Chapter 56: Outstanding Men All Have Girlfriends!

A new day dawned.

Galen awoke from his sleep and glanced at the clock—it was already nearly nine o’clock. He looked beside him; though the bed was empty, the lingering warmth remained.

Nothing had happened last night, leaving him somewhat disappointed. He resolved to go out and buy a box of condoms later—tonight, he'd make sure to fight three hundred rounds!

He dressed and got up. As soon as he stepped out of the bedroom, he heard the clatter of pots and pans coming from the kitchen.

Galen walked to the kitchen doorway and watched Chen Yingying bustling about. He couldn’t help but smile, “Smells amazing! What are you making?”

“Go wash up and get ready to eat!” Chen Yingying rushed over, pushing him away, refusing to let him peek.

Galen chuckled and turned to the bathroom.

When he had finished washing up and sat at the dining table in the living room, Chen Yingying emerged carrying a basin.

“Wow! Smells so good!” Galen flattered her, but the scent in his nose felt oddly familiar.

“Ta-da!” When she set the basin before him, Galen was dumbfounded. No wonder the smell was so familiar—it was just a pot of instant noodles!

“Come, taste the noodles I cooked!” Chen Yingying handed him the bowl and chopsticks, her face full of expectation.

“Oh! Let me try…” Galen smiled bitterly in his heart, but had to maintain a look of delighted surprise.

“How is it?”

“Hmm! Not bad, but you cooked them a bit too soft.”

“Huh? Too soft?” Chen Yingying was taken aback and tasted a bite herself. “You’re right. I’ll improve next time!”

Galen was at a loss, “Uh… next time, could we not have instant noodles?”

“Of course!” To his surprise, Chen Yingying agreed immediately. “I’ll cook you flour noodles next time!”

Galen coughed in exasperation and lowered his head to eat.

That morning, Galen busied himself at the computer, organizing songs for his new album. He’d listened to countless tracks from the other world, liked many, but choosing which few to include in his debut album was a tough problem.

He first had to consider the album’s overall style—it needed to be consistent and not chaotic. For him, pop rap was essential, at least two or three tracks. This world’s popular music, R&B, rock, and folk must also be represented; if the album was too niche, its commercial value would suffer, no matter how well-made.

It would be best to include a new genre of song never before seen in this world—a bold experiment, a probe for the music market’s future.

Having set these stylistic requirements, Galen began carefully selecting tracks by category.

Chen Yingying, though at home, had no time to disturb Galen. She was anxiously preparing for next week’s opera competition in Hasmuqi, spending the morning practicing both her craft and her singing—the workload was no lighter than Galen’s.

At eleven forty, Galen, after much deliberation, finally settled on three songs. Checking the clock, he realized it was lunchtime and decided to record demos that afternoon.

Leaving his room, he saw Chen Yingying lying on the sofa watching TV. He asked, “Hey, weren’t you supposed to be practicing? How come you’re slacking off?”

“I’ve been at it for two hours! Just resting a bit now!”

“Stop lying around! Come on, let’s go eat!”

“I don’t want to move!” Chen Yingying waved her hand. “I’m so sleepy!”

“Sleepy? But you’ve only practiced for two hours!” Galen was surprised.

“Hmph! You’re one to talk. After you bullied me last night, do you know how late I fell asleep? Did you even think about that?”

“Oh…”

Galen smiled, “How about this: I’ll go buy lunch. What do you want to eat?”

“Anything is fine! Call me when you’re back. I’ll nap in the bedroom for a bit!” Chen Yingying really seemed exhausted, yawning as she got up and headed back to her room.

Galen shook his head, changed clothes, and left.

He didn’t go far, heading straight to the small restaurant across the street. As soon as he entered, he called out to the proprietress behind the counter, “Aunt Zhang! One stir-fried pork with green peppers, one braised lion’s head, one mountain yam with black fungus, and two portions of rice to go! Make it quick!”

“Alright!” Aunt Zhang smiled and took note of the order, then shouted it back to the kitchen.

Living here, Galen often ate at this place, and over time had become familiar with the owner. Whenever he came, Aunt Zhang was especially warm toward him.

When paying, Aunt Zhang grabbed Galen and asked, “Wait a minute, kid—did you sign with a company as a singer?”

“Huh?” Galen was startled, then smiled, “Yes, I did! How did you know?”

“Oh, of course!” Aunt Zhang declared loudly. “I saw it online this morning, and your photo too! Turns out you sang the theme and insert songs for ‘The Year We Graduated’ drama?”

“Ah! Yes!” Galen replied shyly, “Aunt Zhang, do you watch that show?”

