Chapter 118: It Takes Two to Tango

Yan Mi looked at Su Chen with heartache, so much so that she didn’t even offer any comments.

But now, whether anything is said or not no longer matters. Didn’t you see how Yan Mi and Su Chen both disregarded the audience’s opinions and started addressing each other in familiar sibling terms, chatting away like family?

After all, who would ever give their own family a bad review or a low score?

The audience was not unaware that the two shared a close relationship, but this was the first time on the show that Yan Mi and Su Chen had addressed each other so intimately.

In truth, this approach was rather inappropriate—it could easily give viewers the impression that Su Chen was only advancing because of his connections.

However, Yan Mi was wracked with guilt at that moment, and she truly believed that this was when Su Chen needed protection the most.

So, Yan Mi stood up for him, choosing the most direct and powerful way she knew: she placed herself in front of Su Chen.

Her words were a forceful declaration to everyone—Su Chen was under her protection!

And it wasn’t just her; Wang Bingling and Zhang Fuyu were also standing by Su Chen’s side.

Su Chen understood Yan Mi’s intentions—although he felt helpless, his heart was filled with gratitude.

“No matter what happens, we’ll always believe in you. Don’t shoulder these things alone anymore, all right?”

Looking into Yan Mi’s swollen, earnest eyes, Su Chen nodded vigorously.

“All right!”

Having seen through the hypocrisy of the entertainment world in his previous life, what Su Chen valued most was those who were truly good to him.

With the perspective of someone who had already endured so much, he could see that there was not a trace of calculation in Yan Mi’s expression.

All that was there was a sister’s distress for her younger brother and a heartfelt plea.

Such sincere affection was something Su Chen had never experienced in either of his two lives.

He had always fought his battles alone—rejoicing in solitude, licking his wounds in silence. But now, Su Chen realized that having someone to rely on... felt truly wonderful.

When Yan Mi returned to the mentors’ seat, the live broadcast finally shifted to the last mentor, Zheng Huayu.

Those who had once apologized to Zheng Huayu when negative rumors about Su Chen were rampant now watched him with darkened faces.

They had thought Zheng Huayu saw through Su Chen’s character, which was why he kept targeting him.

But now it was clear that Su Chen’s character was beyond reproach—a man strict with himself and generous with others—yet Zheng Huayu continued to trip him up.

Clearly, the problem lay with Zheng Huayu.

Thinking back on the things they’d said when apologizing to Zheng Huayu, many audience members felt their faces flush with embarrassment. Their expressions shifted from guilt toward Su Chen to a gnashing-of-teeth fury toward Zheng Huayu.

“Damn! I don’t want to see this guy! Every time he appears, I feel like I’ve committed some unpardonable crime!”

“Don’t even mention it, guys. Now you’ve made me remember the comment I left under his Weibo... If someone finds it, I’ll have no face left!”

“Hurry! There’s still time! Quick, go to Weibo and delete the comment!”

“Go, go, go! I’m coming too!”

...

In the live chat, messages flickered across the screen as netizens scrambled to cover their tracks.

They all dashed to Weibo, deleted their apology comments to Zheng Huayu, and unfollowed him for good measure.

Once done, they hurried back to the live stream as if nothing had happened, waving flags and cheering for Su Chen.

Despite their anger, curiosity still lingered—what would someone who had always been at odds with Su Chen have to say about him today?

On camera, Zheng Huayu could no longer maintain any composure.

His face was dark and bewildered!

Had Su Chen saved the world in a past life?

Even with video evidence, how could he still turn things around?

This just defied all logic!

As the camera shifted to him, Zheng Huayu took a deep breath, attempting to muster a smile.

But, having entirely lost control of his expression, his forcibly raised lips contorted into something grotesque.

And since it was late at night, the audience watching the stream nearly had a heart attack at his twisted grin!

“Damn! This idiot just gave me a fright! Now that Su Chen’s been cleared, he can’t even manage a proper smile? He really can’t stand seeing Su Chen do well, can he?”

“I got such a shock I yelled out loud. My mom even asked what happened—I said I just saw an idiot!”

“Zheng Huayu is really petty! Just look at him compared to Su Chen—it’s no comparison!”

“Compare? What’s Zheng Huayu’s level? He’s not even qualified to be compared to Su Chen!”

...

Fortunately, Zheng Huayu couldn’t see the barrage of live comments; otherwise, he might not have managed even that bizarre smile.

In this situation, Zheng Huayu was at a complete loss as to how to disparage Su Chen.

The other side had all the momentum!

But to praise Su Chen? That was something Zheng Huayu simply could not bring himself to do!

So, for once, his usually idle mind spun quickly, searching for a way out.

After a brief two seconds, Zheng Huayu’s expression brightened.

He had, in fact, thought of a way to criticize Su Chen!

“In my opinion, Su Chen’s performance of ‘Your Answer’ was quite standard—nothing particularly outstanding, but not bad either.”

“However... the basis for my evaluation differs entirely from Mentor Han Hong’s.”

“Mentor Han Hong believes that, since ‘Tomorrow’s Star’ is a music competition, the focus should be on the music itself.”

“But I believe that, since it’s a talent show, the focus should be on the person.”

Zheng Huayu spoke at length, and the audience subconsciously nodded along.

There was nothing wrong with those statements—so was he about to praise Su Chen as a person?

Could it be that Zheng Huayu had finally turned over a new leaf?

Under the expectant gaze of the entire audience, Zheng Huayu continued, “Since we’re talking about the person, we have to mention the recent rumors about Su Chen and the video just shown.”

“Though I don’t know which of the videos is true, I believe Su Chen’s character is truly lacking!”

“He’s too impulsive and doesn’t think about the consequences!”

His words set off a storm throughout the studio!

Some audience members even began cursing him outright!

But Zheng Huayu acted as if he heard none of it and went on.

“Maybe you all only saw Su Chen fighting off thugs and rescuing an elderly man, but I think he could have communicated with them properly—why resort to violence? Clearly Su Chen failed to communicate; after all, it takes two to quarrel!”

“And why did the old man get hurt? Wasn’t it because he spoke up for Su Chen? If Su Chen had just talked things through with those four, would any of this have happened?”

“So, in the end, the elderly man was hurt because of Su Chen!”