Chapter 61: You Two are Both My Pride and Joy
Mu Xiangxiang tossed and turned in bed all night. The singing outside never stopped, and she didn't even know when she finally fell asleep. By the time she woke up, both her parents had already left the house.
The battlefield-like mess had been cleaned up. The television was off, there was no disc in the DVD player, and breakfast had been left in the kitchen as usual.
There was nothing suspicious in the trash can. The materials she, Qiao Nan, and Zhou Huacai had sorted out the previous day had disappeared without a trace. Taking out her phone, she found no missed calls and no unread messages.
Sweet, rich broth burst across her tongue as she ate the soup dumplings her father had left behind and sat absentmindedly on the living room sofa. She had originally intended to resolve the issue in a gentler way, but her parents' reaction had exceeded all her expectations.
There had been no anger, no arguments, not even any questioning.
Just this deadlocked silence… Mu Xiangxiang sighed.
No one understood better than she did how seriously her parents regarded education. Not long ago, she herself had firmly believed in the ideas they had instilled in her since childhood.
Those beliefs had first taken root when she was young. To cover her father's enormous medical expenses, her mother had been forced to quit her low-paying factory job and juggle four different part-time jobs. Every day she left before dawn and returned close to midnight. The time she spent at home was so limited that she rarely managed to see her children.
Back then, Mu Xiangxiang suppressed her feelings for a long time. One day, unable to bear her longing any longer and unwilling to burden her father, she wrote a letter to her mother before bed.
Even now, she could still remember the scene when she awoke that night in her mother's long-missed embrace.
Her mother had grown painfully thin and haggard. Her rough palm stroked Xiangxiang's cheek as tears filled her eyes and her voice trembled. "Xiangxiang, you must remember this. Study hard. Get a good degree in the future. Find an easy job and earn lots of money. Only then won't you end up as helpless as your father and me."
Only later did Mu Xiangxiang learn that her mother had once had a chance at a management position in the factory. The management role paid twice as much and offered far more free time. It seemed tailor-made for someone trying to care for a chaotic family.
Yet after competing for it for a long time, she still failed to get the promotion. The person who won had far less experience than she did. There was no favoritism involved—the winner's advantage was simply the title of "college graduate," something exceedingly rare in those days.
As a result, for the same company, that person could sit comfortably in an office drinking tea and reading newspapers, while Mother Mu had to leave early, return late, and work herself to exhaustion.
That became the family's lifelong obsession.
How powerful are ingrained beliefs? Back then, Mu Xiangxiang had even gotten furious at Qiao Nan's friends from No. 12 High School for wanting to drop out for no apparent reason. At the time, before her worldview had changed, her thinking had been exactly this: "If these people don't study properly, they'll never have a future."
Her change in perspective had only come after switching bodies with Qiao Nan and being exposed to new ideas from all directions.
But her parents? They could barely use smartphones.
*****
Burdened by these thoughts, she received news of Yingcheng High's rankings for the second-year unified exams.
When the homeroom teacher proudly announced the final score of the class's top-ranked student, Class One erupted in expected yet uncontrollable gasps of amazement. Mu Xiangxiang, who had once again beaten the second-place student by several dozen points, remained calm. While the melody of Killing Intent—still occasionally played and admired by the girls in her class—echoed around her, she silently packed up her desk as classmates crowded around, passing her exam papers from hand to hand.
Convinced. Completely convinced.
After reviewing her papers, even the elite students of the advanced class felt compelled to bow before the academic goddess. The beautiful girl before them could dominate both the battlefield and the examination hall. Ever since school started, she had spent nearly every day hanging around the basketball gym and still managed to score so highly. Maybe the people online were right. Sometimes the gap between two people was bigger than the gap between a person and a dog.
The classroom buzzed with excited chatter. The conversation shifted from how Class One's average score had crushed Class Two's by a huge margin to how "Weasel Huang" from the neighboring class had lost his homeroom teacher position to their English teacher.
Whether she wanted to hear it or not, Mu Xiangxiang ended up listening. "He totally deserved it! Seriously, you should've come and watched. When Weasel Huang moved his stuff from the homeroom teacher's office to the shared office, his face was green!"
