Chapter 54: Sincerity (Double-length Chapter—Seeking Your Votes)

After breakfast, the two parted ways.

Li He returned to his dormitory, continuing to revise the later plot of "Martial Movement of Heaven and Earth." The storyline had almost been sufficiently adjusted; with a few highly popular supporting characters, the crucial moments would be held back, ensuring a steady gain of negative emotion points.

Meanwhile, agent Deng Qin was busily occupied. She needed to finalize the restaurant, guaranteeing absolute privacy—no chance of leaking this historic meeting. Though she wished she could let slip photos of Shengshi and Gabe dining together, she dared not. The key issue: nobody had seen Gabe before. Who could truly tell if the person at dinner was the real Gabe or a fake? If any rival slightly manipulated the public narrative, the next morning's headlines would read:

"#Jiang Qi dines with mysterious man, rumored romance revealed#"

And it wouldn't stop there. Another headline would follow:

"#Internal strife at Shengshi: Jiang Qi and her best friend He Xier vie for a boyfriend#"

Such sensational entertainment news always draws more eyes—the more outrageous, the hotter the topic.

In the end, Deng Qin settled on a high-end, private Shandong cuisine restaurant. Not only was it upscale, but its location was discreet, resembling the setting of a private winery.

In two rooms at the hotel, Jiang Qi and He Xier each deployed their own strategies, determined not to lose face in front of Teacher Gabe (Classmate Li He) to their dear friend. The assistant trembled in a corner.

Outside the rooms, Deng Qin, her face dark with frustration, said to the assistant, "Tell them: if they don't come out soon, no one is going."

The next second, both doors opened simultaneously.

He Xier, tall and slender, wore a white dress cinched at the waist and just above the knee, perfectly highlighting her figure and curves, with long, straight legs. The night wind in the corridor lifted a lock of her glossy black hair; her delicate, oval face was beautiful, adorned with a fresh and elegant smile, reminiscent of a lotus emerging from water.

On the other side, Jiang Qi's cheeks were rosy, her spirit lively, with a gentle smile. She too was tall, dressed in a black short dress with slightly exposed shoulders, making her legs clad in black lace tights appear even longer and straighter, her glossy, mid-length black hair naturally draping over her shoulders. With light makeup and a smile on her face, her eyes sparkled with beauty and vitality.

He Xier glanced at her friend, especially at the area she cleverly hid—a subtle pout betrayed her thoughts: truly adept at concealing weaknesses.

But, even so... He Xier straightened her back and strode into the elevator first, refusing to admit defeat.

Jiang Qi resisted the urge to scrutinize her friend, whose figure seemed to shift between mountain ridges and peaks—a lifelong sore point, but she would not yield, following closely behind.

Agent Deng Qin maintained a stern expression throughout, unwilling to look at her two charges—she still couldn't fathom how they suddenly became so competitive.

The wars between women sometimes arrive in such inexplicable ways, defying understanding.

The assistant, dazzled by the spectacle, finally entered the elevator and pressed the close button.

Soon after, with the staff from Shengshi Entertainment having cleared the way in advance, the four quickly boarded a nanny van.

A special note: to reduce visibility, Shengshi rented this ordinary-looking, fully equipped nanny van only after arriving in Quancheng, costing several thousand a day.

Yet, following yesterday's Jiang Qi livestream and He Xier's surge to the top of trending searches, He Xier’s identity as a third-year vocal student at Shandong Arts College had been uncovered.

This wasn’t much of a secret—He Xier was a former child star with some fame, and many at the college knew her, especially in the vocal department, where she was nearly a household name—except for the previously despondent Li He.

Once He Xier’s identity was confirmed—and with the livestream background clearly being a hotel—it became easy to pin down Jiang Qi’s location.

But what puzzled people was: for a newcomer who hadn’t debuted yet, to have the star Jiang Qi travel from Qingcheng to Quancheng—unless Shengshi had lost its mind, this was impossible.

There must be a grand conspiracy... This was the consensus among industry insiders, though no one knew what it was.

Gabe in Quancheng... Yin Mengna’s eyes lit up, certain her guess was correct.

However, she had no intention of sharing this speculation with her company.

Yin Mengna was already preparing to terminate her contract with Brothers Entertainment.

Soon, the nanny van picked up Li He and his companion.

After boarding, aside from Jiang Qi and He Xier, the remaining three from Shengshi all drew sharp breaths.

Was this really Teacher Gabe, and not some trending young idol...? The assistant’s eyes sparkled, suspecting they'd picked up the wrong person.

Gabe was so young—not an old man at all... Agent Deng Qin, shaken, questioned her own assumptions.

Jiang Qi had only told Deng Qin that Gabe wasn't very old, but never specified how young.

