Chapter 182: President Li, Wait! This Is a Misunderstanding!!
Pei Qian's hand trembled as he held the phone.
'Congratulations"?! What the hell does that mean?'
Pocketing his phone, he hurried up to the second floor.
There was a small private theater upstairs that could also be used to watch live TV.
Seeing this, Li Shi tensed up too.
'What's going on?'
From Pei Qian's urgency and expression, it was clear that this phone call was something major.
Five minutes after Pei Qian had gone up, Li Shi casually followed, pretending he was just wandering around.
Moyu Internet Café had two levels, both featuring café and internet lounge areas. There were only a few people on the second floor, so Li Shi's presence didn't seem out of place.
By the time Li Shi got there, Pei Qian had already turned off the movie in the private theater and switched to Shanghai Satellite Channel.
The moment the image came up, Pei Qian was stunned.
On the huge screen was none other than… Chen Lei!
He was standing at a microphone, lightly strumming a guitar, singing soulfully:
"In the quiet night, you understand my sorrow... no matter how far I drift, I never forget that glass of intoxicating wine—"
The melody was smooth and touching, and Chen Lei's uniquely gentle voice captured a lazy, melancholic vibe that was emotionally resonant.
Even though the song was slow-paced and carried a grounded, everyday atmosphere, it still carried an undercurrent of longing—making it the kind of performance that stuck with you.
BAM!
One of the judges on the panel hit the button enthusiastically.
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
Chen Lei had barely gotten to the chorus, and all four judges had already turned their chairs.
Pei Qian quickly looked up at the name of the show displayed on the TV.
"Searching for a Good Voice"
Pei Qian: "???"
He stared at the screen, completely dumbfounded.
For a moment, he even began to doubt his own memory.
'What's going on?!'
'If I remember correctly, 'The Voice' didn't start airing until 2012… and it wasn't even on Shanghai Satellite Channel!'
'Are we seriously about to repeat the Eredia Incident?!'
Pei Qian suddenly understood why Huang Sibo had called him so frantically.
Huang Sibo knew Chen Lei had originated from Moyu Internet Café, and that Pei Qian had personally instructed them to take good care of him—their relationship was clearly not a casual one.
Now that Chen Lei had appeared on a nationwide talent show, of course Huang would immediately inform Pei Qian.
Meanwhile, Li Shi had already found a quiet corner in the second-floor café section, pretending to admire the view outside the window—but his eyes were really glued to the TV screen.
Upon seeing Chen Lei on the screen, Li Shi let out a quiet sigh of relief.
'False alarm. I overthought it.'
'Chen Lei used to be a live singer here. He's got a good relationship with the staff.
President Pei's just here watching his friend's performance. That's all—'
'Wait—'
'Something's wrong!'
That vague sense of unease exploded into full-on alarm in Li Shi's mind.
By now, Chen Lei's performance was over.
The stage was filled with roaring applause and enthusiastic cheers.
"Good evening, mentors. My name is Chen Lei, from Jingzhou."
After a brief round of standard questions, one mentor dove straight into the core:
"I noticed your song is titled 'Waiting', a love song, right?"
"When you sang it just now, I was struck by the lyrics. They're incredible—only someone who's really lived could write lines like these."
"'In the quiet night, you understand my sorrow... no matter how far I drift, I never forget that glass of intoxicating wine…'"
"Is this for your girlfriend? Is she still out there waiting for you?"
Chen Lei scratched his head, a little shy, not quite used to this kind of crowd.
"No…"
"This song is for a place. A little internet café that gave me a sense of home."
"I used to feel really inferior. After high school, I never found a job. Until one day, I walked past a small net café near home—"
Li Shi, still seated in the second-floor corner, was shaking slightly.
He looked at Pei Qian's back, sitting quietly and facing the big screen.
For some reason, that silhouette now looked like a mountain, pressing down on him with unbearable weight.
'No way… Did he play this on purpose? For me to see?'
