Chapter 18: I Choose to Donate "Dragon Scales of Heaven and Earth" Free of Charge

Tong Zigong held a glass of wine in one hand. With a hint of self-mockery, he said, “Su Bai, hello.”
“May I have a drink with you?”
“Thank you for your song, truly!”
“No matter what—your ‘Actor’ allowed Qianqian and me to let go of our obsessions.”
“We were able to make our own choices.”
“I feel I ought to drink a toast to you!”
Looking at the two glasses of red wine in Tong Zigong’s hands, Su Bai could understand how he must be feeling at that moment.
Su Bai had watched the entire process—from Tong Zigong opening the wine, letting it breathe, to pouring it into the glasses.
Originally, Tong Zigong had hoped to share a drink with Shen Qianqian to let go of their youth.
But in the end, Shen Qianqian had simply walked away.
“Tong, right? Strictly speaking, I probably shouldn’t be drinking this glass,” Su Bai said.
“Because I still have to ride my electric scooter later, and if I drink, that’s technically driving under the influence!”
The moment Tong Zigong heard this, a trace of disappointment appeared on his face.
Of course, the other person did come by scooter; even though a sip of wine wouldn’t really matter,
Still, it was true that one shouldn’t drink and drive—whether it was a car or a scooter.
“But, to mourn our lost love, I’ll drink this glass!”
With that, Su Bai picked up the glass from Tong Zigong’s hand, clinked it against his, and downed it in one go!
Tong Zigong stared at Su Bai in a daze, touched by this unexpected turn.
“To mourn our lost love—cheers!”
He, too, drained his glass.

[Ding! Third delivery task completed.]
[Customer has given an SSS rating!]
[Reward: third vial of serum. Please take within 24 hours.]
[Reward: 50,000 in cash!]
[Having completed three delivery tasks, you’ve unlocked the Serum Shop function.]
[New feature unlocked: Honor Points. Gain Honor Points by earning fan recognition! Current points: 0]
[For reference: Fan likes: +1 point. Fan admires: +5 points. Fan is neutral: 0 points. Fan turns black: -1 point. Fan hates: -5 points.]
[System tip: You can gain fans by publishing works on short video platforms or releasing songs.]
[Fans gained in reality through personal charisma also count!]
[Serums available for exchange: Fourth serum: 1,000 points. Fifth serum: 3,000 points. Sixth serum: 5,000 points. Seventh serum: 10,000 points.]

Su Bai was thrilled to see the vials behind Yang Mengke’s name now available in his points shop.
But seeing the enormous points requirement, he felt a surge of helplessness.
With zero points at present, he’d need nearly twenty thousand to redeem those four serums.
Gaining points via fans’ impressions of him—
It seemed he’d need to speed up launching his Douyin account and releasing his songs.
This time, the system didn’t issue a 48-hour prompt for the fourth delivery, just a tip about serum exchange for points.
So, the rules had changed?
After receiving the serum, Su Bai didn’t head straight home.
Not because he wasn’t in a hurry—
But because he couldn’t ride his scooter now.
Why? He’d had a drink!
With no other choice, Su Bai took out his phone.
“Hello, is this a designated driver service? Yes, that’s right—I’m at No. 145, XX Road. You’ll see me when you get here.”
Fifteen minutes later, the designated driver looked at the electric scooter in front of him.
“This is your vehicle?”
Su Bai nodded firmly. “Yes, it’s a vehicle, isn’t it?”
“Yes, yes it is!”
“But…where should I sit? Should I remove your delivery box in the back?”
“No, just ride it to Modu Hospital for me. I’ll get a cab home myself.”
This scene happened to be captured live by Tong Zigong on the rooftop, using his phone.
Originally, he’d just wanted to livestream Su Bai’s departure as a gesture of farewell.
He hadn’t expected such a dramatic turn.
“Wow, calling a designated driver for an electric scooter—this is a first for me.”
“What an outrageous move, I might have to try it!”
“Su Bai’s really something—he’ll do whatever’s necessary. Just for one drink with Tong, he pays twice—once for the driver, once for a cab!”
...
Back at the hospital, seeing Yang Mengke’s daily improvement brought Su Bai genuine joy.
“Xiao Ke, you’ll be able to get better soon. That’s wonderful!”
Yang Mengke beamed sweetly.
Lately, their conversations were filled with laughter and joy.
No longer plagued by illness or financial troubles, they could once again savor the beauty of life.
“Brother, are you planning to sign with Star Moon Media?”
Su Bai shook his head. “I haven’t decided yet. I’ll get to know them a bit first. I’d heard of the company before, but I’m not familiar with their actual practices.”
“Based on Vice President Li Xiguang’s behavior alone, I’m not too impressed.”
“But let’s put Star Moon Media aside for now. I’ll open a Douyin account first!”
Registering was easy—just a phone number sufficed.

“Xiao Ke, what do you think I should post as my first work?”
“I think, given how popular you are online right now, you don’t need to post anything complicated. A brief self-introduction will already cause a sensation!”
“Who knows how many fans will be chasing after you then.”
Su Bai grinned, realizing that Xiao Ke must truly be feeling better if she was in the mood to tease him.
“Hi everyone, I’m Su Bai. I’ve just joined Douyin today. First, thank you all for your support.”
“Going forward, I’ll use this account to post my latest works. Thank you, everyone.”
A short video of just a few seconds was uploaded.
The phone rang—it was Song Liang.
“Hello, Su Bai. Director Zhang from the Palace Museum is in Modu. Could you come over for a bit?”
Since he had promised to donate “Heaven and Earth Dragon Scales” to the Palace Museum, he had to fulfill his pledge.
He ought to meet this Director Zhang.
Half an hour later—
“Hello, Director Zhang. Sorry to trouble you to come in person!”
Zhang Mingke was a kindly-looking middle-aged man, wearing glasses, his hair neatly parted, dressed in a formal suit.
“Heh, Su Bai, you’re even younger than I imagined!”
“Young people these days are amazing!”
“Others take a year, even several, to create a good song. But you, you write one every day!”
“There’s a saying online, isn’t there? Even the donkeys at the production team weren’t this productive!”
Everyone burst out laughing.
That simple phrase instantly closed the distance among them; there was no longer any sense of formality.
Su Bai had to admit—people who’d worked in government offices for a long time truly understood the art of conversation,
knowing exactly how to quickly forge connections.
“I heard from Director Song that you’re donating ‘Heaven and Earth Dragon Scales’ to the Palace Museum free of charge. That’s truly commendable!”
“But I also heard about your situation—your sister is still in the hospital. We absolutely can’t take your song for free!”
“How about this: we originally set a fifty thousand yuan reward for songs selected for Palace Museum cultural promotions.”
“You should accept this prize.”
Su Bai waved his hand. “No need. I said I would donate it, and I won’t go back on my word!”
“Besides, my sister’s hospital bills have already been taken care of.”
Seeing Su Bai’s determination, both Zhang Mingke and Song Liang’s eyes lit up and they smiled, saying nothing more.
They all understood: Donating the song to the Palace Museum free of charge was worlds apart from accepting payment.
For his career, the former was far more valuable!
To realize this at such a young age—remarkable!