Why bother writing songs? Fast forward to the "Don't Laugh Challenge"

Chapter 23 This path still requires relying on oneself

This was a long-awaited meeting. They hadn't seen each other for several months while they were away competing, and Zhou Yumeng had been so focused on the competition that she hadn't had much contact with the outside world. As a result, she had a lot of unspoken thoughts and feelings that she had nowhere to vent.

God knows how she usually gets through this; it feels like ants are crawling all over her, it's incredibly uncomfortable.

Now that she's finally back, Zhou Yumeng had already imagined countless possible scenarios before they even met, thinking that Xia Shen would dress up carefully and look handsome when he came to see her.

He must have watched her final match, right?

The special change in her look, the subtle tricks she used—they practically overflowed the screen.

She even had a school uniform custom-made, exactly the same as the uniforms she and Xia Shen used to wear at their school, a top-quality one-to-one replica.

This wasn't just a hint; in her view, it was an explicit statement.

That one small sentence was remembered and kept in mind—wouldn't that move him to tears? Then, everything would fall into place smoothly and naturally.
However.
When they finally met, something she never expected still happened.

When Zhou Yumeng saw Xia Shen standing in front of her, dressed in an old man's vest, shorts, flip-flops, and with heavy dark circles under his eyes, she was stunned.

It's so sloppy!

Not only Zhou Yumeng, but Xia Shen was also stunned.

She wore a youthful and energetic JK uniform and pleated skirt, paired with white over-the-knee stockings and Mary Jane shoes.

She even wore makeup!

It has to be said that this outfit really suits Xia Shen's taste and aesthetics.

For a moment, Xia Shen suddenly felt that his friendship might have changed in a very subtle way.

For a fleeting moment, he even began to wonder, "Is it possible that this was worn specifically for him?"
However, he quickly dismissed that idea.

You can't think like that. It's perfectly normal for a girl to dress up and groom herself. Girls all have a desire to look beautiful, especially Zhou Yumeng now. Do you really think of her as a tomboy who was just a kid?

Zhou Yumeng, on the other hand, was surprised by Xia Shen's appearance.

She couldn't help but ask, "Big brother, did you just get back from Syria?"

He looked utterly颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it conveys a sense of listlessness, apathy, and apathy). Although his hair looked professionally styled, it was only slightly combed and then scratched. Combined with his unkempt beard, a melancholy aura emanated from him.

“I’ve been quite busy lately, and I just finished dealing with things when you came back,” Xia Shen said.

He has been very busy lately, and he completed the general progress of five songs, excluding the vocal parts, at top speed.

With the foundation of information and memories from another world, it was indeed quick to create when inspiration was plentiful.

But even if you have memories, it's like building a house. You already have the blueprints and designs, and you know how to build it.

However, this building process also takes time; you need to add bricks and tiles one by one to build it up.

He's already making a lot of progress.

Xia Shen was completely unaware of the rage running through Zhou Yumeng's mind, and pulled up a chair and sat down.

All Zhou Yumeng could do was curse inwardly: "Idiot!"

It would be a lie to say I wasn't upset, after all, all that painstaking effort and ingenuity went to waste.

Another thing was Xia Shen's attitude, which she couldn't figure out or was unsure about.

She had never been in a relationship. Her one early crush was just a secret crush, but those budding girlish feelings hadn't even had a chance to sprout before she had to leave because of her family's work. It was extinguished before it even began.

This departure directly took away her budding romantic feelings. That young figure, with a touch of naivety, lived in her heart from then on, residing in the deepest part of her heart. As a result, no one else ever appeared in her eyes again.

But time plays tricks, and after many twists and turns, things finally take a turn for the better. And here I am, the object of my secret crush is right across the street.

God knows how happy she was when she saw that familiar figure again. But she didn't dare to gamble; what if he didn't have those kinds of feelings for her?

If we rashly peel back the layers and find that it's not what we imagined, wouldn't that make everyone feel awkward?
At that point, we might not even be able to remain friends.

Heaven help me, if Xia Shen had shown even the slightest interest, she would have taken him on.

The place they ate was a hot pot restaurant near the university town, a place they frequented.

When her hidden scheme failed, Zhou Yumeng was only briefly depressed, but she quickly recovered.

After all, no matter what, the person is here, and we've seen them now.

As for the future and what comes after, let's take it one step at a time.

Soon, the dishes were served one by one, and as they ate, they started chatting.

They started by talking about interesting things that happened during the competition, then moved on to funny stories from the past, and finally to their families.

"By the way, how are your aunt and uncle doing lately?" Zhou Yumeng asked.

"It's alright, it's still the same as before. And recently, my family started building a house," Xia Shen replied. "They often talk about you too."

"Really? What did they say?" Zhou Yumeng asked nervously.

"I was just asking how you were doing, saying it's been a long time since we last met, and after seeing your photos, I was quite surprised by how much you've changed," Xia Shen said.

Image
Zhou Yumeng pondered, and she thought about Xia Shen's attitude towards her.

Is it possible that her past image might have created a bad first impression on Xia Shen, leading to the current situation?
It's important to understand that first impressions can influence many things and are very difficult to change.

She suddenly started to blame herself, wondering why she was so naughty when she was little and didn't act like any other little girl.

She was quite mischievous back then, and she looked down on the timid and coy manner of girls her age.

I'm starting to regret it now, and I think there must be some reason for it.

Upon hearing about Xia Shen's recent struggles with his career, she felt a deep sense of empathy for him.

She asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

If Xia Shen had spoken to her back then, she definitely wouldn't have stood by and watched.

She had also instructed her agent, Sister Qing, that she could ignore other people's contact and messages, but she must tell her about her family and Xia Shen as soon as possible.

She knew Xia Shen wouldn't agree to or accept a loan, but she could at least do her best to connect him with someone in the company.

Although it might be inappropriate and troublesome for her to do this now that she has only recently signed with the company, she would still do it once she knows about it.

Xia Shen simply shook his head.

How could he not know what Zhou Yumeng was thinking? Zhou Yumeng had said more than once that she could connect him with July Records.

However, he did not think that was appropriate.

They've only just signed the contract, and everything is still in its early stages. If she asks others for help at this point, how will the people in the company view Zhou Yumeng?
And
"We've gotten through it all, haven't we? And I've found a fairly suitable path, and it's going quite smoothly now," Xia Shen said. "I still prefer this current model, using my own abilities to gain your company's attention and then start a collaboration."

Xia Shen is very clear-headed. He is good at seeing things and knows clearly that if he really wants to go far on the path of music, relying on others will never work. He still has to rely on himself. In fact, the people around him have already helped him a lot.

Including his roommates, Qi Yixiang acted as a matchmaker for him and Tian Min, and Zheng Xingqi and Wen Xiong unconditionally helped him record songs.

Everyone around him is helping him.

(End of this chapter)