Chapter 184: Narrow-Mindedness

With Cai Xukun’s eyes turning red and moist, let alone his loyal, blinded fans, even a group of onlookers began to feel the sincerity in his demeanor.

If one were to completely ignore the context and sequence of events, they might even get the impression that Su Chen was the one bullying Cai Xukun.

Though, in the hearts of the ikuns, Su Chen had always been that kind of person.

Sensing that the emotional atmosphere and the audience had been stirred to just the right pitch, Cai Xukun spoke up: "Here is the truth. Since I myself debuted through a talent show, compared to orthodox musicians, I have strayed down far too many wrong paths."

"Actually, I deeply admire contestant Su Chen. In him, I see the reflection of my own past—equally talented, equally adored by fans, and even receiving the utmost care and affection from all the judges."

"But looking back now, I realize that all that pampering and care were precisely the reasons why I wandered so far off the right path."

Saying this, Cai Xukun let out a deep, heavy sigh.

"Those fans who have followed me consistently should know that after I debuted from the talent show, I spent a remarkably long period completely out of the public eye."

"At that time, everyone assumed I was being frozen by my agency. But that wasn't the case at all; it was because I had fallen into a severe creative bottleneck."

"I had been lifted far too high during the show, to the point where I became somewhat arrogant. I genuinely believed that every single song I wrote back then was absolute perfection and deserved to top the charts."

"However, when I presented my songs to the company, hoping they would help me release them, they pointed out the fundamental flaws in my writing."

At this point, Cai Xukun cast a profound, lingering glance at Su Chen.

"...Those songs might have sounded catchy, but they lacked even an ounce of substance."

"In other words, they were nothing more than bubblegum pop. Their replay value might have been high, but they offered zero nutritional value!"

"It was precisely because of this that I had a sudden awakening. As musicians, we must never grow complacent and self-satisfied just because of external success. What we truly need is inner cultivation."

"Only when one’s inner self is truly enriched can one create genuine works of art and bring positive energy to the audience."

Pausing deliberately for effect, Cai Xukun found the camera lens pointed directly at his face and said with heartfelt earnestness: "So here, I also want to say thank you to the agency and colleagues who have helped me the most!"

"Thank you for helping me rediscover my original aspiration, thank you for reaching out to pull me back when I strayed onto the wrong path, thank you for your dedication and responsibility... thank you!"

With that, Cai Xukun bowed deeply toward the camera once more.

Unlike before, this time Cai Xukun’s eyes were filled with genuine emotion. He did not shy away from the lens; instead, he actively maneuvered so that the camera could fully capture his gaze.

The few teardrops he had struggled to hold back finally fell at this exact moment!

If the senior executives of Cai Xukun’s agency could see this right now, they would undoubtedly feel compelled to sigh with mixed emotions.

This dog really knows how to recognize its master after all!

Having finished all this, Cai Xukun finally turned his gaze back to Su Chen.

He said softly: "So, you see, I was simply afraid that you would grow proud and complacent, afraid that your journey had been far too smooth sailing. That is why I wanted to act as a strict mentor to spur you onward."

"Yet, looking at it now, I failed to handle it properly, and it even produced the exact opposite effect. This is entirely my fault."

"Contestant Su Chen, can you forgive me for these two small, selfish intentions of mine?"

Cai Xukun looked at Su Chen, the corners of his mouth twitching upward, barely able to suppress a smug smile.

This single question was practically placing Su Chen over an open fire to roast!

For regardless of whether Su Chen answered that he was willing or unwilling to forgive, the ultimate winner would only be Cai Xukun!

If Su Chen answered that he was willing, he would be conceding that he stood a full head shorter than Cai Xukun.

No matter how awesome you, Su Chen, think you are, you still have to address me as Teacher Cai Xukun, making you my disciple!

Do not think this is merely a matter of a title; such titles carry immense weight. Once this status is acknowledged, no matter where Su Chen encounters Cai Xukun in the future, he would be consciously forced to lower his stance!

If he refused to humble himself and play the junior, he would be accused of disrespecting his teachers and abandoning traditional virtues!

In China, this was a matter of grave seriousness. Countless precedents proved that public opinion could literally destroy a person!

Yet if Su Chen answered that he was unwilling, the outcome would be even worse!

Because of the masterclass in manipulative acting Cai Xukun had just laid out, all the spectators had been subconsciously primed to believe that Cai Xukun meant well. Even though he had messed up and caused trouble, his intentions were inherently good.

If someone refused to forgive a person with such "good intentions," how terribly narrow-minded must Su Chen's heart be?!

How could someone with such a narrow heart possibly deserve to be a celebrity, and how could he possibly command such a massive following?!

Once Cai Xukun’s agency secretly applied a little push behind the scenes, all of this would instantly convert into traffic, hype, and clout for Cai Xukun!

This was an overt scheme—an utterly unbreakable overt scheme from Cai Xukun's perspective!

No!

I mustn't laugh yet!

I have to hold it in!

Cai Xukun forcefully repressed his laughter, holding it back to the point where his entire face began to twist into a rather bizarre expression.

The corners of his eyes twitched and his lips trembled, but in the eyes of the audience, this was nothing short of raw, unfiltered emotional vulnerability!

How wonderful Cai Xukun was!

Meanwhile, standing on the stage until his feet were practically numb, Su Chen felt a wave of genuine astonishment.

Of course he could see right through Cai Xukun's pathetic facade, but he found himself somewhat perplexed.

How on earth did this absolute idiot manage to get smarter just by taking a trip backstage?

Did they keep a bottle of cognitive enhancers hidden backstage?!

After a brief moment of contemplation, Su Chen realized that these meticulously crafted words could never have originated from Cai Xukun's own hollow brain.

Little did anyone know, when Cai Xukun had retreated backstage earlier, he had been acting like a beaten, lifeless dog.

Therefore, these words could only have been fed to him by the very manager who had dragged him backstage!

That manager... actually had some tricks up their sleeve!

At this, Su Chen simply smiled.

If it were anyone else facing this kind of overt trap, they might have been momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

However, Su Chen had experienced far too many such dirty tricks in his past life; he didn't even need to strain his brain to come up with a countermeasure!

Yet, resolving it was one thing; the real question was *how* to resolve it.

After all, when it comes to making someone lose face, one must consider whether to hand them a minor embarrassment or absolute, catastrophic humiliation.

Evidently, since Su Chen wanted to ensure Cai Xukun firmly remembered this lesson once and for all, the grander the humiliation, the better.

When dealing with someone who attempts to seize the moral high ground to accuse you, there are generally only three ways to respond.

Directly refute the opponent.
Embrace the chaos and roll with the mud.
Throw an even bigger, heavier label back onto them.

In Su Chen’s view, directly refuting the opponent was little more than a vulgar street fight, which felt thoroughly inappropriate for the stage of *Tomorrow's Star*.

Embracing the chaos was merely a form of spiritual victory—a game of chicken where whoever lost their temper first and panicked would lose the argument.

As for throwing an even bigger label back at them, it was a tactic typically used to counter identity-based moral kidnapping, directly dragging the opponent into the opposite camp of a specific societal taboo.

Quite coincidentally, Cai Xukun's previous speech had indeed left him vulnerable to precisely this kind of perilous predicament.

Even though he had been desperately trying to patch things up and divert attention ever since.

Others might forget, but Su Chen certainly wouldn't.