radicalducati Chapter 38 Call Me Father!
Chapter 38 Call Me Father!
Tian Xiwei lay on the bed, her head covered by a summer blanket, her little feet exposed.
Li Shen smiled faintly and did not bother her any further.
He placed his laptop on the desk and plugged in the USB drive.
Entering the Chinese pinyin "huangtaoguantou" did not unlock the password. However, adding Tian Xiwei's birthday successfully unlocked the USB drive.
The USB drive was successfully unlocked, and there were a total of 10 audio files inside, including songs such as "Lovely Woman" and "Faith".
These songs...
Li Shen gently tapped his forehead with his fingers, trying to awaken related memories. These songs seemed to have been completed in the last two years.
Checking the file properties, "Lovely Woman" was created in June 2023, "Faith" was created in March 2024, and the other audio files were created within the last two years.
Moreover, all of these songs were created by the original creator himself.
Li Shen put on his large headphones, connected via Bluetooth, and listened to one song after another. The moving music lingered in his ears, and the details of his self-taught music composition and various instruments over the past six years gradually surfaced in his mind.
Six years ago, after he unilaterally broke up with her, he worked hard to learn various musical instruments, starting from scratch until he mastered them. Every note in these 10 songs is the result of his painstaking efforts.
This is "his" way of making amends to Tian Xiwei.
Li Shen listened patiently to all 10 songs.
He frowned. Overall, it was not bad and could be released as a music album. Moreover, the title track, "Lovely Woman," had the potential to be a bestseller.
The entire album is top-notch in the world!
But in Li Shen's eyes, no way!
With so many classic songs from his past life in his head, Li Shen's tastes have become quite discerning.
If Li Shen were to produce an album, even if not every song is a classic, every song would be great, and it would definitely surpass the 10 songs on this USB drive.
Looking at the USB drive, Li Shen felt a surge of emotions.
It's impossible to publish this, I'm sorry!
My brand new life cannot be tainted!
He will rewrite these ten songs another day!
Li Shen dragged ten songs into the recycle bin.
He clicked the right mouse button, and when the cursor moved to "Empty Recycle Bin", his index finger trembled, but he ultimately didn't click it.
"Why!"
The ten songs were restored to the USB drive, encrypted into a single compressed file, and then hidden.
Inside the USB drive, there was also a txt file. Opening it revealed only a single, simple sentence:
Not disturbing you is the greatest act of kindness I can show.
In an instant, Li Shen was so angry that his liver hurt.
Between couples, the act of silently running away while thinking it's a sign of deep affection is extremely annoying.
Whatever the reason, whether it's self-blame or fear of holding her back!
What nonsense about "not disturbing you is my greatest act of kindness"?
Gentle my foot!
Disturb her!
"Tian Xiwei, what are you pretending to be asleep for? I've never seen a woman sleep with the blanket covering only her head and not her feet."
Tian Xiwei suddenly pulled the blanket down and asked suspiciously, "You've seen a lot of women sleeping? Oh no, who said I was pretending to be asleep? I've been trying to sleep, but you disturbed me as soon as you came in, so I just ignored you."
Li Shen rested his chin on his hand, frowned as he looked at her, and said thoughtfully, "Tian Xiwei, you should take the route of becoming a talent-driven actress."
Tian Xiwei was taken aback: "Why are you suddenly so serious?"
Li Shen stroked the USB drive and said, "Tian Xiwei, I'm not criticizing you, but you're not getting any younger. You can't rely on your looks to keep fighting in the entertainment industry, can you? It must feel bad to be called a 'pretty face,' right? Sigh!"
Li Shen began to think about Tian Xiwei's future.
silence.
Li Shen, who was deep in thought, suddenly felt a warm sensation in his waist. Looking down, he saw a small, white foot gently kicking his waist.
Tian Xiwei: "Keep criticizing!"
"You seem quite excited?"
"No way~~~"
"Tian Xiwei, I think you have the potential to become a triple-threat superstar in film, television, and music."
Tian Xiwei was stunned.
To be honest, after so many years of acting, she hasn't been recognized for her acting skills.
In terms of acting skills, she was completely overshadowed by a certain actress born in 95.
As for the music industry, needless to say, and nowadays AI singers are too powerful.
A triple-threat diva in film, television, and music?
The ever-confident Tian Xiwei asked self-deprecatingly, "Where is the opportunity?"
"The opportunity is mine!"
Tian Xiwei: "..."
"Nothing to do tonight, let's go to the brothel and listen to some music!" Li Shen said leisurely, half-reclining in his chair. He pushed off the ground with his feet, and the chair began to spin. "Sing a song, I want to hear your voice."
"You think I'll just sing because you tell me to? Why should I listen to you? Besides, it's late, it's already 3 a.m., 3 a.m."
Li Shen pulled out several hundred-yuan bills from his wallet and threw them on the bed: "Add an extra hour."
