If you ask a rapper what constitutes a fulfilling rap career, you’ll get a variety of answers. Some might say it involves navigating the underground scene, participating in battles, while others might mention performances in bars or DJing at nightclubs before achieving fame. However, if you ask them to pick just one experience, most would likely tell you that a rapper who hasn’t engaged in “beef” isn’t just lacking in their rap career, but also lacks authenticity.

Here, “beef” doesn’t refer to literal beef but rather to situations where two rappers exchange diss tracks due to mutual animosity. It’s all part of the rap game; if two people have a conflict, why resort to physical fights when you can pick up a mic and diss each other?

There are many reasons for beef, ranging from personal dislike to disagreements over music, values, or ethics. If one party releases a diss track, the other is bound to respond. Justice prevails in the court of public opinion, as songs are shared online for both the industry insiders and listeners to judge.

What’s crucial in rap battles? It’s the camaraderie; if you’re a rapper and your friend gets dissed, can you remain indifferent? Of course not. You stand by your friend, even if it means releasing a track in retaliation. Thus, rap beef often escalates to factions forming between labels or close friends. Despite the aggressive nature of beef, it’s also a breeding ground for innovation within rap culture, with diss tracks often introducing new styles and flows, eventually becoming classics.

Although still young, Liang Zhen had participated in beef. He wasn’t the main focus and didn’t release any tracks himself, but he staunchly stood by his homies from the northwest on social media, reposting and commenting without hesitation. The beef wasn’t initiated by the northwest rappers but rather by a newly established label from another city. However, after the response, the northwest faction emerged victorious, turning the beef into a legendary tale, while the new label became a laughingstock.

Now, in a bar in Wenzhou, the rapper who called out Liang Zhen’s name was ironically affiliated with the defeated label.

Liang Zhen remained silent, keeping his headphones on to block out any distant conversations, giving the impression that he either couldn’t recall who this person was or simply didn’t consider him worth remembering. The rapper wasn’t alone; his companions sat nearby, seemingly familiar with Liang Zhen, joining in with snide remarks.

It Was unclear how long this back-and-forth continued between these individuals, but Liang Zhen could hear, and so could Sha Mingyin, who tightened his grip on the beer bottle, almost crushing it. Sensing Sha Mingyin’s rising temper, Song Zhou grabbed his wrist, almost embracing his entire arm, advising him to “stay calm.”

“Hey, I noticed someone can request songs here,” the rapper finally sat down, taking out a hundred yuan bill from his wallet and placing it on the table. “Fifty bucks to hear Liang Zhen sing for me. Quite a deal. I’ll give you a hundred, pick a song, no change needed.”

“Sorry,” Liang Zhen replied icily, “my time is up.”

“Well, that’s a pity, missing out on Liang Zhen’s performance,” the rapper shrugged, satisfied with his verbal jab and not intending to push further. “Do you want me to give you a ticket, though? There’s a show in Wenzhou tomorrow. Let me broaden your horizons.”

“No need,” Liang Zhen’s lips curled slightly. “But if you really want to hear me sing, we can arrange it.”

“Oh, really?” The rapper’s tone shifted upon being addressed so politely.

“But,” Liang Zhen feigned hesitation, “it might disrupt the performances after mine. If you really want to hear me sing, you’ll have to pay extra.”

“How much?”

“Not too much,” Liang Zhen looked at him, a meaningful smile on his face. “Just a thousand.”

“A thousand?!” Another voice interjected. “Liang Zhen, you’re robbing people.”

“How could I dare,” Liang Zhen replied, “You guys have a show tomorrow, right? You’re already performing. Would you still care about a mere thousand?”

Some noticed Liang Zhen’s provocation, about to intervene, but the rapper remained stubborn, pulling out cash from his wallet, determined to make Liang Zhen sing.

“I was in a hurry when I left home,” he hesitated, “didn’t bring that much cash—”

“No worries, you can use Alipay or WeChat,” Liang Zhen was ready to pull out his phone. “Just scan the QR code.”

“…Fine,” the rapper acquiesced, not wanting to seem hypocritical after mocking Liang Zhen’s supposed lack of wealth and then failing to pay up himself. Since he was already giving a thousand, he might as well vent his frustration on Liang Zhen before beefing up.

“Let me think about what to sing,” he deliberately spoke in a frivolous tone, “Since you’ve participated in battle competitions, why not do a freestyle? How about… ‘Drinking Alone’?”

“Officer Shao!” Song Zhou yelled, his voice hoarse, grabbing Shao Mingyin’s arm firmly this time. “Don’t get worked up. Let Liang Zhen handle this himself!”

