Chapter 38 Love Letters: Chen Jingchi Falls from Grace
Time passed by minute by second in silence.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhou Yu finally heard Chen Jingchi answer her in a slightly hoarse voice: "I understand."
He raised his left hand and hugged her waist in response.
Zhou Yu felt as if he had just woken up from a dream, only then realizing how intimate their actions had been.
She looked down at the head resting against her chest, belatedly realizing how awkward the position was, and quickly let go, taking a step back.
When the soft touch disappeared, Chen Jingchi was momentarily lost in thought. He looked up and saw the person who had just been so bold as to hug him, now finally back in the familiar state he knew.
It was as if she had been mistaken just now.
Zhou Yu lowered her gaze and sat down next to him again. She didn't know if he had really listened to what she said or if he was just responding politely.
These were Zhou Yu's heartfelt words; she didn't use any linguistic techniques, every word came from the bottom of her heart. Looking back now, she was amazed at the boundless potential of human beings, that she could actually speak such a long passage without pausing for breath.
Inevitably, she thought of how her emotions had been so intense that she had hugged him. Only then did Zhou Yu realize how embarrassed she was and how she didn't know how to start the conversation.
Chen Jingchi's voice came from beside me: "Now you know how to be shy?"
Zhou Yu tilted her head slightly to look at him, her face burning with embarrassment. She demanded, "Don't look at me."
Noticing that his gaze hadn't left her, Zhou Yu felt both embarrassed and annoyed. She raised her hand to cover his eyes, but when she saw the faint smile in his eyes, her heart pounded wildly.
"I won't laugh at you," Chen Jingchi added, taking her hand away. This time, their fingers had only touched for a few seconds before she withdrew her hand on her own.
Seeing that she turned her head away from him, Chen Jingchi's eyes softened, and he said softly, "Thank you."
Zhou Yu's tense shoulders relaxed a little. She was quickly coaxed, and even though the blush on her cheeks hadn't faded, she took the initiative to ask, "Are you hungry?"
"I'm hungry." He feigned innocence. "What should I do?"
"Who told you not to eat lunch?" Zhou Yu complained under his breath. "I'm going to find Brother Du Heng."
Just as she was about to get up, Chen Jingchi grabbed her wrist, stopping her: "Don't go yet."
Zhou looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"Your face is still red." Chen Jingchi's smile was faint. "He might misunderstand and think I did something to you."
She was the one who did something to him. Zhou Yu was speechless, shaking her wrist which he was holding, her tone stiff: "Don't touch me."
"Then why did you take my hand before?"
Hearing him speak so naturally, Zhou Yu felt that her good intentions had backfired and she said angrily, "I apologize to you. I'm sorry."
"That's not what I meant." Chen Jingchi finally let go of her hand and said softly, "Don't be angry, I'll listen to you."
"Obedience" is a word that goes completely against Chen Jingchi's own opinion, but when he said it, Zhou Yu didn't find it strange at all. On the contrary, it softened her heart.
This means that her words carry weight in his heart, that she is valued and favored.
The more she stayed with him, the less calm she became. She remained silent and didn't respond. After a minute or two, she got up and left the dance studio.
Du Heng was on the phone in the hallway when he saw her come out. He quickly hung up and went up to her, asking, "How did it go?"
"Okay," Zhou Yu said, "Is there anything to eat? He said he's hungry."
Du Heng's eyes lit up with surprise: "You really managed to coax him? It has to be you."
He quickly contacted his assistant to bring food over, and then went downstairs to call the doctor, asking if she could go home a little later today.
Zhou Yu nodded: "Okay."
She didn't plan to leave right now.
Back in the dance studio with the doctor, Chen Jingchi had returned to his usual self, listening calmly to Du Heng speak.
"Don't practice for the next few days, just focus on recovering. The MV will be edited soon after filming. I'll show you a few cover designs later." Du Heng was always worried. "We also have to shoot promotional photos in a few days, so take advantage of this rest to rejuvenate. You've been staying up late lately, and you've got dark circles under your eyes."
Chen Jingchi agreed to all of them without objection.
