Boss, He Is Chasing Stars Again Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Zhao Jia was a fan of Yue Lin, having liked him since he started posting videos of himself singing and playing instruments a few years ago. As soon as she learned Yue Lin would be participating in the Starlight Training Camp, she immediately started following the show.

In the previous episode, Zhao Jia felt heartbroken when she saw Yue Lin’s rating was only A. Long-time fans knew Yue Lin had been studying music since childhood. Although talented, his family was of modest means. Aside from uploading singing videos to build a fanbase, he had almost no exposure opportunities, and most music competitions he entered ended with him just being a runner-up.

So, when Zhao Jia saw her fan group sisters calling for votes for Yue Lin this time, she immediately switched her daily milk to Muyuan Milk. Every time she drank a bottle, she could cast a vote for Yue Lin.

Tomorrow was the first public performance. Although she believed in Yue Lin’s ability, seeing his teammates still made Zhao Jia anxious.

Yesterday, the production team released some practice room behind-the-scenes footage. Zhao Jia was initially relieved to see Yue Lin and Shi Xingze harmoniously discussing the arrangement. She told her fan sisters in the group that “Lin Bao has made friends.” But when she saw Zhao Xian and the others, her expression changed:

Who is that Zhao Xian? What did he mean by those comments?

Damn it, our Lin Bao worked so hard on the arrangement. If they’re so capable, why don’t they do it themselves?

Our Lin Bao is not that kind of person!

Zhao Jia felt a knot of frustration watching the footage, but seeing Yue Lin and Shi Xingze look completely unconcerned, she had to be patient. She just waited for the first public performance to air so they could thoroughly slap those people in the face.

As soon as class ended that day, Zhao Jia rushed back to her dorm. She eagerly took out her tablet, opened Starlight Training Camp, and kept refreshing the page, waiting for the latest episode. When she saw the “New” tag next to the video, her spirits lifted—it was here!

At the Starlight Training Camp venue.

“CEO Jian, this way, please.” Director Qi carefully led Jian Xingzhi into the venue, specifically arranging a seat with an excellent view for him, ensuring the cameras wouldn’t capture his face.

Although Director Qi was usually a bit arrogant, he knew how to prioritize when facing a sponsor like Jian Xingzhi, and his attitude during their conversation was extremely respectful.

Jian Xingzhi was very satisfied with the seat Director Qi arranged for him. To prevent Jian Xingzhi from being displeased by having people nearby, Director Qi had deliberately left the seats on both sides of Jian Xingzhi empty. This was probably the most spacious seating arrangement since the start of Starlight Training Camp recordings.

Jian Xingzhi had discarded the casual wear from last time and was dressed very formally today; even his hair was meticulously styled. His every movement exuded composure, making Director Qi feel an intense pressure.

No one looking at him now would connect him with the college student-like Jian Xingzhi from the previous visit.

Jian Xingzhi declined Director Qi’s offer to have someone accompany him and sat in his seat alone, waiting for the first public performance to begin.

The host briefly introduced the songs at the opening. Before each group officially started performing, some practice room clips were shown. The fans in the audience quietly discussed the clips, saying that Starlight Training Camp was truly putting in effort this time.

Jian Xingzhi, however, thought Director Qi’s approach was purely because there were too many contestants. If they didn’t show some clips, most viewers, aside from the fans, would probably forget them after watching, or even wonder, “Who is this contestant? I haven’t seen them before.”

Jian Xingzhi was only here to see Shi Xingze and wasn’t very concerned about the others, but after watching the S-rank contestants perform “Hot Ice,” he couldn’t help but praise them. The S-rank contestants were indeed very strong.

The contestants’ stage outfits were primarily red and blue, with slight variations for each person, perfectly fitting the song’s theme, like burning ice flames. The powerful drumbeats combined with the contestants’ synchronized dance steps elicited continuous screams from the fans below.

Jian Xingzhi nodded, raising his hands to applaud after their performance ended.

The contestants who also chose “Hot Ice” faced a rather tragic comparison. With only two groups allowed to remain for each song, the first group was almost guaranteed to advance to the second public performance, making the competition fierce for the remaining spot.

The remaining three groups performed with almost all their might. The quality of the first public performance was so high that it inevitably created pressure and a sense of crisis for the other contestants.

Jian Xingzhi waited for a long time and finally saw Shi Xingze’s group take the stage. He subconsciously straightened his clothes and sat up, then realized he wasn’t wearing his previous disguise, and quietly let out a sigh of relief.

He was here today as an investor. Shi Xingze probably wouldn’t recognize him, right?

With a mix of nervousness and anticipation, Shi Xingze’s group’s performance began.

Along with a gentle yet sorrowful piece of music, a deep, magnetic voice sounded, instantly transporting the scene to the moment the male and female leads in “Rainy Day Romance” first met in the rain: “The light rain falls by the street, I quietly pass through the bustle…”

A mist rose on the stage. The previous contestant quietly retreated in the white fog, and the next contestant appeared holding an umbrella, his clear voice narrating the next part of the story.

