novelraw Chapter 46: Dating but not getting married?
Chapter 46: Dating but not getting married?
Although Bei Weiwei comes from a wealthy family and has seen a lot, she rarely sees such a professional-level private recording studio.
Zhou Lingyan was present on the previous few occasions when she came in; she was very vigilant.
Now it's just her and Chen Bo, and she's very excited.
"Wow... so much equipment..." she exclaimed softly, her gaze sweeping over the mixing console, monitor speakers, various microphones, and musical instruments. "Lingyan is really good to you; renting this place for an hour must be expensive, right?"
"Hmm." Chen Bo walked to the computer and sat down. "She's always had a good eye for investment."
Bei Weiwei moved to his side and slightly behind, keeping a small distance, but close enough to see the screen clearly.
Her gaze fell on Chen Bo's profile.
The lamplight cast a soft shadow on his face as he stared intently at the screen, his fingers tapping on the keyboard, his brow furrowed, his eyes sharp and focused.
Bevy's heart skipped a beat.
A man who works hard... is so handsome.
She had seen Chen Bo serious before. In the past, when they occasionally talked about music at gatherings, he would say a few words with his eyes lit up, but Xu Yueqing would quickly interrupt or change the subject.
At that time, he was like a flame encased in a glass dome—it had light, but it wasn't bright.
Now, the flame broke through the cover, burning fiercely and shining brightly.
Chen Bo opened the project file and found the completed verse section.
"Listen to this." He pressed play.
The intro to the music flowed from the monitor speakers: clean guitar arpeggios, steady bass lines, and simple yet powerful drum beats.
The moment the music started, a sense of openness, carrying the feeling of wind, sand, and distant places, instantly spread out.
Bevy held her breath.
A dozen seconds later, Chen Bo began to sing the first verse.
His voice is clearer and more textured under professional equipment. That husky quality, full of stories, combined with the youth, dreams, and wandering in the lyrics, is like a gentle knife, softly cutting through the disguise on the surface of the heart.
Bei Weiwei was stunned.
The lyrics... the melody...
She looked at Chen Bo's profile; his eyes were slightly closed, and he was immersed in his singing, as if he had truly become the person in the song.
A faint hint of bitterness crept into Chen Bo's voice.
Bei Weiwei's heart clenched painfully.
She suddenly remembered the past three years, during which she silently watched Chen Bo and Xu Yueqing.
Watching how carefully Chen Bo cherished Xu Yueqing, watching how Xu Yueqing took his kindness for granted while never caring about his dreams, watching the light in Chen Bo's eyes gradually dim...
That girl, isn't that Xu Yueqing? I'm so jealous.
That person who disappeared without a trace must be Xu Yueqing, who insisted on breaking up back then, very decisively!
As she listened, Bei Weiwei's eyes reddened.
She seemed to see Chen Bo hiding somewhere, licking his wounds alone, and pretending to be calm despite being hurt all over by love.
The music continued, but Beiweiwei could no longer hear it.
Her mind was filled with the turmoil beneath Chen Bo's calm, and the hidden pain within his relief.
The song ended.
Chen Bo opened his eyes, exhaled, and turned to look at Bei Weiwei: "How does it feel? Any issues with the arrangement...?"
He paused, his words trailing off.
Bei Weiwei stood behind him, tears streaming down her face like broken beads.
She didn't make a sound, but silently shed tears. Her eyes and the tip of her nose were red, making her look pitiful yet adorable.
"What's wrong with you?" Chen Bo asked, a little confused.
Bei Weiwei shook her head vigorously and wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, but the more she wiped, the more tears she shed.
She stopped applying the lint and looked at Chen Bo, her voice choked with emotion: "Chen Bo... is this song... about you and Yueqing?"
Chen Bo paused for two seconds: "Not entirely, but there's a hint of her influence."
"Were you... extremely heartbroken back then?" Bei Weiwei asked, tears welling up again. "When you were dumped, when she ignored you, when you watched her go to someone else, weren't you... heartbroken?"
Chen Bo looked at her tearful face and felt a mix of amusement and exasperation.
Isn't this girl's empathy a bit too strong?
"It's all in the past," he said simply.
"I can't get over this!" Bei Weiwei suddenly became agitated, took a step forward, and grabbed his arm. "Chen Bo, my heart aches for you! I feel so, so sorry for you! I've liked you for three years. I've seen you treat her so well, seen you suffer, seen you be sad... but I can't do anything because she's my best friend, she's your girlfriend..."
She rambled on, "She doesn't want you anymore, she hurt you... Chen Bo, let me be good to you, okay? I know how to cherish you better than she did, I'll never let you write such a sad song, I'll never let you wander..."
Chen Bo's arm was being held by her, and he could feel the trembling and warmth of her fingertips.
He sighed, gently pried her hand open, and handed her a tissue: "Wipe it off."
Bei Weiwei took the tissue and wiped her face haphazardly, but her eyes remained fixed on him, her gaze intense and unwavering.
"Chen Bo, I like you. I've liked you since the first time I saw you three years ago." Her voice was hoarse, but every word was crystal clear. "I couldn't say it before, but now I can. Give me a chance to take care of you and stay with you, okay?"
The recording studio quieted down, with only the slight hum of the equipment in standby mode.
Chen Bo stared at her for a long time.
Bei Weiwei nervously gripped the tissue, her heart pounding like a drum.
Finally, Chen Bo spoke, his voice calm to the point of being cold: "Bei Weiwei, do you know what state you're in right now?"
Bei Weiwei looked at him blankly.
"I am Chen Bo, an 18th-tier artist who has just made a splash with one song." Chen Bo pointed to himself, "Although I successfully challenged the competition, whether I can maintain this momentum, whether I can continue to produce works, whether I can monetize my popularity, and how much I can monetize... are all unknowns."
He continued, "And you, Bei Weiwei, the eldest daughter of the Bei family, your family owns a mine, you have your own company, and your social class, economic strength, and network of connections are not in the same world as mine."
Before Bei Weiwei could say anything, Chen Bo raised his hand to stop her.
"I'm saying all this... out of inferiority complex, but also to state the facts." He looked into her eyes. "You like me now, probably because I'm not bad looking and I can write and sing songs, but these things are insignificant in the eyes of your social class. So after Xu Yueqing had her fill with me, she discarded me like trash. Now she wants to come back, but it's only because she doesn't want what's hers to be taken by someone else."
"I didn't..." Bei Weiwei hurriedly tried to explain.
"Let me finish," Chen Bo said calmly. "What I mean is, if we're just dating, that's fine. We can be together when we're happy and break up when we're not. It's that simple."
He then changed the subject: "But marriage is impossible. It's not just a matter between two people, it's a matter between two families. Would your family agree to you marrying someone with an uncertain future? Even if they did, would my future career development, income level, and social status match yours? Would I be able to prevent you from being gossiped about in your circle?"