"I heard the school even made him write a self-criticism report!"
"No way! That's way too humiliating."
"That's what all the students in his class are saying."
Mu Xiangxiang smiled, far less excited than everyone else. At that moment, the phone in her pocket vibrated. She took it out and, as expected, it was a message from her younger brother.
Mu Song had moved directly into the training dormitory. More and more of his bandmates had moved in as well. Zhou Huacai had promised that their music festival rewards would soon be fulfilled. A few days earlier, she'd received a text saying that the recording date for the preliminary round of the Liberty talent competition had been finalized. It would be tomorrow evening.
Judging by the time, he was probably already backstage rehearsing.
The photo he sent was indeed from rehearsal—a sea of staff members and a chaotic array of equipment. She had only looked at it for two seconds before Mu Song called. After she answered, his clear youthful voice came through over the noisy background. "Sis, a bunch of minor celebrities suddenly showed up at the studio this afternoon. Did you see the pictures?"
Since moving into the dormitory, Mu Song had started calling her frequently to complain about things he encountered. Mu Xiangxiang's gaze softened, and a faint smile curved her lips. "You're rehearsing?"
Mu Song clicked his tongue. "Yeah. We've been rehearsing all afternoon. Finally got a chance to rest. Some of the contestants up front are complete idiots. They've been taught a hundred times and still can't find the right camera position."
With her parents' attitude weighing heavily on her mind, Mu Xiangxiang worried he might lose his temper and offend someone. "Be polite. Don't go around blowing up at people like you usually do."
"What, you think your little brother's some kind of savage?" Mu Song immediately relaxed his tone after hearing her concern. "Don't worry so much. I'm just venting to you. And since you can't come, I'm using celebrity photos to make you jealous."
The conversation remained lighthearted. They chatted about which celebrity was completely different from their public image and loved throwing their weight around, and which contestant had arrived with a program executive and was obviously a preselected finalist. Mu Song even jokingly apologized, saying that Liberty was too insignificant to get him any tickets for the preliminary recording, so he couldn't invite her to witness his handsome debut on television. "It seriously sucks."
From beginning to end, he never mentioned a single word about the still-unresolved issue of Daya Entertainment's rookie training program.
Mu Xiangxiang knew he was trying to reassure her.
But she also knew that the training spots would be finalized after the talent show's second round. He didn't have much time left.
After the call ended, the smile on her face gradually faded. She couldn't decipher her parents' attitude that day. So she decided to abandon her indirect approach and find an opportunity for the family to sit down and talk calmly. Yet from that day onward, she never ran into them at home again.
They were still living there—she could tell from the breakfast left on the stove every morning. But they left extraordinarily early and returned extraordinarily late, as though they had gone back to the days when her mother worked multiple part-time jobs.
Mu Xiangxiang had no idea what they were busy with. Perhaps it was that major exhibition deal they had briefly mentioned at the dinner table before. Yet even outside working hours, she still never saw them.
She considered calling or texting them, but ultimately didn't. Some things become distorted over the phone. Without speaking face to face, they simply couldn't be explained properly.
*****
With those worries weighing on her mind, Mu Xiangxiang woke up the next morning and froze on the spot when she saw her parents sitting at home after being absent for several days.
In just a few days, both of them had become noticeably more haggard. They looked thinner, too.
The three of them stood silently facing one another in the faint morning light. The lingering smoke of the recent conflict still seemed to hang in the air around their new home. After a long pause, before she could figure out what to say, Father Mu sighed and broke the silence first. "Let's go."
Mu Xiangxiang blinked. "Go where?"
Only then did Mu Xiangxiang notice that her parents seemed more formally dressed than usual. Could it be...
The next second, Father Mu shot her a glance. "We're going to your school, of course. Where else would we be going?"
Mu Xiangxiang: "..."
Right. She swept aside her bold speculation and, with a trace of disappointment, remembered that today was indeed the parent-teacher conference held after the release of the second-year unified exam results.
