Chapter 117: The Strange Cat Ailment

Shen Yumeng sensed an opportunity and said delightedly, "You think he has the air of a master too, right? When I heard him singing these songs at the cafe, I was completely melted! The songs he writes and the way he sings them are just incredible!"

"Stop keeping me in suspense. Who exactly is this person?"

"The guy is a music producer named Huang Guolun."

"Huang Guolun? The one who wrote 'I Do' and 'Don't Tell Him'?"

Hu Xuefang dealt with music every day at the radio station. When she heard the name Huang Guolun, her first reaction was to think of that mustachioed music producer. However, taking a closer look at the man in the video, he looked nothing like that Huang Guolun; this gentleman appeared much more serious.

Shen Yumeng laughed, "Not *that* Huang Guolun. This Huang Guolun is much more impressive than the other one. He’s a high school music teacher who also does some film scoring on the side."

Hu Xuefang’s enthusiasm plummeted instantly. "He’s a high school music teacher?"

"Yes, he writes his own songs, sings, and does film scores. A web movie was just released—I’m not sure if you’ve seen it—called *My Fair Corpse*. The theme music was written by him. You could say he’s half-involved in the industry, just not very famous."

Hu Xuefang asked with a wry smile, "Is this another one of your friends?"

Shen Yumeng quickly clarified, "Ms. Hu, please don't misunderstand. I only met him yesterday. He’s a friend of a friend. He’s performing a special music set tonight at my friend's sister's cafe. If you’re free this evening, I’d like to treat you to a coffee. You should hear him sing in person. The recording on my phone doesn't do him justice—it barely captures twenty percent of his talent. Hearing him live is absolutely a hundred times better! Ms. Hu, I’m truly recommending him for the sake of our program, nothing else."

Hu Xuefang laughed, "Why are you in such a rush? If it’s truly for the good of the show, there’s no harm in recommending someone you know. But honestly, I don't think this Mr. Huang is quite right for our program; he doesn't really fit our current criteria for selecting guests."

"I know, he isn't famous right now, but he has the potential to become an extremely renowned musician. Ms. Hu, I’m not exaggerating—I’ve never met a musician more talented than him. Given time, he will definitely shine in the Chinese music scene. If we can discover him before he gets famous, our show will go down in music history."

Hu Xuefang teased, "You’re getting more and more carried away."

"I’m genuinely making this suggestion for the sake of our program. Ms. Hu, if you’re free tonight, really, come to the cafe and hear him sing. Interact with him, chat a bit, and see if he’s suitable. If you meet him and still think he’s not a fit, then we can scrap the plan."

Hu Xuefang sipped her coffee and thought about it. She really didn't have any plans for the evening. She didn't have to host her show on Saturday nights, and her husband was away on a business trip. She was idle anyway, so she figured she might as well go to the cafe and listen to this Mr. Huang, whom Shen Yumeng was praising to the heavens.

Truth be told, the man’s singing was genuinely good, but getting him on their show seemed unrealistic to Hu Xuefang. Even if she wanted to, their editor-in-chief would likely reject the proposal. Still, listening to some music and getting to know a talented musician was a pleasant way to spend the time.

Having made her decision, Hu Xuefang stopped stalling and agreed with Shen Yumeng to head to the cafe together that evening.

Shen Yumeng felt as if she had accomplished a major task. She was overjoyed. After dropping Hu Xuefang back at the studio, she immediately called Zhao Jing.

Zhao Jing had stayed out drinking until 3:00 AM the night before and was still buried under her quilt, nursing a headache. Shen Yumeng didn't give up and called three times before finally coaxing Zhao Jing’s pale, delicate hand out from under the covers.

Half-awake and dazed, with only one hand emerged, she fumbled around the bedside table for a long time before finding her phone. With her eyes closed, she pulled the phone into the warmth of her quilt and answered weakly, "Hello? Who is this?"

Shen Yumeng chirped, "You're still sleeping! It's past ten!"

"What! Past ten at night?!" Zhao Jing’s body jolted, she threw off the quilt, and nearly leaped out of bed in a panic.

Shen Yumeng giggled, "You must be dreaming—it's ten in the morning."

"Damn it!" Zhao Jing grumbled, pulling the quilt back over her head, her voice turning listless again. "Why are you calling so early? You’re ruining my beauty sleep! You know I’ve been sleeping until the afternoon on weekends since I was in school."

"Quit whining. I have good news! Our show's female host—Ms. Fang, the senior who graduated from our school—saw the video of Mr. Huang singing. She really likes his music and is planning to come to the cafe tonight to hear him perform live. She even wants to chat with him. If it goes well, Mr. Huang might be recommended for our program."

