The rebirth of lickspittle

The Huayang Theater Concert Hall.

Today, a concert is being held here by Han Leina, a national treasure-level folk singer. Han Leina is quite an unusual celebrity, as her fame abroad far exceeds her domestic popularity.

This is entirely because the current era favors the fusion of pop and rock music, and young people find their own country's folk music too old-fashioned. In contrast, foreigners are curious about Chinese folk music and enjoy it for fun, which has made Han Leina renowned overseas while her domestic recognition remains average.

But Zhang Fan knows that Gu You'an is a fan of Han Leina.

If it were any other concert, it might not have been possible to invite Gu You'an out, but Han Leina's concert could.

The next morning, Zhang Fan drove his car out of the dealership and waited at the south gate of the school.

When Lao Er (the second buddy) arrived, he was stunned. He reached out to touch the car and exclaimed,

"This car is amazing!"

"Get in."

"Sure!"

Zhang Fan glanced at Lao Er, who was sitting in the passenger seat, with a playful expression. Being stared at for so long, Lao Er became a bit uneasy and hesitantly asked,

"Fan-ge, what's wrong?"

Zhang Fan rolled his eyes and told him to move to the back seat. Lao Er, still confused, got out of the car and sat in the back seat. Only then did Zhang Fan explain,

"You finally have a chance to hang out with the girl you like, so what's the point of sitting next to me? Shouldn't you be sitting next to Naba?"

After hearing Zhang Fan's words, Lao Er seemed to have a sudden epiphany.

"That's right! Why would I sit in the front?"

He repeatedly gave Zhang Fan a thumbs-up.

"Fan-ge, you're like my own brother now!"

Zhang Fan ignored him.

When Gu You'an and Gu Li Naba appeared at the school gate, not only Zhang Fan noticed them—every student and teacher at the gate turned their eyes toward them.

Two stunningly beautiful women appeared at the same time!

One was as dazzling as a diamond, the other as gentle as jade. In that moment, all eyes were drawn to them.

Lao Er leaned out of the car window and shouted at the "diamond-like" woman,

"Naba! Over here!"

The onlookers shifted their gaze to the car, many showing expressions of disdain. They cursed inwardly:

"Damn rich kids! I swear I'll buy a car like this one day!"

Gu Li Naba, unaware of the attention, examined the BMW X5's exterior and then eagerly hopped into the passenger seat. She turned excitedly to Zhang Fan,

"Did you borrow this car? It's awesome!"

Zhang Fan squinted slightly,

"Aisha (Lao Er) has been waiting for you for a long time. Why don't you sit in the back with him?"

Naba looked at Lao Er in the back seat and pouted. It was her first time in such a nice car, and she wanted to sit in the front. But since she wasn't familiar with Zhang Fan, she hesitated.

Lao Er quickly said,

"It's fine, it's fine! Let Naba sit in the front. I don't mind."

Zhang Fan wasn't having it.

"But I want to sit in the front with Gu You'an. Or, Aisha, you could drive, and I'll sit in the back with Gu You'an."

Everyone had just started college after high school, and nobody else had gotten their driver's license over the summer like Zhang Fan. Lao Er couldn't drive even if he wanted to.

Reluctantly, Gu Li Naba and Gu You'an switched seats.

Gu You'an had a quiet temperament. Her silky, smooth hair was like fine silk, and she wore an elegant dress. Her delicate face was stunningly beautiful.

It was the first time Zhang Fan had been so close to her.

Even in his previous life, when he had tried various ways to find out about her identity, he had never been able to get this close.

When Gu You'an sat in the front seat, her voice was as gentle and pleasant as her demeanor. It was soft but crystal clear.

"Do you know me?"

She had already heard that Zhang Fan had been asking about her.

Zhang Fan smiled slightly.

"I hope I can get to know you in the future."

This unexpected answer made Gu You'an look at Zhang Fan a little more closely. He gave her the impression of being handsome, full of energy, and with bright, spirited eyes.

Beyond that, she felt nothing more.

She remained quiet, only offering brief replies to a few unimportant questions.

It was Gu Li Naba who kept chattering non-stop.

"Hey, what's your name?"

"Zhang Fan, did you borrow this car? Do you know a lot of rich people?"

"Did you also get the tickets to the concert? You seem pretty influential in Huayang."

"This car is a BMW, right? How much does it cost to buy one?"

"I envy you so much. You were born in Huayang, while I was only born on the grasslands."

Zhang Fan was getting a little annoyed with this woman. He had wanted to talk to Gu You'an to leave a deeper impression, but Naba kept interrupting.

He couldn't help glaring at Lao Er through the rearview mirror, as if to say:

"Can't you control your girlfriend?"

Lao Er's reaction was even more frustrating. He just grinned from ear to ear the whole way, laughing at everything Naba said or asked.

When they finally arrived at the concert hall, Huayang Theater Concert Hall—a semi-public and semi-private establishment—things took an unexpected turn.

In the office of the theater director, Lu Weibing, a young, beautiful woman was sitting in front of his desk.

This woman was none other than Shen Chuchu.

Shen Chuchu desperately needed money. She owed her roommates and needed to retrieve her phone from the Bai Xiang restaurant.

She was livid that Zhang Fan had frozen her card. Now she didn't have a cent to her name and had no choice but to find ways to get some money.

The next day, King Liu was set to hold a concert here!

Tickets to Liu's concert were in such high demand that they were nearly impossible to get. Many were going crazy trying to snag one.

Shen Chuchu had set her sights on the tickets. If she could get her hands on ten of them, she could sell them and make a fortune.

Director Lu Weibing was in an awkward position. He had met Shen Chuchu at a banquet hosted by Zhang's family. After drinking a little too much, he had bragged about his connections.

"I may not have many skills, but I can get ten or twenty tickets to the theater anytime. With your relationship with the Zhang family, just let me know if you ever want tickets to a star's concert!"

Little did he expect her to actually come asking for them!

Lu Weibing knew very well how much Zhang Fan liked this girl. Rumor had it they were even engaged.

Lu Weibing was troubled.

"Miss, while I do have some say over tickets, you know how popular Liu's concert is. The tickets were sold out long ago. How about I try to get two tickets for you?"

"No way!" Shen Chuchu said, hands on her hips. "My entire dorm wants to go, plus some other friends! Ten tickets is the bare minimum!"

Faced with such unreasonable demands, Lu Weibing had no outlet for his frustration.

But he couldn't afford to offend her. If Zhang Fan took over the family business and heard bad things about him, his position might be in jeopardy.

Reluctantly, Lu Weibing made a call.

"Hello, I need ten front-row tickets for Liu's concert tomorrow."

"What? None left? Then figure something out! If you have to, buy them back from scalpers! I need them now!"

After hanging up, Lu Weibing forced a smile and said to Shen Chuchu,

"Miss, will this work for you?"

Shen Chuchu nodded in satisfaction.

"Okay, I'll remember your kindness, Uncle Lu."

Hearing this, Lu Weibing perked up.

"Miss Shen, please put in a good word for me with Young Master Zhang!"

At the mention of Zhang Fan, Shen Chuchu's expression turned awkward.

Recently, she had noticed that Zhang Fan no longer acted like the obedient puppy he used to be.

She could only nod dismissively to Lu Weibing's request.

At that moment, the office door was knocked on.

Lu Weibing called out,

"Come in."

And in walked Zhang Fan, holding a bag of seasonal fruits.

He and Shen Chuchu locked eyes.