CHAPTER 202: 192 WENXIU SAID (2383)

Over the past year, he had consciously or unconsciously been building a good relationship with Zhao Chun, all as a foundation for saving Zhao Chun later. But now...

"Senior Zhao." Li Yibai waved and walked toward Zhao Chun and Yao Yu, his smile warm and friendly. "Haven’t seen you for a summer, Senior Zhao, you’re even more dazzlingly handsome!" To talk about Zhao Chun—he’s the kind of person who loves compliments, especially about his looks. Flattering him any other way just won’t do.

"Not at all, not at all." Zhao Chun modestly clasped his hands together, clearly enjoying the praise, the dark gleam in his eyes curving into arcs.

"By the way, Senior Zhao, I listened to the ’Daybreak’ track you and Yao Yu recorded a few days ago. It moved me to tears, absolutely moved my soul. Senior Zhao, you really are hiding your brilliance under a bushel."

Zhao Chun felt irritated just hearing about ’Daybreak’ now, and was blunt: "You misunderstood. This song was written by someone nicknamed Eggsy. Yao Yu and I simply helped with the recording and got someone else to sing it."

Not him? Li Yibai immediately caught onto the key point. "Senior Zhao, could you introduce me to Eggsy? Honestly, I truly admire Eggsy—who could write lyrics with such deeply rooted stories? They must be someone with a lot of experiences."

"Junior Li, couldn’t agree more!" Yao Yu admired Li Yibai, nodding emphatically. In his opinion, Eggsy was indeed someone laden with stories.

Zhao Chun said, "I honestly wouldn’t know. Eggsy is rather elusive. Back then, all they did was send me the lyrics and sheet music and asked me to produce ’Daybreak.’ If it made money, we’d split fifty-fifty. I just finished the recording, but before I could pay them, the earthquake destroyed everything—even their address. They might not even be alive anymore."

Li Yibai scrutinized him with concealed suspicion, but Zhao Chun didn’t seem to be lying. In that case, Eggsy was likely a reincarnator—with their presence altering Zhao Chun’s fate and perhaps even causing the earthquake itself. Eggsy undoubtedly possessed a skill similar to his own. That could spell trouble.

"That’s truly unfortunate," he feigned a sigh, "Then does Senior Zhao remember anything else about Eggsy? I’ll look for them myself." Sure, the address was gone, but he should at least recall some general info, like where they were from.

"I really don’t," Zhao Chun shook his head. "Frankly, people like that—I don’t remember them."

What a way to be pretentious. In his heart, Li Yibai gave Zhao Chun a sarcastic thumbs-up. Such a shame you weren’t born in modern times, or your dad would surely be Wang Jianlin.

"Li Yibai!" From the shade of a nearby tree, a braided girl called out.

It was Li Mei. Li Yibai’s face darkened briefly before he bowed to Zhao Chun and Yao Yu. "I have some matters to tend to and must leave. I’ll come chat with you guys next time."

Zhao Chun noticed the girl and was reminded of Wenxiu. The association made sense because this girl hung out with Wenxiu. But thoughts of Wenxiu also brought up what Jiang Jinghuai had told him. Strange—where had that happened? He couldn’t recall the location but remembered the conversation.

Li Yibai quickly approached Li Mei, his expression faintly anxious. Side by side, he lowered his voice as they walked. "What’s the matter? Is it something about the village..."

"Why panic?" Li Mei giggled. "It’s not that. You see me and immediately think of the village’s situation... It’s Wenxiu who needs you and asked me to remind you."

"Oh, Wenxiu." Li Yibai relaxed, his brows lifting joyfully as he pictured her radiant face. "Why didn’t Wenxiu come herself?"

"She’s tied up with something and couldn’t leave," Li Mei replied. "By the way, what were you chatting about with Zhao Chun just now?"

"Oh, nothing much," Li Yibai shrugged nonchalantly. "I just mentioned how moving that ’Daybreak’ track was and asked him how it came to be."

"Bah." Li Mei’s demeanor shifted abruptly as she sneered in disdain. "That ’Daybreak’—Wenxiu says it was deliberately manipulative. She warned us not to be tricked into shedding tears. As if parent-child relationships are always so deep. The world sees it all—there are parents who shove their children into the abyss, claiming to give them life but actually delivering them straight to hell."

