Chapter Ninety-Seven: The Proud Boy

After Zhou Ran’s studio released their statement, it instantly stirred up a huge commotion and sent the topic’s popularity skyrocketing. Yet again, Zhou Ran’s actions confirmed what people often said on the internet: Zhou Ran rarely appears, but when he does, it’s always a major event. Sure enough, this time his appearance set off an explosive trend.

His response turned the spotlight squarely on him—it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that all eyes were on Zhou Ran. This showdown between Zhou Ran and Chen Wenhua was more than just a clash between two singers; it symbolized the competition between the younger and the older generations of vocalists.

Both men were widely recognized as representatives of their respective groups. Chen Wenhua’s reputation was unshakable—he’d already won Best Singer two or three times, and his long-standing career spoke for itself. To put it frankly, Chen Wenhua was already singing before Zhou Ran was even born.

Zhou Ran, on the other hand, was currently the hottest young singer in the industry, famed above all for his astonishing creative prowess. Since his debut, every song he released was original. That alone was something to boast about.

If Zhou Ran lacked talent, Chen Wenhua would never have chosen him as his opponent. Of course, when Chen Wenhua selected Zhou Ran, there was likely a hint of personal grievance over the Best Male Singer Award at the Chinese Golden Melody Awards. After all, no one likes to share such an honor. Some things are meant to be celebrated together, but certain accolades are best claimed alone.

After his call with Li Mi, Zhou Ran took a red-eye flight back to Star City, leaving Zhang Xiaofeng behind to handle the remaining publicity work alone. When Zhou Ran left, Zhang Xiaofeng’s face was the very picture of grievance.

Zhang Xiaofeng had thought she could spend this promotional period by Zhou Ran’s side. Who could have predicted that Chen Wenhua would suddenly appear out of nowhere and sweep Zhou Ran away? All the plans she’d made went up in smoke. To be honest, at that moment, Zhang Xiaofeng could have choked Chen Wenhua—her idyllic time with Zhou Ran had come to such an abrupt end.

This time, Zhou Ran didn’t dare to be as casual as before while flying; he made sure to prepare all his disguise gear, otherwise, the odds of being recognized were simply too high. Li Mi had told him that all the paparazzi were hunting for any trace of him.

In entertainment news, whoever gets the first scoop on Zhou Ran gets the traffic. Right now, he felt like a baby waving a golden key in a crowded street—everyone’s eyes were on him.

But these obstacles were nothing for the ever-resourceful Li Mi. Star City was essentially Zhou Ran’s home base, and securing a secret passage from the airport wasn’t a problem at all. These areas were impenetrable to paparazzi, and the airport’s own confidentiality protocols were reliable. Most so-called “airport candid shots” the public sees are, nine times out of ten, staged by the celebrities themselves for attention. There aren’t actually that many genuine bystanders snapping photos; most of it is carefully orchestrated. Zhou Ran had seen some especially blatant ones—even facing the camera directly, pretending to be caught off guard. The most absurd thing was that fans really believed these were candid, praising how natural their idol looked off-camera.

As soon as Zhou Ran’s plane touched down in Star City, Li Mi was already waiting for him at the secret passage. A few steps and Zhou Ran could get straight into her car—there was no chance for the paparazzi to snap him.

Once in the car, they headed straight to the studio. During the flight, Zhou Ran had been mulling over what song to record. First, he had to settle on a style—gentle ballads were out of the question. He couldn’t possibly respond to a head-on challenge with a soft touch; this wasn’t the time for “using softness to overcome strength,” nor were they practicing tai chi.

After thinking it over for an hour or two, Zhou Ran finally decided on a song he’d always loved—the ending theme from the second season of the animated series “The Rabbit.” Although he’d previously performed “Pure Heart in Pursuit of Dreams,” which was also related to “The Rabbit,” that song’s connection was actually tenuous; it had already become popular before the series aired and had a wide audience on its own.

The song he chose was “Proud Youth,” a well-known track among fans of domestic animation in his previous world. Many video editors liked to use it for electrifying, high-energy montages. Zhou Ran also felt that this music perfectly conveyed the attitude he wanted to express.

“Wow, the studio looks incredible now!” Zhou Ran was stunned when he stepped out of the car and back into his workspace. He hadn’t visited in three or four months, and the transformation took him completely by surprise.

All the recording equipment he needed was installed and ready. The place had been redecorated, with the walls painted his favorite shade of dark gray. As soon as he walked in, Zhou Ran felt totally at ease.

After all, this was the first place that truly belonged to him. Not long after signing with Huayu Entertainment, Zhou Ran had bought the property and converted it from a residential house into his personal studio. Noise complaints weren’t an issue, because the building was in a private villa district; the nearest neighbors were far enough away that no one would be disturbed.

To be honest, apart from the challenge of making money, everything else about wealth was wonderful. With money, you can do almost anything you want. Of course, when it comes to earning, you still have to pay the necessary legal dues—taxes and so on.

Whenever he had a spare moment, Zhou Ran would send money to the original host’s parents. Truthfully, after these past few months, he’d come to regard them as his own. It was just that work kept him so busy he hardly had time to visit in person, so all he could do was wire money now and then, as a makeshift gesture.

You are reading the latest chapter of “Entertainment: Beginning with a Song on a Sunny Day” by masterful author Xiao Mu No Cilantro. To keep up with the fastest updates, don’t forget to bookmark this page!

Chapter 97: “Proud Youth” – Free Read.