Chapter 34: "An Ordinary Fan, Zhang Xiaofeng!"

“Cicada… cicada… cicada…”
As the chorus of cicadas filled the summer morning around seven or eight o’clock, Zhou Ran slowly opened his eyes. Waking naturally, he felt thoroughly refreshed.
After getting up, Zhou Ran performed a simple morning wash, then prepared to head out for his daily practice.
As the old saying goes, “The whole year’s work depends on a good start in spring, and the day’s work on a good start in the morning.”
When Zhou Ran stepped outside, the sunlight was dazzling, shining directly upon him—so glaring, yet so comforting.
In that moment, Zhou Ran felt as if he had become light itself, his whole being brimming with energy. Confidence was all he needed.
He faced the blinding sun not only without flinching, but even relished it. Just like the challenges on stage, it did not frighten him; instead, it nourished his heart and made him stronger and more resilient.
Zhou Ran had long since gotten used to going for a run every morning after waking up. After all, a healthy body is the foundation of all endeavors. Only with good health could he deliver a perfect performance. Otherwise, if a singer is half-dead, speaking with barely any energy, how could you expect him to control his breath while singing?
After his five-kilometer run, Zhou Ran practiced his vocal exercises for another half hour, all to maintain his best form.
Time slipped quietly by to the sound of cicadas.
By four or five in the afternoon, the Dragon’s Nest, though the sun was already setting, was already packed with people. Countless reporters squatted outside, hoping to snatch some useful tidbits.
This time, the production team had truly pulled out all the stops, choosing to hold the grand finale right inside the Dragon’s Nest.
For the first time ever, the team behind “Who is the King of Singers” had secured the Dragon’s Nest for a variety show recording; in the past, only grand galas or major events had been held there.
This was a groundbreaking moment for variety shows at the Dragon’s Nest.
At five thirty in the afternoon, the “Who is the King of Singers” team began checking tickets for the audience admission.
Ninety percent of the tickets for the grand finale had been distributed via lottery on Weibo, so luck was the only way to get in.
For this grand event, the team had gathered all their most famous singers, turning the finale into a veritable concert.

They had the stars warm up the atmosphere, saving Zhou Ran and Ji Song for the grand finale.
They decided to forgo live voting altogether, switching instead to online voting where each ID card could only cast a single vote.
Tickets for the “Who is the King of Singers” finale at the Dragon’s Nest were so scarce they had become a hot commodity—utterly impossible to purchase. Zhou Ran’s fans racked their brains, employing every method they could think of to get in and see him perform.
As the audience began filing into the Dragon’s Nest, Zhang Xiaofeng, wearing a mask and sunglasses, slipped quietly among the crowd.
She hadn’t told Zhou Ran she was coming to see his performance; instead, she had asked a friend to get her a ticket for the inner section through connections, and entered alone, unnoticed.
Zhang Xiaofeng hadn’t shared her plans with anyone. At this moment, her thoughts were simple—she just wanted to support her idol quietly. Today, she wasn’t the up-and-coming starlet Zhang Xiaofeng, but simply an ordinary Zhou Ran fan.
All she wanted to do was listen to her “little Ran” sing to his heart’s content. Everything else was irrelevant.
Among the audience, a group holding blue support lights, signs, and posters were all Zhou Ran’s fans.
They raised their rallying cry as his loyal supporters, determined not to let their own be bullied by others—showing up in full force was a matter of principle.
After all, they had watched his rise from obscurity to the new “big boss” of the entertainment industry.
The show’s director, Ning Wei, paced nervously in front of the Bird’s Nest stage. He was determined to make tonight’s performance flawless—any mishap, however small, could ruin everything and haunt him for life.
At seven o’clock in the evening, as the sky darkened, the stage’s giant screen suddenly lit up, displaying the words “Who is the King of Singers: Grand Finale.”
For the opening act, the production team had invited the most popular girl group to perform, ensuring a powerhouse start.
As soon as the grand finale was broadcast, it shot straight to number one in popularity on the Kiwi streaming platform.
On Weibo, three hashtags related to “Who is the King of Singers” simultaneously stormed into the top three trending spots, dominating the charts.

Behind their screens, talent agency representatives watched Zhou Ran’s performance closely. If he succeeded in advancing at tonight’s finale, they would rush to offer him the best possible contracts—perhaps even a king-level deal.
On Blue Star, entertainment contracts were categorized as third-tier, second-tier, first-tier, top star, and king-level.
While earlier contestants took the stage, Zhou Ran waited backstage, making his final preparations.
Tonight, Zhou Ran would sing “Fragrant Rice”—a song personally written and produced by Jay Chow.
Whenever this song played at a concert, it always sparked a chorus from thousands in the crowd.
Released in 2008 as part of the “Capricorn” album, it instantly won the Best Song Award. Even after more than a decade, it remained a global favorite, setting off a wave of “Fragrant Rice” fever—at the time, it was heard everywhere.
The inspiration to perform this song struck Zhou Ran while filming “Hello, Life!”
As he was picking corn in the fields, memories of his carefree childhood flooded back, instantly reminding him of “Fragrant Rice.”
It was the perfect complement to “Sunny Day,” which he had performed at the start of the competition.
…
After a long wait, it was finally Zhou Ran’s turn to take the stage.
Tonight’s host was their good friend, Teacher He, the undisputed master of Mango TV—every major show sought him as host.
“All right, dear friends in the audience, let’s welcome the first-place winner of the ‘Who is the King of Singers’ semifinals—Zhou Ran!” Teacher He announced with passion.
The anticipation among the crowd soared to a fever pitch.