King of Music

By Sabrina Schmid

He has previously won the championship in the finals of "The King of Singers" and is now well-known in the film and television and variety show circles. He is involved in a wide range of areas. If the program crew really invites him, he can also give a wonderful performance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sabrina Schmid
• Release date: Jun 14, 2024
• ISBN: 9798227509178

Book preview

Chapter 1​

THE PLANK OF THE BED was noticeably dented, and when you lifted the straw mat, you could see that a long vertical plank had collapsed.

In order to respect the privacy of the guests, the camera could not capture the entire wooden bed. Emily Henry could almost imagine the direction of public opinion after the show was broadcast. The whole network would be curious about how the bed collapsed , and they would not be able to explain it even if they jumped into the Yellow River.

The most important thing is that the bed collapsed, and he and Lucas Masson were going to spend the next two days.

Emily Henry glanced at the camera out of the corner of her eye, coughed lightly, and said to save the situation: The quality of this bed is not good. It creaks when I turn over in the middle of the night , and when I wake up, the bed is collapsed , even though we didn't do anything.

He said this specifically for the audience who would be watching the variety show at that time to hear, to avoid a group of people screaming and misunderstanding what they had done to cause the bed to collapse .

Lucas Masson couldn't help but laugh, then he suddenly remembered that Lisa Chevalier said that each group could take away the clues outside. He knew that he couldn't dawdle here any longer, so he lowered his head to look at the bed board, slowly loosened his hands, and put down the brown mat.

Anyway, we can't waste time here now. Let's eat something first, then go out and look for clues, and come back to think of a solution later.

Emily Henry was about to say OK when she saw Lucas Masson gently lift the mat again, reach out and move the wooden board, and see the color hidden in the darkness from under the collapsed wooden board.

Lucas Masson: There's something hidden under this bed.

Emily Henry reacted quickly, squatted down and felt around, her hands were covered in dust, and after a while she finally pulled out a handful of heavy money.

It's actually money.

Emily Henry found it incredible and did a rough count: there must be at least 20,000 or 30,000 of them.

Judging from the environment, this was obviously not the era they lived in. Twenty or thirty thousand yuan was a considerable sum of money in that era, enough for the owner of the thatched house to eat and drink well.

However, from what they have discovered now, the protagonist is very poor, so poor that he can barely make ends meet.

The two men stuffed the money back to its original place and searched the thatched house, but they only found four steamed buns and some wild vegetables, but no rice.

In other words, this is all the food they have for three meals a day.

Emily Henry couldn't help but frowned, her eyes lit up, and she thought about money. She turned her head to look at Lucas Masson and said, Brother , do you think there is a small town nearby? We can buy a new bed and food so that we can buy it!

Lucas Masson said: It’s hard to say.

the production crew dropped them off last night , they could clearly feel that the journey was very long.

It would probably take a whole day to walk back from here, not to mention finding any small town.

Lucas Masson searched everywhere but still couldn't find any extra food: It looks like we can only eat these for now, and then we'll go outside and see if there's anything to eat.

Emily Henry wilted, said okay, and handed two steamed buns to Lucas Masson: Here, eat.

Chapter 2

LUCAS MASSON SAW THAT he looked depressed, thought for a moment and said: It is possible that there is a small town nearby, we can look for it later. Then he successfully saw Emily Henry perked up and looked energetic.

Lucas Masson curled the corners of his lips and reached out to take the steamed bun. His palms had become a little dirty when he was searching for things, but he didn't care and ate the steamed bun.

Emily Henry took a light bite and almost hurt his teeth. The bun was very hard, and his jaw muscles were sore after chewing it several times. When he swallowed it, it got stuck in his throat, making it difficult for him to swallow.

Lucas Masson obviously felt the same way. It was so unpalatable that his throat rolled as he tried to swallow it.

He turned around and went to get the kettle, but it was empty. He could only use the old aluminum kettle to boil a pot of water.

The person who lives here lives alone and has only one daily necessities. Lucas Masson poured the boiling water into the only cup, bent down to blew on it, and after a while, handed the cup to Emily Henry.

