Chapter 135: Parting the Hair Down the Middle and Donning Overalls

After Chef Huang received the news that the film "The Drummer" had been selected, he immediately forwarded it to Zhou Ran, Zhang Xiaofeng, and the rest of the show's creators and guests. Such good news was something Chef Huang wanted to share at once, knowing that they shared his feelings—everyone had been waiting anxiously for the film’s nomination announcement.

Although Chef Huang had also gleaned from the festival organizers some hints about who might win awards, he wasn’t privy to the specific categories each person was nominated for, only a rough idea of the list. Fortunately, both Zhou Ran and Zhang Xiaofeng were on it. Learning this brought him great satisfaction, though he knew all these insider details were the result of behind-the-scenes machinations fueled by capital.

Zhang Xiaofeng was the first to receive Chef Huang’s message about the Cannes International Film Festival schedule. The event was set for Sunday of that week, which perfectly aligned with Zhou Ran’s plans: right after accompanying Zhang Yuan to record the third episode of "Heavenly Voice," he would immediately head to Cannes to attend the festival.

Meanwhile, during a break while practicing dance with Zhang Yuan, Zhou Ran saw Chef Huang’s notification about the Cannes participation. At that moment, he was filled with excitement. This news meant that all his efforts over the past days had not been in vain. It also signaled that the plans he’d been preparing could now proceed smoothly.

Zhou Ran intended to use "The Drummer" as the key to unlock the first door on his path to becoming an international superstar. The influence of the Cannes International Film Festival was just right for this purpose. Being nominated already meant he had accomplished half the journey; no matter what happened next, he had at least secured the chance. What followed would depend on fate.

As for the scheduling conflict between attending the festival and Zhang Yuan’s performance, it was unavoidable. Zhou Ran’s participation in Zhang Yuan’s show had been a last-minute decision, so overlaps were bound to happen. But this was a minor issue; Zhou Ran could promptly provide Zhang Yuan with the sheet music for her new song, and from there, her own talent would determine the outcome.

Still, Zhou Ran had to put all these thoughts aside for now and focus on the task at hand—that was what mattered most to him.

Zhang Yuan, while learning the dance, did not disappoint. She picked it up quickly. After just two or three practice rounds with Zhou Ran, she was already executing the moves with about seventy to eighty percent accuracy. Truly gifted individuals always learn swiftly, no matter the task.

In terms of dance learning speed, Zhou Ran couldn’t compare to Zhang Yuan. The reason he knew the choreography for the song "Love You" was rather specific: in his previous life, he had known a wealthy woman who was a devoted fan of Wang Xinling. To entice her to frequent the bar where he sang, he purposely learned that particular dance, simply to amuse her and secure his livelihood. Though eventually, she was wooed away by a handsome male escort—after all, between selling flesh and selling art, flesh always wins.

This circumstance meant that "Love You" was the only dance Zhou Ran knew, the sole routine he could teach Zhang Yuan. Otherwise, what grown man would casually practice a soft, cute dance like that unless for work or genuine passion?

Zhang Yuan’s pace in learning dance was remarkable because she truly had a dance background. After all, many female entertainers in the industry have some dance training. Truth be told, women often endure far greater hardship practicing choreography than male artists—this is a well-known reality due to various factors.

While Zhou Ran, Zhang Yuan, and Zhang Xiaofeng practiced in the studio, the "Heavenly Voice" production team had already begun promoting the show through various channels, aiming to generate buzz before its premiere. Naturally, the first episode had to be flawless. After all, a great product never fears obscurity.

All the usual promotional work was set in motion. With such a star-studded lineup, a weak marketing campaign would be a huge letdown.

In no time, the internet was flooded with announcements proclaiming the "Heavenly Voice" would air at eight o’clock that evening on the Star channel. The news spread like wildfire across short-video platforms.

Some of this was orchestrated by the production team’s official promotions, but a large part came from the automatic reposts and publicity efforts of the show’s guests and participating singers.

It helped that the guests invited were all influencers with substantial follower bases on these platforms. Their combined reach formed a formidable promotional force, capable of spreading the news widely and swiftly. If the show succeeded, they would all benefit—a matter closely tied to their own interests.

This was precisely the cleverness of Wang Chong, who had envisioned this when designing the program. He deliberately invited these one hundred guests to participate, fully aware of their promotional power.

Yet, even with all these influencers sharing the news, the largest promotional force came from Zhou Ran’s own fans.

The moment the show’s premiere date and participant list were announced, Zhou Ran’s fans flooded the announcement, pushing the comment count to over 999 within moments. The buzz only grew, propelling the topic onto the trending charts.

“Zhou Ran and Zhang Yuan as a duo? What a divine combo—this ship sails itself!”

“Brothers and sisters, follow my lead! Charge for Zhou Ran!”

“Finally found you, my little Ranran. Good thing I never gave up!”

“Please march with me and charge forward! If someday I fall, keep pace with me, part your hair in the middle, wear suspenders... Oops, wrong scene.”

Providing you with the fastest updates of “Entertainment: Starting with a ‘Sunny Day’” by the master author Xiaomu Not Eating Cilantro. To access the latest chapters quickly, please remember to save yourI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.