Chapter 50: Revealing the Truth

Even after being inside for quite a while, Tang Jiayi’s mind was still a little muddled. Jiang Yan, meanwhile, had already regained her composure and quickly tidied up her appearance.

Had her hair gotten messy just now? Had her makeup smudged while sleeping?

Tang Jiayi circled around Jiang Yan, looking her over from every angle, as if confirming whether she was truly real.

At last, convinced that the person before her was indeed Jiang Yan, the woman she’d seen on television, Tang Jiayi pressed her forehead in disbelief, as if she’d won the lottery.

“My god, this is incredible! I actually met Jiang Yan! How could you possibly be here?”

Female friendships ignite swiftly. In no time at all, Tang Jiayi and Jiang Yan were chatting enthusiastically, and Jiang Yan had managed to uncover all of Tang Jiayi’s secrets.

Tang Jiayi still felt a little shy around Jiang Yan and wasn’t sure how to address her.

“Jiang…”

Jiang Yan smiled gently, “Just call me sister…”

Tang Jiayi was overjoyed, “Sister Jiang Yan! I like you so much!”

When Su Chen heard the commotion and came out, he saw Jiang Yan and Tang Jiayi sitting together on the sofa, hands clasped, chattering non-stop.

Yet despite the lively atmosphere, he still sensed a certain awkwardness lingering in the air. He knew Tang Jiayi too well—being around a celebrity for the first time had left her visibly uneasy.

Especially when he inadvertently glimpsed Jiang Yan’s elegant attire, then looked at his own school uniform, he felt like an ugly duckling.

Jiang Yan, however, was warm and welcoming, chatting with Tang Jiayi as if they’d always been friends. Aside from being a little more approachable, she was no different from the Jiang Yan seen in the media.

“Su Chen’s awake? Jiayi was just praising you a moment ago!” Jiang Yan said.

Su Chen hadn’t expected Tang Jiayi to drop by so suddenly, and it was clear Jiang Yan had already grown familiar with her. Judging by their conversation, Jiang Yan seemed to know everything about their relationship—Tang Jiayi must have spilled the beans completely.

Su Chen frowned slightly, feeling a hint of displeasure. He knew Jiang Yan hadn't meant any harm; in their circles, it was a basic skill to gather information. Still, he couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable about it.

Nevertheless, he said nothing in front of Tang Jiayi. Seeing she felt out of place, he was about to help her feel more at ease when she suddenly remembered something and said to Jiang Yan,

“Sister Jiang Yan, could you give me an autograph?”

Jiang Yan smiled and took several photos from her bag.

Su Chen couldn’t help but tease, “Do you carry your own photos around every day?”

Jiang Yan shot him a glare. “Don’t speak nonsense if you don’t understand! I always bring some home—my relatives often ask for them on behalf of their friends. Whenever they visit, my mom hands out my autographs.”

Su Chen understood.

He stepped closer for a look—it was the same photo he’d seen from Wen Yan. He recalled the incident when he’d angered Jiang Yan with the comment, “You’re not really famous,” and couldn’t help but smile inwardly.

Jiang Yan evidently had the same thought. She shot Su Chen a fierce glare while Tang Jiayi, delighted, examined her new photo over and over.

Thinking of the stunned expressions of Kong Shan and Ke Jiajia when they got their photos, Tang Jiayi felt like laughing—her bragging had actually come true!

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Jiang Yan didn’t stay long and soon left, but Tang Jiayi lingered.

“Su Chen, you’re amazing! You even know Jiang Yan!”

Heh! Su Chen smiled inwardly. He’d heard that line countless times since childhood.

He didn’t know how Jiang Yan had explained things to Tang Jiayi, but since she hadn’t asked, he didn’t elaborate.

“Go back and study now!” Su Chen started ushering her out.

“I’m not leaving! I rarely get to come home.”

Su Chen shook his head. She always acted spoiled like this. But she was right—she hadn’t been home in ages, or perhaps Su Chen wasn’t around when she did return. Over the past month, the two had only met a few times.

Forget it, let her stay.

After seeing Jiang Yan off, Su Chen sat on the sofa watching TV. Tang Jiayi sat beside him, fiddling with her phone.

He watched as she played with her headphones and snatched them away.

“What are you doing?” he asked. Why cling to him only to play on her phone alone?

“Hey!” Tang Jiayi pouted, swatting Su Chen’s arm and snatching her headphones back.

“I’m listening to music! Don’t bother me!”

Suddenly, her eyes lit up with an idea. She shoved the headphones into Su Chen’s ears.

“Su Chen, have you heard this song? It’s amazing!”

It was “A Prose Poem Written by Father.”

Seeing Su Chen’s lack of reaction, she continued her enthusiastic recommendation.

“By the way, did you know the woman who wrote this song is really nice?”

She switched apps, opening her microblog to show Su Chen a post.

He glanced at it, just in time to see his own comment to the ‘Scar Girl’: “How did you drape the sunset over your shoulders?”

He felt a pang of guilt—he’d borrowed that line from somewhere—but it had captured his feelings at the time.

Lost in thought, he suddenly realized what Tang Jiayi had just said.

“How do you know whether Tang Guo is a man or a woman?”

Tang Jiayi replied matter-of-factly, “Her name is Tang Guo—have you ever met a boy named Tang Guo? And all her songs are sung by girls.”

“Well, ‘Boundless Oceans’ isn’t, but that’s not important!”

Su Chen was exasperated—how could it not be important?

He was about to explain the question Tang Jiayi had asked him previously. Picking up his phone, he logged into his Weilang account, opened his homepage, and handed it to Tang Jiayi.

She took the phone, puzzled. “Why are you showing me Tang Guo’s account? I can log in and check myself.”

Su Chen was speechless. “Look again.”

Tang Jiayi took the phone once more, scrutinized it for a long moment, and suddenly shrieked.

“Ah! Su Chen, you… you…”

She stared at Su Chen, too shocked to speak.

Su Chen was actually Tang Guo—the talented composer she’d just become a fan of!

Not only did he write beautiful songs, but he was also so warm-hearted.

She’d discovered Tang Guo after hearing about the ‘Scar Girl’ incident, then listened to his songs and immediately became a fan.

She never expected Tang Guo to be her own Su Chen!

It was beyond belief.

After a long time, once she’d calmed down, Tang Jiayi suddenly broke into a radiant smile.

“Su Chen, you’re Tang Guo! Why did you pick that name?”

Su Chen teased, “Because I’m a fan of Tang Bohu, so I just picked a name on a whim!”

“Ugh!” Tang Jiayi patted his arm, her heart sweet as honey.

“You asked me what songs I’d written before, right? It’s hard to explain over chat, but now you know. The company requires us to use stage names and has a confidentiality agreement, so I can’t tell anyone. Don’t say a word—this is important!”

He reminded her again and again, and Tang Jiayi nodded fervently.

Su Chen didn’t elaborate on his relationship with Jiang Yan, only vaguely mentioned that she and their homeroom teacher were classmates, which was how they met.

He said nothing about the rumors. With Tang Jiayi’s way of thinking, she probably wouldn’t connect the dots anyway.

Even after leaving Su Chen’s house, Tang Jiayi’s mind was still spinning.

First, she’d met Jiang Yan. Then, she’d learned Su Chen was Tang Guo.

Neither revelation was easy to digest.

But discovering her favorite composer was none other than Su Chen thrilled her beyond words.

Secretly, she opened her phone and entered Tang Guo’s fan group.

She posted a message to the group:

“Guys, let’s keep promoting Tang Guo tomorrow!”