"Brother Cheng, isn't there anything you like?" Zhao Rui asked as she saw Chen Cheng staring blankly at the jukebox.

"Oh," Chen Cheng finally snapped out of his daze and glanced at Zhao Rui and Lin Miaomiao in front of him. "You guys keep singing; I'm going to go grab something."

After giving them a heads-up, Chen Cheng stood up and left the private room.

He walked to the front desk and asked if they had a guitar. He actually found one; it belonged to one of the young men working there as a backup singer.

Borrowing an instrument from a stranger was usually a bit of a taboo, but seeing how 'approachable' Chen Cheng was with his wealth, the young man readily agreed and even enthusiastically fetched a capo for him.

When Chen Cheng returned to the room, the five youngsters all looked at him in surprise and stopped singing.

"Brother Cheng, are you going to play and sing yourself?" Lin Miaomiao spoke up.

Chen Cheng smiled and shrugged; the answer was obvious.

"Ahem~" Chen Cheng sat on a bar stool and cleared his throat.

The five youngsters sat on the sofa, looking at Chen Cheng expectantly.

Chen Cheng skillfully tapped the body of the guitar to set the beat, and the intro slowly began to play...

"Once dreamed of wandering the world with a sword~"

"To see the prosperity of the world~"

"A young heart is always a bit brash~"

"Now you make the whole world your home~"

"The girl who once made your heart ache~"

"Has now quietly vanished without a trace~"

"Love always makes you long for it yet feel troubled~"

"Once leaving you covered in wounds~"

"Dilililidilililidenda..."

The five youngsters all had their mouths wide open. Amazing!

Chen Cheng's voice was crisp, and his falsetto was somewhat rich.

One couldn't say his voice was perfectly suited for this song, but it was decent!

As he sang, the five youngsters began to bob their heads to the beat, looking very immersed.

While Chen Cheng's singing talent wasn't anything special, he was at least at the level of a KTV king or a street performer.

He had played guitar for four years during university, so singing while playing was no problem at all. He could even pull off some fancy tricks, being very skilled at tapping out the rhythm on the guitar body.

Singing folk songs was no issue, as folk music relies more on the lyrics than on vocal technique.

Although there is debate over whether this song is folk or rock, its musical elements and emotional expression lean more towards folk.

Besides, folk is just one person's rock; there doesn't have to be a clear boundary.

The two young ladies, Zhao Rui and Deng Xiaoqi, looked at Scum with eyes full of stars.

If good looks are justice, then talent is the sword that pierces the heart.

Lin Miaomiao, on the other hand, was as excited as Jiang Tianhao, dancing and gesturing along with the rhythm.

Qian Sanyi was much calmer, looking like a pondering sage with his hand on his chin, though no one knew what he was thinking.

"..."

"Having experienced the various states of life and the coldness of the world~"

"This smile is warm and pure~"

"..."

As the song ended, the three Little Girls immediately crowded around him.

"Brother Cheng, what song is this? I don't think I've heard it before," Deng Xiaoqi asked first.

"The song is called 'The Former You'."

"Which platform can I find it on? Is it on NetCloud? I want to save it; I was so excited listening to it just now," Lin Miaomiao said.

"Exactly, Brother Cheng, who sings this? It's really good," Jiang Tianhao also spoke up.

Zhao Rui handed a drink to Chen Cheng. Chen Cheng smiled at her; his little sister was so considerate.

"You can't for the time being."

"Why?" The Little Girl was puzzled.

"Uh..." The words were on the tip of his tongue, but Scum actually felt a bit embarrassed. After a pause, he still spoke: "Because I wrote this song for fun, and I haven't uploaded it yet."

"Ah? Brother Cheng wrote this song?" Deng Xiaoqi's eyes widened as she exclaimed.

Scum gave a wicked smile. "If no one else has sung this song, then yes."

These words allowed him to advance or retreat; he wasn't afraid of some Zhang Wei or Li Wei popping up to claim the song.

But in the eyes of the five youngsters, the matter was settled: this song was written by Chen Cheng.

