Chapter 33: “A Pleasant Collaboration”

“Zhou Ran, that means I’ll have to rely on you to support me from now on!” Li Mi extended her hand to Zhou Ran, smiling as she said this.

“Of course, Sister Mi, welcome back!” Zhou Ran replied with a smile, reaching out to take her hand as well.

“Hahaha, here’s to a happy partnership!” The two of them laughed as they shook hands.

And just like that, the partnership between Li Mi and Zhou Ran was sealed, almost carelessly.

After their conversation, Li Mi drove Zhou Ran directly to the airport. This time, Zhou Ran was finally careful—he put on a mask and sunglasses and headed straight for the VIP passage.

It was Li Mi who had told him about the VIP channel, assuring him that it was safe from prying eyes and guaranteed privacy. Most of the so-called celebrity airport photos that circulate online are staged for exposure; public knowledge of certain stars is often very much by design.

After seeing Zhou Ran off, Li Mi didn’t leave right away. She kept her eyes on the spot where he disappeared, a faint smile curving her lips. “Little Ran, such a fool,” she murmured.

When negotiating the manager’s contract, Zhou Ran had been direct and generous: a seventy-thirty split, with seventy percent for himself and thirty for Li Mi from any future earnings. In Li Mi’s experience, she had never seen such favorable terms for a manager. It was almost ludicrously generous—she had tried to refuse, but Zhou Ran insisted.

“If you refuse this contract,” he told her, “it’s like looking down on me.” Li Mi could only yield, helpless in the face of his stubbornness. She had never met anyone quite as foolish as Zhou Ran.

In that moment, Li Mi felt a surge of emotion. Time had passed so quickly. The Zhou Ran who had once just entered the company was now, in the blink of an eye, ready to stand on his own.

She had always expected Zhou Ran would become popular, but she hadn’t anticipated it would happen so fast. In just a month or two, he had gone from a complete unknown to the hottest new star, exceeding even her wildest expectations. And every single one of his songs was original. Li Mi had spent years in the entertainment world, but she’d never witnessed anything like this.

Back when she was just looking for a few trainees, she never imagined she’d strike gold with Zhou Ran.

His potential ignited a spark of hope in her. “Maybe, with Zhou Ran, I’ll finally get to prove them wrong.”

After dropping Zhou Ran off, Li Mi didn’t go home. Instead, she went to pack up her things, planning to make all the necessary arrangements before seeking him out again.

As she packed, she muttered to herself, “Little Ran, you really won’t let your big sister go, will you? Anyone else would have taken you for everything you’ve got by now.”

On the plane, Zhou Ran finally relaxed. In just a few days, he had resolved a great many issues.

First, he had managed to “trap” Li Mi back at his side—she was the only person in this industry he truly trusted, and he needed to keep her close. As for the overly generous contract, Zhou Ran was well aware of it, but he didn’t care—this kind of agreement was only a small part of his overall plan.

Second, he had found his ticket into the film industry. Last night, Chef Huang had sought him out to discuss a movie project. Chef Huang hadn’t asked for anything in return, only that Zhou Ran consider his invitation after “Who Is the King of Song” ended.

After several hours in the air, Zhou Ran finally arrived in Star City.

This meant it was time to enter training mode. There were less than five days left before the finals of “Who Is the King of Song.” Zhou Ran needed to prepare thoroughly for the competition—he didn’t want to let down anyone who believed in him. He wanted them all to keep winning.

The finals were a crucial part of his plan.

In the following days, Zhou Ran gave careful thought to the song he would perform in the finals. He decided he wanted to end as he began, using the same style that had launched him. He understood full well the influence of Jay Chou, and the song he chose was one of Jay’s signature pieces—a song he performed at every concert, inciting tens of thousands to sing along in unison.

After his return, Zhou Ran rested for a while at the hotel before heading straight to the Xingchen Recording Studio.

He had booked a room at the studio for two months—he went there almost daily, and found it too troublesome to keep making appointments. Zhou Ran had considered buying his own recording equipment to set up at home, but after some thought, he put the idea on hold.

For one thing, it was too expensive. Zhou Ran didn’t own a place in Star City, and after checking the real estate prices, realized that even if he put all his savings together, he’d barely have enough for a down payment on a suitable place.

For another, professional recording equipment was costly as well. He could afford it, but then he’d be left with nothing, and nowhere to put it anyway. So, for now, he settled for renting the studio.

While Zhou Ran was holed up in the recording studio, practicing relentlessly, the producers of “Who Is the King of Song” launched an all-out publicity blitz to prepare for the finals five days away.

Subway stations, shopping malls, every spot with heavy foot traffic was plastered with ads for the show’s grand finale.

The show’s producers seemed to have an unlimited advertising budget, pushing the event to the very top of the trending charts.

At the Bird’s Nest in the capital, preparations for the finals were in full swing. Ning Wei was personally overseeing every detail to ensure that nothing went wrong during the live broadcast, just as in the semi-finals.

This time, the finals would be streamed live across the entire internet—there was no room for even the smallest mistake.