What surprised her, however, was that her father had previously said her mother needed to travel to City X to inspect a livestock farm, so he would have to attend in her place. He had even implied that his own schedule was tight enough that arrangements needed to be made in advance. Yet now her mother had not left for City X, and he had still come along.
Inside the taxi, the atmosphere among the family members who hadn't seen each other for days was strangely awkward. Her parents would drift into thought from time to time. They occasionally exchanged a few words, but there was never an opening to bring up her brother.
It was Parent Day. Luxury cars lined the entrance of Yingcheng High School. Watching her father stumble slightly as he got out of the taxi due to his bad leg, Mu Xiangxiang suddenly realized that this seemed to be the first time he had ever come to her high school.
Even on registration day in her first year, it had been her mother who accompanied her.
She immediately stepped forward to support him. Father Mu gripped his daughter's slender arm. His eyes, bloodshot from recent sleep deprivation, moved away from her worried face and settled on the imposing school gates nearby. Deep within his gaze, complicated emotions stirred.
After that incident in middle school, he had not appeared in a place like this for a very, very long time.
The feelings that had unexpectedly resurfaced when his daughter openly acknowledged him in front of her classmates not long ago welled up again. Father Mu sighed. At last, a faint smile appeared on his weary face. "I'm fine," he said, patting the back of her hand. "Don't worry."
"Uncle?"
A clear voice called from nearby. He turned and saw a familiar-looking face. After thinking for a moment, realization dawned on him. "Oh! It's you—the one who helped Xiangxiang help us that day. Luo... Luo..."
His attention shifted to the black luxury sedan behind the young man and the tall, imposing middle-aged man stepping out of the driver's seat.
"Luo Yong," the student in Yingcheng's uniform replied with a smile before turning around. "Dad, this is Uncle Mu—the one I told you about."
Father Luo clearly didn't remember much. He glanced at Father Mu in confusion. Meeting the other man's dignified bearing, Father Mu instinctively felt somewhat intimidated.
Then Luo Yong added: "Mu Xiangxiang's father."
The moment the words "Mu Xiangxiang" left his mouth, the stern, composed, high-status-looking middle-aged man's expression changed instantly. At the same time, a woman's voice rose sharply from the passenger side. "Who?!"
The next moment, an elegantly dressed middle-aged lady hurried over in high heels. As soon as she saw Father Mu and Mother Mu, a broad smile blossomed across her face. "Oh my! Ever since Luo Yong started his first year, I've wanted to meet you two, but never had the chance. Before we came today, I was telling his father that if we ran into you this time, we'd absolutely have to ask for your secrets to raising children!"
While Mrs. Luo affectionately linked arms with Mother Mu, Father Luo proactively extended his hand toward Father Mu. "The father of the city's third-highest scorer in the high school entrance exams. I've heard so much about you."
Father Mu stared blankly at the unmistakable envy in the eyes of the impressive man before him.
He'd heard... so much about him?
After a pause, he finally relaxed. A calm, dignified smile appeared on his face.
He extended his own thin, rough hand and lightly shook the other's well-maintained palm. His tone brimmed with confidence.
"Not at all, not at all."
*****
Father Mu received all the attention he had expected before coming. But the reason wasn't his disabled leg as he had assumed. It was his daughter's almost absurdly good grades.
Although Yingcheng High was famous as a school where more than one-third of each graduating class went abroad instead of taking the national college entrance exam, what parents in China—rich or poor—could truly remain indifferent to their children's academics?
Mu Xiangxiang's status as the third-highest scorer in the entrance exams, combined with her unified exam scores that left second place far behind, had made her famous among parents throughout the grade.
The situation became unimaginably chaotic. Not only the parents from Class One—even parents from many other classes had come specifically to see the parents who had raised that child everyone wished they had.
At a moment like this, who cared whether the couple walked normally? What everyone wanted to know was how they had managed to raise such an outstanding daughter.
The couple found themselves surrounded on all sides. Questions from parents their own age bombarded them nonstop.
"Do you hire tutors? Does she attend cram school? Which tutor? Which school? Come on, tell us!"
