Chapter 49: Sweet and Sour, That's Me

“Why does your husband look so mysteriously confident? Has he got some ace up his sleeve? It’s as if he’s certain he’ll secure this endorsement!” Xu Ling was puzzled. Although Qin Haiyu’s comeback on “I Am a Singer” had reignited her popularity with songs like “Little Luck,” “Sakura Grass,” and “Afterwards,” her fame still didn’t quite measure up to top-tier celebrities. Most importantly, Qin Haiyu was purely a singer—she only participated in music shows, never any other variety programs, nor had she acted in dramas. So even if advertisers approached her, the endorsement fee wouldn’t be high.

Qin Haiyu herself didn’t know why her husband seemed so confident. In the end, she could only choose to trust him. “Let’s just wait and see. Since he’s so sure, he must have come up with a good idea.”

…

In the study, Yu Zhile closed the door, turned on the computer, and tried hard to recall how that song’s lyrics began. If not for Xu Ling’s visit, he wouldn’t have remembered that old melody, once so popular it echoed through every street and alley in his childhood. And that yogurt, too—he’d drunk it so many times that just thinking of it now felt nostalgic and familiar.

Especially the image on the yogurt carton: Zhang Hanyun, smiling beside the slogan, “Sweet and Sour, That’s Me”—it was etched in his memory!

He began to hum softly:

“Liking sour and sweet, that’s the real me, every day feels so fresh to me…”

Ah!

The familiar melody echoed in his mind.

Yu Zhile closed his eyes, picturing Zhang Hanyun singing that song. Then, he scratched his head in frustration.

“Damn, how did the first line go again?”

It had been so long since he’d heard the song that he’d forgotten its opening line. That feeling of something being on the tip of his tongue, yet just out of reach, was maddening.

At that moment, his eyes landed on the headphones lying on the desk.

Suddenly, inspiration struck!

He remembered!

Hastily, he tapped at the keyboard, quietly singing that childhood-flavored tune to himself:

“Earphones in my ears like tiny trumpets
Hiding under the covers reading comics
Though I’m still in an ivory tower

How I wish to grow up overnight…”

That’s it! That’s how it starts!

He could finally remember how the song went!

Delighted, Yu Zhile hummed on:

“Dear Mom and Dad
Don’t call me a little fool
Just because I behave
Doesn’t mean I don’t have my own thoughts…”

By now, the next part was the song’s climax—the chorus—etched even more clearly in Yu Zhile’s memory.

…

In the living room, Qin Haiyu and Xu Ling watched TV while the baby slept in her room.

Xu Ling seemed to hear something from upstairs. “Is your husband humming?”

Qin Haiyu barely looked away from the screen. “Probably. He studied music, so it’s normal for him to hum when he’s in a good mood. That must mean his negotiations for the endorsement are going well.”

Xu Ling guessed, “I’m really curious how he plans to secure this endorsement. Could it be he just wants to spite Tianyou Yogurt and have you endorse for free?”

“Free? No way!” Qin Haiyu replied. “My husband isn’t foolish. What good would a free endorsement do us? I think he must’ve thought up a way to make Mengniu Yogurt’s sales skyrocket and seize a huge chunk of Tianyou Yogurt’s market.”

Xu Ling shook her head. “You really think your husband is some kind of genius? That’s a massive dairy group—what marketing method haven’t they tried? If such a trick existed, they’d have thought of it long ago.”

Qin Haiyu sniffed dismissively. “Well, in my heart, my husband is a genius!”

“…”

Xu Ling could only roll her eyes helplessly. “You’re hopeless! Forget it. Where’s the baby? I haven’t gotten to dote on her in ages—did you send her to her grandparents?”

“No, she just fell asleep! Come spoil her another day. If you wake her now, I’ll have a headache on my hands.”

Qin Haiyu’s voice brightened. “Oh, and this morning, she learned how to stand! By New Year’s, she’ll probably be walking!”

“So jealous…” Xu Ling sighed suddenly. “When will my prince come for me, riding a white horse?”

“Maybe your prince thinks you’re too heavy and is afraid you’ll crush his horse. That’s why he hasn’t come for you yet!” Qin Haiyu burst out laughing at her own joke.

Xu Ling shot her a look of utter disdain. “I lost five pounds this month!”

“Keep it up! If you lose five pounds a month, in ten months your prince will be here with his white horse.”

Xu Ling groaned, “Losing weight is too hard! It’s all your fault for encouraging me to start a hotpot restaurant. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gained over thirty pounds in two years!”

Qin Haiyu rolled her eyes. “Then why not open a gym instead?”

Xu Ling replied, “Funny you mention it—I’m actually planning to open a gym! I’ll put it right between our neighborhoods so you can bring the kids over, too.”

Qin Haiyu was stunned. “I was just joking! You’re really opening a gym? I’ve heard lots of gyms go bankrupt.”

Xu Ling shrugged. “It’s fine. I’m a little rich now—even if I lose money, it won’t hurt much.”

Qin Haiyu teased, “That’s true! You own two hotpot restaurants. Opening a gym is nothing for you!”

Annoyed, Xu Ling said, “Stop teasing! If you hadn’t given me the money, I couldn’t have opened the restaurants. If you two hadn’t promoted them for free, they wouldn’t be this successful.”

Suddenly, Qin Haiyu grew serious. “If you hadn’t always been there for me, encouraging me to stand back up, I’d have lost all passion for life. If you hadn’t dragged me to study and go to university, I’d never have met him, never had this happy life.”

Qin Haiyu squeezed Xu Ling’s hand, her gratitude clear. “Lingling, I’ll always remember everything you’ve done for me—all my life.”

Xu Ling pushed her head off her shoulder. “Enough with the mushy talk, Qin Haiyu! Be normal!”

“I’m serious!” Qin Haiyu insisted.

“Yes, yes…” Xu Ling rolled her eyes. She regretted bringing this up—Qin Haiyu had finally moved on from her sorrows and started a beautiful new life, yet today she’d accidentally reminded her of bittersweet memories.

So Xu Ling changed the subject. “Is old Yu still negotiating?”

Qin Haiyu glanced at the second floor. “Deals worth tens of millions take time.”

Xu Ling quipped, “Yeah right! For a has-been singer like you, even four or five million for a three-year endorsement would be good!”

“You’re the has-been!” Qin Haiyu retorted. “I’m more popular now than I ever was! Haven’t you seen how big ‘Little Luck’ is?”

Xu Ling poked at her pride. “Let’s be honest—the song is famous, not you.”

Qin Haiyu was lost for words…

Meanwhile, Yu Zhile had just finished writing out the lyrics to “Sweet and Sour, That’s Me,” and then dialed the number Xu Ling had sent him, ready to negotiate a lucrative deal with Mengniu Group.