Early the next morning, Chen Duo prepared all the equipment needed for the concert. This included, but was not limited to, fan support clothing, banners, a super telephoto lens for her phone, and a sling-mounted drink container.
Xu Kaiming simply wore flip-flops and shorts. Watching his girlfriend buzz around like a little bee since dawn, her suitcase seemed like a magic pocket, from which she could pull out all sorts of things at any moment.
Xu Kaiming watched her pack with a smile.
Before long, waves of noise could be heard from outside.
Both of them froze at the same time. Looking down through the large floor-to-ceiling window, they saw fans from various fan clubs waiting at the entrance. Occasionally, celebrity teams would get out of their cars to greet them.
The hotel they were staying in was opposite Apple TV.
They didn’t need to wake up early to chase stars.
“The live broadcast is at two in the afternoon. How about we grab something to eat?” Xu Kaiming suggested.
Chen Duo agreed and then ordered takeout.
Xu Kaiming was a bit disappointed. “Aren’t we going out to eat?” He had even prepared a plan. This was his first meal with his girlfriend, and he had chosen a very romantic French restaurant.
“We need to head over early,” Chen Duo said, worried they might not make it in time.
Fortunately, there were many trendy restaurants in the area. The food arrived in less than half an hour.
After receiving the takeout, Xu Kaiming occasionally showed his gentlemanly side, helping to peel shrimp, feeding her sips of cola, and piling her plate high with ribs, chicken wings, and other dishes until it resembled a small mountain.
Chen Duo felt a bit uncomfortable. “You really don’t have to do this. I can eat by myself.”
“No,” he insisted. He had wanted to do this for a long time. Now that he was officially her boyfriend, he felt it was his right to take care of her. While peeling the shrimp, he even felt a sense of pride, thinking he was such a good boyfriend.
Xu Kaiming brought a freshly peeled shrimp to Chen Duo’s lips.
Chen Duo didn’t move.
Xu Kaiming wiggled it a couple of times. Reluctantly, Chen Duo took it into her mouth.
“I can do it myself,” Chen Duo said as soon as she finished speaking.
A straw was immediately placed in her mouth—it was ice-cold cola. She couldn’t help but take another sip.
Xu Kaiming looked smug. “I’ve noticed you like drinking ice-cold cola while eating.”
Chen Duo was truly speechless. It wasn’t as if she was incapable of doing things herself—why was he acting like this?
She decided to make him experience the discomfort of having his mouth stuffed with food. So, she mimicked his actions and handed him a piece of rib.
Instantly, Xu Kaiming stiffened, then carefully took the rib into his mouth. Even his shrimp-peeling hands froze.
Chen Duo felt a moment of peace. She continued feeding him.
She vaguely remembered that Xu Kaiming had been a rather picky eater as a child. Who would have thought he’d eat anything now that he was grown up?
After finishing the last chicken wing Chen Duo fed him, Xu Kaiming was touched. “Thank you, Duoduo,” he said, his peach blossom eyes full of affection.
Chen Duo felt a bit awkward. She wiped her hands with a tissue—even with disposable gloves, grease still seeped onto her fingers. She got up to wash her hands.
Xu Kaiming, that big guy, squeezed under the same faucet to wash his hands alongside her.
This annoyed Chen Duo. “Couldn’t you wait until I’m done?”
“Let’s do it together,” he said, acting a bit shameless.
Splash… Chen Duo finished washing her hands without drying them and flicked water droplets at him.
Xu Kaiming wasn’t about to be outdone and immediately bounced back. The two of them played around for over ten minutes before finally calling it quits when Xu Kaiming surrendered.
Chen Duo’s phone started beeping. She opened it to find many people from Gu Yanqiu’s top fan group had @mentioned her.
Especially Moon—the two were WeChat friends, and after seeing Chen Duo’s Moments post, Moon knew she was at Apple TV. She asked if Chen Duo wanted to join the external support event.
Chen Duo said, “I’m going.”
The group was indeed lively.
“I want to see Qiūqiū’s breathtaking beauty.”
“I’m so jealous of Duoduo. I want to go too, but I can’t afford the plane ticket.”
“We can only cheer online.”
“Exactly.”
“Really grateful to Duoduo. If it weren’t for that godly photo, Qiūqiū wouldn’t have gotten such a great opportunity.” Actually, they had repeated similar words many times, but they still brought it up every time, truly thankful from the bottom of their Hearts.
“Really, I missed the last café concert, such a regret. This time I can see Qiūqiū on the big stage.”
Everyone chattered away. They also mentioned that Gu Yanqiu’s popularity had recently surged, with many new members joining the group. It had expanded from one hundred-member group to two five-hundred-member groups.
