Chapter 79: The Aunt's Tender Call

Chen Yixue and Gong Ruxue felt very regretful.

They originally thought the conditions here were excellent and staying would be comfortable.

Unexpectedly, only one room remained.

"Let's change to another place."

Xu Yuexin turned around and said to the two of them,

"Let's go check the guesthouse."

Chen Yixue lifted her luggage and said, and the party walked out of the Friendship Hotel, heading straight for the guesthouse.

But as soon as they arrived at the guesthouse, Chen Yixue and Gong Ruxue felt an urge to go back.

The walls were stained with oil, the cement floor scorching hot, and the fan squeaked and rattled, its airflow barely better than nothing.

"Staying here for a few days would make people die of heat."

Gong Ruxue fanned the air with her hand and sighed.

"Then how about going back?"

Xu Yuexin asked the two ladies for their opinion, saying,

"If we put up a curtain in the middle, three of us sharing a room isn't a problem."

Gong Ruxue was quick to voice her stance, saying,

Seeing that, Chen Yixue could only agree.

They returned to the Friendship Hotel, booked a room, and went upstairs.

The Standard Room measured 40 square meters, larger than many people's homes.

The crucial point was that the room, like the one downstairs, had Air Conditioning.

"This is the air‑conditioning remote, used to control the air‑conditioning,"

Xu Yuexin picked up the remote and instructed Chen Yixue and Gong Ruxue, "This is the power button, this raises the temperature, this lowers the temperature…"

After resting in the room for a while, Xu Yuexin took the two of them down to the restaurant for lunch.

The restaurant was buffet style, 15 yuan per person, and the dishes were very abundant, including lobster ribs and southern fruits such as mangosteen.

It was the first time Chen Yixue and Gong Ruxue had seen such food, and they found it very novel.

Especially Gong Ruxue, who tried a bit of everything, ensuring she got a share of the bounty.

Who would have thought she was such a foodie.

Xu Yuexin watched Gong Ruxue happily searching for food and smiled slightly.

"She's really cute."

Chen Yixue also gave her assessment, saying,

"Hmm, after she finishes eating, the two of us will go back, take a shower, change clothes, and get some sleep."

Xu Yuexin arranged, "Then we'll go to Pacific Audio."

"No problem."

Chen Yixue replied, "How much do you plan to ask them for?"

"At least 3000."

Xu Yuexin spread out three fingers and said, "Not a cent less will be sold."

Three thousand yuan—a figure Chen Yixue had never considered.

She had thought selling for a few hundred would be good enough.

"Then… the negotiation is yours."

After weighing the options, Chen Yixue decided to trust Xu Yuexin, because his past decisions had always been reliable.

After the meal, Chen Yixue and Gong Ruxue bought a cloth curtain outside, divided the room in half, then took a shower and went to sleep.

Xu Yuexin slept on one bed, while Chen Yixue and Gong Ruxue shared the other.

When he woke up, it was already three p. m.

He hadn't slept well at all on the way, so this time he managed to catch up on some sleep.

Soon after, Chen Yixue also woke up. She changed into a white silk blouse, paired with black trousers, a small leather belt at her waist, looking very trim.

"Let's go, set off."

Xu Yuexin packed the Cassette Tape, took the reply letter from Pacific Audio, and called out to Chen Yixue.

Before leaving, Xu Yuexin didn't forget to leave a note for Gong Ruxue, telling her that he and Chen Yixue were going out on business, that if she wanted dinner at night she could go to the downstairs buffet where a 20‑yuan Foreign Exchange Coupon had been left for her, and that if she wanted to go out shopping she should wait for him and Chen Yixue to return and not go out alone.

Xu Yuexin's reminder was quite necessary; with increasing population mobility and being out of town, it's never safe for a girl to go out alone.

The Friendship Hotel was not far from Pacific Audio. Xu Yuexin bought a parasol for Chen Yixue at a shop downstairs, and the two reached the place in less than ten minutes.

Pacific Audio was housed in a five‑story low building, its exterior covered with white mosaic tiles, a style considered very fashionable nowadays.

People constantly came in and out of the building, many wearing flared pants and plaid shirts, sporting frog‑style glasses, and some men had long hair.

The locals' attire was clearly different from that of Jingcheng.

Xu Yuexin thought to himself that he and Chen Yixue entered the building together without any security personnel checking them.

There were several Cultural and Art Units in the building; following the directions, Xu Yuexin and Chen Yixue went up to the top floor and saw a corridor near the stairwell densely packed with many offices.

"Let's go find the highest‑ranking official among them."

Xu Yuexin led Chen Yixue past room after room, finally stopping at the manager's office at the end of the corridor.

Pacific Audio's reply, sent in the company's name, seemed to Xu Yuexin to mean that he could negotiate with any official in their company.

Thus, negotiating with the highest‑ranking official would save a lot of trouble.

"Thump thump thump."

"Please come in."

