Chapter 39 Love Letter: I Want to See You.

"What's going on?" Xu Yue stared at his phone, his face filled with disbelief. "How come sales are suddenly so high?"

Chen Jingchi didn't seem to realize whether everyone's series of reactions were real or an act until Xu Yue handed him the phone and he saw the numbers on the album sales page. Only then did he finally believe that he wasn't hallucinating from drinking too much.

"The fans have really stepped up their game?" Zhuo Wencheng was so startled that he sobered up considerably. He immediately denied it, "That shouldn't be the case. Where would fans get so much money?"

"Damn!" Zhan Li rubbed his eyes. "Am I so drunk that I'm daydreaming?"

"Wake up! It's already evening!" Tan Bei patted his head.

Zhou Yu clicked on the top trending topic, and the first popular Weibo post that popped up was actually about a highly respected national-level actor in the entertainment industry.

Even someone like Zhou Yu, who doesn't know many celebrities, watched his TV shows when he was a child.

@Chang Lai: My daughter played this song for me today, and I was very moved. My mother suffered physically and mentally from this illness in her later years. I hope everyone will support this young singer.

[Web link][To my dearest you]

The second trending Weibo post came from a professional music critic.

@ZhuTan: Chen Jingchi's biggest mistake was not choosing "To My Dear You" as the title track of his second album!

This song is severely underrated. Even Chen Jingchi himself might feel that family affection can only play a supporting role, not the main one. If I hadn't specifically pointed this out, many people might not know that this is a song about Alzheimer's disease, highlighting the current life difficulties of many elderly people. They could be your grandparents, parents, or anyone else. After losing those precious memories, they have become the loneliest individuals in the world.

We were all children who were pampered by our elders as we grew up. When they get old and sick, can we unconditionally return that love that we took for granted to them?

Both of these Weibo posts received over 50,000 comments and reposts. When Zhou Yu opened the comment section, he didn't see the expected comments controlled by Chen Jingchi's fans. Instead, all the comments were genuine feedback from netizens who had listened to the songs.

I couldn't agree more! When I first saw the poster for "Migratory Birds," I thought it was an album about youth, but I didn't expect it to contain such a great song. It's such a shame it's not being promoted!

[I can relate to Chen Jingchi; he should write more about emotions. His talent for language is truly top-notch.]

[Hopefully this song will draw more attention to this disease. It's quite disheartening that even children are using the term "Alzheimer's" to insult others.]

I bought the album entirely for this song. To be honest, this song should really be sold separately; it's on a completely different level from the other songs.

[As a casual fan, I initially thought this was definitely the end for them, but I never expected them to make a comeback. Chen Jingchi is truly born to be a top star.]

This is the first time I've seen an album where the fans' purchasing power is weak and it's entirely reliant on casual buyers. It's eye-opening.

[Who dares to mock Chen Jingchi anymore! Sales were only 70,000 at 6 PM, but jumped 300,000 in an hour, and broke one million by 8 PM! Haters, speak up!]

Zhou Yu forwarded these two Weibo posts to the group, and at the same time, Tan Bei also forwarded a short video.

"Look, this video was posted at 6 o'clock and it already has 1.5 million likes. It's terrifying."

The video is a short two-minute record of a girl documenting her mother's life over the years since she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

Sometimes the elderly woman would smile foolishly at the camera, and other times she would become irritable and throw tantrums, smashing things. She would get lost as soon as she went out, requiring the whole family to find her, causing everyone to worry about her. No matter how many times she was asked, she would remember the wrong name of her daughter and couldn't remember anything else. Later, in order to create the illusion that her mother still remembered her, the girl changed her real name "Xiaonan" on her household registration book to "Xiaoli," which she always kept repeating.

At the end of the video, she smiled and said, "My name was given to me by my mother. If she wants to change it, I'll let her."

It's just a name, but it has become an obsession that two generations can't let go of.

Without any fancy editing techniques, the simplest and most unadorned visual language, paired with Chen Jingchi's song "To My Dear You," deeply moved countless netizens in front of their screens.

After Tan Bei finished playing the video, everyone fell into a long silence.

But that's not all. Behind the scenes, countless others spontaneously recommended and promoted the song. It was this collective effort that led to the phenomenal success of "Migratory Birds."

