Chapter 11: Sourness and Firecrackers

Chapter 11: Sourness and Firecrackers

Time always slips away without being noticed. Chen Feng waited and, before he knew it, another week was wasted.

Compared to the clear, goal-driven struggle in his dreams, Chen Feng had many more chores to deal with after coming out.

He still had to go to work, handle apartment errands from time to time, and occasionally attend some meaningless but unavoidable meetings at the company headquarters.

This was the daily life of most white-collar workers in the city.

They were busy with trivial matters, saying they must use their spare time to do something, but in the blink of an eye, precious time was mysteriously stolen away.

Chen Feng had originally planned to collect more information about music-related companies during these days, no matter which city they were in. Later, he would apply for annual leave at his company and make a focused trip to visit them.

Or, he could follow entertainment news to see if any well-known figures in the music industry came to Hanzhou for events. Then, like those fanatical fans, he could rush over and try his luck to intercept a talent scout on the road.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t part of the fan circles and couldn’t get first-hand information.

By the time he saw it in the entertainment news, the person had already come and gone.

During these two weeks, the only thing Chen Feng managed to do well was stick to his exercise routine, running ten kilometers every night without fail.

He didn’t run fast; his goal was recovery, and the effect was basically achieved.

After just two weeks, his physical condition had improved a lot.

When he first started running, it took him two full hours from nine to eleven to complete ten kilometers, equivalent to a pace of 12 minutes per kilometer. This showed his physical weakness was quite severe.

But after two weeks, using the Fartlek running method, he could finish ten kilometers in about seventy minutes, with his pace improving to 7 minutes per kilometer. The progress was remarkable.

Being young was good; recovery was fast.

At nine o’clock that night, he changed into his sportswear again, put on his cheap running shoes, went downstairs, and left the residential complex.

Winter was approaching, and the nights in Hanzhou felt slightly cool. Chen Feng tightened his collar, looked around to choose a direction, and started jogging forward with his head down.

For the first two weeks, he had run laps around the residential complex; five laps exactly made ten kilometers.

But running the same route was a bit monotonous. This time, he decided to run farther. There were four traffic lights on his planned path.

But it didn’t matter; waiting for the traffic lights could count as rest.

After running about four or five hundred meters, he reached the first traffic light intersection.

By now, a layer of fine sweat had broken out on his forehead. His body felt warm, and the soles of his feet ached slightly, all because of the bad shoes.

Chen Feng stopped, pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, and carefully controlled his breathing rhythm.

The air was cool; he couldn’t inhale too sharply, or his side might hurt.

About twenty or thirty people were waiting at the traffic light with him, mostly young men and women dressed fashionably.

Although the night was cool, the beautiful women weren’t wearing thick clothes—short skirts, shorts, and black or white stockings of uncertain thickness.

These people were talking loudly, seeming very excited.

Most of them addressed each other by strange online names like “Wolf Walk,” “Wu Ma,” “Red Sleeve,” “Baobei,” and “Dream Hunter.”

They talked about all sorts of things, as if promoting themselves by describing their experiences or carefully testing and guessing the authenticity of each other’s identities. They might even be formulating various strategies in their minds.

Chen Feng looked at the street ahead with its flickering neon lights and felt a slight realization.

The street ahead was called Shaolin Road, a famous bar street in Hanzhou City. Well-known nightclubs like Super Club and Yue He had sizable flagship stores here.

These men and women were probably heading to the nightclubs to have fun.

Zhong Lei lived in the Weston Apartments precisely because it was close to Shaolin Road; the nightclubs where she performed were mostly concentrated here.

Chen Feng felt like turning back.

Given his age and single status, clubbing and nightlife should have been part of his entertainment.

But he really couldn’t bear to spend the money he had worked so hard to save.

Unlike others his age, Chen Feng could only rely on himself to put down roots in the city.

Even if he scrimped and saved every month, he could only save two or three thousand. Saving for half a year was enough to buy just one square meter of housing in downtown Hanzhou, but at least it gave him something to hope for.

So, even though it was close, Chen Feng never liked going to Shaolin Road.

He was afraid he would feel sour.

Today, he also wanted to turn back; he shouldn’t go to Shaolin Road and ask for disappointment.

Just as he was thinking this, the red light turned green; it was time to cross.

The men and women in front of Chen Feng were about to step forward when a fiery red Ferrari roared past like an angry bull, brushing past the crowd. It was thrilling and dangerous, sparking a wave of curses. The scene became slightly chaotic, like chickens scattering in panic.

The flaming taillights dragged four twisted trails of light on the dim street, quickly vanishing into the distance.

The young men and women who had been chatting animatedly moments ago fell into an awkward silence after cursing.

Chen Feng had sharp eyes; as the car passed, he clearly saw the scene inside.

The young man in the driver’s seat held the steering wheel with his left hand while using his right hand to pull up a woman’s head.

Chen Feng didn’t see the woman’s face clearly, but he imagined she wasn’t ugly.

What the woman was doing wasn’t hard to guess either.

That damn rich second generation.

Alright, he still felt sour.

Some people were born at the finish line of happiness; it was no use comparing.

Someone bumped into his shoulder, making him lose his balance slightly and take a step forward.

Chen Feng moved forward with the crowd. Well, he had already felt sour once today; he wouldn’t easily feel sour again.

Crossing the road, he continued running.

After crossing one street, only a few hundred meters away from the residential area near Weston, it felt like two different worlds.

One side was quiet and deserted; the other side was bustling with lights and music.

Chen Feng kept his head down, ignoring the people coming and going around him, and just kept running.

While running, his mind wasn’t idle either; he kept thinking about what to do next.

He had already copied two songs and should have been making great strides. But two weeks had passed since returning, and he still couldn’t make any progress.

He just didn’t understand.

In all those novels he had read before, once the protagonist got a golden finger, which one didn’t take off in minutes? Why was it so difficult for him?

Was he using the golden finger the wrong way?

Shouldn’t he have copied songs?

Should he have copied something else?

Next time, should he change his approach, read more biographies, and try to discover some figures in the entertainment industry who would rise slightly in the coming years?

If he couldn’t latch onto a big shot like Zhong Lei, who was one in a thousand, could he settle for developing a few less formidable ones?

“What are you doing! Let go! I’ll call the police!”

A startled cry came from not far away.

Chen Feng instinctively stopped.

He stopped so abruptly that he almost stumbled and fell to the ground.

Chen Feng held onto a lamppost and looked to the side.

A woman carrying a Guitar was struggling to break free from a young man’s grip.

The man seemed to be trying to pull her into the car parked by the roadside.

Hmm, another red Ferrari. He wondered if it was the same one that had passed by earlier.

After being shaken off, the man tried to grab her again but was slapped in the face by the woman.

A crisp slap rang out, just like a firecracker.