MMLDU Chapter 75

Pei Lang felt even happier after receiving praise from Yan Han. After some meticulous revisions, the song was finally uploaded and released.

The song Nirvana was written, composed, and performed entirely by Pei Lang. Originally not without fame, it quickly gained a lot of attention once released. Many well-known singers participated in the competition, making the competition fierce. But his song stood out among them.

“Did you two listen to my wife’s song?” Early in the morning, Yan Han gathered Su Jia and Qi Shaoheng in his office. They thought it was an urgent meeting, both wearing serious expressions, guessing that something happened in the company that they weren’t aware of. However, Yan Han’s opening remarks made them both laugh and cry.

“Of course, I listened to it. I played it on repeat until midnight last night. My Dad Lang… ahem~~ the boss’s wife is indeed my idol. This song is different from the others, it’s beautiful and has a sense of story, very fitting. It feels like this song would match any Xianxia novel, it has great commercial potential,” Su Jia had figured out the key to getting a raise: praise the boss’s wife; praise him a lot, the boss likes to hear it.

His praise was heartfelt. His admiration for Pei Lang grew each day.

Of course, my wife is the best.

Su Jia’s compliments successfully made Yan Han’s lips curl into a small, smug smile, as though the one being praised was himself.

Seeing this, Qi Shaoheng chimed in, “Xiao Su Su is absolutely right. Not only did I listen to the one released yesterday, but I’ve also looped the previous ones countless times.”

Su Jia had once recommended Pei Lang to him and, out of curiosity, had researched his background. His singing was indeed impressive. As for the online rumors that shattered one’s worldview, Yan Han, with his cleanliness obsession, didn’t mind, likely because they were false.

As a result, Pei Lang left a particularly good impression on Qi Shaoheng. Only someone like Pei Lang could melt the centuries-old ice mountain that was Yan Han.

“If you ask me, the boss’s wife should stop acting and go down the singer path. It’d suit him just fine.” Qi Shaoheng had seen some of Pei Lang’s acting, and it was almost unbearable to watch, though those were roles originally played by the former Pei Lang.

“You guys still don’t know, my wife’s acting is exceptional.” Thinking about Pei Lang’s portrayal of Wen Yan, Yan Han also thought about the miserly Director Jin, who always sent him videos that seemed half-hearted. It wouldn’t do, he had to urge him to release Wen Yan quickly and let the whole internet see how amazing his wife was. “Besides, he enjoys acting more.”

“Repost, tip, and listen a few more times when you get home.” That was an order. Su Jia and Qi Shaoheng quickly nodded, not daring to show any signs of negligence. “Keep an eye on the competition and report any abnormalities immediately. I’ve listened to all the other participants, and none of them compare to Lang Lang. With his talent, getting first place is no problem, but I’m worried someone might be manipulating behind the scenes.”

The fact that someone had actively sought Pei Lang to participate was already suspicious, so Yan Han had to keep a close watch on the competition.

Su Jia: “Got it, boss.”

Qi Shaoheng: “No problem.”

After releasing the song, Pei Lang didn’t pay much attention to it. After all, he had just participated out of boredom; winning or not didn’t matter. All the data was managed by Yan Han on his behalf. He¹ wasn’t intentionally hiring bots to inflate the numbers, he was just getting everyone he could to listen and share.

Even Old Master Yan wasn’t spared. Yan Han personally went to his place, took his phone, and did everything himself, leaving the old man dumbfounded.

With Yan Han’s efforts to gather votes and the fans driving the numbers, along with various recommendations bringing in a large number of casual listeners, Pei Lang’s song steadily climbed to third place within five days, leaving the fourth place far behind. The top two spots were taken by long-established, popular singers with massive fanbases.

Pei Lang was quite satisfied with this ranking. Being in the top three was already great. Just being in the top three had his fans praising him to the heavens. Pei Lang was a bit embarrassed by it.

The competition had strict rules against malicious voting, but some people still didn’t believe it and secretly hired bots to push Pei Lang down from third place. However, this was quickly discovered because the gap between him and the next contestant was too large. With too many false votes, they were disqualified from the competition immediately.

He was careful and left few traces. If it weren’t for Yan Han intentionally having people keep an eye on things, they might have gotten away with it and pushed Pei Lang out.

Half a month passed, and the top three remained unchanged. Barring any unexpected events, it was almost a done deal. However, at this point, Yan Han received a set of secret competition rules. The prizes were still the same as initially promised, but the way of receiving them had changed.

The top three would receive trophies, but the trophies had to be collected in person at the venue.

This was obviously aimed at Pei Lang, knowing full well that his identity and age were controversial, yet they introduced such a rule. Or perhaps, this entire competition was intentionally set up as a trap for Pei Lang. Upon noticing this, Yan Han had people investigate the matter thoroughly, and as expected, it was just as he had thought.

“You’re saying no other heavyweight participants received private invitations, only me?” Pei Lang couldn’t believe it. Someone had actually gone to such lengths to organize this large-scale competition just to make him appear.

“The chairman of Yingniao Music’s nephew is the popular singer Guo Linwan. His qualifications are average, and despite having Yingniao Music as a backer, he still couldn’t rise to a high position. It took him years of hard work to get to where he is now. And yet, you’ve accomplished what he did in just over half a year, which naturally makes him envious,” Yan Han said, only recalling Guo Linwan when mentioning him. His impression of the person was faint—he wasn’t really that famous.