Seeing how obedient he had become, Du Heng became even more curious. So many people had tried to persuade him, but to no avail. What kind of medicine had Zhou Yu given him to make him so docile?
The injured ankle needed to be iced regularly, and the doctor didn't dare leave for a moment. After giving his instructions, Du Heng went upstairs to get the album cover sample. Zhou Yu sat next to Chen Jingchi and listened to the album on his phone to test the sound.
Thinking of the sample images Du Heng mentioned, Zhou Yu asked him, "Is this album a paid release?"
"Yeah, we want to boost sales." After explaining, Chen Jingchi suddenly asked, "Can we use your handwriting for the lyrics on the album's lyric page and the music video?"
Zhou paused the playback and asked, "The words I wrote?"
Chen Jingchi nodded: "If we can display it on a large screen later, the effect will be very beautiful."
Zhou Yu immediately agreed: "Where should I write it?"
Chen Jingchi asked his assistant to bring over the tablet, opened the drawing software, and asked her to write on the white canvas. It was Zhou Yu's first time using a tablet to write. After getting used to it for a while, she opened the lyrics file on her phone and began to copy them.
After copying down all six song lyrics, Zhou Yu clicked save. Just as he was about to exit, the person next to him said, "Write your name."
After Zhou Yu finished writing the four characters, Chen Jingchi laughed and said, "Write Zhou Yu."
She awkwardly wrote her name down, and a hand took the pen from hers and wrote his name next to hers.
His bold and unrestrained handwriting is just like him. Zhou Yu had seen his sloppy signature when he was endorsing advertisements, and compared to that, his current handwriting is quite serious, at least the strokes are legible.
Zhou Yu wanted the file, but since it wasn't on her tablet, she was too embarrassed to ask someone else to send it to her. She secretly thought that she would buy a copy when the album was released.
As darkness fell, Du Heng brought over packed dinner, intending to take Zhou Yu back to school after she finished eating.
Chen Jingchi didn't eat much that night. Before leaving, Zhou Yu looked at him with some hesitation and said in a voice only he could hear, "I'll come see you again tomorrow."
Chen Jingchi smiled and said, "I won't be here tomorrow."
Before Zhou Yu could react, he added, "I'm at home."
"Then forget it." She immediately rejected any potential conversation, and despite Chen Jingchi's smile, turned and left the company with Du Heng.
After dropping her off at the school gate, Du Heng turned around and said to her, "Thank you so much for today."
"You're welcome." Zhou Yu shook his head and said, "If he's still emotionally unstable, just call me."
Du Heng swallowed the question he wanted to ask and smiled, "It seems there are no problems now. It's easy to get anxious at the last minute. Xiao Chen cares a lot about the results this time. If they don't meet expectations, I'm afraid you'll have to talk to him."
"I will," Zhou Yu replied.
*
Three days later, Du Heng sent Zhou Yu several videos of Chen Jingchi dancing.
Du Heng: [We've finally finished filming. The whole team stayed up all night yesterday.]
Zhou Yu looked at the message he sent, and after thinking for a long time, finally used the simplest sentence: 【Thank you for your hard work】
Post-production is nearing completion, and that evening, Chen Jingchi updated his Weibo, releasing the first album teaser.
The short 15-second video showcased the thematic concepts of the album's six songs. In the last second of the video, a single image appeared on the black screen, displaying only two names.
Chen Jingchi
Zhou Yu
The video immediately sparked a lot of discussion after it was released. After Zhou Yu reposted the Weibo post, he casually scrolled through the comments section and saw that it was all positive.
[It's finally here! We've waited so long!]
When will it be released? Why isn't the release date listed?
[Urgent! I can't wait to hear the song!]
After all this time of preparation, it's time to go big!
[It's a music video! We fans who love good looks are saved!]
Fan Xin also saw the video, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Last time I saw a lot of people on Weibo criticizing Chen Jingchi for thinking he was planning to retire after making money. I can finally vent my anger."
"Six songs!" An Kejia asked. "Zhou Zhou, have you been busy with this for the past few months?"
"Yes." Zhou Yu felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders. "It's finally over."
