The aftermath of yesterday's Double 11 shopping frenzy in China was still rippling across the internet. Though still holding second place on the trending charts, most of the comments were sarcastic complaints.
Taobao's event rules had become increasingly convoluted. For many viewers who couldn't even do middle school-level math, it was nearly impossible to figure out which deal was truly the cheapest. And the scariest part? After a week of homework, placing deposits, and calculating prices before the big day, many ended up realizing they hadn't saved all that much at all.
After Chu Zhi turned down the endorsement offer, Taobao chose Wu Tang instead. This kind of sponsorship only ever went to traffic stars, and Wu Tang's asking price was much lower than Chu Zhi's anyway.
The entertainment industry heavily favored those at the top. With his diligent efforts all year, Chu Zhi had risen through the ranks with noticeable results. Wu Tang's agency even quietly circulated a press release pointing out that Taobao, once again, topped all e-commerce platforms with nearly 500 billion yuan in transactions, followed by JD.com with over 300 billion. Pinduoduo hadn't released figures, so they weren't counted.
Other platforms like Suning, Dangdang, Vipshop, and Jumei were barely worth mentioning. Wu Tang's PR message was essentially: the Taobao endorsed by Wu Tang had higher sales than JD.com, which was endorsed by Chu Zhi.
It was petty, but at the moment, this was the only angle they could find to one-up Chu Zhi.
Meanwhile, the ongoing Saint Petersburg National Cultural Forum, which had invited artists from nearly every Asian country, had stirred not only domestic discussion in China but also generated considerable buzz abroad. Notably, South Korea had the strongest reaction.
Credit went to a frontline Korean journalist whose article stated:
"Baritone singer Park Suyeong from South Korea and Chinese singer Chu Zhi delivered stellar performances at the Russian National Cultural Forum.
Park Suyeong played the role of Yeletsky in The Queen of Spades, delivering an emotionally stirring performance. After the show, French soprano Mikaz Amel held Park Suyeong's hand and praised him at length.
Chu Zhi's original song Opera 2 received high acclaim at the forum. Notably, the song was first performed in Seoul. When interviewed later, Chu Zhi expressed an interest in composing Korean-language songs."
The report was published on Oh.My.News, one of South Korea's three most progressive media outlets. More contemporary than mainstream papers like The Dong-A Ilbo, Chosun Ilbo, or JoongAng Ilbo, OH was also South Korea's largest web portal, where over 60% of the population got their news.
Typical of Korean media, OH went overboard with praise. While Park Suyeong was indeed a top-tier baritone in Asia, his performance was stable but not surprising—much like Li Weiwen's. Everyone expected excellence, and he delivered.
Still, the outlet laid on the flattery. As for Mikaz Amel holding Park Suyeong's hand? The two were former lovers who had amicably separated and remained friends.
But K-pop fandom dynamics were complicated. Some netizens felt a surge of national pride seeing Park Suyeong perform, but when it came to Chu Zhi, opinions were all over the place.
"Great Demon King, is a language genius. He knows Japanese, so he must know Korean too. Can't wait for a Korean song."
"Why can't our idols get on this kind of stage? The entertainment industry is too controlled by capital."
"I heard the Demon King's first Japanese EP is coming soon. Should I support it or not? I'm so torn."
"It's already up for pre-order on Sony Music. I ordered three copies to help him reach the Ice Throne!"
"Now I get why other fandoms dislike him. Last time at the Inspirational Song Gala, he made everyone proud. This time at the forum, he shined again. When you're too good, others get jealous. I aced a test at school and got bullied too."
From an objective standpoint, the backlash against Chu Zhi in Korea mostly stemmed from xenophobia and the fanatic behavior of his own fanbase, the Apostles. The stronger the resistance, the more fiercely loyal his fans became, creating a feedback loop of tension.
When you're busy, time seems to sway and slip past. Every task gets done, yet you still feel like everything could have been done better.
The fourth week of Journey Among the Stars filming wrapped up. During Chu Zhi's solo interview session, the questions were simple, but somehow, every take felt off. They had to re-record three times.
"Sis, watch your injury."
"Jiajia, don't stay up late playing games."
"Luo-ge, try a little of the food before eating a lot. Some stuff is toxic."
At the airport, as they all said their goodbyes, Chu Zhi gave these gentle reminders to each person. Depending on your relationship with him, you might call it nagging or just thoughtful care.
He especially couldn't believe Luo Jianhui. Knowing full well he was allergic to something, he still ate it like nothing was wrong. One bite less wouldn't kill him.
When he gave the reminder, Luo Jianhui nodded seriously, though whether he'd listen was another story.
After sending off Cai Jia, Zhang Ning, and Luo Jianhui, only Chu Zhi and Min Jeongbae were left at the airport with their teams. Their flights were scheduled a bit later.