Liang Zhen could see Shao Mingyin’s reaction to the mention of “freestyle,” but he remained unfazed as he looked back at the rapper.

“Sure, it’s not that I can’t freestyle that, but the environment of this bar isn’t very suitable for shouting rap,” Liang Zhen agreed, “How about this, for a thousand bucks, just singing here isn’t worth it. What do you think? You give me the money first, and later I’ll record a song for you… ‘Drinking Alone’ or something like that. I’ll post it on my Weibo, I’ve already got the title, MC…” Liang Zhen tapped his forehead and chuckled.

“Sorry, what’s your MC name again?”

The guy also chuckled, but it was forced. After chatting for so long, Liang Zhen didn’t even know his name, and asking now, his attitude clearly showed he didn’t care to know.

“I’m MC Zhou Zhou,” 

Liang Zhen repeated with realization after the guy reluctantly introduced himself, “Then when I post on Weibo, I’ll definitely mention you and Tianyou. Since you’re both MCs, consider this song as a link for you guys. I’ll write a good caption on Weibo, talking about how you love rap culture, a thousand bucks to listen to ‘Drinking Alone.'”

“Liang Zhen, you—” The guy was getting annoyed. How could he not be? He intended to embarrass Liang Zhen a bit, but ended up being subtly insulted by Liang Zhen.

“I didn’t say anything wrong,” Liang Zhen stopped smiling, “Are you going to pick a song or not? If you don’t have the money, there’s no need for us to keep talking. The next singer is waiting.”

“I’ll pick, why wouldn’t I pick!” The guy hesitated, “I changed my mind, don’t sing ‘Drinking Alone’.”

“I see you have some red bills in your wallet. How about you give them all to me? Consider it a discount for knowing each other. Then pick a song suitable for this bar’s environment, and I’ll sing it for you.” Liang Zhen emphasized ‘you’, but his attitude didn’t show any sign of submission.

At this point, the guy could only take out cash in multiples of a hundred and slap it on the stage. He randomly named a pop song. Liang Zhen was quick, bending down and picking it up without even bending his knees. After singing, he didn’t wait for the accompaniment to finish before stepping down from the stage. Gao Yunge had been waiting there. He approached the guy and shoved all the money into his hands.

Apart from singing, Gao Yunge didn’t really like talking. After the money was shoved into his hands, he kept pushing it back to Liang Zhen. Unable to push it back anymore, he stuttered, “I… I can’t take it.”

“Just take it,” Liang Zhen pushed it back, “I can’t just waste your time like this.”

“I really can’t—”

“Just take it,” Liang Zhen stuffed the money into his pocket, “Consider it as a stupider version of Song Zhou. Just treat it as money found on the ground. We’re both from the same place, stop pushing it back and forth.”

Seeing Gao Yunge hesitate, Liang Zhen quickly ran off the stage. He left through the back door, and after he had left, he messaged Shao Mingyin. When Shao Mingyin came out, Liang Zhen had already circled around to the front entrance.

“What’s wrong?” Liang Zhen raised his elbow and nudged Shao Mingyin’s shoulder, “Why do you look so gloomy?”

Shao Mingyin didn’t speak. He moved aside, letting Liang Zhen’s touch fall empty. Liang Zhen realized that Shao Mingyin was truly angry this time. He immediately straightened up, leaned in close to Shao Mingyin’s face, and made a funny face in anger.

“Not funny!” Shao Mingyin pinched his face. Somehow, he felt more aggrieved than Liang Zhen.

He said, “We won’t take this money. Let’s not come here tomorrow.”

“Why not? It’s not like we didn’t sign the contract. Besides, it’s only a few days left.”

“Even if it’s just one day, don’t come tomorrow.”

“Why?” Liang Zhen asked, “Today they were the ones causing trouble. The probability of that happening again is very low.”

If Liang Zhen still wanted to continue coming here, Shao Mingyin couldn’t keep him confined. But he felt truly uncomfortable.

“I know you worry about me, stand up for me, but didn’t I handle it fine?” Liang Zhen said, putting his arm around Shao Mingyin’s shoulder, slowly walking towards where the car was parked, “Honestly, when the three of us from the northwest talked about it last time, we all thought that beef was over. I didn’t expect to encounter it today, and they’re still nitpicking. These people are so petty, with such limited courage, they can only handle small gigs.”

Liang Zhen said, “And I’ll have tours in the future, invitations to music festivals, and tens of thousands of people waiting for me to perform.”