"Then Brother Cheng, you should hurry up and register the copyright." A hint of expression finally appeared on Qian Sanyi's fair face as he spoke seriously.

"Yeah, I'll take care of it tomorrow. I'll record the song then, too."

Chen Cheng nodded. He might not care about copyright income now, but even mosquito legs are meat. How could Scum, who was like a wealth-attracting mythical creature, let it go?

Chen Cheng raised an eyebrow and cued Zhao Rui. "Rui Rui, help Brother Cheng remember. If I forget tomorrow, remind me."

"Mm-hmm!!" Zhao Rui nodded repeatedly like a chicken pecking at grain, looking very excited.

The three Little Girls clamored for Chen Cheng to sing another one.

Scum was in high spirits and didn't refuse. He sang five 'new songs' in a row, turning the KTV room into a concert.

Now, not only were the three girls excited, but even Jiang Tianhao and Qian Sanyi were stunned. They had come out to relax and ended up running into a singer—and a god-tier songwriter at that.

"Brother Cheng, are you going to debut as a singer?" Qian Sanyi was the first to snap out of the intoxicating folk atmosphere and ask.

Scum's singing ability was just average, and he didn't have any impressive techniques, but the songs were great, and the lyrics were even better.

'Ideal Three Decades', 'Painting', 'Youthful Days', 'Guo Yuanchao', 'A Person Like Me'—each one was a classic.

Moreover, the nature of folk music is unique; it's highly narrative and descriptive, allowing listeners to imagine the story behind the song for themselves.

The three Little Girls were doing exactly that right now.

Chen Cheng shook his head. "I don't like being in the spotlight."

Fame brings trouble just as a fat pig invites slaughter.

He was already a fair and noticeable 'piglet'. If he debuted as a singer, he'd be checking both boxes.

Plus, with his overly happy private life, he'd eventually be hammered to death by public opinion.

"That's such a pity," Deng Xiaoqi said regretfully.

Chen Cheng smiled. Fame was not his desire; giving a home to every girl who needed warmth was his lifelong pursuit.

Finally, Chen Cheng looked at his watch and said, "It's getting late. Let me take you guys home."

The three girls looked at each other, clearly not wanting to leave yet.

In the end, Zhao Rui gritted her teeth and said to the other two, "Let's go back. If I'm back too late, my dad will scold me."

"Alright then," Lin Miaomiao muttered with a pout, then looked up at Chen Cheng.

"Thank you, Brother Cheng," Deng Xiaoqi and Lin Miaomiao said in unison.

Jiang Tianhao and Qian Sanyi had come on an electric scooter and a bicycle, respectively, so in the end, it was still the three Little Girls in Chen Cheng's car.

"So, Brother Cheng, shall we play basketball together some other day?" Jiang Tianhao said to Chen Cheng after saying goodbye to the three girls while sitting on his scooter.

"Sure, I'd like to see the level of your school team," Chen Cheng said, his lips curling into a smile.

Chen Cheng was being sincere; he wasn't looking down on them at all.

High school is generally the period when a person's physical abilities are at their peak.

He remembered a classmate in high school who was only 165 cm tall but could actually dunk.

However, as soon as he got to university, he was 'successfully defended' by the upperclasswomen; his jumping ability and stamina plummeted, and he was no longer the man he used to be, unable to even touch the backboard.

"Then let's set a date," Qian Sanyi's eyes lit up. Given Chen Cheng's height, he looked like he'd be great at basketball, and he was looking forward to playing against him.

Chen Cheng nodded with a smile, waved, and drove off.

On the way, the three Little Girls chattered and laughed.

Deng Xiaoqi would steal glances at Chen Cheng as he drove from time to time.

He was incredibly handsome, a top student, and could even write songs.

Crucially, he had a great physique—he was practically a walking clothes rack.

She had accidentally brushed against him earlier and felt that Brother Cheng's arm was thicker than her leg, all muscle.

Deng Xiaoqi's eyes shone as she looked at Chen Cheng, her small face flushed red.