Unable to be Arrogant [Entertainment Circle] | Chapter 40 | A Shared Melody | Novela.app

Jiang Siyang was caught off guard by Li Qiang’s sudden bout of melancholy. Just as he was trying to think of something comforting to say, he heard Zhang Jin’an speak with utter composure. “After dinner, I’m taking Siyang to the beach.” Was it really okay to be that decisive? Jiang Siyang looked at the front passenger seat with concern. To his surprise, Li Qiang’s tone returned to normal instantly. “Oh, sure. What time are you coming back? How are you getting back?” Jiang Siyang: “...” He finally understood. No wonder Zhang Jin’an told him he’d get used to it; it seemed Brother Qiang had performed this act many times before. “I don’t know, we’ll see. We can probably just walk back,” Zhang Jin’an said. Li Qiang clearly didn’t buy it. “You? Walking? Ha! You’ll want to quit after five minutes.” “Don’t knock it. I went up the mountain today,” Zhang Jin’an countered. The two of them bickered like old friends. It was Jiang Siyang’s first time seeing this kind of dynamic between an artist and a manager, and he found it quite novel. He thought to himself that Zhang Jin’an truly was unique—even the people around him were one of a kind. Li Qiang’s voice rose an octave as he turned around in shock. “The mountain?! You actually went hiking?” “Siyang invited me,” Zhang Jin’an added. Jiang Siyang hurriedly nodded to testify. “Yes, we went up together.” Because of the seating arrangement, Li Qiang couldn’t see Jiang Siyang and could only stare at Zhang Jin’an. Seeing that Zhang Jin’an didn’t look the least bit guilty, he finally believed it. “So someone else asked you. I was wondering how you could possibly think of going hiking on your own.” “Am I really that much of a shut-in?” Zhang Jin’an asked. “It’s not just me; everyone thinks so. Right, Siyang?” Li Qiang immediately sought outside reinforcement now that he finally had a fellow traveler. But Li Qiang had forgotten one thing: Jiang Siyang wasn’t just anyone. He was Zhang Jin’an’s fan, and he was firmly on Zhang Jin’an’s side. “I don’t think Big Brother is a shut-in. He’s been to many places,” Jiang Siyang replied. Li Qiang: “...Oh, for heaven’s sake. I forgot, you’re his fan. Asking you is pointless.” Zhang Jin’an beamed and whispered a compliment to Jiang Siyang, “Nice job.” As he spoke, he held out his hand. Though Jiang Siyang felt it was a bit random, he still gave Zhang Jin’an a high-five. Zhang Jin’an’s palm was soft and felt even warmer against the cool air of the car’s air conditioning. Even after Jiang Siyang withdrew his hand, the sensation lingered. “Oh, right. The crew already gave us the clothes you wore this morning. Siyang, yours should be with Liu Wenping,” Li Qiang said. Jiang Siyang nodded. “Okay.” Zhang Jin’an took out his phone and earphones, opened his playlist, and handed one earbud to Jiang Siyang. “Let’s listen to some music. It’s a bit of a drive,” Zhang Jin’an said. “Okay.” Flattered, Jiang Siyang took the earbud from Zhang Jin’an and placed it in his left ear. Music flowed into his ear like a trickling stream. It was a Japanese song Jiang Siyang hadn’t heard before. “What song is this?” Jiang Siyang asked curiously. Li Qiang, who knew Zhang’s habits inside out, answered for him, “It’s definitely an anime song. The music on his phone is either from anime or games.” Zhang Jin’an looked up and unlocked his phone. “Do you want to hear something else? Search for whatever you like.” He handed his phone to Jiang Siyang. Jiang Siyang waved his hands dismissively. “No need, this sounds great. I was just curious.” Zhang Jin’an didn’t pull his hand back. “It’s fine. I haven’t listened to anything else in a while. Search for a few songs and give me some recommendations.” Jiang Siyang had no choice but to take the phone. The screen was large, its dimensions perfectly suited for Zhang Jin’an’s palm. He swiped the screen. Zhang Jin’an didn’t have a passcode; a single swipe led straight to the home screen. The interface was very clean, spanning only two pages, though