Zhao Jing perked up and complimented Shen Yumeng, "Whoa, not bad! You actually pulled it off!"

Shen Yumeng said proudly, "Obviously! Who do you think I am? When I say I’ll get something done, I get it done! But this is just the beginning. Talk to your sister and make sure she saves us two good seats so our host can properly enjoy Mr. Huang’s performance."

"Sure, I'll get you the best seats!"

"Also, give Mr. Huang a heads-up so he can prepare."

"Prepare for what?"

"Prepare to chat with our host. Mr. Huang doesn't seem to have the best conversational skills, and our show requires guests to talk with the host. If he doesn't perform well, he might not impress her."

"Let nature take its course. Even if I told him, he probably wouldn't prepare anything. This isn't a big deal to him. If he can get on the show, great—it’s good for him and for your program. If not, I doubt he’ll care."

Shen Yumeng urged, "Don't be like that! I worked so hard to get him this opportunity; he shouldn't waste it!"

"He’s not wasting it, that’s just who he is. He’s not good at small talk. If you force him, will he really do well? Let’s just let things happen. Don’t be so anxious. I’ll call him later, but regardless of the outcome, you deserve credit for this. You really came through this time!"

"When have I ever *not* come through? Anyway, I have to get back to work. Get up, don't sleep anymore, and don't forget to call your sister and Mr. Huang."

"Got it. Bye."

Zhao Jing hung up abruptly, intending to drift back to sleep, when she suddenly felt that the sheets under her were cold and damp. Her heart sank. *No way,* she thought. *Did I wet the bed again?*

Her hand trembled as she felt under the covers. Sure enough, a large patch was wet! She really had wet the bed again! Zhao Jing was furious with herself. No wonder she had dreamed about playing with fire again. Why was her bladder so unreliable? Every time she drank too much, she ended up wetting the bed—it was truly devastating!

Zhao Jing usually avoided drinking, except when she was having a great time. But she never let herself get too drunk precisely because of this embarrassing habit.

Zhao Yan had already left for the shop, so there was no one else at home. Zhao Jing rushed out of bed and tossed the wet sheets and quilt into the washing machine to destroy the evidence. Luckily, she usually slept naked, so her undergarments were spared.

After all that, there was no point in going back to sleep. She sat on the toilet, brushing her teeth with an electric toothbrush, when suddenly, Aoli appeared at the bathroom door with a bright red pair of panties perched on its head. It let out a few cheerful meows at Zhao Jing, as if it knew about her embarrassing secret.

With her mouth full of toothpaste foam, Zhao Jing pointed at Aoli and threatened, "Don't you look so smug, 'Panties'! I’m taking you to the cafe later, and I’ll make you famous on the internet! Since you love wearing panties on your head, I’ll make sure you wear them to your heart's content tonight!"

Zhao Jing had already decided to bring Aoli along for the livestream. Song Dongye had a song called "Panties" that was about a cat. She planned to pull out her big move while her senior was visiting: playing and singing that song, with Aoli wearing the panties on its head—it was guaranteed to grab attention.

Thinking about the performance tonight, Zhao Jing felt exceptionally excited. After brushing her teeth, she called Huang Guolun to tell him about the radio host coming to see him, but after three attempts, he hung up on her after two rings each time.

"What is going on? He actually hung up on me? Is he still sleeping?"

Knowing the pain of being woken up, she didn't bother him further. Instead, she sent a WeChat message: "Mr. Huang, you’re so lazy. The sun is high in the sky, and you’re still sleeping? Call me back when you wake up; I have good news for you."

Huang Guolun, of course, wasn't sleeping. It was well into the day. He was currently on a video call with Old Mrs. Zhou. A few guests had come to their villa in the northern suburbs, bringing children around Huang Tao's age. The kids were playing together. Old Mrs. Zhou was showing Huang Guolun the scene, specifically focusing on Huang Tao.

Uncharacteristically, Huang Tao wasn't being mischievous today; he was playing well with the other children. He even put his eloquence to good use, telling the kids the stories of "The Old Man Who Moved the Mountains" and "Sima Guang Smashes the Vat." The parents nearby were all praising Huang Tao for his storytelling.

Huang Guolun praised Huang Tao for being so well-behaved on the other end of the phone. But that was his mistake. As soon as he was praised, Huang Tao got overconfident, transformed into a kindergarten teacher, and asked the other children, "Based on these two stories, what moral lessons have you learned?"