Chapter 37

Hearing this, he chimed in, "Why don't you post on Weibo and explain the situation? That way, the fans can put their minds at ease too."

Sheng Chi frowned slightly, as if considering it.

But on the other end of the phone, Fei Yue immediately said, "No."

"In a situation like this, if the company stays silent and has the artist issue a statement instead, fans will push back. They'll think the company forced the artist to step in and placate them."

In other words-

"Gege, blink if the company is holding you hostage."

Gu Zhijing: "..."

Sheng Chi: "..."

Gu Zhijing: "Then what should we do?"

The idol couldn't step in personally.

And fans wouldn't believe a statement from the company either.

To outsiders, it was practically an established fact that Leap Entertainment treated its artists badly.

After a moment, though, Fei Yue laughed. "I just wanted to give you a heads-up, not make you worry about all this."

"If the fans want to curse the company, let them. Focus on rehearsing your next stage and stay out of what's happening online. I'll handle it."

A moment later, he added, "Actually, come to think of it, people cursing me and the company is a good thing. It means more and more people like you."

"If that's really the case, then so be it if I get cursed out a little. It's fine."

Author's note: Brother Fei, hiding his achievements and fame (x

#The law that no company in this world escapes being cursed.

Thanks to the little angels who threw landmines: T#T*^O^* and Little Purple Sweet Potato, 1 each;

Thanks to the little angels who gave nutrient solution: Milk Jam Jam, 8 bottles; Sweet and Sour Fish and Jiang Ting Is the Shou Beneath Me, 1 bottle each;

Kisses to everyone!

Chapter 38

Fei Yue genuinely didn't mind much.

So what if people cursed him a little? The various industry partners weren't going to stop working with him just because he got cursed out too often.

Besides, fans starting to curse the company proved that they had already begun to feel distressed and, in turn, were inclined to dote on their idols.

That batch of fans would be extremely loyal.

Although Fei Yue wasn't a masochist himself, he wasn't too pessimistic about it.

Sheng Chi, however, didn't feel the same way.

After hanging up, his expression was grim. A moment later, he lowered his eyes and cracked his knuckles, the pops a silent way of relieving stress.

As Gu Zhijing packed his things, he stole a few moments to scroll through Weibo.

He'd been so busy lately that he was a little out of touch with the fandom.

But he was still a veteran fan leader, after all. A younger fan had sent him a private message explaining the whole story, saying she wanted to hear his thoughts.

After reading a little, Gu Zhijing realized the situation had blown up more than they'd imagined.

It wasn't just Sheng Chi's fans.

The fans of the other members of their group had actually joined forces against the company too. He didn't know whether they empathized because they saw the danger to themselves, or whether Color4's fans were truly that united.

As he scrolled and thought, he suddenly heard Sheng Chi call him. "Zhijing."

"What would you do?"

His tone was even when he called him. Even using the last two syllables of his name didn't sound particularly intimate.

Yet Gu Zhijing still found himself momentarily dazed.

A moment later, he blurted out, almost instinctively, "Listen to Brother Fei."

He quickly added, "He's on the right track. The fans just want the company to give them an explanation and show its attitude. They don't want you to explain the situation."

Right now, the company was the sole target of their ire. From what he knew of Brother Fei, he would issue a statement and apologize to keep the conflict from escalating for the time being. In a couple of days, the matter would naturally be over.

Sheng Chi was silent for a moment. Finally, he sighed and said, "Okay. Get ready to leave."

They set off at around ten in the morning.

The hotel entrance was still packed tight with people: paid photographers, fansite admins, individual fans, and sasaengs. Some were so worked up that they broke through the security guards' blockade and came over to slap the car windows.

Gu Zhijing still had a cookie in his mouth, and his eyes widened in fright when someone slapped the window.

Fortunately, he was thoroughly professional as an idol. Even under the circumstances, he good-naturedly waved goodbye to the fans outside the window.

Sheng Chi glanced at him.

He knew the fansite admins on the outer edge would capture that gesture, and the photos of him leaving for work would be reposted and commented on, with everyone praising how cute their baby was.

Sheng Chi was suddenly overcome by a suffocating feeling he couldn't shake.

A fan's love was a double-edged sword.

Come to think of it, fans who were sufficiently rational and restrained wouldn't give their hearts and souls and everything they had for you.

And those willing to sacrifice their time voting day and night, spend money, boost your stats, and camp outside your hotel often had a somewhat extreme, obsessive love to begin with.

Just as he was feeling thoroughly troubled, he suddenly sensed the faint sound of breathing drawing close.

Sheng Chi instinctively moved back, his eyelid twitching unexpectedly.

Gu Zhijing tilted his head and looked up at him, blinking his peach blossom eyes.

He'd left in a hurry, so he had to make do with biscuits for breakfast. One side of his little face bulged as he chewed, like a squirrel storing food.

He asked indistinctly, "Brother Chi, are you feeling unwell?"

Sheng Chi instinctively held his breath for a moment. After a long while, he said, "No."

Gu Zhijing watched him a little longer, then suddenly smiled, his eyes curving.

He glanced at their teammates in the front row, who still had no idea what was going on, and said quietly, "Don't worry. You have to trust Brother Fei. He'll definitely handle it properly."

Sheng Chi turned to look at him.

"And don't think you've dragged Brother Fei into trouble because of yourself. This is normal; it'll keep happening in the future. Brother Fei isn't as troubled as you think, the fans aren't as extreme as you think, and you aren't as all-powerful as you think you are."

"This really isn't that serious."

"Relax. Instead of worrying about this, you'd be better off rehearsing next week's stage properly. Then the fans' attention will shift."

As he spoke, Gu Zhijing pulled out a biscuit stick and offered it to him, his tone easy. "Want one?"

