Lin Yan's voice came from the CCTV Sports channel's broadcast booth, his tone filled with emotion, but also with a calm that came after being repeatedly shocked.
Ladies and gentlemen, the US Open men's singles semifinals have been determined.
Cheng Che defeated his opponent in straight sets in the quarterfinals, without giving his opponent a single break point throughout the match.
This marks his fifth consecutive shutout victory at this US Open, without dropping a single set. Hard courts are his most familiar surface, and from the first round to the semifinals, his performance there can be described as effortless.
Zhou Zhou chimed in from the side, her voice even more excited than Lin Yan's:
"And look at the way he wins, he doesn't slowly grind down his opponent, he ruthlessly suppresses them."
He's pressing forward with every shot, giving his opponent no chance to breathe. If he maintains this form in the semifinals and finals, he has a good chance of winning the US Open Champion.
In that case, he would have won all four Grand Slam titles— the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open— within a year, a feat unprecedented in the Open Era.
The screen was flooded with comments.
[A Grand Slam in one year, unprecedented]
[The King of Hard Courts returns to hard courts; it's truly a game-changer.]
I didn't watch the first few rounds much because I already knew the results.
[Don't jinx it, the semifinals haven't even started yet!]
But look at him, who can stop him?
The scene shifts to the field, where Cheng Che stands behind the baseline and waves towards the stands.
Then, carrying his bag, he turned and headed towards the players' tunnel.
Qin Lie and Chen Wei waited at the entrance of the passage, while Zhao Gang stood a little further back.
As he walked out of the side gate of the venue, a group of United States girls blocked the barrier, holding up their phones and autograph books. When they saw him come out, screams erupted.
Cheng Che walked over, took the first autographed book handed to him, and quickly signed it.
After taking the notebook, the girl stared at him for several seconds, repeatedly muttering "Oh my god, oh my god," before being pulled away by her friend.
The second girl handed him a white T-shirt, and after Cheng Che signed it, she asked if they could take a photo together.
Cheng Che nodded, turned to let her stand beside him, and Qin Lie took the phone and took a picture for her.
After taking the photo, the girl glanced at it, covered her mouth, and squatted down. Several of her companions next to her also screamed.
After signing seven or eight papers, Cheng Che waved to the crowd, said "Thank you, get back soon," and then got into the car.
The car door closed, instantly shutting out the noise outside.
Cheng Che leaned back in his chair, unscrewed the water bottle, took a sip, and the sweat on his forehead was still wet.
The New York evening sun slanted in through the car window, illuminating his white Nike jersey.
Qin Lie sat down next to him and said to the driver in front, "Back to the hotel."
Then he checked his phone and said:
"The day after tomorrow, at 2 PM, is the semi-final. My opponent is the tournament's third seed, Norway player Markus Halden. I played five sets yesterday to win, so I was quite exhausted."
Cheng Che nodded and closed his eyes briefly. "Perfect."
Qin Lie glanced at him but said nothing more.
The car merged into the traffic outside Flushing Meadows Park.
Cheng Che picked up his phone, the screen lit up, and several push notifications appeared.
The first post was forwarded by Chen Wei: France police announced that all four suspects at the scene of the Louvre Museum jewelry theft have been apprehended, but the stolen jewelry has not yet been recovered.
Cheng Che remembered that he had seen that news the next morning when he was in Paris with Pei Jingshu a few months ago.
At the time, it seemed outrageous; now the case is solved, but the stolen goods haven't been recovered.
He said "Oh" and swiped past.
The second notification made him laugh.
The official lineup for the new season of " Walking the Flower Road Together " has been announced, with Lu Heng's name listed first, followed by several second-tier artists and new faces.
The promotional poster features Lu Heng standing in the center, with the tagline "New journey, new partners."
Cheng Che clicked in and glanced at the reservation data.
Within 24 hours of the official announcement, the number of views reached 80,000.
He recalled that when he was still active in the previous season, the number of reservations on the day of the official announcement was over three million.
The comments section was quite interesting too.
Lu Heng's fans were the first to react angrily.
[So Lu Heng went to take over Cheng Che's mess? What were you thinking, production team?]
[What kind of star is our Heng Ge that he needs to take on a variety show that no one else wants?]
[ Cheng Che only approached Lu Heng after withdrawing from the deal; isn't that just taking advantage of a loophole?]
[To put it bluntly, what's the point of watching this show without Cheng Che?]
I don't object to Lu Heng appearing on variety shows, but I don't like him on this one. It feels like it lowers his status.
The comments from passersby were more direct.
[ Ning Qing is gone, Su Jianqiu is gone, Cheng Che is gone, what's left of this show?]
[Could Lu Heng tow an aircraft carrier by himself?]
[To be honest, Lu Heng has a good sense of variety, but the core selling point of this show is Cheng Che, so it wouldn't matter who you replace him with.]
[80,000 reservations? That's a terrible number. Doesn't Mango TV feel bad about this?]
I was actually quite looking forward to seeing Lu Heng, but after seeing this guest lineup, I guess I'll pass.
Cheng Che scrolled through a few messages, smiled, and placed his phone face down on his knee.
"What are you looking at?" Qin Lie tilted his head.
"It's my old employer's program," Cheng Che said. " Lu Heng accepted it; the reservation is for 80,000."
Qin Lie was taken aback for a moment, then scoffed, "Eighty thousand? Last season, when you were managing it alone, you made over three million on the first day."
"The core of the show is me, not the show itself," Cheng Che said arrogantly. "Now that I've left, it should return to its rightful numbers."
He laughed after he finished speaking.
I recently saw the buzzword "Jiahao" and couldn't resist trying it myself.
That's really asking for a beating.
Qin Lie smiled but didn't reply. He looked down and scrolled through his phone, probably seeing the comments section as well, and shook his head.
As the car drove onto the bridge, the Manhattan skyline came into view.
The atmosphere in the conference room at the Mango TV was heavy.
The producer who had been brought in from outside sat at one end of the long table, with reservation data spread out in front of him. He had invited Lu Heng, thinking that this card could stabilize the situation.
But fans weren't buying it, and neither were casual observers.
Lu Heng's fans felt embarrassed, casual observers didn't care, Cheng Che's fans wouldn't even bother to watch.
He pleases neither side.
Someone whispered, "How about... we try to contact Cheng Che again? Even just coming back as a guest for one episode would be fine."
The producer didn't respond, but his expression was grim.