Volume One: At the Pinnacle from the Start Chapter Forty-Four: Aren’t These the Ones I Left Behind?

The next day, Chen Jing arrived at the company carrying two new songs.

“These are the songs you plan to perform in the fifth round?” Lin Xi took the notebook Chen Jing handed her and opened it, studying it intently.

Upon seeing the first song was a duet, Lin Xi looked at Chen Jing with some surprise. “You intend to sing in Cantonese for the duet?”

Chen Jing nodded. “Yes.”

“Isn’t that a bit risky?” Lin Xi frowned, her tone concerned.

Chen Jing shook his head. “Not at all. As long as the melody is good, Cantonese songs are very appealing—even to listeners who don’t speak the language.”

Lin Xi considered his words, then nodded thoughtfully and moved on to the second notebook.

When Lin Xi finished reading, Chen Jing smiled and asked, “What do you think?”

Lin Xi set the notebook down, her gaze complex. “It seems you’re planning to pull out all the stops this time.” The so-called trump card was, naturally, this song.

Chen Jing shrugged and was about to reply when Lin Zitan entered with Ling Ruohan.

“Ah Jing, I’m here!” Ling Ruohan waved cheerfully to him, then greeted Lin Xi, “Oh, President Lin, you’re here too.”

Lin Xi nodded in response and handed Ling Ruohan one of the notebooks with a smile. “Take a look. Chen Jing prepared this duet for you.”

“Wow! Ah Jing, you’ve already finished? Let me see!” Ling Ruohan took the notebook, excitement shining in her eyes.

“Huh, Ah Jing, you really want us to sing a Cantonese duet?” she asked, her eyes wide.

“Of course! What’s wrong with a Cantonese song?” Chen Jing joked, “Don’t tell me, Ruohan, your Cantonese is so awkward you can’t sing it?”

Ling Ruohan rolled her eyes. “You’re the one whose Cantonese is awkward. I’m a true native of Canton!” She shot Chen Jing a playful glare, then turned her attention to the song, humming the melody softly as she read.

After going through the song, Ling Ruohan’s eyes sparkled. She turned eagerly to Chen Jing. “Ah Jing, let’s hurry to the studio!” She grabbed his arm and practically dragged him out.

Lin Xi watched with amusement as Ling Ruohan pulled Chen Jing along. Glancing at Lin Zitan, she saw the latter was also stifling a laugh, her expression otherwise unreadable.

Suddenly remembering there was something she needed to tell Chen Jing, Lin Xi started to call after him, but he was already out of sight, swept away by Ling Ruohan. Lin Xi shook her head. “Never mind, I’ll tell him when he comes back.”

Once outside the office, Ling Ruohan let go of Chen Jing’s hand, more mindful of propriety in the public space.

The two made their way to the recording studio, where they happened to run into Li Manru, who had just come out of the recording booth.

Seeing Chen Jing, Li Manru narrowed her eyes, then walked straight over. “Well, if it isn’t our company’s musical prodigy,” she said in a mocking tone. “What brings you to the studio instead of writing songs, Master Chen? Got a new track to record?”

Ling Ruohan shot Chen Jing a strange look, genuinely curious how he’d gotten entangled with someone as scheming as Li Manru.

Chen Jing’s face remained impassive. “I’m here to do a test recording.”

Feigning regret, Li Manru replied, “Oh, that’s too bad. I have to record two songs over the next couple of days, and I’ll be using the best studio. If you want to record, you’ll have to use a lesser one. Oh, and by the way, the two songs I’m recording are the ones you gave the company.” She glanced at Chen Jing, her expression smug—so you wouldn’t give me songs directly, but in the end, the company’s picks ended up with me anyway.

Chen Jing only shrugged. “It’s fine, you go ahead. I don’t need the studio right now.” Since the arrangements weren’t finished, he had no intention of recording yet.

Ling Ruohan, meanwhile, had pieced together the situation: Li Manru had apparently resented Chen Jing for not giving her songs, and now she was gloating over her minor victory. That made things easier.

“Oh, so you got the company’s tracks?” Ling Ruohan said lightly. “I’d been wondering who ended up with the songs I passed on. Now I can rest easy.”

Others might fear Li Manru, but Ling Ruohan certainly did not. Among all the female artists in the company, she alone had a real shot at becoming a pop queen. She was the company’s true cash cow, leagues above someone like Li Manru, who relied more on connections than talent.

