How About Running Away Again?

The waiting room suddenly fell silent, filled with anticipation.

After each contestant performed, the four mentors would vote. Three votes meant an automatic pass, two meant a stay of execution, and fewer than two meant immediate elimination.

In other words, the contestants' fates were in the hands of the four mentors.

Naturally, everyone was most curious about who those four mentors were.

Chen Xin announced slowly, "The first mentor is Wang Xinzhe."

Wow!

A burst of exclamations rose from the waiting room.

"The show actually got Wang Xinzhe? The Prince of Love Songs from back in the day!"

"He's my idol, oh my god!"

"I wonder how Wang's hairline is holding up?"

Some of the older contestants couldn't hide their excitement.

Chen Xin continued, "The second mentor is Zhang Zheng."

Whoa!

This time, most of the room began buzzing.

"Zhang Zheng too? I just want to know if Fang Yue's coming!"

"Shameless! How are you any different from Cao Cao? Is Fang Yue coming?"

"Hairline Wang and Leather Pants Zhang—what a lineup!"

Chen Xin went on, "The third mentor is Zhou Yiyi."

"What? Zhou Yiyi?"

"Can he even sing?"

"Shh, keep your voice down. He's a top star—we can't afford to offend him!"

The contestants were surprised when they heard Zhou Yiyi's name.

They hadn't expected a show like Pure Voice, which focused on the music itself, to invite a celebrity with a huge following as a mentor.

It just went to show that even the most sincere shows bowed to star power for the sake of ratings.

While the people nearby chattered, some even indignant, Lin Mu's eyes lit up.

Zhou Yiyi was one of the mentors on this show?

Was this what they meant by fate bringing enemies together?

That piece of trash Zhou Yiyi had built a fake persona to deceive his fans, indirectly driving the Fatty family into trouble. That naturally made him Lin Mu's adversary.

Maybe he could use this chance to dig up some dirt on Zhou Yiyi?

As Lin Mu pondered, the director's voice continued in his ear:

"The fourth mentor is Feng Bingbing."

The waiting room instantly erupted into a noisy uproar.

The male contestants were thrilled.

"My goddess is actually here?"

"Fantastic! I'm going to give it everything I've got. What if the goddess falls for me?"

"You're a woman. How could Feng Bingbing fall for you?"

"You don't understand. Women are each other's true love!"

The female contestants were even more excited.

In the vast waiting room, only one person fell into a long silence.

Lin Mu quietly took out his phone and opened the chat history from that night with Feng Bingbing:

"Senior, I just signed a contract for a show. Guess which one?"

"I'm a little tired. I'm going to bed. Good night."

So, judging by the timing, Feng Bingbing must have been at Jiangrong Satellite TV that night, signing with the Pure Voice production team.

She'd wanted to tell him about it, but he'd gone to sleep.

What a mess!

Lin Mu was frustrated.

Keeping a low profile was going to be a lot harder now.

After all, he and Feng Bingbing had worked together in the Literary Society back in college, and she knew his voice very well.

If she recognized him when he went onstage, who knew what she'd do? That woman had a real knack for stirring things up.

If she confessed to him on the show again, things could get ugly.

I'm a paparazzo, and you're a big star. We're natural enemies!

If we ever got together, pigs would be climbing trees!

No way.

How about running away again?

Lin Mu's expression shifted back and forth. He looked around, preparing to slip away unnoticed.

He hunched over and lowered his head as he made for the door. Suddenly, a pair of long legs clad in black stockings appeared in front of him.

"Hey, little bro, do you need to pee? Want me to show you to the restroom?"

He looked up and saw that Zisu had somehow come in without him noticing.

The woman was rather alluring, and her form-fitting office outfit drew too much attention. Lin Mu didn't want to be seen standing next to her, but she was blocking the doorway.

"No, thanks. I was just stretching my legs."

Lin Mu could only make up an excuse before hurrying back to his seat in the corner.

Damn it. Running away was out of the question.

Then he'd just have to change his song.

He'd originally planned to sing Blue and White Porcelain, the most popular song from his old world, but its vocals were too youthful and suited his voice too well.

Even if he altered his voice onstage, it would be easy to give himself away.

Junior Feng had sharp ears!