Li Yibai considered her words and felt Wenxiu had a point. In his previous life, he never truly experienced familial warmth or the joys of family. Only certain people could be moved by sentiments like that.

As for him? He wasn’t moved. It was just an excuse to pull information from Zhao Chun.

"You actually thought that song was written by Zhao Chun and wanted his input?"

Of course not. But Li Yibai couldn’t admit that, so he simply nodded.

"Wenxiu told me she knows Zhao Chun herself. According to her, Zhao Chun’s a lazy, aimless punk who dresses like a street thug every single day. He doesn’t have a shred of knowledge in him. That song was definitely something he plagiarized from somewhere!" Li Mei confidently declared.

Li Yibai was stunned, and his admiration for Wenxiu grew. The song genuinely wasn’t Zhao Chun’s work, but Li Yibai, as a reincarnator, knew that from the start. Wenxiu was a local native—her conclusion was derived purely from intuition. That kind of sharp perception? Incredible. It made him adore her even more. If he, the reincarnator, was the destined male lead, Wenxiu was his clearly chosen female lead. Smart, perceptive—she truly had his heart.

"Well, technically, it wasn’t plagiarism. I asked Zhao Chun, and apparently, someone using a pseudonym requested him to record it."

Li Mei snorted disdainfully. "Exactly. Just proves he’s not educated or talented. Wenxiu said someone like Zhao Chun will never amount to anything in life, so don’t bother getting close to him. Focus on being yourself."

Now it was Li Yibai’s turn to scoff—internally, that is. Not at Wenxiu, certainly, but at Li Mei. Zhao Chun, amounting to nothing? The guy’s future soars high beyond the skies. One day, Zhao Chun will be hugely successful—a major force to reckon with—and you call him useless? Treat him like an idiot?! And the person uttering this nonsense wasn’t someone random—she’s saying it on Wenxiu’s behalf...

But then again, what if Wenxiu was right?

Indeed, Eggsy’s arrival might genuinely alter Zhao Chun’s fate. Without his injury, Zhao Chun wouldn’t be driven to succeed—to climb the ranks and gain power. Maybe he truly could leave Zhao Chun behind. After all, there was still Meng Shuyan. Wait, earthquake—will Meng Shuyan even survive?!

So now the two biggest cards he’d planned to play might be gone. If so, would he have no choice but to rely solely on himself—and his advantage as a reincarnator?

He couldn’t make any rash decisions. If the opportunity arose, he still had to test Zhao Chun.

But he had Wenxiu—Wenxiu would help him.

"Focus on being your best, Yibai," Li Mei said. "Wenxiu also wanted me to tell you that the script for ’Desire’ is excellent. All that’s left is starting production. She has connections with the Lu Family and will help you find reliable people to produce it. Once the drama is broadcast nationwide, everyone will know your name. You’ll be the brightest star—nobody can match your talent. Spending time worrying about Zhao Chun won’t do you any good when you could be working on more pieces to publish."

"Absolutely!" Li Yibai was immediately filled with confidence, his grin spreading wide. "Li Mei, tell Wenxiu I’ll give it my all."

"Sure. I’ll definitely let her know."

"By the way..." Li Yibai glanced up and asked, "Is Wenxiu still working odd jobs?"

"Yes, she is."

Clenching his fists, Li Yibai silently resolved to start publishing novels and earn more royalties. Wenxiu, now abandoned by the heartless Jiang Family, was living through tough times—she needed money. Over the past year, he had spent most of his energy networking and strategizing, publishing only two pieces—both academic articles in the People’s Daily. Now, there was ’Desire,’ but the overall volume of his work felt insufficient.

"And one more thing. Zhao Chun’s been eyeing your script—don’t let them produce it. They haven’t even graduated yet; what could they possibly produce? A good script would just get ruined in their hands." Li Mei warned.

Li Yibai hesitated momentarily and then nodded.

"Boss, you said you couldn’t remember... so why did you tell Junior Li that much about Eggsy?" Over on the other side, Yao Yu asked curiously.

Zhao Chun replied, "There are only a handful of people who know about me getting burned—it’s better not to spread it around, or it’ll be a hit to my dignity."

"Got it," Yao Yu nodded knowingly. "Then, should we talk to Junior Li and see if he’ll let us produce his script?"

Zhao Chun wavered. "A good script needs a good production team. We have to show him both our sincerity and our abilities. Let’s head back and make preparations first."