Chapter 50

At night, Song Wenzhou pushed away Mu Chi’s hand that had secretly reached for his waist for the third time.

After the first two times he pushed it away, Mu Chi had behaved for a few minutes, but this time, Mu Chi wasn’t having it. With no intention of retreating, he forcefully turned Song Wenzhou onto his back and pulled him into his arms.

Song Wenzhou struggled a few times before giving in, saying in annoyance, “I’m tired, I don’t want to.”

Realizing he had upset the person in his arms, Mu Chi kissed Song Wenzhou’s forehead, adjusted his arm, and rested it under Song Wenzhou’s neck. “Alright, sleep then.”

Song Wenzhou found a comfortable position, closed his eyes, and as he was drifting in and out of sleep, he heard Mu Chi say, “Let’s go send them off after work tomorrow.” He mumbled a “good” and soon fell asleep.

The next morning, when Song Wenzhou woke up, he had already forgotten about the conversation and was puzzled as to why Mu Chi had let him drive himself to work. Was it because they didn’t do anything last night?

That couldn’t be it. Mu Chi had still made him breakfast, kissed him before he left, and even sent him “harassing” messages while he was at work.

Unable to figure it out, Song Wenzhou decided not to dwell on it, but as he was nearing the end of his workday, Mu Chi sent him another message.

【Mu Chi: Don’t forget to come send me off (kiss.jpg)】

Song Wenzhou was confused. Why was he going to “send him off”? Mu Chi had driven himself to work this morning as well.

He asked Mu Chi what it was all about.

【Mu Chi: Didn’t we agree on it last night?】

Huh? What did they agree on last night? He didn’t remember at all. Was Mu Chi sure he wasn’t just dreaming and telling him this?

【Mu Chi: There’s a celebration dinner tonight, and I can’t leave. I won’t be able to go home and cook for you, so I need you to come send me off to eat.】

Oh, that’s what it was. He wasn’t a three-year-old child, could he not figure out dinner for himself? Song Wenzhou thought to himself.

But since they had agreed on it last night (though he didn’t remember), he decided to go to the celebration dinner.

By the way, what was this celebration for? He hadn’t heard Mu Chi mention anything about it recently. Could it be for the last clothing competition?

Song Wenzhou thought vaguely as he drove into the underground parking lot of Musong Media. He had been here many times, but had rarely been inside the company.

Which floor was it again? Song Wenzhou pulled out his phone to ask Mu Chi.

At this moment, someone stepped out of the elevator and said, “Mr. Song, Mr. Mu asked me to come pick you up.”

It was Shi Mu, the person he had briefly spoken with at the clothing competition’s dinner.

Song Wenzhou smiled and nodded. “Thank you.”

Shi Mu, being very responsible, remembered what his boss had said and, to avoid making Song Wenzhou feel awkward, tried hard to strike up a conversation.

In fact, he was more socially anxious than Song Wenzhou, and Mu Chi had probably assigned him to pick up Song Wenzhou just because they had talked before.

“Mr. Mu is in a meeting and it will take a while to finish. Let me take you to the lobby first,” Shi Mu said, staring at the line between the elevator doors.

Song Wenzhou gave a soft “Mm.”

The elevator stopped on the 9th floor, and as the doors opened, Song Wenzhou immediately heard music flowing from what seemed to be the lobby.

This floor seemed either specially arranged for hosting banquets or just recently cleared for such events, the overall setup was dreamlike and enchanting.

From what Shi Mu said about Mu Chi being in a meeting, Song Wenzhou thought they were the first ones to arrive at the hall. However, he was surprised to find that many people had already gathered there.

And by many, he really meant many. Song Wenzhou had been picking up Mu Chi from work daily recently, but he had never seen such a crowd at a “send-off” before.

This was his first real experience of how large Mu Chi’s company actually was.

In fact, Song Wenzhou held shares in “Musong” too, as one of his graduation gifts from Mu Chi when he graduated from university. However, with his own successful career and no financial worries, he hadn’t paid attention to the dividends.

“Mr. Mu didn’t set fixed work hours or locations for us, so we rarely gather at the company,” Shi Mu explained when he noticed Song Wenzhou’s surprised expression.

