, working on the arrangement for Aurora. He knew she wanted to finish quickly and release the album as soon as possible.

Ling Ruohan’s approach puzzled all the studio staff. She handed every detail of the song’s arrangement entirely over to Chen Jing, letting him decide what needed changing and how to revise things. The team started to grow impatient; although they acknowledged Chen Jing’s talent, nobody liked having their work dictated by someone else. Yet Ling Ruohan was adamant, and they dared not object. If the album didn’t perform well, they reasoned, it wouldn’t be their fault.

“OK! That’s it—the arrangement is finished,” Chen Jing said after listening to the completed piece, nodding with satisfaction.

“Thank you so much, Jing. You’ve worked hard all day,” Ling Ruohan said with a smile.

Chen Jing shook his head. “Glad to help, Sister Ruohan. Besides, since it’s my song, I’m more familiar with arranging it.”

Ling Ruohan laughed softly. “Hehe, has anyone ever told you how pleasant your words are?”

Chen Jing shrugged. “Just speaking honestly.”

The next evening, Chen Jing received an unexpected phone call.

“Hello, is this Chen Jing’s number?”

The voice sounded familiar, but Chen Jing couldn’t place it.

“Yes, this is Chen Jing. May I ask who’s calling?”

“Haha, it’s me, Li Qingwei! From the Voice of Huaxia auditions…”

Chen Jing immediately recognized him, though he wondered why Li Qingwei would call—there was little connection between them, except for sharing a meal once. Chen Jing had found Li Qingwei a decent person and hadn’t wanted to leave him in awkward silence.

Chen Jing chuckled. “Qingwei! I thought your voice was familiar. Where are you now? Got time for a late-night snack?”

Regardless of Li Qingwei’s purpose for reaching out, since Chen Jing had once enjoyed his hospitality, it was only right to reciprocate.

Li Qingwei was taken aback, quickly replying, “I do, I do! Where shall we meet?” He’d worried about being refused, but Chen Jing not only remembered him, he invited him out. From that moment, Li Qingwei decided that even if things didn’t work out, he’d never sever contact with Chen Jing.

“The same place as last time.”

“Alright, I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

After meeting up, they picked a street stall and ate their fill. When the meal was over, Chen Jing went straight to the point: “Qingwei, you’re looking for me about the second round of Voice of Huaxia, right?”

Li Qingwei nodded sheepishly—it was indeed about that. The second round required two contestants to pair up for a performance. As an independent artist without a company, Li Qingwei didn’t know whom to ask. Most importantly, among the sixty-four qualifiers, he was the only main rapper; rap was still a niche genre in popular music, and few liked it. He doubted anyone would willingly partner with him.

After much consideration, Li Qingwei thought it better to be proactive than to end up randomly paired with someone at the last minute. He happened to know someone he considered a “big shot”—Chen Jing. Hence, the call.

Chen Jing asked, “The first round of recording is done?”

He hadn’t checked with Lin Xi that afternoon, so he didn’t know the latest.

Li Qingwei nodded. “Yes, we just finished recording this afternoon.” He beamed, “Among the sixty-four qualifiers, you have the highest overall score, Jing.” Then, scratching his head awkwardly, he added, “Uh… I also made it, though I’m ranked last—sixty-fourth. Heh… hehe…”

Chen Jing saw Li Qingwei’s nervousness and shook his head. “Scores don’t mean much at this stage.”

He smiled, “Actually, teaming up with you isn’t a problem. Out of all the contestants, you’re the only one I really know. Better to partner with someone familiar than a stranger.”

“Really?” Li Qingwei’s face lit up with joy.

Chen Jing shook his head. “I said, if possible.”

“Uh…” Li Qingwei’s smile froze.

Chen Jing sighed and explained, “You know I’m already signed to Jingrun Entertainment.”

Li Qingwei nodded bitterly. “Yes.” That was what he admired most about Chen Jing—after both attended the auditions, within ten days, Chen Jing had been signed by a major company.

“So, I can’t just do whatever I want in the competition. Whomever I team up with, it’s subject to the company’s arrangements,” Chen Jing said helplessly. “That’s the trouble with signing to a big company.”

Li Qingwei: “…” If only he could have such troubles.

“Sigh, I didn’t consider that,” Li Qingwei said, a little discouraged. He couldn’t blame Chen Jing.

Seeing Li Qingwei’s disappointed expression, Chen Jing thought for a moment. “I can mention my preference to my agent and see how the company responds.”

Li Qingwei took a breath, waved his hand with a forced smile, and said, “No need, Jing, I really appreciate your willingness, but I know how it works. Big companies arrange things for their artists, so you don’t have to go out of your way for me and risk conflict. Besides, I know my own abilities. I wouldn’t want you to jeopardize your career just to team up with me. Honestly, I’d only drag you down. Don’t worry, I’ll find someone else.”

Looking at Li Qingwei’s strained, faux-casual demeanor, Chen Jing sighed inwardly. He could tell Li Qingwei was genuinely sincere.

Chen Jing shook his head and said firmly, “You shouldn’t underestimate yourself—you’re not as bad as you think.”

Li Qingwei was left speechless.

“Don’t worry, I’ll persuade my company,” Chen Jing said, standing up and extending his hand. “So be ready, my teammate.”

If Li Qingwei hadn’t spoken so honestly, Chen Jing might not have felt compelled to help; after all, their friendship wasn’t deep. But since Li Qingwei cared enough to consider his interests, Chen Jing didn’t mind helping him once.

In life, one should cherish those who think of your well-being.