Shao Mingyin paused, slightly raising his head to look at Liang Zhen. His youthful face was resolute, saying, “Just wait. “Just wait and see, their peak may not even be as good as when I was twenty.”

Liang Zhen hadn’t reached his peak yet. Although his songs had received good responses, he hadn’t gone on tour yet, so despite the quality of his songs, without being able to predict the attraction of live house ticket sales, the current Liang Zhen was not truly famous.

But anyone who saw the exuberance and innate confidence on his face, would believe in his bright future, just like Shao Mingyin did.

Because that exuberance and confidence were innate. Lack of family affection might occasionally make Liang Zhen naive and unaware, but this side of him only showed in front of Shao Mingyin. Apart from Shao Mingyin, no attack or mockery could hurt Liang Zhen, who had been materially wealthy for twenty years.

Because Liang Zhen knew what a good life looked like, and he knew that what he effortlessly enjoyed was something many people spent their whole lives chasing. This didn’t make him develop any bad habits. Instead, it protected his youthful innocence, making him oblivious to inferiority. This sincerity and authenticity hadn’t been eroded in the slightest with age and departure from a comfortable life. If there were any changes, it was because he was growing up.

Just like now, Liang Zhen stopped and thought about what happened earlier, feeling somewhat regretful.

“I think I shouldn’t have taken that money,” he referred to the three hundred bucks, “Performing won’t earn much money. They’re not famous rappers who have already made it. Three hundred bucks might be a lot for them.”

“That’s their—” Shao Mingyin wanted to say they deserved it since they started it. After all, if they didn’t provoke, they wouldn’t have ended up paying three hundred bucks.

But Liang Zhen made a valid point, just not from his perspective. Even if someone caused trouble for him, he would still consider their difficulties. This wasn’t the first time Shao Mingyin had seen Liang Zhen display this kind of mindset, but it was the first time he had truly appreciated the valuable qualities in Liang Zhen that he himself wasn’t aware of.

—Liang Zhen was proud, but he was never arrogant.

“Well, let’s forget about it,” Shao Mingyin said, deciding to move on from the matter with Liang Zhen. They continued walking forward, and after passing through a small alley, they would reach the parking area. Just as they were about to pass through, they heard someone call out “Liang Zhen” from behind. When Liang Zhen turned around, he wasn’t expecting much, thinking it might be someone with a similar name. But when he saw a young girl standing just a meter away from him, he was surprised.

“Liang Zhen,” the girl called out his name again, then took a step forward. Her shoulder strap slipped a bit, prompting her to adjust it. After a hesitant “hello,” she continued rubbing her hands together nervously.

Liang Zhen nodded and replied, “Hello.”

The girl covered her mouth, clearly excited. Unless heavily made up, Liang Zhen usually couldn’t tell if a girl was wearing lipstick, but he could tell this time.

“I was just at the bar too, with my friends,” she gestured towards the bar’s door behind her, “I thought it was you, but I wasn’t sure. Then when Zhou Zhou came to cause trouble, I heard it all, and I just wanted to say…” The girl covered her mouth again, taking a while before continuing, “I’m sorry, I’m just really excited. I never thought I’d meet you in person tonight, I’m really excited.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Liang Zhen felt embarrassed, “I’m not a celebrity or anything, just treat me as a friend, there’s nothing to get excited about.”

“I-I just wanted to tell you,” the girl looked at Liang Zhen with sincere eyes, “your songs are really, really good. Difficulties are temporary, you will definitely have a bigger stage in the future, you…” The girl’s voice suddenly choked up, “Please continue on the path of rap.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll definitely keep rapping,” Liang Zhen was also flustered, “Please don’t cry, please don’t cry, I will release a digital album smoothly next month.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” the girl rubbed her eyes and sniffed, “I… I’ve been following you on Weibo since last year, I’ve listened to every song of yours, I can sing them all, I really…”

The girl looked at Liang Zhen, “I really like your songs, I really like you.”

“Thank you, thank you for liking,” this wasn’t the first time Liang Zhen had met a fan, but it was the first time he had encountered such genuine admiration, making him feel deeply grateful.

The girl asked if they could take a photo together, and Liang Zhen agreed. Shao Mingyin helped them take several photos, and when the girl took the phone back, she was so happy she jumped up.

“I just wanted to tell you in person that your songs are really good, and more and more people will like you in the future. You must continue to sing!” The girl’s emotions gradually calmed down, but she still seemed like a fan who had finally met her idol, so happy that after confessing, she wanted to run away. After taking a few steps, she turned back and looked at Liang Zhen, asking if he could give her an autograph.