These past few days, fearing that Chen Jingchi might run into trouble again, she has been asking Du Heng about him from time to time, to the point that Du Heng has developed a habit of sharing information with her regularly every day.
"So busy?" Fan Xin, who didn't understand the album production process, said, "No wonder the plagiarism issue from last time still hasn't been resolved."
"That Gu Chen is really shameless, he's still doing performances now." An Kejia said indignantly, "Netizens may criticize him, but they listen to the songs normally."
Zhou Yu said, "It could be two groups of people."
The plagiarism of "Hot Love Planet" had already been condemned online when Sheng Yu issued a lawyer's letter, but it doesn't seem to have had any real effect in reality. Short video platforms are still using it extensively, and shops on the street are also following suit and playing it. As long as people listen, this singer can keep making money.
Zhou Yu knew that this was also something they couldn't do. Even if they waited for the verdict, the song's popularity would have long since faded, and Gu Chen would have already retired successfully.
In addition, Chen Jingchi has not appeared in public for several months and has not generated much discussion. As a result, few people still remember the plagiarism incident.
Zhou Yu thought that the release of the second album might bring a wave of attention, and now all she could do was hope that everyone's efforts would be rewarded accordingly.
Two days later, Chen Jingchi officially announced on Weibo that the digital album "Migratory Birds" would be released on the collaborating music platform Lingting Music at noon on May 10th. In addition to Chen Jingchi himself, his company also began to promote the album.
The 9th happened to be a Friday, and an indoor variety show aired in the evening. Chen Jingchi participated in the recording as a guest to promote his album.
Zhou Yu made a special effort to watch the variety show from beginning to end and found that this episode was a promotional event for a TV drama. There were seven or eight people there, but Chen Jingchi, as a peripheral figure, didn't have many scenes and participated in the games. He only promoted the album a few times at the beginning and then became a background figure.
Near the end, all the guests stood together chatting. After the host had a detailed conversation with everyone from the production team, it was finally Chen Jingchi's turn. He asked a very common question.
"If 'Migratory Birds' wins an award, and you're standing on the podium accepting the award, who's the first person you think of at that moment?"
The camera focused on Chen Jingchi, who, holding the microphone, did not answer immediately. Instead, he smiled and said, "Oh no, I didn't prepare an acceptance speech in advance. How about I thank Dongying Video first?"
Dongying Video is a variety show broadcasting platform.
The host quickly chimed in, "Think about it quickly after you go offstage, otherwise your mind will go blank when you stand on stage."
After watching the entire variety show, Zhou Yu couldn't remember anything except Chen Jingchi's words. She, who was never superstitious, secretly prayed that the release of her second album would go smoothly.
The next morning, Zhou Yu, who usually slept in late on weekends, woke up around 7 a.m. for some reason and couldn't fall back asleep. Her roommates were still asleep, and she couldn't stay in bed, so she quietly got out and decided to go to the cafeteria for breakfast.
I had just stepped out when I received a message on WeChat; it was from a small group of six people.
Zhuo Wencheng: [Why am I so nervous?]
Zhuo Wencheng: [Why not open pre-sales?]
Zhuo Wencheng: [Could you release it a few hours earlier to give me a surprise? @Chen Jingchi]
Chen Jingchi had already shared the preview in the group, and everyone had listened to the final version and was looking forward to seeing how well the digital album would perform.
Chen Jingchi is probably sleeping and hasn't replied to the message.
Zhan Li: [I've already shared the link in the family group and sent everyone a red envelope so they can buy it.]
Zhuo Wencheng: [Are you sure the elders can handle this? It's better to just buy it and give it to them.]
Zhan Li: [Do you think scanning a QR code to claim it is simple for them?]
Half an hour later.
Chen Jingchi: [If sales are poor, opening pre-sales is tantamount to public execution.]
Xu Yue: [Don't say that, what if the reputation is good enough to reverse the situation?]
Chen Jingchi: [Let's keep our expectations to a minimum.]
Knowing he said that because he was afraid of being too disappointed, Zhou Yu couldn't help but reply in the group: 【As long as you have a clear conscience, that's enough】
Tan Bei: [Yes, relax.]
