Chapter 240: The Gentle War

I pretended to be calm as I gestured to Rob with my finger and said, “Give me back my phone.”

Before my words had even faded, Ahfeng, who had been hosting the event on the stage, held a microphone and invited me, saying, “Zhaoyang, come up here and liven up the atmosphere a bit. We’re all looking forward to your performance.”

Everyone turned their gaze toward me following Ahfeng’s invitation, but my mind was still preoccupied with the message from Mi Cai. I gestured again at Rob.

Rob seemed to be deliberately teasing me, smiling as he said, “Everyone is waiting for you. You can check your messages after singing.”

Ahfeng began encouraging the audience to clap for me.

I pointed at Rob and said, “You son of a bitch is nothing but a troublemaker.” Reluctantly, I walked toward the stage.

Ahfeng handed me the guitar that was the prize for the event. I tested the tuning and found its quality surprisingly good. Then I turned to the band behind me and said, “Let’s play ‘Jiangnan’ by JJ Lin.”

The band signaled that it was fine, so I began strumming the guitar strings. Although I rarely coordinated with the band, I quickly found their rhythm.

I really liked this guitar, which was why I carefully chose the song “Jiangnan.” After all, Xitang is a typical Jiangnan ancient town, and singing this song would add some emotional points.

I started singing along with the accompaniment. Initially, I was quite immersed, but just as I entered the chorus, I began to lose focus, still daydreaming about Mi Cai’s message.

Suddenly, I missed a line and then forgot the lyrics, awkwardly humming “Hmm… Ah,” while the audience booed. Fortunately, I had a thick skin and managed to finish the entire song with “Hmm… Ah.” CC and Rob were already struggling to hold back laughter below the stage.

I handed the guitar back to Ahfeng, who looked surprised, and then walked toward CC and Rob.

“I was suffering so much up there—do you two really feel okay about it? If you two don’t help me bring the guitar down later, we’re not done yet,” I said.

CC and Rob just smiled without answering.

I glanced again at the phone in Rob’s hand and couldn’t help but ask, “What did she actually say?”

Finally, Rob handed me the phone.

I immediately swiped the screen open, and Mi Cai’s reply appeared instantly.

“Why did you suddenly call me ‘baby’?”

This response was indeed typical of Mi Cai’s style, but it made me hesitate. I wondered whether I should tell her that the message had actually been sent by CC.

CC half-smilingly asked me, “Zhaoyang, how are you going to reply?”

Recalling all the little moments we had shared, I wished I could treasure her with all my heart. I couldn’t help but wonder: if I cherished her so deeply in my heart, why couldn’t I say it out loud? After a while, I finally replied to Mi Cai: “Aren’t you my baby?”

CC hastily grabbed the phone from my hand again, read my reply, and angrily said, “Zhaoyang, you really are something! You played a clever dodge and tossed the problem right back to Mi’er!” She then showed my reply to Rob.

Rob sighed, saying, “Their love is a war…”

CC nodded and said, “I just hope it’s a gentle war!”

…

This time, Mi Cai didn’t reply for a long while. She might have been eating or perhaps was at a loss for words.

While waiting for Mi Cai’s reply, CC and Rob went up to the stage together to prepare for a duet. Rob took over the drummer’s seat, and CC held the guitar.

I temporarily placed my phone on the table, eagerly anticipating what song CC and Rob would perform together.

A melody began playing, and I immediately recognized it as “Start of Autumn” by Junzi, although it had been rearranged to be more lyrical compared to the original version. I knew this arrangement was Rob’s work.

CC began singing along with the rhythm. As soon as he opened his mouth, his sexy and magnetic voice earned applause from the audience, and even Ahfeng gave them a thumbs-up, showing his appreciation.

Right after the chorus of “Start of Autumn,” a transitional section of music followed seamlessly into another song by Junzi, “Winter Solstice,” this time sung by Rob.

With Rob’s warm and natural voice, the two songs were seamlessly linked, immersing the listeners in a strange emotional atmosphere.

At some point, Ahfeng came to my side and said in astonishment, “Your friends are amazing. Today I’ve really broadened my horizons. His musical talent is truly enviable!”

I simply nodded without saying much, because Rob’s talent didn’t need to be emphasized—it was innate.

Ahfeng handed me a cigarette, and after lighting it, we began chatting casually. He asked me, “How’s the business at your inn lately?”

I shook my head and said, “Not very good.”

“I heard you plan to renovate the inn?”

“Yeah. What do you think—will renovating it improve the current situation?”

Ahfeng shook his head and said honestly, “It’s going to be tough. The main problem is that your inn is located too far from the main area, and the competition is fierce. It’s not an exaggeration to say it’s surviving in a narrow gap!”

I took a deep puff of my cigarette before saying, “What you said is indeed the inn’s biggest weakness. But success depends on human effort. I believe I can manage this inn well.”

Ahfeng took a puff with me and said somewhat sadly, “I’ve been friends with Kangkang (the former inn owner) for many years. I really hope you can manage this inn well—it was truly his life’s work!”

I had always had some questions about the former inn owner, so I seized this opportunity to ask Ahfeng, “Can you tell me about him and this inn?”

“It’s a long story. Another day… Another day when we’re not so busy, let’s find a restaurant, have a few drinks, and talk more.”

I nodded without pressing further.

Ahfeng patted my shoulder and said, “If you ever need help with the inn, feel free to let me know. I can’t promise to get everything done, but I’ll definitely do my best.”

“Yeah, I won’t hesitate if I really need help.”

…

After chatting a bit more, Ahfeng left. In my mind, a vague marketing idea slowly emerged—perhaps I could leverage Ahfeng’s bar, which already had a good reputation, to promote the inn.

However, this idea was still immature at this stage because I didn’t want to profit merely by exploiting the bar’s value. The best outcome would be for both parties to benefit, which would form the basis for long-term cooperation.

I took a sip of my drink, and with my mind now active, I quickly constructed several cooperation plans in my head, gradually refining them by eliminating the bad ideas and retaining the good ones. Eventually, a feasible plan began to take shape in my mind.

I felt excited about it and ended up drinking several more sips in a row, which made me feel suddenly dizzy.

Yet I could understand this excitement—it was a need for release, because I really needed to prove myself. I absolutely refused to endure the humiliation of looking up at giants from a lowly position ever again.

At this moment, my phone on the table rang again. I grabbed it immediately, swiped the screen open, and sure enough, it was a message from Mi Cai.

She wrote: “I want to be your baby—the one you’ll never lose!”