Chapter 158: Full Moon and Starlight!

Liu Xiayu crossed her arms and watched for a while, finding it rather tedious. She yawned, patted Jiang Lun on the shoulder, and said, "Let's grab a bite first and finish this later!"

"I'm not hungry yet. Besides, you have plenty of staff around; I can wait until I actually need to eat," Jiang Lun replied with a shake of his head.

"Don't even think about it. My staff aren't here to serve you!" Liu Xiayu reached out to tug at his sleeve. "Get up already! I don't want anyone accusing me of abusing you!"

After some back-and-forth bargaining, Jiang Lun finally yielded to Liu Xiayu's relentless nagging and persistent pestering. He set down his work and followed her downstairs for dinner.

To his surprise, when they arrived, the dinner had not been fully served, leaving only a single bowl of appetizer soup on the table.

"Tsk tsk, the wealthy really live differently! Having soup before the meal!" Jiang Lun sat down casually, striking a pose ready to indulge.

Liu Xiayu retorted, "As if you aren't wealthy yourself. What's your savings balance at now? Almost a hundred million by now, right?"

"Pfft!"

Jiang Lun had just taken a sip of the juice in his cup when Liu Xiayu's remark caught him off guard. He spat it out instantly, turning his head sharply the next second to glare at her. "A hundred million? Are you going to hand it over to me?"

However, instead of waiting for Liu Xiayu's snappy reply, he saw her staring in utter astonishment past his shoulder...

Huh? What was going on?

Wasn't it just because he had spat out his drink?

Wait a minute... where did it land just now?

Jiang Lun whipped his head around again, only to find Wang Qianwen standing right beside him, half of her clothes soaked in the fruit juice he had just expelled!

Oh god! How could this happen?

"W-Wang, Sister Wang... I-I didn't mean to!"

Panic instantly overwhelmed Jiang Lun. Regaining his wits, he hurriedly grabbed a tissue from the table to wipe it off for Wang Qianwen, apologizing profusely, "I am so sorry, please don't mind it, please don't!"

"It's fine..." Wang Qianwen murmured softly, pulling out a tissue herself, but she froze in awkward embarrassment.

Jiang Lun hadn't thought much of it initially, but when he suddenly looked up, he saw Wang Qianwen blushing and keeping her head down. As their eyes met, they locked gazes directly.

It was a full five seconds—an agonizingly long five seconds that felt like five entire centuries.

Simultaneously, both of them looked away. When Jiang Lun lowered his gaze again, he realized his posture was intensely improper: he was practically clutching the upper part of her thigh while wiping. And his hand was...

Ugh, how incredibly inappropriate!

Flustered, Jiang Lun pulled his hand back, stood up abruptly, and stammered, "Um, Sister Wang, w-would you... like to go change your clothes?"

"Yes!" Wang Qianwen nodded slightly and turned to walk away.

Watching her ascend the stairs, Jiang Lun let out a long sigh of relief. Turning back to Liu Xiayu, he found her wearing an expression of malicious glee and frowned, "Liu Xiayu! You took this joke way too far!"

"Far? Are you talking about the joke regarding your hundred-million fortune, or about you... Hahahaha..."

She laughed uncontrollably, unable to stop.

Having just reached the upper floor, Wang Qianwen heard that laughter ringing in her ears like some demonic incantation, prompting her to quicken her pace toward her room.

Jiang Lun was equally speechless. The usually ice-cold Liu Xiayu turned out to be quite like this in private.

If her fans ever found out, her divine persona would undoubtedly shatter completely.

"Shh, stop laughing, Sister Wang can hear you!"

"Mmph—" Liu Xiayu quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, though her face remained radiant with uncontrollable amusement. "You—haha—you've finally given me a joke that will keep me laughing for the rest of my life!"

"Hmph!"

Jiang Lun glared at her once more and sat back down by himself. Yet somehow, haunted by the memory of his recent action, he lowered his gaze to glance at his own hand.

***

Night deepened.

Jiang Lun yawned and stretched lazily.

The post-production mixing was complete, leaving only the tedious repetition of test-listening, using computer simulations to replicate acoustic environments for various settings to ensure absolute perfection.

"Click!"

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening echoed through the room.

