Chapter Thirty-Seven: Has Someone Truly Changed Their Nature?

"......"

All the celebrities present fell silent.

After a moment, Chen Weiguo let out a long sigh.

He began to applaud softly.

[He really dares to say these things?]

[Nonsense, my brother Lin’s defining trait is his principles!]

[Everyone, let’s get some rest tonight. Tomorrow, follow me to defend the city!]

The others soon regained their composure, and for a time, all six seniors in the living room gave their applause to Lin Ze.

“Well said.”

Chen Weiguo’s face was full of emotion.

“We wouldn’t dare say such things. We’re getting on in years and don’t want our portraits hanging at the gate.”

“Hahaha…” Ji Chen let out a helpless laugh. “With the current state of the entertainment industry, people like us who aren’t in the limelight would never dare to say things like that.”

“As long as you stand tall and don’t fall, your future will be something to behold.” Pei Xue gave her affirmation.

“You flatter me, please don’t put me on a pedestal only to knock me down.”

Lin Ze smiled, holding Su Zitan’s hand.

“I’m just an ordinary person, so sometimes I get carried away in the heat of the moment.”

Su Zitan gazed at Lin Ze’s profile, her eyes gentle as water.

This was exactly the Lin Ze she adored!

“All right, all right, you two are practically making eyes at each other. Get some sleep, it’s getting late,” Pei Xue said, rising to her feet.

The others also shook their heads with a smile. “Let’s go, let’s go.”

...

Early the next morning, everyone arrived at the competition venue.

Lin Ze and Su Zitan went to the changing room to get dressed.

They had just returned to the lounge when the elderly uncles and aunties’ eyes widened.

“My goodness, you two…” Old Wang struggled for a moment to find the right words, “…are truly celebrities, no doubt about it!”

Both Lin Ze and Su Zitan still had their makeup on.

One could only imagine how stunning they’d be without it.

Su Zitan wore a cheongsam, looking noble and elegant. Her already remarkable figure brought out every advantage of the dress.

[Ahhh! Su Zitan! Su Zitan! Su Zitan!]

[She’s not in the entertainment industry? If she entered, she wouldn’t even need to sing or dance—just standing there would land her endless roles and variety shows!]

[I’m jealous! I want to know how Sister Zitan maintains her figure…]

Su Zitan happened to see this comment and smiled towards the camera.

“I don’t maintain it at all. You see what I eat every day—I eat my fill, I’m not picky, and the weight just goes where it’s supposed to.”

[? Oh no, Sister Zitan is picking up Lin Ze’s habits now.]

[Lin Ze! Stop leading my Sister Zitan astray!]

[Sister-in-law… hehe… sister-in-law…]

Lin Ze curled his lip. “I’m the pure little lamb of the entertainment industry, she’s the wolf queen of business—clearly she’s the bad influence on me!”

“Oh?” Su Zitan glanced over.

“Heh.”

There was a knock on the lounge door. Lin Ze opened it to find a staff member.

“It’s time for the draw. Who would like to join me?”

Lin Ze glanced around at everyone.

“You go, draw us a good lot,” Old Wang said, spitting out a goji berry.

Lin Ze followed the staff to a room where most of the others had already arrived. The camera was filming the proceedings.

Auntie Tian Hui was in an evening gown, as elegant as ever. Lin Ze greeted her politely.

This time, Li Xiangyu was actually dressed normally. When he saw Lin Ze, his gaze was intense.

“Everyone, there are eight ping-pong balls in the box, each marked with a letter. Those who draw the same letter will be paired for the competition.” The host, with a Sichuan accent, revealed the box.

“Who would like to go first?”

There was a pause. Li Xiangyu raised his hand. “I’ll go!”

Having participated in some variety shows before, Li Xiangyu rushed up, reached into the box, felt around, and slowly withdrew a ball.

He made a little ritual with the ball in his hand, then gradually revealed the letter.

“B!”

Group B—not bad at all, as long as it’s not one of the first two groups.

With a good draw, Li Xiangyu stepped down and, perhaps unintentionally, walked over to Lin Ze.

“What is it?” Lin Ze looked at him.

“Well said!”

“Huh?”

“What you said last night was really good!” Li Xiangyu nodded seriously, then turned and left.

He didn’t sound sarcastic.

Lin Ze was baffled, unsure what this kid was up to.

“B!” the host announced. Lin Ze instinctively looked at the stage and saw that Auntie Tian Hui was up there.

Who would have thought—the semifinals would be Auntie Tian Hui versus Li Xiangyu.

Tian Hui stepped off the stage and smiled at Lin Ze. “Not bad.”

“Auntie Tian, good luck.”

Lin Ze was curious to see what would happen if Li Xiangyu, who claimed he wanted a showdown, didn’t even make it past the semifinals.

Auntie Tian Hui was no pushover. If Li Xiangyu tried his old tricks, he was likely to be eliminated.

The last ball left was C—also a good draw. The opponent was a group from Tongyin.

“Brother Lin!”

The representative from that group came over, a rather honest-looking young man.

“I’m your fan, please go easy on me during the match!”

“Hahaha…” Lin Ze laughed kindly and shook the young man’s hand.

“You wish! I play my hardest against my fans!”

“Huh?”

Xiao Qian hadn’t come, but plenty of viewers from Lin Ze’s own stream were in the official live chat.

[Heartless!]

[Honestly, I recommend this approach—after all, I’ve never had the chance to see Brother Lin in person.]

[I can’t believe Brother Lin is like this. I used to like him… now I like him even more! Hahaha!]

Lin Ze signed the ping-pong ball for him and returned to the lounge.

The competition was about to begin, and in the lounge, they could watch the earlier performances on the monitors.

The first group up was a children’s choir, probably from some elementary school. The kids held hands, swaying left and right, singing adorably.

The second group was the team from Tongyin. A girl led a band, singing an English song.

“In terms of overall program completeness, the children’s choir is stronger. From an artistic perspective, they’re also the better representative,” Old Wang analyzed insightfully.

The third group was Li Xiangyu’s turn.

Li Xiangyu led a group of kids from Tongyin, flipping onto the stage from both sides, dressed in costumes reminiscent of Sichuan opera.

“Yee…ha!”

With a flourish, Li Xiangyu produced a golden staff from his palm.

“I am… the Monkey King, master of seventy-two transformations!”

He sang this in Sichuan opera style, and suddenly the gongs and drums behind him fell silent.

Li Xiangyu turned his head and, surprisingly, his face transformed into that of the Monkey King.

Lin Ze’s eyes lit up.

This was… Sichuan Opera face-changing?