They chatted casually. While Chu Zhi had been singing at the forum, Min Jeongbae had been "slaying evil forces" during their filming tasks.
With his flight boarding soon, Min Jeongbae brought up something serious:
"Leader, if you ever feel down, call me. I'm really good at cheering people up."
Chu Zhi wanted to say, "You can call me too if you're feeling down", but he figured that wouldn't cheer Min-ge up.
So he replied, "Of course. But if I call too much, you'll get sick of me."
"No way. A bunch of my friends call me when they're upset, and I always make them laugh," Min Jeongbae said warmly.
"Got it," Chu Zhi replied.
Min Jeongbae smiled in satisfaction. As he passed the gate, he quickly put on his mask. Pulkovo Airport was freezing, and most travelers wore masks anyway.
While managers sat in economy, the artists had first class. Alone in his seat, Min Jeongbae looked cold and distant, completely different from his cheerful on-camera persona.
A flight attendant knelt slightly and asked, "Mr. Min, would you prefer red wine shrimp pasta or chicken fried rice for lunch an hour after takeoff?"
"Fried rice," Min replied without removing his mask.
"Understood. If you're asleep when it's ready, should I wake you up?"
"No need."
Off-camera, it wasn't just that Min Jeongbae was reserved—he could be difficult. But it wasn't about having a bad temper. Smiling for the camera was just exhausting. Once that effort slipped, even saying one more word felt like punishment.
Russian airline meals were nothing special. If you wanted variety, Sichuan Airlines or Xiamen Airlines were better. Too bad Chu Zhi was flying with All Nippon Airways this time.
"Old Ma failed another blind date?" Lao Qian asked cheekily.
"She thought my salary was too low," Ma Weihui sighed.
Lao Qian frowned. "Isn't your pay decent? What does she make?"
"With bonuses, over 1.7 million yuan a year. She's a senior executive at a listed company in Pengcheng. My mom introduced her," Ma replied.
"What? Our mom has connections like that? Hey, Old Ma, think she needs a godson? I might be a good fit," Lao Qian joked.
Ma looked at him like he was insane. "Qian-ge, no offense, but you earn more than 1.2 million a year."
"You really are shameless, Qian-ge," laughed Xiao Zhu.
"Watch it. Being shameless only works if you have something to offer. I'm from Guizhou—us 'horse fork bugs' never had any pride," Lao Qian snapped back.
"..."
Here we go again. Chu Zhi knew well that Lao Qian's hometown changed based on which local girl he was chasing at the time.
Chu Zhi and his team also boarded. Instead of returning to China, they flew directly to Otaru, Japan to begin filming When I Close My Eyes.
It had been over a month since the earthquake. Reconstruction was going well, and the filming locations showed no signs of damage.
"Suzuki-san, what brings you here?" Chu Zhi asked upon seeing a familiar face on set.
"I'm singing the opening theme," Suzuki Kano said. "Also, the director asked me to cameo."
Chu Zhi nodded. They'd met twice before. Suzuki was friends with Koguchi Yoshihiro and now a semi-Little Fruit herself.
Joining the cast, Chu Zhi quickly learned how intense location shooting could be. Even though they were staying in Otaru, the filming spanned over 50 locations: Mount Tengu, Funamizaka, the glass workshop, Sakaimachi intersection, Tomakomai East High School, Temiya Park...
"That take didn't work. Chu-san, let's try again."
"Need a break, Chu-san?"
"Your emotions were too complex. We need a more youthful vibe for this student role."
"One more time."
Director Daikyo Etsuji was said to be great at teaching actors, but Chu Zhi felt Liao Dachong understood the craft better—at least when it came to teaching acting.
After two days, he hadn't learned much about acting, but he had gotten better at knowing where the camera was.
That night, back at the hotel, Chu Zhi spoke to his system:
"Hey, bro, since I already know this film has a major twist and Earth has something similar, can you just tell me how it did? I'm too tired. I need motivation."
He was hoping to get info for free without spending Personality Coins.
[The Earth equivalent to this film is called "Love Letter"], the system replied. [It made the previously unknown male lead a sensation across Asia.]
Maybe because the system saw how exhausted he was, it gave him the answer without charge.
"So it's that movie?!" Chu Zhi hadn't seen Love Letter, but he knew of it. In his previous life as a businessman, he had studied successful cultural IPs for tourism development. The success of "Otaru and Love Letter" was one such case. That single film had turned a small town into a top Asian tourist spot, drawing visitors from Korea, Thailand, and China.
"Otaru, huh? I should have guessed. But wait, the story starts with the male lead already dead? I didn't know that..."
"This pace is too slow. I need to think of a way to speed things up."
===
Original Korean song referenced:가귀 (Love) by Park Suyeong (박수영)
Referenced film:Love Letter (1995, dir. Iwai Shunji) [Japanese: ラブレター, Raburetā]