"Is it necessary to go for the kill?"
Sister Feng felt her thoughts were a bit naive. In the entertainment industry, going for the kill was inevitable. Da Hua Entertainment was a giant in the industry, capable of both underhanded tricks and overt schemes.
Given the current number of Li Xingwei's fans, if he were to go up against Chu Zhi, losing would mean the end of the game, while winning would result in an onslaught from Li's fans.
The choice before Sister Feng now was whether to inform Chu Zhi himself.
Seeing how Chu Zhi had improved significantly after leaving her management, Sister Feng felt somewhat resentful. There was no need to help him.
After thinking it over for a while, Sister Feng still didn't want to intervene. She called a friend at the TV station to ensure the editing wouldn't be malicious, settling the debt of their two-year relationship.
It worked. The post-production editing of I Am a Singer didn't twist the narrative. To be more precise, Chu Zhi barely had any screen time—compared to the previous two guest performers, his footage was reduced by two-thirds.
After hanging up, Sister Feng arranged schedules for the artists under her management. Without a standout star, her most prominent artist now was Wang Aiyuan, a rising actress who had gained fame through web dramas and was barely considered a rising star.
To climb higher, she needed more and better projects. Sister Feng took charge of her acting career, burying herself in work. For some reason, a phrase suddenly popped into her mind: "After I was wronged, Sister Feng was the only one who helped me."
The word only inexplicably stirred a faint sense of responsibility in her.
"Why the hell did I think of that?" Sister Feng rubbed her temples. It must be the radiation from staring at the computer for too long, messing with her brain.
"Whatever, it's just a small favor."
"Last act of kindness, last act of kindness…" Sister Feng muttered as she dialed Chu Zhi's number. She told him that the new guest performer was Li Xingwei but didn't mention Da Hua Entertainment's overt schemes. In her view, telling him wouldn't solve anything, so there was no point.
Time: October 5th
Location: Golden Eagle Building
Participants: Many contestants
The new episode was being recorded. Chu Zhi speculated that arriving late might unlock some achievement, but he wasn't in a position to test that theory yet, so he obediently arrived first in the assembly hall, his music partner by his side.
During the pre-recording lull, Wei Tongzi was scrolling through Weibo, mostly reading reactions to last night's episode. She had long since switched from a hater to a fan of Chu Zhi and was looking for like-minded opinions.
[Ahhh, what do I do? I feel like Chu… whether it's his looks or his voice, he's exactly my type. But the solid evidence of him being trash is really hard to ignore.]
[I used to think the saying 'morality follows appearance' was a joke, but now I'm not so sure myself…]
[I was a neutral turned hater, but after watching I Am a Singer, he's so gentle. Seriously, it's the first time I've been mesmerized by a man's moans. Those hums hit me right in the heart—stop, I can't take it anymore.]
[Let's not conflate character with artistry. Putting aside morals, Wind Blows Through the Wheat Fields is pretty good.]
Wei Tongzi kept scrolling.
There was no "solid evidence," but with enough rumors and gossip accounts, it started to feel real. As for describing his humming as "moans"—that was certainly bold phrasing.
"Teacher Chu, is it true that you're secretly married?" Wei Tongzi suddenly asked, putting her phone down. Since filming hadn't started yet, she could ask casually.
"Do you think it's true or false?" Chu Zhi deflected.
"I believe it's definitely false," Wei Tongzi blurted out, her tone hopeful.
"It is false," Chu Zhi confirmed.
"Then why…" Wei Tongzi wanted to ask why he didn't clarify, but a production assistant arrived to announce the start of filming. The cameras rolled, cutting off any off-topic chatter.
The two stood up, pretending they had just arrived by shuttle before walking into the assembly hall.
Wei Tongzi's question stemmed from the fact that disproving a secret marriage was straightforward—just show a certificate from the civil affairs office or a household register proving his marital status was "single." But proving innocence was only one step; the bigger challenge was convincing the public.
Otherwise, even if a court ruled in his favor, would it matter in the court of public opinion?
Some naively believed that the gossip accounts feasting on scandal would report "XXX is innocent" or "XXX didn't do it" once evidence emerged. Would they? No. They'd just pretend it never happened.
Chu Zhi knew his situation all too well. If he wanted to clear his name, he should've done it when the accusations first surfaced—when the public was still paying attention and waiting for a twist. Now it was too late. The priority was treating his aphonia, not to mention the additional rumor about him being a kept man.
A few minutes later, the second contestant arrived—Japanese singer Koguchi Yoshihiro, chatting amiably with his music partner, Zhang Yue.
"It's been a week. I've missed seeing you, Chu-san," Koguchi greeted with a bow, his black beret firmly in place, hiding his thinning hairline.
"I'm also looking forward to your cover performance," Chu Zhi replied warmly. He was happy to interact with contestants—interaction meant screen time. His music partner only spoke during ad reads and never prompted him otherwise.
"I went back and watched some of your past performances. You have the steadiness of a castle tower," Koguchi said earnestly, making an "OK" gesture. "The stage presence was incredible."
Past performances? Chu Zhi studied the Japanese singer's sincere smile, unsure whether it was praise or sarcasm.
Koguchi had indeed gone back to watch. As a devoted admirer of looks, he'd focused solely on Chu Zhi's appearance, barely registering the singing—let alone the endless stream of online scandals. His comment about "the steadiness of a castle tower" referred solely to Chu Zhi's consistently striking visuals.
"But you seem a bit pale today. Are you feeling unwell?" Zhang Yue translated Koguchi's words as the latter looked on with concern.
"It's nothing serious," Chu Zhi replied. His sickly pallor and bloodless lips were part of his preparation for his Desert Island performance—a calculated move to evoke sympathy. A handsome man playing up his illness might not be as effective as a beautiful woman doing the same, but combined with his "voice of despair," Chu Zhi was confident.
He had to do everything in his power before leaving the rest to fate. He'd known Da Hua Entertainment would strike if he showed signs of a comeback—he just hadn't expected it so soon. The executives weren't fools; they acted decisively.
"Take care of yourself," Koguchi said. "I know a good doctor. Would you like a referral?"
"What kind of doctor?" Chu Zhi seized the opening.
"Traditional Chinese medicine. A very skilled one," Koguchi said.
"My condition can't be treated by TCM," Chu Zhi replied before steering the conversation elsewhere.
During their chat, Koguchi encouraged Chu Zhi to try the Japanese entertainment scene. While idols weren't highly regarded there, someone with Chu Zhi's looks would undoubtedly be popular.
The third and fourth contestants arrived together—Lin Xia and Gu Nanxi. They exchanged greetings as they entered the hall.
"Where've you been these past few days? You look tanner," Gu Nanxi said to Lin Xia, immediately touching on a sore subject. Lin Xia had been a guest on Run, Brothers for two days of filming under the sun.
Lin Xia retorted, "You do realize that as long as I'm not as pale as Chu Zhi, I'm technically not tanned, right?"
"That's the most meaningless thing you've ever said," Gu Nanxi shot back with a dose of nonsense logic.
"We ran into each other during rehearsals," Lin Xia said, first addressing Chu Zhi in Chinese before switching to Japanese for Koguchi: "Koguchi-san, it's been a week. Good to see you again."
He was showing off his multilingual skills.
As the group chatted, the other contestants trickled in. Once all the main performers had gathered, the music partners drew lots to determine the night's performance order.