"I'm excited—personally, I'm incredibly excited. I wonder if the audience feels the same?" Hu Xiaodong held his mic out toward the crowd.
The response came instantly. Chu Zhi had been gaining fans at lightning speed with each episode, and this one was no exception.
"One hundred million times excited!"
"He and Gu Beisheng are the only ones I'm watching for in this generation of Mandopop."
"Gu Beisheng's still green when it comes to lyrics and production. Chu Zhi's the real all-rounder."
"Ninth Brother never lets us down."
"Never in my life have I been this hyped for a new song drop. Every release is a complete surprise. What else are you hiding from us, Your Majesty?"
"Who needs guest performers? My A-Jiu can take on five people by himself."
...
Zhu Xinyue glanced sideways at Chu Zhi, who looked even more stunning in his Qingyi makeup than most women. What frightened her wasn't how high his popularity already was, but how much room he still had to grow, especially among people who'd never even been into idols before.
"Joined in episode seven, appeared in five recordings, sang three songs, and gained fans every time." Liang Zhengwen quietly marveled. "Chu Zhi's clearly here to collect fans. Everyone else is just part of the scenery." The finale hadn't even aired yet, but it was clear which topics were about to dominate the trending lists.
"Mr. Jo Kwon, second place is still an impressive achievement. You debuted the first Chinese dance track from your group. Any thoughts to share?" Hu Xiaodong finally turned to him.
"We're grateful to everyone who supported us. Earning over 800 votes means a lot to me and my team," Jo Kwon replied with a practiced smile. He had memorized a longer speech in Mandarin, but now it was useless.
He added, "If given the chance, we'd love to release more Chinese songs."
Everyone understood what "if given the chance" really meant.
Now, only one segment remained: the group performance of the show's theme song, "Star of Creation," written and composed by Zhu Xinyue. The melody was simple, and so were the lyrics.
As the champion, Chu Zhi received the official "Star of Creation" trophy—a star-shaped sculpture in polished metal, with QIY engraved on the base. A transparent nameplate read: [I Am a Singer-Songwriter · Star of Creation: Chu Zhi]. Elegant and well-crafted, even if mass-produced.
The crew didn't know who would win when they prepared the set. They had signed impartiality agreements with both Chu Zhi and Jo Kwon. To avoid wasting resources, they printed five nameplates. Whoever won got theirs attached.
After recording wrapped, Chu Zhi made a special visit to Liang Zhengwen's dressing room.
"Master Xiong, my grandfather used to love your music," he said. Then he softly hummed:
🎵 Flowers whisper to the trees, drifting clouds overhead,Dreams fade into nothing, like riches in an anthill bed... 🎵
He wasn't just being polite—his grandfather had genuinely adored Xiong Ke's songs.
"I used to think about getting an autograph for him one day," Chu Zhi said. "Master Xiong, would you be willing to give me one?"
"Haha, of course!" Xiong Ke smiled as he signed. He might not have cared much if it were any other young singer, but Chu Zhi? He was a rising pillar of the music world. That made all the difference.
"You and Brother Liang haven't had dinner yet, right? I've made a reservation at Lu Cai. Would you join me?" Chu Zhi asked.
All the finale participants and their guest performers agreed—except for the GZ group. They had already packed up and left. Dahwa Entertainment originally planned for a team dinner and a fan meet-up, but after the crushing loss, Jo Kwon and the others wanted none of it.
The group headed to Lu Cai Restaurant near Sanyuan Bridge. As the name suggested, it specialized in cuisine from the Shandong region, famous for its Jiaodong-style seafood banquets. Prices averaged 800 yuan per person—definitely not for the average wallet.
After the meal, the head chef and owner personally came over.
"How did everything taste?" asked Mr. Tang, the owner.
Among the guests, Xiong Ke was the eldest, and Chu Zhi was footing the bill, so he answered first. "The jellyfish in crab roe soup was especially to my taste. Everything else was excellent too. Uncle Xiong, what did you think?"
In just one meal, Chu Zhi had gone from calling him "Master Xiong" to "Uncle Xiong." Now that was social finesse.
"I was especially fond of the crispy baked oysters," Xiong Ke said. "Very nicely done."
"I'm glad to hear that," Mr. Tang replied. "I'm a fan of both Master Xiong and Teacher Chu's music. I'd like to cover this dinner as a token of my respect. Would that be all right?"
He was practically begging, even though everyone at the table—even Zhu Xinyue's friend—could easily afford to pay for themselves through commercial appearances alone.
"No need to be so formal," Chu Zhi said. "It's my first time meeting Uncle Xiong, and I grew up listening to his music. This dinner's been a childhood dream come true. How about we meet in the middle? Just give me a discount."
"Of course! Half-off then. That's the best I can do," Mr. Tang said with a smile.
He was in his early forties. While he had indeed grown up listening to Xiong Ke, Chu Zhi's songs weren't really his style. He mostly respected the name.
Everyone paid, said their goodbyes, and returned to their individual vehicles. No need for extra farewells.
"Teacher Chu really is a generous soul," Mr. Tang said to himself afterward. He had been preparing a whole speech to ask for a photo and autograph, but Chu Zhi offered before he could even bring it up.
A few days later, Koguchi Yoshihiro was ready to return to Tokyo, having wrapped up all his engagements in China. He had wanted to organize a farewell dinner, but it wasn't possible—Chu Zhi had already traveled to Shancheng.
"Safe travels," Chu Zhi said over the phone, then hung up and continued where he left off.
"Should we buy more types of snacks? Some of the girls might not like spicy food or might be worried about breakouts. Let's get more rice crackers or other light options," he said.
"Got it," said Wang Yuan, noting everything down.
Chu Zhi noticed rows of bottled drinks nearby. "Is this Rio?" he asked.
"Yes. Based on the survey of what young people drink most often. We got fruit soda, cola, and Rio," Wang Yuan replied.
Chu Zhi quickly looked it up online. Rio was a low-alcohol cocktail. Not strong, but for someone with no tolerance, even two bottles could get them tipsy. He voiced his concern.
"Our chosen fans are all adults. As adults, they should take responsibility. If they know they can't handle alcohol, they can choose soda or mineral water instead," Wang Yuan replied.
"That's true," Chu Zhi nodded. "But even adults can get carried away when the mood is high. Let's just skip the Rio."
Wang Yuan agreed. Chu Zhi's attention to detail always erred on the side of care.
The venue's setup was nearly finished. Decorations and hardware were all in place. Chu Zhi had even cleared multiple events just to come to Shancheng and oversee this personally.
The fan event was set at the International Expo Center in YB District. Tomorrow was July 9, a special day for both Orange Garden and his fanbase, the Little Fruit family. All 300 participants had been selected through a raffle.
Chu Zhi had reviewed countless options before settling on this one. It was close to two bus stops and a metro station, so it wouldn't create traffic jams, yet wasn't too remote either. On top of that, he had reserved six large buses that could each carry 55 people. Transport wouldn't be an issue.
===
🎉 Chapter 200 reached! 🎉
Thank you so much for reading this far (｡>﹏<｡)♡
If you've been enjoying the journey, please consider dropping a vote or leaving a review—it really helps boost this novel and my account so more readers can find it! (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ
You can also support me with a small Ko-Fi donation if you'd like to help keep the translations coming faster
My [Ko-fi]! ☕️: https://ko-fi.com/rikhi
Every bit of support means the world to me. Thank you always! (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)