Regarding Gong Juren's surprising situation.
Su Yu couldn't say much; it was up to him to handle his feelings.
He only asked Gong Juren not to deliberately anger Zhou Sisi, as she hadn't done anything wrong and didn't deserve to be treated that way.
Furthermore, although Gong Juren hadn't let go in his heart, it wasn't the person he hadn't let go of, but rather the matter itself – the desire to show his first love that he could also become a top star, a big celebrity.
This wasn't a case of having someone else in his heart.
"Susu, over here!"
Because the chat had taken a while, by the time Su Yu and the others arrived backstage, Lin Yanyu and Chen Rong had already changed into casual clothes and were waiting.
"Heh heh, sister-in-law, Aunt Chen, your performance just now was incredible. You even made me cry," Gong Juren greeted them.
"Little Gong, you're here too. Where's Sisi?" Lin Yanyu hadn't seen Zhou Sisi.
"Cough cough… she probably went to find Grandpa," Gong Juren shrunk his neck.
"Let's go, it's mealtime. We're heading to eat," Su Yu glanced at the time.
Lin Yanyu smiled and stepped forward, linking her arm with his.
Just as everyone was preparing to leave.
The former president of the Opera Association, leading a group of people, approached grandly.
"Haha, Little Yu, we meet again," the old president said with a smile.
Beside him, Zhou Sisi made a face at Gong Juren.
Gong Juren was about to retort, but realizing it wasn't the right occasion, he wisely kept quiet.
"President Zhou, why have you come?" Su Yu asked the old president with a smile.
"Of course, it's to thank you. The Opera Association owes its current standing to you. You're a busy person, rarely seen on normal days. Today, the opportunity has arisen, a banquet has been arranged. Could you give an old man some face and let's chat over dinner?" the old president asked cheerfully.
Upon hearing this, Su Yu glanced at Chen Rong and Lin Yanyu; both nodded.
"It's my honor," Su Yu nodded.
In fact, the old president had helped him a lot. For example, some of his ventures in traditional cultural associations were introduced by him. Moreover, Su Yu had great respect for these veteran artists. Anyway, they had to eat, and it didn't matter where they ate.
...
Next to the convention center was a high-end restaurant.
Chinese cuisine was the preferred choice for business among the older generation.
The old president and Su Yu sat at one table, while other members of the Opera Association occupied a separate private room.
"Who is this?" Su Yu asked the old president, noticing the middle-aged man beside him.
"Hello, Teacher Tingyu. My name is Li Ruwen, and I am the president of the Luzhou Tourism Association," Li Ruwen said, extending his hand with a smile.
"President Li, hello."
The Tourism Association was also a type of official organization.
However, unlike cultural and artistic associations like the Opera Association, it focused on regional culture.
Su Yu observed President Li's refined demeanor, noting that he seemed to be a man of culture.
As they conversed.
The waiter began serving the dishes.
Zhou Sisi sat next to the old president, her beautiful eyes occasionally glancing at Su Yu, then at Gong Juren.
Although Gong Juren was usually very lively, he understood that in such occasions, it was best to remain silent.
So, he kept his head down, focusing on eating.
The old president, naturally, did not notice anything amiss between his granddaughter and Gong Juren. His attention was solely on Su Yu.
Young and promising.
Talented.
All sorts of accolades were showered upon Su Yu, making him feel overwhelmed.
The old president was very direct; he never beat around the bush when praising someone.
"Teacher Tingyu, actually, there's something I'd like to trouble you with today."
After the conversation flowed, Li Ruwen finally couldn't help but speak.
"Please go ahead, President Li," Su Yu replied, slightly surprised before smiling.
He had noticed Li Ruwen's hesitant demeanor from the very beginning.
"We, the Luzhou Tourism Association, would like to ask Teacher Tingyu to write a song with Luzhou as the theme to be used as a promotional song." He remembered the old president's advice to be direct when communicating with Tingyu, without beating around the bush.
"A promotional song?" Su Yu expressed his surprise.
"In recent years, Luzhou's tourism industry has been declining year after year, and the number of tourists has been steadily decreasing. Your previous song, 'Mohe Ballroom,' directly propelled the tourism industry of that small town of Mohe into the top fifteen nationwide. Therefore, we have always wanted to find Teacher Tingyu to write a song, but we never found the opportunity..."
Tingyu's songs' influence was evident to everyone.
The Opera Association was a prime example.
So, when Li Ruwen heard that Tingyu was attending the event, he rushed over.
"Regarding the customization fee, we have prepared a budget of eighty million yuan. Although this eighty million is not high considering Teacher Tingyu's current status, it is the maximum limit the association could apply for. Teacher Tingyu, what do you think?"
After speaking, Li Ruwen looked at Su Yu with eager anticipation.
Upon hearing eighty million, Su Yu's eyebrows slightly rose.
This price was quite attractive.
However, he thought, it would be better if his own people sang the song.
"No problem," Su Yu nodded.
Li Ruwen was instantly delighted.
"However, I want to designate the singer," Su Yu continued.
"Who does Teacher Tingyu intend to have sing it?" Li Ruwen was momentarily taken aback.
The promotional song had been a proposal within the association for some time, and they had long prepared to find a producer to write the song. Finding Tingyu to write it was Li Ruwen's impromptu decision.
Prior to this, the association had already internally decided on a singer, who was the son of the vice president, Zhao Yihua. Although he was a third-tier singer, his connections and being the vice president's son meant the association was naturally willing to vote for him. If the singer were to be changed now, it might displease the vice president.
Therefore, Su Yu wanting to designate a singer left him unsure of what to do.
"Little Gong, he is very suitable for this song," Su Yu said, looking at Gong Juren, who was still focused on his meal.
Upon hearing Su Yu suddenly wanting him to sing the song, the dish in his mouth nearly flew out. However, he was quite resilient and managed to swallow it down.
Seeing his disheveled state.
Zhou Sisi, across from them, covered her mouth and stifled a laugh.
"Cough cough… Hello, President Li. My name is Gong Juren, and I am also a singer," Gong Juren extended his hand to Li Ruwen, introducing himself.
His current popularity could be considered ultra-first-tier, and he was only one opportunity to prove his vocal ability away from becoming a "Song King."
However, his current displayed vocal ability was still a gap away from that of a Song King, even so, it was still significantly better than that of a first-tier singer.
Not to mention Zhao Yihua, a third-tier singer.
Therefore, Gong Juren was an even better choice for the Luzhou Tourism Association.
"No problem!"
After a moment of deliberation, Li Ruwen directly answered.
He knew that if he missed this opportunity, he would likely regret it for the rest of his life.
He would explain it to the vice president later, and he believed that those in the association would also support him.
Because the person writing the song was Tingyu!
Let alone designating a singer,
Even if he wanted to designate Li Ruwen himself to sing it, Li Ruwen felt he would have agreed.