Du Heng's voice call was disconnected at some point. Chen Jingchi's gaze swept over the people at the table, his voice trembling slightly: "Thank you so much."

Like everyone else, he anxiously awaited midnight. But as time ticked by and the numbers slowly rose, he had to accept, though unwilling to admit it, that his results had not met expectations. Compared to other singers on the digital album charts, he was utterly insignificant.

It only climbed to fifth place on the daily best-selling chart after two hours of release, and that's despite the fact that no well-known singers have released albums recently.

Chen Jingchi once again realized that he was too arrogant and conceited, always thinking that his works would be favored by thousands.

Reality gave him a resounding slap in the face.

Du Heng comforted him with encouraging words, telling him not to worry about one result and that things would definitely get better in the future. When they met the boss, Lin Xiao didn't criticize him at all, only telling him to keep up the good work, without mentioning the promise he had made earlier.

The more lenient they were, the more Chen Jingchi blamed himself. He hated himself for not compromising with the market, for being overconfident and incompetent, and for having so many people working alongside him for three months only to end up with this result.

How could I not care? I just didn't want to lose face in front of my friends.

He remembered what Zhou Yu had told him. At that time, his mind was in turmoil. Only after seeing the results did he want to tell her that he also wanted to be himself and be free from constraints. However, he felt powerless to do so. He carried too many burdens, and many things were not within his control.

Only now, after reading so many comments from netizens, does he finally understand that the key point was not with him at all, but with Zhou Yu.

It was Zhou Yu's words that saved him, and it was Zhou Yu's poem that saved him once again.

At that moment, a dangerous thought was screaming wildly in his mind: he wanted to get close to her, to touch her, to possess her.

He used all his strength to barely control himself.

"Migratory Birds" topped the daily and weekly best-selling album charts on Lingting Music, and major music marketing accounts on Weibo issued good news. Du Heng sent him a voice message, asking him to quickly forward the Weibo posts of several celebrities who recommended his new song, especially Chang Lai.

Chen Jingchi forwarded and thanked them one by one. Seeing the top trending topics, he felt a sense of unreality, as if he were living in a dream.

This was a scene he wouldn't have dared to imagine just a few minutes ago.

"What do you mean by defying fate!" Zhuo Wencheng filled Chen Jingchi's glass to the brim. "My brother Chi has never lost! Come on, keep drinking!"

"Finally, I feel great!" Zhan Li raised his voice. "At first, I was worried that you might do something rash, but it was all unnecessary. I was destined to be a star!"

Chen Jingchi downed the wine in his glass in one gulp, feeling both refreshed and satisfied.

By the end, Zhuo Wencheng and Zhan Li were completely unconscious. Zhou Yu and Tan Bei, who hadn't drunk any alcohol, were responsible for cleaning up the table. After tidying it up, they were unsure what to do with the few drunkards sleeping on the table.

“Anyway, it’s hot now, so sleeping on the sofa should be fine,” Tan Bei suggested. “Two of us can sleep on the sofa, and Xu Yue and Chen Jingchi can sleep in the bedroom.”

Zhou Yu nodded, and the two of them together carried Zhuo Wencheng and Zhan Li to the sofa. The two big boys were heavy, and they were exhausted.

Although the weather warms up in May, it's still easy to catch a cold if you don't cover yourself with anything at night. Tan Bei said to her, "Ask if there's a blanket you can use."

Seeing that she winked at her, clearly indicating that she should go and get it, Tan Bei didn't feel comfortable going into Chen Jingchi's room.

The remaining two weren't quite ready to fall asleep immediately, so Tan Bei shook Xu Yue awake and called out, "Go sleep in the bedroom!"

Xu Yue stood up unsteadily and, feeling his way along the wall, went into the bedroom first.

Zhou Yu patted Chen Jingchi on the shoulder, bent down and asked, "Can you still stand up?"

Chen Jingchi hadn't drunk as much as the other three at first, and wasn't completely drunk. He stood up from his chair, his steps slightly unsteady, barely able to stand.

Zhou Yu followed beside him: "Do you have any blankets to cover them up with?"

