Chapter 17: A Song Called "Performer"—How Many Tears Has It Shed
Qianqian was weeping with tears streaming down her face, looking at Tong Zigong with eyes full of pleading. Even though she had betrayed him for money and for the thrill, she truly loved him. Her body belonged to someone else, but her heart was his alone. She couldn't imagine a life without him—what would she do, where would she go? She didn’t care what others thought of her, as long as he could still accept her. She was willing to endure the scorn of others. At worst, she’d break her habit of cheating, all for him, just to win him back.
The delivery man’s singing drifted in, and Qianqian was stunned! Why did it resonate so deeply with her own feelings? Whose heart was being sung—Tong Zigong’s, or her own? She could see his reluctance. She understood how he had always forced himself to remain a mere spectator to their drama. She had grown used to his presence. Even with guilt gnawing at her, after every mistake, she would rather kneel and beg for his forgiveness than leave the vortex of their love, forever entangled with him.
She had always thought she couldn’t live without him. But now, as she listened to the delivery man’s song, she kept asking herself—was it truly impossible to let go? Perhaps, not necessarily. She had always known that the greatest peril in love was procrastination, dragging things out.
From youthful days, their relationship had been dragged along until they were old enough for marriage. How many years could they keep postponing? How many more years could they afford to waste? Was it still worth it, for a future so uncertain? Or should she finally let go of Tong Zigong?
Perhaps, she still loved him. Perhaps, there was still a sliver of reluctance to part. But the fate between them had reached its end. Their story was over.
As the delivery man’s song reached its refrain, Shen Qianqian broke down in sobs. Enough, she thought. You once gave your all, performing tirelessly before me. You were exhausted, and so was I. Perhaps letting go was, in itself, a kind of fulfillment.
She cried out, “Tong Zigong! Please remember this: I, Shen Qianqian, have wronged you, but I also once loved you deeply! Thank you for choosing to act out this story for love’s sake. Thank you for this fulfillment! From today on, we part ways. In this life, we shall never meet again!”
With that, Shen Qianqian grabbed the keys from the table and turned to leave. In the instant the door closed, Tong Zigong felt all strength drain from his body. He collapsed helplessly to the floor. Even though his heart brimmed with resentment, even though he had resolved to break up this time for good, even though he had acted so determined before, when the moment of parting truly arrived, his heart ached unbearably.
He knew that they were both setting each other free, but why did his soul feel so empty? Staring into his hollow eyes, Su Bai whispered, “There are countless words in this world, but none wound as deeply as love.”
The comments on the stream turned mournful in an instant.
“I cried! This song reminded me of my first love—so sweet once, yet the ending so bitter!”
“Live and learn, brothers!”
“Don’t rush to give your heart away. Figure out first what’s like, and what’s love!”
“I might not be educated, but right now, it’s like there’s dust in my eye! Yeah, that’s it. I’m not crying!”
“I don’t know fancy words or how to say anything moving, but I just want to say: Delivery guy, you’re amazing. Su Bai, you’re amazing!”
Tong Zigong looked at the stream, now with over a hundred thousand viewers, but he couldn’t feel happy at all. Gifts poured in one after another. He’d never been in the top ten of the rankings before, and now he was number one. No PK, no boosts—just the genuine emotions of countless viewers, touched by what they saw and heard, pushing him to the top.
But Tong Zigong knew all those gifts weren’t for him. They were for the singing delivery man he’d just come to know again—Su Bai. The delivery man revered as a “god” by countless netizens.
With a bitter smile, Tong Zigong said to Su Bai, “Hello, Mr. Su Bai. At first, I didn’t know who you were, so I may have been a bit rude. My apologies.”
Su Bai waved it off casually. “The viewers all want to talk to you. Could you come say hello to everyone?”
Su Bai nodded. “Hello, everyone, I’m Su Bai!”
“Wow, Su Bai is finally showing his face!”
“Su Bai, you’re so handsome, I’m losing my mind!”
“Su Bai, when will you open a Douyin account?”
“I love your ‘Lone Brave’! I listen to it when I play King of Glory—gets me so pumped, I go on a five-kill streak! Do you know when a man is happiest? When five white lines appear on the screen! Oh my, I’m going to faint from happiness!”
“‘Lone Brave’ is awesome, but I like your ‘Dragon’s Scale Between Heaven and Earth’ more. The grandeur of our Da Xia civilization comes alive in that song—so majestic, so free, charging in and out seven times!”
“Dude, if you can’t use words right, go back and study language. I get the rest, but what’s with ‘charging in and out seven times’?”
“‘Lone Brave,’ ‘Dragon’s Scale Between Heaven and Earth,’ ‘Actor’—did you write all those songs yourself? When will you release them?”
Question after question filled the comments. Su Bai felt a bit nervous. Though he’d handled many entertainment matters for Yang Mengke and knew a thing or two about livestreams and the entertainment world, this was his first time facing a live audience of 150,000.
(The viewership had now reached 150,000; the gift-induced traffic was terrifying.)
“First, thank you all for your support! I’ll open a Douyin account as soon as possible and announce it with a video! Also, I’ll let everyone know the release dates for ‘Lone Brave,’ ‘Dragon’s Scale Between Heaven and Earth,’ and ‘Actor’ on Douyin. But since I still have deliveries to make, I can’t chat for long. When I have more time, I’ll talk with you all again.”
As soon as Su Bai finished speaking, the stream erupted with excitement. He was already so famous, practically taking over Douyin, yet he was still delivering food? Why not just become a singer full time?