What's more, Feng Bingbing might already have heard from the production team that he'd sung Quietly during the preliminary round. She was probably already wondering who "Dawei Tianlong" was.

So he had to pick an old-fashioned song.

A different style. A different voice.

Fortunately, back in college, Feng Bingbing had known that Lin Mu sang off-key. If he went onstage and sang something old-fashioned, that would probably put her suspicions to rest.

Why couldn't this woman leave him alone?

After Chen Xin introduced the four mentors, she ended the video call.

Soon, a staff member came out and told each contestant to draw a number.

The stage names they'd drawn during the preliminary round would carry over. If any names were duplicated, those contestants would draw again on the spot.

Lin Mu was in luck: no one else had drawn "Dawei Tianlong."

Just then, Zisu came over holding a large box and smiled as she approached Lin Mu.

"Go ahead and draw, little bro."

The woman was so alluring, swaying her hips as she walked that she was hard to look away from.

The moment she appeared, she outshone Chi Haiyuan, who'd dressed up carefully, and drew the attention of half the room.

Lin Mu was speechless. He raised one hand to cover his face and reached out with the other, but with his eyes blocked, he fumbled around and couldn't find the round hole in the box.

"Little bro, the hole's right here."

Zisu giggled coquettishly, took Lin Mu's hand, and guided it through the opening.

Though Lin Mu had covered his face, he could still feel dozens of heated gazes aimed at him.

He quickly pulled out a plastic ball and handed it to Zisu, then sat down with his head in his hands, trying to avoid everyone's eyes.

"Contestant Dawei Tianlong, you're number eleven. Please sign here."

Zisu thought Lin Mu was shy, and her laugh grew even more seductive. She handed him a form and pointed to the row marked "Dawei Tianlong."

"Sign your name here."

Lin Mu signed quickly and glanced over the form. It listed the stage names of all one hundred contestants.

He spotted Xiao Qing and Xiao Bai on the list, and even Xu Xian.

If he ran into Xu Xian later, would that count as a showdown between love rivals?

And if he ran into Xiao Bai or Xiao Qing, would that mean a husband-and-wife fight, or a husband arguing with his concubine?

Whoever had come up with those stage names had a seriously twisted sense of humor.

"Hey, Xiao Qing's that woman—the one dressed the most provocatively."

When Zisu saw Lin Mu staring at those two names, she lowered her voice to tell him.

Lin Mu followed the direction of her finger and spotted the heavily made-up Chi Yuting at once.

Chi Haiyuan had drawn the stage name Xiao Qing? What a coincidence.

"As for Xiao Bai..."

Zisu chuckled and glanced toward a corner where the God of Gamblers theme music was playing.

Lin Mu froze.

Xiao Bai was Wu Tian?

That guy had actually picked a female stage name in the preliminary round?

Tsk, tsk. Society was going downhill. Effeminate men were everywhere!

Lin Mu clicked his tongue in disapproval, having completely forgotten that he'd almost picked a female stage name himself.

"You're so cute, little bro."

Zisu suddenly bent down, her soft lips brushing close to Lin Mu's ear as she breathed into it.

Lin Mu expressionlessly handed the list back to her and turned away, covering his face again.

Something suddenly slipped into his hand. Someone had tucked in a note.

Lin Mu looked at it. There was a phone number on it, with a little heart drawn beside it.

He looked up at Zisu. She winked at him, giggled, and walked away.

Lin Mu thought it over, then tucked the note into his pocket.

That young woman seemed a little strange. Maybe she'd be useful to him someday.

When Zisu reached the next contestant, her expression instantly turned robotic. In a flat voice, she said:

"Please draw a number."

The male contestant, who'd been looking forward to meeting her, froze. Under Zisu's icy gaze, he could only reach out awkwardly and draw a number.

Lin Mu discreetly glanced toward Chi Yuting. Chi Haiyuan was busy casting his net and hadn't noticed him.

He let out a quiet breath of relief. As long as Chi Yuting didn't see him, his identity wouldn't be exposed.

As for Feng Bingbing, he'd just have to see how things went when he got onstage.

Next chapter at five this afternoon. Don't let this story pile up—keep reading and leave more reviews. Thanks!