Chapter 61: Fang Shi's Visit, Shen Qi Completely Thrown into Disarray

In the broadcasting studio, Zhuo Yiyi’s hearty laughter continued to echo.

Li Hange couldn’t help herself either, covering her mouth as she giggled non-stop.

"I’m too familiar with Fu Qing, and this is actually the first time I’ve ever seen her utterly defeated."

Fu Qing was a remarkably famous figure, and both Bai Qinghe and Lin Xiaolu were well aware of certain matters concerning her.

The CEO of Brilliant Entertainment, the agency where Bai Qinghe worked, thought very highly of Fu Qing and desperately wanted to poach her, but Fu Qing refused to budge.

In response, the CEO even sent his own son, who instantly fell head over heels for Fu Qing upon seeing her, only to be reduced to tears by nothing more than a few words from her.

And now, Shen Qi had managed to put Fu Qing on the defensive with just a few casual remarks, instantly filling the entire livestream room with a wave of absolute astonishment.

Cries of "A role model for our generation!" rose one after another.

No matter how one looked at it, Shen Qi simply did not seem like a simple man at all!

At this moment, Shen Qi was feeling immensely pleased with himself, believing that he had finally stood his ground.

Even Fu Qing was no match for him—aside from Li Hange...

Who else was there?!!!

Suddenly...

Dui-er~~~ Dui-da-da-dui-dui-er~~~ Dui-dui-er~~~

A piercingly loud suona blast shattered the air, giving both Shen Qi and Fu Qing a tremendous start.

They looked over to see Shen Kun clutching a suona and blowing into it with all his might!

Although it was clearly his first time playing, Shen Kun looked quite professional. While the melody was somewhat off, it was blatantly obvious that he possessed some kind of underlying foundation.

Unable to help themselves, Shen Qi and Fu Qing exchanged a glance and blurted out simultaneously:

"Has he ever studied this?"

"Has he ever studied this?"

The two of them froze for a moment before shaking their heads in unison:

"No!"

"No!"

……

Back at the broadcast site.

"Sister Hange, little Kun is playing that so convincingly. Could it be that Shen Qi and Sister Qing had no idea he had ever taken lessons?" Zhuo Yiyi asked.

Li Hange had lost count of how many times she shook her head.

"Absolutely not!"

Bai Qinghe frowned slightly. "Little Kun looks so passionate about music. Could he have been studying it in secret?"

Li Hange shook her head once more.

"If he started studying before he was three years old, then pretend I said nothing!"

"Well, that’s rather strange..." Lin Xiaolu immediately chimed in. "I completely understand Sister Hange wanting everyone to think little Kun is clever, but shouldn't we at least stick to the facts?"

Li Hange completely ignored Lin Xiaolu, deliberately turning a blind eye as she said:

"Many instruments share common principles. Little Kun already knows how to play wind and string instruments like the saxophone, so I assume that’s the reason."

Zhuo Yiyi’s expression suddenly dawned in understanding.

"Oh, right, right, right! It’s just like how someone who plays the pipa will pick up the guitar much faster!"

"Little Kun’s musical talent is genuinely undeniable!"

[As I said before, I do not recommend letting kids learn musical instruments because it just makes us adults look utterly useless!]

[Please give me a dozen sons like little Kun!]

[Wuwuwu... My mom beat me up again and said she’s taking me to the household registration office tomorrow to change my name to Ji Dakun!]

[As the old saying goes, dragons beget dragons and phoenixes beget phoenixes, and Hange’s adopted child knows how to dig tunnels!]

……

Shen Kun seemed to feel a bit embarrassed, scratching his head with an awkward smile.

"It’s my first time blowing this thing, hope I didn't make a fool of myself?"

"I’ve been watching tutorial videos on traditional folk instruments all day today..."

Fu Qing immediately showered him with praise.

"That’s amazing!"

Shen Qi felt an even deeper understanding of Li Hange now. As a musician, it was completely natural for her to adore a child with such innate musical talent.

Aside from having a slightly stinky temper, being precocious, being difficult to fool, and showing zero respect for his father, this brat really wasn't half bad.

By the way, when was Fu Qing planning to leave?

Right at that moment, the doorbell rang outside.

Shen Qi paused and immediately strode toward the door.

Fu Qing instantly recalled the female neighbor who had appeared in the livestream earlier, remembered that a band had visited Li Hange’s house today, and remembered Shen Qi mentioning inviting two people over for drinks.

At that exact moment, Shen Kun shouted at the top of his lungs:

"He’s probably going out to collude with whoever is at the door!"

Without a second thought, Fu Qing and Shen Kun bolted after him.

Standing outside the courtyard gate were two old men.

One was Wang Dahai from the Old Baby Band who had visited previously.

The other was dressed in loose, traditional Chinese attire, with graying hair and an energetic, spirited demeanor. Just by looking at him, one could tell his aura was extraordinary.

The comment section exploded into an even more frantic frenzy.

