HDRDTH -Chapter 6 Wasn’t He Supposed to Be Just a Lazy Bum?

The next day, at Jiangcheng’s biggest recording studio — Starlight Recording Studio.

This place was the beating heart of Jiangcheng’s entertainment industry. Countless dreams took flight here, and countless others crashed and burned.

Yu Xian wore the same familiar gray T-shirt, except this time, to show a little “respect,” he had thrown on a leather jacket Su Wanyi had borrowed from the film set.

It was slightly oversized and hung loosely on him, but combined with his perpetually sleep-deprived expression, it somehow gave off the vibe of a washed-up rock legend.

Remember, you’re here to get a fishing rod, not to sell your talent, Yu Xian reminded himself silently.

Su Wanyi had specially dressed up today. Her makeup was light, but her beauty was impossible to hide. Su Qian had also changed into her cleanest little white dress, looking like a delicate porcelain doll.

“Xiao Yu, when we meet Producer Zhang later, you must be polite,” Su Wanyi nervously instructed Su Qian before turning pleading eyes toward Yu Xian. “And you… can you talk less?”

Yu Xian flashed an “OK” sign.

As long as he got the fishing rod, he was willing to pretend to be mute.

They pushed the door open.

Several people were already inside.

Sitting behind the mixing console in the center was a middle-aged man with long hair and sunglasses.

Yang Wei — a famous “gold medal producer” in the industry. Eccentric personality, viciously sharp judgment.

Beside him sat several over-dressed child stars and their parents, all fawning over him.

“Next!” Yang Wei waved impatiently.

A little girl who had just finished auditioning burst into tears and ran out.

“Terrible! What kind of singing was that? Sounded like pigs being slaughtered!” Yang Wei took off his sunglasses and rubbed his forehead. “I want something ethereal! Something full of hope! Not this fake, overacted falsetto nonsense!”

Su Wanyi’s heart sank.

This guy was way too strict.

“Su Wanyi?” Yang Wei noticed the trio at the door and raised an eyebrow. “You brought your kid too? I remember your daughter being pretty shy. She can sing?”

The disdain in his tone was obvious.

After all, Su Wanyi was just a nobody in this circle.

“Hello, Teacher Yang.” Su Wanyi forced herself to step forward. “Qianqian has improved a lot recently, and we also brought an original song for you to hear.”

“Original?” Yang Wei snorted. “Nowadays every random nobody thinks they can write original music. Let me guess — another cheap love song about ‘I love you, you love me’?”

The surrounding parents burst into laughter.

“Su Wanyi, stop embarrassing yourself and go home.”

“Exactly. Teacher Yang’s time is precious.”

Yu Xian leaned lazily against the wall by the door, yawning while scanning the studio.

Where was the fishing rod?

Wasn’t there supposed to be a limited-edition collector’s rod here?

This dump had nothing except electronic junk.

He’d been tricked.

Yu Xian’s eyes narrowed coldly, and he was just about to leave—

“Since you’re already here, sing a few lines.” Yang Wei waved casually. “No need for accompaniment. Thirty seconds. If it’s bad, get out.”

Su Qian nervously clutched her skirt.

She looked at her mother, then at Yu Xian near the door.

Though Yu Xian was busy searching for fishing gear, he still noticed her gaze. Lazily, he nodded and mouthed one word:

“Sing.”

Su Qian took a deep breath.

These were the lyrics Uncle Yu had written on a cigarette pack last night.

Though she had practiced for only one evening, the melody felt carved into her mind.

She closed her eyes and began to sing.

“Every time, I wander alone yet stay strong…”

The noisy recording studio instantly fell silent.

The little girl’s voice was still immature, still trembling slightly, but the purity of her tone paired with those lyrics struck like a beam of light through everyone’s ears.

Yang Wei’s spinning pen stopped dead.

He abruptly looked up and stared at the girl standing before the microphone.

“Every time, even when deeply hurt, I refuse to let tears shine…”

“I know… I’ve always had a pair of invisible wings…”

“Carrying me beyond despair…”

When she reached the chorus, Su Qian seemed to forget her nervousness.

Forget the mocking eyes around her.

She only wanted to sing for that person.

The lazy uncle who had rescued her from terrible cooking.

The man who stood up for her at the parent meeting.

The salted-fish uncle who had written this song for her.

The high notes were bright and soaring. Though slightly flawed, the imperfections only made it more genuine and moving.

The song ended.

Deathly silence filled the studio.

Yang Wei stood there with his mouth hanging open, completely unaware his sunglasses had fallen onto the table.

The parents who had been waiting to laugh at them now stared at one another in shock and jealousy.

This song…

It was unbelievably good.

Was this really sung by that timid little girl?

“This song…” Yang Wei rose trembling to his feet. “Who wrote this?!”

He knew quality when he heard it.

The composition and lyrics of this song were absolutely master-level.

The melody was simple yet unforgettable.

The lyrics were plain yet overflowing with strength.

This was definitely the kind of song that could explode across the entire country.

Su Wanyi’s eyes filled with tears.

She had gambled correctly.

She pointed toward the figure near the door who was quietly trying to slip away.

“He wrote it.”

Yang Wei followed her finger.

That young man in the oversized leather jacket with an impatient expression?

