Chapter Two: What Are You Saying? This Is a Journey We Take Together

"Um... You're not live streaming this, are you?" Lin Ze was stunned.

"Ah, yes, I am." The folk singer replied, then suddenly realized the gravity of the situation.

This was a celebrity—had he just broadcasted a huge scoop about a celebrity’s love life?

Oh, hell...

Is he going to hit me?

Lin Ze quickly took out his phone. On Weibo, a piece of news shot to the top of the trending list.

"Shocking! Singer Lin Ze confesses live in a midnight bar!"

"Some people, once missed, are gone forever."

"Lin Ze shares a passionate kiss with Su Zitan, CEO of Zitan Collections, in a late-night bar!"

Riding on the recent wave of attention from fans attacking Lin Ze, this public confession instantly became the number one trending topic.

Lin Ze casually clicked on a post, only to find that all the comments were accusing him of cozying up to a rich woman.

He hit repost and added, "What are you talking about? Ours is a love pursued by both sides."

"My, you're really trending now," Su Zitan leaned over to look, "Top of the charts."

"It’s okay. The more popular you are, the more controversies you get. I’ve gained hundreds of thousands of followers, but there are just as many people cursing me," Lin Ze said with a hint of regret. "Maybe some other celebrity is trying to ride my wave."

The live stream was still running. Zhang Yang’s fans, new to the stream, immediately flooded the screen with question marks and then launched into a tirade.

Many who had wandered in to hear "Later" were left dumbfounded by the barrage of question marks and couldn’t help but laugh.

It was because of fans like these that Zhang Yang’s reputation among bystanders was so poor. Watching Lin Ze play dumb, a single sentence from him sent the fans reeling, and the onlookers were greatly amused.

Just then, Lin Ze’s phone rang. It was his agent, Wang Xue.

A cold sweat broke out on Lin Ze’s forehead. Even after all this time, the fear of Sister Wang still lingered in his heart.

"Everyone, my agent is calling. I’ll go take this," Lin Ze said, pulling Su Zitan with him to a quieter corner of the bar before picking up the call.

"Lin Ze!" a roar erupted from the phone. Lin Ze held the phone at arm’s length, unwilling to risk his eardrums.

"It’s past one in the morning! President Li just called and woke me up—chewed me out first thing! That’s when I found out you were making out in a bar in the middle of the night? And proposed? You little—"

Su Zitan stifled her laughter beside him.

Lin Ze cleared his throat. "Sister Wang, Sister Wang! I’m twenty-three—it’s perfectly normal for me to date, isn’t it?"

"Normal, my foot! Even if you don’t count the bought ones, you have hundreds of thousands of fans! They all followed you for your looks, and after they spent days defending you, you stabbed them in the back?"

She’d only just gotten the bare minimum from President Li about what Lin Ze had done tonight.

Wang Xue was so angry her hands were shaking.

"Now, the company is considering holding you accountable. Figure out what you’re going to do!" Wang Xue finally stopped shouting, giving Lin Ze a chance to speak.

"Sister Wang, pull President Li and me into a group chat, and start a group call. I’ll talk to him myself."

"You?" Wang Xue sounded skeptical.

"Trust me!"

The call ended.

The folk singer was still on stage, secretly live streaming Lin Ze’s situation.

[Lin Ze’s done for this time. The company might freeze him out.]
[Ha, he’s got a rich woman now—he’ll never lack for anything. Why bother being a star?]
[Su Zitan, right? Zitan Collections? Dating a disgraced artist? She’s really disrespecting our Zhang Yang. Let’s go—after her!]

The folk singer’s excitement faded, replaced by guilt.

Soon, the group call came through.

Lin Ze answered. The three on the line were silent for a moment before President Li spoke first.

"Lin Ze, you—"

"Can’t you consider the consequences before you act? You mocking Zhang Yang has already had a negative impact on the company and the other artists..."

Lin Ze didn’t wait for him to finish. He cut in, "President Li, have you listened to my new song?"

"What song?" Wang Xue asked, confused. She had no idea what was going on.

President Li paused for two seconds. "I have."

Hearing this, Lin Ze understood. If it weren’t for this song, President Li’s first move would’ve been to chew him out instead.

But since the call had started, President Li was focusing on the impact to the company, clearly recognizing Lin Ze’s potential and trying to play some workplace mind games.

Having lived a lifetime already, Lin Ze wasn’t falling for it.

"Let’s be frank, shall we? No need for these games," he said.

President Li was intrigued. "Do you have more songs on par with 'Later'? Or how many can you write?"

Lin Ze tapped his finger on the table, a slight smile on his lips.

"As many as you want."

He wasn’t joking—his mind housed the entire entertainment industry of a parallel world.

Lin Ze was a composition major, and after his soul transmigrated in his previous life, he insisted on making it on his own merit.

But after two or three years in showbiz, he was still just a traffic star.

It wasn’t until Su Zitan passed away that he finally woke up, climbing to the top of the industry with the songs from his memories.

But by then, Su Zitan was already gone.

Thinking back on his stubbornness then, Lin Ze wanted nothing more than to slap himself.

"President Li, a traffic star’s shelf life is only a few years. Now’s the perfect time for me to announce my relationship, transition to a singer-songwriter, and with these songs, it’s only a matter of time before I break into the A-list."

He spoke with conviction, and faintly, the sound of "Later" played through Wang Xue’s microphone.

President Li pondered this. "But the internet is full of criticism right now. Even if the company wants to promote you, we have to consider PR and marketing costs..."

"All that hate is just from Zhang Yang’s fans. Once I release more music, it won’t be an issue," Lin Ze replied.

President Li had already decided to keep Lin Ze, but clearly wanted to negotiate a better deal.

"Sigh, to be honest, several shareholders have come to me, demanding we freeze you out. If that happens, no matter how many songs you have—"

Just as Lin Ze was about to speak, Su Zitan took the phone.

"Then terminate the contract," she said decisively.

"Ahem." President Li nearly choked, and upon hearing a woman’s voice, slapped his forehead.

Of course—Lin Ze’s fiancée was Su Zitan!

Zitan Collections, the now-famous traditional fashion brand, could easily afford the penalty fee.

"That won’t be necessary. I’ve already smoothed things over, but—"

Lin Ze cut in, "Come on, Sister Zitan, the company is like family to me. I have feelings for it."

"So, you’re not terminating the contract?"

"Our boss is a reasonable person. I’m sure he won’t make things difficult for me."

Listening to their back-and-forth, President Li’s mouth twitched.

Well, if Lin Ze could truly deliver high-quality songs and make it to the top as a songwriter, it would be a huge win for the company.

"Fine. If you can write five more songs of this caliber, I’ll give you a contract upgrade!" President Li declared, then hung up.

As soon as the call ended, Lin Ze heard a sob from the phone.

"Huh? Sister Wang, are you crying?" Lin Ze asked, grinning.

"Get lost! I’m hanging up too!" Wang Xue snapped.

"Wait!" Lin Ze paused. "Sister Wang, there’s a new variety show, 'Our Love.' Could you check if I can participate? I can write songs for them."