Chapter 78: How Is This Any Different from Severing Ties

In broad daylight, an ambulance arrived at the hotel where "Tomorrow’s Star" contestants were staying and carried Zheng Huayu away on a stretcher.

This news quickly stirred up a storm online. Many of Zheng Huayu’s fans insisted it was the internet bullies who had pushed him to the brink, causing his depression to spiral and leading him to harm himself. They demanded an apology from the entire internet.

"Huayu was just fulfilling his duty as a mentor—what did he do wrong?!"

"If anything happens to Huayu, you’re all murderers!"

"Brother Huayu, if something happens to you, what am I supposed to do? If you’re gone, I’ll follow you!"

Zheng Huayu’s most obsessed fans seized the opportunity, taking advantage of the news to control the narrative, at least for the moment. This accidental, yet perfect, script allowed Zheng Huayu to finally halt the rapid decline in his fanbase.

Of course, lying in a VIP hospital room under the anxious care of Yu Yanhong, Zheng Huayu knew nothing of this. At the moment, he cared about nothing except his own physical condition—a matter that concerned a man’s dignity and his happiness for the rest of his life!

After emergency treatment, though the bleeding had stopped, the excruciating pain in his lower body left him deeply uneasy.

At that moment, the attending physician entered.

The doctor glanced at Yu Yanhong, who immediately hurried out in a panic.

"Doctor! What’s... what’s the verdict?" Zheng Huayu asked anxiously.

The doctor glanced at the report in his hand. It revealed that Zheng Huayu’s corpora cavernosa were almost completely severed, with only a single tendon still connected.

With a look of pity, the doctor sighed and said, "Your manhood can be saved..."

"As long as it can be saved, that’s all that matters..." Zheng Huayu breathed a sigh of relief, just as the doctor continued, "Let me finish."

"Although it can be saved, the corpora cavernosa were severed while engorged. This kind of trauma is irreversible..."

Zheng Huayu’s lips trembled. "Doctor, what do you mean..."

"I mean, you’ll keep it, but it won’t function."

"The nerves are damaged. Even the slightest thought will bring a tearing pain."

Seeing Zheng Huayu trembling all over, the doctor shook his head.

"Stay here and calm down. Try not to move."

"I’ll get things arranged for your surgery immediately."

With that, the doctor left the VIP room, and Yu Yanhong slipped back inside.

She was terrified that Zheng Huayu would vent his anger on her, so she did her best to fawn over him and serve him attentively.

Zheng Huayu’s eyes were bloodshot, his face twisted with rage.

"Don’t worry, Huayu darling~ When you’re better, I’ll help you try other things~" Yu Yanhong, her chest half-revealed, took Zheng Huayu’s hand and pressed it to her bosom.

Zheng Huayu’s eyelids twitched, and a wave of agony shot through his lower body.

He shook her off with a violent slap and roared, "Get out! Get out of here!!!"

Frightened out of her wits, Yu Yanhong scrambled from the room on hands and knees.

Zheng Huayu, drenched in sweat from the pain, only began to recover once she had left.

"Useless... It’s useless... Damn it, how is this any different from being severed?!"

Just then, the phone on his bedside table rang—it was his agent calling.

Fighting to suppress his fury, Zheng Huayu answered.

"...Hello."

"Huayu, you’re incredible! You’re my hero!"

"How did you come up with the idea of faking self-harm? Do you know, your follower count on Weibo has stopped dropping—it’s a miracle!"

"You should do it again, it’s working wonders!"

Zheng Huayu: "......"

Hearing this, Zheng Huayu finally lost all self-control and roared, "You moron, screw your self-harm!"

He slammed the phone against the wall, shattering it into pieces.

Even after breaking the phone, his anger was still burning inside him. He punched the bedframe hard.

Bang!

"Su Chen, I swear I’ll never let this go!!!"

Roaring, Zheng Huayu suddenly noticed a fresh patch of red on his sheets.

Clearly, his rage had sent his blood pressure soaring, and the wound had started bleeding again.

"Damn it! Doctor! Somebody help!" Zheng Huayu wailed in terror.

Time slipped by. After Su Chen had slept almost an entire day, the next morning finally arrived.

In the studio of Hunan Province Television, the thirty-two remaining contestants of "Tomorrow’s Star" gathered once again.

"Everyone, check your equipment one last time. Make sure every camera is in the right place!"

"Final check on the Mango Video live feed—make sure it’s stable and smooth!"

"...All set!"

"Attention all departments, countdown begins now!"

"Ten, nine... three, two, one!"

"Begin!"

With Director Wu Tong’s command, the stage—idle for several days—burst once more into dazzling light.

Meanwhile, host Liu Shao stood on stage, addressing the cameras with his opening lines.

"Genuine herbal tea, the brightest rising stars! Welcome to ‘Tomorrow’s Star,’ proudly sponsored by Duoduo Bao, the leading herbal tea brand!"

"Drink Dali, get stronger! Wa Heihei Dali’s energy supplements boost ‘Tomorrow’s Star!’"

"Among all our contestants this season, the four mentors’ most outstanding disciples will set off on the Wa Heihei Dali Musical Dream Tour!"

"......"

Backstage, Su Chen had taken his seat once more. This time, though Wang Sicong’s chatter was absent, he was surrounded by contestants eager to curry favor.

Su Chen’s recent surge in popularity left everyone scrambling to ingratiate themselves with him. In their eyes, Su Chen was already far above them—his debut was a foregone conclusion.

Now was the time to get on his good side, just in case it paid off in the future.

Only Meng Xiaotian and his close-knit group from Star Entertainment stayed far away from Su Chen.

One of Meng Xiaotian’s sycophants, watching Su Chen’s every move, sneered, "Brother Tian, look at him—absolutely disgusting!"

"Yeah! Like a dog wagging his tail for attention!"

Meng Xiaotian calmed the group, a cold smile on his lips.

"Relax. I have it on good authority that the rules are about to change. He won’t be cocky for long."

"Remember, this is a knockout round, and I’m still here! The moment I face him, I’ll knock him out myself!" Meng Xiaotian boasted.

Last night, Xu Fangyuan had messaged him—Zheng Huayu had pulled some strings to change the competition format and had already tipped off Meng Xiaotian in advance.

In other words, while everyone else was taking a closed-book test, only Meng Xiaotian had the answers wide open!

With this advantage, Meng Xiaotian was certain he could crush Su Chen.

If you’re taking a closed-book test and I’m not, what chance do you have against me?!