Chapter 28: If anything happens later, just say you did it to yourself.
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Zhao Wenji was still lost in his own world, gazing at Peng Jiaxin with deep affection and a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
“Jiaxin, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting so long. At last, I’ve made my way to your side.”
As he spoke, he reached out to take Peng Jiaxin’s hand.
No one in the recording studio, Peng Jiaxin included, had expected Zhao Wenji to pull something like this. For a moment, everyone froze.
Everyone except Chen Fan, who had been watching Zhao Wenji’s movements all along.
The instant Zhao Wenji reached out, Chen Fan moved as well, seizing him by the wrist.
“Brother, hasn’t anyone ever told you that you’re being rather presumptuous?”
“What the hell does it have to do with you?”
Zhao Wenji’s face turned cold at once. Suppressing his anger, he glared at Chen Fan.
“Let me tell you, I’ve put up with you for a long time. You’re nothing but some hack songwriter, yet you dare act so arrogantly. Believe me, I can call security and have them throw you out.”
Seeing Chen Fan constantly coming and going with Peng Jiaxin had already made Zhao Wenji furious. Now Chen Fan was even trying to stop him from holding Peng Jiaxin’s hand. In Zhao Wenji’s mind, Chen Fan had already been sentenced to death.
“Jiaxin, don’t be afraid. I’ll be by your side in a moment.”
Peng Jiaxin finally came to her senses and looked at Zhao Wenji with undisguised disgust.
“Who gave you permission to call me by my name? Zhao Wenji, I’m warning you only once. If you dare speak to me like that again, don’t blame me for showing no regard for our past.”
After all, she was someone who had weathered the years with Starsea. Peng Jiaxin did not want to drive things too far.
But Zhao Wenji had already entered a state of complete self-absorption. Of everything Peng Jiaxin had said, only the words “our past” registered with him.
That single word, “past,” nearly sent him into a private ecstasy.
At that moment, the greatest difference between Zhao Wenji and a pervert was that he might have been just a little better-looking than the average one.
That did nothing to lessen Peng Jiaxin’s disgust. Instinctively, she stepped behind Chen Fan.
That gesture was no different from striking Zhao Wenji where it hurt most.
His mind went blank with a buzzing roar. Rage consumed him, and something even Peng Jiaxin and the others had not anticipated happened.
Zhao Wenji actually attacked. He swung a fist straight at Chen Fan’s face.
He Nan had already called security, but help from afar could not prevent what was happening right in front of them.
“Look out!”
“Bang!”
Chen Fan neither dodged nor flinched. He took the seemingly powerful punch head-on, yet it was not even enough to turn his head.
He laughed.
“You started this, so if something happens to you later, remember to say that you did it to yourself.”
With that, Chen Fan drove his foot into Zhao Wenji’s stomach.
A frail singer who would be gasping for breath after climbing a flight of stairs had no chance of withstanding Chen Fan’s kick.
He staggered backward several steps, crashed into the control console, then clutched his stomach and collapsed onto the floor, curling up like a shrimp.
Unconscious murmurs escaped his mouth, and his eyes were vacant.
“He’s that weak? I was even holding back.”
Chen Fan could only laugh helplessly. He truly had not expected the fight to end with a single kick.
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“Chen Fan, are you all right?”
Having recovered from her shock, Peng Jiaxin looked anxiously at Chen Fan’s face.
“I’m fine. You saw it yourself—the guy wasn’t even remotely a match for me!”
Chen Fan lifted his chin proudly.
“Still, I hit him. Won’t this affect the company?”
“Affect it my ass!”
Seeing that Chen Fan’s face was merely a little red and that there were no obvious injuries, Peng Jiaxin breathed a sigh of relief. She turned toward Sister Hong, her voice icily cold.
“From today onward, I don’t want that man appearing at Starsea ever again. Is that clear?”
“Understood!”
Sister Hong responded at once, her expression so resolute it looked as though she were taking an oath.
This was not the time to wonder about the relationship between her boss and this young man. If she failed to deal with Zhao Wenji properly, she could forget about continuing in this industry.
No company would want a manager who had trained an artist like that.
One could say that of everyone involved in what had happened that day, apart from Peng Jiaxin herself, Sister Hong was suffering the most.
Together with the security guards who had arrived, Sister Hong dragged Zhao Wenji away like a dead dog.
He Nan cleared his throat twice, reminding them that outsiders were still present.
Peng Jiaxin came back to herself and remembered that they were still at the company. She hurriedly withdrew her hand.
She did not mind making her relationship with Chen Fan public, but she absolutely could not let her aloof image collapse in front of her subordinates.
Only after seeing that his boss had composed herself did He Nan slowly speak.
“It seems we won’t be able to register the copyright for ‘Confession Balloon’ today.”
After the trouble Zhao Wenji had caused, there was no way his recording could be used.
“I’ll find someone else to record the song as soon as possible. I’m sorry to have made you come all this way for nothing today, Mr. Chen.”
Neither of them bothered mentioning the idiot who had just been dragged away.
“It’s no trouble.”
Chen Fan waved his hand.
Peng Jiaxin nodded in agreement.
“Exactly. Can’t Chen Fan just sing it again?”
“Mm... What?”
He Nan looked at Chen Fan. There was no problem on his end.
“Mr. Chen, would that be convenient for you?”
Chen Fan smiled helplessly. He had known this would happen.
Oh, well. He was working for his own wife, after all.
“No problem.”
He entered the recording booth, took his place before the microphone, and put on his headphones.
He Nan sat down at the control console and asked whether Chen Fan was ready.
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Chen Fan gave him an “OK” sign.
To be honest, He Nan had not held out much hope for Chen Fan. To an outsider, there might not seem to be much difference between an amateur and a professional singer, but to someone like him, the gap was substantial.
Still, Peng Jiaxin had spoken, and naturally he would not refuse.
It would only cost them a little time. He could use the opportunity to think about which of the company’s singers might be suitable for the song.
Then Chen Fan began to sing.
He Nan’s expression changed. His previous indifference gave way to seriousness.
When the song ended, He Nan was still immersed in Chen Fan’s voice.
“Director He, what do you think? Chen Fan did all right, didn’t he?” Peng Jiaxin asked with a smile.
“More than all right! Mr. Chen’s version is countless times better than that Zhao fellow’s!”
He Nan’s praise came from the heart.
Peng Jiaxin immediately beamed.
“Is it good enough?”
Chen Fan removed his headphones and stepped out of the recording booth.
“It’s far better than good enough. Chen Fan, have you ever considered joining our company? Don’t worry—the salary would definitely be among the best in the industry.”
Chen Fan smiled and declined.
“Director He, let’s just go register the copyright.”
“All right.”
He Nan was clearly still unwilling to give up. He walked over to Peng Jiaxin.
“President Peng, you and Mr. Chen seem to be quite close. Why don’t you try persuading him?”
“It’s fine. If he doesn’t want to come, then let him be.”
“...”
The two of them followed He Nan into the office next door. Everything had already been prepared on the computer. As soon as the recorded song was replaced with Chen Fan’s version, the registration could begin.
Chen Fan pressed Peng Jiaxin down into the chair before the computer.
The two of them looked at him in confusion.
Calmly, Chen Fan gave the excuse he had come up with long ago.
“I’ve forgotten both my account name and password. Just register the song under your President Peng’s name for now.”
“But...”
Chen Fan knew exactly what Peng Jiaxin was about to say. He waved his hand.
“It’s fine. We’re all family. She certainly won’t mind.”
“...”
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