Chapter 53 The wind is right, let it dry my tears without worry

Chapter 53: The Wind Is Right, Let It Dry My Tears

With breakthroughs in both attributes and skills, Gao Yun did not want to neglect his achievements in competitions. Previously, he had only participated in one dance competition hosted by the LJ Dance Studio—the "Ozone Layer Cup"—where he had won third place.

Judging by the name, the competition was purely for entertainment, where everyone gathered just to have a good time. Still, it was the highest-level street dance competition in the entire city; otherwise, the system would not have handed out rewards.

Knowing he was about to leave Hushi to explore the wider world outside, Gao Yun wanted to win first place if the opportunity arose, thereby making up for that past regret.

He understood Wang Lili's feelings. Setting aside their recent breakup and his impending departure, purely from the perspective of romantic affection, Gao Yun had indeed once held a fondness for her. However, people change.

A ten-year-old boy desperately wants a remote-controlled car but cannot afford one. When he reaches his twenties and can easily afford it, how many people would actually buy one just to play with it?

After growing up, a man wants a larger, more luxurious car that he can actually drive himself, not a battery-powered plastic toy that moves forward, backward, left, and right at the push of a button.

Every stage of life has different demands. The needs of a ten-year-old must be met at ten; the needs of a twenty-year-old at twenty; the needs of a thirty-year-old at thirty...

If you only receive what you wanted at age ten when you have already turned twenty, it loses most of its meaning.

Putting romance aside and focusing solely on carnal pleasures, Gao Yun was actually relatively conservative when it came to sex.

The incident with Hu Yue had been a mistake, and he would only make it once—he would never repeat it.

His bottom line was never to engage in sexual relations with anyone other than his official girlfriend; in Gao Yun's world, there was no such thing as a one-night stand.

Even after two months of abstinence, with a surge of testosterone far exceeding that of an average man making his desires much stronger than normal, he would not cross his own bottom line.

When your external value reaches a certain level, you must realize that you are the prize, a scarce resource. If you sleep with an ordinary woman, she gets the pleasure while you do the heavy lifting—it is obvious who gets the raw end of the deal.

"...Not for the time being." Wang Lili sat on the floor, staring at her reflection in the mirror, letting out waves of silent lament. She had finally mustered the courage, with her delicate beauty, to get intimate with her male god, only to be ruthlessly rejected. This must be karmic retribution...

After giving it some thought, Gao Yun decided to pull out twenty thousand yuan to sponsor the dance studio in hosting a street dance competition, aiming to win first place and fulfill his past regret.

When he proposed the idea, Wang Lili naturally agreed. This wonderful opportunity had a hundred benefits for her with not a single downside, and furthermore, her male god was paying her to help him out. Even if it weren't paid—even if she had to chip in her own money—she would still help.

After discussing the details for a while, the two decided to set the competition date for five days later, with cash prizes awarded directly to the top ten participants.

First place would receive five thousand, second place three thousand, third place two thousand, the remaining seven finalists three hundred each, and the remaining seven thousand plus would be allocated for promotional expenses and venue rental fees.

With this matter settled, Gao Yun left the dance studio.

If he stayed any longer, he feared that staying alone in a room with a woman might actually lead to trouble.

Unlike usual, today's two-hour street dance lesson finished at a little past one in the afternoon. After returning to the villa for a quick bite, Gao Yun spent another two hours editing and uploading today's video footage.

Since he had already mastered street dance, guitar, and singing, Gao Yun felt it was time to bring the "Trainee" video series to a close, so he changed the video title to: *Probably the Last Day of My Trainee Career, Debut Date: X*.

"Debuting is out of the question; setting an 'X' date is just my way of showing I haven't ghosted them."

In fact, when the "Trainee" series was just a few episodes in, several talent agencies had sent private messages or called Gao Yun directly, hoping to sign, package, and train him. As time passed and his follower count grew, more and more companies reached out, each increasingly famous.

However, Gao Yun flatly rejected every single one of them. There was no way he was foolish enough to debut as an idol.

When stripped of the glamour, being a celebrity was just another job carrying immense pressure. Now that he held a system in his hands with endless wealth, doing things he loved at his leisure and shooting videos to be an internet celebrity was far more comfortable than that.

Besides, once he became a star, every single move would be completely exposed to the media, and his goal of having a hundred relationships would probably invite endless controversy.

He wouldn't be an idol, nor a celebrity—an internet celebrity would do just fine.

Didn't you see how much more comfortable top internet influencers lived compared to celebrities? They would occasionally drop by variety shows to boost their status, host a livestream once in a blue moon to beg for money online, and pick up a few brand endorsements for easy cash. Most importantly, they weren't bound by strict rules and enjoyed absolute freedom!

"The tycoon's trainee career has come to an end, and the youth of us folks has ended too."

"A training duration of two months? I thought he would keep updating forever, practicing for at least two or three years."

"To the person above, the creator already had a foundation beforehand, and didn't you watch the content? Street dance, guitar, and singing have all already reached master levels."

"I feel like these two teachers aren't very professional; he could keep practicing a bit more."

