CHAPTER 414: CHAPTER 285: QUIETLY RELEASING A SONG, SUN JIAN’S STUBBORNNESS_2

"You make it sound so easy, but of course, it’s all thanks to the company’s operations, right? There’s no song that’s *that* miraculous—it’s not like it’s some exact science, you know?"

Yang Lin was too absorbed in the numbers to care about Sun Jian’s snark.

"It’s still pretty impressive, though. Hundreds of thousands of likes! It feels like any song *we* release will never hit that number in our lifetimes."

What does she mean, ’any song *we* release’? Sun Jian, who had come over intending to share his misery, now realized he’d somehow managed to get hurt all over again. Damn it, how can just watching the excitement make me step on a landmine?

Seeing Yang Lin’s unhappy face, Sun Jian felt even more wounded. "At least you guys have released songs. Wu and I haven’t even seen a hint of our songs being released. Do you know how good my song is? But what damn good is it if it can’t be released..."

Speaking of which, he was full of resentment. Not that he blamed the company; after all, they had discussed it. The timing was indeed off, and releasing a bunch of songs at once could lead to a mutually destructive situation. But how could he not be envious? Could anyone really hold that back?

"What are you talking about? Did I hear someone mention my name?"

Sun Jian had barely finished speaking when Wu Ya’s voice sounded from outside the door, which Sun Jian had left ajar when he entered. Then, the three of them saw Wu Ya push the door open and walk in, smiling cheerfully.

"What’s going on with you three? What are you doing here? Why are you staring at me?" Wu Ya asked, a little uneasily, meeting their gazes.

"Oh, it’s nothing, Wu. We were just saying, you and I are in the same boat. Everyone else has debuted with their songs, and we’re the only two left waiting for our chance. Tell me, aren’t you miserable too?" Sun Jian, looking like he’d found a fellow sufferer—a kindred spirit—very naturally draped his arm over Wu Ya’s shoulder, his face a mask of shared grief.

Who knew Wu Ya’s next words would completely deflate him. "Don’t include me; my song has been released too."

"What the heck? When did you release a song? How come we didn’t know?"

"Just in the last couple of days. What else did you think I was so busy with?"

Sun Jian stared blankly at Wu Ya, looking as if he’d been struck by lightning on a clear day.

"No way, Wu... Big Brother Wu! You mean all your rushing about from dawn till dusk these past few days, so busy we barely saw you, that was all for releasing your song?"

"Yep. What else?"

What does he mean, ’what else’? Sun Jian almost couldn’t catch his breath.

"But... why? What about me? Why isn’t it my turn yet?"

Wu Ya shrugged and said, "That, I don’t know. After all, my situation was settled a while ago. I can only take the conventional route, focusing mainly on nostalgia and targeting old fans. So, the company’s marketing plan for me has to wait a bit."

"As for you," he continued, "I suggest you don’t rush. You’ve seen how dedicated our studio is. You already have your new song, so what’s waiting a couple more days to you?"

Sun Jian desperately wanted to say he *did* care. It was like year-end bonuses: everyone else got theirs, and he was the only one left. How could he not be anxious? But he couldn’t say it out loud, so he had no choice but to suppress it.

Deeply stricken, Sun Jian lost all desire to continue the conversation. He hastily ended the chat and returned to the lounge, growing more dejected the more he mulled things over. Finally, he suddenly thought of his old friends, pulled out his phone, and started contacting people to arrange a get-together and drown his sorrows.

「Later that night.」

"Brothers, let me tell you, our company gave me a fantastic song this time, an absolutely killer track! I damn well fell in love with it the first time I heard it!"

Sun Jian, who had had a bit too much to drink, found his gloom completely swept away. Listening to his friends around him bragging and shooting the breeze, he finally couldn’t hold it in any longer. He stood up, a bottle in hand, and began to hold forth animatedly, practically gushing over the new song he’d received, eager to hype it to the skies.

"What song is it that our God Sun approves of so highly? We’re not far from Little Tiger’s rehearsal room. How about you let us hear it, God Sun?"

"Hell yeah! Sing! I’ll sing right now! You’re my best brothers! Tonight, I’m gonna show you what a goddamn amazing song truly is!"

Sun Jian, all fired up, couldn’t be bothered with any of that. He dragged his group of friends off to his friend’s band’s rehearsal room.