Sheng Chi took it, his fingertips pausing slightly.

He liked being an idol.

He simply liked the feeling of performing onstage.

But he'd always found it hard to empathize with fans. He struggled to understand those subtle feelings behind their devoted efforts for him, and cared only whether the people around him would be hurt because of it.

Gu Zhijing, however, seemed very different.

He settled comfortably into the role of an idol and treated it as a job he was used to.

He shone when he performed onstage, and offstage he actively interacted with fans and offered them warmth.

He hadn't been wrong before.

Gu Zhijing was born to be an idol.

As Sheng Chi thought, he stared at the part of Gu Zhijing's face framed by the hood of his down jacket and instinctively took a bite of the biscuit stick in his hand.

Well.

It really was quite sweet.

Starlight Show provided a separate practice room for each collaborating group.

Color4 had been delayed on the way, and by the time they reached the practice room, Light had already arrived.

The two sides exchanged brief greetings and immediately got down to work.

Xu Yin spoke first. "I watched the stage you sent us yesterday and went over it briefly. I don't think it's too difficult. We should be able to do it."

She smiled. "I thought you'd pick something a little more challenging for us."

"My plan is to at least finish a rough draft of the new choreography today, then make a basic plan for the stage formations."

Xu Yin looked up and began searching for someone. "Oh, right, where's Fruit Jam? Did you watch what I sent you? What did you think?"

Gu Zhijing: "...?"

What did Senior call me?

"You didn't know?"

Xu Yin smiled. "It's a nickname your fans gave you. It's so cute."

Unlike her fans, who only ever called her Sister Yin.

Gu Zhijing: "..."

He knew about it, but had the nickname spread that far already? Even Senior knew it?

Puzzled as he was, he didn't dwell on it. Returning to the question she'd asked, he said rather sheepishly, "My fundamentals aren't very good, so I'm afraid I'll need some time to learn it."

Xu Yin nodded at that, unbothered. "It's okay. This dance isn't hard, and we'll all help you."

She'd originally wanted to teach him herself, but after thinking about how she still had to work out the formations on the other side, she gave up on the idea and could only leave Gu Zhijing to her other six teammates.

The practice room was divided down the middle, and each side began by learning a different dance.

Although Light went for a mature, commanding image, the seniors were all easygoing in private and quite patient when teaching. They didn't look down on him for his poor fundamentals either; instead, they kept praising his exceptional talent and how quickly he learned.

Things were even easier on Color4's side.

Xu Yin's years of stage experience were no joke. After working through the details yesterday, she'd mostly mastered it today, leaving only the adjustment period in the days to come.

Considering the two sides were progressing at different speeds, they took the initiative to handle the arrangement and changes to the song as well.

That was Xu Linyuan's specialty, so he and Xu Yin discussed it as they made changes.

Jiang Yu and Sheng Chi were given time off in the meantime.

So during the break, Sheng Chi sat in a corner and glanced over at the other side from time to time.

The six seniors took turns guiding Gu Zhijing as he concentrated on working through the dance bit by bit.

He had a great attitude, smiling as he apologized to the seniors even when he made mistakes. He was so agreeable that no one had the heart to be hard on him; they even wanted to ruffle his hair.

After two hours of practice, he'd become well acquainted with almost all the seniors.

It was impressive.

Sheng Chi had never had much need for social interaction, so when he occasionally saw someone like Gu Zhijing, who got along smoothly with everyone, he couldn't help feeling a little impressed.

Ever since he joined Leap Entertainment, Sheng Chi had taught Gu Zhijing personally, step by step.

His singing techniques, his diction when rapping, and the range of his dance movements all bore traces of Sheng Chi's style to some extent.

This time, however, he wasn't needed.

Come to think of it, before he was around, Gu Zhijing had gotten by on his own like this too.

He hadn't trained for long, but even when he learned things without fully digesting them, it wouldn't take long before he could do a convincing job.

Sheng Chi stared over there for a long time.

Gu Zhijing seemed tired from dancing now. With his hands braced on the barre in front of the mirror, he listened as a senior corrected the mistakes he'd just made.

He was tall, so he had to lower his head a little to listen to her. When he understood, his peach blossom eyes curved and he nodded, earnest and sincere.

It was that familiar feeling: well-behaved and heart-stirring.

Only it wasn't directed at him anymore.

Sheng Chi's Adam's apple bobbed, and he turned the mineral water bottle in his hand several times.

Finally, Gu Zhijing seemed to notice his gaze and turned his head toward him.

Sheng Chi immediately looked away, unscrewed the cap, and gulped down the water.

The week of rehearsals passed quickly.

Amid the eager anticipation of countless fans clamoring to be fed, the fourth episode of Starlight Show aired on time.

Color4 and Light had drawn the final performance slot earlier.

Of course, Gu Zhijing strongly suspected that the production team had tampered with the draw, deliberately putting their collaboration-the one with the most to see-last to keep the audience in suspense.

So, as they waited anxiously to go onstage, they had the good fortune to watch the preceding groups' performances.

The collaboration stages naturally weren't as polished as stages prepared in advance.

As a result, every performance looked at least a little rushed.

Shooter and Comet's collaboration stage, however, was a pleasant surprise.

Comet had been smart in choosing their partners.

Shooter had lost once before, and their fans had already been put through the wringer once. The fans who remained wouldn't let another opportunity slip by and would surely do everything they could to win this round.

For Comet, it wasn't a bad deal to get a chance to collaborate with a currently popular boy group either.

Their collaboration stage took an unconventional approach, using a more lyrical song, and earned favorable reviews.

Although lyrical songs weren't as stirring live as more high-energy tracks, voting was conducted online.

And in terms of reaching beyond the fandom, a lyrical song could have an edge.

After their collaboration stage ended, C