They surrounded me right after the breakup.

Three days before the final of "The Rising Star".

Zhang Beihai sat in his office flipping through the guest list.

The last line of the list read Jiang Han and Mao Buyi's names, with a question mark drawn in pencil next to them.

The assistant director sat opposite him, holding a cup of cold tea. After hesitating for a long time, he finally spoke.

"Director Zhang, given the current online public opinion surrounding Jiang Han, should we still invite him?"

Zhang Beihai didn't look up; he was thinking about the last singing competition.

Jiang Han's voluntary withdrawal from the competition saved the production team a lot of trouble.

That live broadcast still has the highest viewership rating of the season, and it's repeatedly used as a case study in station meetings.

I don't think someone who can proactively follow the rules is some kind of gigolo who climbs the social ladder by relying on women.

"Invitation!" Zhang Beihai put down the list and made the decision.

"Private life and professional ability are two different things. The audience is watching what happens on stage, not what's on Weibo."

"I called him myself."

When the call was made, Jiang Han was in his office looking through the album progress chart that Fang Chongwen had sent.

"President Jiang, I am Zhang Beihai, the director of the 'Rising Star' program."

"Director Zhang, it's been a long time!"

Zhang Beihai didn't beat around the bush: "The program is about to enter the finals, and the station would like to invite you and Mao Buyi to be guests. What do you think?"

Jiang Han leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers twice on the table.

"No problem, as we agreed before, but I'd like to mentor another group of new recruits."

"A newcomer?"

"The company's newly signed group has finished writing their song but hasn't officially released it yet. They're borrowing your stage to showcase it."

Zhang Beihai remained silent for a few seconds.

The final program has already been finalized, and adding extra segments at the last minute is no small matter.

Lighting, sound, duration, sponsor rights—everything needs to be re-evaluated.

Zhang Beihai hesitated.

What if the new combination could reach the level of Mao Buyi's "Sorrow" and "A Person Like Me"?

"What combination?"

"Phoenix Legend".

"President Jiang, could you please send me the song first? Our team needs to discuss it."

After hanging up the phone, the assistant director whispered to him if he really wanted to add new actors, since the schedule was already set.

After waiting for about ten minutes, Jiang Han sent the audio file.

Zhang Beihai connected to the Bluetooth speaker in the conference room and started playing music.

The intro begins, and then a female voice enters.

As the sound came from the speaker, Zhang Beihai leaned forward slightly.

The high notes that burst forth from his throat instantly captivated his auditory nerves.

The male vocals in the chorus are steadily supported from behind; although the volume is not loud, every word of the rap is clearly audible.

Zhang Beihai made his decision immediately without consulting anyone else.

"Attention all groups, readjust your order of appearance and shorten the host's introduction time. Give me 5 minutes!"

"This..." Many staff members looked hesitant.

"Can't you understand human language? Get moving!"

"Okay, Director Zhang."

Zhang Beihai's intuition told him that Xingyue Media was about to produce another new star.

If the Rising Stars program can witness the growth of Mao Buyi and Phoenix Trumpchi, they will surely make a name for themselves in the Chinese music scene in the future.

Jiang Han hung up the phone and sent a message to Zeng Yi.

"I'll be a guest on the finals of 'The Coming One' in three days and sing 'Above the Moon'."

When the message was sent, Zeng Yi was in the recording studio helping Linghua with her sound tuning.

His phone vibrated, his pupils dilated, and he immediately showed the screen to Linghua inside the glass window.

……

On the day of the final, the backstage corridor was bustling with people.

Mao Buyi sat in the corner of the dressing room, holding a thermos, with a lyric book spread out in front of her.

The door was pushed open, and Jiang Han walked in.

"Where are Linghua and the others?"

"Zeng Yi is with me next door."

Jiang Han went next door and knocked on the door.

Linghua opened the door, and she was wearing her performance outfit, a long red dress, with her hair down, completely different from how she looked in the recording studio wearing a hoodie.

"Ready?"

Linghua took a deep breath and nodded.

Zeng Yi stood behind her, wearing a black suit with two buttons undone at the collar, his bald head reflecting the light.

Ten minutes to go.

Linghua stood behind the curtain, clutching the microphone, her palms sweaty.

Zeng Yi stood next to her, his hands in his pockets.

The host in front of the curtain finished his introduction: "Now, let's give a warm round of applause to welcome: Phoenix Trumpchi!"

Applause poured in through the gaps in the curtain.

Linghua closed her eyes and then opened them again. The two of them stepped out from behind the curtain at the same time.

A spotlight shone on the center of the stage. Linghua walked to the microphone and stood there, while Zeng Yi stood to her right.

As the intro began, Linghua gripped the microphone tightly, stared at the light at the farthest point of the stage, and began to sing.

Someone in the audience stood with their mouth agape, forgetting to clap.

Several media personnel in the front row had their cameras raised but forgot to press the shutter button.

Inside the control panel, Zhang Beihai's hand was on the walkie-talkie, but he didn't press the button.

The live stream was switched off, and the chat started flooded with comments.

"His first words were so impressive!" "Where did Xingyue Media recruit him from?" "This scene is amazing!"

The comments were scrolling too fast, making it impossible to read the text on the screen.

During the second chorus, some people in the audience clapped along to the rhythm.

More and more people clapped, and the applause drowned out the drumbeats in the accompaniment.

Zhang Beihai finally realized what was happening and pressed the intercom to have the director switch to a panoramic view of the audience.

The camera panned across the room, revealing a crowd of people clapping, some of whom even stood up while clapping.

The live chat exploded again.

Linghua stopped singing after finishing the last line.

She stood in front of the microphone, her chest heaving.

Zeng Yi stood next to her, still in the same position.

Both of them had a smile on their face.

The audience erupted in applause.

Zhang Beihai pressed the intercom: "Host, please come on stage."

The host ran up from the side stage and stood between Linghua and Zeng Yi.

"That was amazing! Did everyone enjoy it?"

His voice trembled slightly, and the audience applauded again.

In the backstage corridor, Linghua and Zeng Yi came down from the stage.

The two leaned against the wall and let out a long sigh of relief.

Even after Phoenix Motors left the stage, the commotion in the audience had not completely subsided.

Some people were whispering and asking each other what the female singer's name was, while others were recording the replay on their phones.

The host's smile hadn't fully faded from the shock of what had just happened.

He recited a few lines, but the audience didn't really listen; they were still looking down at their phones searching for "Phoenix Trumpchi."

Zhang Beihai picked up the walkie-talkie at the control panel: "Lights ready, next song: Jianghan."