Chapter 90: Laughter and Tears

Zhou Ran looked at the crew members celebrating for him, feeling both amused and touched. This was the kind of situation that struck a chord deep within him, making him at a loss for words. Simply put, Zhou Ran was so moved that he didn’t quite know how to respond. All he could do was keep rubbing his head, trying to express the emotions stirring within him.

But, as it turned out, there was more in store. When he caught Teacher Huang signaling for him to look behind, Zhou Ran hurriedly turned around, curious to see what else they had planned. The moment he spun around, he saw Zhang Xiaofei standing there holding a bouquet of flowers, waiting to hand them to him.

“Congratulations, Ran! Our youngest-ever Best Male Singer! You’re the first person to sweep all six nominations!” As Zhang Xiaofei passed Zhou Ran the flowers, she offered her heartfelt congratulations.

“Oh, what are you all doing? Honestly, this is too much!” Zhou Ran was already stumbling over his words, barely able to express himself. Though he insisted it wasn’t necessary, inwardly he was overjoyed.

The whole crew burst out laughing at his reaction—this was exactly the response they’d been hoping for. If they hadn’t managed to surprise him, then all their preparation would have been for nothing.

Meanwhile, Chef Huang, who had been watching the crew’s antics from the sidelines, snuck a glance at Zhang Xiaofei. After all, it was Zhang Xiaofei who had arranged the entire event and suggested it to Chef Huang in the first place.

Zhang Xiaofei had already asked Chef Huang in advance not to reveal who had planned the celebration. Chef Huang hadn’t wanted to agree, thinking that Zhou Ran would surely recognize the mastermind behind it all—after all, there was really no need to keep it a secret. In their crew, only Zhang Xiaofei cared for Zhou Ran with such meticulous attention; others might think of it, but no one would plan it as thoroughly as she did.

Zhang Xiaofei’s organization was so precise that every detail was accounted for. She assigned each person a specific role—who would say what, who would do which action—everything was laid out clearly.

After reviewing Zhang Xiaofei’s preparations, Chef Huang couldn’t help but marvel silently at the power of love. With her attention to detail, she could easily direct a film herself. The process was much the same: assign tasks, shoot scene by scene, and reshoot any unsatisfactory parts. Zhang Xiaofei’s seriousness in preparing this surprise for Zhou Ran truly earned Chef Huang’s admiration.

As for Zhang Xiaofei herself, she didn’t see anything remarkable about what she’d done—she had simply followed her heart. She thought that even a child who received a certificate from their teacher would hope for praise when they got home. How much more so for Zhou Ran, who had won multiple major awards and set the record as the youngest Best Male Singer in the Chinese music industry? He certainly deserved encouragement and celebration. That was why she had gone to such lengths to plan this out.

Her only aim was to make Zhou Ran happy and satisfied. She put herself in his shoes as she arranged each detail, correcting any flaws or imperfections she spotted. Her efforts were rewarded; Zhou Ran’s reaction spoke for itself—he was clearly moved, his eyes reddening with emotion.

Not knowing how else to express his gratitude, Zhou Ran decided to treat the entire crew to a meal. After all, it wouldn’t cost much, and he was fairly well-off these days.

Although Zhou Ran hadn’t accepted any endorsement deals or commercial contracts, he was earning handsomely from his song royalties. All rights to his music belonged to him, so every time his songs were performed publicly for profit, he received a royalty payment. Most public events favored hit songs, and for the past few months, Zhou Ran’s music had dominated the charts, making his songs the hottest picks.

This meant that, more often than not, his songs were chosen for performances, and the resulting royalties added up to a considerable sum. In addition, he received substantial earnings from the major music platforms’ ranking fees.

Originally, Zhou Ran should also have received a sizable income from album sales—the biggest portion, in fact—but he had announced early on that he would donate all proceeds from his album. As a result, that revenue was no longer his concern.

According to statistical platforms, in the two months since the album’s release, Zhou Ran could have earned nearly thirty to forty million in pure profits. All of this was thanks to the enthusiastic support of his fans, and after his award wins, his album surged to the top of the sales charts again.

The staggering sales figures left many people dumbfounded, and they privately thought Zhou Ran was a fool to donate such a windfall. But Zhou Ran was oblivious to their thoughts, and even if he knew, he wouldn’t have cared.

Zhou Ran understood that effort and reward went hand in hand. In the eyes of many, his donation wasn’t a loss at all—in fact, he gained a great deal from it. First, it earned him a stellar reputation; whenever someone wanted to criticize him, they had to weigh his charitable gesture, which served as a kind of shield. Second, the donation left a positive impression on those in power, which was a crucial factor in Zhou Ran’s smooth victory as Best Male Singer. Without such protection, he could easily have been devoured by the industry’s sharks.

“Let’s go, dinner’s on me tonight!” Zhou Ran called out to the crew.

“Alright! Tonight we eat at Boss Zhou’s expense!” the crew members responded enthusiastically.