Chapter Seventy: Cheng Xiaoyu’s Ambition

During the period when Cheng Xiaoyu was recording songs, another incident occurred. Xu Qinning had just returned to Shanghai from Hawaii and, unable to contain her excitement, dragged Su Yuxi along to demand that Cheng Xiaoyu treat them to hotpot.

At that time, Cheng Xiaoyu had not yet finished recording. He spent every day holed up in his music workstation, obsessively working on the post-production of "In the Name of the Father." He had fallen into a state of near-mania, rarely leaving his studio unless absolutely necessary.

Even when Wang Ou called to invite him to Lantern Forest, he refused. With the new semester about to begin, if he didn't finish the post-production work now, he wouldn't have time to upload the song to the music platform once classes started.

But Xu Qinning was not someone to be easily brushed off. Once she entered Cheng Xiaoyu’s studio, she resorted to all manner of coercion and threats. If there had been an audience, she would likely have employed her full repertoire of tearful dramatics. With no way out, Cheng Xiaoyu had no choice but to reluctantly set aside his work and follow Xu Qinning out of his studio.

Su Yuxi had been wearing pajamas at home and went upstairs to change. Xu Qinning, on the other hand, was dazzling as always, clad in a pair of glittering silver high-heeled ankle boots, white lace socks bunched at the top, a bright yellow fitted miniskirt accentuating her long legs, and a sweatshirt with red lettering on a grey-white background beneath a brown bomber jacket. A Chanel shopping bag hung from her shoulder. Only a model’s figure could pull off such an outfit, and Xu Qinning’s proportions were perfection—where fullness was needed, it was ample; where slimness was required, it was slender. The overall impact was explosive, with every detail meticulously chosen, from earrings and rings to watches, bracelets, and necklaces. Her style exuded both modern flair and opulent elegance, the very picture of a pampered heiress.

Even someone as composed and discerning as Cheng Xiaoyu couldn’t help but steal glances at her again and again.

Su Yuxi soon came downstairs, her hair casually draped behind her. She wore a simple houndstooth coat over a white woolen sweater, paired with black leather pants. On her feet was a pair of exquisitely designed silver high-heeled ankle boots identical to Xu Qinning’s. Though Su Yuxi was ever so slightly shorter than Xu Qinning, her legs were almost unruly in their length and straightness—perfectly proportioned, impossible to look away from.

When Su Yuxi joined Xu Qinning, the two of them standing together were so dazzling that Cheng Xiaoyu’s eyes didn’t know where to rest. A casual glance left him feeling overwhelmed, as if he were in danger of a nosebleed at any moment.

His music-filled mind went blank; he could only lament that he didn’t have more eyes to take it all in.

It was only when Xu Qinning called him over to drive that he summoned his utmost self-control and walked away.

Since there were three of them and the Ferrari couldn't seat everyone, Cheng Xiaoyu took the key to Qiao Sansi’s Cayenne—the “grocery-getter”—and the trio set off for hotpot.

Cheng Xiaoyu drove while Xu Qinning and Su Yuxi sat in the back. Xu Qinning clung to Su Yuxi’s arm, complaining all the way about how terrible Western food was and how detestable foreigners could be, before demanding a New Year’s gift from Cheng Xiaoyu.

A woman’s coquettishness is a deadly weapon—especially a beautiful woman’s.

When they arrived at Liu Yishou Hotpot, Cheng Xiaoyu had barely gotten out of the car before Xu Qinning caught up to him, calling out sweetly, “Brother Xiaoyu,” as she looped her right arm through his left.

Cheng Xiaoyu’s hair stood on end; he felt like a lamb led to slaughter, entirely devoid of any joy at being approached by a beauty. Instead, he had the distinct sense of being gripped in a T. rex’s jaws, about to be dipped in soy sauce and devoured—a looming catastrophe.

Whenever Xu Qinning turned on the charm, the whole world seemed to tremble. As a true native of Jiangnan with years of observing her father’s various women, she had mastered the art of coquettishness. With her syrupy voice and adoring gaze, Xu Qinning fluttered her big eyes at Cheng Xiaoyu and said, “I even got you a New Year’s gift! How do you plan to repay me?”

Cheng Xiaoyu was nothing if not direct. When faced with such deadly tactics, the only option was surrender. He replied without hesitation, “Anything’s negotiable—except offering myself in marriage.”

Su Yuxi walked on Cheng Xiaoyu’s right, hands in her pockets and so close their shoulders nearly touched.

Xu Qinning persisted, “But I don’t want anything except you!”

Sandwiched between two stunning women, Cheng Xiaoyu felt anything but comfortable. The jealous glares around them could set him ablaze. Out of the corner of his eye, he inadvertently caught sight of Xu Qinning’s prominent assets, which threatened to steal his soul, but he declared righteously, “Forget it—I’ll never like you.”

Xu Qinning smiled languidly, “Xiaoyu, you’re overthinking it. I just want you to be my servant. Who wants your affection?”

Remembering his last miserable experience, Cheng Xiaoyu grew wary. “Miss Xu, we’re not that close. Please mind your words and don’t do anything reckless.”

Xu Qinning sneered, “Today, whether you agree or not, you have no choice. Scream all you like—no one will help you.”