Jian Xingzhi didn’t know Shi Xingze’s styling for the day and tried hard to find him in the mist, but suddenly, in the next moment, all his attention was drawn to the person on stage.

The person on stage wasn’t holding an umbrella, wearing a simple white short-sleeved shirt and long pants, with a jacket draped over his shoulders. He raised his hand as if to catch the rain in the air. His singing and the sadness in his eyes merged into one, and Jian Xingzhi immediately recognized that this was Shi Xingze.

Shi Xingze’s styling was different from the others, especially his drooping hair, slightly clinging to his forehead, as if he had just been caught in the rain and hadn’t bothered to tidy it. As Shi Xingze sang, he immersed himself in the story, reaching out as if trying to hold onto something, but ultimately letting go. Shi Xingze smiled bitterly and lowered his head, but when he looked up again, he appeared numb, his eyes losing their luster, and he silently left the stage.

Jian Xingzhi hadn’t seen “Rainy Day Romance,” but many fans in the audience had. Two girls suppressed their excited voices and whispered: “Did you see that? That’s the scene where they break up, ahhh!”

The other girl immediately replied: “I know, I know! It’s the scene where the male lead is threatened and has to leave the female lead! Look at his eyes, I thought the male lead possessed him!”

The next scene began. Two contestants appeared simultaneously on stage. Yue Lin’s highly penetrating voice rang out, seemingly pulling the audience back into that rainy night: “The rain gradually falls, and you don’t answer. Where should our rain-soaked hearts go?”

Jian Xingzhi was unconsciously drawn into the scene by the singing, watching the contestants meet and then turn away, finally reaching the conclusion in the gradually calming music.

Jian Xingzhi felt a little lost, as if he had just finished watching a tragic love story, still lingering in the song’s emotion until all the contestants came onto the stage together to bow to the audience, bringing him back to reality.

Applause suddenly erupted in the venue, and Jian Xingzhi clapped vigorously along with them.

As expected of him, his taste was excellent. Once he got back, he would continue voting for Shi Xingze!

The host kindly joked with a few contestants: “We saw in the VCR that the daily practice room life of a few contestants was full of sparks of inspiration. So, what are the contestants’ thoughts on the arrangement of this song?”

Just as Zhao Xian was about to speak, Shi Xingze picked up the microphone and said, “Actually, we have to thank Yue Lin and all the contestants for their help with this song. I believe many audience members here have heard ‘Rain at Seven Tonight.’ We hope the answer sheet we presented is satisfactory.”

After Shi Xingze finished, he handed the mic to Yue Lin. Yue Lin smiled and said, “The dramatic concept was Shi Xingze’s inspiration. Everyone played an indispensable role in making it happen.”

Although both of them said everyone was indispensable, neither intended to let Zhao Xian speak. Zhao Xian, constrained by the recording, didn’t dare to say much, and the smile on his face became strained.

The host controlled the speaking time of the two, and immediately opened the live voting after Yue Lin finished. The continuously rising vote count surprised Yue Lin a little.

Shi Xingze quietly patted Yue Lin’s shoulder, smiling at him and saying, “It looks like we might be able to record the next episode together.”

“Why are you so optimistic?” Yue Lin couldn’t help but laugh. He wasn’t as optimistic as Shi Xingze. Although Director Qi had promoted the competition as absolutely fair and just before it started, Yue Lin had participated in many shows and knew that the voting segment often contained the most tricks.

Shi Xingze shook his head and said, “I wasn’t planning on debuting anyway, so of course I’m optimistic. But seeing the vote count so high, I am actually a little happy, just a little.”

After saying this, Shi Xingze held up two fingers to illustrate the small amount, waiting for the other groups to take the stage. Four groups were competing for each song, and only two could remain. After the first public performance, only about fifty contestants would be left.

This meant that the journey in Starlight Training Camp would end for those fifty contestants.

Shi Xingze felt a little melancholic watching the other contestants perform, wondering if it would be the same when he went into acting later.

Shi Xingze watched the other performances while mentally reviewing whether he had made any mistakes during his own performance. He cupped his face and watched intently from his seat, feeling vaguely that something was slightly off.

Director Qi had told them today that an investor would be present to watch, urging them to be careful with their words and actions. Shi Xingze roughly guessed that the empty seats nearby were reserved for the investor, especially since a handsome man who looked like a business elite was sitting there.

He usually didn’t follow the news much. When he first glanced over, he was only struck by the man’s stunning appearance, but now that he thought about it, he felt a strange sense of familiarity.

That investor gentleman, why did he look a little familiar?

After watching the first public performance, the first thing Jian Xingzhi did when he got back was buy more milk. Next week, he was going to inspect a branch company in another city, so he might as well find an excuse to provide milk for them too. After all, he wasn’t short on money.

However, when he opened his phone, his happy expression immediately darkened, because he saw that a trending black search had been bought for Shi Xingze.