"He's already utterly destroyed Ah Kun; you still want him to practice?"

"Seriously speaking, the creator could debut in the center position on any trainee-style variety show; otherwise, it's rigged."

"Hilarious. Why would someone this rich bother debuting? It's obvious he learned these things purely for his own happiness. It's so good to be rich."

"It's so good to be rich +1."

Just as Gao Yun was idly browsing the comments under his video, his phone rang. The caller was his junior high school classmate, Li Yanming.

Influenced by many factors—and naturally including his own choices—Gao Yun had not finished high school, let alone attended university. His highest formal education was a vocational technical school he attended out of town. Because his classmates lived far away, they rarely kept in touch.

Most of his junior high classmates worked and lived locally, occasionally keeping in touch with a few close former friends and helping each other out whenever an issue arose. Their relationships were generally quite good.

"Let's get together?" Li Yanming cut straight to the point. "Got time?"

Gao Yun glanced at the clock—it was exactly four in the afternoon. He asked, "Who's all going?"

"Who else could it be? The usual crowd: Cheng Song, Liu Qi, Zhao Jianing, Du Yuan. That's it."

Everyone else was fine, but upon hearing the name Du Yuan, Gao Yun clicked his tongue in hesitation. "I don't really feel like going."

"Don't put on an act!" Li Yanming laughed and scolded him. "What's wrong? Now that you're rich and an internet celebrity, you're too good to acknowledge your old classmates?"

"Ah." Gao Yun's tone carried a hint of entanglement. "You don't understand, Du Yuan..."

Li Yanming interrupted him, "Who among us doesn't know about that little history between you and Du Yuan? Aren't you just worried it'll be awkward to meet up now that you have a girlfriend? But she has a boyfriend now too, and they're deeply in love—she's even bringing her boyfriend to the class reunion."

"Oh... Then that's good." Gao Yun felt a mild sense of relief.

The journey of life is long, and romance comes in chapters; no one stays in the same place waiting for someone else. He was glad to see that Du Yuan had let go and moved on.

Li Yanming asked, "Is Daria still in Hushi? If not, bring her along too; bringing significant others is permitted."

Gao Yun thought to himself: *What kind of significant other is an ex?* Deciding not to reveal that they had broken up, he grinned and said, "She's not here, just me."

"Alright then, six o'clock, Ma Family Barbecue. Don't be late!"

"Got it, I'll definitely be on time."

After hanging up, Gao Yun sat at his computer desk to memorize some English vocabulary for a while. Feeling that his brain was reaching its capacity, he picked up the Martin D28 gifted by Wang Xiaole, walked out to the third-floor terrace, and sat down on the rocking chair inside the gazebo.

Today was a sun-drenched, beautiful day. The wild rose potted plant that Diao Jun had once given him was placed on the table beneath the gazebo to thrive.

Every two days, Gao Yun would water it once, fertilize it once a month, and shelter it on his bedroom balcony whenever the wind and rain picked up. For someone who had never raised plants before, Gao Yun poured a tremendous amount of care into this little living thing.

Cared for with such meticulous attention, it lived up to his efforts, its green leaves growing even more luxuriant than when it first arrived. Clusters of small white and pale peach-pink blossoms bloomed together, exuding a rich, refreshing fragrance that cleared the mind.

"Bloom, bloom even brighter."

Gao Yun wore a complex expression as gently reached out to stroke the petals and green leaves, then turned his gaze toward Mount Shoushan and the vast sea in the distance. He hugged his guitar tightly, plucked the strings, and as a gentle prelude echoed through the air, he began to sing in a low voice:

"I am a rose that never lowers its head for love...
The wind is right, let it dry my tears.
Do not step back; stubborn self-esteem shatters at the lightest touch.
And everything you said was right—some people are not as perfect as you imagined.
But it doesn't matter; blooming right alongside it means not fearing the dark sky.
I am a wild rose that never lowers its head for love,
Letting freedom drift and adorn the grayness of my entire city..."

*(Theme song referenced right on cue! This song "Wild Rose" is quite pleasant to listen to.)*

Recently, some readers have said that this book doesn't match its title, and that writing about messy things like fitness, street dancing, and music is completely unnecessary—that just showering money, spending lavishly, and picking up girls is all the satisfaction needed.

I think the previous chapter should have made it clear why the protagonist needs to learn those things. First, to earn the system's financial rewards. Second, elevating one's self-worth is crucial. If you are merely wealthy, you will only attract low-quality women who lack money and principles, while failing to win over a considerable portion of high-quality girls who possess wealth, talent, and personality—such as "Wang Lili" in this book. I believe everyone has a girl like "Wang Lili" around them in real life.

The characters in my book are also basically based on real prototypes, not randomly made up and altered; otherwise, I would have to apologize to the entire nation.

Secondly, is a woman who sleeps with you purely for your money any different from prostitution? In fact, prostitution might even be more gratifying. Please don't let your worldview be distorted into thinking that having money means you can sleep with whoever you want—it really doesn't work that way.

Finally, thank you to "_Liaoliaoliaoliao" for the tip.

*(End of Chapter)*