Chapter 112: The Answer

In fact, many of the categories on the first wheel overlapped. For example, a heartbreak ballad could also fall under pop, or an uplifting rock song.

All the contestants were hoping the judges would land on a category with a broader scope.

“Very well! I believe everyone can now see the topics for this round of the competition to decide the top eight.”

“Next, Judges Zheng Huayu and Yan Mi, please decide among yourselves who will draw the first wheel.”

After Liu Shao finished speaking, he gestured toward the judges’ seats, and the live camera followed.

In the judges’ row, Yan Mi looked at Su Chen with worry. These past two days she had been flying around from one endorsement appearance to another, so busy she had barely set foot on the ground, and only returned to Sa City that evening.

It was only then that she learned of Su Chen’s situation.

At the time, Yan Mi had rushed backstage to find him, but because there were too many people around and the competition was about to begin, Su Chen had not explained much. He only told her that nothing was wrong.

But Yan Mi obviously took that as nothing more than a brush-off.

She did not believe Su Chen would do such a thing. There had to be some hidden story behind it.

Yet given the way the entire internet was now condemning Su Chen, Yan Mi could only feel heartbroken for him.

Su Chen had barely entered the entertainment industry when his path was already full of hardship. First he was slandered by a major entertainment company, and now the whole internet was attacking him.

Just how much pressure was Su Chen under?

The man seated to Yan Mi’s left, Zheng Huayu, was a different story. Beaming, he said, “Since Judge Yan Mi only has one contestant left, I won’t fight you for it. Ladies first.”

Looking at Zheng Huayu’s nauseating smile, Yan Mi did not want to accept his so-called kindness at all.

But the first wheel was vastly more important than the second. As long as the category was chosen correctly, the details could always be forced together somehow, no matter how poor they were.

So, for Su Chen’s sake, and to avoid any chance that Zheng Huayu might tamper with the process, Yan Mi had no choice but to grit her teeth and draw the first wheel.

Seeing that Yan Mi did not refuse, Liu Shao said, “Then let us welcome Judge Yan Mi to spin our first topic wheel!”

Yan Mi looked at the five categories on the big screen, silently praying as she pressed the button to spin the wheel.

In the next instant, the huge screen at center stage spun wildly. Rock, folk, pop, heartbreak songs, and uplifting songs, five differently colored wedges mixed together in a blur that left the audience waiting for the result dizzy and dazed.

“Heartbreak songs... it has to be heartbreak songs...” Yan Mi murmured.

After the previous round, everyone had tremendous confidence in Su Chen’s ability to create heartbreak songs.

After all, if he could even turn a topic built from antonyms into a song, what else could possibly stump him?

And yet, as the wheel gradually slowed, the pointer stopped on uplifting songs!

Yan Mi’s expression stiffened, betraying neither joy nor anger.

Among Su Chen’s original songs, heartbreak songs made up the largest share, followed by folk. As for songs that could count as uplifting, Su Chen had only ever written one, “Chasing the Soul of a Dream,” so this topic was not especially good.

But it was not the worst choice either. After all, Su Chen had not written a single rap or rock song so far.

At the very least, he was not completely blank in the uplifting direction.

Meanwhile, the audience in the stands and the viewers in the livestream all began mocking Su Chen in the comments.

“Uplifting songs? Having this trash sing uplifting songs—doesn’t he find that ironic?”

“Hahaha, this is too funny. If I were Su Chen, I’d be so ashamed I’d withdraw from the competition on my own.”

“Exactly. What kind of shamelessness does Su Chen have? After doing something so infuriating, he still dares to compete. What, did they put an extra life on his mother?”

“Bro, think positive. Maybe he doesn’t even have a mother, hahaha!”

...

In a hotel room, Han Jiangxue watched those comments in the livestream and trembled with rage.

“These people are outrageous! Does no one have a mind of their own? Whatever others say, they just believe?”

“The truth is clearly not like this at all!”

Tears welled in Han Jiangxue’s eyes.

“If Su Chen sees this... how wronged must he feel?”

“And now the public has been blinded by a single leaf, the outcry is too great, and Su Chen is alone. Even if there’s video evidence, he could still be buried by the power behind it!”

After thinking for a moment, she finally called Xiao Jia.

“Hello, Xiao Jia. Help me contact the publicity department at Harmony Media and fully support Su Chen online!”

“Miss, Chairman Chen said that if you do not take over the company, you cannot use the company to do anything.”

Xiao Jia’s voice on the other end of the line remained calm.

Hearing this, Han Jiangxue answered without the slightest hesitation, “I’ll take it.”

“But I have one condition: give me one more month.”

There was silence on the other end for about half a minute. Xiao Jia was likely relaying the message to Chairman Chen.

Then Xiao Jia said, “Chairman Chen has agreed.”

Han Jiangxue was overjoyed and said at once, “I have a video proving what really happened last night. I’ll send it to you now. Tell them that tonight, when Su Chen sings on Tomorrow’s Star, I want this video to take the number one spot on both Weibo and Douyin!”

“Understood, Miss.”

After hanging up, Han Jiangxue looked at the live broadcast and let out a soft, broken laugh, her eyes full of loneliness.

Elsewhere, Wang Sicong was also watching the livestream in a lavish office.

He slammed the desk hard and called his assistant over.

“Tell the people in Marketing that today every news account under Wanda is to go support Su Chen!”

The assistant stared at Wang Sicong in confusion.

“Brother Cong, Su Chen is in a huge losing position right now. If we jump in now, it’ll hurt the company’s image!”

“I don’t want to say this a second time!” Wang Sicong said impatiently.

“But... but if Chairman Wang finds out...” the assistant said in a low voice.

Wang Sicong gave a cold laugh.

“If he doesn’t like it, then I’ll just go back into the entertainment industry myself!”

The assistant, hearing this, understood that not even the boss himself could stop him now. They could only do as told.

At the same time, not only Han Jiangxue and Wang Sicong, but also Zhang Fuyu, Wang Bingling, and others all posted messages on their personal or company accounts, cheering Su Chen on.

In an instant, a storm swept across the entire internet.

Meanwhile, Zheng Huayu also began spinning the second topic wheel.

With the first topic landing on uplifting songs, everyone now found the second wheel’s categories rather mismatched.

Zheng Huayu was not in a hurry. Although he believed Su Chen was definitely going to be eliminated this time, he still had a backup plan.

With this double insurance in place, he did not believe Su Chen had any chance of turning things around.

Thinking this, Zheng Huayu watched as the second topic wheel slowly came to a stop, pointing to its choice.