The hours leading up to midnight were agonizing for each of them.
Zhou Yu couldn't concentrate on anything. An Kejia went out as usual after getting up in the morning. Fan Xin saw that the weather was particularly nice today. After a week of continuous rain, the weather had finally cleared up this morning, and she couldn't help but want to ask her to go out and play.
"Zhou Zhou, let's go for a walk."
Zhou wanted to find something to do to distract himself, so he immediately nodded: "Okay, let's go."
Even Fan Xin couldn't wait to put on her makeup; she grabbed her and wanted to go out.
The two strolled around the mall until noon and decided to have lunch at a nearby Japanese restaurant. Zhou Yu kept an eye on the time, and at exactly twelve o'clock, she opened Lingting Music. The promotional image on the homepage was "Migratory Birds." Clicking on the image led to the digital album sales page.
The album cover was chosen by Zhou Yu and Chen Jingchi together. It features a blue and white color scheme, with Chen Jingchi wearing a mint-colored shirt, sitting on the rooftop. The wind blows the hem of his shirt, and the blue sky serves as the background. Simple line drawings of migratory birds are hidden in the sky, creating a clean and simple look.
This photo captures Chen Jingchi's youthful spirit, reminding Zhou Yu of him when he first entered high school, fearless and full of lofty ambitions.
Fan Xin saw her phone screen and remembered: "Oh right, today is the day Chen Jingchi releases his new song, how could I have forgotten?"
She then opened her phone, paid for an album, and saw her album number, which was in the 10,000s.
Fan Xin exclaimed in surprise, "It's only been two minutes and we've already reached number 10,000!"
Zhou Yu wasn't sure if the sales figures were good or bad, so he asked, "Is this considered a lot?"
Fan Xin, who had followed several singers, thought for a moment and said, "It's definitely not comparable to other established singers, but this is Chen Jingchi's first digital album. Considering his number of fans, the sales are actually not bad. Right now, it's basically fans who are buying it. It depends on how big the general public is later."
Zhou Yu knew that fans were the fastest at buying albums to boost sales and chart rankings, but the money they had couldn't sustain the data for too long. Looking at the rapidly rising numbers, she searched for the daily sales reports of several well-known singers releasing multiple albums to get a more precise understanding, and then realized that Fan Xin's assessment was already quite favorable.
For Chen Jingchi himself, it may be far less than expected.
After lunch, Zhou checked the sales figures. Two hours later, the number had risen from 10,000 to 50,000. Even without considering the promotion and production costs, an album priced at 20 yuan a copy would only earn him a million yuan at most, which was less than what he could make from performing at two music festivals.
On Weibo, aside from trending when the album was first released at midnight, the topic quickly lost its popularity, and sales growth slowed down.
Even a topic unexpectedly popped up: #ChenJingchiFallsFromThePedestrian#.
Chen Jingchi was signed to Sheng Yu with a million-dollar signing fee right from the start, which put him on a very high pedestal. His first album received a good response on streaming media, largely because it was free. However, his second album, which was paid, revealed the true size of his audience. Not to mention casual listeners, even his fan base wasn't very strong.
The album has been online for so long, but it hasn't even cracked the top three on the daily sales charts.
Some people have already brought up his millions of Weibo followers, claiming that it's hard to say how many of them are fake. Netizens who are just watching the drama are joining in the mockery, turning it into a frenzy for haters.
Chen Jingchi never dared to admit that he was a "god"—this malicious label was too glaring. But judging from the current sales figures, Zhou Yu knew he had no room for rebuttal.
He personally asked the company for three months to polish the album, and such a result was obviously not something he could explain to the company.
Zhou Yu couldn't quite describe her feelings. She wanted Chen Jingchi to be himself without restraint, but the gap between reality and ideals stood between them, forcing both of them to confront the situation nakedly.
She wanted to message Chen Jingchi, but didn't know how to start. She was afraid of disappointing him, afraid of hurting him, and afraid that she wouldn't be able to comfort him.
As she tapped the input box to organize her thoughts, a message popped up at the top. Zhou Yu clicked on it and saw that it was from a five-person group chat where Chen Jingchi was not present.
