Chapter Six: Bite Him to Death

“No, no.” Lin Ze hurriedly gave a fawning smile. “The meaning of the lyrics, the meaning of the lyrics.”

Still live on air, Su Zitan gave a soft hum, letting the matter drop.

Lin Ze gave Su Zitan’s hand a gentle squeeze and grinned foolishly at the camera.

“Did you all see that, brothers? You must find an older sister type as your girlfriend—she’s considerate and easy to coax.”

The audience in the livestream was dumbfounded.

[I want to unfollow, but I can’t bear to part with sister-in-law.]

[Lin, how did you land a rich lady? Teach us, bro, I don’t want to work hard anymore.]

“Teach you?” Lin Ze noticed the comment and waved his hand dismissively. “Hey, as long as you’re handsome and can sing, it’s perfectly normal for a rich lady to like you.”

“Pfft, narcissist!” Su Zitan’s lips curled into a smile.

She suddenly remembered the first time she realized she liked Lin Ze.

“When I fell for him, my family was dirt poor,” Su Zitan stared at the camera with her beautiful eyes. “So don’t say anything about landing a rich lady. If you spread rumors, I’ll sue you!”

[Oh my! I can’t take it, sister-in-law is too cute, it’s killing me!]

[Streamer, you can leave now. Three people in love is just too crowded.]

“All right, all right, back to singing.” Lin Ze, feeling rested enough, set aside the guitar and pulled over the keyboard.

“By the way, don’t send gifts. I’m not short on money. If you send any, I’ll just donate them to charity.”

“The third song, ‘Like You.’”

…

Jiang Dasheng’s face grew darker.

Each time Lin Ze debuted a new original song, it felt like a slap across his face.

Jiang Dasheng took out his phone, scrolled through his contacts, found a number labeled “Nephew,” and dialed.

The phone rang for a long time with no answer. Jiang Dasheng’s face grew colder as he dialed again.

After seven or eight rings, the call finally connected. Jiang Dasheng heard noisy music and the clinking of glass from the other end.

“Hello? Uncle, what’s up?”

“Zhang Yang, what are you doing?” Jiang Dasheng frowned tightly.

On the other end, Zhang Yang was sitting in a KTV, his arm draped around a doll-faced girl.

“Me?” Zhang Yang grinned at the girl beside him. “Nothing much today, so I came out for a drink to relax.”

Jiang Dasheng suppressed his anger.

“Lin Ze is live-streaming. Go take a look; he’s performed several new songs…”

“Got it, Uncle.” Zhang Yang’s tone remained indifferent. “So he’s released a few decent new songs, but so what? Does that prove he didn’t plagiarize?”

“Just stick to your story that his song ‘Afterwards’ was copied. Others will criticize him.”

Stick to it?

He’s putting out so many high-quality originals in a single stream. Who knows how many songs he has up his sleeve?

Should I keep insisting? Wouldn't that just invite humiliation?

“Uncle, don’t worry, just focus on your own part. Have confidence in my fans.”

Hearing Jiang Dasheng fall silent, Zhang Yang spoke carelessly.

---

“You must remember, back when you were so poor you couldn’t afford a meal, who helped support your music career.”

The casual tone sounded piercingly harsh to Jiang Dasheng.

He exhaled deeply. “Fine, just be careful. Don’t let the paparazzi catch you.”

“Relax, they’ve all signed confidentiality agreements.” Zhang Yang hung up.

“Just a third-rate celebrity, daring to laugh at me? When I have time, I’ll crush you effortlessly.”

The doll-faced girl bravely leaned against Zhang Yang’s arm. “Brother, I’ve been your fan for so long. I never dreamed I’d get to spend time with you…”

“Oh?” Zhang Yang’s lips curled up. “Really? Then give me a kiss as proof~”

…

“Our Love” was about to start filming.

But at this moment, the An Bai couple began divorce proceedings.

