Chapter 7: Doubt!

Upon hearing Aya's suggestion, Galen replied with self-mockery, "Let's talk about it later! Right now, I can't even fill my stomach, so I don't have the energy to think about anything else!"

Aya's eyes lit up. "How about this? I'll recommend you to Dream Starlight Entertainment. They can sign you up, and you won't have to worry about a thing—they'll arrange everything for you!"

Her words carried a certain implication, but Zhao Liang frowned in displeasure. "Alright, we all know how these things work behind the scenes. Why say it out loud? Every year, the top ten are always people like you!"

"And what's wrong with people like us? We worked hard to get into the company too. The company polishes us up a bit and gets us into the top ten—what's the problem?"

"Yeah, yeah! It's just entertainment, after all—just fooling the masses!"

". . ."

Seeing the two start to argue in hushed tones, Galen felt extremely awkward.

He had no understanding of the inside workings, so he didn't know whose side to take.

But he was aware of the shady dealings in the contest. Aya's remarks made him suddenly wonder: could it be that all the contestants who make it into the top ten are signed to Dream Starlight beforehand?

At that moment, Wu Yusheng finished his song and walked over with his guitar. Noticing Zhao Liang and Aya bickering, he asked curiously, "What are you two arguing about?"

"Hmph! Ask him!" Aya retorted, but then explained herself. "I was saying I'd recommend Galen to Dream Starlight, but Zhao Liang didn't like it and kept objecting. I think he's just jealous!"

"Heh, is that all?" Wu Yusheng rolled his eyes at them and dropped the subject, instead pulling Galen aside to praise him and ask about his creative process and sources of inspiration.

Just then, Galen's phone rang. He looked at the screen—it was Chen Yingying calling.

Normally, Galen would have finished his shift at the bar by now, but according to Wentao's new rules, he still had to stay at the bar.

He walked to the restroom, where it was a bit quieter, and answered the call.

"What took you so long to pick up?" Chen Yingying's annoyed voice shot out as soon as he answered.

Galen gave a wry chuckle. "My lady, I'm still at work. The new bar has different rules—each of us gets half an hour on stage, and we rotate twice!"

"Oh? So that means you only have to sing for an hour in total?" Chen Yingying asked abruptly.

"Yeah! Why?"

"Isn't that a good thing? Think about it—you used to sing for two hours for three hundred, now you get five hundred for just one hour. Isn't that a win?"

"Oh! Now that you mention it, that's true!" Galen was surprised, but then sighed. "That may be so, but the waiting is killing me! I'm already half asleep! What about you? Why are you still up so late?"

"I just finished my leg workout! Alright, that's all—I just wanted to hear your voice. Goodbye! I'm going to bed!" Chen Yingying hurriedly prepared to hang up.

Galen quickly called out, "Hey! Wait!"

"What is it?"

"If you miss me this much, why not agree to be my wife already?" Galen said with a laugh. Though it sounded like a joke, he truly meant it.

"Hey!" Chen Yingying giggled. "Didn't we agree to talk about it after we meet during Golden Week? Why are you so impatient?"

"Isn't it obvious? I am impatient!"

"Okay, okay! I'm going to sleep now! Bye!"

Chen Yingying hung up with a laugh, leaving only the busy tone for Galen.

Galen held the phone, looking disappointed, when a voice sounded behind him. "Talking to your girlfriend?"

He turned to find it was Aya again. Galen smiled. "Uh... still chasing her!"

"I know, I heard everything!"

They walked back to the lounge together. Aya seized the opportunity to ask Galen how he and Chen Yingying met, how long they'd known each other, and more.

Even back in the lounge, Aya wouldn't let go of the topic.

Zhao Liang couldn't help ridiculing her. "Alright, stop asking. Even if you do, you won't get your chance!"

"What did you say!" Aya glared furiously at Zhao Liang, her face flushing red as she reached out to pinch his arm.

Zhao Liang laughed and dodged. "I didn't say anything, alright?"

Despite this, Aya still looked annoyed, but she apologized to Galen. "Don't mind him. He just can't keep his mouth shut—don't take it to heart."

"Heh, it's nothing," Galen replied with a smile, his mind entirely elsewhere.

When it was Galen's turn to go on stage again, it was already past midnight, but the number of guests hadn't dwindled—in fact, there were even more, with Cai Fei and his friends still seated in the audience.

As soon as Galen took the stage, Cai Fei and the others perked up. "Here he comes, Galen's up! Let's give him a big hand!"

