Chapter 113: In Memoriam

At that moment, exclamations of surprise rose from both the contestants’ seats and the audience.

“...The answer? The second theme is actually the answer?”

“Add that to the positive-energy theme Teacher Yan Mi randomly drew, and now the challenge is positive energy plus the answer.”

“Positive energy plus the answer... what kind of song is that supposed to be?”

“My head hurts. I can’t think of a single one!”

...

Zheng Huayu stared at the theme that had come up at random, and even he felt a flicker of surprise.

This time, he had only received the themes; he had not manipulated the wheel like last time.

After all, rigging the wheel came at too high a price. Betting heavily on a perk game like this was obviously unwise. Zheng Huayu was not a fool.

So all he had done was take the themes from both wheels and have the contestants on his team prepare a day in advance.

There were only twenty-five options across the two wheels. If they prepared one song for each option, that would still be only twenty-five songs, hardly a difficult task.

Though Zheng Huayu was a little surprised that the random theme was so unusual, he had complete faith in the cheat users on his team.

Besides, they had cheats. Su Chen did not.

The more bizarre the dual theme became, the harder Su Chen’s situation would be, and the happier Zheng Huayu would be.

Ha. Looks like even Heaven is on my side.

With the theme settled, Liu Shao spoke up as well.

“It seems the themes for this match have been confirmed. The two themes are Positive Energy, drawn by Teacher Yan Mi, and Answer, drawn by Teacher Zheng Huayu!”

“So the final challenge is the dual theme of Positive Energy and Answer!”

“Now, please have the two teachers arrange the performance order of the contestants on your respective teams. However, because Teacher Yan Mi’s team now has only one contestant left, Su Chen, he can only appear at the end!”

As Liu Shao spoke, Yan Mi nodded to show she understood.

In an eight-person competition, the contestant who performed last had the advantage of closing the show. As long as Su Chen sang in a way that outshone the seven before him, he would have a better chance of earning a higher score.

Performing last was a gamble, and it was exactly the situation Su Chen wanted most.

Soon, Zheng Huayu announced the order in which his seven contestants would perform.

Liu Shao confirmed the lineup, then invited the first contestant onto the stage and handed the spotlight over to him before stepping down.

At the same time, because of the moves made by Wanda, Phoenix Media, Zhang Fuyu, and the others, the internet erupted in an instant.

All the official accounts, video accounts, and media accounts under Wanda and Phoenix Media began steering public opinion at the same time.

Some accounts said Su Chen had always been the sort of person who would never do such a thing. Others said that perhaps he had touched the interests of certain people, which was why he was being targeted.

What gradually turned the tide, however, were the posts from several major influencers claiming that the video of Su Chen’s fight had been edited.

The editing had been skillful, but after frame-by-frame analysis, they still found flaws.

Among the public, there was no shortage of people with independent judgment. When they saw the content posted by these accounts, they finally woke up from the current of blind opinion.

Not to mention the support from Zhang Fuyu and Wang Bingling. Those two had no shortage of fiercely loyal fans. With the help of those fan groups, the smear campaign against Su Chen was no longer completely one-sided.

All the rumors online also made many bystanders feel that there might be hidden reasons behind the scandal surrounding Su Chen.

On the other side, Feng Shixiang and Lin Yanran were chatting and eating in high spirits.

Since they were both people from the same industry, their conversation inevitably turned to the currently hot variety show Tomorrow’s Star.

“Yanran, have you watched Tomorrow’s Star lately?” Feng Shixiang asked.

At his words, Lin Yanran’s expression changed.

She gave an awkward smile, then shook her head. “I... I’ve been too busy lately. I haven’t had time to watch variety shows.”

“What a pity if you haven’t. This show that Phoenix Media and Hunan Television put together is actually pretty entertaining,” Feng Shixiang said with a smile. Thinking Lin Yanran really had not seen it, he began explaining it to her.

“The competition format is really interesting, especially the recent elimination rounds with the dual-theme system. It’s incredibly engaging.”

“And the contestants the production team chose are all highly topical too. The scripted bits they designed, they all played so convincingly it’s almost like it was real!”

“Especially one contestant named Su Chen. When I watched him, I thought he had the potential to become a first-tier star.”

“It’s a shame he ran into that incident these past few days. No matter how strong his abilities are, he can only end up as a tainted artist no one dares to use.”

As Feng Shixiang spoke, he let out a long sigh, as though genuinely regretful on Su Chen’s behalf.

“Come to think of it, today is the round of sixteen to round of eight match in Tomorrow’s Star. If I weren’t here eating with you, I’d probably be watching the live broadcast right now,” Feng Shixiang said.

“I really don’t understand what the production team is thinking. Su Chen’s scandal is already trending, and yet they still won’t let him withdraw.”

“But I think at most he’ll only get through this episode. With a reputation like that, even if the production team refuses to let him leave, the audience won’t give him any points.”

“That promising stock can only go this far.”

Listening to Feng Shixiang, Lin Yanran looked complicated.

She glanced at the television in the private room and suddenly said, “Since Manager Feng likes this show so much, why don’t we watch it while we eat and talk?”

“And since you speak of it so highly, I’m curious what kind of show it really is.”

Feng Shixiang was overjoyed at her words.

There were many ways to show fondness for someone, and liking the things he liked certainly counted as one of them.

Feng Shixiang felt that Lin Yanran was willing to watch a variety show because of his preferences, which meant she must have a very favorable impression of him.

If she already liked him, how hard could what came next be?

He secretly chuckled to himself and quickly called the waiter over to turn on the television in the private room, switching it to the live broadcast of Tomorrow’s Star.

On the screen, the first contestant from Zheng Huayu’s team was already in the middle of his performance.

Feng Shixiang watched and nodded in satisfaction.

Better to arrive at the right time than simply early.

“Looks like we picked the perfect moment to tune in. Then let’s watch together,” Feng Shixiang said.

“Mm.”

Lin Yanran gave a perfunctory response, yet her eyes were fixed on the television without blinking, trying to find Su Chen’s figure in the image.

After all, this might be the last time Su Chen ever appeared in a public setting like this. Lin Yanran did not want to miss his final song.

At the very least, it could serve as a memorial to the years of youth she had once known.