Xu Yuexin opened the wooden door and stepped into an office with strong southern-country characteristics.

Inside, several potted green plants were arranged; the only ones Xu Yuexin could recognize were kumquat, pothos, and money tree.

"Hello Manager, I am Xu Yuexin, and she is Chen Yixue. Earlier we received your company's invitation and came to discuss the publication and distribution of NightAtTheMilitaryPort."

Xu Yuexin walked to the desk and said, "May I ask whether you are available right now?"

"I'm available, please have a seat, both of you."

"You're talking about NightAtTheMilitaryPort, right? Someone had briefed me on the situation before."

Behind the desk, a thin‑featured middle‑aged man speaking Mandarin with a mild accent said, "Since you both are so sincere and have traveled a thousand miles, why don't we listen to the song first?"

"No problem, may I ask your surname?"

"No need for a formal surname; I am Ye, given name Xinrong."

Manager Ye poured tea for the two of them, fetched a player, and inserted the Cassette Tape that Xu Yuexin had taken out.

"The night of the military port is quiet; the waves gently rock the warship…"

As Chen Yixue's wonderful voice rang in the office, the whole atmosphere seemed to be carried into that tranquil military port; in Manager Ye's mind, images of waves, warships, and sleeping soldiers floated up.

"It's a good song."

Manager Ye listened repeatedly four or five times, then pressed the stop button on the player and, giving full approval, said, "Name your price."

A typical Guangdong business style—straight to the point without any dithering.

"Nine thousand yuan, non‑exclusive."

Xu Yuexin replied lightly.

As his quotation left his mouth, the room fell silent, and only the whirring of the electric fan could be heard.

Chen Yixue wiped sweat from Xu Yuexin's forehead: "Offering it this high—might the other side just walk away?"

Manager Ye smiled awkwardly, "Too high, really too high. The highest price our publishing house has ever signed was only five thousand, and that was for exclusive distribution."

"This song is different. The singer's vocal technique is excellent, and most importantly it innovates on the traditional mainstream melody."

Xu Yuexin, conceding nothing, calmly explained the pricing basis, "And this year marks the 30th anniversary of the founding of the nation; it is destined to be a big year for mainstream songs."

"If you buy it, you'll only profit, not lose."

After listening, Manager Ye said nothing and shifted his gaze to the lucky bamboo outside the window.

Indeed, compared with the bold, stirring style of traditional mainstream songs, NightAtTheMilitaryPort is very gentle and delicate, refreshing to the ears.

Once released, it is bound to be popular.

A royalty cost of nine thousand yuan is, on reflection, not unacceptable.

"Nine thousand is still too high," Manager Ye said hesitantly, then added, "Moreover, if you resell it to another publisher, wouldn't that put us under a lot of pressure?"

The matter was settled.

Xu Yuexin heard Manager Ye's tone and knew he had accepted the offer.

"That's easy; we can stipulate in the Contract that we won't commission any other publisher for the next six months, and after six months we will exercise the rights again."

Xu Yuexin said decisively.

"Uh, one year?"

Manager Ye tried to haggle.

"One year is still too long; six months is enough for you to profit."

Xu Yuexin insisted, confident he could get Manager Ye to accept the term.

"Fine, then six months. Let's go to the meeting room to sign the Contract together."

Manager Ye readily agreed and was the first to stand and walk toward the outside.

Draft the Contract, verify the terms, sign, and collect the money.

Half an hour later, Xu Yuexin and Chen Yixue had left the Pacific Audio-Visual Company carrying nine thousand yuan.

Outside, the sun was still dazzling; Xu Yuexin raised a parasol to shield Chen Yixue from the scorching sun.

At that moment, Chen Yixue felt as if in a dream, sensing that everything around her was unreal.

That's nine thousand yuan... even with a 55% split, she could get 4,500.

She had worked in the Cultural Troupe for a full ten years and had only saved two thousand yuan. Now, by singing the song Xu Yuexin wrote, her earnings could exceed the labor of the past decade.

Xu Yuexin indeed pointed her toward a bright road.

Chen Yixue thought gratefully.

When the two returned to the hotel room, Gong Ruxue was sitting at the bedside watching a 19‑inch color TV.

"Look, it's color, and the screen is this big!"

Gong Ruxue set down the remote and, in a tone of discovering a new continent, said, "Let's watch TV together."

"We'll watch it in a moment."

Chen Yixue smiled, hurriedly agreed, and walked with Xu Yuexin to the other side of the curtain.

Zilaa.

Xu Yuexin sat on the bedside, opened his Shoulder Bag, took out the brand‑new nine thousand yuan, counted out fifty‑four notes and handed them to Chen Yixue.

Chen Yixue took the money, pulled out nine notes from inside, and gave them back to Xu Yuexin.

Xu Yuexin shook his head, held her hand, and said, "We agreed the first song would be split forty‑six percent."

Chen Yixue reluctantly accepted the money, casting a grateful look at him.

Money matters best reveal a person's character.

