"I apologize for making you witness that spectacle!"
Inside the shop, Li Lang's face was grim as he spoke to Wang Shu. He hadn't expected the woman to go to such lengths to humiliate him.
"It's nothing. If anything, I think this incident today should help you make up your mind!"
Wang Shu looked at Li Lang. If it weren't for his ex-wife's relentless pressure, Li Lang wouldn't have come to a decision so quickly.
"Daddy, I don't want to leave you!"
At this moment, the little girl in Li Lang's arms looked up at him with a wronged expression.
"Don't worry, Daddy won't leave you!"
Li Lang looked at his daughter's face, a pang of sadness in his heart. It was his fault for being so incapable that his daughter had to endure such things from such a young age.
"An Ran, your daddy is going to become a big star!"
Wang Shu crouched down and said to the little girl.
"Really?"
The little girl looked up at Li Lang, her voice still soft and childlike.
"I don't know, but this uncle here is the big star. Daddy will be following him from now on!"
Li Lang felt a little guilty with his daughter's question, so he quickly changed the subject. He worried that even if he entered the industry, he might not become a star. He was getting older and had passed the prime age for fame. Even with Wang Shu's support, he was very uncertain about his future.
"Daddy can definitely become a big star. An Ran is your first fan!"
The little girl sensed her father's difficulty but still offered a sweet smile, cupping Li Lang's face.
"An Ran, Daddy will work hard too!"
Seeing how understanding his daughter was, Li Lang's confidence surged. Even if he couldn't become a big star, he would be the big star in his daughter's heart!
"To celebrate our new colleague joining the company, I've decided to treat everyone to a big meal."
Wang Shu proposed.
"Great! I haven't had a big meal in so long!"
Su Yao exclaimed excitedly from the side.
"An Ran, Uncle will take you to eat something delicious, okay?"
Wang Shu looked at the sensible little girl and found her very endearing. He even imagined if he would have such a fair, jade-like, and well-behaved little princess himself someday. However, glancing at his remaining lifespan, he quickly dismissed the thought. He needed to focus on surviving first. At least extending his lifespan by a few years before he could even consider having offspring.
"Okay!"
An Ran looked at Wang Shu, then at Li Lang, and nodded happily.
Afterward, Wang Shu led them to a 29-yuan all-you-can-eat hot pot restaurant. The place was not far from Li Lang's recording studio, and Wang Shu had noticed it when he arrived.
"Eat as much as you want today, it's on me!"
Wang Shu said with a grin. He was surprised that such an affordable buffet hot pot existed in the bustling city of Hangcheng. Moreover, because the owner saw that Li An Ran was a little girl, they waived the fee. The three of them spent less than a hundred yuan for the entire meal! Thinking about it, Wang Shu couldn't help but marvel at his own frugality.
"Boss, is this the 'big meal' you were talking about?"
Su Yao looked at Wang Shu in surprise. She had expected the boss to be generous this time and treat them to something good, only to find it was a 29-yuan buffet hot pot. Li Lang also looked puzzled. He didn't expect someone as famous as Wang Shu to be so down-to-earth, eating at such a cheap hot pot place.
"Isn't this a big meal? There's meat and vegetables, and it's hot pot. How elaborate is that!"
Wang Shu said, looking intently at Su Yao. Seeing Wang Shu's stare, Su Yao didn't feel like arguing further and began to eat quietly.
"The taste is actually quite good!"
After taking a bite, Su Yao's eyes widened in surprise and admiration.
"Would I lie to you? This is all about 'technology and hard work,' it has to be delicious!"
Wang Shu chuckled wickedly, picked up some food, and started eating.
"What technology? What does this have to do with technology?"
Li Lang, who was enjoying his meal, was taken aback and looked at Wang Shu in confusion. It was just hot pot, how could it be related to high technology?
"It's nothing. Eat up. Let's try to get our money's worth!"
Wang Shu didn't directly answer Li Lang's question and urged him to eat. Two hours later, Wang Shu and Su Yao sat in a taxi back to the hotel, their stomachs full and burping continuously.
"So, are you satisfied with today's big meal?"
Wang Shu asked Su Yao, who was still burping.
"Burp~, it was okay, burp~"
Su Yao replied. Although the meal wasn't expensive, it was one of the few times Wang Shu had treated them. She was content to have eaten at the boss's expense. Moreover, to be honest, the taste was indeed good, comparable to hot pot meals costing hundreds of yuan.