"What? No tutor? No cram school either?"
"My goodness, brother, I really admire your kid. Just look at this handwriting! It's beautiful! How do you get her to practice like that?"
"What do you mean you don't have to get her to practice? She studies on her own?"
…………
By the end of the parent-teacher conference, the gloomy couple who had arrived carrying heavy hearts were unable to hide their smiles as they walked out through the school gates. At the entrance, Mother Mu was arranging a future coffee date with a group of wealthy ladies. Meanwhile, Father Mu enthusiastically held up his phone, using a chat app he had only successfully registered for a few minutes earlier under someone else's guidance, eagerly adding people through QR-code scans.
The entire way, he made no effort to conceal his awkward gait. Yet the more openly he displayed it, the less anyone seemed to notice.
After bidding farewell to their new acquaintances as they got into their respective cars—and politely declining offers of rides home—the lively atmosphere gradually faded. Once the crowd dispersed, Father Mu and Mother Mu stood together again and looked down at the exam papers that had attracted so much envy.
Father Mu's fingers slowly traced over the rows of perfect and near-perfect scores. After staring for a long while, he smiled. "Put them away."
Mother Mu carefully folded the papers with great care. Then she took out a book from her bag and neatly tucked the exam papers inside, making sure the edges wouldn't crease before finally feeling satisfied.
The school gate area had become quiet and deserted. Silence fell over the scene. After a moment, the couple simultaneously turned to look at their daughter standing behind them. Seeing the same hesitant expression she had worn earlier that morning, they exchanged a helpless glance.
Their eyes were filled with countless unspoken emotions. Mu Xiangxiang had been unable to find a suitable opportunity all day to talk about her brother. Now, taking advantage of the rare quiet, she wanted to suggest sitting down for a conversation.
She opened her mouth and was about to choose her words when her father, his expression complicated, interrupted with a long sigh. Just as he had that morning, he said: "Let's go."
Go? Go where? Home?
When the family climbed into another taxi, a highly rated talent show from the previous year was playing on the small screen mounted behind the front seats. As all the judges lit up their approval lights for the female singer on stage, the broadcast cut to her family in the audience. They threw their arms around one another, screaming with excitement and joy.
Mu Xiangxiang watched their jubilant faces for a moment before lowering her gaze to her phone. The illuminated lock screen showed that it was already 1:20 p.m.
1:20… Mu Song had probably finished his final rehearsal by now and was waiting for his turn to perform.
Going home would be fine. It was quiet there. A calm family meeting would be easier to hold, and even if an argument broke out, it would be easier to deal with afterward.
The driver glanced back toward Father Mu in the front passenger seat. "Where to?"
Without much interest, Mu Xiangxiang opened WeChat and scrolled through her recent conversation with her brother. She tapped the keyboard and slowly typed two words: Good luck.
The female singer's soaring whistle notes echoed through the car. For some reason, a strange silence settled over the taxi.
Mu Xiangxiang could feel that her father in the front seat seemed to glance back at her. After successfully sending the message, she looked up. But Father Mu had already turned his gaze away.
What's going on? Had her father forgotten their home address?
Then, amid the thunderous applause that suddenly erupted from the audience on the little television screen, she heard an utterly helpless sigh from the front seat.
"To... City A Broadcasting and Television Center."
At the same moment, Mother Mu let out a choked sob. Turning toward the window, she raised a hand and wiped at her face.
Three seconds of silence followed. Then the taxi quietly pulled away. As the car began to sway down the road, Mu Xiangxiang's eyes widened little by little.
******
Backstage at the recording of Lingering Melodies, the five members of Liberty sat in the public waiting room. Around them, staff bustled back and forth while other contestants prepared for their performances.
Voices filled the air as people chatted on the phone. His teammates were all racing against the deadline to hand in their phones, squeezing in last-minute farewells to their families. Mu Song's finger brushed across the screen. He opened the message his sister had sent. Good luck. He stared at those two words for a long time before finally pressing the power button under a staff member's urging and shutting the phone off.
