chapter 2

Chapter 2

Zhang Lei acted as if he’d just heard the funniest joke in the world, pointing at the previous years’ admission score chart posted on the wall not far away.

“Last year, the passing score for the composition major was only 75. I just got 78. How are you supposed to beat me?”

The people around immediately chimed in.

Most of them were ordinary candidates, deeply resentful of people like Wu Ai, who relied on family connections to snatch resources from others.

Hearing the support from his classmates, Zhang Lei remembered his teacher’s advice, his parents’ expectations, and the bitter tears when Wu Ai rejected him… A fire slowly ignited in his heart.

“This time… I have to prove myself!”

Just as Zhang Lei finished speaking, a staff member walked over holding up the results board.

Everyone’s attention was instantly drawn, and Zhang Lei, full of confidence, was the first to look for his name.

78 points. Confirmed.

He breathed a sigh of relief, then swept his gaze upward, searching for Wu Ai’s name, ready to enjoy his defeated expression.

However, when his eyes landed on the very top row, his whole body seemed to freeze in an instant.

The air was dead silent.

A few seconds later, the crowd erupted in incredulous exclamations that wouldn’t die down.

Wu Ai sneered, “Sorry to disappoint you all.”

Zhang Lei stared at the board, his eyes bloodshot from rage.

His proud 78 points, which he thought would crush Wu Ai, now looked utterly ridiculous and insignificant beneath Wu Ai’s glaring, scarlet “92.”

“Impossible… This is absolutely impossible!”

Zhang Lei squeezed the words through clenched teeth, whipping his head around to glare at Wu Ai, who was about to turn and leave.

“Wu Ai, you bribed the examiners, didn’t you!”

His shout instantly silenced the noisy corridor, and everyone turned to glare angrily at Wu Ai.

“Everyone knows your mom is the chairwoman of Genesis!”

Zhang Lei clung to his last hope, his voice growing louder as he tried to rally the crowd.

“She didn’t come today because she didn’t want to draw attention and arouse suspicion, right? Who do you think you’re fooling with this stunt!”

Just then, the exam room door banged open. The Chief Examiner poked his head out, his face urgent and admiring, eyes locking directly onto Wu Ai.

“You there, wait a moment!”

The Chief Examiner strode over to Wu Ai, completely ignoring the frenzied Zhang Lei.

“There’s one question I forgot to ask you. What do you think is the most important thing in a piece of music?”

This sudden attention was like pouring fuel on Zhang Lei’s burning anger.

“Sir!”

Zhang Lei lunged forward, forcing himself between the two, pointing at Wu Ai and declaring loudly and righteously.

“I believe we must ensure the fairness of the exam. I suspect someone is using family connections for unfair advantage!”

The Chief Examiner was interrupted, his brows knitting in displeasure.

He shot Zhang Lei a cold glance, as if looking at something utterly trivial.

“And who are you to question my fairness?”

The indifference in his tone was more humiliating than a direct rebuke, and Zhang Lei stiffened under that gaze.

But having spoken, he could only grit his teeth, lift his chin, and try to salvage a shred of dignity.

“I’m Zhang Lei, the candidate who just scored 78!”

“78?”

The Chief Examiner’s lips curled into a faint, cold smile, mercilessly shattering Zhang Lei’s last bit of pride.

“Oh, I don’t recall.”

“You and Wu Ai are worlds apart.”

This was the final judgment. Zhang Lei was left frozen in place, while the looks from the other candidates shifted from envy to undisguised ridicule.

The Chief Examiner no longer looked at him, turning expectantly to Wu Ai, as if he’d just brushed away a speck of dust.

Wu Ai had watched the whole farce calmly from start to finish.

Now, he finally lifted his eyes, glancing past the ashen-faced Zhang Lei to the Chief Examiner.

He spoke clearly and steadily, “It’s the story.”

The Chief Examiner’s eyes lit up with delight, and he clapped his hands vigorously.

“Good! What a story! So many music students focus only on technique and forget that the soul of music is storytelling!”

He paused, his tone growing more solemn. “Go home and wait for the notice. I very much look forward to seeing you at school in September!”

With that, the Chief Examiner turned and walked back into the exam room, satisfied.

Only the devastated Zhang Lei and a crowd of onlookers remained in the corridor.

Wu Ai finally walked slowly up to Zhang Lei. He was slightly taller, and now looked down at him.

His gaze was calm after thoroughly crushing his opponent, with a hint of undisguised sharpness.

“I was better than you half a year ago. I still am.”

His voice wasn’t loud, but everyone around could hear it. Each word landed on Zhang Lei’s heart like a hammer.

“Tell me, how are you supposed to beat me?”
The examinees around all burst into laughter, whispering quietly among themselves.