She felt that keeping Gabe’s age and identity confidential was a duty and responsibility of a devoted admirer.

Most importantly, she wanted to see Sister Qin’s self-doubt when she met Teacher Gabe.

It was truly satisfying.

Driver Xiao Wang surreptitiously stole a glance through the rearview mirror at the Gabe everyone had been longing to meet.

After seeing him, only one thought echoed inside: "Damn."

Not only the three from Shengshi were stunned and self-doubting.

The shameless He Luo, upon boarding and seeing the exceptionally beautiful Jiang Qi and He Xier, his eyes lit up.

Then, his greeting faltered: "Long time no see, Jiang Qi, sis... He... He Xier."

Li He, following behind, was dumbfounded.

You still claim she’s not your sister...? Li He covered his face, pretending not to know him.

Jiang Qi tried to hold back her laughter, but finally couldn’t help herself and burst out laughing.

She never missed a chance to outshine her best friend.

He Xier glared angrily, her pretty face flushed, eyes nearly spitting fire.

She realized that anywhere outside the classroom, encountering He Luo guaranteed trouble.

Too infuriating.

It was one thing for netizens to joke, but to call it out earnestly and in public... He Xier wanted to kick He Luo out of the van.

That subconscious slip was absolutely not accidental; he must have called her that many times elsewhere. Thinking this, He Xier grew even angrier, her chest heaving, making her collar tremble.

The stern agent, awakened by Jiang Qi’s laughter, hurriedly introduced herself: "Hello, Teacher Gabe, I am Deng Qin, agent for Jiang Qi and He Xier."

Li He thought to himself, I don’t have any fancy titles—why do their introductions sound so elaborate, leaving me unsure what to say?

After some thought, Li He smiled serenely: "My name is Li He, just an ordinary college student."

Deng Qin’s inner thoughts: "???"

Jiang Qi’s inner thoughts: "As expected of Teacher Gabe, always astonishing in self-introduction."

He Xier’s inner thoughts: "Classmate Li He is too modest."

He Luo’s inner thoughts: "Old Li, I knew I didn’t misjudge you."

Driver Xiao Wang: "Damn."

Li He's understated, almost self-effacing introduction left the seasoned Deng Qin at a loss.

She’d never encountered such a style before—what kind of person was Teacher Gabe? That introduction was truly unforgettable.

After a six-second pause, Deng Qin followed protocol and greeted He Luo: "Hello, He Luoluo, your song 'Dispelling Sorrow' has moved me to tears many times. Today I finally get to meet you in person."

The shameless one scratched his head and grinned sheepishly: "Hello, it’s my first time meeting a live agent—feeling a bit excited."

Deng Qin’s inner thoughts: "???"

Li He’s inner thoughts: "Old He, I really didn’t misjudge you."

He Xier’s inner thoughts: "He Luo seems only normal in the classroom; otherwise, his mind’s never right."

Jiang Qi’s inner thoughts: "What’s meant to happen always does."

Driver Xiao Wang: "Damn."

After meeting a live star last time, He Luo now encountered his first live agent.

Agent Deng Qin was now genuinely stumped.

She’d never dealt with people whose thinking was so unconventional.

No wonder they could be such good friends... Deng Qin felt on the verge of tears.

Noticing the agent’s awkward silence, He Xier’s urge to perform burst forth: "Classmate Li He, um... is that song finished?"

Jiang Qi and Deng Qin’s eyes instantly focused on Li He.

The song for He Xier—hadn’t his best friend already finished it...? He Luo, having seen the full version, looked puzzled.

Driver Xiao Wang snuck a glance, then returned his attention to the road, driving steadily.

"It’s finished," Li He replied honestly.

"Can I see it?" He Xier’s expression grew excited, her eyes shining.

Agent Deng Qin chimed in: "It will never leave the company. If possible, Shengshi would like to purchase it."

After a pause, Deng Qin added, "We’ll follow Teacher Gabe’s requirements—only buying the rights to perform."

Li He wanted to refuse, mainly because without a signed contract, he wasn’t entirely comfortable.

It wasn’t a matter of trust in He Xier and the others—it just seemed more proper to exchange goods for payment.

But since they were all friends and would interact often in the future, a direct refusal felt too abrupt.

After thinking it over, Li He gently declined: "No."

Having experienced this once before, Jiang Qi felt no ripples in her heart; in fact, she was a bit amused to see her best friend frustrated.

Deng Qin was almost at her wit’s end—Gabe’s mature, steady persona had completely vanished in her mind.

He Xier was at a loss.

Logically, since Sister Qin had already said Shengshi agreed to Li He’s terms—only buying performance rights—her request to see the lyrics and melody should be reasonable.

