CHAPTER 249: 237 ENCOUNTER WITH LI YIBAI

Zhao Chun was straightforward: "It’s you, not me."

Yao Yu stood frozen in place for fifty seconds, then bolted after her with a loud noise. But where could Zhao Chun’s shadow still be seen?

"We agreed to use all five fingers together, but you secretly went to find a girl, boss o(╥﹏╥)o"

**

Tian Sangsang wandered aimlessly with Meng Shuyan. Mainly because Meng Shuyan’s legs were just healed, and he was eager to walk through the entire city. As a good mother, she was willing to accompany her son on his walks.

They kept walking until it was nearly noon, and ahead, a lively group of young people could be seen chatting and laughing.

This street had two universities on opposing sides, the East Sea Film Academy and the East Sea Communication College. The East Sea Film Academy ranked second nationwide after the Central Academy of Drama and the Beijing Film Academy. Meanwhile, the East Sea Communication College was the nation’s top communication school, producing many famous hosts over the years.

Isn’t this where Zhao Chun, Li Yibai, and Jia Wenxiu all studied?

As a reborn individual, Li Yibai had foregone attending Huaqing or Jingda to enroll in the Film Academy. His reasoning was that real contrast breeds disparity. Being a top scholar among scholars versus being the academic leader in the entertainment industry — how could the two concepts compare? The latter would undoubtedly make him the center of attention.

It’s like that one female celebrity surnamed Guan in the future, often labeled as a cultured child star-turned-celebrity. Despite being an academic prodigy, she chose to mix in the entertainment industry. And every time younger celebrities were brought up, there’d always be a group of people with "interesting" comparisons, discussing male gods, female idols, and even their college entrance exam scores. If someone didn’t have high scores, so what? That was it. Yet, people couldn’t help but rehash it, often ending up embarrassed by the outcome. Searching for male idols online often triggered strange discussions like, "Is XXX a rich second-generation?" "Is XXX a red second-generation?" "XXX’s background is incredible!" "XXX’s family is wealthy!" In truth, some celebrities just came from rural backgrounds. Did they think everyone was as rich as Wang Sicong? People with good looks allegedly also had to have a domineering CEO’s family background to satisfy some people’s fantasies – as though lacking such a background was unacceptable.

"I heard Professor Lin is looking for Tian Sangsang. That ’Hero Song’ was sung by someone named Tian Sangsang," Li Yibai said, unable to figure it out, his brows furrowed deeply enough to form two charming dimples.

Could it be the same name? He recalled that Meng Shuyan’s mother was named Tian Sangsang, and she was supposed to be just a throwaway character. Regardless of whether this person was Meng Shuyan’s mother or not, just the fact that this person sang "Hero Song" made him feel threatened. This person was either a transmigrator or reborn — that was problematic, threatening his place in the limelight.

Who knows, perhaps this Tian Sangsang might even be "Little Egg."

Li Mei scoffed disdainfully: "What ’Hero Song’? It’s so vulgar. Wenxiu said only uncultured people would listen to it. The wording isn’t elegant at all. I really don’t get why Professor Lin is looking for the singer. Songs like this will be outdated soon — what’s there to analyze?"

Of course, Li Yibai didn’t like "Hero Song" either. It wasn’t a piece that cultured people would listen to. He preferred lyrics with rich, dazzling expressions, the kind of language you could chew over and over. What he couldn’t understand was why, in his time, some people, at a certain age, still loved nostalgia. Watching old movies, old dramas, listening to old songs, reading novels with a nostalgic vibe, or even collecting hanfu... Damn, these people were sick in the head, nothing more than refusing to face reality.

Actually, Li Yibai’s perspective wasn’t necessarily correct. How was nostalgia an avoidance of reality?

As the two continued their discussion, Tian Sangsang brushed past them. A floral fragrance lingered in the air among the four of them.

"Who’s looking for Tian Sangsang?" a pleasant female voice rang out.

Li Yibai and Li Mei both froze entirely.

"Just now, I overheard you mention Tian Sangsang from ’Hero Song.’ Did you hear about ’Hero Song’ too?"

Li Mei looked at the woman in front of her; beautiful woman, adorable child. People are visual creatures. Even if she didn’t know her, she naturally preferred interacting with someone so elegant: "Yes, we just heard some gossip about it."

Li Yibai’s imagination started running wild again. Although this woman wasn’t the same type as Wenxiu, she wasn’t any worse. It was said all male reborn protagonists had harems. In those stories about the bodyguard of the campus queen or becoming a prince in the Ming Dynasty, weren’t they all creating harems? Maybe she’s the second concubine of my harem?

But wait, why is she holding a child? That child! That child!! That child looks just like a young Meng Shuyan!!!

Li Yibai began scrutinizing her more closely, deliberating: "We’re talking about the woman who sang ’Hero Song.’ She’s quite different from other women."

"A woman singing ’Hero Song’? That woman must be utterly coarse and vulgar," Li Mei said.

Tian Sangsang let out a meaningful "Oh," smiling as she observed the two of them: "One complimenting, one criticizing, quite a controversial figure. To be honest, I am Tian Sangsang, and Tian Sangsang is me."

"Tian Sangsang is my mother." Meng Shuyan’s sharp gaze almost burned a hole into Li Mei.

Every bit of Li Yibai’s earlier fantasy immediately dissipated. At this moment, his mind was overrun with thousands of questions. Why is Tian Sangsang still alive?! Is she reborn?!

He thought he had the world in his grasp, but this shared dominance was incredibly unsettling.

"So, you’re Tian Sangsang." Li Yibai forced a smile. "Nice to meet you. I’m Li Yibai."

Tian Sangsang widened her almond-shaped eyes in astonishment: "You’re Li Yibai, the one who wrote ’Heroic Legend of the Condor Heroes’?"

Li Yibai smiled modestly: "That would be me."

"My neighbors are huge fans of your novel. They buy newspapers every day just for it. Even my kid’s dad is quite fond of your work. He told me the author must be an older gentleman — I didn’t expect you to be so young. Oh, I must tell him as soon as I get home!" Tian Sangsang feigned surprise.

"As long as one’s knowledge and life experiences are adequate, it’s entirely possible to produce worthwhile works. Age might be necessary, but it’s not the most critical factor. But you’ve truly surprised me. I imagined the singer of ’Hero Song’ would be an uncultured, outspoken woman. I never expected someone as young and beautiful as Miss Tian. How did you come up with ’Hero Song’?"

Tian Sangsang sighed with exaggerated shame: "Why does everyone think I came up with it? Actually, I didn’t. You all are making me so embarrassed. What should I do?"

"Miss Tian, don’t be nervous." Li Yibai frowned, urging her: "What exactly happened?" Her expression seemed to conceal a deeper story.

Tian Sangsang’s delicate brows furrowed tightly, as though she wanted to say something but couldn’t. "Sigh!"

Li Yibai was nearly at his wit’s end. "Miss Tian, though we’ve only just met by chance, you can tell us about any difficulty you’re facing. Li Mei and I are students here, and we’re willing to help."

"Sigh!" Tian Sangsang looked at Li Yibai’s anxious expression with grief in her eyes, covered her face, and was about to walk away with Meng Shuyan in tow.

"Miss Tian!" In a moment of desperation, Li Yibai grabbed her hand.

"Yibai, what are you doing?!" Li Mei’s anger flared. What was wrong with Yibai? Seeing a pretty face and he couldn’t control himself? If Wenxiu saw this...

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