But Pei Lang didn’t understand. “I’m just an online singer. Does he really need to create such a huge competition just to make me show up?”

“Your original intention in singing was to heal listeners with mental health issues. The website you’re on is an existence that others can’t even touch. Anyone who isn’t blind can see that you never intended to enter the entertainment industry. With me backing you, no one can touch you. Others can only watch as your fame grows. Your voice is often compared to those celebrity singers in the entertainment industry who don’t live up to the hype. Over time, it’s bound to make people desperate.”

Guo Linwan was one of them.

First, there were accusations that Pei Lang wasn’t the “50-year-old uncle” he had described and that he might be deceiving his fans. Then, using Yingniao Music’s backing, they held the competition and invited Pei Lang to participate. Having made it to the top three, Pei Lang had to go to the venue to collect the trophy. He could refuse, of course, but could someone with that many fans really withstand the pressure of the entire internet to refuse? Others could go to the venue, why couldn’t he?

Furthermore, once he decided to participate, he should respect the rules of the competition. If Pei Lang refused, it would definitely upset netizens. Even if he didn’t show up, his reputation would be damaged. If he did appear, simply showing his face would reveal cracks, giving others the chance to dig into his background and ruin him. Whether he was the “uncle” or not, proving that he had deceived his fans would only be harmful to him, no matter how things played out.

They organized this competition and invited Pei Lang to participate, fully prepared. With Pei Lang’s strength, making it into the top three was no problem. Even if he didn’t make the top three, they would find a way to ensure he did.

“I didn’t think that much; I should’ve known better than to participate.” In this place, whether big or small, everything was handled by Yan Han. Pei Lang had forgotten how treacherous human nature could be, how people always had their own agendas. He had joined simply out of boredom, never expecting to fall into someone else’s trap.

“You just do whatever you want. Be yourself. I’ll handle the rest.” For Yan Han, this was nothing, solving it would be easy.

“I know you can handle anything, but I don’t want to trouble you. I’d rather you rest well.” Despite this, Pei Lang was still touched and gave Yan Han a big hug.

Anything related to Pei Lang wasn’t difficult for Yan Han; he enjoyed dealing with people who tried to bully his wife, those who didn’t know their place.

“Aunt Lin took the day off today. How about I cook?” After kissing Yan Han on the lips, Pei Lang pulled him downstairs. The villa was quiet, with only the two of them in it.

In the large villa, having someone special by his side made it feel far less lonely and cold.

“I’ll cook with you.” Yan Han brought over an apron and tied it around himself. By this time, Pei Lang had already gone to the fridge to get the ingredients. It was the first time Pei Lang had seen Yan Han seriously tie an apron—his navy blue, expensive suit was paired with a frilly pink apron. Pei Lang couldn’t help but chuckle.

“You know, I only know how to make simple home-cooked meals. Compared to what Aunt Lin makes, mine are nothing.” Pei Lang led Yan Han to the sink, teaching him how to pick vegetables and wash them. Yan Han followed the instructions perfectly.

Thinking about cooking reminded Yan Han of his own cooking, which even dogs wouldn’t eat. He suddenly felt down. After spending so much time with Yan Han, Pei Lang could tell what he was thinking, even without a golden finger. He smiled and lightly poked Yan Han’s handsome face with his wet finger.

“Don’t be upset. No one can be perfect at everything. You, a CEO, are willing to cook for me. That’s already enough. You don’t need to make it perfect.”

Pei Lang was always very good at comforting people. Just a few words were enough to lift the cloud from Yan Han’s heart.

“I think there are two things you’ll never learn,” Pei Lang said as he cleaned the shrimp veins, then asked Yan Han to wash some ginger for later use.

“Which two things?”

“Cooking and saying sweet words.”

Yan Han: “…” When he thought about it, he realized that he really hadn’t said any sweet words. The things he copied from books didn’t truly touch Pei Lang. In fact, Pei Lang even complained, hiding the books away.

“As for cooking… Aunt Lin is here, and when she occasionally takes a day off, there’s me. There’s no need for my husband to cook himself. If you want to help, you can always lend a hand.” Pei Lang moved skillfully in the kitchen, his knife work was good. As he sliced the ginger, he continued the previous conversation. “Sweet words come from the heart. It’s not just a sentence. It’s about what you’ve done and said for me. A moment of help, a thoughtful gift, or even a kiss can count as sweet words. So, my husband doesn’t need to deliberately learn, just speak from the heart.”

“Right now, it’s already great. I can clearly feel that you have me in your heart and put me first. That’s enough,” Pei Lang said with a smile. He loved Yan Han when he was serious yet occasionally cute and a bit childish because that was the real Yan Han.

Compared to the clumsy Yan Han, it was Pei Lang’s words that were the most touching. Yan Han stood there beside him for a long time without saying a word, his heart filled with happiness. Finally, when Pei Lang finished cutting, he pulled him into his arms. “Lang Lang, I love you, really.”

Pei Lang chuckled, patting Yan Han’s back to comfort him. “I know.”

Yan Han hugged him for a long time until Pei Lang’s stomach growled. He was hungry. “Alright, alright, let go of me for now. I’ll make you my signature dish—oil-braised shrimp.”

“Isn’t your signature dish ‘Summer Sunset’?”

“That’s just one of them.”