Chapter 76: It Must Be Him
“Hey, have you heard? A divine song came out of The Investiture of the Gods theme-song solicitation!”
“Huh? What kind of ‘divine song’? The kind like Tantan?”
“Bah! I mean a genuinely divine song!”
……
“Do you know The Investiture of the Gods?”
“How could I not? I heard it’s Old Master Peng’s work!”
“I heard it was Mr. Dong’s?”
……
“If I could write a song like The Investiture of the Gods, my whole life would be worth it!”
“You? Forget it!”
……
“I heard the lyrics and composition of The Investiture of the Gods are excellent, but the singing is only average. Do we have a chance to perform it?”
“Hard to say. But I heard some of the national-level singers are interested too. Our chances are probably slim.”
………
Meanwhile, Ling Xiaoli, who was still on the plane painstakingly piecing together the musical score, knew absolutely nothing about any of this.
And for a very long time, she would remain completely unaware.
………
C City, 4:50 p.m.
As soon as Ling Xiaoli got off the plane, she received a message from Keke.
Keke was still busy out of town and wouldn’t be able to return anytime soon, so she told Ling Xiaoli to take good care of herself.
Ling Xiaoli then headed straight for Hongding Apartments, returning to the home she had been away from for more than ten days.
Technically speaking, since Ling Xiaoli had transmigrated into this world, she had spent far more time staying in hotels than in this apartment.
Yet for some reason, she felt a faint sense of familiarity and affection toward this home.
Perhaps it was the influence of the original owner.
Of course, it might also have been because of the unforgettable memory of that major cleaning session.
Although she hadn’t been back for more than ten days, all the windows had been tightly shut, so there wasn’t much dust.
After tidying up a little, Ling Xiaoli flopped onto her huge bed.
This was the thing she liked most about the apartment.
A huge bed!
She could roll around on it as much as she wanted!
As she lay there, she gradually fell asleep…
………
When Ling Xiaoli woke up, it was already eight o’clock at night.
She stared at the pitch-black sky outside, momentarily unable to process the time. In a daze, she picked up her phone.
“It’s already eight? No wonder I’m so hungry.”
Ling Xiaoli lay on the bed, completely unwilling to get up. She was just about to order takeout when she suddenly noticed a new WeChat message.
—Bai: Long time no see. Want to come out and hang out?
It had been sent a little after seven.
Ling Xiaoli had never been in the habit of deleting chat histories. The conversation above immediately reminded her of this original owner’s “bad company.”
On a whim, she replied.
—Ling Xiaoli: Sure, but I haven’t eaten yet. Give me half an hour.
The reply came instantly.
—Bai: No need. There’s food here. Just come over.
—Ling Xiaoli: Wait for me.
Ling Xiaoli quickly climbed out of bed and started getting ready.
Actually, there wasn’t much to prepare. She hadn’t even removed her makeup before lying down.
She simply hadn’t expected to fall asleep!
She touched up her makeup a little, changed into a brand-new outfit, and, while she was at it, threw all the dirty clothes she had accumulated over the past few days into the washing machine.
Then she headed out.
As for where the “usual place” was, Ling Xiaoli had already found it by scrolling through Bai’s Moments.
………
Bai Family Tavern.
A carved wooden door and a red-lacquered signboard.
Looking at the tavern’s entrance, Ling Xiaoli felt that it had a certain charm.
It wasn’t the kind of lively bar with live singers performing. It was simply a quiet bar.
She walked through the half-open door.
There were quite a few customers inside.
Everyone was quietly sipping drinks and chatting among themselves.
There was no noise, no sound of glasses clinking—only gentle, soothing instrumental music.
The interior hadn’t deliberately pursued a purely traditional, antique Chinese style either. Everything had simply been arranged for comfort.
At least, just looking at the sofas made Ling Xiaoli feel like they would be incredibly comfortable.
Her gaze soon settled beside the bar counter.
A tall, elegant-looking man was standing there.
He wore a white shirt with casual trousers, and his medium-length hair was tied into a low ponytail.
He had an exceptionally distinctive air about him.
He was standing sideways, talking to the bartender behind the counter.
The half of his face visible from the side had sharp, well-defined features, with a perfect jawline.
For some reason, Ling Xiaoli instinctively felt that this person had to be Bai!
The moment she saw him, she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.