I Heard That I Am Poor

Chapter 68: I want you to coax me here too.

The next day, when Yu Nian came downstairs, Meng Yuan was sitting in the nanny car, engrossed in operating a tablet.

“Nian Nian, let’s go over today’s schedule. At 10 o’clock in the morning, we have the filming of the promotional video for the show ‘Let Me Sing.’ Apart from you, there are three other judges, but the shooting times are staggered. At 2:30 in the afternoon, we’ll arrive at the recording location for ‘Echo Radio’ to perform ‘Elegant.’ Is that okay?”

Yu Nian was holding his phone, messaging Xie You, but he nodded when Meng Yuan asked, “No problem. However, can you send me the profiles of the other three judges? Also, is the promotion for ‘Let Me Sing’ ready?”

“Sure, I’ll organize the profiles and send them to you.” Meng Yuan agreed, “Yes, we released quite a few news pieces before, creating an air of mystery. The prelude is almost enough, and it’s time to present the main content. It won’t be interesting to just keep teasing and not revealing anything.”

Saying that, Meng Yuan raised her head and noticed the expression on Yu Nian’s face, his eyes narrowed slightly. “Are you in a good mood?”

“Yeah, I’m in a good mood,” Yu Nian replied with a smile.

Meng Yuan clicked her tongue twice, refraining from asking further, and continued, “Huang Yun also sent a big red envelope over and expressed interest in collaborating with you for another song.”

Yu Nian remembered this person, “Is she the female singer who bought ‘Insincere’?”

“Yes, that’s her. When she was doing promotions, she mentioned you by name. As soon as her single was released, it was immediately praised by music critics as one of her best works in recent years. Her team reached out and asked if we could collaborate again, and they offered a high price.”

Yu Nian pondered for a moment, “Let’s consider it. Regardless of the song, it has to suit the singer’s vocal conditions and style. Let’s not rush into accepting.”

“I think the same way. Your songs are excellent, but if the performer isn’t reliable, it could backfire.” Meng Yuan sighed, “But Nian Nian, you really don’t compromise for money!”

Yu Nian chuckled, “How could that be? I need money too, but I still have to adhere to principles and standards.” He thought for a moment, “I wrote a song a couple of days ago, it’s not quite suitable for my sister, but it might be perfect for Bai Yan. We can ask if they’re interested.”

“Definitely! Your last song for her instantly made her popular. It was so effective!” Meng Yuan patted her thigh, “Leave it to me! By the way, Bai Yan happens to be one of the judges on ‘Let Me Sing.'”

When they arrived at their destination, Yu Nian and the others followed the staff upstairs and saw several young female assistants standing in the corridor, waiting for someone.

Meng Yuan sensed something amiss and went to inquire with the staff. She came back to inform Yu Nian, “Tang Xiaoke is inside shooting. He brought his own team, and they said the style of the promotional video didn’t fit his usual image, so they requested adjustments. However, the planners here refused to change it and insisted on sticking to the show’s style. As a result, the filming got delayed.”

Shi Rou looked around and asked in a low voice, “Tang Xiaoke? How did he become a judge? Isn’t he going down the route of lip-syncing pop singers for the sake of popularity? He lacks professional knowledge; isn’t he afraid of being mocked?”

“He’s rich! His father used to own a coal mine and later ventured into real estate. He’s a real nouveau riche. Tang Xiaoke is a useless second-generation; he joined the entertainment industry just to have fun. This time, his family directly invested money with the condition that Tang Xiaoke become a judge to enjoy himself.”

Shi Rou was amazed, “My imagination is limited by poverty. This pampering method is incredible!”

Not long after, the door opened, and Tang Xiaoke came out wearing a bucket hat. He had his hands in the loose pockets of his clothes, looking somewhat displeased.

As he passed by Yu Nian, he suddenly stopped and smiled with one corner of his mouth, “I’m really sorry. Those people inside said I delayed your shooting time. How about this, aren’t you poor? As compensation, I’ll give you five hundred thousand, want it?”

The corridor fell silent instantly, and the nearby crew members all looked over.

Before Yu Nian could speak, Tang Xiaoke shrugged and added, “If you feel embarrassed to take it, consider it a gesture, and I’ll reluctantly buy one of your songs.”

Yu Nian lifted his delicate chin, genuinely puzzled, “Who are you?”

Tang Xiaoke’s face darkened.

The crew members who were silently watching nearby let out a few low laughs, but they quickly stopped.