Song Wenzhou understood. In this industry, people’s individual achievements mattered, not everyone was technically an employee of Musong Media, most were under contract, and many lived in other provinces or had their main jobs and treated this industry as a side job.

There were so many people, and each one was dressed beautifully, making Song Wenzhou feel a little dazzled.

As Song Wenzhou walked with Shi Mu, they encountered many people greeting them.

“You have pretty good social skills,” Song Wenzhou joked.

Shi Mu gave him a deep look and said, “I haven’t been with ‘Musong’ for long, not really that popular. They’re here because…”

Before he could finish, a male voice interrupted forcibly.

“Who else do you want to see? Put their names on the screen, and I’ll take you to see them.”

Shi Mu’s words were cut off, and both he and Song Wenzhou turned to look at the source of the voice.

A young man with blue-dyed hair, pale skin, and two earrings in his ears walked over holding a selfie stick.

“He’s live streaming,” Shi Mu explained to Song Wenzhou, subtly shifting away as if not wanting to be in the shot.

As if to prove the saying “what you fear will come,” the next second, the blue-haired man approached and casually hooked his arm around Shi Mu’s neck, pulling him back. Both of their faces appeared in the phone’s camera.

“Shi Mu, why are you running away? Come say hello, your fans have been saying they haven’t seen any updates from you in a while.”

Shi Mu awkwardly waved in front of the camera and said, “Good evening.”

Song Wenzhou stopped to the side, finding it quite amusing to see Shi Mu being “kidnapped.”

The blue-haired man was very confident on camera, teasing Shi Mu for a while. The live chat was full of laughter, and the blue-haired man read one comment aloud: “The guy next to him is so handsome.”

He then pointed the camera at Song Wenzhou, and before Song Wenzhou could react, quickly switched it back.

Song Wenzhou didn’t even get a good look at himself in the phone, he only saw the comments flying rapidly in the chat.

However, the blue-haired man immediately stopped his playful demeanor and respectfully greeted him, saying, “Good evening, Second Boss.”

“Uh?” Song Wenzhou was a little confused.

The blue-haired man didn’t dare to keep filming Song Wenzhou, quickly saying his greeting and walking off while explaining into the phone:

“That’s our second boss, not just any live streamer.”

“Who’s the second boss? The second boss is just the second boss.”

“The big boss is Mr. Mu, no no no, the second boss is even bigger than the big boss…”

“Didn’t see clearly? Shh, I’ll show you later.”

The last sentence trailed off as the person walked away, and Song Wenzhou didn’t catch it. He thought to himself, could his small share really make him the second boss of Musong Media?

Shi Mu adjusted his collar, which had been pulled out of place, and sighed. He turned to Song Wenzhou and said, “Mr. Song, how about we go over there and have something to eat?”

“Sure.” Song Wenzhou nodded and walked with him toward the buffet area.

After that, Song Wenzhou spent most of the time sitting in a corner, casually eating. During this time, he saw several people live streaming on their phones.

The music playing in the hall changed to a soothing, lingering tune. As he listened, Song Wenzhou turned his head, “This voice…”

Shi Mu smiled shyly and said, “I sang it.”

Song Wenzhou readily praised him, “It sounds great.”

It was the kind of voice that really resonated with people.

“This was written two years ago,” Shi Mu lowered his gaze, “afterward, it became harder to capture the right feeling and write better songs.”

Song Wenzhou opened his mouth, unsure of how to comfort him. He ended up patting Shi Mu’s shoulder.

Mu Chi arrived just as the song ended. He immediately took the half-eaten piece of cake in front of Song Wenzhou and stuffed it into his mouth.

Song Wenzhou: “…”

“It’s alright, not too sweet.” Mu Chi commented, then added, “Give me a sip of that juice, my mouth is dry from talking too much earlier.”

Song Wenzhou handed over the cup, but Mu Chi didn’t take it. Instead, he drank it straight from Song Wenzhou’s hand.

Shi Mu quietly walked away, suddenly feeling a little stuffed from what he had just eaten.

As the CEO of Musong, Mu Chi’s entrance caught the attention of everyone in the hall. His affectionate drinking gesture also caught their eyes. Those who were close by couldn’t help but start cheering.

Song Wenzhou’s face heated up, and he pushed Mu Chi’s shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” Mu Chi asked knowingly, and then, taking advantage of the situation, grabbed Song Wenzhou’s hand and squeezed it, “Why are your hands so cold?”