Chen Jingchi was so focused on walking that he kept his head down and didn't say a word. Zhou Yu suspected that he hadn't heard her at all. She followed him into the bedroom, turned on the light, and found that Xu Yueren wasn't in bed. He had fallen asleep on the carpet.

Zhou Yu felt a little amused and went over to help him up, but before she could squat down, Chen Jingchi suddenly blocked her way, like an impenetrable wall.

Those drunken eyes stared at her intently, filled with emotions Zhou Yu couldn't decipher, making her feel uneasy when she looked into them.

She involuntarily took a small step back and asked again, "Where is a blanket?"

He finally reacted, speaking in a low voice: "On top of the cabinet."

"Could you get it for me?" Zhou Yu said, waited for a while, and when he didn't move, she had no choice but to say, "Then I'll find it myself."

She turned around to open the wardrobe when the person behind her suddenly hugged her, pulling her into a tight embrace. The arms across her waist lost their strength and held her so tightly that Zhou Yu could hardly breathe.

Before she could recover from her panic, she reached out to hold onto the cabinet door. The next moment, Chen Jingchi's large hand covered hers, his fingers forcefully squeezing between hers, inseparable.

Zhou Yu heard her own heartbeat pounding erratically, like a handful of glass beads scattered on the ground—rapid, intense, and erratic. She smelled the strong odor of alcohol on Chen Jingchi. He lowered his head and pressed it close to her neck, his hot breath brushing against her most sensitive spot. The excessive intimacy made her feel numb all over, and her mind went blank.

She tried to call out to him, but found herself unable to make a sound. Zhou Yu opened her mouth and breathed heavily, feeling his hot lips press against her skin. It was as if tiny, tingling electric currents were coursing through her body. Her eyes widened, unable to believe what he was doing.

She wanted to hide, but was held captive in his arms and unable to move.

Every inch of her body that touched him felt like it was burning. Zhou Yu grabbed his hand that was around her waist and said with difficulty, "Chen Jingchi, it's too tight."

Several seconds later, he belatedly loosened his grip. But the domineering kisses continued to land on her neck. She tilted her head back, and he followed, moving his kisses upwards until Zhou Yu could no longer avoid them. Afraid he would do something even more outrageous, she pleaded in a trembling voice, "Stop kissing me..."

Chen Jingchi paused for a few seconds, his voice unusually hoarse: "Where are you not allowed to kiss?"

"I won't let you anywhere," Zhou Yu said, almost in a whisper. "If you kiss me again, I definitely won't talk to you tomorrow."

These words had an effect; Chen Jingchi immediately stopped what he was doing, withdrew his lips, and said in a low, deep voice, "Don't ignore me."

Seeing that it was working, Zhou Yu quickly said, "I'll listen to you, but let me go first, it's so hot."

You can't reason with a drunkard, so you might as well try to trick him with whatever words you can.

Chen Jingchi slowly released her and stood very close behind her. With the oppressive feeling behind her gone, Zhou Yu hurriedly opened the wardrobe, took out the blanket, and turned to run towards the door. But after taking a few steps, she turned back and saw him still standing there, his gaze following her. She softened again.

Zhou Yu didn't dare to go forward. Standing by the door, she said to him, "I'm leaving now. I left the clothes I borrowed from you on the sofa. Get some rest."

After saying that, she dared not look at the expression on his face any longer and closed the door for him.

My heartbeat didn't calm down for a long time.

When Tan Bei saw her finally come out of the bedroom, she took the blanket from her hand and covered the two of them with it, asking curiously, "Why are you blushing so much?"

Zhou Yu muttered unhappily, "Chen Jingchi is drunk and acting like a hooligan."

I don't know who he mistook her for, but he hugged and kissed her like that.

What do you mean, "Don't ignore me"?

She will absolutely ignore him tomorrow!

Tan Bei noticed something unusual in her expression and asked with a mischievous smile, "He kissed you?"

Zhou Yu didn't say anything, picked up her bag, and was about to leave. Tan Bei quickly followed, taking her hand: "Baby, don't be angry. I was just asking out of curiosity. I'll take it back. Just pretend you didn't hear me!"

Zhou Yu then reluctantly explained to her, "Drunk people don't think rationally."