Emily Henry was stunned, lowered her eyes and smiled, took the cup, pinched the handle of the cup with her fingers, rubbed it gently and asked: Brother, do you mind if I drink it directly?

In fact, when he asked such a question, the audience might find it very strange. After all, there was nothing wrong with two men sharing a water cup in a harsh environment.

Lucas Masson's eyes fell on his hands, and quickly moved elsewhere: I don't mind.

Emily Henry smiled, tilted her head back and took two sips, then handed it to Lucas Masson: You should drink two sips too, this steamed bun is too hard to swallow.

Lucas Masson gripped the handle of the glass, his dark eyes swept downwards, he slightly opened his lips and drank the remaining water in the glass.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they opened the door of the thatched hut and walked out.

IN THE DEEP MOUNTAINS and forests, Emily Henry and Lucas Masson walked through the dense grass, stopping and starting, looking for clues.

However, it was as if the program team had not provided any clues at all. They searched carefully but found nothing.

Emily Henry narrowed her eyes, looked into the distance through the dense woods, and suddenly asked: Are Brother Fang Yan and his men very far away from us? Otherwise, how could we not see any human figures and find any clues when we have walked such a long way?

His crow-feather eyelashes drooped, his gaze fell on the flowers and plants on the ground , he looked back at the road they came from, and asked this question with profound meaning.

Lucas Masson listened, turned his head and looked at him, and instantly understood what he meant: You mean, the clue will be somewhere close to our three groups.

There will not be a situation where it is very close to one group but too far away from the other two groups.

Emily Henry met his gaze and praised him without hesitation: Smart.

That's what I mean!

The guests can take the clues outside the hut back with them. In order to ensure that each group can obtain clues and have a certain amount of information so as not to fall behind from the beginning of the game and lose the watchability of the show, the program team is most likely to place the clues at the same distance from each group.

If they go forward, and Fang Yan, Luo Yongqi and their thatched house are not in front of them, then there may be no clues along this road, as it is beyond the scope of the clues arranged by the program team.

Lucas Masson said: So now we have to go to a high place, preferably to see where their thatched houses are, so as to determine the approximate location of the clues.

Emily Henry: Yes.

The two of them set off as soon as they said they would, walking quickly up the hillside, breathing slightly.

The grass is too thick.

Emily Henry reached out to push aside the knee-high grass and accidentally cut the back of her hand, leaving a bloody mark.

He lowered his head and wiped away the blood. Lucas Masson turned back to see where he had gone, and saw blood on the back of his hand.

Lucas Masson stretched out his hand to him without hesitation: Give me your hand, I'll pull you up.

Emily Henry blinked, as if she wanted to say something, but the show was being recorded. He paused for two seconds, curled the corners of his lips, and put his hand on Lucas Masson's palm.

Thanks bro.

After climbing up the hillside, they were finally able to overlook the surrounding scenery.

The whole mountain seemed desolate, and the small town that Emily Henry had expected was nowhere to be seen, which was a great disappointment.

Fortunately, the effort was not in vain. Emily Henry soon saw two thatched houses. She raised her eyebrows and pointed in that direction: I saw it. Fang Yan and He Yan are there. Luo Yongqi and Lillou Petit just came out.

The three thatched houses are connected in a triangle, and this area is the most likely place to find clues.

Of course, it is not ruled out that the program team will place clues outside the triangular area, but the main clues are definitely inside it, and the difficulty cannot be too great, otherwise none of the three groups will be able to solve the story, and it will be boring to play.

Lucas Masson said: Fang Yan and the others have been heading in the right direction from the beginning, they may have found something, we must go there now.

Emily Henry didn't expect that he would have to run down just after coming up. He wanted to laugh but couldn't . Considering that there were a lot of cameras around, he held back his swear words. Finally, he shamelessly pulled Lucas Masson's arm: I can't walk anymore, give me a hand.

It is justified to hold hands.

Lucas Masson pondered his words for a moment. He felt that Emily Henry was no longer as ambiguous as before, but was starting to ask for something from him more through actions.

It's as if he wants to go deeper on this path, rather than just staying on the surface of ambiguity.

