Chapter 2: Didn't I Tell You He Was No Good?

"Her figure is decent, and her face is attractive. Although her singing skills are average, she could take the route of relying on her looks." The woman didn’t even lift her eyes. "You decide." From the moment Xu Xiaoqian began to speak on stage, she had already made her judgment. There are plenty of beautiful people in the entertainment industry. And these greasy men beside her, when choosing newcomers, often don’t care about talent, but rather—well, all adults understand what that really means.

She truly didn’t want to comment, much less get involved. "How many more?" The woman was already somewhat impatient, her fingers tapping lightly on her phone, as if she had another appointment. "Miss, this is already the last name on the program list." The man with glasses wiped the sweat from his forehead. The young lady’s standards for evaluating newcomers were so high—would today be another fruitless day? He had followed the woman back and forth to major music colleges, yet not a single newcomer had caught her eye!

No wonder she was called the ‘demoness of the music world.’ Her eye for talent was vicious and picky!

Sure enough, the woman grabbed her bag and prepared to leave. The man with glasses wiped his sweat, glanced back at the stage with disappointment, and was about to follow her out—

But at that moment, the host’s voice rang out from the stage. "Distinguished guests, esteemed leaders, and students! We apologize, but the program has a last-minute addition. One of our colleagues wishes to dedicate a song to his former girlfriend!"

It was rare for the program list to be changed on the spot, especially for such a reason—a song for the ex-girlfriend. How novel.

The woman paused, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. What a unique reason to add to the program. An original song for an ex…? She pondered for a few seconds, then sat back down. After all, the time for one song wouldn’t disrupt her schedule.

...

On stage.

The spotlight shone, the curtain drew open. Lin Yu, handsome and dressed in casual clothes, walked slowly to the center.

"Who’s that?"
"Never seen him before..."
"Wearing such casual clothes to graduation—he must be here to mess around."
"Hilarious, is this guy even worth adding to the program?"
"A song for his ex-girlfriend? That takes guts!"
...

The audience murmured. Lin Yu had spent four years of university, aside from class time, almost entirely working part-time and running errands for Xu Xiaoqian. So when he took the stage, most of his classmates didn’t recognize him.

Not far behind.

Xu Xiaoqian finished her performance and stepped off the stage. Her friend Lin Xiaoxiao eagerly brought her a jacket and draped it over her shoulders. "Xiaoqian, your performance was amazing! Do you know how many men were captivated by you? Especially your Wu, his eyes were glued to you! This time, you might just rise straight to the top."

"Heh." Xu Xiaoqian had certainly noticed the situation in the audience. The managers from the agency, their gazes hungry and predatory, seemed eager to rush up and devour her. When she stepped off, Xu Xiaoqian deliberately pulled down her right strap, exposing a swath of snowy skin, then hurriedly pulled it back up in feigned panic. As she raised her hand, she tucked her hair behind her ear, finally throwing a flirtatious glance at the passing old men.

Her seductive manner drew their full attention, making them swallow hard. Such forward women were rare among students. Several old men whispered to each other, already instructing their assistants to arrange a high price for Xu Xiaoqian tonight.

The entertainment industry is deep water; finding artists is even deeper. College students who haven’t yet entered society, who haven't been sampled by many, are the most precious delicacies to them.

"Wu promised you, as long as you succeeded in your graduation performance, he’d give you lots of resources. Xiaoqian, you must remember to help me out then." Lin Xiaoxiao withdrew her gaze from the old men. She lacked both Xu Xiaoqian’s skill and her charm. Her own performance had little effect, but Xu Xiaoqian’s success could be her chance to turn things around.

After all, so many old men—Xu Xiaoqian couldn’t handle them all in one night. Lin Xiaoxiao’s eyes shifted and she had an idea. "I’m not really into the entertainment world. I just like old men. Old men are the best—they have pensions."

Xu Xiaoqian, floating on praise, was darkened by her friend’s last remark. But quickly, as Wu Zhen turned around in front, she adjusted her mood, pulled her clothes lower to reveal her fair skin, and threw him a coquettish wink.

Wu Zhen stared at her chest for a while, then gave a lascivious smile. Raising his phone, he signaled her to look.

[Good performance. Tonight at eight, same place. Let brother spoil you.]
[Our internal price has reached eighty thousand; I’m currently the highest. Xiaoqian, I’m still reminiscing about your wild side last night, so tonight you must perform just as well!]

The ambiguous texts flashed before her eyes. Xu Xiaoqian lifted her right foot, lingering deliberately. Her already short skirt contracted, revealing between her pale thighs...

The old men were stunned.

So uninhibited? The chips in their minds for evaluating Xu Xiaoqian instantly increased several times over.

Having finished, Xu Xiaoqian slowly lowered her leg. Then she quickly scanned her surroundings.

"Where’s Lin Yu?"

Looking around for her boyfriend, who should have been waiting backstage, Xu Xiaoqian felt uneasy. She wouldn’t be going home tonight and needed a good excuse to brush Lin Yu off.

Otherwise, her ATM might run away.

"He was just here." Lin Xiaoxiao was puzzled too, glancing around. But Lin Yu was nowhere in the crowd.

As the two wondered, suddenly—

On stage, Song Yang called out loudly, "Let’s welcome Lin Yu from the Arts Class!"

Lin Yu?

Both women looked up at once. Seeing Lin Yu on stage, they frowned.

He’d already given his only song to her; what was he going to sing now? And what did ‘dedicated to his ex-girlfriend’ mean?

"I always said Lin Yu wasn’t a good person. Doing so many part-time jobs, he must have made a lot, but when you wanted a hundred-thousand LV bag, he was reluctant to buy it for you. When giving it, he claimed he’d saved for months—ugh! He must be keeping a second woman outside, playing the tragic lover in front of you."
"A song for his ex-girlfriend? Ha! Scumbag!"

Xu Xiaoqian nodded vigorously, fully agreeing with her friend. After four years together, she knew Lin Yu well. During college, he was her ATM and puppy, terrified she’d break up with him and never daring to reveal their relationship against her wishes.

This so-called song for his ex-girlfriend must be for another woman.

"When he comes down, you must demand compensation. Otherwise, weren’t these four years a loss for you?"

A loss? What loss? Lin Yu hadn’t even held Xu Xiaoqian’s hand in four years. But he had money, and she could use this as an excuse to ditch the loser.

Xu Xiaoqian certainly wouldn’t refuse her friend’s suggestion.

The woman sat just ahead of Xu Xiaoqian. Hearing her conversation with her friend, she frowned, then turned to look at the stage.

She suddenly felt curious. What kind of man could be described as a 'scumbag' by such a woman?

When she saw Lin Yu on stage, her expression paused. She sized up this student who’d been added to the program at the last minute.

His looks were decent, comparable to many current handsome artists, but his attire was old-fashioned, clearly bargain-bin clothes.

Her first impression was that he wasn’t particularly eye-catching.

But he’d come on stage at the last minute, and was about to sing a song for his ex-girlfriend.

The reason for his appearance was, at least, interesting.