Groups of people left the waiting room one after another. At last, after the doors had opened and closed countless times, he finally heard Liberty's name called.
His hand settled on the guitar beside him. Using it for support, Mu Song stood up. As he stepped forward, the keyboardist's concerned voice sounded behind him. "You okay?"
Mu Song raised an eyebrow. "Do I look not okay?"
"Not exactly." The keyboardist hesitated. "You just seemed kind of out of it during rehearsals this morning. Is it because of your family—"
"No." He interrupted calmly. "I've just been rehearsing nonstop since yesterday. I'm tired, that's all."
On the way to backstage, crowds rushed past them in the corridor. It was a group from one of the teams scheduled to perform before them. Among the running crowd, a middle-aged woman never let go of a young man's hand, continuously reassuring him. "Don't be nervous... don't be nervous... don't be nervous..."
Even after they had run far away, her voice still drifted back. Mu Song watched them disappear into the distance. When he came back to himself, he heard laughter from his teammates. "That's hilarious. It's just a competition, and he brought his mom."
"Still hasn't been weaned yet, huh? Needs his mommy to comfort him."
"Definitely some little kid who hasn't grown up."
Mu Song curled his lips slightly. "...Yeah. It's just a competition."
The road to the stage felt incredibly long. White walls. Gray floors. The roaring crowds seemed separated from him by an invisible barrier, as if they had nothing to do with him. Even the temperature felt like it was dropping with every step. While waiting backstage, Mu Song rubbed his cold fingers together. Suddenly, he desperately wanted to get his phone back and read his sister's message one more time.
Then, vaguely, he heard something. The teammates around him had all stopped walking. Mu Song turned his head. Only then did he realize that Zhou Huacai had arrived—with all their family members and friends.
The teammates who had been mocking the other contestant's mother just minutes ago now wore expressions of pure excitement. They looked as though they wanted nothing more than to throw themselves into their families' arms.
"..." After two seconds of silence, Mu Song stopped them. "Hey. What were you guys saying earlier?"
The teammates froze.
Mu Song continued: "Every one of you. Been weaned yet?"
Teammates: "..."
Mu Song: "Little kids who never grew up. Need your moms to comfort you."
Teammates: "..."
Mu Song: "I swear I can hear the sound of reality slapping people in the face."
The teammates exploded in embarrassment and rage. "Get lost! Shut up!"
Then they rushed toward their smiling relatives without a shred of dignity.
Holding his guitar, Mu Song looked disdainfully at the people hugging each other in public. He snorted coldly and turned away.
And then— Amid the noise of a world that supposedly had nothing to do with him— A voice rang out, startlingly clear.
"Mu Song!"
The owner of that name froze. After a long pause, he slowly turned around. Three figures gradually came into view. Color seemed to explode outward from them, flooding the entire world.
Warmth returned. Slowly climbing into his fingertips. His throat. His stiff expression.
Under the silent gazes of his father and mother, his sister came running toward him. The young man instantly tore the guitar from his shoulder, casually tossed it aside, and spread his arms wide.
Ready to welcome the sound of reality slapping him in the face.
*******
In the waiting room, teammates' families and friends gathered together. A giant screen displayed a live feed from the stage. The lights dimmed. Everyone held their breath.
Remembering how familiar her parents had seemed with the broadcasting building earlier, Mu Xiangxiang's excitement gradually gave way to confusion. "Dad, Mom... how are you so familiar with this place?"
Father Mu stared at the screen. Mother Mu glanced at her. Neither answered. Instead, Zhou Huacai, who was accompanying them, raised an eyebrow. "Huh? You don't know either?"
Mu Xiangxiang: "Know what?"
Zhou Huacai: "Your parents have been meeting me every day lately." He sighed dramatically. "From the company facilities to the dormitories, they've inspected every single place they could. Yesterday, during your brother's rehearsal, they spent the entire day hanging around this broadcasting center. Of course they're familiar with it."
Mu Xiangxiang froze. Thinking back to her parents' recent habit of leaving early and returning late, she asked, "When did they start coming?"
