Chapter 36: I Never Expected You to Be This Kind of Person (Please Vote for Me)

Kyoto.
Six o’clock in the afternoon.
Chen Xueling, engrossed in her drama series, received a Douyin push notification from her best friend Jiang Qi.
She hesitated.
Should she open it or not?
Chen Xueling was no fool—something was definitely off with this Douyin link, otherwise Jiang Qi wouldn’t have reminded her repeatedly, insisting she must watch it.
After years of friendship, they knew each other inside out.
Last time, Jiang Qi had tricked her; was this payback? Chen Xueling wrestled with herself, suspecting that clicking the link would unearth something unpleasant.
Yet human nature is contradictory; even when she sensed a trap, not opening it left her itching with curiosity, desperate to know what was inside.
After much internal debate, Chen Xueling decided to click it.
What could it be, anyway? Just a short video.
She paused the TV, tapped Jiang Qi’s link, and the page redirected her to Jiang Qi’s newly released Douyin short video.
As soon as it loaded, Chen Xueling hit pause and looked at the caption:
“Love is like a bubble; it bursts at a touch.”
She froze—what did this mean?
She’d seen this line before; it was the promotional tagline for Jiang Qi’s debut album by Shengshi Entertainment.
How did it... end up here?
“Could it be...” A realization dawned on her, and she resumed the video.
The screen shifted from black to a sky filled with bubbles.
Beneath them, Jiang Qi stood within a shimmering circle, gazing into the unknown, her expression pained and lost.
Then, a few lines popped up:
“Lyrics: Jiabei
Composer: Jiabei
Arranger: Jiabei
Vocals: Jiang Qi.”
Chen Xueling’s heart trembled.
“Jiabei? How could it be Jiabei!” She couldn’t believe it, nor comprehend.
Jiabei, unknown to the general public—many didn’t even know such a person existed.
The audience only recognized the singer of “Melancholy”—He Luoluo.
As for the songwriter and composer, who cared? As long as the song was good and they knew who sang it.
But the entertainment world was different, and so were the singers.
Though Chen Xueling was in the acting circle, she understood how invaluable a great lyricist and composer could be to a singer.
It was like having a brilliant director working with a stellar script and a competent actor—success was almost guaranteed, even without extraordinary acting.
At that moment, Chen Xueling envied her friend.
How did Jiang Qi manage to get Jiabei’s contact, and even receive a song from them?
Many entertainment companies were searching for Jiabei’s identity and contact information, sending over a dozen private messages on Douyin—none of which had been answered.
If Li He knew, he’d cry injustice; with so many messages every day, who could possibly read them all? Not everyone was He Luoluo.
The video continued, the scene shifted.

Jiang Qi’s short video was far more refined than He Luoluo’s—shot as a thirty-second music video.
This MV was different from the full-length “Bubble” MV in the album.
Shengshi had invested considerable resources into it.
“Beautiful bubbles
A fleeting spark
All your promises
Too fragile to last
Love is but a bubble
If only we could see through it
What is there to grieve...”
Chen Xueling’s expression grew grim, her brows knitted.
Why was Jiang Qi singing this kind of song... Chen Xueling felt a pang of sympathy, worrying for her friend.
She knew all about Jiang Qi’s first love—even knew the third party involved.
They had been college roommates, though in different departments, sharing a mixed dorm.
The pain Jiang Qi endured from her first love was something Chen Xueling understood well.
That’s why she was so puzzled—why would her friend sing such a song?
“Even the loveliest flower
Withers after it blooms
The brightest star
Falls after a flicker
Love is but a bubble
If only we could see through it...”
Chen Xueling wanted to call her friend immediately; these lyrics were like salt on Jiang Qi’s wounds.
Love is but a bubble, if only we could see through it.
If Jiang Qi could, she wouldn’t be hurt.
But who truly sees through love?
Chen Xueling had never been in love; this emotion was foreign to her.
Yet she’d witnessed Jiang Qi’s heartbreak, and it must have been agonizing.
“What is there to grieve
Why grieve
What is there to grieve
Why grieve...”
Chen Xueling was on the verge of tears.
The lyrics were heartbreakingly sharp, making even someone like her—never touched by love—feel a piercing pain.
Especially paired with Jiang Qi’s voice and her own experience, when she sang “What is there to grieve, Why grieve,” her voice trembled.
It was devastating.
On screen, Jiang Qi leaped with all her strength, shattering every bubble reflecting the rainbow sunlight.
“All are but bubbles
A fleeting spark.”
Her voice was torn and anguished.
Chen Xueling’s eyes were red, her hand clutching a tissue soaked in tears.
Then,
The screen faded to black, the music vanished, the song silenced.
The video had ended.
Still caught in her sadness for her friend, Chen Xueling was unsettled.
What was this—just as her emotions peaked, the video abruptly ended.
She sat in stunned silence for three minutes before snapping out of it.
Damn.
She’d been duped.
In that moment, a saying came to her:
Karma comes for everyone; the heavens spare no one.
She’d been moved for nothing.
Without checking the comments, Chen Xueling switched to WeChat and messaged her friend: “What’s going on with you and He Luoluo? Be honest—did you two make some shady deal?”
Too ruthless.
It had to be that scoundrel He Luoluo’s idea; Chen Xueling was sure Jiang Qi wasn’t clever enough to pull off something this wicked.
“He Luoluo is too much! Wrecking April wasn’t enough—now he’s at it again in May.” Chen Xueling was outraged, cursing He Luoluo’s shamelessness.
As for Jiabei, anyone who could write “Melancholy” and “Bubble” must have been scarred deeply by life.
Someone like that couldn’t possibly have such vile intentions.
Impossible... Chen Xueling was certain.
Jiang Qi received not only Chen Xueling’s message, but countless texts from friends in the industry.
Without exception, all demanded Jiang Qi release the full version.
They couldn’t wait for June.
[Teacher He]: “Qi Qi, I never thought you were this kind of person.”
Teacher He was in tears.
He’d always believed Jiang Qi was a good young woman—obedient, pleasant, and likable.
But now—
Hmph!
Blocked.
Teacher He was emotionally sensitive, with a low threshold for tears.
As he listened, tears streamed down his face; just as he was in the throes of sadness, the music ended.
How could anyone do this?
——
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