If things kept heading this way, they might even end up together.
With a sigh, Chu Tian finally walked in, placed the USB drive down, glanced at the simple furnishings of the office, and then quietly left.
「...」
Early the next morning, Xu Qingqiu, with dark circles under her eyes, arrived at the company.
At this time, the office was still empty, not a soul in sight.
Just as she entered the office and was about to open the window to air out the room, she suddenly saw a glamorous USB drive on the desk. Its iridescent, diamond-like, uniquely shaped casing enclosed a USB interface, lying there quietly.
"Huh? What's this?"
She picked up the USB drive and hesitated for a moment. Just as she was about to plug it into her laptop, she suddenly remembered something. She turned on the old, long-unused desktop computer on the desk and then inserted the USB drive.
"The Original Dream? What's this? A script?"
After opening the USB drive, there was only one folder with a name.
Li Chunhua hadn't come up with breakfast yet. Xu Qingqiu assumed it was an assignment her agent, Sister Hua, had accepted for her, so she didn't overthink it and clicked it open.
The folder contained only three files: one image file and two music files.
[The Original Dream - Lyrics & Score][The Original Dream - Demo][The Original Dream - Arrangement]
"Is this... a song?"
Seeing these familiar items, Xu Qingqiu was completely surprised.
Did Sister Hua prepare this surprise for me?
No wonder she was so angry with me last night. So, she had already prepared this, huh?
A slight smile touched Xu Qingqiu's lips. Full of anticipation, she clicked on the demo, eager to hear the song Sister Hua had acquired for her.
If pride hasn't been dashed by the cold waves of the sea of reality,
How would one understand the effort needed to reach far places...
After listening to just a couple of lines, Xu Qingqiu immediately sat up straighter. She could already feel that this was no ordinary song, but a very high-quality work—perhaps even one that could become a classic!
As she continued listening, her expression grew more and more serious.
This is definitely a classic hit! Even if it isn't, it's surely a top-tier song!
Even though the demo was just synthesized sounds, it still couldn't hide the song's excellence!
"Ta-da! Qingqiu, I bought your favorite savory pies and red date soy milk. You didn't rest well last night, so hurry and eat while it's hot."
Li Chunhua came rushing in through the door, carrying a load of breakfast.
"Sister Hua! I love you so much!!"
Xu Qingqiu, seeing Li Chunhua enter, couldn't help but jump from her chair, run over, and happily hug her, bouncing with joy.
"Are you crazy? What's wrong with you this early in the morning?! It's just breakfast; do you have to be like this?"
Startled, Li Chunhua stood there, utterly baffled. She held her hands out, afraid the oil from the breakfast might stain Xu Qingqiu's clothes, while desperately patting Xu Qingqiu, who was clinging to her.
She wasn't as tall as Xu Qingqiu and was almost breathless from the tight embrace, her waist nearly breaking.
"Get off me! You're suffocating me!"
After finally managing to pry her off, Li Chunhua looked at her, puzzled.
"Have you gone mad? What's with the sudden freak-out? You weren't like this the last time I got you breakfast!"
Li Chunhua rolled her eyes, a look of resentment on her face.
Xu Qingqiu, still oblivious, said happily to the puzzled Sister Hua, "Of course it's not about the breakfast! I've seen it! This is the best gift I've received this year!"
"Sister Hua, I love you so much! Tell me the truth, which maestro did you buy this song from? I absolutely love it!"
"Song? What song?"
"Ah? The one called The Original Dream. Didn't you put it on my desk?"
"When did I put that there? We left together last night. I didn't put anything there."
"What?!"
The two talked for a long while, finally getting on the same page, but the outcome was unexpected.
"If it wasn't you who put it there, then who did? It can't have just appeared out of thin air, right?"
"Don't panic, let me see what it is," Li Chunhua said, still not having figured out what was happening.
By the time Xu Qingqiu played the audio demo again, even Li Chunhua's brow furrowed.
"Such an excellent song couldn't have just appeared out of nowhere. Who could have put it there?"
"Who else knows the password to this room besides you and me?"
"That only leaves Yiyi. You know I don't like other people coming in here; Yiyi is responsible for the cleaning."
"It can't be Yiyi. Hasn't she been on leave at home these past few days?"
"Then who could it be?"
「...」
They thought for a long time but couldn't figure out who it could be. Whoever it was could easily enter the company and even this office. It had to be someone familiar, or perhaps an expert.
But why would such a person sneak in just to leave a song for her? Was it even possible? What could their motive be?
"Do you think... could it be Chu Tian?" Xu Qingqiu asked, a strange thought occurring to her.
For some reason, an image of Chu Tian flashed through Xu Qingqiu's mind.
"Him? Impossible!" Li Chunhua exclaimed. "With his sloppy appearance, how could he write this song?"
Li Chunhua absolutely didn't believe it. Just thinking about Chu Tian annoyed her. He idled his days away, doing nothing productive—either gaming or sleeping. To say he was unambitious and merely coasting through life would be an understatement, almost a compliment.
"So what if he became mute? Does that excuse everything? Xu Qingqiu went to such great lengths to bring him into the company. Setting everything else aside, he's a top graduate from the Music Academy, studied composition for four years—and he can't even help out with basic tasks? He's utterly hopeless!"
"Hold on! Did you give him the password? Are you hiding something from me? We agreed back then! I said I wouldn't oppose you dating, but Chu Tian was absolutely off-limits!"