The vacant spot became a big issue. Director Zhang had received countless messages from celebrity couples in the past few days, all hoping to fill the gap.

Of course, Lin Ze and Su Zitan were among them.

But Director Zhang only glanced at their information before setting them aside.

Additionally, couples faking affection weren’t considered either.

This variety show was his long-awaited comeback; it absolutely couldn’t flop!

With the shooting date fast approaching, if the cast wasn’t finalized soon, one group would have to be left vacant.

Director Zhang was browsing Weibo when he saw a familiar name.

“Lin Ze: I saw a very handsome guy who sings beautifully.”

He followed the link and, sure enough, it was Lin Ze.

Seeing the two people sitting side by side in the photo, Director Zhang’s eyes lit up.

From the photo alone it wasn’t obvious, but they looked very much like a married couple.

Moreover…

The way they moved and interacted, it felt like a pair who’d been together for years—not at all like the online rumors about gold-digging.

Lin Ze had finished his fourth song and, after a bit of chatting, was about to start the fifth.

“Actually, this song was meant for the variety show ‘Our Love.’ I heard the show lets you travel around and have fun.”

Director Zhang perked up at the mention of his program.

“So I have a favor to ask…”

At this point, Lin Ze’s face actually showed a hint of shyness.

The viewers played along.

[Oh, you don’t have to be so polite with us…]

[Bro Lin, you go ahead. I’ll take care of your wife for you, don’t worry.]

[If you have something to say, say it—but first, let go of her hand!]

Lin Ze looked at the barrage of comments. He had expected a wave of CP fans, but instead got a mob of jokers.

Leaning close to his phone, he whispered conspiratorially,

“If you think it sounds good, could you write one of those mass support petitions and send it to Director Zhang’s home, saying you really want to see us on the show?”

[???]

---

[I see you as my idol, and you see me as your blood donor?]

Lin Ze rolled his eyes and strummed the guitar strings with his fingers.

“Who told you to actually write one? Just leave more comments for Director Zhang on Weibo, that’s enough.”

“All right! Last song for today: ‘Because of Love,’ dedicated to everyone!”

Director Zhang couldn’t help but laugh, then turned up the volume.

Lin Ze’s fingers danced skillfully across the strings, his eyes meeting Su Zitan’s.

“Here’s an old CD for you.”

“Listen to the love we had back then.”

“Sometimes I suddenly forget—I still love you…”

Director Zhang didn’t know music, but he could tell if something sounded good.

Just from the first three lines, goosebumps ran down his arms. As Lin Ze’s gentle voice filled the room, Director Zhang was drawn deeper into the song.

“Because of love.”

“We won’t easily feel sorrow.”

“That’s why everything looks so happy…”

As the song came to an end, Director Zhang snapped back to reality.

Lin Ze—it’s settled, Lin Ze and Su Zitan will be the final group of guests!

Director Zhang slowly stood up from his desk and walked out of his study.

He’d reach out later. For now…

He missed his wife.

…

Lin Ze chatted a bit more before ending the livestream.

No sooner had he switched off the stream than Wang Xue’s call came through.

“Lin Ze, Director Zhang has confirmed you both. The announcement will be released tomorrow.”

“This time the show will be broadcast live online, unscripted. Filming officially starts Friday, so you need to arrive a day early. The crew will brief you on the filming process.”

With the speaker on, Lu Lin turned to Su Zitan.

“No problem, I’m available,” Su Zitan replied.

“Great,” Wang Xue responded. “By the way, Director Zhang watched your livestream. Please record ‘Because of Love’ as soon as possible—he wants to use it as the opening theme.”

Lin Ze agreed immediately. “No problem!”

After hanging up, Lin Ze glanced at the date on his phone and froze.

“Huh? It’s already Tuesday?”

“Mhm, silly, open wide.”

Su Zitan held a bowl of fruit and popped the remaining pieces into Lin Ze’s mouth.

……