THT Television had originally hesitated. Both Aurora and Mikhail had received seven votes each. A tie was tricky to handle—should they vote again?
But now, there was no need.
"Music can distinguish between good and evil. And your voice scored the highest in the test. You must attend the performance the day after tomorrow," said the mohawked man, each sentence dropping like a drumbeat.
THT favoring their country's own singers was understandable. But cheating? No need. After all, the St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum was hosted by their own country. Last year was a rare exception—2019 marked the 70th anniversary of China-Russia relations, so China was invited as the main guest nation.
So, whether this year or last, most artists at the forum were from Russia. For Chinese singers, securing a spot wasn't an issue.
"The day after tomorrow. Knights of Tof. Be there. On time," the mohawked man repeated, then marched off with his group of muscle-bound men.
No joke—once those bodyguards left, the cramped underground karaoke lounge suddenly felt a lot more spacious.
"Leader Chu, have you ever thought about releasing an album in Russian?" Aurora asked.
Russia didn't have the concept of EPs. Given their economic conditions, selling 200,000 copies could land a foreign album in the top five of all time. That said a lot.
"If I get the chance, definitely," Chu Zhi replied.
He'd wait and see how the EP did in Japan first. If the response was strong, he was tempted to launch a multi-language EP rollout.
In every country, when listing the best songs ever written in their native language, the name "Chu Zhi" always showed up. You couldn't ignore it. For example, in the top 20 Spanish-language songs, you'd always find la copa de la vida. Not to mention, it was a World Cup theme song—Chu Zhi was never absent from major global events.
"Easy, easy," Chu Zhi told himself. "Goals have to be realized step by step. For now, we focus on building popularity across Asia."
Expecting too much from the future could blur your vision of the present.
"Mr. Chu, may I ask how you sing so well... and play the piano so beautifully too?" asked a young boy named Onegin.
"Because music is universal," Chu Zhi replied, giving a vague answer rather than dishing out motivational fluff.
"I want to be as amazing as you," Onegin said earnestly.
"Amazing, huh... There are lots of amazing people. So why can't you be the amazing Onegin?" Chu Zhi countered.
Lin Feifeng and Fedotov brought everyone to the living room. Tea was served again, along with Russian snacks like honey cake, giant wafer bars, and violet-wrapped candies. Of all the guests, only Luo Jianhui actually ate.
At this point, Journey Among the Stars as a variety show wasn't living up to its name. They had visited places like Sapporo, Otaru, and now St. Petersburg—but the landscapes were secondary. What the crew really wanted was for the guests to sing.
But did it matter if the name didn't match the content? As long as the ratings were good, no one cared. It wasn't like they were writing an exam essay where everything had to stay on topic.
Che Lun, the producer, was pleased. The guests were well-chosen: variety show strategist Cai Jia, scene-stealer Min Zhengpei, firecracker Zhang Ning, the silent workhorse Luo Jianhui, and of course, Chu Zhi.
"Producer Che, you're a genius. How did you know Teacher Chu would sound good in Russian too?" Assistant Xiao Tang gave him a thumbs-up.
"I didn't," Che Lun said. "But I know Chu. If he wasn't confident, he wouldn't have sung at all. He'd let Aurora take the lead—just like he let Luo Jianhui handle the Chinese songs."
"Chu always puts the team first." Che Lun felt like having such an amazing brother made him cooler by association.
Birds of a feather flock together. Would a nobody have a friend like Chu Zhi?
"You're the real mind reader, Producer Che. I now officially call you... 'Old Coin!'" Xiao Tang hadn't been scolded in days, so he was getting bold.
"Tone it down," Che Lun said, reining in his grin. "How's the broadcast team doing tonight?"
"No problem, the assistant director is watching over it personally," Xiao Tang replied.
"Good. This episode is our comeback. There can't be any mistakes."
"I'll call them again, just to make sure," Xiao Tang said.
"Remember—when it airs, we need to steer public opinion right away. Emphasize the individuals. Don't let people realize the real issue was our choice of location," Che Lun warned.
Then he added, with growing frustration, "Damn it. The whole country has earthquakes all the time. Japan's Ministry of Land even has a specific division for earthquake and tsunami alerts, plus an early warning department. Yet they gave us nothing! Even Nihon Ethics did better."
Nihon Ethics—short for the Japanese Film Ethics Committee. Anyone who watched Japanese movies or adult videos would know that name. Don't ask why Che Lun brought it up. He was just familiar with it and said it without thinking.
After ranting for two minutes, Che Lun finally cooled off. Only then did Xiao Tang dare to speak.
"I'll talk to the PR team again. We'll monitor social media closely."
"The public's doubts aren't a big deal. The issue is those Mango TV fans," said Che Lun.
In showbiz, being nice didn't protect you from attacks. If you were trending, someone would always come for you—especially Mango TV fans.
Mango fans were exactly what they sounded like: fans of the Mango TV network. Yes, some people actually stan a TV station, and there were a lot of them. They treated viewership and app rankings like shareholder reports.
If a drama did well on Mango TV, they'd go support the actors. But if it flopped? The cast would get dragged. Case in point: the historical drama Tiansheng Long Song starring Chen Kun. It bombed so hard, fans cursed the actors for weeks. That's what Che Lun feared—these fans setting off a smear campaign.
In Russia, the Great Hero Group didn't feel much push from publicity. They were too focused on their missions. But starting yesterday and today, episode 5 of Journey Among the Stars began its online promo blitz. Last episode's ratings were weak—Che Lun had to fix that.
[The Most Dangerous Episode of Journey Among the Stars Yet]
[Nearly Canceled Mid-Episode]
[The Stellar Girls You Can't Miss—Click Now!]
Each promo headline was bolder than the last. Usually, each episode ended with a preview, but episode 4 had only two words: "To be continued."
The mystery worked. Many "Little Fruits" (fans) were waiting anxiously for the update.
For one fan, Xiao Qing, today was especially rare—her father, Xiao Yue, who had spent years dedicated to education, was actually going to watch a variety show with her.
Was the sun rising in the west today?
"Dad, I don't think this show suits you," Xiao Qing said. "It's mostly comedy."
In her mind, her father—an associate professor of Japanese at Beiwai—should only watch serious shows like China in Ancient Texts or Wait for Me. Truth be told, they had never really talked deeply. To her, her father had always been a wise academic.
"I know. I started watching from episode 2," Xiao Yue said calmly, secretly waiting for a moment to drop the bomb: [You don't even understand your idol].
His reply shortened the distance between them.
"Ninth Brother is so smart. In episode 3, he figured out the crew's tricks right away! And Min ripped apart his piggy bank to sell everything!" Xiao Qing gushed about the highlights. While the singing performances by Xinghai and Chu Zhi had gone viral, there were tons of little moments the fans loved.
"He's definitely smart," Xiao Yue nodded. He had looked into Chu Zhi's background—clearly a man of great talent.
Once Xiao Qing got going about her idol, she couldn't stop. At least she didn't blurt out "Ninth Master." With her dad nearby, calling him that would've been like lowering his rank.
As father and daughter chatted, episode 5 of Journey Among the Stars began streaming on iQIYI.