Zhuo Wencheng: [Does anyone know what Brother Chi is doing now?]
Zhan Li: [@Xu Yue]
Xu Yue: [I'm off today, so I should be at home.]
Zhuo Wencheng: [Want to grab a bite?]
Zhan Li: [If we go to his house, I'm afraid he won't want to come out.]
Zhuo Wencheng: [Okay, when are we going?]
Xu Yue: [Don't rush, let me ask him where he is, so we don't go there empty-handed.]
Five minutes later.
Xu Yue: [He said he's at the company now and will get home around 4 PM.]
Zhuo Wencheng: [Then let's leave at four o'clock.]
Zhan Li: [Beibei, remember to come back soon @Tan Bei]
Tan Bei: [I'm already on my way back!]
Fan Xin asked her if she wanted to see another movie in the afternoon, and Zhou Yu shook her head: "I'm going out for dinner tonight, so let's go back to the dorm now."
"Okay, let's go then."
At four o'clock, Zhou Yu, wearing the clothes Chen Jingchi had lent her a long time ago, met up with the others at the school gate. The five of them hailed two taxis. After getting in, Tan Bei sat very close to Zhou Yu, almost touching her, and asked, "Are you alright?"
Zhou Yu smiled at her: "I'm fine, but he might not be able to accept it."
Despite all the hard work, the results were unsatisfactory, even after the company spent money on advertising.
Especially when compared with the previously plagiarized "Hot Love Planet", it is both ironic and laughable.
Zhou Yu had no idea what state Chen Jingchi was in right now—disappointment, self-blame, helplessness, and a sense of powerlessness… She could foresee all of these. How to clean up the mess, how to salvage his reputation, and whether Chen Jingchi would revert to his previous pattern of frequent public appearances—Zhou Yu had no idea.
Tan Bei bit her lip and comforted her, "I listened to your songs and I really think they're great. Although the sales aren't very good, I've read a lot of online comments, and they're mostly positive."
"Could it be positive reviews from fans?" Zhou Yu said. "I see that the album's comment section is all controlled by the fans."
“There might be some, but I’ve seen accounts that don’t follow celebrities much saying it’s good.” Tan Bei opened her phone’s photo album. “I even took screenshots. Look, several people have mentioned ‘To My Dear You’.”
Zhou Yu watched her scroll through the pictures one by one, deeply moved by her actions, and said softly, "Send these to me."
The posts from these accounts all seemed to reflect genuine listener sentiments. Whether they were genuine passersby or fans in disguise, Zhou Yu was deeply moved.
She planned to show it to Chen Jingchi later.
Upon arriving at Chen Jingchi's apartment, the group discussed in the elevator that they absolutely should not mention the album later, but instead have a good drink with him and drown their sorrows in alcohol.
Tan Bei was skeptical: "Are you sure you remembered this after you were drunk?"
"Don't get so drunk, his sofa can't sleep that many people," Xu Yue said. "Besides, I don't know if Brother Chi will have work tomorrow."
Zhuo Wencheng turned his gaze to her: "Zhou Yu, you are responsible for making sure that Brother Chi doesn't drink too much."
Suddenly faced with a heavy responsibility, Zhou Yu could only agree: "Okay."
However, these turned out to be unnecessary worries.
When Chen Jingchi opened the door and saw the group, he already knew why they had come. Zhou Yu noticed that he seemed to be in a good mood and wasn't as negative as he had imagined. He even smiled at them and asked, "What's the meaning of buying so much wine?"
"Drink up." Zhuo Wencheng took off his shoes and came in. "Du Heng always tells you to drink less, but since we finally have a get-together, of course you should drink to your heart's content."
"I can't open it wide." Chen Jingchi took the shopping bag. "I'm going to a concert as a guest in a few days, so I can only drink a little."
Xu Yue asked, "Whose concert?"
“Song Qian, who was in the same group as me in the previous competition.”
“Oh, I remember him,” Zhuo Wencheng said. “Your Voice came in second place, right?”
"Um."