Subconsciously turning his head, Jiang Lun saw Wang Qianwen walking in, clad only in a sheer gauze nightgown.

He immediately rose to his feet. "Sister Wang..."

"Sit down, don't move!" Wang Qianwen walked over. "Is it done?"

"Basically finished, just testing the acoustics!"

"Let me hear!" Wang Qianwen took the headphones, put them on herself, and pulled a chair over to sit next to Jiang Lun.

As she drew closer, Jiang Lun clearly caught the refreshing scent of shower gel, causing him to instantly straighten his posture and let his gaze wander uncontrollably.

Through the translucent gauze, the twin peaks of her chest hinted at two dark silhouettes, while her half-exposed shoulders were as fair and smooth as snow. With the slightest lean, a vast expanse of her side profile was immediately revealed.

"Hah..."

Jiang Lun took a deep breath, forcing himself to banish any wild thoughts.

Suddenly noticing another pair of headphones hanging on the wall behind Wang Qianwen, he reached out to grab them, hoping to use the action to avoid further awkwardness.

To his dismay, an even more embarrassing situation unfolded.

As he stood up, his jeans suddenly pulled tight. Looking down, he saw a prominent bulge at the front, which happened to collide precisely against the side of Wang Qianwen's face.

Realizing what had happened, Jiang Lun abruptly pulled back. Wang Qianwen, who had been listening intently, was startled by the sudden intrusion and instinctively turned her head, only to come face-to-face with that awkward protrusion.

"..."

"..."

Speechless and utterly panicked, both of them stood frozen.

Jiang Lun hurried back to his seat, turned to stare fixedly at the computer screen, and didn't know where to put his hands. He began alternately tapping the mouse and tapping the keyboard just to mask his distress.

After the initial shock passed, Wang Qianwen offered a soft, amused smile. She turned around, took the headphones off the hook behind her, and handed them to Jiang Lun. "Come on, let's listen together!"

"Oh! Right!"

Dazed, Jiang Lun accepted the headphones. Seeing the serene and breezy smile on Wang Qianwen's face, he felt much of the tension drain from his heart.

Just as he was hesitating whether to offer an apology, Wang Qianwen suddenly reached out and pointed at the audio waveform displayed on the computer screen. "Pause here, change this part!"

"Hmm?"

Recovering his focus, Jiang Lun paused the track, rewound to listen once more, and asked for confirmation, "Right here?"

"Yes, make the strings crescendo, let's hear how that sounds!"

"Got it!"

Jiang Lun set to work making the adjustments, while Wang Qianwen continually offered constructive suggestions from the side.

Gradually, the two of them seemed to forget the awkwardness of moments before.

It wasn't until two in the morning that the entire song was finally perfected.

"Ah, perfect!"

After the final test listen, Wang Qianwen took off her headphones and high-fived Jiang Lun.

"Sister Wang, thanks to your help, otherwise I would have been completely lost on those details," Jiang Lun seized the opportunity to say.

Wang Qianwen smiled. "Stop flattering me. Your skill is solid; given time, you'll undoubtedly become an excellent producer."

"Sister Wang is teasing me," Jiang Lun said, sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

The moment he lowered his head, his eyes caught a glimpse of a view he shouldn't have seen.

Wang Qianwen seemed to notice, but rather than covering up, she simply asked instead, "Care to celebrate? I brought a good bottle of wine from Hong Kong, want to try it?"

"From Hong Kong?"

Surprised, Jiang Lun hadn't expected Wang Qianwen to have such a habit of carrying wine with her when traveling.

"Yes, I originally planned to invite you and little Liu to celebrate after tomorrow night's New Year's Eve event. Since the timing is just right now, why don't we open a bottle early?" Wang Qianwen suggested naturally.

"Drink a bottle now? Sister Wang, how many did you bring?"

Jiang Lun smiled, though his gaze kept lingering on her face.

At that moment, his gaze held no desecration or lewdness, but pure appreciation.

They say time makes people age, yet that adage left no trace whatsoever on Wang Qianwen. Had she consumed preservatives, or perhaps bathed in formaldehyde every day?

While his mind wandered, Wang Qianwen had already stood up. "Come, let's drink in my room. The recording studio smells too much like equipment and it's not pleasant!"

"Alright then!"

With no suspicions, Jiang Lun stood up and followed her out the door.

