Study System: I'm a 38-Year-Old Student-Chapter 324 - 217: Surprised, Father-in-Law? They’re All My People!

Chapter 324: Chapter 217: Surprised, Father-in-Law? They’re All My People!

Because so many people came to check in, the commercial street’s traffic was way higher than usual. Other businesses could also get a share of the pie.

In a way, Shen Qiushan was contributing to the local economy around the University Town.

And the hype kept going...

Because the Red Rose Band made it all the way into the top eight on the stage of Voice of Hua Country, carving out their place against all odds.

It had already been two months since the Red Rose Band first stepped onto the stage of Voice of Hua Country.

Sanjiang City had entered its damp, chilly winter.

Unlike the dry cold up north, southern winters brought a sort of "magical attack" with their dampness.

Even when the temperature was technically above zero, sometimes it still froze you to the bone.

The Red Rose Tavern was as lively as ever.

Since the weather turned cold, lately the high-proof baijiu was a bigger hit than before.

Friday morning.

The tavern hadn’t opened yet.

The entire Red Rose Band was rehearsing on stage. The top eight contest had a format a bit different from before.

It consisted of two parts.

Besides the regular group performance, there was also a "guest performer" segment.

The top eight contestants could invite "friends" to help out, and the votes from the guest performance would count towards their total.

So, guest performers became crucial. This was the time for contestants to flex their connections.

If you could invite a singer with real name recognition, you’d naturally score more votes.

The show gave contestants two options: one was to invite someone yourself, the other was to pick from a list of singers provided by the production team.

Although most Voice of Hua Country contestants were either washed-up singers, nobodies, or internet celebrities,

the show’s so hot and attention-grabbing that lots of singers were still eager to guest perform.

There were a few big-name singers on the list from the show.

The Red Rose Band didn’t have any industry connections, so there was no way they could get a superstar.

So right now, the girls were holding the list from the show, discussing who to work with.

"Momo, you guys can stop for a bit."

"Come have some fruit!"

Just as Lin Xiamo and the others were discussing, Shen Qiushan walked into the tavern—not alone.

He brought along his mother-in-law, Chen Qingzhu.

Ever since she found out about Shen Qiushan and her daughter Lin Xiamo’s "secret," Chen Qingzhu had been getting closer and closer with her son-in-law.

Of course, this was all part of Shen Qiushan’s plan.

His thinking was simple: get on good terms with Chen Qingzhu, pull her into his camp.

That way, when it was time to confess everything to his father-in-law, Lin Moxuan, he’d have a powerful ally.

Originally, Shen Qiushan’s strategy was to win over Lin Moxuan, but that old fox was way too shrewd—Qiushan’s tricks hardly ever worked on him.

Especially after they struck the "father-in-law/son-in-law alliance," now that Lin Moxuan knew Qiushan had something on him, he was even more careful, never wanting to owe any more favors.

He was afraid Shen Qiushan would "corrupt" him completely.

So, Shen Qiushan switched tactics. Since Director Lin wasn’t easy to work on,

he’d win over mother-in-law Chen Qingzhu first, plus his already bribed sister-in-law, Lin Jiayu.

The Lin Family had four members.

Three of them were already on Qiushan’s team!

In other words, Director Lin was basically "on the sidelines" now.

But if he wanted Chen Qingzhu to really take his side, there was still one last thing to do.

Give her exactly what she likes.

Help mother-in-law achieve her dream!

Before retirement, Chen Qingzhu was a singer in the art troupe; she’d been singing all her life.

And as a singer, what’s the one thing you need most? A stage!

The reason Chen Qingzhu sang live on KuaYin was because, after losing her stage, she needed an outlet to perform.

So, if he could get his mother-in-law Chen Qingzhu up on an even bigger stage, she’d be 100% on his team.

A die-hard supporter!

That’s why, lately, Shen Qiushan had been frantically racking up Scholar Index points for the lottery draws.

Hoping to draw a song and find something suited for Chen Qingzhu.

And just last night—

Shen Qiushan’s hard work finally paid off. He drew a song that was perfect for Chen Qingzhu.

A plan started forming in his mind.

"Mom, what brings you here?"

Lin Xiamo didn’t expect her mom at the tavern, so she was surprised.

"Qiushan picked me up."

"He said you guys hit a snag, and needed an old hand like me to help out."

Chen Qingzhu beamed as she spoke.

"Huh?"

Lin Xiamo froze, glancing suspiciously at Shen Qiushan.

She definitely hadn’t mentioned needing her mom’s help with anything.

Hu Tingting and the others were also confused—what trick did Shen Qiushan have up his sleeve this time!

"Let’s take a break for a bit."

"Have some fruit."

Shen Qiushan set the fruit on the table, peeled an orange, and handed two juicy segments right to Lin Xiamo’s lips: "These oranges are really sweet. Try one."

"Ugh~"

"Brother Shen, could you maybe spare a thought for us single people?"

Zhu Xinyue complained from the side.

"Then hurry up and find yourself a boyfriend."

Shen Qiushan shrugged.

With his and Chen Qingzhu’s arrival, the group paused their discussion for now.

Once everyone had some fruit—

Shen Qiushan finally spoke up: "So you guys still haven’t picked your guest performer, right?"

"Nope, still discussing!"

Hu Tingting forwarded the show’s guest singer list to Shen Qiushan: "Brother Shen, help us out—see who you think’s the best fit."

Shen Qiushan didn’t even glance at the list, just grinned and said, "None of those people are suitable."

"I’ve got the perfect candidate right here."

"Huh?"

"Who?"

All four girls looked skeptically at Shen Qiushan, super curious about who he meant.

Shen Qiushan cleared his throat, pointed at Chen Qingzhu, and announced loudly: "Renowned singer, winner of the national singing contest first prize—Ms. Chen Qingzhu!"

Huh??

As soon as he said it,

Lin Xiamo and the others were stunned.

Mom?

Aunt Chen??

The four looked at each other, all with complicated expressions.

As already discussed, the guest performer for the guest segment was super important.

The best is to have someone well-known, with heat—then your votes would almost definitely be higher.

While Chen Qingzhu was a professional singer, she came from an art troupe and wasn’t famous at all.

No extra bonus points!

Plus, Chen Qingzhu was at her age—not really matching their vibe.

"Qiushan, you’re kidding, right?"

Lin Xiamo frowned.

Ever since things got real with Shen Qiushan, she’d changed how she addressed him.

Of course, sometimes Qiushan still insisted she call him "brother-in-law."

"Of course I’m not!"

"I wrote a new song that’s perfect for Mom!"

"It’ll also be a fresh style for your band to try."

"Take this song onto the stage of Voice of Hua Country and you’ll be an instant hit!"

Shen Qiushan said, totally confident.

"A new song?"

"Brother Shen, you finally have a new piece out!"

Just hearing there was a new song made Hu Tingting instantly excited.

Fang Di and Zhu Xinyue’s eyes sparkled too. The Red Rose Band was getting a lot of buzz lately, right?

But with the buzz also came criticism: the most common complaint was that, aside from their hit "Red Rose," the band had no other songs.

So now that Shen Qiushan said there was a new song, all four were naturally keenly interested.

"Mom, time to show them what you’ve got!"

Shen Qiushan shot a look at Chen Qingzhu.

He’d sent her the new song he got from the lottery last night. She already had both lyrics and melody down cold.

On the way over, the two of them rehearsed it twice and it sounded great.

Chen Qingzhu walked onto the stage, and Shen Qiushan followed. He picked up the mic, smiling as he announced, "Next, please enjoy the song ’The Most Popular National Style’!"