"I debuted as the third place finisher," Yu Lan said. "I feel lucky now. There was definitely some luck in getting that result."
"There's always someone who hides real ability behind the word 'luck'," Min Jeongbae murmured. It looked like he was ruining the mood, but it actually landed just right.
"What Future's Star gave me most wasn't a debut, it was brothers," Yu Lan said. "I met so many friends through that show. They helped me so much along the way. I'm really grateful I joined, not because of signing with a company or releasing records, but because I gained lifelong friends."
He got caught up in it and pulled Tong Mao into a big hug. Heartwarming brotherhood, neatly packaged.
Of course he played along. Hyping brotherhood wins fans. Plenty of people eat that up.
"I was probably the oldest contestant on Future's Star, already twenty-five." Tong Mao's voice dropped. "My parents and relatives were pushing me to sit the civil service exam."
He said, "They convinced me, so I thought, I'll give myself one last shot."
"A burn-the-boats charge, then you won," Min Jeongbae said, picking it up.
"I guess I took the first step as a professional singer, but I wouldn't call it success," Tong Mao said. "I signed with a label, but my first two records bombed. I spent a long time stuck in self-doubt."
On stage, everyone pulled sympathetic faces. Even Yu Lan looked pained for his "good brother," while thinking, this guy can act. How many times has he told this story.
"I thought my parents would tell me to quit singing, but they didn't hesitate. They supported me and believed I could write something better."
"Luckily it turned out alright," he wrapped it up. "I hope I can bring more good songs in the future."
They'd synced photos and clips on the big screen behind the stage to the two men's nostalgia.
Yang Yu turned away from the camera to wipe her tears, which the side camera caught in full.
Ace vs Ace knows acting, and the crew knows how to tug strings.
One note, Yang Yu's the designated eye candy among the regulars, face and figure both on point.
"We've invited a special guest. Wanna guess who?" Min Jeongbae said. "Weiran, give them a hint."
Top traffic brings massive exposure and one small problem. If the camera time's light, fans will riot in the comments. Lin Weiran had no variety sense, so the editors always had to juice his cuts.
Min Jeongbae was working overtime, cracking jokes and cueing the guests.
"He's someone you know," Lin Weiran said after a few seconds of thinking, which was a useless clue.
If you don't know them, how would you guess, Yu Lan thought, steaming.
He couldn't show it. Lin Weiran and Lin Feifei, the "Double Lins," were peaking.
"Someone we know… did you invite Old Jiang," Yu Lan offered. "Jiang Bin, the one who sang Jump Up, fourth place on Future's Star."
Jiang Bin was familiar and even worse off than Tong Mao. Several albums with zero splash. His family had money though, so he could keep burning it.
Jump Up was a theme for a domestic kids' cartoon, probably his most popular piece.
"Could it be Da Bai? Su Shangbai," Tong Mao thought of the hidden rich guy who'd once introduced him to contacts.
"You're both wrong," Min Jeongbae said. "Let's welcome the champion of Future's Star."
Champion?The audience, a few hundred strong, needed only a beat. Oh hell, that's Chu Zhi.
They actually got Chu Zhi?! Necks shot forward like giraffes reaching for higher leaves. Everyone wanted to see him first.
Yu Lan and Tong Mao froze. No heads-up for this? If they'd known Chu Zhi was coming, they'd have tweaked their lines.
He finally appeared. It wasn't a thousand people, but the roar felt like the roof would fly off when Chu Zhi walked on in a white suit, tailored tight to a shockingly slim waist.
"White suit kills me. I said Jiu-yé's the handsomest man in a suit, I won't accept rebuttals."
"I'm so happy with today's guest, I could cry."
"Who in the world isn't Little Fruits?"
"Brother Jiu, I love you, I'm your little star!"
…The "guards" in the seats were supposed to be Lin Weiran's fans, so why did they all defect? Seeing Chu Zhi made them even happier than seeing their own idol.
Yu Lan felt something was off. He flicked a glance at Lin Weiran. The kid's face control was better than expected, smiling calmly, which disappointed him.
