Boss, He Is Chasing Stars Again Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Shi Xingze felt much happier after discovering he had fans who came to watch him perform live, and he wasn’t as nervous when facing the judges’ critiques.

Holding the microphone, Zhang Rui looked at the five people before him and slowly began, “Zhao Xian, did you have dance training before? Your dancing is quite good.”

Zhao Xian suppressed his inner excitement, nodding and giving a restrained bow to Judge Zhang Rui. With positive feedback from a judge, his path in the program would be slightly easier going forward.

Zhang Rui nodded slightly without saying much more to Zhao Xian, continuing his critique with the microphone. “Tian Mo missed the beat when the music started. You need to work on your rhythm. Liu Mu, your singing is good, but your voice is unstable when combining singing and dancing. You need to keep practicing.”

The two were successively pointed out for their shortcomings by Judge Zhang Rui, instantly making them extremely nervous, afraid that the first impression they left on the mentors was too poor. Fortunately, Zhang Rui didn’t dwell on it, looking at Shi Xingze and saying, “Shi Xingze’s expression management is good. You all can learn from him. Finally, I want to focus on Chen Shuo. Why didn’t you try to compensate immediately after realizing you missed the beat? Instead, the following parts completely fell apart as well.”

Shi Xingze, who had just heard Zhang Rui praise his expression management, hadn’t fully exhaled his sigh of relief before his tension immediately spiked again. He subconsciously looked at Chen Shuo standing next to him, only to see the other person’s face pale, with sweat-soaked fringe clinging to his forehead, practically screaming “I am very nervous.”

Chen Shuo licked his dry lips and opened his mouth with a trembling voice, “That’s because I… I was a little nervous…”

Zhang Rui frowned, looking at Chen Shuo with disapproval. “I strongly support what Teacher Wan said earlier. People with poor mental fortitude won’t go far in the entertainment industry. Since you came to participate in this program, you must overcome this issue. I hope to see your change in the subsequent episodes.”

Chen Shuo pursed his lips and said nothing, simply bowing deeply to Zhang Rui before following Shi Xingze and the others off the stage, yielding the spotlight to the next group.

If Shi Xingze had only felt nervous watching the judges critique other contestants backstage, it was only when Zhang Rui critiqued Chen Shuo that he truly felt the cruelty of the entertainment industry. He wanted to comfort the other person, but Chen Shuo avoided his hand and quickly retreated into the restroom alone.

Tian Mo scoffed and said to Shi Xingze, “He’s just jealous that the judge praised you just now, and he’s feeling sour. I advise you not to waste your kindness on him. Someone like him clearly won’t last long.”

Liu Mu couldn’t help but interject, “You don’t have to talk about him like that. Everyone made it through the auditions, and the show has such high popularity. It’s inevitable that he’d be nervous. Didn’t we also make mistakes?”

Tian Mo put his hands in his pockets and said carelessly, “So what? At least I didn’t act like someone whose world ended and gave up completely just because they missed one beat. Focus on practicing your dance and stop minding other people’s business.”

Liu Mu stared at Tian Mo’s retreating back for a long time, unable to speak, seemingly not expecting someone to speak so sharply and mercilessly in the very first episode of the show.

Shi Xingze also lacked experience. Zhao Xian, seeing the look on both their faces, smiled knowingly and said to them, “It’s nothing strange. People like Tian Mo are even considered straightforward, saying these things to your face instead of behind your back.”

Shi Xingze shook his head without speaking, disagreeing somewhat with Zhao Xian. He vaguely sensed that Tian Mo was taking out his frustration on them because the judge had just praised him and Liu Mu. If he were truly as straightforward as Zhao Xian claimed, he wouldn’t have indirectly cursed them for being nosy.

The entertainment industry is so complicated. Shi Xingze silently sighed in his heart and returned to the waiting room to await the announcement of the rankings after all evaluations were complete.

Shi Xingze’s group performed in the middle. He clearly noticed that the judges’ energy levels started to dip in the latter half of the performances, only picking up when Huo Yan appeared.

Huo Yan showed no sign of worry on his face. His dance moves were clean and sharp, and even his singing couldn’t be faulted. At least, Shi Xingze couldn’t detect any instability in his voice.

Unlike Shi Xingze’s sunny and energetic style, Huo Yan’s style leaned toward a cool, aloof demeanor. He interpreted the same theme song in a completely different way, as if he was born to stand in the center of the stage. Even without the judges’ rating, Shi Xingze was certain he would receive an S-rank.

Perhaps Huo Yan’s appearance gave the judges a shot of adrenaline, as they were slightly more amiable toward the contestants who came on stage afterward.

Once everyone had performed, the host announced the rankings. As expected, Shi Xingze received a B-rank, which was close to his prediction. Shi Xingze breathed a sigh of relief; this result was finally something he could report back to Brother Long.

Huo Yan, his roommate, unsurprisingly received an S-rank. Xie Jinhan’s performance was also impressive, earning him an A-rank. What surprised Shi Xingze was that the usually shy Bai Jiayan also received an A-rank!