Tan Bei quickly chimed in, "That's right, but they're happy today, it's a rare occasion for them to have a drink."

Zhou Yu didn't blame them for drinking. She just thought about how Chen Jingchi had treated her in the room. She was scared, but afterwards, she started to wonder how Chen Jingchi would have reacted if he had done that to her when he wasn't drunk.

She felt hopeless.

*

Back in the dorm, Fan Xin was overjoyed to see her: "Zhou Zhou, have you checked Weibo?"

"I saw it." Zhou Yu had been thinking about Chen Jingchi the whole way. Finally calming down, she asked, "How many copies have been sold so far?"

"It's still rising, it's already over 1.3 million." Fan Xin exclaimed, "I told you this afternoon that the results were just so-so, but I was proven wrong tonight. This sales volume is terrifying. I feel like it can reach 3 million in a week."

An Kejia came out of the restroom and said upon hearing this, "Our department now calls him a legend. We plan to pray to him before doing anything in the future. His luck is unparalleled."

Zhou Yu just smiled and didn't reply.

Before going to bed, Zhou Yu scrolled through Weibo. Several hours had passed, and the topic of Chen Jingchi remained firmly at the top of the trending list. Seeing this, she was happier for him than anyone else. With this achievement, perhaps Chen Jingchi's future would be even brighter.

She usually sleeps well, but tonight she's having trouble sleeping. When she closes her eyes, the image of Chen Jingchi hugging her from behind keeps popping into her mind without warning; it's as if the warmth of his kiss still lingers on her skin, impossible to shake off.

Although she never intended to have a relationship with him beyond friendship, and could verbally deny it, her reaction to his physical contact was genuine and undeniable.

Just like she couldn't control herself from blushing.

The next morning, Zhou Yu woke up at nine o'clock. An Kejia had no plans for the day and was watching TV series in the dormitory.

She came out of the bathroom and reminded her, "Zhouzhou, your phone just rang a little while ago."

Zhou wanted to go over and take a look.

Chen: [Voice call][No answer]

Fan Xin liked to wander around while brushing her teeth. She walked over to Zhou Yu and asked vaguely, "Who is it?"

Zhou Yu also gave a vague answer: "Harassing phone calls."

"Making harassing phone calls so early in the morning, how dedicated!" Fan Xin muttered.

Just as Zhou was about to agree, a voice call popped up on the screen.

Fan Xin looked at the nickname and thought, "Could this be Chen Jingchi?"

An Kejia interjected, "What's the matter so early in the morning?"

Zhou Yu never held grudges overnight; he would adjust his mindset after a good night's sleep. Looking at Chen Jingchi's profile picture, he struggled internally for a moment before answering the call.

She had already promised not to ignore him, and she couldn't go back on her word. She wouldn't stoop to the level of a drunkard.

After the call connected, Chen Jingchi didn't speak, and Zhou Yu didn't say anything either. The two remained silent for a few seconds before Chen Jingchi's voice finally came through: "Sorry, I was drunk last night."

Zhou Yu's tone was somewhat awkward: "I know, so I've already forgiven you."

The less punishment there is, the easier it is to let dark thoughts grow. Even though he was sober, he was still immersed in the crazy emotions of last night and couldn't get out of it.

A few more seconds of silence followed.

"Thank you for being with me," he said.

He thanked everyone last night, and today he thanked her separately. Zhou Yu admitted that he was pathetic; a single sentence from her was enough to make her completely heal herself.

"You're welcome," she said softly. "Chen Jingchi, you deserve all of this."

She always managed to achieve great results with minimal effort, and Chen Jingchi's emotions were completely soothed by her words.

"I regret it," he suddenly said.

Zhou Yu didn't understand: "Regret what?"

"Why are you so obedient? You didn't hold me for long."

Zhou Yu felt her face burning instantly. She didn't know how to scold him for being shameless. He had called to apologize, but now he was showing his true colors.

She immediately hung up the call, not giving him a chance to continue.

A new message popped up on the chat page, with Chen Jingchi sending a shy little yellow face with blushing cheeks.

The intention was too obvious, and Zhou Yu was so angry that he retorted with a zipper-zipping expression.

I want to sew his mouth shut.