Standing on the edge, Tong Mao's inner warning shifted from don't offend Lin Weiran to don't offend Chu Zhi.
"Captain, it's only been a few months, why do you look even better," Min Jeongbae greeted.
"I was gonna say that to you, Min ge, guess you beat me to it," Chu Zhi said.
"Say hi to the audience first," Min Jeongbae said.
"Hello to everyone here and watching at home. I'm Chu Zhi, who hasn't shown up on variety for a while," he said.
The greeting wave from the seats made the cameraman's eardrums sting, even through the headset.
"Yu ge, Tong ge, long time no see."
"Five or six years, right? You're getting younger, Xiao Jiu. If we stand together, people might think I'm a generation older."
"Old Jiu's busy going global, we've got more free time. If you want to catch up, we're always around."
He looked at the two old acquaintances who'd grown more mature than the original body remembered, especially Tong Mao. Calling himself uncle wasn't only self-deprecating.
Then he thought of how his face hadn't changed in years. Fair's fair, in the looks department, the original owner's talent was broken.
Oh right, it also had to do with that odd shop item, the one that slows aging by fifty percent, "1+1 Equals One Spicy Strip."
He drifted a second in his head and missed the barbed tone. Seeing familiar faces made people haze out.
Someone noticed the barb though. Min Jeongbae frowned. Yu Lan's words were off, implying Chu Zhi ignored old friends. Min Jeongbae knew the truth. When you're slandered and no one helps, why on earth would you owe them loyalty after you make it.
"The captain's actually busy, like three hundred and sixty out of three hundred and sixty-five days," Min Jeongbae said. "Last time on his birthday, I finished at nine and thought I'd call to see what feast he was eating."
"I rang three times before he picked up. He was recording the new album through the night. No party, no relaxing dinner. We all agree, he's a workaholic."
That landed well. Casual viewers saw a workaholic. Fans just ached that giegie didn't even celebrate his birthday. Almost no one clocked Yu Lan's hidden needle.
"Since we're bringing back youth, let's do it right. Champion, runner-up, and third-place from Future's Star, together again. Give us something real," Min Jeongbae said, doing the show's job for them.
They cleared the stage.
Chu Zhi, Yu Lan, and Tong Mao sang the theme, "Open the Future," together.
Singing with the Emperor Beast is tough. Even when he held back, the gap showed.
🎵 "The future will be better because of this moment…" 🎵
That line repeats in the song, and each of the three took a turn. Tong Mao leaned on "future," and it carried depth. Yu Lan hit "will," his chest voice steady and sure.
Chu Zhi hit "better," and the picture bloomed the second he opened his mouth, like flowers opening all at once.
No contrast, no pain. With contrast, ouch.
"Yu ge and Tong ge are so seasoned," Chu Zhi said, throwing out the courteous praise first.
He was the strong one, and Lin Weiran could feel the difference.
Yu Lan wanted to hear him call "Third Brother." Back when ten of them ate together, he ranked third by age. Tong Mao was the oldest.
And the titles "Jiu-yé" and "brother Jiu" carry half of Asia. If he could link himself to that, how nice would it be. Imagine it, "Third Lord." Tasty.
…
He stayed on for thirty minutes. The next time he'd hit variety would be when The Masked Singer rebooted. They'd locked it with Fox last year and almost started recording a month ago.
But 2024 was election year, Fox was knee-deep in it, and Unsinkable had gone over budget. One last grain on the scale, and Fox was back on the brink. Again.
Looks like it'll be next year.
"Chu ge, are you totally exhausted," Xiao Zhuzi asked in the seat beside him.
"No big deal," Chu Zhi said, and closed his eyes to rest.
They walked out of the Mango TV building and headed straight for Huanghua Airport. Dinner would be whatever they grabbed at the gate.
They had to fly to the capital at once. The gala was tomorrow afternoon. The Emperor Beast would go on as China's second to last performer. Judging by that slot, the officials were showing him real favor.