Chapter 1: Emperor Bar

In H City, a city with a vibrant nightlife, Emperor Bar, located in a scenic area, is undoubtedly one of the most famous bars.
It was another Friday, and at this time every week, Emperor Bar’s business was several times busier than usual. The reason was simple: on this day, a young man would come to perform there.
“Brother Long is here!” the security guard at the bar entrance greeted a tall man.
The man was about 1.85 meters tall, relatively young, likely in his twenties or thirties. With thick eyebrows and big eyes, his short buzz cut gave him a sharp appearance, blending good looks with a rugged vibe. He wore a high-end white silk shirt with the top button undone, revealing faint traces of his chest muscles, which drew frequent glances from the women around but kept them at a distance. He was dressed in crisp dark blue trousers and shiny leather shoes, which seemed out of place in such a noisy environment. Behind him were two men with an imposing presence, even taller than him, seemingly his bodyguards.
When the man entered the bar, the men and women who had been dancing carefreely stopped being as unrestrained, reducing their movements significantly, clearly wary of him. As he passed by, everyone stepped aside, allowing him to easily reach the center of the bar, closest to the stage. He frowned slightly. “Where’s Brother Feng? Hasn’t he arrived yet?”
“He hasn’t arrived yet. Maybe there’s traffic. As you know, Friday at this time is peak rush hour…” A fat man wearing a yellow printed shirt and blue shorts blinked his small eyes and approached obsequiously, puffing out his belly.
“This guy is always late. That’s not a good habit,” the man said, shaking his head slightly and looking thoughtful.
“Who are you talking about?” a magnetic young voice came from the entrance.
Everyone turned to look. It was a young man with a somewhat youthful face, appearing around twenty years old. He had a handsome face and a tall, slender build, about 1.78 meters tall. Those unfamiliar with him were surprised by his attire—his student clothes, clearly not suitable for a social setting, remained on, making it seem unlikely he was there to burn off excess energy.
“Haha, Brother Feng, you’ve finally arrived.” The seemingly important man referred to this younger man, nearly ten years his junior, as Brother Feng.

“Bro Long, you’re here again…” The young man’s expression clearly showed a hint of helplessness.
“Aren’t I here to support Bro Feng? How could I ever be absent?” The man called Bro Long still wore a mischievous smile on his face. He glanced around at the people present before turning his gaze back. “Bro Feng, it seems you’re mine again tonight… There doesn’t seem to be any competition today, no suspense at all.”
The young man also quickly scanned the surroundings before shaking his head helplessly. “I’m going to change.”
Bro Long smiled at him in a lewd manner. “Go ahead, go ahead. Be careful—those perverts might be spying.”
He pretended not to hear and walked past Bro Long straight toward the dressing room.
“Xiao Feng, you made it. Must have been traffic again today, haha…” The man speaking to the young man was the middle-aged man who had talked to Bro Long earlier. He had a few sparse hairs hanging over his head, his face oily and shiny. He wore a flashy yellow printed shirt and “sexy” blue beach pants, along with messy flip-flops. He was the owner of this Emperor Bar—Liu Hai.
“President Liu, how did you find time to come today?” The young man smiled faintly.
“It’s because that one from last week got boring. I’m here to find a new one today. You know, every Friday, thanks to you, there are several more pretty girls here, which saves me a lot of trouble, hehe…” President Liu laughed lasciviously, showing his yellowed teeth. “By the way, Xiao Feng, you’re almost twenty now. Do you have a girlfriend? If not, I can introduce you to a few.”
“Better not. I know you’ve received quite a few red envelopes from those girls. It’s your business how you deal with them. Anyway, I’m not going on dates with them.” The young man smiled and shrugged. “We already agreed that I’m only responsible for singing; I can’t do anything else.”
“Hehe, I get it. You sing but don’t sell yourself…” President Liu laughed hollowly twice before walking away awkwardly. “Go get ready. Sing well later. I’ll go find some girls.”
The young man simply smiled indifferently at President Liu’s teasing remarks and then walked through the corridor into the dressing room.

The young man’s name was Ye Feng. An orphan, he never knew who his parents were or where they lived; he grew up alone in an orphanage. Yet he never caused anyone any worries. From elementary school all the way through college, he was always the top student. As a result, most of his tuition was waived, and the remaining amount was covered by donations from kind-hearted people and occasional part-time jobs he did. At the age of 18, he became the top scorer in the provincial college entrance exam and was admitted to XX University, where he became a distinguished student. His arrival at the Imperial Bar was purely coincidental: on a boring weekend during his freshman year, his roommates insisted on going to the most famous bar in City H—the Imperial Bar—to experience its grandeur. Ye Feng, who was originally reading in the library, was dragged along unintentionally. Encouraged by his peers, he not only agreed to go to the bar but was also accused of various false charges by his mischievous roommates, forcing him to sing a song in front of everyone.

He was naturally easy-going and couldn’t resist their enthusiasm. Under their persistent urging, he reluctantly stepped onto the stage that was barely more than three feet wide. What happened next was highly dramatic. Everyone thought it would just be a casual singing session for some fun. But when Ye Feng chose “Just the Way You Are,” its lively melody, clear and smooth pronunciation, and powerful voice instantly silenced the crowd.

“Oh—her eyes, her eyes. Make the stars look like they’re not shining. Her hair, her hair. Falls perfectly without her trying… She’s so beautiful, and I tell her every day…” (Oh, her eyes—making the stars seem dim. Her hair falls perfectly without any effort… She’s so beautiful, and I praise her every day…)

Everyone present was captivated. The song ended quickly, and Ye Feng’s somewhat youthful charm only made the girls there scream even more.

After seeing Ye Feng’s performance, the bar owner, Liu, immediately started to plan things out. He was well aware that with proper promotion, Ye Feng could definitely become an idol as well as a talented singer. If he could convince Ye Feng to sing at his bar, he would surely become a money-making asset. So, as soon as Ye Feng left the stage, Liu secretly approached him and proposed that he come once a week to sing one song for 1,000 yuan each time, with the time flexible at his choice.

At first, Ye Feng was reluctant to agree, as he considered this kind of job not to be a proper one. He was also worried that he might not bring profits to Liu, and it would be embarrassing if he caused losses, so he hesitated.

Liu, being a shrewd businessman, made a decision right away: a one-month trial period. If the results weren’t good, he would still pay the 1,000 yuan, but Ye Feng wouldn’t need to come again the following month. He calculated that even if he lost money, it would only be 4,000 yuan, but if things went well, the profits would far exceed that amount.

Since Ye Feng needed the money too, he had no choice but to agree to the trial.

Unexpectedly, during those four performances in a month, many customers came specifically to hear him sing. This made Liu even more convinced of Ye Feng’s potential as a money-maker. As a perceptive businessman, he saw an opportunity right away and knew that Ye Feng would surely become his lucky charm. After some persuasion, he successfully signed a contract with Ye Feng.

He also changed Ye Feng’s performance time to every Friday night, when there were more customers during the weekend, allowing more people to hear him. He introduced a karaoke-style system where only one customer could bid the highest amount to have Ye Feng sing a song for them. Although it seemed like the song was meant for that one person, in reality, Ye Feng would sing it for everyone present, mentioning beforehand that it was a song dedicated to that person to satisfy their slight vanity. Yet, it was this little vanity that drove many women crazy. The money from these performances was split 60-40 between Liu and Ye Feng. In this way, Ye Feng stayed at the bar for nearly half a year. Many people came to know his name. Although he only performed once a week, singing one song, he earned more than many white-collar workers, and his tuition fees were no longer a concern.