Zhuo Wencheng sent a message in the group chat of six people, saying that he had blacked out from drinking.

Zhuo Wencheng: [I thought the album being a hit was a dream, but when I saw the sales figures, holy crap, this isn't a dream! I was so happy!]

Tan Bei: [I'm so envious that you can be happy twice!]

Zhan Li: [How late did we drink yesterday?]

Zhou Yu: [9:30]

Xu Yue: [Why am I sleeping on the floor?]

The thought of Xu Yue lying on the carpet, followed by the images that followed, flooded Zhou Yu's mind. She dared not think about it anymore and quickly exited the chat page.

In the following days, "Migratory Birds" kept breaking sales records, ranking first on Lingting Music's annual digital album chart, and also bringing the three songs from his debut album to the popularity chart, attracting more and more new listeners.

At the same time, Chen Jingchi's Weibo followers also surged, increasing by nearly four million in just a few days, successfully surpassing ten million.

The fact that almost all of the new fans came from casual listeners means that the song "To My Dear You" has brought Chen Jingchi a huge influx of new fans, reversing his previous image as a rebellious teenager and propelling him to unprecedented heights.

A new trending topic even appeared on Weibo: #SongQianConcertTicketPriceIncrease#.

Upon clicking in, I learned that after Song Qian announced that Chen Jingchi was a special guest at the concert, scalpers immediately raised prices, with an inner-circle ticket going for over 20,000 yuan. This shows just how popular Chen Jingchi has become during this period.

On Friday night, Chen Jingchi performed three new songs at Song Qian's solo concert: "To My Dear You," "Migratory Birds," and "Midnight Call."

During the performance, an even more shocking piece of news appeared online.

Zhou Yu was watching the official live stream of Song Qian's concert when Zhuo Wencheng sent a long string of exclamation marks in the group chat of six.

Zhuo Wencheng: [Go check out this news!]

Zhuo Wencheng: [Link] [The complete list of nominees for the Golden Melody Awards has been announced!]

He wouldn't have posted this news in the group without a reason. Zhou Yuguang had a vague premonition as soon as she saw the headline. She clicked on the link and sure enough, Chen Jingchi's name appeared under the list of nominees for Best Newcomer.

Chen Jingchi / Vulgar Monster

The Golden Melody Awards are the most authoritative and prestigious music awards in China, and the highest honor that countless musicians dream of.

And today, less than a year after Chen Jingchi's debut, he appears on the nomination list. Even a nomination is a testament to his influence.

She stared blankly at his name, her mind unable to process any information. The series of good news was so unexpected that she dared not believe it was true.

Zhou Yu wondered if this nomination was related to the huge success of "To My Dear You." As she scrolled down the list, messages kept popping up in the group chat.

Zhan Li: [Holy crap!!! That's awesome!!!]

Xu Yue: [I can't take it anymore, I want to go downstairs and run a couple of laps]

Tan Bei: [Tears welling up, this is so wonderful 5555]

Zhuo Wencheng: [My hands are still shaking.]

Zhuo Wencheng: [He's still singing. Could someone from the audience tell him about this?]

Zhou Yu even felt a little regretful. He really should have asked Chen Jingchi for a ticket to go to the concert today and hear him sing. That way, he could have told him the good news as soon as possible.

Within a short time, the news of Chen Jingchi's nomination for the Golden Melody Awards became a trending topic, with Weibo users celebrating, while he himself was completely unaware of it.

She kept a close eye on the concert livestream, and after Chen Jingchi finished singing his last song and left the stage, she sent him the news link privately, hoping he would see it soon.

After waiting for almost ten minutes, his phone rang, and he finally replied.

Chen: [I saw it]

She immediately made a voice call to Chen Jingchi.

Never before have I longed to hear his voice so much as I have at this moment.

After answering the call, Zhou Yu quickly said, "Congratulations, Chen Jingchi."

Amidst the cacophony of voices across the room, his voice was barely audible: "Zhou Yu, this award belongs to us."

"Mm," Zhou Yu responded, mostly happy for him. "So you'll be able to attend the awards ceremony?"

“More than anything else,” he said softly, “I want to see you now.”

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Author's Note: Thank you to reader "keyee" for the +5 nutrient solution donation.