Chapter 39: A Song to Sing with Chen Yingying!

Train station.

A dense crowd flowed ceaselessly in all directions!

Galen paid the fare, jumped out of the taxi, and dashed toward the exit while holding up his phone, shouting, “I’m here! Yingying, where are you?”

“Hmph! I’m right at the exit. If you don’t get here soon, I’ll buy a ticket and go back!”

Hearing Chen Yingying’s petulant words, Galen couldn’t help but quicken his pace, faster and faster!

Only when he finally spotted Chen Yingying did he breathe a sigh of relief. “Made it just in time…”

She shot him a glare, but the anger she feigned vanished in an instant, replaced by a face full of concern. “Why were you running so fast? I wasn’t going to disappear. Look at the sweat on your forehead!”

As she spoke, she took out a tissue and gently wiped the beads of sweat from his brow.

Galen was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion, hugging Chen Yingying tightly and murmuring, “I’ve missed you so much!”

She stiffened in his embrace, then quickly twisted to break free. “What are you doing? So many people are watching! Let go of me…”

“No! I won’t let go!”

Several passersby who witnessed the scene all smiled knowingly.

Although Galen had gained some fame online, no one recognized him in real life. But he preferred it this way—at least he didn’t have to be the center of attention.

“Let’s go! I’ll take you home, then we’ll have a good meal!”

Yingying only carried a small backpack, which Galen insisted on taking for her, slinging it over his shoulder and wrapping an arm around her as they headed out of the station.

She struggled a little, but soon relented.

Back at Galen’s place, Yingying seemed uneasy. “What about your roommates?”

“They’ve all gone home for Golden Week!” Galen replied, then grinned. “You can stay here these few days! No need for me to send you back in the middle of the night like before!”

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Yingying blushed. “I’ll find a hotel later!”

Galen sighed dramatically. “So I’ll be left all alone…”

Seeing his exaggerated disappointment, Yingying giggled, tugging at his arm. “Alright, let’s eat! I’m hungry!”

“Let’s go! What do you want?”

They barely set their bags down, still in the same clothes and shoes, before heading out again.

“Let’s get stewed pork liver from the place across the street! I’ve been craving it ever since I went home.”

“No way! You finally made it here, why settle for stewed liver? Don’t pinch pennies for my sake!”

“Who’s pinching pennies? I just want to eat it!”

“Well… alright then…”

Chatting and laughing, they soon arrived at the restaurant opposite the complex.

It was past mealtime, so the place wasn’t crowded.

They didn’t order much, keeping it simple. Though Galen had saved a fair amount by now, being with Yingying always gave him a sense of quiet contentment, of sharing a modest life together.

Afterward, Galen suggested they go shopping for some clothes.

Not just for Yingying—he needed some too. He was joining a music festival the next day and needed a look with real flair; his current wardrobe simply wouldn’t do.

There was no argument about where to shop. Neither of them mentioned Wangfujing, where even a pair of underwear cost a small fortune. They both suggested Xidan instead.

Unlike the stately air of Wangfujing, Xidan pulsed with youthful energy and fashion.

Young people crowded the streets at all hours, especially with Golden Week approaching.

It’s said that shopping is a woman’s nature, and if she can buy things as she pleases, it’s pure bliss.

Like every girl, Yingying didn’t tire of shopping all afternoon. In contrast, Galen was exhausted, carrying bag after bag, yet happy to do so.

His own clothes weren’t hard to choose—he wasn’t picky about brands or labels, as long as he looked presentable on stage.

Yingying was the opposite: she liked this one, thought that one was nice, fancied another but found it too expensive… Most importantly, if she sensed even the slightest flaw, she wouldn’t let Galen buy it. More than once, when he was about to pay, she nearly lost her temper.

Galen’s heart was warmed by this—clearly, she didn’t want him to spend too much on her.

After much deliberation, they finally picked a few outfits that satisfied both her taste and their budget, ending the afternoon on a cheerful note.

In the taxi on the way back, Yingying looked at him with mock resentment. “You paid for all these clothes today. How am I ever going to repay you?”

“Oh, come on! Spending on you is what I should do!” Galen replied with a grin.

Even the taxi driver chimed in, “He’s right, young lady. It’s only natural to spend your boyfriend’s money. Besides, you should hold tight to the money he earns—or you might not be able to hold on to him!”

Hearing this, Galen could only stare, speechless. What business was their relationship to anyone else?

But the driver had no sense of boundaries, rattling off all sorts of advice to Yingying about keeping a boyfriend close, while she just giggled the whole way.