Shi Xingze felt that Bai Jiayan was probably the type of person who could shine brightly once immersed in his own domain. All his nervousness seemed to be thrown to the back of his mind the moment he stepped onto the stage.

After the session ended, Shi Xingze approached his roommates and quietly congratulated them. Huo Yan nodded indifferently, and Bai Jiayan, for once, gave Shi Xingze a shy smile. Xie Jinhan’s smile, however, seemed a bit strained.

Shi Xingze didn’t dwell on their reactions. After taking a shower, he wrapped himself in his quilt. Before falling asleep, he even managed to watch half a session of the performance class Brother Long had sent him. Only then did he peacefully drift off to sleep.

While Shi Xingze was busy with the survival show, Brother Long was not idle.

Brother Long had the foresight to set up a fan group for Shi Xingze. Although the number of people was small right now, Brother Long maintained it diligently. As a veteran manager in the entertainment industry, he had seen too many celebrities who got carried away after becoming popular, only to have their ancient history and black marks dug up.

To prevent this, Brother Long set the fan group rules from the start, conducting regular checks and cleanups, fearful that anything might happen to affect Shi Xingze.

Fortunately, Shi Xingze currently had few fans, and those active in the group were quite laid-back. Besides daily chatting, sharing pictures, and fancams of Shi Xingze, they quietly posted proof of purchase. Due to the small number of people, the amounts weren’t very large.

Until today. Brother Long was focused on watching Shi Xingze’s performance. He breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Shi Xingze’s expression management, which was excellent compared to the other four. This meant he could at least stay on the show for a few more episodes.

Brother Long was watching intently when his phone suddenly vibrated incessantly like it was malfunctioning. Puzzled, he opened his phone and found that the fans in the group were constantly spamming, mostly with “666” and “Rich Sister, look at me,” which confused him.

Brother Long scrolled all the way up and discovered a fan had posted a purchase record. Looking at the number of milk cartons in the screenshot, he estimated there was enough to create a large hot spring if poured together.

Where did this big fan come from?

Brother Long recalled the previous survival show that was ordered to be rectified and essentially disappeared after wasting food resources. His heart immediately tightened. He quickly used his group administrator account to speak in the group: Please purchase according to your means and situation, and avoid unnecessary waste due to excess milk. Thank you for your support, fans!

The fans in the group instantly responded:

LessSugarMoreIce: Of course! I bought it to drink myself. I’ve been drinking this brand of milk for years.

ISayEarlyEightYouSay: Understood. I definitely won’t drag Xingze down.

AntiMosquitoLeagueLeader: The admin’s cautiousness is so cute, I must tease you a little.

IAmQinShiHuangVMe50Thanks: It’s all because of that defunct variety show. Ah! No, I still have to shout: Dai Mingcheng, give me back my limited group!!

HelloICanHaveABite: Shhh, we can’t mention other celebrities in the group, or they’ll say we’re stepping on them. DMC is gone, but his fans still spray people everywhere. It’s terrifying.

Brother Long sent another message asking them not to discuss other people. Once he saw the direction of the group chat gradually shift back, he stopped looking at the group and clicked on the profile picture of the big fan who bought so much milk, quietly observing the person.

The account the person used seemed to be new, with even the profile picture being the default one. The Weibo homepage was completely clean. Rather than a newcomer, it looked more like someone who opened a side account and climbed over from another fandom.

Brother Long thought for a moment and decided to private message the fan with the message he had just posted in the group using his administrator account. He also tactfully reminded the person not to waste, such as by pouring out milk.

The person seemed very busy and only replied after a long time, with just a simple “Mhm.” This attitude made Brother Long uncertain of their meaning.

Too many people in the entertainment industry had gotten into trouble in recent years, collapsing in clusters as if cursed. Brother Long was genuinely afraid that the wave of scandals would affect Shi Xingze, so he had done a background check before signing him. Thinking of this, Brother Long still braced himself, risking offending a big fan, and asked, “May I ask what you plan to use so much milk for?”

Jian Xingzhi finished watching Shi Xingze’s live performance and had to work a small overtime shift that evening to handle the work he had neglected during the day. He opened his phone and saw a private message from the administrator of Shi Xingze’s fan group.

Thinking of the survival show that was previously ordered to be rectified by the higher-ups, a hint of understanding flashed in Jian Xingzhi’s eyes. He wasn’t displeased at being bothered and replied with an “Mhm,” indicating he understood. If he wasn’t purchasing according to his means, he wouldn’t have bought only this much milk.

However, the other party seemed very worried, politely yet tactfully asking what he was buying so much milk for.

Jian Xingzhi originally wanted to say he was keeping it at the company to drink, but then he worried that his reply might be used by someone with ulterior motives to dig up information about his company. He dared not underestimate the ability of fans to find clues.

He couldn’t leave himself this kind of potential trouble.

Jian Xingzhi thought it over and finally typed a few lines on his phone: My family is in the catering business. I bought it to be consumed at the restaurant.

The employee cafeteria is also a restaurant. There shouldn’t be any problem with him saying this, right?