Chapter 45: Zhou Yanran, the Highway Robber

Before departing for Yanjing, the first song from Magic City Tianceng Entertainment, "Dragon Scales of Heaven and Earth," was finally released! The other songs hadn’t even been recorded yet. They could only wait until after the interview in Yanjing to continue recording.

Fortunately, Xingyue Media had only dismissed Song Liang. They hadn’t completely blacklisted him. This wasn’t exactly benevolence, but at least they hadn’t pushed things to the extreme. So Song Liang could still access the music platforms’ resources.

Meanwhile, Su Bai posted his second video on Douyin—a clip of him singing "Dragon Scales of Heaven and Earth" in the recording studio. At the end of the video, he told everyone the song was now available on all major platforms and invited those interested to listen.

With eight million followers, Su Bai’s video was instantly propelled to the trending page by his active fans.

“Su Bai, even though there’s a lot of doubt online right now, I believe in you!”

“Go, Su God! When will you livestream and meet everyone? Most of your fans have never seen you perform live!”

Of course, alongside the loyal supporters, there were always haters seizing the opportunity to attack him.

“Coward! If you weren’t going to accept the challenge, you shouldn’t have boasted in the first place!”

“Damn, what is this? You bragged about challenging Kunkun to a live showdown, and then you run away? Let everyone see you flee!”

“Still calling him ‘Su God’? Might as well call him Su Runner!”

“Stop acting like a big shot. So what if you can play guitar? Real talent is in playing the piano!”

Beneath the hate, countless fans defended Su Bai, engaging in heated debates. But after glancing a few times, Su Bai didn’t bother to look further, unwilling to let it affect his mood.

Less than an hour after "Dragon Scales of Heaven and Earth" went online, Zhou Yang called.

“Brother Bai, someone’s offered three million already—they want to discuss collaboration! And more than one party has contacted me!”

Zhou Yang’s excitement was obvious.

Su Bai immediately refused without hesitation, “Tell them, ‘Dragon Scales of Heaven and Earth’ will not be used commercially in any way!”

Since he had decided to offer "Dragon Scales of Heaven and Earth" to the nation for free, he would not allow it to be used for any other purpose. This was also his pledge of loyalty. There was no need to rush to make money. There would be plenty of good songs ahead.

Seeing Su Bai’s unwavering resolve, Zhou Yang exchanged a helpless glance with Song Liang and sighed.

Song Liang grinned, “I told you, Su Bai isn’t in it for this. There’s no need to ruin one’s future for a bit of petty profit!”

Zhou Yang’s eyes widened at Song Liang. Three million was a petty profit? Then what counted as a big one?

Su Bai and Yang Mengke boarded the flight to Yanjing together. After previous experiences, Su Bai really couldn’t leave Yang Mengke alone in Magic City. Even though Liu Ruotong had offered to let her stay at her place and guaranteed her safety, Su Bai insisted on bringing her along. After all, Liu Ruotong was still a student. It was summer break, but they couldn’t impose on her indefinitely.

After landing, they planned to take a taxi to the address Yu Lan had provided. But a luxurious Mercedes pulled up right in front of them. While Su Bai was still puzzled, the rear window slowly rolled down.

Inside sat a woman with a slightly aloof beauty. Even though she wore large sunglasses, they couldn’t hide her exquisite features.

“Su Bai, get in the car. Let’s talk.”

Hearing her call his name so directly, Su Bai was momentarily startled. Was she here for him?

“And you are?”

“Zhou Yanran from Xingyue Media—you can call Song Liang to verify.”

Zhou Yanran? The CEO of Xingyue Media, daughter of the company’s founder? What was she looking for him for?

To be honest, Su Bai had little fondness for people from Xingyue Media. First, Li Xiguang had surfaced, colluding with Liu Siyan from Huisi Capital. Then they’d decided to dismiss Song Liang. And all of it was connected to him.

Now, this woman had sought him out so abruptly—nothing good could come of it.

“If you have something to say, say it. I’m busy.”

Zhou Yanran removed her oversized sunglasses, revealing a pair of captivating, almond-shaped eyes. After a brief moment of distraction, Su Bai quickly regained his composure.

With a playful smile, Zhou Yanran fixed her gaze on Su Bai. “Are you sure you’re really that busy?”

As she spoke, Zhou Yanran tossed a magazine out of the car window.

“Just read this. If you’re still sure you’re busy after that, I’ll leave right now.”

His eyes fell on a bold headline that instantly gripped him:

Shock! Rising star Su Bai suspected of living together with a mysterious woman!

Beneath it were three photos: one of Yang Mengke holding onto Su Bai’s arm, another of the two entering an elevator together, and a third of Su Bai adjusting Yang Mengke’s clothes.

There was no need to read the content—the images alone made the intimacy between them obvious.

A surge of anger welled up within him. They’d even gone so far as to secretly photograph them at home. Thinking of the potential consequences for Yang Mengke if her identity was exposed, Su Bai’s heart instantly turned cold.

He would never allow Yang Mengke to face danger a third time.

His gaze grew colder, and he demanded in a near-roar, “Where did you get these?”

Zhou Yanran was taken aback by Su Bai’s sudden outburst. Her previously amused expression vanished, replaced by a cold glare.

“If you want to talk, get in. If not, leave. I got involved to help you, only to get into trouble myself!”

With that, Zhou Yanran raised the window.

Su Bai and Yang Mengke exchanged glances. He promptly opened the front passenger door for Yang Mengke, letting her in, and then got into the back seat himself.

“All right, tell me—where did you get these photos and this story?”

Zhou Yanran couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation. “Ha! Did you come to question me?”

“If that’s all, there’s nothing more to discuss. Get out.”

Su Bai was momentarily at a loss for words. His tone had indeed been too harsh.

Noticing his embarrassment, Zhou Yanran’s mood seemed to improve.

“If I hadn’t suppressed it, this news would be splashed across the front pages of every major website and platform today. Believe it or not!”

After speaking, Zhou Yanran glanced at the girl in the passenger seat. No wonder Su Bai would “hide a beauty in a golden house”—with such stunning looks, even as a woman, she felt her heart skip.

Hearing the story hadn’t been posted online, Su Bai’s anxiety faded.

“All right, let’s be direct—what do you want in exchange?”

Zhou Yanran laughed again in disbelief. “So you think everyone’s like you, always doing things with an agenda?”

Su Bai replied with disdain, “Ha! I can’t speak for others, but you certainly are.”

“Brother Song just spoke up for me, that’s all. How did Xingyue Media handle it? Do I need to spell it out?”

“You…” Zhou Yanran was momentarily speechless, her face flushing and paling in turn, her chest heaving with indignation.

She wanted to object, but Su Bai had spoken nothing but the truth.