“Ling Ruohan!” Li Manru started, shocked to realize who had spoken. She’d been so focused on Chen Jing that she hadn’t noticed who was with him.

Ling Ruohan gazed seriously at Li Manru. “Manru, you’d better sing those two songs well. Even though they were the ones I didn’t choose, they’re still written by Chen Jing. If they become hits, you won’t have to thank me.”

Thank you? In your dreams! Li Manru nearly choked on her own indignation. She wanted to retort, “Who cares what you passed over?” but reality wouldn’t allow it. The songs she’d managed to get—thanks to some backdoor maneuvering—were still the best she could find, even if they were Ling Ruohan’s leftovers. She couldn’t afford to give them up just to save face.

Knowing she was no match for Ling Ruohan, Li Manru forced a smile. “I’ll take your good wishes, then. Anyway, I need to use the restroom. Let’s chat another time.” With that, she hurried away.

Watching Li Manru’s hasty retreat, Chen Jing gave Ling Ruohan a thumbs up.

Ling Ruohan stuck out her tongue in triumph, then turned serious. “Watch out for that woman,” she warned. “Her relationships with the higher-ups are complicated. Best to avoid her when you can. There’s nothing more troublesome than a woman with a grudge. No point inviting trouble.”

Chen Jing spread his hands. “Do I look like someone who goes around picking fights?” He wouldn’t seek out trouble, but he wouldn’t be afraid of it, either.

Ling Ruohan teased him, her eyes twinkling. “I know you’re the nicest guy, Ah Jing—always willing to help a girl in need, right?” She added under her breath, “You’ve helped Xue Yue so much she’s nearly ready to throw herself at you in gratitude.”

Chen Jing was at a loss for words.

“Ahem… Anyway,” he said, eager to change the subject, “I’ll work on the arrangement first. You go ahead and start memorizing the lyrics.”

Ling Ruohan let the topic drop. Chen Jing wasn’t her boyfriend, so why bother? Having him as a younger brother was perfectly fine—boyfriends were trouble, unreliable, and unnecessary. A brother would give her songs and albums, and she didn’t have to worry about some other woman luring him away. As an older sister, she’d make sure to vet his future girlfriends. That was only natural, wasn’t it?

After a busy morning arranging music, Chen Jing had lunch and decided to rest in his office. As soon as he opened the door, he heard Lin Zitan’s laughter ringing out from inside.

He walked in to find Lin Zitan holding her stomach, doubled over with laughter on the sofa. Lin Xi was beside her, stifling a giggle. To Chen Jing’s surprise, Li Qingwei was also present, scratching his head sheepishly.

Seeing Chen Jing enter, Li Qingwei stood up. “Hey, boss,” he greeted.

Chen Jing nodded at him, smiling. “What’s so funny?”

“Ah Jing, come here, you have to hear this,” Lin Zitan called, beckoning him over as she struggled to contain her laughter.

Chen Jing came over, curious. “What could be so hilarious?”

Finally managing to compose herself, Lin Zitan pointed at Li Qingwei. “Yesterday, Qingwei went to study music theory with Teacher Yuan. The teacher asked him how much he already knew, and he said he wasn’t sure, so the teacher gave him one of the tests you’d taken before. Want to guess his score?” She couldn’t help but giggle again.

Li Qingwei covered his face, clearly embarrassed. His pride had taken quite a blow.

Chen Jing could already guess the outcome, but played along. “How many points?”

Before Lin Zitan could answer, Li Qingwei spoke up with a wry smile. “Twelve points. I only got two multiple-choice questions and four true-or-false questions right, all by pure luck. The last big question I just wrote nonsense—Teacher Yuan gave me four points for effort.”

Laughter filled the office once more. Even though they’d already heard the story, Lin Xi and Lin Zitan couldn’t help but laugh.

Chen Jing found himself laughing as well.

Li Qingwei sighed. “I used to think I could see the gap between myself and you, boss, but after yesterday, I realized I was too naïve. I don’t even know how big the gap is now.”

Chen Jing smiled, clapping him on the shoulder. “Don’t be discouraged. Now that you know your shortcomings, work hard to overcome them. Falling behind isn’t scary; what’s scary is knowing you’re behind and not trying to catch up.”

Li Qingwei nodded firmly. “I understand, boss. You’re my goal—I’ll work hard to catch up to you.”

Even if I can’t catch up to your footsteps, at least I want to follow the path you’ve walked, to see the world as you’ve seen it.