Moon, the group admin, was ambitiously planning to create ten thousand-member groups.
They were also recruiting graphic designers to create various promotional images.
A group of girls chattered nonstop in the group. Before they knew it, they lost track of time until someone reminded them, “The live broadcast is about to start.”
Only then did Chen Duo snap out of it. Grabbing her bag with one hand and pulling Xu Kaiming’s shirt with the other, she rushed out: “Why didn’t you remind me? Hurry up, the live broadcast is starting.”
Dragged along by Chen Duo, Xu Kaiming said, “It’s not time yet. There’s still twenty minutes.”
“Hurry up,” Chen Duo insisted.
Xu Kaiming muttered under his breath, “What’s the rush to see another man?”
Chen Duo didn’t catch it clearly: “What did you say?”
Xu Kaiming replied, “Nothing.” Their hurried pace attracted quite a few glances along the way.
Xu Kaiming didn’t ask Chen Duo to let go either; instead, he smiled triumphantly at those watching: “Oh, my girlfriend.”
Chen Duo had no patience to argue with him. The two proceeded to the ticket check and entered, only to find they had to check their bags and phones immediately upon entry. They weren’t even allowed to bring water bottles.
“Huh?” Chen Duo was stunned. These were her concert essentials. Having never attended a program recording before, she wasn’t aware of such requirements.
Reluctantly, she had to check all her belongings, including her phone.
She knew cameras weren’t allowed, so she had specially prepared compatible lenses for her phone, hoping to take more photos. Who would have thought they wouldn’t even allow phones?
Seeing Chen Duo’s items locked away in a small locker, Xu Kaiming noticed her displeasure. He said from beside her, “You go in first. I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Okay.” Chen Duo entered and found her seat in the first row of Section A, right in front of the center stage. Many staff members were busy, and the largest screen had already lit up—the broadcast had begun.
The live broadcast was scheduled for two o’clock. Chen Duo looked around but didn’t see Xu Kaiming. She realized she hadn’t asked what he was going to do when he left earlier.
But then she thought, he wasn’t particularly fond of celebrities. During the last café concert, he had stayed outside alone too.
With that in mind, she didn’t dwell on it and turned her attention backstage.
In the waiting area of “I Am a Singer,” everyone was present.
The host skillfully opened with an advertisement: “Organic milk is healthier. Drink organic milk, enjoy a healthy life. Hello, audience friends, welcome to the backstage area of ‘I Am a Singer.’ Today is our challenge round.”
“The two challengers are: singing and dancing idol Gu Yanqiu, and the nation’s sweetheart Fu Xue.”
“The rules of the competition are: after the contestants finish singing, there will be three seconds for the observing contestants to decide whether to challenge. If the challenge is successful, they can stay on stage; if they fail, they must regrettably leave.”
The camera panned across everyone.
This music program is considered a showdown among the country’s top singers.
The average age is around forty. Not only are they musically powerful, but they also have decades of stage experience.
With this level of skill, combined with top-tier sound equipment, it is truly an audio-visual feast.
The challenger alongside Gu Yanqiu is Fu Xue, an online singer known for catchy tunes. With a sweet appearance and over ten million fans, she earns tens of millions from a single live stream. Upon arriving at the venue, she bowed and shook hands with everyone, introducing herself.
“Hello, seniors. I’m Fu Xue, still a beginner in singing. I’m here to attend a masterclass in music.”
“Fu Xue, right? My grandson sings your songs every day. Your music is very popular among young people,” said Dai Xinglei, a vocal teacher who is very friendly toward young people.
“You flatter me, Teacher Dai,” Fu Xue replied excitedly, bouncing up and down. Though in her twenties, the gesture didn’t seem out of place at all, bringing knowing smiles to everyone present.
Even among contestants, there are distinctions between the favored and the sacrificial.
Fu Xue is clearly one of the favored. Don’t think veteran artists don’t understand social dynamics.
After so many years in the entertainment industry, seniority and experience are secondary—what truly matters is popularity.
Everyone chatted warmly with Fu Xue.
Gu Yanqiu, on the other hand, simply introduced himself to each person by name before sitting to the side, unlike Fu Xue, who commanded the entire room.
However, the moment he appeared, several people were momentarily stunned.
Especially the foreign guest, Mei Kaolife, who was more direct: “What a handsome young man. Are all the idols in your country this good-looking?”
Hang Yingxue, a middle-aged female singer present, added, “He really is handsome.”
After all, they were on camera, so everyone remained polite, with no trace of tension.
They had thoroughly researched their opponents’ backgrounds long before arriving.
