Chapter 38: A Decade-Long Promise

Like a signal light on the sea in the darkness,
The flight attendant politely said, “Goodbye, sir.”
My headphones ran out of battery,
Without music, I was back to reality,
A certain feeling I can never forget,
From the economy class straight to the uproar of the stage.

After finishing the song, Zhou Ran slumped onto the edge of the stage and took a deep swig of ice water. His entire body was drenched in sweat. He paused to catch his breath, then picked up the microphone to address the audience.

“I want to take this opportunity to say a few words to everyone.” Zhou Ran paused, breathing heavily, then continued, “I’m truly grateful to all of you for coming to my show. While I was performing, I saw some of you wearing the same clothes as me.” He pointed to his sweat-soaked shirt.

“Zhou Ran!” the fans screamed from below the stage, knowing he was speaking to them. Many around them looked on with envy.

“Thank you for liking someone as insignificant as me. I will do my best to make every performance the best it can be!

“I hope that many years from now, you’ll still remember someone named Zhou Ran, and that you can proudly tell your sons and daughters that you once loved a singer named Zhou Ran, someone who once made you proud!”

Zhang Xiaofeng, watching Zhou Ran from the audience, felt her eyes fill with tears. At this moment, Zhou Ran seemed to shine, the brightest star in her heart.

Many in the audience had tears in their eyes after hearing Zhou Ran’s words.

“I hope that ten years from now, you’ll still like me, and that you’ll come to my concert with your loved ones, okay?” Zhou Ran shouted hoarsely into the microphone.

“Yes! It’s a promise!” the crowd responded, swept up in the atmosphere, even those who weren’t his fans joining in.

In the live-stream room of “Who Is the King of Song,” Wang Wen listened to Zhou Ran’s words, tears streaming down her face as she typed a line on her keyboard.

Yes, it’s a promise!

As Wang Wen’s message appeared, a flood of similar comments followed. In an instant, the entire screen was filled with, “Yes! It’s a promise!”

Ning Wei, watching Zhou Ran from the audience, felt a warm pride, like seeing the boy next door finally grow up. He had witnessed Zhou Ran’s journey firsthand. Even though Zhou Ran’s performance had gone over time, Ning Wei didn’t care. Tonight, Zhou Ran could do as he pleased—the show had the budget to spare, and there was still a mountain of promotion money left.

“Let’s take a picture together! To commemorate this moment: ten years from now, bring your ticket from tonight and you’ll get into my concert for free!” Zhou Ran said, pulling a selfie stick from a staff member.

He aimed the stick at himself and the audience, trying to get as many people in the shot as possible.

“Three, two, one, cheese!” Zhou Ran made a funny face at the camera. The crowd below threw up peace signs, eager to capture this beautiful moment, which might be the first and last time they’d ever have a photo with him.

“Before coming to this show, I said: ‘Do not laugh at a young man’s lofty dreams; once, I promised to be the best in the world!’

“Today, I give you another line: ‘Like a great roc, rising with the wind in one day, soaring ninety thousand miles—may you all rise high after tonight!’”

With that, Zhou Ran turned and left, not daring to look back, afraid he’d be overwhelmed by the emotion in the air.

As he walked offstage, Zhou Ran understood that from this moment on, his life would be completely different. After tonight, he would truly enter the world of entertainment. Just as he’d said, he would ride the wind and soar ninety thousand miles. Zhou Ran’s journey had officially begun.

Only after his departure did the heat of the finals truly explode. News about Zhou Ran’s victory flooded every social platform.

The top ten trending topics on Weibo were all about Zhou Ran or “Who Is the King of Song”:

“Zhou Ran Wins the Crown!”
“21,316,666 Votes!”
“Fragrant Rice!”
“The Ten-Year Promise!”
“The Century Group Photo!”
“How Wonderful It Is to Be a Zhou Ran Fan!”
“Dragon’s Nest Concert!”
“The Blue Battle Suit Returns!”
“Like a Great Roc, Rising with the Wind, Soaring Ninety Thousand Miles!”
“What Can’t Zhou Ran Do?”

Every major group chat buzzed with the news of Zhou Ran’s championship.

Meanwhile, Zhou Ran waited by the emergency exit for someone to pick him up; he didn’t dare go out alone. Outside, paparazzi and countless agents from various talent agencies waited. To them, Zhou Ran was a walking treasure. Some had even offered half a million yuan for a photo of him after the show.

As for the agencies, they had gone mad. Their bosses had given strict orders: Zhou Ran must be signed, no matter what. Some representatives arrived with blank checks, ready for Zhou Ran to fill out any amount—terms and conditions didn’t matter, as long as he would sign.

There was no need to worry about losing money; every company was blowing up Ning Wei’s phone, desperate to have Zhou Ran endorse their products.

As for Zhou Ran’s phone, it was long since powered off—there was no other way to find peace, as the messages bombarded him twenty-four hours a day. He simply got a new SIM card; after all, he had only a dozen contacts in his address book.

After a few minutes in the corridor, a black car pulled up in front of him.

Zhou Ran smiled and walked over—his trusted housekeeper had finally arrived.

The car stopped about a meter away. The window rolled down, and Li Mi grinned at him, teasing, “Welcome to stardom, my superstar! Your big sister is counting on you now!”

“Hahaha, got it, Sister Mi!” Zhou Ran laughed, opened the car door, and slid into the passenger seat.

The moment he sat down, he felt a sense of security and was finally able to relax.