As they were about to enter the hotpot restaurant and become the focus of public attention, Cheng Xiaoyu could only capitulate. He certainly didn’t want to become a spectacle. “Fine, you win. Whatever you say.”

And so Cheng Xiaoyu was utterly reduced to being the queen’s servant, verbally agreeing to a series of humiliating, unequal terms.

Xu Qinning’s demands, however, weren’t excessive. Every Friday, he and Su Yuxi were to pick her up from school and treat her to hotpot or other delicious food. And he was to write songs for their group—at least four.

After ordering, Cheng Xiaoyu handed the menu to the waiter. Somewhat surprised by her request, he asked, “How did you know I could write songs?”

Xu Qinning replied, “Your Guilty Crown video has gone viral on several forums here. It’s hard not to know.”

“Oh,” Cheng Xiaoyu replied. “But how did you know I was the one who wrote it?”

Xu Qinning pointed at Su Yuxi. “I planted a spy.”

Cheng Xiaoyu had never intended to deny it. In fact, he was curious about the “Idol Project” that Su Yuxi and Xu Qinning had joined, so he asked, “After all this training, what have you gotten out of it?”

Xu Qinning waved him off. “Don’t talk to me about that; discuss it with your sister.”

Su Yuxi frowned slightly. “There are six of us in the training program. We’re practicing singing and dancing. The company hasn’t positioned us yet, and there are no promotional plans. We’re still selecting songs for the album. I suppose we’ll do some events over the summer to build some following.”

Just from listening, Cheng Xiaoyu sensed something was off. After seeing so many K-pop girl groups, he knew that not only did every idol group have clear positioning, but each member had a defined role—main vocalist, visual, face of the group, and so on.

Usually, it took five years as a trainee to debut; even debuting in two years was considered extraordinary.

Not only was there rigorous selection at the start, but companies also handled everything from styling and personality to even plastic surgery, producing high-quality groups destined for fame.

Of course, Cheng Xiaoyu hoped Su Yuxi’s group would become popular. But with the information he had, all he could say was, “Writing you a song is easy, but can one good song make you famous? That’s unlikely. For an idol group to stay popular for long, you need capital. Looks-wise, you two are more than enough, but you still need singing, dancing, photography, styling, and promotion.”

Xu Qinning’s head was spinning. “I’m just in it for fun. Don’t talk to me about it—your family owns the company, after all. I’ll just follow orders.”

Su Yuxi, impressed by Cheng Xiaoyu’s insights, asked, “Do you have any good ideas or suggestions?”

Cheng Xiaoyu shook his head. “No matter what I say now, it doesn’t matter. I don’t control the Idol Project, and even if I write songs, there’s no guarantee you’ll get to use them. I have no credentials.”

Su Yuxi nodded. “Every record company is hierarchical—there’s no getting around it. But I think it wouldn’t be a problem if we just want to sing your songs.”

Cheng Xiaoyu, eating hotpot, replied, “If your requirements aren’t high, one or two songs might make you popular for a while. But to be famous for a long time, and at a high level, you need a well-produced album. I can help, but you’ll have to convince your dad.”

Su Yuxi didn’t think Cheng Xiaoyu was boasting. “I’ll give it a try.”

Xu Qinning snorted, “I know you write good songs, but I don’t believe you can be a good producer too.”

Cheng Xiaoyu grinned, his years of K-pop immersion giving him confidence. He knew how to make a group explode in popularity; he could casually produce a world-class earworm. Slapping the table, he challenged, “Xu Qinning, do you dare to make a bet with your brother?”

Xu Qinning eyed him warily. “There's no standard for this kind of thing; how would we judge the winner?”

Cheng Xiaoyu had it all planned out. “Any song I produce is guaranteed to land in the top five of the Huaxia Music Chart. If it doesn’t, I’ll do whatever you want.”

Xu Qinning was puzzled. “What do you mean, do whatever I want?”

In this world, the slang he almost blurted out didn’t exist, so instead he said, “Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it.”

Now intrigued, Xu Qinning smiled slyly, “That won’t do. At the very least, it has to be number one on the weekly chart—then we’ll talk about your abilities.”

“Deal,” Cheng Xiaoyu agreed without hesitation, thinking to himself: It’s time to show real skill.

Though Xu Qinning believed in Cheng Xiaoyu’s talent, she didn’t think he could get a yet-to-debut group to the top of the Huaxia Music Chart. The chart’s rules were complex, and even established stars had trouble cracking the top ten, let alone unknowns like them.

So, she insisted on changing the terms: whoever lost would be the other’s servant for a day, fulfilling any request without defiance.

They pinky-swore on it, with Su Yuxi as their witness.

Cheng Xiaoyu maintained a calm exterior but was bursting with glee inside, already imagining how he’d torment this little minx.

Xu Qinning made no attempt to hide her own delight, grinning as she said, “I’m already imagining you in drag shopping with me—the sensation we’ll cause!”

Cheng Xiaoyu chuckled, “We’ll see about that.” In his mind, he was already picturing Xu Qinning dressed as a sexy maid, nurse, or flight attendant, pouring him coffee, giving him a massage, and more…

He was determined to capture these moments for his private collection.