HDIEUMDBTSB #### Chapter 5: The Complete Gift Pack (Part 2)
### Volume 1: The Road to Revival
On the night of the 23rd, under the starry sky, Chu Zhi took a flight from Shanghai to Xingcheng, his first time leaving the neighborhood since being cyber-bullied. He checked into a hotel and had an undisturbed night's sleep.
However, Chu Zhi did have a nightmare, though it wasn’t enough to wake him in the middle of the night. He woke up feeling a bit uneasy, a sign that despite his calm and rational planning since his transmigration, his mind was still somewhat tense. But Chu Zhi was good at hiding his emotions and was quite an actor.
The next day, the sky was adorned with a golden edge, a beautiful scene unnoticed by busy people. Some were busy with life, others with death. Chu Zhi was among the former.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Chu Zhi left the hotel wearing a baseball cap pulled low over his face and headed to the Golden Eagle Film and Television City.
He was greeted by Mango TV host Wei Tongzi, a 25-year-old with short hair and a professional yet stylish look. She wore a mauve semi-business, semi-casual suit with light-colored blouse and cropped pants that revealed her ankles, adding a touch of professional charm.
"Hello, Mr. Chu. I’m Wei Tongzi, your music partner for the show. You can just call me Tong Tong," she introduced herself while discreetly observing the disgraced artist in front of her.
Chu Zhi greeted her, "Hello, Tong Tong. I’m Chu Zhi."
The "I Am a Singer" show had a system where each contestant had a "music partner," a co-host of sorts to help manage the atmosphere. The music partners were all Mango TV hosts, who also got to boost their own profiles through the show.
Initially, Wei Tongzi was resentful about being assigned to Chu Zhi. She had been a fan of his looks before the scandal broke out. When rumors surfaced on Weibo claiming, "There are actually people who like Chu Zhi? Let me tell you what I know—he got ahead by sleeping with people, then went to another country for plastic surgery. You can dig up the details yourself. He’s been used by old men all the time, and there are still people who don't know this," Wei Tongzi was swayed. She thought there couldn't be smoke without fire and felt embarrassed for ever being a fan.
"To think that the pictures on Weibo aren’t edited—he actually looks better in person. Could this face really be the result of plastic surgery?" Wei Tongzi pondered. In the entertainment industry, everyone knew that celebrities’ online photos were heavily edited and they often looked worse in real life.
"It’s really hot today. It must’ve been hard to come out to meet me," Chu Zhi said, pulling a tissue from his brown bag and handing it to her.
Without an assistant or a manager, Chu Zhi had to prepare everything himself, even carrying foundation. His skin was enviably good, but recent spicy food and alcohol made him wary of breakouts. He didn’t trust the TV station’s makeup artists and preferred to rely on himself.
As a fan of good looks, Wei Tongzi took a deep breath and subconsciously accepted the tissue, wiping the sweat from her forehead. The way this guy smiled was too charming—it perfectly matched her aesthetic. Her resistance started to crumble.
"His looks are too striking," Wei Tongzi thought, her previous resentment as a fan-turned-critic easing. "Anyway, he’s probably just a one-time contestant. It wouldn’t be bad to enjoy looking at a handsome face during recording," she mused, her thoughts racing. She casually replied, "Not tired at all. I just drank some organic milk before coming out."
"Didn’t know organic milk could relieve fatigue," Chu Zhi said, picking up on her words.
"Ah, just a habit from reciting ad lines," Wei Tongzi said lightly, feeling more at ease. "Mr. Chu, is this your first time in Xingcheng?"
"I’ve been here a few times, but only for work, never had the chance to explore," Chu Zhi replied.
"There are a lot of great foods in Xingcheng. You must try some if you get the chance," Wei Tongzi said enthusiastically.
"I’ll definitely try if I get the chance," Chu Zhi nodded.
"We’ll meet the producer first and then head to the stage for rehearsal. How does that sound?" Wei Tongzi asked.
"Sounds good," Chu Zhi agreed, looking compliant and adorable like a "cute cat meme."
The tissue she used was now crumpled in her hand, unnoticed as she led the way.
In the building, the TV station staff were used to seeing celebrities and didn't react much. They first went to the program center to meet the producer, Wang Ke, a strong-willed middle-aged man of 47. He was busy negotiating with a brand sponsor, so there wasn’t much time for conversation.
They then took the elevator to the recording site of "I Am a Singer," in Mango TV’s No. 3 studio, which could hold 800 spectators. The studio had cold seats and a deep stage. As a competitive variety show, Mango TV spared no expense. The stage effects were impressive, with cold fireworks, strobe lights, digital silicon boxes, moving light rigs, equalizers, effects processors, crossovers, and compressors.
On stage, Chu Zhi met the band and the show’s music director, Liang Pingbai. After greeting each other, Chu Zhi began to discuss his ideas for the arrangement.
Arrangement and composition are two different things. The latter is about creating the melody of the song, essentially its skeleton. The former is about adding accompaniment to the melody. Arrangement requires practice from scratch, which is why Chu Zhi came to Xingcheng early.