Lucas Masson put away his thoughts and reached out to grab Emily Henry's wrist. At this moment, he saw a grave on the hill in the distance and paused: Should we find a chance to go there and take a look?

Emily Henry looked in the direction he pointed and saw a desolate grave. He felt a cold wind blowing towards him. He shook off the trembling feeling and said to Lucas Masson: We'll talk about it later after we find some clues.

What if this is a tomb that already existed on this mountain?

Decryption in the wild is a physical job.

They headed straight for the triangular area formed by the straw houses. After reaching their destination, they gradually slowed down and began to look for clues.

Emily Henry: Let's take this opportunity to review the clues we have.

Lucas Masson：Okay.

Emily Henry: First of all, we already know that the protagonist of the story is a writer.

Lucas Masson: He could also be someone who wants to be a writer. Judging from the letters that great writers have written to him, he probably hasn’t achieved much in terms of writing for the time being.

He used extremely precise words, saying temporary because this is the first day they enter the story. In the words of Lisa Chevalier, this is the beginning of the story's timeline. Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, the clues will change, and the story will have deeper changes.

Emily Henry agreed: Yes, he seems unsuccessful now and is extremely self-doubting. He has a lot of scraps and is a perfectionist.

Lucas Masson said: He is a loyal fan of the great writer. The books of the great writer are the most numerous on his bookshelf. He also has a good relationship with the great writer and they exchange letters. Maybe the letter in the thatched house is not the only one, but we have not found anything else.

There is another very important point. Emily Henry said straightforwardly that he had money, at least 20,000 or 30,000 yuan, but the money was covered with dust under his bed, which showed that he had never used it.

Lucas Masson asks the question: Why does he have the money but doesn't use it?

Emily Henry said: One possibility is that he is very thrifty and he is reluctant to spend the money, or he wants to keep the money for something else. Another possibility is that the money is ill-gotten gains and he dare not use it.

Ill-gotten gains?

Lucas Masson wonders if this definition is too negative.

But now everything is in doubt and question mark, and the questions raised by Emily Henry are worth thinking about.

Lucas Masson: That's it for now.

The two searched the area for a while, and found that the deep mountains and forests were full of insects they had never seen before. Fortunately, it was winter and there were no snakes in the mountains, reducing the uncertain danger.

Emily Henry had sharp eyes and noticed a palm-sized piece of soil in front of the big tree. It was very special and different from the other soil. It seemed to be bulging, so she squatted down immediately.

Brother, come and take a look, there must be something here.

Lucas Masson heard this and walked over.

Emily Henry was wondering whether she had to dig it out with her bare hands, so Lucas Masson simply broke off a branch and used the tip of the branch to pick up a thin layer of soil, revealing the iron box inside.

There really is something.

Emily Henry whistled happily, looked at Lucas Masson with a smile, reached out and picked up the slender handle on the iron box, took the iron box out, and swept the dirt off the iron box with her hands.

This is also the first outdoor clue they have received on the show.

Emily Henry asks: Guess what it is.

Lucas Masson said: Believe.

As soon as he finished speaking, Emily Henry opened the iron box.

Sure enough, it was letters that filled the entire iron box.

There is no doubt that this is an important clue to the whole story.

Emily Henry: You actually guessed it right!

He was very interested and picked up the top letter and opened it.

I heard that you have created a new story recently . I have been looking forward to it for a long time. If you are willing, please send it to me. Although you have not published a book yet, I always think that you have a talent for storytelling. I hope you can calm down and write slowly. Don't worry, I am your most loyal reader, great writer.

The date was marked on the back, which was exactly one month before the letter was found in the hut.

It seems that during this month, the owner of the thatched cottage sent the manuscript to the other party and received the other party's evaluation: the plot setting still has flaws.

However, judging from the content of this letter, the great writer seems to have always encouraged him to create and appreciated his writing talent. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is his mentor.

Lucas Masson suggested: Let's watch it in chronological order, otherwise it might be confusing.

Emily Henry said yes.

The earliest letter was under the iron box.

Hello, I am a great writer. Not long ago, I had the honor of seeing your manuscript at a familiar publishing house editor. I wrote this letter hoping to get to know you. Although the editor said your manuscript does not meet the publishing standards, I am very interested in this story. I think you just lack writing skills. If you trust me, I will give you some suggestions for revision and support you to continue on this path. Great writer

Unexpectedly, the correspondence between the two actually started with the great writer.

