chapter 67
That night, a subtle fragrance drifted through the air.
The amber light fell into the depths of the young girl’s dark eyes, reflecting a dazzling galaxy.
Gu Qingning propped her chin on one hand, casually working on her test papers.
Suddenly, a WeChat notification sounded.
A friend request came from [Ergou].
Gu Qingning raised an eyebrow, glancing at the profile picture—it was a husky.
She accepted the request, and soon after, a message appeared:
[Hello, I am Su Zhuo, a producer at Shenghuang Entertainment. (smile.jpg)]
Leaning back, Gu Qingning tapped the keyboard lazily.
[?]
The reply was almost instantaneous, as if he were glued to his phone.
[We’ve received the songs you sent us. We think you have great talent in songwriting. Would you have time to meet and discuss the signing details in person?]
Gu Qingning got straight to the point, always economical with words.
[How much is the pay?]
There was a brief pause on the other side.
Gu Qingning wasn’t in a hurry; she picked up her pen and continued her work.
Five minutes later, a notification sounded again.
[Royalties are separate. Writing lyrics: 30,000; composing: 30,000. Or a buyout: 100,000 flat.]
Gu Qingning pursed her lips and typed casually.
[I’ll think about it.]
The phrasing carried a hint of refusal.
He quickly replied, almost panicking.
[The pay is negotiable. How much would be suitable? You tell me.]
Gu Qingning smirked slightly and typed with one hand.
[Royalties separate. Lyrics: 100,000. Composition: 100,000.]
She needed money but wasn’t in urgent need; a buyout would be too low, unnecessary.
Her proposed price tripled the original offer, nearly making the man in front of the computer fall off his chair.
Su Zhuo took a gulp of beer to calm himself.
He stared at the chat window, clicking his tongue.
After confirming, he realized: this girl was ruthless.
Recovering slightly, he cautiously probed.
[Can it be a bit less?]
Gu Qingning spun her pen in one hand and typed with the other.
[This is the lowest price.]
At that moment, Su Zhuo almost spat blood.
The lowest price?
Was she serious?
The offer already exceeded that of many top-tier musicians. What did she mean by saying this?
Before he could think further, another message popped up.
[At this price now, it might not stay this way in the future.]
Su Zhuo froze.
Taking a deep breath, he decisively replied:
[Alright, we’ll go with your terms. I’ll send the contract to you immediately.]
The hurried tone revealed his fear that she might change her mind.
Gu Qingning smiled and sent an “OK” gesture.
Then, she added:
[Only sign for one year, and only one song per month.]
Su Zhuo, searching for contract templates, froze in place. A wisp of smoke seemed to rise above his head.
Damn it.
Two long strands of noodles fell into his heart as he typed in despair:
[…That’s too much (crying.jpg)]
Gu Qingning’s lips curved into a slow smile. Suddenly, she found this “Ergou” quite amusing.
[Not agreeing?]
After a brief pause, the reply came slowly:
[Alright, Your Majesty.]
Gu Qingning glanced at it and then exited WeChat on the computer.
She picked up her pen, just about to continue her test papers, when her phone erupted with notifications.
She opened WeChat—Sun Qiaoqiao had added her to the class group.
Dozens of messages all repeated: “Welcome Qingning!” Even the homeroom teacher popped in.
The orderly flow was broken by Chu Xu.
Chu Xu: [Boss Ning, have you done the chemistry test? Snap a picture so I can check my answers.]
Sun Qiaoqiao: [Chu Ge, you could just admit you want to copy (sneaky.jpg)]
Cheng Yi: [Admit it, Chu Ge. Not knowing is nothing to be ashamed of.]
[Agree +1]
[Agree +2]
…
Gu Qingning smiled and pulled out her chemistry test from the pile.
She snapped a picture and sent it to the group.
Soon, Chu Xu replied with a disappointed emoji.
[Boss Ning, what time is it already, and you still haven’t done the test?]
Unexpectedly, this message triggered the homeroom teacher.
Old Xu: [Xiao Xu, go do your test now. Stop messing around.]
One sentence immediately shut Chu Xu down.
Gu Qingning pursed her lips in amusement and returned to her papers.
She had only done two questions when someone knocked.
“Knock knock—”
“Yaor, it’s me.”
Gu Qingning looked toward the door. “The door isn’t locked.”
Gu Che pushed it open, followed closely by Gu Zhao.
Gu Che walked to the desk and glanced at the papers. “Yaor, doing homework?”
Gu Qingning nodded and looked between them. “Something’s up?”
Gu Zhao smiled slightly, testing the waters. “Ning’er, big brother is back tonight. We’re going to the airport to pick him up. Do you want to come?”
Gu Qingning’s gaze faltered, and the pen in her fingers stopped.
The sudden silence made the atmosphere awkward.
Gu Che and Gu Zhao exchanged a glance. He shook Gu Qingning’s wrist lightly. “Yaor, come with us. Big brother will treat us to a late-night snack. We’ll prank him a bit.”
“Right, right, let big brother treat us,” Gu Zhao chimed in.
Gu Qingning lowered her eyes, silent.
Seeing this, Gu Zhao frowned and gestured to Gu Che to speak.
Gu Che cleared his throat, shaking her hand, dragging out his tone: “Yaor, don’t overthink it. Just come with us.”
Gu Qingning looked up at the two of them, lightly tapping the paper with her fingers. “But we’ll get back late… these papers…”
Gu Che’s thin lips curled slightly, saying without hesitation, “Let Zhao help you finish them.”
Gu Zhao glared at him, almost swearing.
Why was he always the one suffering?