[Holy cow! It’s Mr. Fang Shi!]

[Mr. Fang Shi, the renowned Chinese calligraphy, poetry, and literary history expert and professor! I never expected him to show up in person right after greeting Heavenly Queen Hange!]

[Is he here to talk about "When Will the Moon Be Mine"? Mr. Fang Shi gave extremely high praise to that poem and even politely mentioned wanting to learn from Shen Qi.]

[My mind is blown! I thought they were just joking.]

[This just goes to show how insanely top-tier Shen Qi’s lyrics really are!]

Lin Xiaolu’s red-painted lips rounded into a circle of utter disbelief.

He actually came?

She had assumed it was just for the show's effect.

Bai Qinghe felt a sudden, unprovoked surge of jealousy.

Her husband, Liang Bin, also loved these cultural subjects, and Bai Qinghe had planned to showcase this during the second episode when they hosted the livestream at their home.

Who would have thought that Fang Shi would actually go look for Shen Qi?

"Tsk tsk tsk... Mr. Fang Shi’s dedication to the path of poetry is truly admirable," Bai Qinghe said with a smile.

Li Hange was genuinely caught off guard as well. She had assumed Fang Shi was merely giving Director Hong Tao some face when he made those remarks.

Even if he meant it, there was no need to rush over so quickly, was there?

Even if he happened to be in the same city, for an expert of your stature, weren't you acting a bit too impatient?

Yet, Li Hange had to admit—it felt wonderful!

……

A clear look of displeasure crept onto Shen Kun’s little face.

Didn’t a whole bunch of people already come by today?

Mom definitely didn't like strangers coming to their house!

Just as Shen Kun was about to speak, Fu Qing gasped in shock:

"Oh my! Mr. Fang Shi, you actually came?"

Fang Shi froze and hurriedly began winking at Fu Qing. Only after her shock subsided did Fu Qing realize she had spoken out of turn.

She hurriedly cast a glance at Shen Qi.

With a look of utter confusion, Shen Qi asked:

"You knew this white-bearded grandpa was coming?"

"And by the way, who is this grandpa? Why did you let him in?"

[......]

[Shen Qi, do you even know who he is? The textbooks from elementary school all the way to university that little Kun will study in the future were all edited by him!]

[Sister Qing knew Fang Shi was coming, but Shen Qi had no idea.]

[Did she just expose the reality of the show?]

[It’s over! We’re not going to get to see the most authentic livestream anymore! I’m crying tears of blood!]

Panicking, Fu Qing hurriedly scrambled for an excuse:

"Uh... Hange was the one who asked Mr. Fang Shi to come."

Wang Dahai smiled at Shen Qi and said:

"Little Shen, Fang Shi here is an old buddy of mine, so when he wanted to see you, I just brought him along."

"I still have to go rehearse, so I’ll be taking off first, alright?"

"I gotta tell you, that tune you wrote is seriously incredible! The other day when you demonstrated the flute, erhu, guzheng, pipa, and suona for us one by one..."

"We’ve practiced for so many years and we still feel utterly ashamed in comparison!"

"As the saying goes, live and learn until you die! I better hurry back and practice..."

"See you around, yeah?"

Wang Dahai left, leaving Shen Qi utterly bewildered.

Fang Shi was just about to greet Shen Qi when he noticed the peculiar expression on the younger man's face.

Fu Qing and Shen Kun were standing nearby with dark, cold grins.

Shen Qi awkwardly scratched his head.

"Ha... hahaha..."

"Old Wang is a good guy in every way, but sometimes his memory fails him. I wasn't the one who played those instruments..."

"Haha..."

Fu Qing and Shen Kun continued to sneer at him.

The livestream chat room erupted into gales of laughter.

Shen Qi hastily changed the subject, pointing at Fang Shi and demanding:

"Seriously though, why did Hange ask this grandpa to come over?"

Gone was any trace of his usual solemnity; Fang Shi stepped forward with an expression of deep admiration and grasped Shen Qi’s hand.

"Hello there, Little Shen. I heard the song 'When Will the Moon Be Mine' that Wang Dahai and the others sang, so I came here specifically out of admiration for an unannounced visit."

"Truly, the waves behind drive the waves ahead. To think a young man possesses such profound mastery of poetry!"

Shen Qi quickly interrupted, his gaze darting back and forth between Fu Qing and Fang Shi.

"Was he brought here because of Old Wang, or did Hange call him?"

Fu Qing and Fang Shi were instantly rendered speechless, not knowing how to respond.

You had to hand it to Fu Qing’s quick wits; her pretty eyebrows suddenly knitted together in a tight frown.

"Shen Qi, you wrote a song called 'When Will the Moon Be Mine'?"

"Oh my goodness! You know how to write songs?"

"Does Hange know about this?"

The tables were instantly turned. Shen Qi grabbed Shen Kun by the collar and roared in fury:

"Good grief, Shen Kun! You betrayed me again!"