Chapter 43: Chapter Forty-Eight: See You Next Year

"In the endless night!"

"Everything is about to be destroyed!"

"At least I still have a dream."

"And I am moved for you as well..."

"During lunch break, Da Mi Mi sat on the hospital bench, eating, and couldn't help nodding along to the rhythm."

"Beside her was a wheelchair, which was her main prop."

"Da Mi Mi heard this song yesterday; at the time, it was the phone ringtone of a crew member from the production."

"Only after asking did she find out that this was actually the new song of Chen Ci's Broken Guitar Band!"

"It's only been a few days since its release, and now it's everywhere online."

"The official version video was explosive, gaining several hundred thousand clicks on its first day online."

"Let Shi San return for an encore, have the contestants sing those three songs in the competition; I heard the effect was quite good."

"Of course, compared to the performance on the show, most people still prefer the original version of Broken Guitar."

"Nowadays, walking the streets and alleys of Jingcheng, you can occasionally hear these three songs."

"Of course, they're all pirated..."

'"Mi Mi, keep it down."'

"Ceng Jia's voice came from beside her, speaking frankly: she doesn't actually dislike this song."

"But, it's lunchtime now, and there are other people besides Da Mi Mi nearby."

"Moreover, over the past two days, whenever she has free time she listens to it—wouldn't she get tired of it?"

And over the past two days, whenever she has a free moment she just listens—doesn't she get sick of it?

"Da Mi Mi resentfully turned off her phone, carelessly forgetting to take her earphones when she changed clothes."

'"Mi Mi, hurry up and eat; after you finish, I have something to tell you."'

'"Sister Ceng, just say what you need to say."'

"Suddenly not being allowed to listen to music, Da Mi Mi felt a bit uneasy, as if something was missing."

"Ceng Jia gave a faint smile: 'Alright, you can keep it in mind. I got word that your role was originally prepared for A Jiao to play.'"

"Upon hearing this, Da Mi Mi furrowed her brows in doubt: 'Cheng Xiaonuò?'"

"Cheng Xiaonuò is the name of her character in 'Living While Smiling'."

"Ceng Jia shook her head: '《Mei Lanfang》.'"

Ceng Jia shook their head: "Mei Lanfang."

'"Oh?" Ceng Jia felt surprised by Da Mi Mi's nonchalance.'

'"No matter who she is, it's all mine now anyway."'

'"I don't mean that; I just want to tell you……"'

"Da Mi Mi grudgingly took over the conversation: 'This role didn't come easy; I have to give it my all and take it seriously. Sister Ceng, you've said this over a hundred times these past days, right?'"

"Ceng Jia looked at her with an expression that was both annoyed and amused, also feeling rather helpless."

'"I've already been preparing the role with all my effort; what more do you want from me?"'

"Ceng Jia smiled and said: 'Actually, today I really didn't want to talk to you about this.'"

"Da Mi Mi turned her head curiously: 'Then what do you want to say?'"

"Ceng Jia asked with a smiling expression: 'How long have you and Chen Ci not spoken?'"

'"About a week, what's up?"'

'"Yeah, it's been over a week. Even his new song, you learned about it from outsiders—haven't you noticed the problem?"'

"Yeah, it's been over a week. Even his new song—you heard about it from outsiders too—and you still haven't noticed the problem?"

"Ceng Jia laughed at her sluggishness: 'Mi Mi, wake up. How did you get this role? You don't need me to remind you, do you?'"

"This time Da Mi Mi didn't answer right away; she stared silently at Ceng Jia, as if trying to see something in her."

"As for how she got this role, no one knows it better than she herself—it's because of Chen Ci's connection."

"Ceng Jia mentioning A Jiao made it clear: in this world, no one is irreplaceable."

"The fact that an obscure little actor like Da Mi Mi could replace the established A Jiao shows how ruthless this circle is."

"Likewise, since she can replace A Jiao, others can naturally replace her as well."

