Chapter 110: From Sixteen to Eight

As night fell, Su Chen also boarded the shuttle bus outside the hotel, bound for the building of Hunan Province Television.

Without Wang Sicong, that little livewire, these bus rides had become rather dull for Su Chen.

Especially tonight. The moment he stepped aboard, he drew every eye in the vehicle.

The contestants stared at him with strange expressions, their eyes full of mockery, scorn, and disgust.

Some of the more timid ones even dared not look at him, shrinking fearfully toward the side by the bus windows.

They were terrified of provoking Su Chen, afraid he might beat them up the way he had pummeled those four punks.

Su Chen paid them no mind. He merely chose an empty two-seater and closed his eyes to rest.

Meanwhile, in the city of Shanghai, Lin Yanran also dressed herself carefully, putting on light makeup and a pure white dress that made her look especially innocent and sweet.

Beside her, Xu Fangyuan sized her up and smiled with satisfaction.

That Manager Feng from Wanda had a weakness for pure, innocent girls, and Yanran’s look tonight was absolutely enough to win him over.

“Yanran, let me go over the important part one more time. The other side is the general manager in charge of channel promotion at Wanda. His name is Feng Shixiang.”

“Manager Feng is thirty-five this year and unmarried, so his financial strength is beyond question. What matters most is his standing and resources in the industry.”

“If you can get Manager Feng’s support, I’ll save myself a great deal of worry for the road ahead. Yanran, you must seize this chance...”

Xu Fangyuan had not yet finished when Lin Yanran interrupted her.

“Sister Yuan, I already told you, I’m just going out for a meal. Why are you making it sound like a blind date?” Lin Yanran said shyly.

Xu Fangyuan said, “Oh, come on. He’s unmarried and you’re unmarried too, so why not consider it? Besides, that young and promising Manager Feng is very much taken with you!”

Seeing Lin Yanran blush even more, Xu Fangyuan did not press further.

“Of course, it’s entirely up to you. I’m not going to force you, am I?”

“You can get to know him a little. You’ve been stuck beside that scumbag Su Chen, being manipulated by him all the time, and you don’t even know any worthwhile men.”

“Who knows? Maybe when you meet Manager Feng, you’ll feel your heart skip a beat. And even if nothing comes of it, making friends with successful people and broadening your social circle is still a good thing!”

Xu Fangyuan coaxed her gently, and Lin Yanran nodded.

Just then, Xu Fangyuan’s phone suddenly buzzed. She picked it up and saw a WeChat message.

After a glance, she immediately said to Lin Yanran, “Look, Manager Feng is already waiting downstairs. Hurry and go down. Don’t keep him waiting too long.”

Lin Yanran nodded and went downstairs wearing a mask and sunglasses.

She was currently living in a high-end residential complex specially rented by Starlight Entertainment, by the banks of the Huangpu River. Although the complex was not quite as luxurious as Tangcheng Yipin, it was still far from shabby.

The complex was designed with separate lanes for pedestrians and vehicles. Lin Yanran took the elevator straight down to the underground parking garage, and as soon as she stepped out, she saw a black Audi A8L parked right in front of her.

The person inside saw Lin Yanran emerge and immediately opened the driver’s door and got out.

He was a handsome man with the polished air of a successful professional.

Seeing that he did not have the greasy, potbellied look she had feared, Lin Yanran could not help but breathe a quiet sigh of relief.

Feng Shixiang walked over to her and greeted her politely. “Hello, Miss Lin. I’ve long admired you. Meeting you for the first time truly makes me very excited.”

His courteous yet enthusiastic smile and words put Lin Yanran at ease. She smiled back and said, “Hello, and sorry to have kept Manager Feng waiting.”

“Not at all, not at all. I only just arrived myself... Shall we get in the car first and talk?”

“Sure.” Lin Yanran nodded.

Feng Shixiang then gallantly opened the front passenger door for her, and only after she was seated did he get into the driver’s seat.

He stole a discreet glance at Lin Yanran’s smooth, fair calves and her exquisitely beautiful profile, and a faint smile curved at the corner of his mouth.

He said to her, “This isn’t really a business dinner. It’s just a meal between friends, so I didn’t book one of those usual business places.”

“The main reason is that Sister Yuan told me you don’t like French cuisine or Japanese food, so I reserved a fairly well-regarded restaurant serving Zhejiang cuisine.”

At Feng Shixiang’s words, Lin Yanran’s eyes lit up.

“Really? I’ve been in Shanghai for several days now, and I’ve been talking business the whole time. I’ve basically been eating nothing but those things, and I’m almost sick of them.”

Feng Shixiang smiled. “Then I guessed right. I won’t torment your appetite with anticipation, then. Let’s set off.”

Along the way, Feng Shixiang and Lin Yanran talked and laughed, enjoying each other’s company.

Lin Yanran had a good impression of Feng Shixiang, and she also felt that what Xu Fangyuan had said made sense after all. At the very least, Feng Shixiang was more gentlemanly than Su Chen, and far more successful.

Since the restaurant was also a private dining house by the Huangpu River, they arrived in no time.

Taking Lin Yanran’s identity into account, Feng Shixiang had even thoughtfully booked a private room. As soon as the two of them arrived, the dishes were swiftly served.

They ate and chatted, laughing as they went.

At the same time, this episode of Tomorrow’s Star was about to begin its live broadcast.

“Everyone, do a final check of the equipment and make sure every camera position is correct!”

“Check one last time that Mango Video’s live-stream connection is smooth and stable!”

“...Good!”

“All departments, attention: countdown begins now!”

“Ten, nine... three, two, one!”

“Begin!!!”

With the director Wu Tong’s shout, the pitch-black stage was once again flooded with light from the spotlights.

Liu Shao stood at the very center of the stage and began his practiced opening spiel to a moving camera circling him.

“Authentic cooling tea, shining stars of tomorrow! Welcome to Tomorrow’s Star, sponsored by the leading cooling tea brand, DuoTreasure!”

“Drink Great Power, add great power! The Great Power mental vitality supplement by Wow-Hey-Hey is cheering on Tomorrow’s Star!”

“Among all the contestants in this season of Tomorrow’s Star, the most outstanding disciples of the four mentors will embark on the Great Power Music Dream Journey!”

After a flurry of rapid-fire promotional lines, the four mentors were invited by Liu Shao to take their seats on the panel.

“Very well! Today’s program is the thrilling elimination round from sixteen to eight!”

“The first two teams to face off are Mentor Zheng Huayu’s team and Mentor Yan Mi’s team!”

“Allow me to introduce these eight contestants to everyone first!”

“They are, on Mentor Zheng Huayu’s team, Meng Xiaotian...”

“And the sole remaining member of Mentor Yan Mi’s team, contestant Su Chen!”

In the audience, every time Liu Shao called out a contestant’s name, cheers rose from the seats.

Only when it came to Su Chen did the entire venue fall into dead silence.