HDIEUMDBTSB ## Chapter 17: Morals Follow the Looks
Is it necessary to completely eliminate him?
Sister Feng felt her thoughts were a bit naive. In the entertainment industry, it's definitely about elimination. Da Hua Entertainment is a giant in the industry, capable of using both underhanded tactics and open strategies.
Given the current number of Li Xingwei's fans, as long as he goes head-to-head with Chu Zhi, losing would mean the end of the game, and winning would result in being overwhelmed by Li's fans.
Now, the choice in front of Sister Feng was whether to inform Chu Zhi about this.
Seeing Chu Zhi making significant progress after leaving her management, Sister Feng felt a bit resistant—there was no need to help him.
After pondering for a while, Sister Feng was still unwilling to inform him directly. Instead, she called a friend at the TV station, asking them not to edit the show maliciously, thus ending the favor from the past two years.
This indeed worked. The editing of "I Am a Singer" did not go overboard. To be more precise, Chu Zhi barely had any screen time. Compared to the previous two surprise guests, his footage was reduced by two-thirds.
Putting down the phone, Sister Feng arranged her artists' schedules. Without any standout artists, the most notable one under her management was actress Wang Aiyuan, who became popular as the lead in a web drama and was currently at the "little flower" level.
To advance further, she needed more and better projects. Sister Feng took on the responsibility of managing her film and TV career. Amid her busy schedule, a phrase suddenly popped into Sister Feng's mind: "Sister Feng was the only one who helped me when I was wronged."
The word "only" indeed gave her a slight sense of responsibility.
It was strange why this phrase came to her mind. Sister Feng rubbed her temples, attributing it to staring at the computer for too long, affecting her brain.
"Never mind, it’s just a small favor."
"The last bit of sentiment, the last bit of sentiment..." Sister Feng muttered as she dialed Chu Zhi's number. She revealed that the new surprise guest was Li Xingwei but did not mention Da Hua Entertainment’s scheme against him. From her perspective, even if she did, it wouldn't solve anything, so it was better not to.
### October 5th
### Location: Golden Eagle Building
### Characters: Many contestants
During the recording of a new episode, Chu Zhi figured arriving late might unlock some achievement, but currently, he didn’t have the luxury to try. So, he arrived on time with the first batch of contestants in the gathering hall, with his music partner by his side.
Before the recording started, Wei Tongzi was still scrolling through Weibo, mainly looking at last night’s show reviews. She had long since turned from a hater to a fan of Chu Zhi, so she wanted to find people who felt the same.
"Ah, what do I do? I feel that Chu... Whether it’s his looks or his voice, it’s all my favorite type, but the evidence against him is really damning."
"I used to think that just because someone looked good, their morals would follow, but now I’m not so sure..."
"I used to be a fan, then turned hater, and now after watching 'I Am a Singer', I’m really touched. Honestly, this is the first time I’ve been mesmerized by a man’s moaning. That humming really hit my heart. Please stop, I can’t take it."
"Let’s not elevate personal character to the level of artistic work. Forgetting about personal character and morality, 'The Wind Blows the Wheat Waves' is pretty good."
And so on, Wei Tongzi read comment after comment.
There was no concrete evidence, yet rumors and marketing accounts made it feel like there was. Referring to his humming as "moaning" was indeed a bit wild.
"Mr. Chu, is it true that you're secretly married?" Wei Tongzi suddenly asked, putting down her phone. Since the show hadn’t started recording yet, she felt she could casually ask.
"What do you think, is it true or false?" Chu Zhi didn’t answer directly.
"I believe it’s definitely false," Wei Tongzi blurted out. She genuinely wanted to believe it was false.
"It is indeed false," Chu Zhi nodded.
"Then why don't you..." Wei Tongzi wanted to ask why he didn’t explain, but the program director came over to announce the start of the recording. The cameras started rolling, so they couldn’t continue their casual chat.
Both of them got up, pretending they had just arrived by shuttle and then walked into the gathering hall.
Wei Tongzi asked because a secret marriage could easily be disproven. One could get proof from the police station or directly show their household registration book indicating "single" status. However, proving innocence was just one part of the goal; the more important part was convincing the public of your innocence.
