Chapter 12: Free and Unburdened

[Singer Jiang Qi]: “Eight hundred thousand summer coins for exclusive rights, Teacher Gabe, that’s all I can offer.”

Jiang Qi still couldn’t bring herself to empty her own little savings, and she felt she was only following her agent’s instructions. She hadn’t thrown out the eight hundred thousand right from the start, only bringing it up on the second offer. Her task was now done. If she failed to secure the rights to this song, she could always blame it on the company’s meager budget. Jiang Qi kept convincing herself: the company budget is small, how could that be my fault?

“Eight hundred thousand—Jiang Qi’s company must be behind this,” Li He realized instantly. In truth, eight hundred thousand was somewhat inflated; outright purchasing a song’s copyright rarely fetched such a high price. Taking a share of royalties would earn more in the long run. But royalties took too long to come in, and what Li He needed most right now was time. He’d expected sixty thousand; now with an extra twenty thousand on top, he was more than happy to accept.

[Gabe]: “Jiang Qi, do you really like this song so much?”

[Singer Jiang Qi]: “I love it very much. I feel a deep connection to it. I know I can sing it well.”

[Gabe]: “Since you like it so much, I’ll leave this ‘Bubbles’ to you. Please sing it well—I have high hopes for you.”

[Singer Jiang Qi]: “Thank you for your trust, Teacher Gabe. I won’t let you down.”

Both Li He and Jiang Qi breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. Jiang Qi, because she’d finally secured the song without spending more than necessary. Li He, because he could finally pay his debts—and even came out twenty thousand ahead.

Next, the two exchanged WeChat handles and added each other as friends. Jiang Qi, eager to curry favor with Gabe, took the initiative to send the friend request. After signing the electronic contract, Li He sent both the audio and sheet music to Jiang Qi, and the eight hundred thousand was transferred to his account swiftly.

Staring at his account balance, Li He felt as if he were in a dream. Just yesterday, he’d been tormented by a thirty-thousand debt, racking his brain for ways to gain recognition and attract the attention of singers and artists in the industry. Today, almost by accident, he had nearly made a million.

Flush with cash, Li He smugly opened his financial app, paid off his debt in the loan section, and uninstalled the app without hesitation. What would he keep it for—Chinese New Year dinner?

Only after clearing his debts did Li He truly feel at ease. He’d finally cleaned up most of the mess left behind by his predecessor.

Li He glanced at the time—not yet two o’clock. “Sis shouldn’t be at work yet.” The sister of this body was named Li Qing, a business management graduate. When she’d chosen her major, neither her father nor her brother had met any misfortune, and the family still owned a small factory. Li Qing had intended to study business management so she could help their father after graduation. Before that could happen, however, the fire that destroyed their family broke out.

At the time, Li Qing gave up her spot for postgraduate study and went out to find work, ending up at a costume and props company. When Li He called her, she’d just gotten off the bus and was on her way to work. Though it was Saturday, she still had to go in—the overtime pay was doubled on weekends.

Seeing his name on her phone, Li Qing ducked into a coffee shop before taking the call. “What’s up, Hehe?” Her voice was languid, as if she’d just woken from sleep.

Li He checked the time again: 1:15 p.m. It made sense—she must have been napping. He apologized, “Sorry for disturbing your rest.”

“It’s alright, I needed to get up anyway,” Li Qing replied casually. “So, what’s up? Out of money again? If you need money, just tell your sister—I have some.”

Hearing this, Li He felt a stab of pain. This body owed Li Qing so much—she could have had a much better future, but had sacrificed it all for her brother. As for her claim of just waking up, Li He didn’t believe it. In his predecessor’s scattered memories, there was a scene: after being swindled out of thirty thousand by a fake doctor, he’d gone to cry to his sister, only to see Li Qing coming up the stairs in her work clothes, looking utterly exhausted. When he’d called her earlier, she’d claimed to be out shopping with friends. But who goes shopping in work clothes?

Li He fell silent, the bitterness welling up inside him.

Hidden in the corner of the café, Li Qing grew anxious when she heard nothing from her brother. “What’s wrong, Hehe? Are you in trouble? Tell your sister.”

She knew that since the fire, her brother’s emotions had become unstable and he’d closed himself off, never confiding in anyone. Most of what she learned about his life came from He Luo.

Li He chuckled. “Sis, I wrote a song and sold it for some money.”

He didn’t say how much—he was afraid she wouldn’t be able to handle it all at once.

“What song? Let me hear it…”

Li Qing was genuinely happy for him. Her attention was focused entirely on the first half of his sentence, the rest forgotten.

“You’ll be able to hear it in a few days. I sold it to a female celebrity and made four hundred and fifty thousand. I’ll transfer the money to you.”

Li He didn’t mention the full eight hundred thousand, since he’d used over three hundred thousand to pay off debts.

Li He didn’t want Li Qing to know his predecessor had secretly borrowed thirty thousand. Even though it was paid back, it would only worry her.

Li Qing’s surprise was evident; her voice shot up a few notches. “Four hundred fifty thousand?! That much? Who did you sell it to? Don’t let anyone scam you!”

After Li He transferred to the composition department, she’d researched the songwriting industry. Forty-five thousand for a song was already a price reserved for well-known lyricists and composers; four hundred and fifty thousand was astronomical.

As for her brother—Li Qing didn’t doubt him, but she knew where his talents lay: in his voice, his stage presence, his singing. His songwriting was thoroughly average.

If it were an outsider, Li Qing would have thrown out some polite praise, but this was her little brother. Her first reaction wasn’t “My brother has real songwriting talent, selling a song for four hundred and fifty thousand—amazing!” Instead, she feared he’d been scammed into signing some sort of illegal contract.

Li He explained with a laugh, “Sis, there’s this video on ShakeHand—have you heard ‘Dissolve Sorrow’?”

“Yeah,” Li Qing replied sourly. “It’s really good, but that He Luoluo is so annoying. The video just cuts off at the crucial moment, and he still hasn’t posted the second half. So infuriating.”

Li He chuckled awkwardly—so his sister had contributed to those negative comments as well.

“Actually, He Luoluo is just He Luo,” Li He quickly sold out his close friend. After a round of explanations, Li Qing was finally dumbfounded as she accepted the transfer.

So, her brother really did have talent in songwriting and composing. So, her brother was actually that amazing.

Li Qing felt as if she were floating. Still, she wouldn’t touch the money; she’d save it for her brother’s future wedding.

After leaving the café, Li Qing immediately messaged He Luo: “Hey brat, send me the full version of ‘Dissolve Sorrow’ right now.”

—

(Published before edits)

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