Upon returning to the hotel, both retired to their respective rooms. Wang Shu opened QQ Music. Today was the official release day for his collaboration with He Yue, "Most Dazzling Folk Style." As soon as Wang Shu opened QQ Music, he saw a large banner on the homepage promoting He Yue's new song release. It also included a poster of himself and He Yue, though Wang Shu immediately recognized it as a Photoshop composite. After all, he had never taken a photo with He Yue. The promotional text read: She is a super popular music queen, once the dream lover of countless men. He is a new generation genius songwriter whose song "What's the Matter?" has captivated countless young girls. What kind of spark will the queen and the genius songwriter create?
Reading the promotional text gave Wang Shu goosebumps. He wondered if it was written by a junior writer who had read too many CEO romance novels. However, given how handsome he looked in the photoshopped poster, he decided to forgive the editor. Wang Shu clicked on the promotional poster, which led him to the song's details page. A few minutes before the song's official release, the song title and other related information were still hidden on the details page. To build anticipation, QQ Music had also prepared a song guessing contest. Anyone who guessed the song title correctly would receive a year of QQ Music membership. Wang Shu, of course, wouldn't miss such an event. It was like free money, wasn't it? So, Wang Shu promptly entered the song title and waited for his reward.
Since there were only a few minutes left before the song's release, the event details page was already filled with eager fans. Although the song hadn't been released yet, the comment section already had over a thousand comments, and the number was still growing.
"Looking forward, looking forward, looking forward! Uncle fans, assemble!"
"I'm also a fan of Wang Shu. Uncle is truly amazing!"
"I'm He Yue's fan! Who is 'Uncle'? Do you call He Yue 'Uncle'?"
Seeing the lively comment section, Wang Shu couldn't help but smile. So, his fans were calling him that now? 'Uncle'? He was still young, yet they called him 'Uncle'? Wang Shu understood that "Uncle" was a homophone for "Shu Shu" (from Shu Shu, his nickname), a term of endearment used by fans in this section. Wang Shu wasn't particularly fond of this nickname, as he considered himself a young heartthrob, and "Uncle" made him sound old.
At 4 PM. The song was released on time. It was again available for paid download, priced at five yuan. Wang Shu also received his year-long membership prize from QQ Music. Just as he was happily thinking he could listen to his own work, he discovered that even with membership, he still had to pay to listen.
"??? This is a rip-off!"
Wang Shu was speechless with the platform. Membership still required payment; what was the point of having it? However, on second thought, he would eventually receive a share of the revenue, so he suddenly became very supportive of the rule. Afterward, Wang Shu paid the five yuan and downloaded "Most Dazzling Folk Style."
Five minutes after the song's release, Wang Shu clicked on the bestseller list to check. In just five minutes, the song had already climbed into the top fifty of the bestseller list and was still moving up.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. It seems it's time for me to record my other songs and put them on QQ as well!"
Wang Shu exclaimed, marveling at its rapid revenue-generating potential. If he uploaded the songs he had already sung to QQ Music, he should be able to earn a considerable amount, right?
"This song is so catchy. Although I didn't hear many lyrics from Uncle!"
"This song is truly perfect for He Yue's voice. It's so catchy; I've listened to it twice and I'm already humming along!"
"I've decided, I'm going to sing this song at the New Year's Eve party!"
"He Yue's songs are as good as ever!"
"Yes, especially the lyrics and melodies in her recent songs."
In the comment section, many who had listened to "Most Dazzling Folk Style" immediately left their reviews. Many of Wang Shu's fans were also captivated by the song, even though they had only heard a few lines from Wang Shu. He Yue's fans were completely won over by the song. He Yue's fan base was primarily middle-aged men and women who particularly enjoyed lively and festive songs.
One hour after its release, "Most Dazzling Folk Style" had already climbed to tenth place on the daily bestseller list. More and more users were drawn to this song that had suddenly appeared on the charts. The editorial department of QQ Music, the largest music platform in Dragon Country, was stunned by the explosive sales.
"He Yue's last two releases have been terrifying. They directly entered the top ten of the sales charts upon release. I can't believe the Queen's influence is still so strong after all these years!"
"Did you see who wrote the lyrics and composed these two songs? It's the genius songwriter of the music industry, Wang Shu!"
"Wang Shu? He wrote these two songs?"
The discussion about He Yue's two songs was quite heated in the editorial department at this time.