WeChat showed over 1,700 unread messages. Jiang Siyang didn’t poke around. He went straight to the music app, searched for a few songs he frequently listened to, and then returned the phone to Zhang Jin’an. When the music started, Zhang Jin’an remarked, “So you like this type of music.” “Yes,” Jiang Siyang replied. “I prefer lyrical, quiet songs.” Zhang Jin’an smiled. “It’s nice.” In truth, besides anime songs, Zhang Jin’an listened to other genres as well, especially English songs—he had hundreds of them in his library. The current song was "Tongue Tied," which he had heard before. It was a perfect song for a car ride. If you didn’t understand the lyrics and only listened to the melody, it felt like the road ahead was endless, as if you were on a blank path facing the warm sun. But if you understood the lyrics, you would realize it was actually a song about love. Speaking of unrequited love, Zhang Jin’an was reminded of the fanfic Tuan Yuan had written. He suddenly felt this song suited that story quite well. *“When I'm tongue tied, and even though I know it's burning up and bottled up inside, I'm still tongue tied...”* Zhang Jin’an hummed the end of the song in his head. The two of them shared a quiet understanding, watching the scenery outside their respective windows without speaking. The car was very silent as everyone focused on their own thoughts. No one noticed that their fingertips were separated by a mere centimeter. After about half an hour, they arrived at the hotel entrance. The sign read "Najiang Hotel." Even through the privacy film of the car windows, Zhang Jin’an could feel the bright lights of the lobby. Jiang Siyang’s eyes were sharp; he spotted Liu Wenping immediately. He unbuckled his seatbelt and returned the earbud to Zhang Jin’an. “We’re here. Thanks, Brother Jin’an, Brother Qiang. I see Sister Liu.” Zhang Jin’an coiled the earphone cord. “Are you going straight to the third floor for dinner later, or what?” “Yeah, I’ll head down after I change,” Jiang Siyang said, opening the door. “I’ll head out first then. Thanks for the ride, guys.” “Don’t mention it, we’re all friends here,” Li Qiang said with a smile. After getting out of the car, Jiang Siyang ran toward Liu Wenping, and the two of them headed upstairs. Zhang Jin’an gathered his things before getting out with Li Qiang. A valet drove the car toward the parking lot. “The production crew was quite thoughtful to find this hotel,” Li Qiang remarked as they walked inside and stepped into the elevator. “Yeah,” Zhang Jin’an said. “This show is very well-thought-out.” “How do you think you did today?” Li Qiang asked. “You sound like a school teacher.” Zhang Jin’an laughed. “I won’t know how I did until the show airs. Personally, I don’t think appearing on this show was a loss. They let me see a lot of good things. Especially...” Zhang Jin’an paused. Li Qiang asked curiously, “Especially?” “Nothing.” Zhang Jin’an watched the floor numbers. “We’re here. Let’s go.” “Tsk, leaving me hanging.” Li Qiang didn’t press further, moving on to business. “I’ve already sorted your clothes. Xiao Zhou put them on your bed. You can just wear that set to dinner.” “Okay.” Zhang Jin’an walked to his room, inserted the card, and pressed his four-digit code. With a click, the door opened. Before leaving, Li Qiang remembered something and hurriedly asked, “Oh, right, I forgot to ask earlier. Why did you suddenly want to go to the beach?” “I promised him,” Zhang Jin’an said. Li Qiang chuckled. “That doesn’t sound like you. Su Zhiyang asked you to go out so many times before and you never went.” “How can you compare the two?” “What’s the difference?” “The place is different, and the person is different,” Zhang Jin’an answered matter-of-factly. “Su Zhiyang is a dummy. Jiang Siyang is a fan. Ever heard of spoiling your fans?” Li Qiang burst out laughing. “Su Zhiyang would cry if he heard that.” Li Qiang didn’t ask anything else and patted Zhang Jin’an on the shoulder. “I’m heading down. See ya.” “Yeah.” Zhang Jin’an entered his room and closed the door.