Li Shi felt a chill run through his veins.
Meanwhile, on screen, Chen Lei's story continued.
"Later on, with President Pei's support, I finally mustered the courage to chase my dreams here in Shanghai."
"I heard the café's business dropped after I left. But President Pei never called me back—I guess he didn't want to burden me with that knowledge."
"So I wrote this song. To remember that time I'll never forget."
"Now that I've made it onto the Good Voice stage, I just want to say thank you. To President Pei, to Manager Ma, to everyone at Moyu Internet Café—thank you for helping me stay on this path."
"To me, Moyu Internet Café will always be… home."
The mentors were all clapping.
"Wow~ I thought this was going to be a love story. But it turned out to be about dreams instead. So moving!"
"Beautifully said. Truly touching. It reminds me of those times when I was struggling and the tiniest warmth made a huge difference…"
"Don't worry, Chen Lei—I promise, you're going to be big! Join my team—next year I've got over 20 concert tours—"
"Hey, hey, hold it! We're not at the 'steal the contestant' round yet!"
Another mentor smiled, calming the mood.
"Chen Lei, all four mentors turned for you—you've already qualified. So what's next?"
Chen Lei answered without hesitation:
"I want to go back to Jingzhou. To sing at Moyu Internet Café again."
"I want to tell them, in person, I miss that place."
BOOM
It was like a thunderclap in Li Shi's mind.
'It's over… It's all over.'
He realized, in this one moment, what he had really underestimated:
Not the model.
Not the business.
But Pei Qian himself.
'That wasn't a trap. That was a buried landmine—and I just stepped on it.'
Because now, millions of people watching Shanghai Satellite Channel… know about Moyu Internet Café.
Chen Lei's face was glowing with happiness.
Click!
The screen went dark.
Pei Qian had turned it off.
And in the instant the screen went black, Li Shi felt his heart sink, as if it had shattered into pieces on the ground.
In that moment of darkness, President Pei's silhouette looked like a ferocious beast, ready to devour its prey.
To Li Shi, Pei Qian's gesture was the epitome of supreme confidence.
Although Pei Qian hadn't turned around, Li Shi could already picture that calm, victorious expression, as if silently saying:
"The outcome's decided. There's no need to watch the rest, is there?"
Yes.
There truly was no need to watch the rest.
Only now did Li Shi fully understand—Pei Qian hadn't come just to watch Chen Lei sing.
This entire thing… was all a calculated performance for him!
The explosive popularity of Searching for a Good Voice needed no explanation.
And Chen Lei's song "Waiting" would undoubtedly go viral across the internet soon.
And when Chen Lei shared his story about Moyu Internet Café at the end, it was bound to spark massive public interest.
He said he'd go back to Jingzhou, sing a few songs at Moyu again—anyone with half a brain could imagine what would happen next.
Li Shi stood up slowly, forcing himself to stay calm, and walked over to Pei Qian.
His heart was full of bitter resignation.
He'd thought Pei Qian was cornered, with no cards left to play.
But clearly, he was completely wrong.
"President Pei… I'm impressed."
"That move… buried so deep. You didn't act until the end, but when you did—checkmate."
"I didn't expect this. I really did underestimate you."
"This round goes to you. I hope, in the future, we might still have the chance to work together."
Li Shi shook his head and turned to head downstairs.
Everything he'd worked for—collapsed in an instant.
No point in continuing with shady little tricks.
Trying to invest in Moyu Internet Café now? Out of the question.
Of course, business is war—and winning or losing is just part of the game.
Li Shi had been in the business world long enough.
He could accept defeat without complaints.
In fact, his respect for Pei Qian had only grown, seeing him now as a rival truly worthy of admiration.
Pei Qian was still reeling, caught between shock and despair.
By the time he finally came back to his senses—Li Shi had already left the café.
Pei Qian was dumbfounded.
WHAT—?! No, come back!
It's a misunderstanding!!
You've got it all wrong!!
<+>
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