"They've even started holding concerts," Zhuo Wencheng muttered. "They've got pretty good resources."
“He was at least the runner-up. If he doesn’t even get any resources, who would want to go on TV shows and compete?” Zhan Li said.
The group sat down around the coffee table. Chen Jingchi had ordered a private restaurant, which was on its way. The boys started talking about taking their driving tests, and the atmosphere quickly warmed up.
As they had agreed, no one mentioned new songs, albums, or sales figures. It was just an ordinary gathering of friends, chatting and drinking.
Zhuo Wencheng went all out and even brought up his love stories from junior high to high school. After getting drunk, he was heartbroken and felt like he was about to break: "Why is it that no one will love me forever?"
Zhan Li was also a little tipsy, and put her arm around his shoulder: "It will happen, brother, it will happen."
Zhuo Wencheng shook his head, holding the wine bottle: "You have your Beibei, but I don't have my baby."
The two huddled together, feeling sentimental, and Tan Bei revealed the truth: "When Zhuo Wencheng was pursuing girls, it was Zhan Li who helped him come up with bad ideas. In a way, he can't escape responsibility."
Zhou Yu laughed and asked, "So how did he win you over?"
"We're both love-struck, and I fall for love so easily," Tan Bei whispered to Zhou Yu, "Don't follow my example."
Chen Jingchi let them go wild, drinking very restrainedly throughout, saying little, and appearing no different from usual. Zhou Yu sat opposite him, occasionally meeting his gaze. Chen Jingchi's gaze lingered on her for too long, and she was always the one to look away first.
I always felt that there was something he wanted to say hidden in his expression, but he couldn't say it because everyone was there.
Zhou Yu wasn't sure if he was truly at ease. The more nonchalant he seemed, the more uneasy she felt, fearing he was just faking it to reassure everyone.
Wanting to say something to him, but remembering his promise to his friends not to talk about the album, Zhou Yu could only suppress his impulse for the time being.
Around 8 PM, Chen Jingchi's phone, which was on the sofa, rang. Xu Yue, who was sitting closest to the sofa, stood up and said, "I'll get it for you."
Upon picking it up, I saw two words displayed on it: Du Heng.
Xu Yue returned to the dining table and handed over his phone: "It's Brother Du Heng calling."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone fell silent.
What could Du Heng possibly want to talk about when he calls him? It's nothing more than work. What kind of work is there today? It's just the album.
Zhou Yu was even a little nervous, afraid that Du Heng would say something that would provoke Chen Jingchi.
Seeing that everyone was looking at him seriously, even the two who were drunk had become earnest, Chen Jingchi chuckled: "What, you want to hear it too?"
He kindly turned on the speakerphone.
As soon as the call connected, Du Heng's urgent voice came through: "Where are you? Where are you!"
"At home." Chen Jingchi asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
"Leave me alone!" Du Hengyin shouted, her voice cracking as she yelled, "It exploded! It exploded!"
"What exploded?" Zhuo Wencheng grinned foolishly. "A tire blew out? Bang—"
Zhan Li laughed uncontrollably: "Can we count on him for anything good?"
"Dog shit tires!" Du Heng's voice was hoarse. "The album! It's a smash hit!"
The air fell silent once more, and the group exchanged bewildered glances.
Tan Bei was the first to react. She immediately opened Lingting Music, searched for "Migratory Birds," and the album sales page that popped up made her dizzy with a string of numbers following the word "sold": "Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands... Ah?!"
Zhan Li took her phone, his vision blurry from the alcohol: "How much is this? Why are there so many numbers?"
"It's broken one million!!" Tan Bei quickly patted Zhou Yu, her voice excited. "Quick, check it out on Weibo!"
Zhou Yu hurriedly opened Weibo and glanced at it; the trending topics list was filled with deep red "explosive" posts.
#To My Dearest#
#Alzheimer's Disease#
#Chen Jingchi's new album sales surpass one million#
#Chen Jing Chasing Migratory Birds#
#Chen Jingchi falls back to his pedestal#
She suddenly looked up at Chen Jingchi.
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Author's Note: Thank you to reader "keyee" for donating nutrient solution +1.
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