"Morning and night." Zhou Huacai groaned. "They show up before sunrise and don't leave until after dark. Seriously, I have no idea where they get that kind of energy."
After finishing, Zhou Huacai stepped out to handle some work calls. The family remained behind, continuing to wait. Mu Xiangxiang glanced at her parents, both staring intently at the screen. After a moment, she lowered her voice. "Dad... Mom... does this mean you're supporting Mu Song's singing career now?"
Father Mu frowned immediately. "Supporting my ass! I'm here because I was afraid he'd get scammed, kidnapped by some pyramid scheme, and die in this place!"
"..." Mu Xiangxiang fell silent. "Um, Dad, actually the entertainment industry isn't quite as—"
"Don't give me that." Father Mu shot her a look. "You little brat. Did you think I wouldn't investigate? Your mom and I specifically looked into all this. The celebrities and singers in those materials you gave us? Those are the successful ones. They make millions, tens of millions. How many people in the entertainment industry actually earn that kind of money? Most of them struggle. Do you know how many singers in Beijing and Shanghai are so poor they can only live in shared dormitories?"
"Do you know how miserable some young stars become after getting blacklisted for refusing to do something unethical?"
"Do you know how many extras in film studios work all day for a hundred yuan?"
"Do you know how many students who major in acting and singing can't survive in this industry after graduation?"
Mu Xiangxiang: "..."
Of course she knew. She and Qiao Nan had researched all of it. But when trying to persuade her father, she certainly couldn't emphasize those points. What she hadn't expected was that her father—who had known absolutely nothing about the entertainment industry before—had become an expert so quickly.
Seeing her fall silent, Father Mu sighed and shook his head. "Silly girl. No matter how useless your dad is, I've still eaten a few more years' worth of rice than you have. Did you really think a few sheets of paper could fool me? You and your brother are still young. Even Zhou Huacai won't guarantee he'll become famous. You're both so focused on watching the wolf eat meat. Why don't you think about whether you'll end up getting beaten like the wolf too?"
His voice was gentle. Helpless. A flood of stories she had encountered during her research flashed through Mu Xiangxiang's mind. After several seconds, she realized he was right. This fiercely competitive industry wasn't all glamour.
In fact, beneath the glamorous surface lay realities even crueler than ordinary life.
But...Mu Song genuinely loved it.
As the thought lingered, her confusion deepened. By all logic, after learning these things, her father should have opposed Mu Song's "impractical" dream even more.
She raised her head. "Dad... if that's the case..." Meeting his eyes, she hesitated. "Then why are you still..."
Why are you here? Why are you encouraging him?
Father Mu looked back at the giant screen. The stage had lit up. The broadcast showed contestants stepping into the spotlight. His eyes settled on his son. The cameraman and director—obvious fans of good-looking people—were focusing heavily on Mu Song's handsome face. Onscreen, his son was completely immersed in the performance. The camera crane swept forward. From above, the teenager looked impossibly confident. Even the simple motion of swinging the microphone in his hand drew screams from the audience.
Amid those cheers, Father Mu gripped the book containing his daughter's exam papers. His thin fingers trembled slightly. After a long while, he finally let out a sigh.
"Why? You ask why? You kids… One by one, you've all grown up. Your wings are strong now. You have your own ideas. I'd like to control you. But how can I?"
"So do whatever you want. Whatever happens, happens."
Yet as he watched his son—so different from his usual cold, sharp-tongued self—radiating confidence and joy on stage, the words he didn't say were:
Forget it. What's the point of fighting it?
What he likes. What he's willing to do. What he's chosen.
As long as he's happy.
At worst, I'll work harder. Earn a little more money. Surely I can still afford to feed two children.
No matter what happens. Whether they end up poor and struggling— Or wildly successful.
You two.
You will always be my pride and joy.
-----------------
Author's Note:
I thought about this chapter for a long time, and in the end I decided to write it this way. No path in life is perfect—not even the entertainment industry. Mu Song's parents still place tremendous importance on education. Their beliefs won't change overnight. They'll only gradually evolve as Mu Song continues down his chosen path and eventually finds success.
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