The following letters mainly revolve around the great writer's writing advice to the protagonist, and it is only later that the two begin to have intersections in life.

I heard that you have had a hard time recently, so I sent this letter to offer you a little help. I hope you can accept my kindness and continue to create your story.

As soon as the letter came out, Emily Henry and Lucas Masson looked at each other, and they obviously confirmed from each other's eyes that their thoughts collided.

Emily Henry: A small help, so that means the money?

Lucas Masson: Almost 80 percent.

Very good, they have already scored part of the first story's points.

The earliest letter in the iron box was written two years ago. The content of the letter was very plain, full of encouragement from the great writer to the protagonist. The protagonist seemed to have rejected his kindness, but he still insisted on doing the protagonist some small favors in different letters, which was a euphemism for sending money, hoping that he would not be disturbed by life.

When the great writer took the initiative to talk about his life, more than a year had passed since the two met.

I often feel regret for my failed marriage, regret that I cannot understand each other with my ex-wife, regret that I cannot accompany my son to grow up. Not long ago, I met my four-year-old son, but he didn't recognize me and called me uncle. That call made me cry and I didn't know where to start. Great writer

Emily Henry snapped her fingers and thought: Let me highlight this point. The great writer is divorced and has a four-year-old son. The son is not close to him. I wonder if this clue will be developed in the subsequent story.

Lucas Masson said this looked like it would be an important plot point. He reached out to close the tin, and was about to put it away to take back later.

As a result, this important clue was lost in their hands.

Without this clue, it would be much more difficult for the other two groups to restore the truth of the story.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard behind them.

When Emily Henry turned around, he saw Fang Yan and He Yan appear in front of him.

He Yan raised his eyebrows and looked at the iron box in their hands first: Have you found the clue?

Emily Henry stood up, curled the corners of her lips, and asked casually: Yeah, didn’t you find it?

The meaning of Emily Henry's rhetorical question is very clear.

You asked us if we had found any clues, obviously hoping to get something from us.

In this case, you and I should have a give-and-take relationship. If you want to know something from me, you have to give something in return.

Fang Yan and He Yan looked at each other: We found the same clue.

Emily Henry raised her eyelids, smiled lazily and asked: Do you want to exchange?

The two groups are working together this time, and from now on each side will rely on their own abilities. This is better than both sides having no idea.

Fang Yan agreed immediately: Okay.

He Yan took out a knife from his backpack.

This is what we found, a bloody knife.

The blood on the blade had dried, revealing a dark red color.

Chapter 3​

A BLOODY KNIFE.

what does that mean.

Emily Henry and Lucas Masson looked at each other. Emily Henry took the knife, looked at it over and over again, and confirmed that there was no information on the knife except blood.

Neither side was sure what clues the other party had found, so they tried to think carefully before speaking .

Finally, Fang Yan exhaled a breath and said tentatively: You should have seen the pile of waste manuscripts he left in the thatched house. There was a letter in the waste manuscripts, which was sent from the great writer to the protagonist. The letter mentioned that the protagonist sent the manuscript to the great writer, who thought that there were flaws in the plot and regretted that they could not meet in person to talk.

Fang Yan and He Yan both saw that there were letters in their iron box, but they didn't know what the contents of the letters were.

So they were sure that even if Emily Henry and others did not find the letter in the scrap manuscript, the letter in the iron box must have revealed the information to them. Only then did Fang Yan tell them the clue he found in the straw house.

Emily Henry looked at Fang Yan's expression and said with a slight smile: I see. Come on, in exchange, I'll show you the letter in the iron box.

Whoever finds the clue can take it away.

In comparison, the advantages they hold are obviously greater.

What Fang Yan and He Yan had in their hands was at best a bloody knife with nothing on it, but what they had was a box of letters full of information, which they could take back and study carefully.

He Yan reached out to take the iron box, brushed away the thin layer of dirt on it, covered the opening with his fingers, opened it upwards, and read the letters one by one with Fang Yan.