Before Galen had even settled on his seat, the crowd started applauding again. Many who had arrived later were unaware of what had happened earlier due to the time gap.

The manager handed the song list to Galen, and to his surprise, the three original songs he'd sung earlier had all been requested again. So he sang them once more, then performed other songs requested by the guests.

Before he knew it, it was already one in the morning. By this time, Wu Yusheng and the others were getting excited.

After Galen left the stage, Wentao went up and announced, "Thank you all for coming tonight. This concludes our performances. We hope to see you again!"

"Ah..." Many guests groaned in disappointment. "Is it over already?"

"I'll pay five hundred!"

A young man stood up, ran to the stage, and waved five one-hundred notes before tossing them onto Wentao's music stand. "Wentao, sing one more! I want to hear 'Splendid Blossoms in Full Bloom'!"

"Splendid Blossoms in Full Bloom" was a song from this world—not Wentao's own original, but the first song he sang in competition. It held great significance for both him and his fans.

Wentao pretended to hesitate, then finally said, "Alright, I'll sing one more then!"

He picked up his guitar and began to play and sing.

When he finished, the audience again clamored for more.

"Which bar stops singing at this hour?"

"Exactly!"

"Keep singing! We'll pay to request songs!"

". . ."

Hearing all the cheers, Wentao put on a look of helpless concession. "Heh, since everyone is so enthusiastic, how could I possibly leave? But let's ask the singers if they're willing!"

"We don't mind! But the boss has to pay us extra!" Wu Yusheng chimed in, deliberately teasing Wentao.

Wentao laughed. "No problem! From now on, all the tips from song requests are yours. I won't take a cent!"

If anyone said Wentao wasn't a great actor, Galen would have to disagree. Without a doubt, this final act of Wentao's successfully launched the last segment of the night.

Bar patrons were not stingy, and some were outright generous. Cai Fei, for example, handed a thousand yuan directly to a waiter, shouting, "Have Galen sing 'The You From Before' for us again—quick!"

The big screen behind the stage lit up, displaying song titles one by one—Wentao had prepared this in advance. The song with the highest tips was placed at the top and would be sung first.

All three of Galen's songs made it to the list, and quite a few people requested them. The tips from this segment alone would add up to at least three thousand.

Since Wentao wasn't taking a cut, he sang all the non-original songs himself.

After Galen finished his three songs, he left the stage and was about to head back to the lounge when a middle-aged man approached him with a friendly smile. "Mr. Galen, hello!"

"Uh... hello!" Galen didn't know him, but he could tell the man was a customer. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"I just requested your song 'Fireworks Fade' twice. The lyrics are excellent!" The man flashed a peace sign, showing he'd put in effort.

Galen immediately thanked him. "Thank you! Thank you! Sorry if my singing wasn't up to par!"

"Haha, you're too modest! Your singing was outstanding," the man replied. "By the way, who wrote the lyrics for that song?"

"The lyrics? I wrote them myself," Galen replied instinctively, though his heart skipped a beat.

He thought, this man couldn't possibly know the secret of that laptop, right?

Naturally, he wouldn't know the song was from another world, so Galen's answer was perfectly reasonable.

"Oh? You wrote them yourself?" The man was greatly surprised. He scrutinized Galen with suspicion. "That can't be! How could someone your age write such lyrics?"

"Um, sir, are you questioning me?" Galen, half amused and half anxious, wondered if he had been found out.

But the man only doubted that someone so young could write such lines—he wasn't accusing Galen of plagiarism, nor did he say he'd heard the lyrics before. That gave Galen more confidence.

"Haha! No, no!" The man waved his hand, smiling. "I'm the vice president of the Jiang Province Poetry Association. I really like your lyrics—they have a rich classical flavor, deep meaning, yet are interwoven with colloquialism, and the result is still melodious. It's a fine example of modern classical poetry. So, I wanted to ask if you've joined any poetry associations in other provinces or cities?"

"No," Galen shook his head.

"Oh!"

The man nodded. In truth, when Galen claimed authorship, the man doubted him, and though he had no proof, he decided against inviting Galen to join the association for now.

He could only say, "Young man, would you mind leaving your number? If you have any thoughts on poetry in the future, we could discuss them together."

The man's words were casual and the bar was dimly lit, so Galen couldn't read his intentions. Besides, having a connection to the Poetry Association might be useful in the future, so he smiled. "Of course!"