After dividing the money, the two returned nonchalantly to the other side of the curtain and watched TV together with Gong Ruxue.

The hotel TV could receive Xiangjiang's signal, offering many programs; Gong Ruxue was watching Li Xiaolong's Big Brother Tangshan.

The film's content was thrilling and exciting; Li Xiaolong, as a master of a generation of kung fu, performed with exhilarating vigor, keeping Chen Yixue and Gong Ruxue glued to the screen.

Xu Yuexin also watched with great interest; he hadn't seen such an exciting movie in a long time.

That night, he, Chen Yixue, and Gong Ruxue stayed up until midnight before sleeping, and they arranged to go out the next day to see the Zhujiang River.

It was too hot, so Xu Yuexin turned the Air Conditioning to its highest wind setting before bedtime, then lay on the bed to sleep.

At that moment, the curtain that divided the room was blown open a corner by the Air Conditioning, and Xu Yuexin happened to see Chen Yixue changing into nightwear.

He saw her just taking off her shirt and trousers, leaving only pure black form‑fitting clothing on her body, and Xu Yuexin took in her figure completely.

Towering peaks, a flat abdomen without a hint of excess flesh, slender straight calves, smooth and fleshy thighs…

Chen Yixue was startled, her face flushing red, and she quickly slipped to the side.

Xu Yuexin also turned his back in a hurry, but Da Yizi's figure was something he could never forget.

Da Yizi's figure left a deep impression on Xu Yuexin.

Even though he had eaten and seen her before, his mood was stirred by Da Yizi's perfect body.

……

The next day, Xu Yuexin, Da Yizi, and Gong Ruxue got up early, taking advantage of the still‑cool weather to go out sightseeing.

The Zhujiang River was wide, its surface vast and surging; the group strolled along the riverbank, buying a few snacks while enjoying the scenery, and had a great time.

Xu Yuexin held a plate of fried rice noodles in his hand, sitting side by side with Chen Yixue and Gong Ruxue on the riverbank, feeling extremely exhilarated.

A trip to Guangzhou earned him 3,600 yuan. One word: awesome.

Considering that he had seen Da Yizi fully naked last night, hmm, that makes it even more awesome! Speaking of that, Xu Yuexin noticed that Chen Yixue was trying to avoid talking to him today, presumably because she hadn't gotten over that hurdle yet.

No rush, take it slow.

The golden hairpin fell into the well; what's his is his, and being too hasty can easily result in missing out on hot tofu.

After viewing the river, the weather grew hotter, and the three returned to the hotel to continue watching TV.

"I'll send a Telegram home to report that I'm safe."

Before lunch, Gong Ruxue said.

"I'll also report that I'm safe."

Xu Yuexin said, and together with her and Chen Yixue, walked to the first floor, asked the front desk for the Dianbao Fang location, and then went to send the Telegram.

After sending the Telegram, the group went to the buffet restaurant to eat, when a hotel staff member found Gong Ruxue and handed her a paper: "Madam, hello, we have your reply."

Gong Ruxue took the message, her face instantly shifting from clear to cloudy: "It's over; the Drama Troupe said there's an urgent task, and my parents told me to go back."

"Then you should go back quickly; work is urgent."

Chen Yixue comforted, "There will still be a chance to play next holiday."

"I'll see you to the car."

Xu Yuexin offered proactively.

Tonight, only he and Da Yizi are left in the room?

Xu Yuexin thought for a moment and said.

After the meal, Xu Yuexin and Chen Yixue escorted Gong Ruxue back to Jing, seeing her all the way to the train station platform.

On the way back, Chen Yixue finally took the initiative to speak with Xu Yuexin.

"Don't you plan to bring something for Qiao Qiao?"

Chen Yixue's gaze looked ahead as she asked casually.

"I've already thought about it; I'll buy some fruit when we set off and bring it back."

"The other items are easy to get; only fruit is available here."

"Then I'll also buy some fruit."

Saying that, Chen Yixue looked at Xu Yuexin, "Thank you for helping me earn so much money."

"Didn't you thank me yesterday?"

Xu Yuexin, unfazed, said, "Besides, I also earned a lot."

"Well, let's continue cooperating in the future."

Chen Yixue gave a slight nod and said.

That night, the two still slept on either side of the curtain.

After lying down, Xu Yuexin stared at the ceiling and found it hard to fall asleep.

He also didn't know whether Da Yizi on the other side had fallen asleep…

Pondering, he felt the need to use the bathroom, so he got up, passed through the curtain, and headed to the restroom.

"Oops?"

When he reached the restroom doorway, Xu Yuexin collided with Chen Yixue, who had just come out.

Amid Chen Yixue's soft gasp, Xu Yuexin felt something soft and fluffy press against his chest.

This sense of pressure… was intense! In the darkness, Xu Yuexin supported Chen Yixue's delicate body, feeling a surge of qi and blood, and Xiao Xu also, mischievously, raised his head.

(End of Chapter)