On the day the final exams ended, Cheng Che, his three adopted sons, Guo Xin, and Lin Xiao had a barbecue at the school gate.
After drinking two bottles of beer, Wang Zheng started talking nonsense, repeatedly saying "Godfather, you are the Champion and I am your son" while hugging Cheng Che's shoulder, until Li Yuan stuffed a chicken wing into his mouth.
Cheng Che sat in the middle, being toasted by several people in turn. He drank two glasses and then put them down, while Guo Xin and Zhou Hao shared the rest.
The next morning, he and his team flew to Star City.
The rehearsal base for " I Am the King of Singers " is in Malan Mountain, next to the old building of the Mango TV, in a newly built studio.
The production team took the secrecy surrounding the guest performer to the extreme this time; even the staff inside the show didn't know who Ning Qing had invited.
The publicity team only issued one notice: "No information about the guest performers will be disclosed. Anyone who misses a detail will be held responsible."
Don't be fooled by Ning Qing's own Weibo post saying, "You played well. You can sing a couple more songs next time you're a guest performer."
Actually, this was required by the production team; all the guests were to create a mystery online and let netizens guess.
The station's veteran directors privately call this a " Zhang Jizhong -style smokescreen."
Surprisingly, the results were quite good; the ratings for this season of " I Am the King of Singers " significantly surpassed those of previous seasons.
The ability of an old program to experience a second spring is inextricably linked to effective marketing strategies.
Cheng Che got off the plane, got into the car, and drove directly to Malan Mountain.
When the elevator doors opened, several staff members carrying equipment in the corridor turned their heads at the same time.
A young director, holding a flowchart, saw Cheng Che's face, the flowchart froze in mid-air, and he stopped moving.
The man carrying the lamp stand next to him paused, and the lamp stand almost tipped over, but was caught by someone behind him.
"Cheng... Cheng Che?" The young director's voice trembled slightly.
Cheng Che nodded to her. "Hello. Which rehearsal hall is Ning Qing in?"
The director paused for a couple of seconds, then realized what was happening and quickly stepped aside to let him through. "It's in... in Hall 3. I'll take you there."
As she walked, she took out her walkie-talkie and whispered, " Cheng Che is here." There was a moment of silence on the other end of the walkie-talkie, then it exploded.
Several people peeked out from the corridor, and one of them took out his phone and started taking pictures.
" Teacher Cheng," the director asked as they walked, "Are you here to watch the rehearsal? Or—"
"I'm here to sing along with Ning Qing," Cheng Che said.
The director paused for a moment. She turned around, her eyes widening. "A guest performer? So, Ning Qing's guest performer is you?"
"Um."
The director's expression shifted from surprise to ecstasy; her hand gripping the walkie-talkie trembled as she shouted into the other end:
"Attention all departments! Teacher Cheng Che is here to sing with Teacher Ning Qing! I'll say it again, the guest singer is Cheng Che!"
Several staff members in the corridor exclaimed "Wow!" upon hearing this.
Someone excitedly patted the person next to them on the shoulder, while others had already started running towards Hall 3.
The station director came downstairs in less than three minutes.
He must have received the news and walked down quickly, his suit jacket unbuttoned. When he saw Cheng Che standing in the corridor, he rushed over and reached out his hand.
" Teacher Cheng, why didn't you tell me beforehand?" He gripped Cheng Che's hand firmly. "With you here, our show's ratings are practically guaranteed."
Cheng Che shook hands with him. "Director, you're too kind. I'm here to sing with Ning Qing, and I was afraid that telling you beforehand would cause you trouble."
"No trouble at all, no trouble at all." The station director waved his hand, then added, "Although you're no longer participating in ' Walking the Flower Road Together,' you'll always be a VIP at our Mango TV. It's only right that I personally greet you."
He paused, looked at Cheng Che, and said in a very serious tone:
"I watched the Wimbledon final, Teacher Cheng. You're a top-notch person in any industry. Our station was able to get you as our guest performer because of you."
Cheng Che was a little embarrassed by his praise, "Director, you flatter me."
The station director turned to the director beside him and said, "Take Teacher Cheng to Hall 3. Explain the procedures clearly on the way. If you need anything, just let me know."
Cheng Che followed the director to the rehearsal hall. The station manager accompanied him to the door before returning home.
Inside the rehearsal hall, a dress rehearsal for " I Am the King of Singers " is underway.
A male singer in his early thirties sat in the audience, legs crossed, holding a bottle of water, talking to his manager next to him.
He is one of the favorites to win the championship this season; his name is Lin Zhe.
"Is Ning Qing's guest performer even coming?" He glanced at the stage. "The live broadcast is tomorrow, and she hasn't shown up yet. What kind of procedure is this?"
The agent lowered his voice. "I heard they're quite busy; Ning Qing has been coordinating things."
"Busy?" Lin Zhe chuckled. "How busy can they be? Are they top stars? Even among top stars, few can actually sing. They'd just be a hindrance."
He took a sip of water and added:
"I told Ning Qing to urge them. She said her partner was too busy and told me not to rush. I'm not in a rush, but the production team is. They can't even rehearse properly, they haven't even coordinated yet, who will be responsible if there are problems on the day of the live broadcast?"
The agent did not respond.
No sooner had he finished speaking than a commotion erupted outside the rehearsal hall.
Everyone turned to look. The door was pushed open, and the station director walked in front, turning to the side and talking to the person next to him. The smile on his face was much more genuine than when he was usually in meetings.
The person next to him was wearing a dark gray short-sleeved shirt and a hat, and walked with a steady gait.
When Cheng Che walked in, his gaze swept around and landed on Ning Qing beside the stage. He raised his hand and waved to her.
"Sister Ning Qing."
Ning Qing stood by the stage, holding a lyric book in her hand, looking down at it.
Hearing the sound, she looked up and saw Cheng Che. His face, which was always described as "aloof" in front of the camera, suddenly relaxed.
The corners of her mouth curved upwards slightly, and there was a clear look of happiness in her eyes.
"You're here!" She walked quickly and happily from the side of the stage.
Her steps were lighter than usual, and her ponytail swayed twice behind her head.
She walked up to Cheng Che, looked up at him, her eyes bright, the corners of her mouth turned up, and her voice was softer than usual.
I thought you'd be a little longer.
Cheng Che smiled and said, "The plane wasn't delayed, so I came straight here."
Ning Qing nodded, then, as if remembering something, reached out and removed a loose thread that had somehow gotten stuck to his shoulder. The movement was so natural, as if she had done it many times before.
After taking it, she took a half step back, tilted her head to look at him, and had a faint sense of smugness in her expression, as if to say, "See, I've cleaned you up."
Lin Zhe sat in the audience, a water bottle hovering near his lips, not putting it down for a long time.
He glanced at Cheng Che, then at Ning Qing, and then back at Cheng Che.
" Cheng Che?" he muttered.
The agent next to him whispered, "Yes, Cheng Che."
Lin Zhe put down the water bottle. "If it's Cheng Che,"
He spoke, his voice much softer than before.
"That's definitely very busy."