“Sure,” Liang Zhen hadn’t signed for anyone before and didn’t have a pen with him. The girl searched in her handbag, finding no pen either. The only thing she could use was lipstick.

“Use this to sign,” she opened the lipstick and twisted it out. Without paper, she took out a cushion and opened it, asking Liang Zhen to sign on the mirror inside.

At first, Liang Zhen didn’t react and took the lipstick. But before he could apply it, he felt it wasn’t right and returned everything to the girl.

“No, I can’t do this. Lipstick and cushions are precious items for girls, I can’t waste them like this.”

“I’ll go check in the car,” Shao Mingyin said, heading towards the road. Liang Zhen asked him to be careful and also helped watch for passing vehicles. Soon, Shao Mingyin returned with a pen and paper. Liang Zhen asked the girl her name, and she said Lily.

“Lily?” Liang Zhen found it familiar, “Hey, is your Weibo ID ‘Lily是莉莉’?”

“Yes! That’s me!” Lily exclaimed excitedly, “Oh my god, you remember my ID, I’m going to cry.”

“How could I forget, you’ve liked and commented on every one of my Weibo posts.”

“Can you please post more on Weibo in the future? Your last post was a retweet of the Tangcan Livehouse performance from last year. It’s been almost two months since your last update, and I thought you stopped singing.”

“Oh… I really don’t update Weibo much, no wonder you were so excited.”

“Can you please update Weibo more in the future,” Lily asked, “Even if it’s just everyday life or showing affection.”

“Well…” Liang Zhen glanced at Shao Mingyin beside him, smiling, “My boyfriend has a special job, we can’t show affection openly.”

Lily’s eyes widened instantly. Liang Zhen thought she might not accept homosexuality and would feel disgusted, hesitating whether he should continue signing if she unfollowed him on the spot. But Lily exclaimed, “Wow.”

“Wow, Liang Zhen, you already have a boyfriend, and such a good-looking one,” Lily started getting excited again, “You two are such a beautiful cp, how can you be so perfect together!”

“C…cp?” Liang Zhen still signed his name, also adding “to Lily, wishing you all the best,” handing the paper to Lily, he asked, “What does ‘cp’ mean?”

“It means you guys… Oh my god, I don’t want to be just your fan anymore, I want to be your shipper!”

Not only Liang Zhen, but Shao Mingyin also found it confusing. Just as they were exchanging puzzled looks, Lily ran off like she didn’t want to disturb their private world. Before re-entering the bar, she shouted to Liang Zhen again, “Liang Liang! We’re all waiting for your new album!”

After Lili left, Liang Zhen and Shao Mingyin were also getting ready to go back. Shao Mingyin didn’t say much during the drive, and Liang Zhen kept sneaking glances at him. The atmosphere didn’t seem off, but Liang Zhen felt he should say something.

He asked, “Are you still angry?”

“No,” Shao Mingyin replied. “What would I be angry about?”

“I signed autographs for a female fan and took pictures with her. You’re not mad?”

Shao Mingyin laughed. “What’s there to be mad about?”

“If you’re ever upset or unhappy, you have to tell me,” Liang Zhen promised. “If you don’t like it, I won’t take pictures or sign autographs for female fans anymore. I’m not a celebrity idol anyway. As long as my songs are good, that’s all that matters.”

“What are you thinking?” Shao Mingyin hooked his index finger and tapped Liang Zhen on the forehead. “What era do you think this is? You’re in a relationship but acting so prudish.”

“I’m just worried you might be unhappy…”

“I’m not unhappy. You’re overthinking it,” Shao Mingyin still smiled. “Besides, more people will like you in the future. If I get unhappy now, wouldn’t I be spitting blood in the future?”

Liang Zhen touched his chest. “Don’t worry, no matter what happens, no matter how many people like my songs, my heart will always be yours!”

“Got it. Geez, you’re so childish,” Shao Mingyin said. “In the future, interact with your fans however you should. Don’t carry a mental burden because of me, and don’t be so timid. Also, in the future, more people will like your songs, and more people will like you for your character and who you are. No matter what kind of liking it is, I won’t be unhappy.”

Shao Mingyin said this just as the light turned red. He stopped the car and turned to look at the young man, rubbing the spot on his forehead where he had tapped him. The gesture, like his words, was very gentle.

“Because whether it’s Liang Zhen’s songs or Liang Zhen as a person, they both deserve to be liked.”

Shao Mingyin smiled softly and tapped his forehead again.

“And I’ll only be proud of such a Liang Zhen.”