Song Wenzhou: “… You were drinking cold drinks earlier.”

Of course, holding a cup of cold drink would make his hand cold.

Mu Chi pulled over the chair where Shi Mu had been sitting and placed it right next to Song Wenzhou. Once seated, their shoulders brushed together, clearly signaling to everyone how close and in love they were.

Soon, everyone had arrived, and Mu Chi led Song Wenzhou to another place to sit.

In the center of the hall was a platform about five steps high. Mu Chi seated Song Wenzhou in the row closest to it, then took a few steps up to the platform. He lightly tapped the microphone and tested it with a couple of “hello” sounds.

The hall instantly went silent, all eyes turning toward him.

Song Wenzhou really wanted to laugh, and then, he did.

Mu Chi, standing above, could clearly see him. He raised an eyebrow at him, looking puzzled, as if he didn’t realize how funny he was being.

Song Wenzhou cleared his throat twice, stopped laughing, and made a “you continue” gesture with his lips.

So, under everyone’s watchful eyes, Mu Chi took a piece of paper from the inner pocket of his suit and began reading a speech that someone had written for him.

He started by welcoming everyone’s arrival and explaining the reason for the celebration. Then he pointed out the key contributors to be commended, followed by giving out rewards to each of them. After that, he expressed hope that everyone would continue working hard and make “Musong” even better. Finally, he took the opportunity to encourage everyone to gather and build stronger relationships, saying that it was rare for everyone to be able to make time, and that all expenses for the evening would be on his tab…

Amid thunderous applause and various shouts of “Musong is so generous,” Mu Chi elegantly walked over and sat next to Song Wenzhou.

Song Wenzhou, particularly supportive, kept clapping until Mu Chi sat down, then joined in the playful banter, saying, “Musong is really generous.”

Mu Chi glanced at him and leaned in close to his ear, whispering, “Just say the first four words.”

Song Wenzhou thought for a moment: “… Shameless.”

Mu Chi chuckled quietly, “Who told you to make fun of me?”

After Mu Chi finished speaking, another person went backstage, likely the host, who began discussing the planned program.

Song Wenzhou leaned in and quietly exchanged words with Mu Chi: “There are performances too, just like a company’s annual meeting.”

“Don’t worry, it’s definitely more interesting than your company’s annual meeting.”

“That’s true.”

Not just anyone could sign a contract with Musong Media, the company only signed people with “special talents.” The performances these people gave could easily gather large numbers of likes and positive comments online.

Song Wenzhou scanned the room, and although he wasn’t too familiar with this industry, there were some faces he recognized that seemed familiar to him.

While scanning, Song Wenzhou also noticed something else—there seemed to be even more people live streaming on their phones.

He gently tugged on Mu Chi’s sleeve and asked, “Did you set the KPIs for the signed artists too high?”

“No,” Mu Chi answered seriously, “the targets set by ‘Musong’ are actually low compared to others in the industry.” This was the first time Song Wenzhou had inquired about his work.

Song Wenzhou motioned to the people live streaming and said, “Then how come they’re still working while hanging out?”

“Uh…” Mu Chi faltered, “Well… because after they sign, the big money they make comes from the revenue share. Live streaming at events like this generates higher traffic.”

“Oh,” Song Wenzhou nodded, recalling earlier when the blue-haired guy asked who they wanted to see in the live stream, and now he understood the reason for the high traffic.

Mu Chi wasn’t making this up, but in reality, live streaming also depends on the setting. If it’s a casual gathering and everyone is okay with it, live streaming would certainly attract high traffic. But for larger events, the organizers usually hire professional photographers, and company internal celebrations, strictly speaking, shouldn’t be shared on social platforms.

The reason there were so many live streams today wasn’t because Musong had no restrictions in this regard, but because Musong had personally allowed it, even subtly encouraging everyone to live stream.

Mu Chi looked around, thinking it still wasn’t enough.

“There will be a lucky draw later,” Mu Chi hinted to Song Wenzhou, “I’ve put a lot of money into the prizes. I hope you win the grand prize and bring it home so I don’t lose too much.”

Song Wenzhou suddenly felt a lot of pressure, rubbing his fingers together and saying, “I’ll try my best.”