Chapter 18: "Successfully Signed"

"Who is this person?" Zhou Ran woke up late, only after the sun had risen high in the sky. Upon unlocking his phone, he saw three or four missed calls from someone named Li Xi. Zhou Ran stared at the name, utterly bewildered—who was this, and when had he added their contact?

He launched into a mental brainstorm, desperately searching his memory for anything about Li Xi. "Oh, so it was her," Zhou Ran finally recalled after a long while. No wonder he hadn't remembered her at first—the two had not met for over a year. Zhou Ran's memories of Li Xi were frozen in the days when they were both trainees.

Now that he remembered, Zhou Ran called her back. The phone connected quickly.

"Hello? Li Xi?" Zhou Ran greeted tentatively.

"Hey, you're awake at last, my young master!" Li Xi exclaimed. It was odd—before Zhou Ran returned her call, Li Xi had been anxious and restless, but her mood brightened instantly upon hearing his voice.

"Yes, I just woke up. Saw your missed calls and called back. Is something urgent?" Zhou Ran replied.

"My great writer, did you write Harry Potter?" Li Xi wasted no time getting to the point after their brief pleasantries.

"Ah, how did you know?" Zhou Ran was curious at first, but after thinking it over, he understood. Only two people knew about his writing: Li Mi and someone at the publishing house. Zhou Ran quickly realized, "Are you from the publishing house? My goodness!"

"Haha, that's right! What a coincidence. I'm already in Star City—shall we meet?" Li Xi invited.

"Ah, you've arrived already? That was fast! Send me the address, I'll come right away," Zhou Ran said, eager to meet her upon learning she was already in town.

On his way to see Li Xi, Zhou Ran couldn't help but marvel at the coincidence. How could such a thing happen—his manuscript had ended up on Li Xi's desk! Yet, it was a stroke of luck: working with someone familiar would make things much easier, and communication would be smooth.

Li Xi sent him the location of a hot pot restaurant. As Zhou Ran hurried over, he encountered a small incident along the way.

He still hadn't realized how famous he'd become. Heading to the hot pot place, he made no attempt at disguise, walking in openly—which led to a fan recognizing him right away.

"Wow, are you Zhou Ran? I love you so much!" The fan was so excited upon seeing him, she nearly cried out.

Thankfully, Zhou Ran reacted quickly; realizing he'd been recognized, he gestured for silence, and the fan quieted down. After snapping a quick photo together, she slipped away, not drawing much attention. Had she made a scene, Zhou Ran would have had a hard time leaving—the entire restaurant might have been surrounded.

That lucky fan, as it happened, was the vice leader of Zhou Ran's fan club.

Yes, despite being a newcomer, Zhou Ran already had a fan club of about five thousand members from all corners of the country. Each person had been vetted before joining—true die-hard fans.

The young woman immediately posted her photo with Zhou Ran in the group, stirring up envy among the members.

Wei Ran's Arrival: "My God, Zhou Ran is so handsome!"

Rainy Drizzle: "Ahhh, I'm so jealous!"

Bai Bai Bai: "He looks even better than on TV!"

Xiaomu Hates Cilantro: "Sister, where did you meet him?"

Members bombarded her with questions, eager for their own chance encounter. Thankfully, she had principles—she only showed off a little, refusing to disrupt Zhou Ran's life by sharing the address. Even when offered red envelopes for the information, she held firm and kept silent.

After dealing with the fans, Zhou Ran was still a bit nervous.

He shared the story with Li Xi at the hot pot restaurant, and she teased him, "My superstar, you really have no idea how popular you are these days."

Zhou Ran felt embarrassed by her teasing, "Come on, let's talk business."

The contract Li Xi presented was sincere, promising full support and promotion, and the terms were excellent.

Most importantly, all rights to Harry Potter would belong to Zhou Ran. That was what he valued most.

Li Xi pinned all her hopes on Zhou Ran's Harry Potter—it was a bold gamble. If successful, Magic Publishing could return to its former glory.

After the contract discussion, Li Xi relaxed. With some time before the fourth episode's recording, Zhou Ran decided to show Li Xi around Star City for a bit of fun and relaxation.

He treated it as a chance to unwind, to calm his nerves.

During their conversations, Li Xi noticed how much Zhou Ran had changed. He was so much better now. In the past, Zhou Ran had been awkward and taciturn—when Li Xi invited him out, he wouldn't say a word, almost like someone with social anxiety.

Now, however, he was much more cheerful. While he still occasionally blushed with shyness, he no longer seemed withdrawn.

After a few days in Star City, Li Xi hurried home—life had to go on. She needed to return to the company to prepare for the release and promotion of Harry Potter, ensuring nothing went wrong.

After sending Li Xi to the airport, Zhou Ran himself headed to the studio to prepare for rehearsal.

This episode's theme was national style. In recent years, the country had been inundated by Korean and Japanese pop culture, and Ning Wei produced this show hoping to rekindle listeners' appreciation for native entertainment.

The current cultural climate was troubling: young men were weak and effeminate, wearing heavy makeup and eyeliner—how improper! Zhou Ran was deeply uncomfortable with it.

Upon learning the theme, Zhou Ran wanted to contribute to cultural revival. Yet, when choosing a song, he was lost—not for lack of options, but because there were too many to choose from. He couldn't bear to use something as grand as "Blue and White Porcelain" right away; it felt wasteful.

After pondering for a long time, Zhou Ran suddenly remembered someone—a talented artist once hailed as an icon of non-mainstream music.