Chapter Sixteen Did You Even Have a Childhood?

Dressed in a pristine white suit, Cheng Jie strode onto the stage like a prince charming. A large portion of the audience were his devoted fans, and upon seeing their idol appear so dashing, they erupted into screams and cheers, filling the venue with the excited voices of young women. Online, the barrage of comments was even more overwhelming.

“My brother is so handsome!”
“Oh, I couldn’t get a ticket, I wish I could be there, sisters.”
“We, the Orange Squad, are waving our banner here!”
“He’s definitely going to be number one!”

Comment after comment swept across the screen, almost monopolizing everyone’s attention. Yet, who could tell how many were real people and how many were just paid posters? Amidst the dense flood of compliments, a few skeptical messages appeared.

“If I remember correctly, today’s theme is childhood, right? Dressed like this, I thought he was attending a wedding.”
“Hey, buddy, are you here for a runway show?”
“He’s handsome, sure, but there’s something off-putting about him.”

Some of these skeptical comments came from An Tinghan’s fans, others from random viewers.

In the lounge, Chen Fang glanced at the screen. The production team had placed an extra monitor beside the main screen, so contestants in the lounge could also see the live comments. Amidst the sea of messages, Chen Fang spotted one of the critical remarks. He agreed wholeheartedly.

Today’s competition theme was childhood. Wearing an all-white suit felt completely out of place. Of course, that was just Chen Fang’s personal opinion. Judging by the audience’s reaction and the expressions of the four judges, it was clear they were satisfied with Cheng Jie’s entrance.

Back on stage, Cheng Jie executed a flamboyant bow and introduced himself. The four judges were mostly familiar with his name. After all, Cheng Jie had at least made it into the top hundred of the “Voice of Huaguo” contest. While that ranking wasn’t particularly prestigious, neither were the judges themselves, so no one could afford to look down on anyone else.

“Contestant Cheng Jie, I heard you’ve prepared a surprise for everyone today,” the judge on the far left spoke up.

During the first round of auditions, Chen Fang hadn’t paid much attention to the judges’ names, remembering only Ke Min. He thought for a moment; this judge seemed to be called Hai Kuo.

The next second, Cheng Jie smiled and replied, “Yes, Teacher Hai Kuo. The song I’ll perform today is a brand new original piece. I originally planned to include it in my solo album next month, but I decided to share it early with the audience and my fans.”

Brand new? Original? Those words immediately brought Chen Fang to mind.

Aside from Guo Ping, the other three judges’ faces showed a hint of awkwardness, recalling the events of the first round.

“Then please begin your performance,” Hai Kuo said.

Cheng Jie didn’t nod but instead looked backstage, apologetically saying, “Could I trouble the staff to help move the piano onto the stage?”

None of the four judges objected.

In the lounge, Chen Fang burst out laughing. When he’d needed an instrument in the first round, the four judges had been impatient and dismissive. Now that a trainee from a big company needed a piano, waiting a few minutes seemed perfectly normal. Utter double standards!

No wonder these four were fringe figures in the entertainment industry, unable to stand in the spotlight. If they were employees of Chen Fang’s company back on Earth, he would have fired them long ago for being nothing but dead weight.

Backstage, seven or eight staff members struggled to move a grand piano. This piano was much larger than usual, its body exuding a metallic heft. Even with so many people, it took a full five minutes just to get it onto the stage. Five minutes—enough time for the next contestant to perform. Yet no one at the venue raised any objections, as if Cheng Jie was naturally entitled to this privilege.

Seated at the piano, Cheng Jie opened the lid, revealing a golden inscription beneath. Instantly, the crowd gasped in awe.

“This piano must be made by Master Modi!”
“It definitely is! There’s Modi’s message and signature on it!”
“This is a custom piano, limited to ten worldwide!”
“You country bumpkins, this isn’t a limited run of ten; Master Modi made this piano specifically for our brother, and there’s only one in the world!”
“That’s right, he posted about it on his social media ages ago.”
“Ever since he got this piano, every new song is accompanied by it.”
“This piano must be worth a fortune…”
“Master Modi must be blind to make a piano for such an unknown trainee.”

Chen Fang couldn’t hear the audience’s chatter, but he could see the online comments, all fixated on “Master Modi.” Chen Fang was utterly confused. Who was Modi?

There was nothing he could do—he’d only been in this world for barely a week, with no time to learn about others.

Just then, the lounge door opened. Ji Mei entered, sitting down beside Chen Fang. She watched Cheng Jie on the screen, worry flickering in her eyes.

“He’s prepared so thoroughly today,” she said.

“An original song and a Modi master piano.”

As the competition’s chief director, she should have been thrilled to see the online popularity break a million viewers, but her joy and excitement didn’t match what she’d felt during the first round. Rationally, Ji Mei knew Chen Fang’s chances of winning were slim. Yet emotionally, she couldn’t help but hold onto hope.

Seeing this, Chen Fang studied Ji Mei’s figure with amusement in his eyes. “Director Ji, I’m under a lot of pressure. I need a hug to feel better.”

A hug? Ji Mei was taken aback, meeting Chen Fang’s gaze. His expression was natural, his eyes relaxed, completely at ease. Ji Mei blushed, spat lightly, “Trying to take advantage of me again!”

Again? When had he done it before? Suddenly, Chen Fang recalled helping Ji Mei undress at the hotel. Ahem! Well, she wasn’t wrong.

Chen Fang teased her and turned back to the screen. “I’m going to be a superstar someday. A little trainee won’t stop me.”

Seeing Chen Fang’s confidence, Ji Mei said nothing more. She stood up to leave, hesitated, then opened her arms and hugged him. For a moment, Chen Fang’s world went dark, but… she smelled so nice.

“Good luck!” she whispered, then hurried out of the lounge.

Chen Fang stared at the doorway in a daze, her scent lingering at his nose. That hug—how could he focus on the competition now?

Pulling himself together, Chen Fang looked to see what kind of amazing song Cheng Jie would perform.

On stage, Cheng Jie began to sing. After an impressive piano intro, he slowly opened his mouth. Just from the intro, Chen Fang thought the song’s quality was indeed outstanding. But as soon as the lyrics started, Chen Fang’s expression stiffened. He wanted to ask: Did his company’s composer and lyricist not get along?

The lyrics were a mess from the start, wasting a good melody. Chen Fang had always believed a great melody could work with any lyrics, but today he realized that while a great melody doesn’t demand the best lyrics, it certainly can’t salvage garbage.

Even so, the audience and judges listened with rapt attention, even seeming somewhat entranced.

Today’s theme was childhood. Yet Cheng Jie’s song only mentioned childhood in the opening lines, then switched to romance and love. Seriously? Did any of them actually have a childhood? Whose childhood was spent in love affairs?