After finishing another song, Chen Lei didn’t continue to the next one. Instead, he cleared his throat into the microphone and shared a somewhat melancholic message.

“I have something to tell everyone today. Starting tomorrow, I won’t be singing here anymore.”

An immediate stir rippled through the audience.

“It’s not what you might think. I like it here, and I love singing for you all. Manager Ma of Slackin’ Internet Café very much wants me to stay, and all along, everyone has been so enthusiastic in giving me many gifts, which has touched me deeply.”

“The reason I’m leaving is because the big boss behind Slackin’ Internet Café said he likes my singing and wants to send me to Shanghai to continue pursuing my music dream. During this time, he will take care of my food and accommodation.”

“I enjoy singing for everyone, but I also cherish this opportunity to leave Jingzhou and see Shanghai…”

“After all, this is my dream…”

As Chen Lei spoke, tears welled up in his eyes without him realizing it.

“So that’s it, that’s wonderful news!”

“Although we’ll miss you, we still support you in pursuing your dream!”

“If things don’t work out in Shanghai, be sure to come back. This will always be your home!”

“Waaaah, I’m so sad… Let me send ten more Aurora cocktails, wishing you a smooth journey…”

A wave of melancholy immediately spread through the audience.

Many people went to the bar to send drinks as a farewell gesture for Chen Lei, and quite a few girls were crying, constantly wiping tears with tissues.

Pei Qian stood silently in the corner, feeling emotional.

I’m truly a villain…

In a secluded corner on the second floor, Ma Yang was so heartbroken he wanted to cry.

“My money tree…”

Zhang Yuan stood beside him, handing him tissues while consoling: “Manager Ma, this is Chen Lei’s dream, we should support him… Don’t worry, we can hire a new resident singer…”

But Ma Yang didn’t appear consoled at all, his face full of disappointment.

“I… of course I support Chen Lei in achieving his dream…”

“But I had hoped even more that the internet café could turn a profit…”

“Well, I should respect Chen Lei’s decision…”

Although Ma Yang couldn’t tell good singing from bad, after observing for these few days, he roughly understood that Chen Lei’s singing was truly at a level that ordinary resident singers couldn’t reach. If they hired someone new, it would be impossible to find someone as popular as Chen Lei.

In fact, the reason Slackin’ Internet Café was now showing signs of profitability was all due to Chen Lei. His beautiful singing created high audience stickiness, with people coming every night to send drinks, generating a lot of extra income for the internet café.

If Chen Lei really left, other singers would at most be at Zhang Yuan’s level, and the resulting scene was easy to imagine.

Pei Qian quietly went upstairs and handed over a pack of tissues: “Old Ma, it’s alright. Chen Lei is talented; he was wasting his talent at Slackin’ Internet Café. If you truly consider yourself his talent scout, you should be happy for him.”

Ma Yang blew his nose: “Brother Qian, do you think that’s why I’m upset? I’m mainly sad because Slackin’ Internet Café finally had a chance to make money for you, and now that’s gone. I feel bad for you…”

Pei Qian was touched. See, my brother still cares for me!

However, Ma Yang’s strong sense of responsibility might not necessarily be a good thing.

Fortunately, this should just be an accident—Ma Yang had good luck and unexpectedly stumbled upon Chen Lei. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been so much drama.

So ultimately, this brother was still trustworthy!

Pei Qian patted Ma Yang’s shoulder: “Old Ma, how many times have I told you-you’re in charge of Slackin’ Internet Café, don’t always think about how to make money! The important thing is to maintain this window that showcases Tenda’s image for me, understand?”

“Come on, let’s bid farewell to Chen Lei.”

On the first floor of Slackin’ Internet Café, Chen Lei’s performance was drawing to a close, but most of the audience was reluctant to leave. Chen Lei had already added two or three extra songs.

Finally, the crowd escorted Chen Lei to the entrance of the internet café. Many female audience members had cried their makeup off, each looking as if they were facing a permanent separation.

Pei Qian thought to himself, when will I ever get such treatment…

Ma Yang was also crying his eyes out. He went up to say goodbye to Chen Lei, telling him to take care.

Chen Lei had only had slightly reddened eyes before, but seeing Ma Yang’s state, he immediately couldn’t hold back anymore, feeling deeply moved.

Pei Qian felt a bit awkward because he knew that Ma Yang was crying mainly because he had lost a money tree, not because he had deep feelings for Chen Lei…

But Chen Lei didn’t know this. He still felt that Manager Ma had shown him great kindness that he couldn’t repay.

Finally, after carrying on until 11 PM, most people dispersed.

Pei Qian called Chen Lei aside and gave him a phone number.

“When you get to Shanghai, contact this person directly. His name is Huang Sibo, and he’s the head of Fei Huang Studio. You won’t need to worry about anything when you arrive; he’ll arrange everything for you.”

Pei Qian had already informed Huang Sibo. In short, Huang Sibo would take care of all of Chen Lei’s food and accommodation. Chen Lei could do whatever he wanted there. Pei Qian figured that at most, Chen Lei would sing a theme song for the documentary, which wouldn’t cause much of a stir.

Besides, even if Huang Sibo’s documentary made money because of this, it was still within Pei Qian’s calculations. Compared to keeping Chen Lei at Slackin’ Internet Café, the loss would be much smaller.

“Thank you for your support, Mr. Pei.”

“I will never forget the kindness shown by Manager Ma and Mr. Pei in recognizing my talent. I will repay you when I have the opportunity!” Chen Lei grasped Pei Qian’s hand, deeply moved.

“No need.” Pei Qian’s gaze was incredibly sincere; you could see that these words came from the bottom of his heart.

…

Back at Slackin’ Internet Café, Ma Yang was still dejected.

Pei Qian approached him: “Old Ma, you should be happy that Chen Lei can fulfill his dream, don’t be sad.”

“Besides, your efforts this time weren’t in vain!”

The melancholy on Ma Yang’s long face receded slightly: “I… my efforts weren’t in vain?”

Pei Qian nodded vigorously: “Of course not! You’ve given me a very important inspiration!”

Ma Yang looked at Pei Qian, whose expression didn’t seem to be lying. He temporarily forgot his sadness and listened attentively.

“Old Ma, you don’t know how much potential your idea contains!”

“It’s just a shame that it was ahead of its time.”

“A singer performs, customers tip—this model can be greatly expanded upon. It’s just that Slackin’ Internet Café is too small a stage; it can’t fully showcase the potential!”

“Limiting this idea to Slackin’ Internet Café would be wasting your talent and restricting your abilities, understand?”

Ma Yang looked confused: “So?”

Pei Qian patted his shoulder: “Your creative idea could easily be applied to a streaming platform! In three months at the earliest, or half a year at the latest, you could be the CEO of Slackin’ Streaming!”

“So, you must believe that your work is valuable and greatly helps Tenda! Please build up your strength so that in a more suitable place, you can continue to showcase your talent!”

Ma Yang instantly turned from sadness to joy, so moved that his hands trembled: “Brother Qian, I…”

Pei Qian grasped his hand: “Old Ma, no need to say anything, I understand! Please build up your strength, and naturally, you’ll continue to shine on a bigger stage in the future!”