Whispering to Shi Rou who stood beside him, Yu Nian asked, “Is this… Tang Xiaoke? But he looks quite different from his pictures!”

“Tang Xiaoke? Who’s that?” Yu Nian pondered for several seconds and then smiled, “Oh, that name, I think I’ve heard of you.”

He looked at Tang Xiaoke, a coldness in his eyes, and continued in a calm tone, “When you dare to sing live without auto-tune and lip-syncing, then you might have half the qualifications to talk about buying my songs. As for the money, I’m really sorry; fifty thousand, add another zero, and I still wouldn’t be interested.”

After speaking, Yu Nian took a step forward, smiling, “So, are you planning to continue delaying my shooting?”

After Tang Xiaoke left with a gloomy face, Yu Nian asked Meng Yuan, “What’s going on?”

Meng Yuan explained, “He was getting scolded in there. Tang Xiaoke didn’t listen to the director and wanted to shoot according to his own ideas. The director lost his temper, saying that if Tang Xiaoke continued to be uncooperative and delayed the next person’s shooting, then he could choose not to shoot at all. I guess this attitude made the young master angry, and when he saw you, he wanted to take it out on you.”

Shi Rou exclaimed indignantly, “Taking it out on Nian Nian? He deserves to be retorted!”

Yu Nian held his phone, unperturbed, “Don’t worry about it. Let’s go inside and get the shooting done early.”

The filming went smoothly with excellent camera work and planning. During the process, the production team also arranged for an interview with Yu Nian to be aired in the first episode.

Yu Nian’s black hair was slightly disheveled by the stylist, and he wore a white silk shirt with light makeup.

When asked in the interview, “What kind of feelings or motivations have led you to achieve such brilliant results?”

Facing the camera, Yu Nian’s expression was serious, “My grandmother once taught me that with every breath and blink, a second passes by, and we can’t redo each second. So, every step we take must be done wholeheartedly to avoid regrets.
Since my debut, whether it’s singing, acting, or songwriting, I have received a lot of love, applause, and cheers from everyone. But none of these are things I take for granted. That’s why I want to work even harder to deserve them. I don’t want to disappoint those who like me and let them think, ‘How poor is their taste to like someone like him.'”

“Now, as a judge, what do you think? If you encounter someone extremely talented, even more talented than you, what will you feel?”

Upon hearing this question, Shi Rou couldn’t help but glance at Meng Yuan and whispered, “What’s up with the production team? Why ask such a question?”

Meng Yuan shook her head, “It’s okay. Nian Nian can handle it.”

Yu Nian pondered for a few seconds, “As a judge, I hope to work harder and become even more capable; otherwise, I wouldn’t have the qualification to critique others. As for encountering more talented people, there are already countless exceptionally talented individuals in the world, many far better than me. Realizing and accepting this fact will only motivate me to work even harder.” 

After the filming, the group had lunch in the nanny car. Meng Yuan sighed, “Having an artist who can speak without beating around the bush is really a blessing!”

Yu Nian smiled, “Is it an exaggeration?”

“No, no, no, it’s not an exaggeration! Whenever an artist makes a mistake in their words, it gets amplified and spread all over the internet. Dealing with it is really frustrating!” Meng Yuan pointed at his hair, “Do you know why my hair is so black and thick? It’s because I’m dealing with an artist with high intelligence, so I’m at ease!”

Yu Nian burst into laughter and turned to Shi Rou, “Sister Rou Rou, you know how difficult it is for me to stay humble and not get arrogant, right?”

After lunch, they took a half-hour nap to rest. When they arrived at the recording location for “Echo Radio,” they all went to the backstage area.

“Echo Radio” was an established live music show in the country, airing once a week on Saturdays at 5 p.m. It was authoritative and considered a benchmark in the industry.

After the rehearsal, Yu Nian got his makeup done and changed into his performance outfit. He lowered his head, allowing the makeup artist to touch up his eyeliner while talking to Shi Rou next to him, “After the performance, I’ll head home directly. Sister Rou Rou, you should also go home and rest.”

Shi Rou nodded, “I left some ribs in the fridge’s cold storage in the morning. Are you planning to cook for yourself tonight?”

Yu Nian smiled, “Yeah, I’m planning to make soup.”

After the makeup artist stepped back, Yu Nian moved his hand wearing a silver-gray glove, and said, “I’m going to perform now.”