"...I'll sing one song, 'The wind stirs whose strings, the rain soaks my heart...' How about it?"
Li Shen frowned: "Sing another song."
"How about you give me a love that ends without a trace?"
"Sing one more song."
"Lingering dust in the wind, butterflies flutter... How about it?"
"Yes, I understand. Tian Xiwei, I believe in you, and you must believe in yourself too!"
"Yes! I believe in myself!"
"You have a great chance to become a top star in both film and television!"
"Thanks—hmm?"
Tian Xiwei has a good voice and decent singing skills, but she's not a naturally gifted singer like Huang Xiaoyun.
But who says that only highly talented people can perform songs well?!
The ability to express emotions is always more important than technique!
Here, Teacher Ke should come out and take the beating.
"Li Shen, I'll sing you one more song."
"I won't listen."
"Just one song, the last one, okay?"
Sleep well, goodnight.
Wow.
Several hundred yuan was thrown at Li Shen.
Tian Xiwei: "I'll add an extra hour too."
"Ha, don't you know male models are more expensive?"
Tian Xiwei: "..."
"So, we need to pay more!"
……
Another bedroom.
Merlin is unleashing a barrage of attacks on Li Hangliang.
"I just overheard some casual conversation among the staff that you sang 'Slowly,' but the whole internet is saying it was sung by Li Shen. Why didn't you expose this to the public during today's live stream?"
"Wife, listen to me—"
"I'm not listening. Do you know how much hype this is? Why is it that you put in so much effort to sing, but you didn't get any benefit, while Li Shen got all the attention?"
"Wife, listen to me—"
"I won't listen! You must expose the truth tomorrow! And now, go ask Li Shen why he won't expose the truth himself!"
"Wife, listen to me—"
"I won't listen!"
"You have to let me hear it!!!" Li Hangliang suddenly lost control of his emotions: "The copyright of the song 'Slowly' belongs to Li Shen. I just sang it temporarily. Even if it becomes popular by accident, it should be Li Shen who becomes popular!"
I envy this unexpected surge in popularity, but I have basic integrity! I can't force myself to have what doesn't belong to me. And my abilities don't justify this attention.
"You made it popular, not Li Shen. Without you singing it, would this song have become a hit? This song's explosive popularity is mostly because of you!"
Li Hangliang covered his face: "I'm not going to explain anymore. You won't understand, and you never will."
"Li Hangliang, are you going to confront Li Shen or not?"
Li Hangliang laughed, a bitter laugh: "You want me to betray my brother?!"
"Why should he benefit from your fame while concealing the truth from the public?!"
"That's not called concealing anything, that's called not denying rumors, Merlin, that's enough."
"You're not going? Fine! If you're not going, I'll go!"
squeak!
The door opened.
Merlin took half a step out.
Li Hangliang lowered his head, his voice filled with sorrow: "If you go, I won't even have the most basic human dignity left. Then let's get a divorce!"
Mai Lin was stunned. This was the first time she had ever heard Li Hangliang bring up divorce on his own initiative!
"Li Hangliang, let's get a divorce! But even if we do, I won't swallow this humiliation! I'm going to have a serious talk with Li Shen. Why is it that you sang the song, but he's the one who became famous! And he's just reaping the benefits! Why?"
boom!
The door was slammed shut.
Enraged, Merlin strode forward.
But when she reached the staff's duty station, she froze.
At this moment, Li Shen handed the notebook to the staff member and put his hands together, saying, "Thank you."
"You're too kind, Teacher Li."
Li Shen turned his head and saw Mai Lin standing still, asking, "Still up so late?"
"No, no!"
"Then why aren't you going back to sleep?"
"Okay, Li Shen, sweet dreams!" Mai Lin smiled obsequiously.
Li Shen nodded, turned around and left.
In a sense, she was afraid of Li Shen, and she was also afraid of Tian Xiwei, Yangzi, and Huang Shengyi. She feared everyone who was stronger than her, except for her own husband.
When she walked out of the room, it was only to put pressure on Li Hangliang; she didn't have the courage to challenge Li Shen.
She pushed open the door to the room: "Li Hangliang, I just gave you face and didn't tell him. You brothers should resolve your own issues. Go ask him, why should I, Li Hangliang?"
Li Hangliang was not in the bedroom.
Opening the bathroom door, Li Hangliang was still nowhere to be seen.
The guitar in the bedroom has also disappeared.
……
When Li Shen returned to his bedroom, he could faintly hear the sound of a guitar downstairs, a sound that seemed to be both weeping and lamenting.
Li Shen peeked through the curtains and said, "Li Gou is playing the guitar."
Tian Xiwei asked in confusion, "Why are you playing guitar in the middle of the night?"
"How would I know?"
Li Shen sat at his desk, opened his diary, and prepared to write in his diary for the evening.
Flipping through the notebook, I saw these words...
"Hey, Li Shen, that's my diary!"
