HDIEUMDBTSB Chapter 11: The Unexpected Blind Box

 Volume One: The Road to Stardom

"It's probably not. 'Wheat in the Wind' is also a high-quality song. If they could find someone to ghostwrite for them, they would have released it long before any scandals surfaced. They would have been wealthy and famous by then," Lin Xia offered her judgment.

"I quietly thought about it. Chu Zhi's previous album also didn't have any songs written by himself. It's possible that the company didn't allow him to showcase his talent," Zheng Yingying suggested a possibility.

"Kangfei Entertainment isn't foolish," Gu Nannan said. "I remember Chu Zhi didn't even attend university to pursue his dream. He might have accidentally written a good song. When someone is desperate, they can do anything besides math."

Gu Nannan added, "From my perspective, Chu Zhi's face is a disaster. I've accidentally caught a glimpse of him several times in the assembly hall. I really wanted to go up and ask him how he maintains his skin."

"Gu Jie, calm down, let's be elegant," Zheng Yingying interjected. "We're not discussing right or wrong, only appearance. Chu Zhi sits quietly with a faint smile on his lips, like a character straight out of a manga. No wonder he has so many fans. Who among us girls can resist that face?"

"Yingying, you're making jokes. It's as if us guys could resist him, especially with those eyes of Chu Zhi's, exactly two of them," Lin Xia remarked.

And so it began, again. Lin Xia wasn't just verbose in front of the camera; she was a prolific conversationalist in real life. She continued, "Chu Zhi's nose is also beautifully shaped, right in the middle of his face, and his mouth has only one. What's even more astonishing is his head, perfectly placed on his neck!"

"A word from a wise man saves years of study," Gu Nannan rolled her eyes, clearly fond of rolling her eyes, as evidenced by the distinct lines around her eyes.

"Will Chu Zhi become popular after the program airs?" The question had been lingering in Zheng Yingying's mind for hours, and she finally asked it.

"It's impossible to become popular again. His online reputation is already tarnished. It's not just one or two songs or a variety show that can restore it," Lin Xia answered without hesitation, then added, "After the show airs, he might gain a small wave of fans, but the general trend won't change. His humming today was exceptional, enough to sustain him for a lifetime. In other words, with his looks, he'll do well wherever he goes."

The implication was that besides being a star, he could excel in any other industry.

Upon hearing Lin Xia's words, Zheng Yingying inexplicably felt relieved. Perhaps she didn't realize it herself, but after meeting Chu Zhi in real life, she didn't want something beautiful to end badly.

Apart from the trio of Lin Xia, there were also Wu Xi and his brothers discussing Chu Zhi.

"Relying on some unknown original creation to defeat me, it's a sneak attack without honor. Next round's format specifies the songs, so I'm waiting for you to be eliminated," Wu Xi muttered, completely ignoring the heavenly humming.

Several unnamed brothers also joined in the cursing, "Little fresh meat who relies on his looks for a living doesn't know anything about singing," "Maybe there's some insider information," "We'll give you a taste of our criticism after the show airs," and so on. Well, from the perspective of good buddies, it's okay to stand up for your own, but from Chu Zhi's perspective, it's not something nice.

Whether it's praise or criticism, the person in question couldn't hear any of it. Chu Zhi stayed at the hotel smoking area, finishing another cigarette. During his two days in Xingcheng, apart from hangovers and spicy food, he had also expanded into a new direction—

[Smoking King (Suddenly a sickle appeared in the sky, just as the Jade Emperor wanted to smoke.) Smoking * 1, 1 personality coin★. Smoking * 5, 2 personality coins★. Smoking * 10, 3 personality coins★. Smoking * 50, 4 personality coins★. Smoking * 100, 5 personality coins. ...]

He wasn't a smoker before crossing over, only indulging when discussing business with clients, if they requested it. The original owner didn't smoke at all.

Chu Zhi activated the "Smoking King" and smoked two and a half packs of cigarettes in two days. He managed to accumulate 10 personality coins.

"Smoking, drinking, and possibly other bad habits in the future are not setting a good example. We need to be a fresh meat that aligns with the core socialist values," he reflected.

"The experience of being attacked, along with the past suicide attempt by taking sleeping pills, is a weapon. It seems there's also proof of depression?" Chu Zhi recalled.

The original body had only gone out a few times, one of which was to purchase sleeping pills. However, sleeping pills were prescription medication requiring a doctor's confirmation. Therefore, the original body, dressed securely, went to the hospital and was diagnosed with severe depression, and was prescribed some medication along with sleeping pills.

These were all physical evidence that could be utilized. Since he suffered from severe depression, was smoking, getting drunk, and doing other things reasonable?

Even if he drank the water from the Ganges, he still had to shout in the cemetery—"This is the water from the Ganges!"

"If I can successfully become popular again, I'll also promote to my fans to smoke and drink less, as it harms the body. As for me, it's a result of being wronged, cyberbullied, and experiencing severe depression," Chu Zhi noted.

Chu Zhi noticed that the system had many strange items, such as the "World's Most Beautiful Hands," the "Despairing Sound," the poetry collection "The Flock of Birds" by Tagore, the "Backlit" gift pack, the "Faith" gift pack, and the special grand prize: Vitas' vocal talent.

"What does it mean to have a poetry collection in the rewards?" Chu Zhi inquired, especially since it was Tagore's "The Flock of Birds."

\[In this world, there is no Tagore.\] the system responded.

In other words, it could be plagiarized. Chu Zhi remembered that the difference between this world and Earth was after the 19th century. Tagore was a figure from the 19th century, so it was normal for him not to exist, but...

"I'm supposed to be a singer. Is it unreasonable for me to write poetry?" Chu Zhi asked.

\[As a music creator, you need to write lyrics yourself. So, what's wrong with writing a couple of modern poems on the side?\] the system countered.

"Uh..." Chu Zhi opened his mouth to refute, but it seemed he couldn't. It indeed made sense, leaving him unable to argue.

He didn't pay much attention to the music industry, but thinking about it, if the three giants of lyrics, Huang Zhan, Zhuang Nu, and Qiao Yu, released a poetry collection, it would be quite normal. Furthermore, going a step further, if Fang Wenshan were to write modern poetry, or even classical poetry, it wouldn't be surprising.

Whether it's modern or ancient poetry, it's not something you can just copy. Many modern poems bear personal imprints and reflect the era, so they're not something you can write casually. However, since it's a poetry collection, he could take his time to work on it.

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