Onstage, the spotlight shone down on Yu Nian, who was wearing a well-tailored black velvet suit. Inside, he had a white shirt with the top three buttons unbuttoned, and a silver, slender metal chain adorned his outfit, shining brightly under the lights.

Meng Yuan leaned against the wall, whispering, “Sister Rou Rou, do you know how good my eye for talent was to spot Yu Nian?”

Shi Rou was momentarily speechless, “Perhaps, it was the peak of your life’s discernment?”

Meng Yuan rubbed his chin, “Makes sense!” Then his eyes turned serious, and he mumbled, “I hope he won’t joke about his future…”

Shi Rou didn’t catch the last part, “Brother Meng, what did you say? What joke about his future?”

“Nothing,” Meng Yuan snapped out of it, “Are you watching the live broadcast on your phone?”

“Yeah, the cameraman is really favoring Nian Nian’s face. They’ve given so many close-ups. To be honest, I follow Nian Nian every day, and I can’t help but want to take screenshots! He’s really good-looking!”

[Baby! Mama loves you! It sounds so good, I can’t stop listening!]

[Wow, he’s on ‘Echo Radio’! The crystal tree on stage is so beautiful! Nian Nian’s talent is really powerful! I’m blown away by this performance! ‘Elegant’ is my favorite song this year!]

[The live performance sounds even better than the studio recording! What kind of talent does he possess? Those who said he relies on autotune can go away! So, haters, stop finding faults; you’ll only be slapped in the face by Nian Nian’s talent!]

Shi Rou smiled at Meng Yuan, “Brother Meng, are you worried about people leaving negative comments? Don’t worry; Nian Nian’s live performance is flawless!”

Meng Yuan took a deep breath and said to himself, “Yeah, I won’t think about it. Let things take their course.”

After the show, when Yu Nian returned home, it was already six o’clock. He called Xie You, “Are you hungry? I just got home, and dinner might be a bit late.”

Xie You’s voice came from the other side, “I’m in a meeting. Take your time, no rush.”

“Okay, then come over when you’re done with work.”

“Alright, I will.”

After hanging up the phone, the meeting room became quiet. Xie You looked around and rhythmically tapped the table with his fingers, “Continue.”

When the aroma of mushroom and pork rib soup filled the kitchen, the knock on the door finally arrived. Yu Nian opened the door, and the first thing he saw was a bouquet of “flowers.”

Yu Nian also seemed taken aback, “These flowers—”

Xie You looked nervous, “You don’t like them?”

Yu Nian invited Xie You in and hurriedly explained, “No, I really like them! It’s just that I’m a bit surprised.”

Xie You held a bouquet of paper-folded roses, explaining, “Fresh flowers wither, and I don’t want them to wilt, so I made a bouquet of paper-folded roses. They’re not very well done, though.”

Yu Nian sighed; it seemed that he always fell for Xie You’s actions, “Did you fold them yourself?”

Xie You was a bit anxious, “Yes.”

Looking at the patterns on the paper, Yu Nian recalled something and was surprised again, “The paper used to fold the flowers is iridescent watermarked paper, right?”

Xie You quickly nodded, “Yes, I saw this paper at an auction last year and bought five sheets, just enough to fold these roses!”

Yu Nian reached out to take the bouquet and examined it closely. He could almost imagine Xie You concentrating while folding the paper. He smiled, “I remember this kind of paper has a special texture, and it must be quite challenging to fold flowers with it, right?”

Xie You carefully considered, “It’s okay, not too difficult.”

Following Yu Nian into the kitchen, Xie You instinctively went to get bowls and chopsticks, hesitated for a moment, and then stood behind Yu Nian.

“Nian Nian.”

Yu Nian was about to lift the lid to check the soup’s progress when he heard Xie You calling him. He responded, “Hmm?”

Xie You hesitated, “I… It’s the first time I’ve liked someone, and I’m afraid I won’t do well enough, making you feel like it’s just so-so.”

Understanding Xie You’s concern, Yu Nian scooped half a spoonful of soup, blew on it to cool it down, and then offered it to Xie You’s lips. Seeing him drink it, he shook his head and said, “No, I’ve never felt that way at all. On the contrary, just seeing you now makes all the day’s hard work disappear.”

As he spoke, Yu Nian leaned in and kissed the corner of Xie You’s lips, “Are you feeling happier now?”

Xie You stared at Yu Nian without blinking and suddenly pointed to the center of his lips, “Nian Nian, you need to comfort me here too, is that alright?”