Chapter 2: Showdown

Lu Yan He sighed gloomily.

Having failed to borrow money, he could only continue walking forward.

When he reached the edge of Southern Park, Lu Yan He felt as if his legs were about to break. He finally stopped and sat down on a stone bench by the road to rest for a while.

It was already September, deep in the early morning, and the cold wind was whistling.

His clothes were almost dry, but still a bit damp. When the wind blew, it felt as cold as if it were soaked in ice against his skin.

While sitting and resting, Lu Yan He also pondered his current situation.

Regardless of anything else, survival was the key.

What did people who transmigrated usually do?

Transmigration is not rebirth; he couldn't buy stocks or bet on games.

This was another Earth, another parallel universe.

He could be a literary plagiarist or a music plagiarist, but these were not projects that could be monetized in the short term.

Moreover, he didn't have such a good memory to perfectly replicate those classic works; replicating them entirely from memory would always result in a discount in quality.

Just then, a slightly stern female voice sounded in front of him.

"What are you doing sitting here?"

Lu Yan He raised his head in confusion and looked forward.

Three meters away stood a tall woman wearing a police uniform, looking at him with a stern and puzzled expression.

The moment Lu Yan He saw her, tears almost welled up in his eyes from gratitude.

"Officer! I was pushed into the river by someone, and I barely managed to climb out. My phone won't turn on, and I have no money!" he said indignantly, "Please, save me!"

The eighteen-year-old boy, both in appearance and soul, almost knelt down.

Qiu Ling looked in surprise at the boy with the very pretty-boy face before her. A second ago, he was slumped over with a bitter expression, wondering what he was thinking, and the next second, seeing her, he was wailing as if he had seen his own mother.

She looked at him speechlessly.

On her way home after finishing the night shift, she suddenly encountered such a handsome boy.

She had originally intended to lecture this ignorant boy for not going home late at night and sitting by the road in a daze, but who knew—

She had stumbled upon a case?!

"Someone pushed you into the river?"

Deep in the early morning, Qiu Ling, who had finally finished work and could go home to rest, had to work overtime temporarily and take this reporter to the police station.

But this reporter knew nothing.

He didn't know who pushed him into the river, nor did he know anyone else's phone number.

Who could blame him? In this era of smartphones, who could still memorize anyone else's phone number?

Fortunately, the police station could still check contact information.

At 4:00 AM, agent Zhou Ping'an appeared at the police station, looking irritable and sleepy from being woken up in the middle of the night.

"Is this the artist you manage?" Qiu Ling asked.

After learning that Lu Yan He was an idol artist, she felt relieved that this boy had such a handsome face.

In front of the police, Zhou Ping'an's attitude was still very good.

"That's right, yes. Oh, sorry to trouble you officers so late at night. Thank you for your help!"

"It's part of the job. However, your artist just sneezed several times; he probably caught a cold. Hurry and get him some medicine," Qiu Ling said. "Also, he said someone pushed him into the river. We checked the surveillance of that area, and it's terrible; it's a blind spot, and nothing was captured. We can only try to figure out what happened through other investigations. You should take him back first."

Zhou Ping'an bowed repeatedly to thank her.

"Alright, thank you, officer. We really caused you trouble."

Qiu Ling led Zhou Ping'an to the room where Lu Yan He was waiting.

Lu Yan He was wrapped in a military overcoat, sitting on the sofa, staring blankly.

"Lu Yan He!" Qiu Ling called out.

Lu Yan He finally came back to his senses and looked up to see his agent.

"Brother Ping'an." When he realized, he found he had already stood up very nervously.

This was the original owner's conditioned reflex.

Regarding this agent who had always managed them, the original owner had always been nervous and timid in front of him.

In fact, according to the original owner's memories, Zhou Ping'an had never liked him either.

Because he was the least popular and least profitable in the group, how could Zhou Ping'an like him?

Today, he had even been called out of bed so late because of him.

Zhou Ping'an glanced at Lu Yan He, frowned slightly, and said irritably: "What are you doing running around outside in the middle of the night!"

Lu Yan He didn't speak.

He wasn't willing to imitate the timid appearance of the original owner facing Zhou Ping'an, but he couldn't just snap back in his own style either; that wouldn't fit the original owner at all.

Silence.

In front of Qiu Ling, Zhou Ping'an didn't say anything else. The two signed some papers and left.

Lu Yan He waved at Qiu Ling, "Thank you, Officer Qiu!"

Qiu Ling looked at the time; it was already 4:30 AM.

She sighed.

By the time she got home, washed up, and got into bed, it would probably be 5:30 AM.

The whole night was gone just like that.

In the car as Zhou Ping'an drove Lu Yan He back to the dormitory, neither spoke. Lu Yan He kept his mouth shut, looking at the quiet, desolate city outside the car.

Zhou Ping'an suddenly spoke.

"Little Lu, you've been under my management for three years now."

Lu Yan He looked up at Zhou Ping'an in the front and gave a hum.

Zhou Ping'an only felt that Lu Yan He's reaction was a bit different from usual.

That "hum" had a somewhat indifferent tone.

It must be an illusion.

Although Lu Yan He wasn't popular, he had always been respectful in front of him.

"Fengzhi is disbanding next month. Do you have any thoughts?"

Fengzhi was the name of their group. Lu Yan He looked at Zhou Ping'an with some confusion, not knowing what he meant by asking this suddenly.

"No thoughts. I'll continue working with Brother Ping'an," he said.

Zhou Ping'an sighed. "You child, I've watched you grow up. Actually, in this industry, you know, it depends a lot on talent and eye appeal. Some people just stand there without saying a word, and a lot of people like them. As for you, maybe your personality is too introverted, and you don't talk much. If you continue to drift in the entertainment industry like this, you'll never get ahead."

Lu Yan He didn't speak.

He waited for Zhou Ping'an to continue.

Zhou Ping'an indeed continued.

"Don't blame your brother for being direct. You're only eighteen. If you change your profession now, there's still time in your life. Fengzhi is about to disband, and there won't be any group work in the future. Based on the situation over the past three years, do you think you can get other work if you lose the group work?" Zhou Ping'an said. "In my opinion, since you aren't suited for the entertainment industry, you should leave as soon as possible. Go study, get into a university; it's not too late."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 3 =====