At this level, these challengers were merely there to warm up the stage. The senior contestants even showed a touch of affection. Soon, they were all led to their individual rooms.
Since no one was particularly familiar with each other and they would soon be competing on the same stage, forced small talk felt pointless. It was better to have the artists retreat to their rooms to prepare properly.
As soon as Fu Xue returned to her room, a makeup artist came to touch up her makeup. Her manager approached and said, “No matter who goes on first later, you push to go immediately.”
They were well aware of the others’ abilities.
Each one was a powerhouse in their own right.
The strategy, decided before arriving, was to perform early, before the atmosphere heated up, to avoid an unfavorable comparison.
Fu Xue agreed without hesitation.
In the artists’ rest area, each person had a TV screen to view the stage and the other contestants in the waiting area.
Outside, a distinctive sound effect began to play.
Everyone was curious to see who would be the first to step out.
As it turned out, Li Wenhao, who had remained silent until now, stood up and said to the camera, “I’m a bit nervous, but I want to go first this time.”
At this, Fu Xue’s expression visibly darkened.
Although Li Wenhao was already in his forties, his voice possessed the clear, cold beauty of a refined vocalist, pure as a choirboy’s. He had released over thirty albums, each with staggering sales figures. Now, despite his age, his voice remained unchanged. He had consistently ranked first or second in previous competitions.
Fu Xue hadn’t expected him to perform first.
Hang Yingxue, who failed to secure the first spot, grumbled in the lounge, “How did I not get to go first?”
Once you finish singing, you can relax. The longer you wait, the more exhausted you become. Sometimes, stage setups involving lighting, visual effects, and other elements can take a long time. It’s better to perform early to avoid the psychological pressure of watching others deliver outstanding performances.
The live chat quickly lit up:
“Ahhh, Li Wenhao is here!”
“That man, with his terrifying siren song, has arrived.”
Soon, he took his place on the stage. Though age had left its mark on his face and he wasn’t conventionally handsome, the moment his first note rang out, there was an overwhelming sense of enchantment. His singing seemed to add a filter to his appearance.
As he sang, many were captivated. It was a classic love song, and when he finished, quite a few were slow to react.
“How did it end so quickly? Couldn’t he have picked a longer song?”
“Actually, the song is three minutes long, but I just couldn’t get enough.”
“Truly a superstar’s stage—even with my ten-thousand-yuan sound system, it felt like a siren whispering in my ear.”
“His voice is so beautiful. The way he narrates the story so gently is incredibly powerful.”
The camera panned across the audience, capturing a young woman whose tears streaked her face, as if the song had stirred some sorrow within her.
After the song ended, the host, Daye, stepped onto the stage, showering him with a stream of lavish praise. A three-second countdown began to see if any challenger contestant would step forward.
Backstage, Gu Yanqiu firmly pressed the button labeled “challenger.”
Instantly, the live stream lit up with golden light, accompanied by sound effects.
Gu Yanqiu and everyone else held their breath.
But the challenger who appeared on stage was Fu Xue.
The backstage screen switched to Fu Xue, showing the young girl bouncing excitedly. “I got it!”
Even the others couldn’t help but laugh.
Fu Xue had a likable, lively, and innocent charm.
The seasoned veterans resting backstage remarked, “This girl has admirable courage. If I were her age, I wouldn’t dare challenge Li Wenhao.”
Li Wenhao also seemed surprised but offered his encouragement before stepping offstage to listen to her performance with the others.
Backstage, Gu Yanqiu hadn’t expected that he and Fu Xue had pressed the challenger button at the same time, but she was faster. He had no choice but to accept it and returned to his room to wait.
Fu Xue quickly took the stage and sang “Meow Meow King,” a viral song of hers with over a hundred million streams online, bouncing around energetically as she performed.
With her sweet appearance and youthful energy, she had a large online following. Among internet celebrities of her kind, her singing was considered above average.
But the performer before her was Li Wenhao.
From the very first line she sang, the netizens were unimpressed.
“What is all this?”
“Just thinking about the upcoming meow-meow-meow lyrics, I’m so embarrassed I could dig my toes into the ground.”
“Mei Kaolife is still here. This is just humiliating ourselves internationally.”
“I used to really like this, but why does it sound so cringey now? I’m going to delete this song from my playlist.”
Although her fans kept trying to save face in the bullet comments, saying things like: “Our girl is amazing!”
But when it comes to competitive events.
Everyone has their own standards in their Heart.
Gu Yanqiu’s male agent kept scrolling through the live stream bullet comments, breaking out in a cold sweat. If even top influencers were performing like this, how were they going to save face later?