Tian Xiwei jumped off the bed and slammed the diary down on her arm: "Don't peek!"
Li Shen frowned: "Your handwriting... well, never mind, I'll teach you calligraphy another day."
"Really? Is there a quick way to achieve that, the faster the better?"
"Yes, we do. Would you like to learn?"
"I thought and thought."
"I'll teach you now; calligraphy is actually very simple."
Li Shen picked up his pen and wrote a line: Goodbye, my lover.
"Tian Xiwei, write these words worse, let me see."
Tian Xiwei finished writing, stroke by stroke.
Li Shen shook his head: "Write it as bad as you can... even worse... so bad you can't recognize it... Hmm, that's good this time. Congratulations, you've graduated, Master Calligrapher Tian!"
Looking at the characters she couldn't even recognize, Tian Xiwei asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"If your writing is bad, then write it as bad as it gets! When it's so bad that others can't recognize it, and even you can't recognize it, then you've become a calligrapher!"
"Once you possess heavenly fire, great scholars will naturally debate the classics for you!"
"Li Shen, I'm going to beat you up!"
boom!
Li Shen looked down at his chest; this time, there were no small, white, tender fists.
What was that sound?
Tian Xiwei pulled back the curtains: "Li Hangliang, you smashed the guitar?!"
……
downstairs.
Li Hangliang slumped onto the bench.
His beloved guitar, which had been with him for 10 years, shattered at the soundhole and lay forlornly beside a large rock.
Mai Lin shuddered in fright: "Li Hangliang, you scared me. Calm down here!"
Merlin turned and left angrily.
Li Hangliang lowered his head, tears wetting his glasses and blurring his vision.
He didn't know how much time had passed when a pair of white sneakers suddenly appeared in his field of vision.
He looked up blankly, and a tall, well-dressed man in jeans and a white shirt stood straight in front of him.
The man had one hand in his pocket, and the moonlight illuminated his handsome face.
Li Hangliang looked up at him through his blurry glasses: "Li Shen?"
"You have no manners, call him Father Emperor."
"W-what is that?"
"Tian Lihangliang, from now on you will be the Crown Prince of the Emperor!"
"Fuck you!"
"How long has it been since you released a song?"
"Five years, I guess."
"Do you want to release more songs?"
"Of course I want to!" Li Hangliang perked up instantly.
"Okay, I understand."
Li Shen turned and left.
"Father, what do you mean?"
Li Shen waved his hand and walked forward without looking back: "Let's wait for the right opportunity."
opportunity?
Li Hangliang's grief vanished, replaced by excitement.
No musician can resist the allure of excellent original music.
It seems the copyright to this song, "Slowly," really should be given to him.
……
Many people couldn't sleep that night.
"Li Shen, I can't sleep. I want to talk to you about something."
"Say...I understand...Can we stop this internal strife?"
"Li Shen, aren't you even a little bit afraid of internal conflict?"
"Internal strife? I'm not good at internal strife; I'm good at making others engage in internal strife!"
"Heh~~~"
"Tian Xiwei, remember this: internal strife is the biggest obstacle to a person's progress. Internal strife troubles everyone, but as long as you don't engage in internal strife, you've already won at the starting line."
……
Another room.
Yoko tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
He, who used to snore loudly, was now caught in a huge internal struggle.
Who exactly is Li Shen?
How dare you say things that would cut off someone's livelihood?
To say that Yoko hates Li Shen wouldn't be quite right.
Yoko's attitude has always been: In the adult world, what's the point of talking about right and wrong? What's the point of arguing about winning and losing?
childish!
In the adult world, only interests matter!
Tonight, he tried to use his authority as a big shot to force Li Shen into an awkward situation, but Li Shen looked at him coldly, as if he were looking at a clown with disdain, which frustrated Yoko.
"Shengyi, when I was staring at Li Shen tonight, didn't I look like a hawk with its eyes wide open? Everyone at the company says I'm scary when I'm serious."
"Go to sleep."
Yoko tossed and turned in bed.
"Shengyi, tell me, what kind of family environment can cultivate such composure and calmness in a person?"
After a long silence, Huang Shengyi finally said, "Tonight, the way he looked at you was the kind of scrutinizing gaze that looked down on everyone!"
"Looking down on all living beings?"
"Yes, a sense of superiority! And I always felt that he possessed a kind of innate sense of superiority, a level above us. So when he looked at all of us, there was an innate calmness."
"So, you also think he's from the Heavenly Palace?"
Huang Shengyi shook her head: "I don't know, go to sleep."
"I can't sleep!"
"You actually have insomnia sometimes? Haha."
……
When Li Hangliang returned to the room, Mai Lin was snoring loudly and sleeping soundly.
Li Hangliang, however, had another sleepless night.
……
The rapper group was deep in worry as they discussed how to perform in the future.
That night, among all the guests, only two slept the best.
One Li Shen.
One merling.
Everyone else was preoccupied with their own thoughts and worries.