Chapter Seventeen: Talent Triumphed Over Capital—What About Me?

Page (1/3)

“Xiaolu, the landlord is here to collect the rent. Could you go open the door?”
“Rent collection already…”

Tong Yulu was washing up with a headband on, her face still damp with water and not yet dried. Her hands were a bit tied at the moment, but the person calling was upstairs, and the other roommates hadn’t woken up yet. She couldn’t just leave Teacher Zhong standing outside.

Hearing the steady knocking, she hurriedly wiped her face and rushed over to open the door.

At dawn’s first light, the door swung open gently, but outside stood not the landlord, Teacher Zhong, but a handsome, refined-looking young man carrying a suitcase. He faced the breeze with an air as if “the humble door has just been opened for you.”

Tong Yulu was momentarily taken aback, then it dawned on her that this must be the new guest arriving today.

She was used to the other guests and often went without makeup, but flustered as she was opening the door, suddenly encountering a smiling handsome guy, she felt a little shy…

He looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn’t quite place where she’d seen him before.

“Hello, I’m Yu Wei.”

The newcomer was Yu Wei, who had arrived early to film the show. He had originally planned to enter with the landlord, but Teacher Zhong was held up by something.

“I’m Tong Yulu. Just call me Xiaolu.”

Hearing the name, Tong Yulu immediately recognized him—wasn’t this the Yu Wei who had just trended on social media a few days ago?

She hadn’t clearly seen his face in the performance videos due to the dazzling stage lights, but his song was really good.

As a reality show centered on daily life observation, “HELLO Roommates” had cameras running 24/7 nonstop. The moment Yu Wei knocked, today’s filming had already begun.

Hearing the earlier call for rent payment, the others gradually woke up, rubbing their sleepy eyes and stepping out, only then spotting the new guest.

“A new friend has arrived.”

They were warm and hospitable, coming downstairs without brushing their teeth or washing their faces to greet Yu Wei. Whatever they thought inside, in front of the cameras, they still had to put on a good show.

“Teacher Yu, I’m your fan!”

Su Jian, with her hair a mess like a bird’s nest, was the most enthusiastic, and saying “fan” was polite enough, but calling him “teacher” threw everyone off.

This easy-going “sunshine boy” was actually the second oldest among the guests, two years older than Yu Wei…

What teacher? When working, you must address people by their stage names!

Yu Wei didn’t like socializing but was quick to recognize people. The short-haired young man was Fei Hong, a former child actor with decent acting skills but unfortunately didn’t become popular due to changes in appearance.

The short-haired girl was Zhou Mumu, also a child actress and a frequent face in school dramas, but as she grew older, she was forced out of her comfort zone.

Though younger in age, these two had considerable experience and could be considered his seniors.

Compared to the others, Chi Leying was the only one neatly put together, with smooth, dark long hair contrasting sharply with the messy hairstyles around her, clearly having gotten up early to prepare.

Page (2/3)

She must have been the one who called for the door to be opened earlier…

Chi Leying, along with Tong Yulu and Su Jian, all debuted through talent contests and each had their own groups, so they were all from the same industry as Yu Wei.

The last one, yawning nonstop, was the star second generation, Meng Lei, who clearly hadn’t slept well but had a good attitude.

The six of them paid close attention to Yu Wei’s arrival, and their small talk mostly revolved around the song “Heart’s Wall.”

It wasn’t exactly flattering—“tormenting” new guests was customary on the show—and with his song currently popular, not discussing it would seem deliberate.

After all, a singer-songwriter in their early twenties was still too eye-catching; even if it was difficult to get along well, they couldn’t afford to alienate themselves.

“To be honest, I didn’t recognize you when you first opened the door. I couldn’t see your face clearly in the video either.”

Though Tong Yulu was makeup-free, her natural beauty was still striking, with delicate, fair skin and clear, bright eyes. A slight smile made her look spirited and elegant.

There was no denying that celebrities were much better looking than internet personalities. Even without retouching or filters, they could still rely on their looks.

The others didn’t know what Tong Yulu meant by that comment. Everyone else was praising Yu Wei’s new song, but she suddenly said she hadn’t recognized him.

It wasn’t flattery exactly—they all wanted to leave a good impression, but she seemed to be singing a different tune…

“I only remembered the song was really good. Didn’t expect you to be this handsome.”

Tong Yulu’s playful remark was tactful; it was a flattering comment, but her twist made it more palatable than being straightforward.

Flattery always works, and Yu Wei wasn’t sure if she was sincere or not, but he smiled along and didn’t take it to heart.

They were all quite sharp; it seemed gentle on the surface…

“Earlier on Blueberry Channel’s New Year’s Eve, I saw your group RUIKO1.”

Chi Leying quickly followed up with casual talk, seeming to make small talk, but her next words were loaded.

“But Yu Wei, you weren’t there at the time.”

Yu Wei’s absence from the group performance implied he wasn’t valued.

Her words carried many implications, and no one knew what Yu Wei thought of this, so no one knew how to respond…

Yu Wei hadn’t expected her to bring it up and was somewhat curious about what she wanted to say.

“But now it seems your talent has overcome capital?”

With a bright smile, she lightly brushed aside that obscure period and indirectly elevated Yu Wei to a new level.

Another skilled player?

The earlier flatterer was pandering, but this one was aiming straight for the heart—starting from the difficult path, moving to a sudden breakthrough, and ending with affirmation of his ability.

Page (3/3)

If others gave thumbs up, this one patted his shoulder and said, “Well done…”

Rather than being clever, her words felt tailor-made. Someone who truly emerged from the bottom would appreciate the latter more.

If Yu Wei really had walked that path, his heart would have warmed, but he hadn’t.

They were all clever people; compared to them, Su Jian, who called him “teacher” at first, was actually the most immature.

“I don’t deserve that. I’m nowhere near there.”

The idea of talent overcoming capital was huge and basically impossible in theory.

Even Mao Mao, who was often discussed in this context, hadn’t really overcome capital; it was just that capital eventually chose talent…

Though he wasn’t favored by the company and eventually turned things around himself, it still didn’t justify that phrase.

They dared to praise themselves but didn’t dare to claim it.

The only ones who could truly overcome capital were the great proletariat.

Seeing Yu Wei brush it off so nonchalantly, Chi Leying frowned but then smiled and said, “It seems the songwriter’s heart wall is even thicker than the one in the song…”

She meant no harm, only trying to say something nice to leave an impression. Even if her words didn’t land perfectly, it didn’t matter much.

As members of idol groups, Chi Leying’s team was rife with internal strife, but between the two factions, they always found consensus with her—not only because she was personable but because she was articulate.

Many people, when praised, appeared humble but couldn’t hide their smiles. Yet Yu Wei, since arriving today, had barely smiled when complimented.

Was he pretentious or truly humble?

Though it was somewhat a generalization, most idols in boy and girl groups were not very thoughtful. They became trainees early, detached from society, and remained childlike despite their age.

She, her teammates, and other guests on the show had all interacted this way, but today they encountered someone impervious to charm…

This Yu Wei was not simple; no wonder he could write a song with such depth. He was truly not comparable to ordinary youngsters his age.

Yu Wei was neither pretentious nor truly humble. Since he didn’t write the song, what was there to be arrogant about?

If someone praised his novel, he’d probably grin from ear to ear.

As they spoke, the landlord, Teacher Zhong Qing, arrived to collect the rent, holding a dozen or so colorful task cards…

These were all prepared for Yu Wei.