Finally, Galen protested, “Hey, man! You’re a guy yourself, how can you take her side?”

“Don’t take it to heart, kid! You seem like a decent fella…”

So the cabbie was a chatterbox after all.

Back at their place, Galen collapsed onto the sofa, exhausted, and Yingying did the same. They unconsciously leaned against each other, not saying a word, just breathing heavily, both knowing full well what the other was thinking.

Why? Because both were excited and a little embarrassed.

“Um…Yingying, are you hungry?” Galen asked.

“No.”

“Tired? You should rest a bit if you are.”

“Mm.”

He inhaled the faint, sweet scent in the air and licked his lips, parched. “Well, let’s watch some TV.”

He picked up the remote and turned it on.

A scene from “The Year We Graduated” appeared, with the second leads caught in a passionate French kiss—accompanied by Galen’s own voice singing “Gardenias in Bloom.”

“Gardenias in bloom, gardenias in bloom, with a faint fragrance, and pure love…”

Galen wasn’t sure about the purity of the scene, but his thoughts certainly weren’t innocent at the moment.

“That’s you singing, isn’t it?” Yingying asked, though she already knew. She was just trying to ease the awkwardness.

Galen grunted in response and turned to her. “Do you like it?”

“It’s nice.” She stared at the TV but, sensing his gaze, turned to him.

The moment their eyes met, sparks seemed to fly.

Both froze, then, without knowing who moved first, their heads slowly drew closer.

Time stretched on endlessly, but as their lips finally met, it felt as though time flew by.

Five seconds passed—they remained motionless, lips pressed together.

A minute later, Galen tried to slip his tongue in, but Yingying kept her teeth clenched, refusing to yield.

After three minutes, he finally tasted her sweet tongue. Their breathing grew heavier and their bodies, once stiff, softened.

Five minutes…

The shrill ring of a cell phone shattered the moment. They opened their eyes at the same time, and Yingying quickly pushed Galen away, shrinking to the far corner of the sofa, blushing furiously.

Galen touched his lips and chuckled, still savoring the kiss.

He glanced at his phone. It was Akai calling. He grumbled inwardly—of all times to call, why now?

Still, he answered, “Hello?”

“Galen! Where are you?” Akai’s voice came through.

Galen sneaked a glance at Yingying and replied, as if nothing had happened, “I’m at home.”

“Well, um, I heard you’re performing at the Ideal Music Festival tomorrow?”

“That’s right.” Sensing Akai’s hesitation, Galen asked, “What’s up? Are you guys performing too?”

“Heh, we don’t have that kind of luck!” Akai laughed awkwardly. “I just called to see if you needed a band—maybe we could play backup or something!”

Galen understood now and smiled. “Sure! I do need a band. You guys head over tomorrow, and I’ll call you when I get there.”

“Well, the thing is, you need tickets to get in. Performers just need a badge. Can you get us a few badges? Then we won’t have to buy tickets.”

Tickets for Beijing’s music festivals had long since sold out, and the scalped ones were outrageously expensive. When the Jiazi Band returned to the city, it was too late to get tickets, and even their contacts couldn’t help. So they turned to Galen.

“I’ll call the company and ask. I’ll let you know soon.”

After hanging up, Galen called Wu Chaoyang. “Brother Wu! I plan to bring a band to tomorrow’s festival. Can you get us a few staff passes?”

“Heh, the company was just talking about finding you a band! How many people?”

Galen glanced at Yingying. “Including me, eight.”

“Alright! I’ll have Maile send them over right away,” Wu Chaoyang replied. “One more thing: while you were away, I didn’t get a chance to tell you—your time slot is half an hour. Ideal gives you four-thirty to five in the afternoon; Blueberry is one to one-thirty, opening act!”

“Oh! Then I’ll have to rehearse.”

It was Galen’s first time at a music festival, and he was unfamiliar with the details. He’d originally planned to rehearse on site the next morning, but that wouldn’t work now.

Some of his songs weren’t right for a festival, and those that were wouldn’t fill half an hour, so he’d have to prepare some new songs.

These new songs needed to be top quality, with the right attitude, and suit the festival atmosphere.

He turned to Yingying. “You watch TV. I’m going in to prepare tomorrow’s set list.”

“Okay.” She nodded, already engrossed in “The Year We Graduated.”

Galen went to his room to search for the right music.

This one would work…

This one was too hard to learn on short notice…

This one wasn’t up to standard…

Wait—

Suddenly, as Galen listened to one song, Chen Yingying’s major came to mind.

In an instant, he was electrified with excitement.

This song—could they perform it together?