Snapping back to reality, Alex found the bowl in front of him was empty. He paused, put down his chopsticks, and stood up.
"I'm heading out."
"Alex, wait a moment."
Freya suddenly called out to him.
Alex stopped and turned back to look at her.
Freya's expression was complex, as if she had made a huge decision. Looking at him, she said seriously, "What I said yesterday still counts."
Alex was stunned for a moment. He didn't say anything, just nodded and left the house.
Freya stood dazed for a while, then suddenly grabbed her hair in a frenzy, cursing with a distressed face, "What on earth am I saying, you idiot! Am I really going to let someone else take the cabbage I've worked so hard to grow? But I already gave my word. If I go back on it, what if Alex gets angry?"
The more she thought about it, the more agitated she became. Freya grabbed her hair and pulled it into a mess.
It wasn't until a long while later that she stopped, smoothed her hair, and sighed. "Regardless, a promise is a promise. After all these years of effort, Alex has finally accepted me. And that little girl, who knows what she looks like now? She might have grown up ugly. Her upbringing is different from Alex's, so even if they reunite, they probably won't have anything in common. I shouldn't be discouraged; I'm the one with the advantage right now!"
The more Freya thought, the clearer and more confident she became. She picked up her phone and dialed a mysterious number.
After a moment, when the call connected, Freya said habitually, "It's me, Freya. Send money—ah, wait, I said it wrong. Actually, I want to ask you to help me find someone..."
...
Today, Alex was a bit distracted during class. Fortunately, the teachers had no expectations for him and didn't bother him about his daydreaming.
Miao Meiyuan didn't come to see him today either, and he didn't know what she was angry about. However, while going to the restroom during one of the classes, he crossed paths with Yu Xinyao, who gave him a fierce glare.
There were many other students going to the restroom at the time. Alex didn't want to lose to her in terms of presence, so he responded with a smile. However, Yu Xinyao glared even more fiercely, like a cat with its fur standing on end. In her excitement, her face even turned a bit flush, making her dark circles less obvious.
Is there a need to be so worked up?
Alex muttered to himself and quickly slipped into the men's restroom. Only after avoiding Yu Xinyao's murderous gaze did he feel more at ease.
After school in the afternoon, while walking with Kiara, Yan Bianman sent a message asking if they could sign the contract later since they were still minors.
Normally, when someone is a minor, their parents sign the contract on their behalf, but Yan Bianman didn't mention that. Based on what she had revealed that day, her family situation might not be very convenient, so Alex agreed to her suggestion.
Alex was always this generous toward every 'treasure girl' because a small amount of effort could yield huge benefits from them.
Just as he put his phone back in his pocket, he looked up and saw Kiara quietly leaning her head over, seemingly peeking at his chat with someone else.
Being caught, she quickly turned her head away and pretended to be serious, but her face turned red as she mumbled, "I wasn't peeking, okay? I just called you and you didn't answer, so I was a bit curious and took a couple of glances."
Alex didn't tease her and nodded with a smile. "I know. Sorry, I got distracted chatting with someone."
Seeing that he wasn't angry, Kiara knew he didn't mind her peeking and likely wouldn't mind her knowing about it. Unable to contain her curiosity, she asked tentatively, "She mentioned a song to you? You know how to write songs?"
"No, but I have channels to get others to write songs for me."
Alex thought to himself that he was a pure musical layman. Being a copycat might earn him some money and fame in the short term, but over time, he would eventually be exposed, leading to endless trouble. It was better to deny it from the start.
He didn't lack the fame of song-writing, nor did he lack money. If he really wanted to become a famous star, with treasure chests constantly yielding songs, he could make a name for himself with all those original songs even with his rural KTV-level singing skills.
Kiara was incredibly curious. "Writing songs? That must cost a lot of money, right?"
"It's okay, quite cheap. I'm on good terms with that friend."
Alex said vaguely.
Kiara thought for a moment and said, "Xiao Ke, is your friend good at writing songs? If possible, I'd like to commission one too."
Kiara felt that Alex and his friend must have a good relationship. His friend was responsible for writing songs but wasn't famous and couldn't make money, so Alex was helping to sell the tunes. Thus, she wanted to use her allowance to help support her childhood friend's business.
Alex glanced at her, a smile appearing in his eyes. He nodded. "I think they're pretty good. What style of song do you want? Tell me first, but I can't guarantee that you'll be satisfied with the result."
After all, the songs from the treasure chests were random.
"It's fine. Just write a... hmm, what kind of song would be good?"
Kiara tapped her chin with her finger as she pondered. Her fair finger pressed against her equally fair and delicate chin, and her thoughtful expression was very cute.
Alex observed her and suddenly had a thought. "I have a ready-made one here. I don't know if you'll like it. The style should be a sweet campus romance."
"Anything is fine."
Kiara nodded upon hearing this. As for it being a love song, most of the popular songs among students these days were about romance, so she didn't think much of it.
"Then I'll play it for you to hear."
Alex grew interested. He took out his phone, found the song he had obtained from the treasure chest last time, and clicked play. Immediately, a cheerful piano intro came from the phone.
Upon hearing the sound, Kiara's eyes lit up. After listening carefully for a while, she said, "It feels pretty good. Are there no lyrics?"
She wanted to hear what it sounded like when sung.
"There are, actually," Alex said with some hesitation.
Kiara quickly urged him, "Hurry and teach me!"
"Uh..." Alex felt a bit embarrassed, but seeing how interested Kiara was, he didn't want to spoil her fun.
"This is a duet for a man and a woman. I'll teach you. I'll sing a line, and you follow me."
He cleared his throat and sang softly along with the accompaniment:
"Sir, You Can't do that, you're leaning closer and closer, where are your eyes looking..."
Kiara's face turned slightly red, but seeing Alex's serious expression, she endured the embarrassment and began to hum along. Her voice was soft and very pleasant to the ear.
As the song reached its climax, Kiara's face grew redder and redder. She was dying of embarrassment inside; this was clearly a romantic duet!
But she was the one who asked Alex for the song, and it was impossible for Alex to have prepared it in advance. So she didn't think it was a prank on his part. She could only endure her shyness, her small face solemn as she sang 'Sir, You Can't' with Alex on the main road.
Fortunately, there weren't many people on this road at the moment; otherwise, Kiara would have been mortified. Amidst this shy feeling, her heart beat very fast, and even her singing took on a bashful tone, giving it a different flavor compared to the original.
Chen Luoqiu heard the singing carried by the wind and walked out of the alley. She looked toward the sound and saw two long shadows stretched out under the setting sun, their owners having already disappeared at the end of the path.
A flash of envy crossed her eyes, but it vanished in an instant, leaving only indifference.
"People's happiness differs."
She said, looking at the setting sun.
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