“So Wu Ai is actually this good? Zhang Lei was saying he wasn’t any good before…”

“Serves him right. Who told him to keep mocking others?”

Wu Ai looked at him with a half-smile. “So, what should you call me now?”

Zhang Lei clenched his fists so tightly his nails nearly dug into his flesh, but he couldn’t say a word.

“M-Master Ai…”

Wu Ai’s lips curled up as he patted Zhang Lei on the shoulder.

“Good grandson, Grandpa won’t sing ‘Father’ for you today. You’re not worthy of hearing it.”

Zhang Lei stared at Wu Ai’s retreating figure, both angry and jealous, but could only watch helplessly as he walked away.

At that moment, in a corner no one noticed, a blond figure peeked out, eyes fixed intently on Wu Ai’s back.

He glanced at the just-posted results sheet, the corners of his mouth unconsciously lifting, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

Wu Ai, carrying his guitar, spent half an hour on the subway in the dusk. By the time he reached his doorstep, his knuckles were numb from the cold.

He entered the password, and with a “click,” the door opened. Warm yellow light spilled through the crack, mingling with a faint aroma of coffee.

This was Madam Zhang’s signal that she was home. She always liked to brew a pot of hand-poured coffee while working on documents at night.

Wu Ai’s mother, Zhang Qiulan, held the family’s financial power, so he was used to calling her Madam Zhang.

He had just changed one shoe when Madam Zhang’s voice came from the living room-not loud, but with her usual crispness.

“How did you do on the exam?”

He looked up to see Madam Zhang sitting on the sofa.

She wore a well-tailored dark gray suit, her hair neatly pulled back, flipping through a thick stack of documents with a silver pen between her fingers.

“Ninety-two. Not bad.”

Wu Ai leaned his guitar against the wall, his tone indifferent.

Madam Zhang’s pen paused for a moment, the corners of her mouth unconsciously lifting, though she maintained her usual sternness.

“If I didn’t have to meet with the TV Station people today, I would’ve gone with you.”

Wu Ai let out a cold laugh and bent down to continue changing his shoes.

“Then compensate me-how about admitting I’m the heir to Genesis?”

Madam Zhang was taken aback, then replied teasingly, “Can I really trust you with Genesis?”

Wu Ai gritted his teeth and didn’t respond, but his fists tightened slightly.

Madam Zhang was the chairwoman of Genesis Culture Co., Ltd. As the only child in the family, Wu Ai should have been the sole heir, but she had never truly acknowledged him.

In her eyes, Wu Ai had always been a troublemaker, unfit for great responsibility.

“By the way.”

Madam Zhang closed the documents and leaned back on the sofa.

“Now that the Art College Entrance Exam is over, Gaokao is next. For the next few months, stay with us-don’t rent a place on your own.”

Wu Ai paused in the middle of untying his shoelaces and looked up at her. “Forget it.”

Madam Zhang’s tone instantly cooled. She crossed her arms and leaned back, her gaze scrutinizing.

“Can you really focus on your studies living alone? I think you just don’t want to be managed, still want to slack off like before!”

She stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly let out a cold laugh.

“Fine, live on your own if you want. But I’m not paying your rent this month-you figure it out yourself.”

Wu Ai’s face froze instantly.

He only had a few hundred yuan in deposit refunded by the Art College Entrance Exam agency. He hadn’t saved any money while dating Guo Yi.

Madam Zhang’s words were clearly forcing him to move back home.

Maybe she thought she hadn’t pushed hard enough, so she added, “You want to inherit the company? Take care of yourself first.”

Wu Ai clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palm.

After a few seconds of silence, he turned, grabbed his guitar from the wall, put back on the shoes he’d just taken off, and zipped up his coat to the top.

“Fine. Just wait.”

With that, he opened the door. The cold wind whooshed in, messing up his hair.

Madam Zhang sat frozen on the sofa, still clutching her pen. Only when the door slammed shut did she snap out of it.

“This kid, he really left?”

She got up and walked to the entryway, looking at the slippers Wu Ai hadn’t finished changing and the guitar picks scattered on the floor. She felt a little uneasy.

Madam Zhang pulled out her phone, wanting to send Wu Ai a WeChat message, but put it down again.

Watching Wu Ai’s silhouette under the streetlights, snowflakes landing on his shoulders like a sprinkling of salt, she muttered,

“Stubborn brat, just like his father-stubborn as a mule.”

She cursed under her breath, but still took out Wu Ai’s bank card from the drawer and quietly transferred two thousand yuan into it.

Outside, Wu Ai was huddling his neck against the cold, heading toward the subway station.

His face showed none of the panic Madam Zhang expected. He touched the few hundred yuan left in his pocket, his eyes shining brightly.

“I’ll use these last few hundred yuan as seed capital for my business plan.”