After signing the contract, Shen Yu officially became an artist under Youwan Entertainment.
She had originally planned to debut for now under the stage name Xing Yu, but the people at Youwan Entertainment told her there was no need, so she had to give up and just use her real name.
Didn’t that make all the opening lines Lu An came up with for her completely useless…
Although Shen Yu was a little displeased, she didn’t say anything.
Her first official recording came quickly. Lin Lu An accompanied Shen Yu to the Youwan Entertainment recording studio half an hour early.
This recording wasn’t for Shen Yu’s personal single, but a company-arranged “veteran leads the rookie” collaboration.
Lin Lu An scrolled through his phone.
This time, the company had arranged for the well-known and accomplished female singer Tang Yue to lead Shen Yu, and together they would record a charity promotional song.
It was also a way to use an established singer to bring in attention for Shen Yu—this was a common tactic when entertainment companies promoted new talent.
The recording studio was bigger than they’d imagined, filled with equipment. When they arrived, Tang Yue was already inside.
She wore fashionable casual clothes, headphones on as she sat on a high stool communicating with the sound engineer, sometimes waving her hand, looking confident and composed.
When she saw Shen Yu and Lin Lu An come in, she took off her headphones and walked over with a warm smile, her gaze gentle as she looked Shen Yu up and down.
“You’re Shen Yu, right? Very impressive, I’ve watched your video.
An!”
Tang Yue’s voice was gentle; as soon as she spoke it was as soothing as her singing, which helped relax Shen Yu’s tense nerves quite a bit.
“Hello, Teacher Tang! I’m Shen Yu. It’s a real honor to work with you!” Shen Yu bowed in greeting.
Tang Yue smiled and nodded, her gaze soon landing on Lin Lu An at Shen Yu’s side.
Today, Lin Lu An wore a simple shirt and trousers, standing tall and straight.
Tang Yue noticed something and smiled at Shen Yu, saying, “Bringing your boyfriend along for support at the recording? What a close relationship.”
Shen Yu’s face flushed bright red in an instant, and she waved her hands frantically, “No, no! Teacher Tang, you misunderstand—he’s my agent, Lin Lu An.”
Lin Lu An was also a bit stunned by this sudden misunderstanding.
He scratched his head and bowed politely, “Hello, Teacher Tang… Nice to meet you. Please take care of us. Shen Yu is new, there’s a lot she has to learn, so I’ll have to trouble you today.”
Tang Yue cheered them on.
Tang Yue raised her brows in mild surprise and looked Lin Lu An over again, “Agent? There aren’t many agents this young and good-looking around. Ah haha, thank you for the compliment.”
“You look pretty good—seem like you could act too. Our company has actors as well, want to give it a try?”
“Ah…” Lin Lu An didn’t quite know how to answer. “I don’t think that’s appropriate?”
“I’m just joking.” Tang Yue smiled. “Alright, let’s get started. Don’t be nervous, just treat it as learning from each other and having fun with music.”
The recording began. Shen Yu hugged her guitar, sat on the high stool, took a deep breath, and got into the zone.
Lin Lu An quietly stood outside the control room, watching the situation inside intently through the glass.
He didn’t know any professional music theory, but he could tell Shen Yu was doing pretty well.
During a break, Shen Yu came out for a drink of water and whispered to Lin Lu An, “Teacher Tang is so nice. I’m not as nervous anymore.”
Lin Lu An handed her some water. “Yeah, keep it up.”
Tang Yue also came out just then, happening to see this scene, and smiled at Lin Lu An, “Agent Lin really cares for our Xiao Yu.”
Lin Lu An nodded slightly, “It’s my duty.”
Shen Yu held her cup, sneaking a glance at Lin Lu An, then took a sip.
The entire recording session went smoothly. When it ended, Tang Yue kindly patted Shen Yu’s shoulder, “Good job, you’ve got a lot of potential. In the future—”
“Thank you, Teacher Tang.” Shen Yu bowed politely.
After saying goodbye, Lin Lu An took Shen Yu home.