“Master!” Yang Wei rushed over and grabbed Yu Xian. “Please wait!”

Yu Xian was irritated at being stopped.

“What now? No fishing rod, I’m leaving.”

“Fishing rod? What fishing rod?” Yang Wei froze, then suddenly understood. “Oh! Yes! Yes, of course! As long as you’re willing to sell me the copyright to this song, forget a fishing rod — I’ll give you an entire fish pond!”

Yu Xian’s eyes lit up.

“Really?”

“Absolutely!” Yang Wei’s face flushed with excitement. “This song is incredible! A masterpiece! May I ask which record company you work for? Or are you some retired legendary composer?”

Yu Xian curled his lip.

“I’m just a househusband. Wrote it casually to entertain the kid.”

Casually written?

To entertain a kid?

Yang Wei felt personally insulted.

You call this casual?

Then what were the songs they wrote? Garbage?

“Master sure has a sense of humor,” Yang Wei laughed awkwardly. “I’ll offer one hundred thousand yuan for full copyright ownership! How about it?”

One hundred thousand!

In this era, that was an enormous amount of money.

Su Wanyi nearly stopped breathing.

One hundred thousand yuan!

How many eggs could that buy? How many years of tuition?

She was just about to agree on Yu Xian’s behalf when—

“Not selling.”

Yu Xian casually uttered two words.

“Huh?”

Both Yang Wei and Su Wanyi froze.

“Too little? Then two hundred thousand!” Yang Wei gritted his teeth. “That’s already a sky-high rookie price!”

“It’s not about the money.” Yu Xian pulled his hand free and wiped it off in disgust. “The copyright isn’t for sale. This song belongs to the kid. Only she can sing it. If you want, sign her. Treat the copyright as my technical investment.”

Yu Xian had already thought this through last night.

Selling the copyright outright would only be a one-time deal.

Two hundred thousand sounded tempting now, but for a future diva, copyright ownership was the real golden goose.

He might want to laze around, but he wasn’t stupid.

If he had to support a wife and kid while also buying his dream yacht, then long-term profit was the smarter move.

Yang Wei hesitated.

Signing only the singer without buying the copyright meant the bulk of future profits would stay in Yu Xian’s hands.

“Not interested?” Yu Xian turned to leave. “Then I’ll go elsewhere. I’ve got hundreds more songs in my head anyway.”

Hundreds more?!

Yang Wei’s pupils shook violently.

If anyone else had said that, he would’ve spat in their face.

But this man had casually thrown out a nuclear bomb of a song moments ago.

What if it was true?

What if another company signed him first?

“Deal! I’ll sign!” Yang Wei shouted through clenched teeth. “Right here, right now! Any conditions you want!”

Su Wanyi felt like she was dreaming.

Just like that… signed?

And with “any conditions you want”?

She had struggled in the entertainment industry for years, enduring endless humiliation just to land tiny background roles.

Yet Yu Xian only tossed out a single song and a few arrogant lines, and this untouchable gold-medal producer was practically begging to sign him.

Was this what dimensionality reduction felt like?

“As for conditions…” Yu Xian rubbed his chin. “First, the kid is still in school. Her education comes first. All schedules must be approved by me.”

“No problem!”

“Second, we take seventy percent of the profits.”

“…Fine! Seventy percent!” Yang Wei’s heart bled, but for those “hundreds of songs,” he accepted it.

“Third…” Yu Xian pointed at a black rod-shaped object leaning in the corner. “That thing belongs to me now.”

Yang Wei looked over.

It was… the plumbing snake used to unclog drains.

“That’s… a drain auger, Master,” Yang Wei said awkwardly.

“I can tell from its bone structure that it’d make an excellent fishing rod.” Yu Xian nodded seriously. “And don’t forget to send a real fishing rod to my house. If you dare give me some cheap knockoff…”

With that, Yu Xian picked up the plumbing snake and casually swung it twice through the air, producing a sharp whistling sound.

“Nice feel.”

Everyone: “……”

And so, under the witness of a drain auger, a contract capable of reshaping the entire Chinese music industry was signed.

When they walked out of the studio, Su Wanyi still floated in a daze while clutching the scorching-hot S-class contract.

“Yu Xian…”

“Shut up.” Yu Xian waved the drain auger around. “Don’t idolize me. I’m just a legend. Right now, I’m going home to modify my fishing rod.”

Watching his back, the complexity in Su Wanyi’s eyes slowly turned into determination.

No matter who he was.

No matter what he planned to do.

This man—

She was sticking to him for life.

Ring ring ring—

Su Wanyi’s phone suddenly rang.

It was the assistant director who had stolen her role before.

“Hello? Wanyi, about that role from before…”

“I’m not taking that role anymore,” Su Wanyi interrupted coldly while staring at the carefree figure ahead of her. Confidence overflowed from her voice. “I’m now the manager of Starlight Records’ signed artist, Su Qian. Don’t bother me with extra roles like that again.”

She hung up.

Taking a deep breath, she suddenly felt the air itself had become sweeter.

So this was what it felt like to bully others with power behind you.

It felt amazing.

The group returned home.

Just as Su Wanyi prepared to count the advance payment they’d received—

She suddenly let out a scream.

“Xiao Yu, what are you doing?!”