Fang Yan: I have a question now, why did a knife with blood stains appear in the bushes? From the clues we know now, there is almost no one living nearby, why does the protagonist live in such a remote mountain.

As soon as Emily Henry heard it, she knew Fang Yan had something to say. She hummed softly and threw the conversation back: Brother Fang Yan, what do you think?

Fang Yan: I guess he was being hunted by someone, so he hid in these deep mountains and forests.

Anyway, any speculation at this stage is reasonable.

Emily Henry: Another possibility is that he killed someone and was afraid of being discovered, so he hid here.

As soon as he said this, everyone looked at him.

He Yan: It’s not impossible.

Chapter 4​

THE POSSIBILITY IS too great. If the protagonist has ever gotten into trouble that concerns his life, is being hunted, and is hiding in the mountains and forests, he may still be discovered and killed, or even die without anyone noticing.

In comparison, it seems quite likely that the protagonist killed someone and fled into the mountains for fear of crime.

He Yan: But according to what you said, he must have killed someone in this mountain, otherwise the bloody knife would not appear here.

The more you talk about it, the more it sounds like a story of a murderer who fled and hid in the mountains for decades.

Lucas Masson said bluntly: There are too few clues now, and there is no point in pushing it too deep, so let's put it aside for now.

Lucas Masson is a typical person who speaks based on facts. If there are not enough clues, he will not make too many speculations. If he continues to speculate around the assumption that the protagonist may have killed someone in this deep forest, he may waste a lot of time on useless work.

Emily Henry was awakened by Lucas Masson's words and suddenly realized: Yes, it is more important to find clues now.

The two sides exchanged clues belonging to their own groups.

Emily Henry was holding the iron box in her hand and was about to part ways with them when she heard Fang Yan say: It's not very efficient for us to continue looking like this, especially since the clues will be replaced the next day. How about this, we split up and work in two groups to look for clues separately?

He Yan turned his head and asked him: Do you mean that the four of us should act separately and come back to meet after finding the clues?

Fang Yan nodded: Yes.

Hearing them say this, Emily Henry began to have concerns.

Four people acting separately means that you will never know what the other party has found. You can only see the clues he is willing to show you. If he hides something important, no one will know.

Of course, he and Lucas Masson can also play tricks and become the ones who conceal clues. This is the way the show is played and the highlight. However, it is still early in the story. If they cannot get real and effective clues from the beginning, it will be more difficult to decipher later.

Emily Henry: I don't agree with the four of us going separately. Let's form teams of two. I'll go with Brother Fang Yan, and Brother Lucas Masson, you and He Yan will go with us. We should calculate the time, and when we think it's almost time, we can go back the same way.

He Yan: Sure.

The two sides reached a diplomatic policy of friendship and mutual assistance and formed a new team in pairs.

Fang Yan stretched out his arms enthusiastically towards Emily Henry, pretending to hug him: Come on, baby, let's have fun together , you are mine now!

Just when Emily Henry was speechless and was about to give this straight man a polite high -five or a hug, the man behind him suddenly grabbed his wrist and made him stop half a meter in front of Fang Yan.

Lucas Masson: Come back when you're hungry . Don't force yourself. We need to find something to eat.

There was a shortage of supplies in the thatched house. They each ate two steamed buns this morning, and there were a few wild vegetables left in the house. It was impossible to fill their stomachs.

They didn't have a clock to tell time now, so they could only rely on their senses. They should eat at noon, otherwise they wouldn't have the energy to look for clues in the afternoon.

Emily Henry nodded without thinking, and curled the corners of her lips: Wait for me to come back.

Fang Yan sighed and deliberately teased them, shouting at them like a soul-stirring person, Hurry up , I've been waiting so long that the flowers are all withered.

EMILY HENRY AND FANG Yan walked towards Luo Yongqi's thatched cottage, while Lucas Masson and He Yan walked in the opposite direction.

The perspective from the mountain at that time was different from that of walking on flat ground now. Emily Henry could only walk based on his sense of direction, and he was not sure whether the road he was taking would lead to Luo Yongqi and her friends' thatched cottage.

It was not until they reached a cliff that they