It was called a rehearsal room, but it was actually just a small room converted from an old warehouse. It looked dilapidated from the outside, but its advantages were that it was cheap, had full utilities, and was far from residential areas, so they didn’t have to worry about noise complaints. With instruments set up, the room, with its peeling paint, surprisingly exuded a bit of a decadent, artistic vibe.

Seeing the familiar scene, Sun Jian got even more worked up. Grabbing a guitar, he stepped directly onto the "stage."

After a friend helped plug in the power, Sun Jian steadied himself. His fingers, guided by muscle memory, swept across the strings with a STRUM, and then he began to play with intense focus.

"I walk beneath the Drum Tower,"

"The road is jammed..."

...

"Stubborn and lost,"

"So many artistic youths around."

"If I’m bored, I’ll come here for a sit,"

"I’m a silent passerby, leaning against the wall,"

"A sunbather just passing through..."

...

After belting out the song in one go, Sun Jian swayed, let out a long, boozy burp, then, with his guitar still slung over his shoulder, pointed at his friends before him with a smug look and asked, "Well? Good or not?! Isn’t it freaking awesome?!"

His audience was already stunned. Even though Sun Jian, being drunk, sang off-key in many parts and his performance was a bit of a mess, who among them wasn’t at least semi-professional? They could tell a good song when they heard one.

"It really is a good song! Damn, I’m already getting envious. What damn godly luck do you have to get such a great song?"

"No kidding, this song is really good. I feel it could be a lead single on an album, no problem."

"The song’s good, but... Monkey Sun, to be honest, your singing lacks feeling. It’s a waste for you to sing this song."

Sun Jian, who had been feeling ecstatic from his friends’ praise, was suddenly doused with this unexpected cold water, and he instantly bristled. He was already incredibly frustrated due to frequent setbacks and burning with envy. He had just barely managed to push those feelings down, but that comment made the anger inside him flare up uncontrollably, and he just exploded.

"Fuck! What the hell are you saying? Oh, so I’m not good enough to sing it, but you are? You’re good enough, my ass!"

After saying his piece, he couldn’t bear to stay a moment longer and stormed out.

The buddy who had just spoken frankly was now dumbfounded, exchanging bewildered glances with the others. No way, I just said a little extra, and he can’t take it? Since when did Monkey Sun get such a short fuse? Did joining a good company make his temper get all high and mighty too?

Frankly, the buddy wasn’t happy about Sun Jian throwing a fit and leaving either. This group of friends had always gathered to help each other improve and offer mutual support. Giving constructive criticism was perfectly normal for them. But what was this? Is he acting like a big shot before he even debuted? Or does he think his old friends aren’t good enough for him now that he’s getting somewhere, and he’s started to get a big head?

Fortunately, another friend, who had learned a bit about Sun Jian’s recent troubles while they were drinking earlier, chimed in to explain, "Hey, hey, hey, don’t say that. Monkey Sun is actually having a tough time. He hasn’t been doing well recently and is really down. Your comment just happened to trigger him."

"It’s not your fault. He’ll probably come to his senses once he sobers up. I’ll get him to apologize to you properly later. For now, let’s just give him a break!"

Thanks to this person’s mediation, the tense atmosphere finally eased considerably.

Meanwhile, Sun Jian, who had stormed out, felt the cold wind and sobered up considerably. Although his body felt even more drunk, his mind was clearer than ever.

That scene just now... I really got carried away. I truly couldn’t hold back. He was already regretting it. For a moment, he even wanted to turn back and apologize, but he couldn’t bring himself to lose face.

And another thing—he suddenly realized that perhaps his friend hadn’t been wrong.

Thinking back, whenever he practiced this song, he always felt something was lacking. Now, after what his friend said, he felt like he’d grasped that point. What was it? Emotion? Or perhaps, experience? No, it was lived experience, personal history, that deep empathy born from having gone through it yourself!

At this thought, Sun Jian froze stock-still on the main road. Even as the cold November wind whistled around him, he stood as if rooted to the spot, letting the harsh wind buffet him.

After a long time, Sun Jian finally snapped out of it. He glanced back apologetically at the place he had just left. He took out his phone and sent an apology to his friend, saying he would visit in person later to make amends. Then, without a backward glance, he headed home.

He had made up his mind. Releasing songs? Debuting? He wasn’t worthy of it yet!

He wanted to go out, to travel, to see the Drum Tower, to see the great rivers and mountains of his homeland. He wanted to use all that he would see and hear on his journey to reinterpret this song. And he also wanted to take this opportunity to write the songs he truly wanted to sing!