Chapter 41: A Lifetime

After that, Lin Xiyue explained the entire income structure of the entertainment industry to Mother Xia in meticulous detail, allowing her—perhaps for the very first time—to clearly recognize a simple reality.

In a country like C Nation, where entertainment is extremely developed, even a minor celebrity, or even a washed-up one, can earn far more than an average person simply by taking a few commercial gigs or releasing some low-effort work.

There was a reason young people all over the country were fighting tooth and nail to squeeze into the entertainment circle and make money.

This truth left Mother Xia speechless.
It was the first time Xia Jinnian had seen her mother fall silent over a matter like this.

Lunch ended under this quiet atmosphere, though Lin Xiyue still ate quite happily—she even had a second bowl of rice.
After all, the tides were clearly turning in her favor.

“This is the amount Jinnian should’ve received from the song’s sales during this period.”

Striking while the iron was hot, Lin Xiyue transferred over three hundred thousand yuan to Xia Jinnian right there on the spot.
This was something she and her mother had planned in advance.

As expected, thousands of words could not compare to the impact of seeing a six-digit deposit starting with a “3.”
And this was only the beginning—the very first step.
Xia Jinnian’s future was something she would never need to worry about again.

“I guess Mom’s getting old… some of my ideas are just too outdated now.”

Looking at the message on her daughter’s screen, Mother Xia sighed softly.

“All the major decisions in your life were made by me. This time… I’ll listen to you.”

“Really?!”

Xia Jinnian’s eyes instantly welled up.
This moment meant more to her than she could express.

For more than ten years, her mother had always opposed her love for singing. Even just a month ago, her “approval” was only temporary—letting her try it out for a bit.

But now… she had earned recognition with her own abilities.
From today onward, she no longer had to hide or sneak around.
That sense of accomplishment far surpassed reading ten thousand positive comments.

“You need to thank Xiaoyue properly. She’s your lucky star.”

Perhaps because she no longer needed to butt heads with her daughter, Mother Xia’s tone sounded much lighter.
Xia Jinnian nodded hard.

She truly felt blessed.
Having someone like Lin Xiyue—supporting her both emotionally and materially—might be the greatest fortune of her life.

In the end, because Mother Xia insisted so warmly, Lin Xiyue stayed for dinner as well.
By the time she finally left, it was already evening.

Of course, Xia Jinnian walked her out personally.
She held Lin Xiyue’s hand tightly, her lips trembling as if she wanted to say something, but swallowed the words back down.

“Pfft~ What’s wrong? Moved to speechlessness by your amazing best friend?”

Lin Xiyue turned around and saw the tearful Xia Jinnian.
She reached out and gently brushed her hair aside.

Still, Xia Jinnian didn’t speak—she just nodded.

For someone like her, who was rarely straightforward about feelings, admitting it openly was extremely rare.

“Alright alright, don’t cry. Otherwise Auntie will think I bullied you. Go on, get back inside~”

Lin Xiyue felt a portion of the guilt buried deep within her slowly dissolve.
In her previous life, she’d been too lazy, too carefree—she never gave the girl who loved her a proper future.

This life would be different.
It was already different from the very beginning.

“Then… promise me—let’s be best friends for life.”

Suddenly, Xia Jinnian stepped forward, grabbing Lin Xiyue’s hand again.
She looked straight into her eyes, serious and earnest.

“Alright, alright, I promise~”

“Say it—best friends for life.”

“Fine, for life~”

“For life as BEST friends!”

“Got it, for life~”

“You—! Hmph! Stupid Xixi, you did that on purpose! I’m ignoring you! Bye!”

With a huffy snort, Xia Jinnian spun around and hurried into the house, leaving Lin Xiyue standing outside grinning like an idiot.

A lifetime was certain—
but whether that “best friends” label would stay… that was debatable.

Still, in her last life she failed to keep even that promise.
What about this one?

As she pondered, her mother’s car rolled up.
The window lowered.

“Get in, Miss Big-Time Producer.”

“Pfft~ Thanks, President Xu.”

She climbed into the passenger seat, humming softly as they drove home.

“If we can’t meet again with reddened eyes,
could we still blush the same way?

Like that year, when we carved ‘forever’ in a rush,
such a beautiful little lie…”

Hearing that airy, delicate voice, Xu Wei felt a surprising pang of emotion.

Even now, she still found it unbelievable—
How could her daughter, someone who had never even dated, write lyrics like this?

The phrasing, the imagery… even as a veteran B-level producer, she couldn’t help but admire it.

“What is it? Feeling sentimental? Did Jinnian’s mom refuse to let her apply for the music department after all?”

“No, I actually convinced her. It’s just… it reminded me of some things.”

Lin Xiyue spread her hands.
Xu Wei chuckled, not prying.

“Our little Yueyue is a big girl now—already has her own secrets~”

The car cruised through the Guangnan streets.
Her thoughts drifted along with it until they pulled up to the house.

It had been more than a day since she submitted her song for evaluation.
If she was lucky, the score might be out by now.
So the first thing she did after getting home was turn on her computer.

It was her first fully independent composition for the public, so she cared about the score even more than her college entrance results.

“Score: 2990.
Rating: Grade B.”

It was out.
And honestly, it exceeded her expectations.

2990—already past the midpoint of B-rank, almost on par with Meteor Shower.

Her previously highest-rated fan song on Starfall had only scored 1590.

And she hadn’t gone through any major training recently, meaning her composing skill was roughly the same.

Which meant one thing:
the lyrics alone had boosted the score by over a thousand points.

In fact, her melody was a bit unworthy of the lyrics.

“But at this level, there’s still no way the film crew would hire me.”

Lin Xiyue poured cold water on herself.
She still hadn’t met the requirements in the briefing—outstanding lyrics alone weren’t enough.

“Stupid girl, did you forget? Your mom can write songs too.”

Just as she sighed and prepared to submit the imperfect work anyway, Xu Wei’s voice came from behind her…