Jiang Zhouye finally realized he had accidentally let Jiang Nanshu into the frame.
Fortunately, it was just a reflection, and it didn’t show her face.
He breathed a sigh of relief and didn’t plan to respond.
He waved his phone at Jiang Nanshu proudly, "Look at your brother’s popularity. Even after being absent for a while, there are still so many people."
Jiang Nanshu gave it a merciful glance, humming, "Yeah, awesome, you’re so great, backing you is a surefire investment. Your fans have a discerning eye, finding a needle in a haystack, none of them are fake."
Jiang Zhouye: "... What nonsense are you spouting?"
Jiang Nanshu looked aggrieved, "I’m praising you! Since brother doesn’t like it, I won’t praise you in the future, lest I annoy you."
[You are a popular singing and dancing singer, if you can’t even maintain this level of popularity, retire early; it’s embarrassing! If I could sing well, there wouldn’t be any place for you in the music world.]
Jiang Nanshu felt depressed.
She had never undergone professional training and, in the original world, had her voice ruined by being force-fed medication due to childhood experiences. Her vocal cords were damaged, and her voice wasn’t pleasant, somewhat hoarse, unlike the sweet mellowness of this world.
She possessed many skills but couldn’t sing.
This body’s voice hadn’t been professionally trained, so she sang a bit off-key. Jiang Nanshu didn’t intend to stress over these things.
Jiang Zhouye remained silent for about a minute before saying, "Jiang Nanshu, I’ll teach you how to sing, okay? Do you want to learn?"
Jiang Nanshu’s almond eyes widened, her tone with a hint of surprise, "Fourth Brother, are you serious? I begged you for three days and nights, and you ignored me."
[Are you really so kind-hearted now? Teaching me to sing? The original person cried and fussed, and you still wouldn’t agree.]
Jiang Zhouye’s expression was a bit stiff, but fortunately, a mask covered it. He replied hoarsely, "The past is the past. Now I’m willing to teach you. Do you want to learn?"
Jiang Nanshu didn’t hesitate at all, with a bright face and a dazzling smile, "Sure, as long as you’re not bothered by me."
[Hehe, watch me torment you. Just try to teach this hoarse voice of mine.]
The car drove for about an hour, arriving at the concert venue.
Jiang Zhouye had mentioned in the group earlier that he would come, but only one person came to pick him up.
Su Jianlin wore a light green short-sleeve shirt with a white headband, looking very sunny and fresh.
Seeing Jiang Zhouye approach, he flashed a smile with little tiger teeth, "Brother Zhou, you’re here! Is your throat feeling better?"
Jiang Zhouye nodded lightly. Su Jianlin was the brother he had a pretty good relationship with in this team, a year younger, but since he couldn’t trace the people behind him, he didn’t dare form a deep bond right now.
Thus, he pulled Jiang Nanshu over and introduced them to each other, "Nannan, this is my teammate Su Jianlin, who also sings well."
"Jianlin, this is my sister, Jiang Nanshu."
Seeing Jiang Nanshu, a look of amazement flashed in his eyes, his naturally pale face slightly reddening, "Hello, sister, I’m your brother’s good friend. You can call me Brother Jianlin."
[Why does everyone insist on using this ’brother’ term, huh?]
Jiang Nanshu’s expression was obedient, "Hello, Brother Jianlin, is your singing very good? But I think my Fourth Brother sounds better; he’s the best."
[I said this just to be annoying, and it might make his teammates think less of him—this one’s a hundred-point move!]
He really appreciated her.
As long as there was a crack, she would crank up the animosity level no matter the time, place, or person—always eagerly stirring things up.
Who knew, though, that Su Jianlin didn’t mind at all and humbly agreed, "Nanshu, you’re right. I definitely can’t compare to Brother Zhou. I’ve always regarded him as my role model. Someday I’ll walk alongside him!"
Saying this, he looked at Jiang Zhouye with starry-eyed admiration.
[So you’re a fanboy, huh? Let me think, Su Jianlin... Ah, I remember now. When Fourth Brother got kicked out of the team, he made a big fuss wanting to leave too, but couldn’t afford the huge breach of contract compensation and ended up shelved. He was your good buddy, even clarified the rumors spreading about you, but ended up taking the blame for harming you, making you resent him.]
[Hmm, I also love the drama of good brothers turning into enemies—marking my calendar for this one.]
Jiang Zhouye looked into Su Jianlin’s sincere eyes.
If it weren’t for Jiang Nanshu’s inner voice, he would’ve thought it was Su Jianlin who framed him because all the Flower Tea came through him.
But Su Jianlin might just be naive, surrounded by a great team atmosphere as the youngest member, doted on by the remaining four, resulting in him being a clear stream in the backstabbing entertainment circle before taking the fall for harming him.
Jiang Zhouye chuckled lightly, his gaze sincere, "Thank you, Jianlin. We’ll both become excellent singers."
Su Jianlin was a bit excited.
Even after nearly three years in the team, he still felt like he was meeting an idol when facing Jiang Zhouye.
He sighed, "Today, after we wrap up, our group will disband, Brother Zhou. From now on, we’ll go our separate ways. I hope you won’t mind my clumsiness."
Jiang Zhouye stepped forward, slinging an arm around his shoulder, "Why would I? You’re my good friend. By the way, I think the flower tea you bought is really good. Was it recommended by someone?"
Su Jianlin’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, "As long as you think it tastes good, that’s enough. No one recommended it to me. I tried it myself before, thought it was good, so I bought it when your throat felt uncomfortable."
That’s what his investigation found.
This Flower Tea was all personally ordered by Su Jianlin.
No trace of a second person.
Jiang Zhouye felt a bit unwilling to let it go. Noticing Jiang Nanshu curiously looking around, he continued, "I think it’s really good. You should recommend it to the others."
Su Jianlin shrugged helplessly, "I’d love to, but they don’t like tea. Except for Fang Yi, I noticed he drinks the same brand of Flower Tea as me."
"Yeah, yeah. He’s almost finished his stock, so I’ll ask him in a few days if he wants more, just as a farewell gift."
Fang Yi was Jiang Zhouye’s best friend. The two were almost inseparable, with half of Fang Yi’s popularity being boosted by Jiang Zhouye, making him the vice-leader of the team.
Jiang Zhouye’s face, concealed by a mask, darkened ominously.
He probably waited for this day, confident Jiang Zhouye wouldn’t investigate the Flower Tea, so he brazenly drank it.
Truly acting with impunity.
"What about Lian Xingze?"
"Him?" Su Jianlin frowned.
He was never fond of this person, who had replaced Jiang Zhouye in the team, because he seemed to be ingratiating toward everyone and very insincere.
"That’s about it. His singing isn’t as good as yours or Fang Yi’s, yet he insists on taking the lead singer position. I don’t know what the company was thinking, trying to build him up."
Jiang Nanshu listened intently to their conversation, calculating in her mind:
[They don’t necessarily need to sing well; having connections means they might be pushed to the top. And this Fang Yi name sounds familiar... Oh right, it’s this Fang Yi. He swapped the Flower Tea, and Fourth Brother wouldn’t possibly think he’s his best friend, would he? He’s already a lackey of Lian Xingze.]
[I recall Lian Xingze seems to have foreign ties with a bigwig involved with Su Ran... With the plot so off-kilter, he might return home earlier than expected? Hmm, traditionally, it should’ve been after I died that the bigwig returned to compete with Lu Qingyan for a woman. But now, who knows? Terrifying indeed.]