Chapter 0132: The Duties of a Host

Zhao Fusheng sent Fan Baobao and her roommates back to the dormitory, then returned to the hotel.

The kind of scene depicted in novels, where two people linger affectionately downstairs at the dormitory, was impossible between Zhao Fusheng and Fan Baobao. Both of them knew this well.

The former found it childish and boring, while the latter simply didn't think about it at all.

"Tomorrow I'll take you around the capital."

When he got back to the hotel, Zhao Fusheng received a page from Fan Baobao.

A smile crept onto his lips; he felt a warmth.

Then he saw several pages from Mu Qingqing, all with roughly the same content: hoping he would return her call.

But after thinking it over, Zhao Fusheng didn't do so. Instead, he washed up and went to bed.

To him, the role Mu Qingqing had played in today's events wasn't really important. Whether she knew about He Yunzhi and Mu Qingwan's plan or not made little difference to Zhao Fusheng.

As an adult, Zhao Fusheng understood that some things couldn't be changed, so he focused his energy on what could be changed.

Even if one calmly felt that life was nothing more than this, it was merely using a seemingly composed facade to cover up the inevitability of various circumstances. The unrest within one's self-negotiation often required change not in the immediate present, but in many seemingly trivial details. Yet human instinct was merely to treat the symptoms, and wisdom wasn't something that came just by talking about it.

It's often said that without investigation, you have no right to speak. In fact, without experience, who can truly understand the meaning of life?

From the moment Li Jian revealed the relationship between He Yunzhi and Mu Qingwan, Zhao Fusheng had already understood.

It was nothing more than a setup between two relatives to make him voluntarily revise the arrangement of the song "Father's Prose Poem." Zhao Fusheng could guess the reason: according to Mu Qingqing, the tune Zhou Yuandong had composed simply couldn't bear the weight of being the lead track of an album.

As for Mu Qingqing, Zhao Fusheng believed she was unaware, but that didn't matter, because it was meaningless.

When he got up the next morning, Zhao Fusheng received another page from Mu Qingqing. After thinking it over, he called her back.

"Hello, this is Zhao Fusheng."

"Where did you go yesterday?" Mu Qingqing asked, frowning.

"I had dinner with Li Jian," Zhao Fusheng replied calmly.

"Didn't we agree to eat together? How come..." Mu Qingqing's delicate brows furrowed. She had originally told Zhao Fusheng they would dine with Mu Qingwan.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled lightly: "No need for that. Business is business. You paid for my songs; there's no need for dinner. I won't disturb your family reunion."

Mu Qingqing was taken aback. She felt that there seemed to be something hidden in Zhao Fusheng's words.

People are like that sometimes: the more guilty they feel, the more suspicious they become.

Because they lack confidence, always feeling they've done something wrong and that others will notice the problem, even a casual remark from someone else can lead them to imagine all sorts of things.

That was Mu Qingqing's situation now.

The setup by He Yunzhi and Mu Qingwan had indeed made Zhao Fusheng willingly cooperate with Li Jian to rearrange "Father's Prose Poem," but it also put Mu Qingqing in a very awkward position.

"Do you... know something?"

After hesitating, Mu Qingqing decided to be more honest with Zhao Fusheng, because from her interactions with him, she felt that Zhao Fusheng seemed to dislike people playing tricks.

"Heh, what do you think? I didn't expect your family's business to be so big, with a whole company full of relatives," Zhao Fusheng said with a smile.

From the moment Li Jian revealed that information, he had considered what attitude to take toward Mu Qingqing. After careful thought, Zhao Fusheng made a decision.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know Aunt and the others..." Mu Qingqing hesitated as she spoke to Zhao Fusheng.

She genuinely felt sorry, never expecting that Mu Qingwan and He Yunzhi would pull such a stunt right in front of her.

"It's fine. Li Jian and I have mostly finished the arrangement. He can handle the remaining details himself," Zhao Fusheng said indifferently. "But tell that President He or your aunt that if they want to use this arrangement, the contract needs to be revised. I'm selling this song for fifty thousand. Otherwise, I'll buy back the rights."

This was a clause he had added when signing the contract, and Mu Qingwan had agreed to it: if Zhao Fusheng was dissatisfied with the other party's composition, he had the right to repurchase the song's copyright.

At the time, neither Mu Qingwan nor Mu Qingqing had paid it any mind. Now, unexpectedly, Zhao Fusheng had brought it up.

"This..." Mu Qingqing hesitated.

"Heh, no need to rush. Wait until Li Jian finishes the demo, let your aunt and the others listen, and then decide. It won't be too late," Zhao Fusheng said, then hung up the phone.

In life, people are constantly making choices, from trivial ones like what to eat for breakfast to major ones that affect their entire future. Whether to have fried dough sticks or steamed buns for breakfast doesn't matter—it's just a difference in texture and nutritional value, harmless. But major decisions can influence a lifetime of joy and sorrow.

In the past, Zhao Fusheng had made many correct decisions and also countless foolish ones. To this day, those past right and wrong choices still had far-reaching effects.

So, he didn't want to miss out on anything again.

As for whether Mu Qingqing would be caught in the middle, what did that have to do with him?

If Zhao Fusheng were really only twenty, he might have felt sorry for the campus belle Mu. But unfortunately, deep down he was a man in his forties. While he appreciated Mu Qingqing's beauty, when all was said and done, Mu Qingqing was just a stranger to him—perhaps a memorable one, but that was all.

Zhao Fusheng was one hundred percent certain that among the people he cared about and was willing to invest his feelings and efforts in, Mu Qingqing was definitely not included.

Just as he was getting dressed, there was a knock at the door.

"Zhao Fusheng, come out and receive your guests!" Fan Baobao's vigorous voice rang out, just like when she used to call him to get up for school.

Shaking his head with a wry smile, Zhao Fusheng finished dressing, walked to the door, and opened it to see Fan Baobao standing there casually, with Zhou Yun beside her, her face red and looking apologetic.

"Sorry to bother you," Zhou Yun said quickly, glancing at Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng smiled. Before he could speak, Fan Baobao pushed past him and strode into the room, saying to Zhou Yun, "Why are you apologizing to him? Two beautiful women like us are giving up our National Day holiday to accompany him around Beijing. He should feel honored."

Then, Miss Fan looked at Zhao Fusheng: "By the way, how about you treat Yunyun and me to lunch at Donglaishun?"

Zhao Fusheng took a deep breath, struggling to control himself, then looked up and gave Fan Baobao a faint smile: "Fan Baobao, you're already beautiful enough."

"Huh?" Fan Baobao looked puzzled. "I know I'm beautiful, but what do you mean by that?"

"Heh, then don't think too beautifully."

Zhao Fusheng gave a cold laugh and shot Miss Fan a dirty look.