## Chapter 17: Morals Follow the Looks
Would being found not guilty in court help in the face of social death?
Some people are naive enough to believe that the marketing accounts thriving on scandal would report "xxx is innocent" or "xxx didn't do it" if you provided evidence. Is that possible? They would just turn a deaf ear.
Chu Zhi was well aware of his current predicament. To clear his name, he should have presented evidence immediately when he was first slandered. At that time, the public was still paying attention and hoping for a reversal. Now, it's too late. He could only focus on recovering his "voice." Moreover, he was still under the suspicion of being a kept man.
A few minutes later, the second arrival was the Japanese singer Tsunemitsu Yoshi, who was chatting and laughing with his music partner, Zhang Yue.
"Even though it’s only been a week, I’ve missed Chu-san’s presence," Tsunemitsu Yoshi greeted with a bow, his black beret securely covering his thinning hair.
"I'm looking forward to Mr. Tsunemitsu’s cover," Chu Zhi was eager to interact with the contestants, as interactions meant more screen time. His music partner, apart from delivering ad lines, rarely initiated any conversation.
"I went back and watched Chu-san’s previous performances. There’s a steadiness like that of Tenshukaku," Tsunemitsu Yoshi started a conversation, making an OK sign with his hand, saying, "The stage effects were excellent."
Previous performances? Chu Zhi observed the sincere smile on the Japanese singer’s face and couldn’t tell if it was a compliment or a subtle jab.
Tsunemitsu Yoshi did go back and watch, but as a fan of good looks, he only paid attention to Chu Zhi’s appearance, not his singing, nor did he notice the ongoing online slander. By "the steadiness of Tenshukaku," he naturally meant Chu Zhi’s consistent good looks.
"But Chu-san, you seem unwell. Are you feeling alright?" Tsunemitsu’s music partner, Zhang Yue, translated his words, and Tsunemitsu’s face showed genuine concern.
"Nothing serious," Chu Zhi replied. His pallor made him look no different from a patient.
His haggard face and pale lips were part of his makeup for the performance of "Desert Island," done after receiving Sister Feng’s warning call. He used his appearance to his advantage. While the sickly handsome look might not be as effective as a beautiful sickly look, it would still evoke sympathy. Combined with his song of despair, Chu Zhi felt fairly confident.
One must do their best to achieve their destiny. He had always known Da Hua Entertainment would make a move when they saw signs of his comeback, but he didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. As a decision-maker at Da Hua, they were no pushovers; their actions were indeed swift and decisive.
"Take care of your health," Tsunemitsu Yoshi said. "I know a doctor. Would you like to see him?"
"What kind of doctor?" Chu Zhi asked, seizing the opportunity to change the topic.
"A Chinese medicine doctor, very skilled," Tsunemitsu Yoshi said.
"My condition can’t be treated with Chinese medicine," Chu Zhi responded, then diverted the conversation to other topics.
In their chat, Tsunemitsu Yoshi suggested Chu Zhi spend some time in the Japanese entertainment industry. Although idols weren’t highly regarded in Japan, Chu Zhi’s looks would definitely be very popular.
The third and fourth contestants arrived simultaneously, a man and a woman—Lin Xia and Gu Nanxi. They greeted each other upon entering the hall.
"Where did you go these past few days? You look a bit tanned," Gu Nanxi’s comment was directed at Lin Xia, referencing something she didn’t want to talk about. Lin Xia had been a guest on "Running Brothers," and the two-day shoot had indeed tanned her.
Lin Xia replied, "Haven’t you noticed? If I were as fair-skinned as Chu Zhi, I’d never get tanned."
"That’s a way of putting it, I guess," Gu Nanxi responded with a nonsensical remark.
"We met during rehearsals before," Lin Xia spoke to Chu Zhi in Chinese first, then switched to Japanese to talk to the only Japanese person present, "Tsunemitsu-san, it’s been a week."
She showcased her talent for languages.
As they chatted, other contestants gradually arrived. Once all the first-line contestants were gathered, their music partners drew lots to determine the order of performances for the night.
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