Jay Chou and Vincent Fang are often called a match made in heaven—Jay Chou’s explosive composition ability paired with Vincent Fang’s remarkable lyricism.
### Volume 1: The Road to Revival
#### Chapter 5: The Complete Gift Pack (Part 2)
After explaining his arrangement ideas for "The Wind Blows Through the Wheat Fields" for about ten minutes, the atmosphere was a bit tense. The band members looked conflicted.
Firstly, there was no longer his previous arrogance, but the direction of the song’s transformation was too drastic. Switching from an electronic style to classical? Liang Pingbai was very puzzled.
Wei Tongzi, who had been watching his face the entire time, hadn’t paid attention to what he said. Noticing the tense atmosphere, she quickly tried to mediate: “Director Liang, is Mr. Chu’s arrangement too difficult to execute?”
“On the contrary, it’s very simple. Our band can easily manage the arrangement, but Mr. Chu’s traditional approach might not be suitable for competition,” Liang Pingbai expressed his concern. “The main melody is played by a quintet of piano, harp, violin, and cello? The arrangement is too classical, reminiscent of works from the last century.”
“Classical works may be at a disadvantage in competition, but I feel that ‘The Wind Blows Through the Wheat Fields’ is a great piece, and I want to sing it to the audience on stage,” Chu Zhi said. He knew the quality of "The Wind Blows Through the Wheat Fields" better than anyone. Besides, without relying on impressive originals to score points, with his current shattered reputation, he would be eliminated no matter who he challenged. Bringing something unique was more crucial, and he had a secret weapon.
“If you insist,” Liang Pingbai advised one more time out of professional duty. Since the contestant insisted, as the music director, he had no reason to object further.
“No wonder our show is the hottest music program right now. We have a responsible music director and contestants who want to present great works,” Wei Tongzi added. “Pure Victory Organic Milk sponsoring our program is a very strategic move.”
Liang Pingbai couldn’t help but smile. Working on the same program meant frequent encounters, and Wei Tongzi’s constant mentions of the sponsor's product had become a running joke at the station.
The atmosphere became much more lively, and they moved on to handle the details of the arrangement.
“I think using an Irish harp would be better. Please, teachers,” Chu Zhi said. The Irish harp is smaller and lacks pedals compared to the common harp, giving it a lighter tone.
“For the chorus part, replace the clarinet in the woodwind section with an alto oboe.”
“Please, teachers, let’s practice once more.”
This was Chu Zhi’s first time singing in a formal setting since his transmigration, and he made quite a few mistakes initially. Fortunately, his stage presence was decent, as the original Chu Zhi had held dozens of fan meetings in just a year since debuting. Chu Zhi had inherited this trait well.
Facing an empty auditorium could make anyone a bit nervous. Chu Zhi’s only task was to practice more. The advantage of arriving early became apparent—no other artists were waiting to use the stage, though it did inconvenience the band and music director.
In the afternoon, Wei Tongzi indeed took him to a small, hidden restaurant in Liuzheng Street Community called Yihua’s Home Cooking.
The restaurant was nestled between a hardware store and a nail salon. The staircase leading up was typical of an old residential building, with glossy handrails and rusted iron.
Inside, the restaurant evoked childhood memories with its yellow window frames and white-tiled walls. Whether it had a business license was debatable, but the food was excellent. Chu Zhi particularly enjoyed the stir-fried field frog, a spicy Hunan dish, perfect for building up his "Ruthless Butcher" persona.
“Mr. Chu, how’s the food?” Wei Tongzi asked expectantly.
“It’s very good. Too bad there’s no Pure Victory Organic Milk,” Chu Zhi teased, poking fun at Wei Tongzi’s habit of mentioning the sponsor.
“Love the job you’re in, promote the show’s ads,” Wei Tongzi replied, picking up more food with her chopsticks. “Eat as much as you like. We must take good care of Mr. Chu’s stomach while in Xingcheng.”
In the afternoon, during some free time, Wei Tongzi secretly followed Chu Zhi’s account with her alternate account. She saw that his follower count had dropped from 11.54 million to 8.29 million, with insults everywhere. Personal attacks were mild; many involved his family.
A drop of just over two million might seem insignificant, but Weibo followers were often inflated. Four or five million followers were mostly bought, and maintaining activity was difficult. A one percent engagement rate was high. The original Chu Zhi had been a top star, with two to three million genuine users commenting and helping with rankings.
Suddenly, Wei Tongzi had a dark thought. She felt it was good that Chu Zhi was being widely blacklisted; otherwise, she would never have had the chance to dine with him. She quickly dismissed the thought, startled by her own mindset, and ordered another serving of stir-fried field frog to cover her anxiety.
On the way back, Chu Zhi bought milk tea for the band members and music director Liang Pingbai. Wei Tongzi mumbled to herself, “With such a good personality, why would anyone spread rumors about him being difficult?”
Filters could change so much. Before, Wei Tongzi’s first thought would have been, “Has he been humbled by the backlash? Is he no longer a diva?” But now, facing his looks, she thought, “He has such a good personality.”
For the next two days, Chu Zhi practiced on stage. Then, on the 24th and 25th, "I Am a Singer" began recording!
NEXT