Chapter 120: It’s a Pity There Are No What-Ifs

The early bird catches the worm, but if you wake up too early, the worms are still fast asleep.

Ren Qian checked his watch; it was already 7:30 AM. Aside from a few cleaners, the studio was empty. Even Hong Tao, who usually worked from dawn till dusk, had yet to arrive.

It wasn't that the singers and staff were lazy; their schedule was set for an 8:00 AM arrival. It was simply that Ren Qian had arrived early. The consequence of being early was having nothing to do. A general without an army has no opportunity to show off his command or martial prowess.

Furthermore, he didn't dare touch anyone else's instruments. Many were locked away in storage cabinets. These instruments were worth hundreds of thousands, and having accompanied the musicians for years, they were treated like their very lives. If Ren Qian were to accidentally damage one, those old-timers would likely fight him to the death.

Since that was the case, he had no choice but to sit obediently in the audience section and pass the time with his phone. He realized he hadn't been paying much attention to social media lately.

Opening Weibo, his phone erupted with a series of notifications. Ren Qian discovered that a large number of people were tagging him. Following the tags were comments like, "God Qian, what a touching letter. You should come out and persuade the girl's boyfriend," "God Qian, you've brought so many couples together, one more won't hurt," and "Don't worry, girl; once God Qian steps in, your little lover will surely come back."

What was this? Were the netizens treating him like a professional matchmaker?

Deeply puzzled, Ren Qian followed the trail to find the cause. It turned out a sentimental girl, heartbroken over a breakup, had written a letter specifically to him titled "A Letter to Ren Qian."

The letter detailed her emotional journey: the reasons for the breakup, her emotional turmoil afterward, and her confusion.

"...I vaguely remember the day we broke up. I didn't want to do anything, just huddled in bed listening to you, God Qian, listening to 'Heart Still Lingers' over and over again. Who knew it would become a conditioned reflex? Now, whenever I hear that song, my heart aches involuntarily..."

"...You know that when scratching a lottery ticket, you should stop once you see the first 'thank you' and wait for the next bus if the doors have already closed, but instead, you insist on scratching it clean. Only after chasing until you're out of breath do you realize you shouldn't have tortured a relationship until its time was up, only to realize the situation is beyond saving..."

"...I should have known. Two parallel lines had a point of intersection. A brief encounter, and then we would drift further and further apart... But I refuse to believe it. I don't believe our relationship has reached its end. But I don't know where it went wrong. I try to search for answers, but I can't put down my pride, and he doesn't dare test me easily..."

"...I know he loves me, but I was too willful... I pushed him to a place where I can no longer reach him..."

These were just a few excerpts from the letter. Netizens were moved to tears. It was written with genuine emotion; it seemed she had reflected deeply after the breakup.

But why couldn't they reunite?

Regardless of the reason, the netizens were emotionally invested, constantly tagging Ren Qian and hoping he would step in to guide these two young people. After all, they could have spent a lifetime together; true love is hard to come by.

"Sigh, when did I become a matchmaker?" he wondered, tapping away on Weibo.

[Love is not easy; cherish it as you go. Give me thirty minutes, and I will gift you a song. I hope you can mend your broken relationship, walk down the aisle together, and make it to your silver and golden anniversaries...]

Once the post went live, the comments exploded.

"God Qian, you jinx, how dare you show your face? You ruined the Heavenly King Wan's family with one joke!"

"It's been a long time since God Qian released a new song. The wedding companies are in luck this time; waiting."

"A song in thirty minutes, truly my God Qian, so domineering!"

"If it's from God Qian, it must be a masterpiece."

"I like the phrase 'cherish it as you go.' Elegant and wise; you can see God Qian's cultural literacy at a glance. No wonder he's a master who could write the soundtrack for 'Dream of the Red Chamber' and earn praise from professional experts."

While Weibo was in an uproar, the musicians began to arrive, chatting and messing around. A bizarre scene unfolded: these guys all set their phones to speakerphone and simultaneously started playing their instruments, making a racket. It was just to let their wives know, "See? Your husband is doing proper work, not out cheating; I'm here at the concert hall studying music, so stop nagging me."

"Ahem..." Ren Qian coughed awkwardly from the side.

"Um, seniors, I’m going to trouble you all again. I have a piece today and hope you can accompany me. And the camera crew, I’ll need your help recording."

"No problem!" "Sure thing!" "What are you talking about, Ren Qian? Through this show, not only have we met like-minded friends, but our fees have gone up... We should be thanking you!"

Someone mentioned that whenever the camera caught the musicians during the broadcast, their names were displayed—a basic sign of respect. Because of this small gesture, many people remembered their names, and their appearance fees had risen accordingly.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony..." Ren Qian rubbed his hands together. He hadn't played on the charts in a long time.

He gave the musicians ten minutes to familiarize themselves with the song before they started playing. It was simple, crude, and quite pretentious. The song Ren Qian chose for the girl was JJ Lin’s "If Only." The lyrics, the meaning, and the sentiment fit the couple's situation perfectly. Perhaps gifting it to her would help them reconcile.

'If I had taken all the mistakes I could make, and made them all... I should have had time to repent...'

The simple rhythm had the musicians feeling high. Having just dealt with their wives' check-ins, how could they not be in high spirits? The pianist’s fingers were flying, bordering on manic—who knows what kind of pressure he was under at home?

But Ren Qian was having a headache. No matter how he listened, the accompaniment these guys were putting together felt full of a strange sense of schadenfreude.

"Stop! I want a melancholic tone. Heartbreak, despair, heartache. Pianist, don't lead the rhythm astray!"

The pianist, Lin Feng, gave a sheepish smile and nodded. The band started again. The piano notes finally captured the feeling Ren Qian wanted.

'If I had taken all the mistakes I could make... and made them all... should I have had time to repent? If we hadn't let everything be said... that little storm... could we have laughed it off? In front of love... why talk about ego? Just muddling through... would have been better...'

His enunciation was blurred, like a murmur, instantly pulling people into the mood. A heartbroken, desperate male protagonist came to life.