Chapter Thirty-One: If I Had Known, I Wouldn't Have Had Children

"Oh my god! Is there anything Lin Ze can't do?"

"The all-round artist Lin Ze has appeared! 'Lotus Pond Moonlight' is spreading from one person to another!"

"'Moonlit Phoenix Tail Bamboo' has received high praise from the Folk Music Association."

Lin Ze's popularity soared once again, and even while filming variety shows, he maintained his impressive productivity.

A new song today, maybe not one tomorrow, but the day after, another new piece would be released.

It's quite terrifying!

At the same time, everyone thought that after Lin Ze’s songs exploded in popularity, at the very least, there would be a month or two before a new release. Who would have expected a new song every two or three days?

And...

Each one was of exceptional quality!

The song "Those Years" shot straight to the top of the charts and hasn’t dropped since. "Later" is even more of a masterpiece, perhaps a bit weaker than "Those Years," but anyone could see that once the buzz around "Those Years" faded, the enduring "Later" would become Lin Ze’s most classic work.

This sudden domination of the charts by a few songs left other singers feeling rather disheartened. Li Xiyan, known as a little diva; Chen Nan, who was plain-looking but had strong vocal skills; and several other singers who had released songs this month all felt as though they’d swallowed a fly.

Lin Ze...

Who exactly was Lin Ze!

How could he suddenly produce so many songs? Was his company giving him a major push? Had they hired top musicians and spent a fortune buying songs for him?

What did he write before, and what is he writing now?

So many masterpieces in a row, spanning various genres.

If he really wrote them all himself, that would be terrifying.

For a moment, the companies behind these singers all began investigating, trying to find out whether someone else was writing songs for him.

As for the singers themselves, they went and followed Lin Ze, and then opened his livestream.

At this moment, Lin Ze was back in the villa, and it was time for storytelling and Q&A again.

The hints from today’s tasks had sparked speculation among the audience.

For example, who was that little girl, and why did she appear in the tasks of both people?

“We… just strolled around the park and the streets,” Lin Ze said in a low voice, recounting what they’d done today.

“What? Do you really not need to work? Then where does your money come from?” Ji Chen stared at Lin Ze, his eyes wide.

“We closed a deal last night. No need to work these next few days.”

“……”

Everyone fell silent.

“Xiao Lin, what exactly do you do?” Chen Weiguo couldn’t help asking, and quickly added, “This doesn’t count as a question!”

“Hmm… Tomb raiding,” Lin Ze replied.

Everyone stared at Lin Ze, but saw that his expression remained unchanged.

Pei Xue quickly grabbed Su Zitan’s hand. “Girl, take some advice from your big sister.”

“Xiao Lin can make up stories with a straight face. If you ever marry him, you’ll have a tough time!”

“Ah?” Su Zitan nodded vigorously. “Exactly, we’re collectors of antiques, not tomb raiders.”

“……”

“These two, well, they’re a good match,” Chen Weiguo said, sipping his tea.

[Haha, one raids tombs and the other handles the goods—that's a whole industry chain.]

[Couples who work together never tire.]

[Strict investigation! As always, strict investigation!]

“By the way, Lao Zhao, where did you go this afternoon?” Ji Chen suddenly asked.

He’d seen Zhao Funing’s shop closed when passing by that road in the afternoon.

Zhao Funing instantly realized his shop’s closure had been noticed—he’d been exposed.

“We went to complete a task.”

Lin Chunshui immediately jumped in, “A secret task?”

Zhao Funing nodded. “Yes.”

With that, Lin Chunshui turned his gaze back to Lin Ze and Su Zitan.

If he remembered correctly, the man had also done a secret task on the first day.

[You think there’s a connection between these secret tasks?]

[No idea, maybe the director is adding some storyline?]

After exchanging glances, they still decided to focus their questions on Lin Ze and Su Zitan.

“Did you go to Riverside Park?”

“No.”

“Did you go to Sports Park?”

“No.”

They were stumped. There were only two parks in Tong County, and they hadn’t visited either.

Just then, Ji Chen’s eyes lit up, as if he had an idea!

“Are your identities… singers?”

Lin Ze was taken aback, then smiled. “Yes.”

“That’s it!”

[Wait, did Ji Chen really ask such a question?]

[Wow, sometimes luck just comes to fools.]

[Not easy; Sister Lin must be pleased—finally a valuable clue.]

Chen Weiguo laughed, showing Ji Chen the comments on his phone.

“What do you mean, netizens! What’s this about fools having luck?” Ji Chen pounded the table.

“Let it go! Why are you getting mad at the netizens?” Lin Chunshui pulled him aside.

Su Zitan and Lin Ze exchanged a knowing glance and nodded.

In the past two days, their relationship had improved quite a lot.

Now that Lin Ze’s and Su Zitan’s identities as singers were out, the search could be narrowed significantly.

In a small county like this, it was unlikely there’d be a top singer—they were probably just buskers.

Speaking of busking.

Something seemed to stir in Ji Chen’s heart—a flash of inspiration that quickly disappeared before he could grasp it.

That night, the three teams changed their plans. Tomorrow, they wouldn’t search the parks but would go to bars or places related to singers.

Once agreed, everyone returned to their rooms.

“Does your shoulder still hurt?” Lin Chunshui asked.

“Yes, too many classes today, I was standing for too long…” Ji Chen rubbed his shoulder.

“Lie down, I’ll give you a massage.” Lin Chunshui took off her shoes and got onto the bed.

Ji Chen took off his shirt and lay face down, while Lin Chunshui, as she used to, sat on his back, massaging his shoulders.

“If you’re careless when you’re young, you’ll suffer when you’re old,” Lin Chunshui said with a hint of reproach.

“Heh heh.”

“Still grinning?” She pressed harder.

Ji Chen winced, but still smiled. “It’s been so long since you last gave me a shoulder massage.”

“Oh… really?”

“Yes… Time flies. Half our lives have gone by in the blink of an eye.”

Ji Chen sighed. “Ever since we had kids, we started arguing—it’s like the conflicts just multiplied.”

Lin Chunshui didn’t respond, just kept massaging his shoulders.

“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have had kids!” Ji Chen suddenly gritted his teeth. “That little rascal! Ruined our relationship!”

“Oh, enough of that!”

Lin Chunshui slapped Ji Chen’s back with a crisp sound.

“I can feel it. Maybe we just shifted our love to the child, and that’s why the cracks between us became so obvious.”

Ji Chen forcibly turned over. “You know I love you.”

“I love you, too.”