All the way, Shen Yu was still caught up in the excitement of her first successful collaboration, softly sharing the details of the recording and what she’d learned with Lin Lu An.
Of course, what made her happiest was that Lin Lu An had spent another day with her.
Most of the time, Lin Lu An just listened quietly, nodding occasionally.
After safely seeing Shen Yu up to her building, waiting until her lights came on upstairs, Lin Lu An turned and left.
It was already evening. The cool night breeze swept away some of his weariness. He had just taken out his phone to check the time when the screen lit up with a new message.
The sender surprised him a bit—it was Liu Minghui.
He opened the message, and its content made him pause:
[Lu An, hello, this is Qin Qing’s mom, Liu Minghui. Sorry to bother you. There’s something I can’t quite figure out, and I was wondering if you have time to talk? I promise it won’t take too much of your time.]
Lin Lu An stopped walking, his brow furrowing.
Qin Qing’s mom was looking for him?
This long-winded message was so typical of a middle-aged woman.
The tone was very polite, completely unlike the lively, outgoing impression Liu Minghui usually gave.
The first thing he thought of was whether Qin Qing had gotten into trouble, or if it was something to do with his sister, Lin Wan—after all, Qin Qing was Lin Wan’s best friend.
He pondered for a moment, fingers tapping out a reply on the screen.
No matter her reason, since she was an elder, he couldn’t ignore her.
[Aunt Liu, hello. I’m available, you’re too polite. May I ask what it’s about?]
[That’s great! Have you had dinner yet? If not, let me treat you. I’ll send you the restaurant location in a bit.]
Following Liu Minghui’s directions, Lin Lu An found a Private Kitchen Restaurant that looked quite upscale.
As soon as he reached the door, a courteous waiter greeted him. After confirming his name, the waiter led him straight to a quiet Box Room.
Pushing open the door, he saw Liu Minghui already seated inside.
Today, she was dressed even more formally than the last time they’d met at school—a perfectly tailored mauve suit, makeup flawless, exuding the air of a glamorous lady.
But Lin Lu An still noticed a tension between her brows that didn’t quite match her elegant appearance.
Seeing Lin Lu An, she immediately stood up, her face blossoming into a warm smile.
“Lu An, you’re here! Come, sit, sit. Was the traffic bad on the way? I come here often; their soups are very good. I’ve already ordered some things—take a look if there’s anything else you want, just order anything, don’t stand on ceremony with Auntie!”
She spoke a little fast, rattling on as she pushed the menu over to Lin Lu An.
Lin Lu An sat down a bit stiffly. “Thank you, Auntie, I’m fine with anything. You decide.”
He glanced around. Though this Box Room was simply decorated, every detail showed careful design.
Lin Lu An guessed inwardly that the room must cost a pretty penny.
Just for a meal… why pick such a place?
After some brief small talk, the waiter brought out the starters and then thoughtfully closed the door.
The room fell quiet, and the atmosphere became a bit delicate.
Lin Lu An took small sips of water, curious what sort of advice this elegant lady wanted from him.
Women like this from high society… they already have daughters, surely it wouldn’t be anything… unusual, right?
No, no, probably not.
Could it be something criminal?!
Lin Lu An’s pupils contracted.
Could Liu Minghui actually be a mafia boss hiding behind that polite smile? Her whole outfit screamed “wealthy lady,” but what if she really was…
Just as Lin Lu An’s thoughts began to run wild, Liu Minghui picked up her teacup, took a sip, as if steeling herself, and set it down, her hands folded on the table.
She fixed Lin Lu An with an unusually serious gaze.
“Lu An, Auntie asked you here today for… an unreasonable request.”
She paused, seeming to weigh her words.
“What… is it?”
Lin Lu An was a bit nervous, ready to bolt the moment Liu Minghui opened her mouth.
“Well… would you consider becoming Auntie’s son?”
At those words, Lin Lu An let out a breath.
So that’s all it was, becoming her son.
He took a sip of water.
As long as it wasn’t anything criminal… becoming someone’s son, well…
What!
Lin Lu An spat out his water.
Be her son?!