Chapter 32: Choosing a Mentor

At this moment, the only one unable to feel any joy was Justin Huang. He simply couldn’t fathom how, in just three minutes, Xu Ze managed to surpass him by hundreds of thousands in popularity votes. After all, their company had pulled strings and used connections for this vote, yet even so, they couldn’t suppress Xu Ze.

He looked helplessly at his fellow mentor from Imperial Entertainment, Wang Yihan.

Wang Yihan was equally shocked when the results were announced. Seeing Justin Huang’s anxious gaze, he instantly understood what the boy was worried about. The company had invested so many resources, but still failed to secure first place. He could imagine how furious the boss would be.

The boss often said, “With the amount of resources I’ve poured in, even a pig could be worshipped!”

Wang Yihan suddenly felt fortunate; thankfully, Xu Ze hadn’t managed to take first place on the New Song Chart as well—or else his situation might be even worse than Justin’s.

“Ah, I wonder how many pairs of stockings the boss’s secretary will ruin today?”

The viewers in the livestream were equally astonished.

“Wow, Xu Ze is so fierce! He actually knocked Justin Huang out of first place!”

“Shouldn’t Xu Ze be number one? ‘Do You Know’ is so beautiful, how can Justin’s rap compare?”

“A last-minute comeback in the final three minutes—so thrilling!”

“Haha, I contributed too! My whole family bought memberships to vote for Xu Ze!”

“So did ours. My mom’s even more obsessed than me—she canvassed for Xu Ze in our family group chat. She used to be the most opposed to my idol-chasing!”

“Sisters, I bought memberships on two platforms just to vote for Xu Ze. Isn’t that a big sacrifice?”

…

At this moment, the host handed Xu Ze the microphone, smiling as he asked, “Xu Ze, could you share how it feels to take first place?”

The other contestants instinctively stepped back, leaving the spotlight on Xu Ze.

Xu Ze took the microphone and calmly said, “Thank you all for voting.”

With that, he put the microphone down and blinked at the host.

The host was momentarily stunned. Was that all? Truly, words are precious to you.

Director Yang Yin was urgently prompting him through the earpiece, insisting he ask Xu Ze more questions.

The host forced a laugh and continued, “Xu Ze, your lyrics are filled with beautiful poetic lines. Is there a special meaning you wish to express?”

He silently thought, “Surely this will get him talking for a bit longer.”

Generally, poets embed personal meaning in their verses, and are usually happy to discuss such questions.

Xu Ze paused. Meaning? He wasn’t the author—how would he know? He replied straightforwardly, “No.”

The host thought he’d misheard, his mind blanking for two seconds. This kid is stubborn—would saying a few more words kill him?

Thankfully, his professional instincts kicked in, and he quickly moved to the next question. “Your musical style is always beautiful lyrics, graceful melodies, and traditional instruments. For your next song, will you continue in this style?”

Xu Ze nodded. “Yes. I majored in Chinese language and literature. I love our country’s culture. I’ve always believed that Chinese culture is the most powerful in the world, even musically.

“So I want to create a musical style that incorporates traditional instruments and elegant Chinese characters to produce beautiful pop songs. I’ve named it—

‘Chinese Style Songs.’”

The host was relieved—at last, Xu Ze had spoken such a long sentence.

When he heard “Chinese Style Songs,” his eyes lit up and he asked, “So, you mean you’ve created a new musical genre called ‘Chinese Style Songs’?”

Xu Ze nodded.

The livestream audience exploded.

“Chinese is the most powerful!”

“Support Xu Ze!”

“Wow, Xu Ze’s incredible—he’s actually founding a new genre!”

But alongside the support, there were skeptical voices.

“Creating a new genre isn’t so simple.”

“Exactly. Unless Xu Ze’s next songs are just as classic, but I think that’s difficult.”

The host had planned to ask a few more questions, but seeing Xu Ze’s expression, he reconsidered. If this kid kept replying with two-word answers, he might really lose the thread.

He’d already covered several questions, so it was time to move on. He announced, “Next, Xu Ze will choose his mentor. Because Xu Ze received lock-in cards from three mentors, he can choose among them.

They are Mentor Wei Ping, Mentor Jiang Yiyan, and our Mentor Zhang Yingjing.

Once Xu Ze chooses, the selected mentor also has the right to refuse, and each mentor can only choose three students.

Xu Ze, who will you choose as your mentor?”

Wei Ping and Jiang Yiyan cast longing glances at Xu Ze. Zhang Yingjing, though outwardly calm, unconsciously clenched her hands, betraying her anticipation.

Xu Ze glanced at the mentors and declared, “I choose Teacher Zhang Yingjing.”

The audience nodded—his choice was predictable, since selecting a mentor who could help him most was important.

In truth, Xu Ze hadn’t thought it through. He simply didn’t want to be surrounded by Jiang Yiyan’s girl group; too many women, too troublesome.

And Wei Ping was a man—pass.

So he chose Zhang Yingjing.

Wei Ping was quietly saddened, thinking Xu Ze’s choice was due to his lack of popularity compared to Zhang Yingjing. Little did he know it was for such a simple reason.

Jiang Yiyan, meanwhile, admired Xu Ze all the more. Faced with the temptations of the girl group, he remained unmoved—a true gentleman, as noble as his music!

She couldn’t help but shoot a contemptuous glance at Wang Yihan beside her—unlike this guy, always trying to flirt and strike up conversation. His songs were noisy and incomprehensible, no comparison to Xu Ze.

Mentor Zhang Yingjing, hearing Xu Ze’s choice, unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. Then she wondered at herself—why was she so invested in his decision?

Perhaps she truly was captivated by his talent.

…

After Xu Ze made his choice, the remaining contestants selected their mentors according to their popularity rankings.

Justin Huang, ranked second, unsurprisingly chose Wang Yihan.

Zhu Zhengting, ranked third, and another female contestant both chose Zhang Yingjing, becoming Xu Ze’s teammates.

When the mentoring groups were finalized, all contestants gathered with their respective teams.

“Hello, Xu Ze. I’m Sun Na. I hope we can help each other.” Sun Na, from Xu Ze’s group, extended her fair right hand.

She appeared to be about 163 centimeters tall, dressed in slightly tight-fitting clothes that accentuated her figure.

Xu Ze nodded politely. “Hello.”

But as he tried to withdraw his hand after the handshake, Sun Na gripped his hand tighter and traced her fingertip across his palm, flashing him a mischievous smile before letting go.

Xu Ze raised his brows. This Sun Na had some nerve—making such a little move during a live broadcast.