"Before the final result comes out, anything is possible."

"Even after finishing an entire film, only to discover upon release that a scene was cut, that's not exactly news either."

"Originally there wasn't much, but after Ceng Jia said that, Da Mi Mi suddenly felt a sense of urgent crisis."

"A Jiao has fame, a fan base, and also a Hong Kong entertainment industry identity."

"Just speaking of the Hong Kong industry identity, it's indeed much more advantageous nowadays than being a mainland artist."

"As for Da Mi Mi herself, she only has Chen Ci, and they've been out of contact for over a week."

"However, on the surface Da Mi Mi remains fairly calm: 'Just get through this busy period and it'll be fine……'"

"Ceng Jia chuckled: 'Which busy period? Don't forget that once the TV drama wraps, you'll join the 《Mei Lanfang》 crew. The film will take at least half a year to shoot—are you planning to talk to him again only next year?'"

Ceng Jia chuckled: "Which period? Don't forget the TV drama wrapped filming—you're about to join the Mei Lanfang cast. The film will take at least six months to shoot—are you planning to wait until next year to talk to him?"

'"Isn't he also filming a movie? Who would be visiting whose set?"'

"Isn't he also filming a movie? Who's visiting whose set?"

"Da Mi Mi finally panicked, because she realized everything Ceng Jia said was actually true!"

"It's possible they really won't see each other again until next year."

It might be that they really will have to meet again next year.

But the question is, will we still be able to see each other next year?

Da Mi Mi immediately picked up her phone and dialed a number as fast as she could.

However, a few seconds later, she put the phone down again, looking completely bewildered.

Ceng Jia asked, "What's wrong?"

Da Mi Mi stared blankly at Ceng Jia, pouting: "It's turned off…"

Oh, maybe the phone just ran out of battery…

Impossible! Da Mi Mi suddenly interrupted: "In the past, whenever I called him, he never turned off his phone."

Ceng Jia was also bewildered by her sudden loud outburst: "Maybe the phone is broken? Why don't you ask his friends…"

Da Mi Mi's eyes lit up: "Right, his friends!"

She quickly pulled out the phone number of Chen Ci's close friend Pang Zi, and as for why she thought of Pang Zi first…

Probably because they both study performance and share a common language, and Pang Zi always gives off an honest, simple vibe, never deceitful.

Another minute passed, and Da Mi Mi finally put her phone down, her face showing a hint of relief.

Ceng Jia asked, "What's wrong?"

"Chen Ci has something to attend to back home; he's probably on a plane now."

"Oh."

"Wait for him to turn his phone back on and wait for me; he didn't even tell me about something as big as releasing a new song…"

……

"If you don't fly high, how can you broaden your horizons?"

"You've grown up—go tell the whole world!"

"A Se, when did you grow up? Mom didn't even know."

"Geez, Mom, I haven't finished singing yet."

"Is that even called singing?"

"This is rap, hippop rock."

"Is it hippop or rock, after all?"

"Geez!"

"Haha…"

Gu Ma looked at A Se, whose baby teeth hadn't even come in yet, and he was already trying to rap like others.

"Mom, this is currently the hottest song."

"Isn't that the hottest song at your kindergarten?"

A Se stopped talking; with his already chubby cheeks, he now looked even rounder as he puffed out his face in anger.

"All right, all right, Mom won't laugh anymore—A Se, keep rapping."

A Se couldn't be pacified with just a couple of words; he needed something more substantive.

"Mom, when the band performs next time, I want to go see them live—I heard their live shows are even more explosive."

"Sure, as long as you get all A pluses on this final exam, Mom will take you."

"Huh? A plus… I'm going to study."

Gu Ma unconsciously chuckled out of curiosity: "What band is it that makes A Se so obedient?"

Little fatty A Se's eyes lit up: "Broken Guitar Band, my idol."

"Broken Guitar…"