The hallway was quiet; Liu Xiayu and her production crew had long since gone to sleep.

Wang Qianwen had always kept a low profile. Ever since her retirement years ago, she had never signed with another agency, traveling entirely alone this time around.

Entering Wang Qianwen's bedroom, Jiang Lun was immediately greeted by the pervading aroma of aromatherapy.

A humidifier hummed softly, turning the fragrance into a fine mist that seemed to penetrate straight into one's skin.

"Here, sit over here!"

Wang Qianwen directed Jiang Lun to a sofa by the window, went over to play some soft background music, and then opened her suitcase to retrieve a bottle of red wine.

"I brewed this myself, give it a try!"

Wang Qianwen placed the red wine on the table, uncorked it, poured it into a decanter, and added, "I'll go grab two wine glasses, wait here a moment!"

"Okay!"

Obediently, Jiang Lun nodded.

As he watched Wang Qianwen leave, his thoughts began to drift once more.

*Huh?*

*What is wrong with me?*

Jiang Lun shook his head, realizing his imagination was running entirely too wild.

Wang Qianwen was a senior in the industry who had condescended to nurture a newcomer; he ought to feel grateful—and purely grateful—instead of letting his mind wander into such messy territory.

The temperature inside the room was somewhat high, yet Jiang Lun was reluctant to loosen his buttons or remove his clothes, as doing so might seem disrespectful and could easily lead to mistakes.

Thus, he could only sit there stiffly, feeling rather uncomfortable all over.

After waiting for over ten minutes, Wang Qianwen returned.

Carrying two wine glasses in her hand, she entered with a smile. "Kept you waiting long, is it hot?"

"Not at all, not at all!" Jiang Lun waved his hands repeatedly.

"Then why are you sweating all over?"

Setting the glasses down, Wang Qianwen actually reached out and placed her palm against Jiang Lun's forehead, gently wiping away the beads of sweat.

"Ah? Is that so?"

Flustered, Jiang Lun felt a shiver run through him the instant her soft hand brushed across his brow. With no other choice left, he unbuttoned his collar, offering an awkward laugh. "It really is quite warm!"

Wang Qianwen merely smiled silently.

Pouring a glass of red wine for Jiang Lun, she handed it to him while explaining, "I have a vineyard in France, and the grapes I use for brewing are all planted by myself. Try it and see if you like it!"

"Mmm, delicious!"

Taking a small sip, Jiang Lun tasted the lingering sweetness on his lips and the rich aroma filling his nose. It was undoubtedly fine wine.

Yet simply drinking in silence felt awkward, so he cast about for a conversation starter. "Does that mean Sister Wang has spent these past few years in France?"

"Yes, I don't have much to do, so I mostly split my time between France and Hong Kong," Wang Qianwen said.

"And the children? Are they in Hong Kong?" Jiang Lun asked casually.

Wang Qianwen smiled. "All three kids are with their father in Australia!"

"Oh... wait?"

After nodding, Jiang Lun froze for a fraction of a second; somehow, that sentence sounded rather odd no matter how he processed it.

Sure enough, Wang Qianwen offered a light, serene smile as she remarked, "I've been divorced since 2011, though people on the outside didn't know. I've been living alone ever since!"

"..."

Overcome with sudden awkwardness, Jiang Lun hastily stammered, "I'm sorry, Sister Wang, I didn't mean to pry!"

"It's fine!" Wang Qianwen smiled. "Secrets like this always come out eventually anyway; saying it myself is much more straightforward."

Jiang Lun truly felt as though he had poked a hornet's nest. Had he simply nodded and said "oh" without tacking on that unnecessary question at the end, none of this would have happened.

"Have another glass!"

Seeing Jiang Lun gulp down the contents of his glass, Wang Qianwen smiled and poured him another, teasing, "You really don't know how to drink wine at all, do you?"

"I certainly don't!" Jiang Lun chuckled. "I'm just blindly chugging fine wine."

"Come, I'll teach you how to appreciate it!"

Smiling, Wang Qianwen shifted from the opposite sofa right next to Jiang Lun.

The distance between them closed to zero.

The room's temperature remained unchanged.

The scent of aromatherapy continued to drift through the air.

Outside the window, the full moon shone amidst a brilliant array of stars.