It was a normal request; even buying vegetables required inspection, let alone a song worth tens of thousands.

Why did it turn out... so differently from what she imagined?

Feeling he hadn’t been gentle enough, Li He explained, "The lyrics and melody are stored on my computer; I didn’t bring them."

The assistant watched with wide-eyed admiration—she felt Teacher Gabe was incredible, an idol.

In a harmonious, cheerful conversation, the group arrived at the private Shandong restaurant.

The capable Deng Qin had reserved the entire venue, with all staff signing confidentiality agreements, ensuring no photos would leak and trigger misleading trending topics.

Inside the private room, Deng Qin insisted Li He take the main seat.

In Shandong, seating arrangements matter greatly.

I’m just an ordinary college student—how could I sit at the main seat?

In the end, the main seat remained empty.

Soon, the dishes arrived.

All were famous Shandong specialties, and Li He, not picky, ate heartily.

After a round of conversation, the meal was nearly finished.

The topic turned serious.

Deng Qin smiled: "Teacher Gabe, Shengshi agrees to only purchase the performance rights for 'Bridge of Fate,' as you requested, but the price may not be as high as before."

"Price is negotiable." Having paid off his debts, Li He wasn't particularly concerned about money; what mattered was whether the song could recoup the negative emotion points spent and how much profit it could generate.

Deng Qin didn’t know Li He was indifferent to money. She explained: "Teacher Gabe, we offer two payment options: one is outright purchase, the other is profit-sharing."

"Profit-sharing?" Li He was puzzled.

He’d never heard of such a thing—profit-sharing was usually reserved for internal composers and lyricists.

For external purchases, it was always a buyout.

This was an unwritten rule in the entertainment industry; Li He wasn't a total novice.

"We hope to build a friendship with Teacher Gabe; there will be many opportunities for future collaboration."

Deng Qin continued, "Buyout needs no explanation, Teacher Gabe knows it well. For profit-sharing, we offer two options: song revenue sharing and movie box office sharing."

Yesterday, upon hearing about the box office sharing, Jiang Qi had been stunned.

She knew how much the company had invested in this film, and the publicity was everywhere.

The box office was sure to be high; Shengshi had great confidence in "Guardian."

Or rather, "Guardian" could not fail—it meant more to Shengshi Entertainment than just a movie; it was their stepping stone into the film industry.

Whether it made a splash was crucial for Shengshi’s future layout in the movie market.

Initially, Shengshi hadn’t planned to offer box office sharing—song revenue sharing was already an exception.

It was only after Director Wen Shan spoke to Liu Kang yesterday, saying he believed "Bridge of Fate" was tailor-made for "Guardian," that after Deng Qin reported, Liu Kang realized it was Gabe again.

High output, high quality, broad musical style, extensive lyrics.

Such a prodigious composer and lyricist—no matter the cost, they must sign him.

If he had no intention of joining a company, then foster a good relationship; at least make Shengshi his closest ally among all entertainment companies.

"Gabe, you have the talent to be both a master lyricist and composer." Those were Liu Kang's exact words.

To be called either lyric master or composer master was to be a true heavyweight in the industry—company bosses would treat them with respect.

If someone genuinely held both titles, not only would bosses be respectful, they might even go so far as to fawn over him.

For the future, Shengshi was willing to offer "Guardian" box office sharing to purchase the song.

"Movie revenue sharing?" Li He was even more perplexed.

It was just a song—how could it be linked to movie box office profits?

Were they trying to trick him?

Why couldn’t they simply negotiate the money?

Deng Qin explained: "Our company invested over a hundred million in a film called 'Guardian.' The song you wrote, 'Bridge of Fate,' will be the ending theme."

So that was it.

Li He, understanding, asked, "May I review the plot outline or script of the movie?"

In his previous life, the bigger the movie budget—especially those costing hundreds of millions—the higher the chance of flopping.

Li He didn’t know much about this world’s film market and dared not step in blindly.

Though box office sharing sounded lucrative, what if the film bombed?

Prepared in advance, Deng Qin took out a folder from her bag and handed it to Li He: "This is the general plot outline and portions of the script for important scenes."

This was confidential—even though the film was about to premiere, leaking such information could badly impact box office performance.

Deng Qin constantly demonstrated Shengshi Entertainment’s sincerity.

From picking up Li He at school, to agreeing to only purchase performance rights, to offering profit-sharing, and now even box office sharing as a payment method.

It could be said that Shengshi Entertainment’s sincerity was abundant.

Li He accepted the folder, opened it, and began reading carefully.

—

PS. Post first, revise later.

(Chapter 54’s review messed up the sequence, so the original chapters 54 and 55 have been combined.)