It was the first time someone in his daily life had recognized him; the feeling was strange, indescribable.

“No, I don’t!” To his surprise, Aunt Zhang shook her head. “That idol drama is my daughter’s thing. I just overheard a bit the other day. I even told her the insert song in the show was really good—never thought it was you!”

She’d always known Galen was a singer, but had assumed he was still performing at bars. Now, discovering he’d signed with a company was, in her mind, a mark of legitimacy.

“Ha ha! It’s nothing, really. I only just signed not long ago,” Galen said modestly. The entertainment industry was tough; easy to enter, hard to become famous. Each year, nearly ten million people strive in this field, but only a couple thousand make it to the top.

He’d only debuted a month ago, and was already at this level—if not for those songs from the other world, he wouldn’t have gotten this far.

After chatting a bit more, a customer came in, so Aunt Zhang went to serve them, while Galen found a seat in the hall to wait.

Soon, the packed meals were ready. When Galen took them from Aunt Zhang, he sensed they were more generous than usual, and quickly expressed his gratitude.

Aunt Zhang laughed, “No need for thanks! Just come by often. When you’re a big star, I’ll have bragging rights!”

Leaving the restaurant, Galen carried the food home.

After plating and setting the dishes on the table, he went to call Chen Yingying.

Unexpectedly, in that short time, she had fallen asleep.

Waking her, she was reluctant and even a bit grumpy.

But seeing the dishes on the table, her demeanor softened.

Though nothing had happened between them last night, they had truly shared a bed, and the barrier between them had vanished. They no longer cared about appearances at the table.

After eating, Chen Yingying went back to sleep.

Galen had to move his recording equipment and laptop into the living room to record demos.

All three were rap songs. For his so-called demos, he used the original backing tracks from the other world—specifically the versions without vocals.

Though MP3 quality wasn’t as good as lossless, it was much better than the demos he made by playing guitar himself.

Moreover, he found the arrangements and accompaniments for these three songs couldn’t be improved—the originals were masterpieces, needing no additions or subtractions.

By the time he finished recording, it was already five in the afternoon.

Galen hurriedly got up and headed to the company, leaving a note for Chen Yingying.

When he arrived at Rainy Day Music, everyone was still at work.

As soon as he entered, the company’s newly hired receptionist rushed over, excitedly calling, “Brother Lun! You’re here!”

“Uh…” Galen was startled by the address and smiled, “Just call me Lun.”

“That won’t do! You’re now one of the company’s shareholders—our boss! As employees, we must address you respectfully!”

“Heh!” Galen smiled wryly. “Boss? Alright, get back to your work.”

“Hey, wait!” The receptionist showed no signs of awkwardness, though it was only their second meeting and they’d never spoken before.

“What is it?” Galen asked curiously.

The receptionist pulled out a report from behind the counter, grinning, “It’s something exciting, of course! Brother Lun, look—these are today’s feedback reports from our partner channels. The three songs officially released at midnight last night have already surpassed twenty million total plays, and that’s just on CC Music. The combined plays for the three tracks have reached five million five hundred sixty thousand. It’s a cause for celebration!”

“Huh?” Galen was stunned, taking the report for a look. Though he couldn’t make sense of the various charts, the hourly and total play counts were clear enough.

Seeing this, his hands began to tremble.

Good heavens! When he received news of the official soundtrack release yesterday, he hadn’t thought much of it.

Now, seeing these results, he suddenly realized just how many people online were paying attention to him.

He actually didn’t know that many had been drawn in by the posts insulting him on Weibo yesterday, but even so, the excellent songs kept many listeners.

From yesterday’s early morning until now—a span of just eighteen hours—countless people had been looping those tracks.

He also didn’t know that, with the release of the soundtrack, his Weibo followers had increased.

Seeing Galen staring at the report, visibly excited, the receptionist blushed and said, “Brother Lun, with such good news today, how about going out for a meal together?”

“Hm?” Galen turned to look at her, sensing her flirtatious glances, and instantly understood.

But he was a man with a family and a sense of responsibility—how could he be swayed by such allure?

He immediately feigned ignorance, saying, “Alright, I’ll talk to Mr. Li and arrange a time for a celebration dinner.”

“Hey!” As Galen was about to leave, the receptionist hurriedly called out, “Brother Lun, that’s not what I meant. I meant… just the two of us!”

“Heh!” Galen smiled, “Sorry, I don’t have the time. I’ve been really busy lately, and when I’m free, I need to spend time with my girlfriend. Maybe another time.”

“Ah…” Watching Galen leave in haste, the receptionist felt disappointed and frustrated.

Why do all the outstanding men already have girlfriends?