Chapter 51: Lin Chuan’s Worries

When the business van arrived at the entrance of the television station, it was already half past one in the afternoon.

Lin Chuan, who had just finished an exclusive interview, barely opened the car door before a swarm of reporters surged towards him. Microphones in hand, they bombarded him with questions. Fortunately, the station's security had anticipated this and waited at the door. As Lin Chuan found himself caught between advancing and retreating, several plainclothes security officers pushed through the crowd and escorted him into the building.

As a result, the reporters walked away empty-handed, their sighs of disappointment echoing through the air. But just as they were about to disperse, two more people stepped out of the business van. When the reporters recognized them, they were utterly astonished, disbelief written clearly on their faces.

There was no need to ask; these two were Zhou Ling and Hu Ze, who had managed an exclusive interview with Lin Chuan through “special” means. Seeing her colleagues, Zhou Ling wore the smile of a victor, her lips curled with pride.

Among the reporters, Zhou Ling had always been known as a formidable figure—no matter how difficult the subject, she could always get her story. This time was no exception: not only Lin Chuan, but even Fang Hao and Huang Quan, who were notoriously reserved and never accepted media interviews, had yielded to her persistence. No one imagined Zhou Ling would once again seize the opportunity, securing an exclusive.

Envy, jealousy, and resentment flashed across the faces of her peers. Especially those who had recently gossiped about her, now gritted their teeth in frustration, wishing they could storm up and teach her a lesson.

She had succeeded yet again.

…

Safely escorted by security, Lin Chuan entered the television station. Several staff members from the production team then led him to a private room. Before this, he had not seen anyone. For today’s competition, Lin Chuan had spent two days deciding, ultimately choosing “Old Boys,” the signature song of the Kuai Brothers from his previous life.

His choice was simple, without any particular motive—he could accompany himself with the guitar. If he had chosen another song, he would have needed to coordinate with the band in advance and record the music, which, given his tight schedule after returning from Spring City, was impossible.

He remembered the first time he heard “Old Boys” in his previous life; it stirred something deep within him. Especially after watching the Kuai Brothers’ film, even he—a man in his thirties—had been moved to tears.

If he had the chance in the future, he would love to direct a film based on this song, even expressing every song he sang through the medium of cinema. But for now, the most pressing matter was to complete this competition.

After fine-tuning the guitar, Lin Chuan strummed the strings lightly, smiling with satisfaction. The prelude to “Old Boys” soon filled the room, and Lin Chuan immersed himself in practice, playing and singing over and over.

Fortunately, the room was well soundproofed; otherwise, his singing would surely have attracted an audience.

Time slipped by, and the competition drew closer. Around six o’clock, Lin Chuan was led by staff members to the stage.

Standing at the side of the stage, he could clearly see the audience seats filled to capacity, and the host on stage delivering the opening remarks. Before the competition officially began, previously eliminated contestants would perform in turn, followed by several judges performing their favorites.

Lin Chuan scanned the studio, but saw no sign of Wang Yue, Lin Yi Yang, or the others.

“Perhaps they’re still waiting to enter,” Lin Chuan mused to himself.

Just then, footsteps approached from behind. Lin Chuan turned, and his expression darkened.

Yang Wei walked up, smiling, facing the stage as he murmured, “Looking for someone? Heh, I hope you find who you’re looking for during the competition.”

Lin Chuan’s mind buzzed, a wave of unease washing over him.

Yang Wei was Qi Kai’s cousin. Since the incident at the bar, Yang Wei had tried every method to retaliate against him. With Yang Wei’s connections, hiring someone to rough him up would be easy enough. But would a man of his status stoop so low?

No—beating him up was pointless. If he wanted revenge, it had to be unforgettable. In Yang Wei’s eyes, Lin Chuan wanted to win the championship? Then he would make sure he didn’t.

Lin Chuan was about to speak, but Yang Wei turned and left.

Watching his retreating figure, Lin Chuan’s gaze flickered. Should anything happen to his son, he would not forgive Yang Wei easily.

But soon, Lin Chuan tried to reassure himself. Perhaps he was being paranoid. Lin Yi Yang and Wang Yue shouldn’t be in any real danger.

At this moment, Lin Chuan’s heart was in turmoil. He even considered walking away, abandoning the competition.

Just then, someone tapped his shoulder. He turned to find Fang Hao.

“Focus on the competition. Don’t think about anything else. I don’t want your distraction to make this challenge meaningless,” Fang Hao said, then walked away.

What did he mean? Did Fang Hao know something? Or…

Lin Chuan instinctively reached for his phone, but found nothing—he had already surrendered it when the staff brought him here.

And even if he wanted to leave now, it was impossible. Not only would the production team object, but the throng of reporters outside would descend upon him the moment he stepped out.

Escape? A fantasy.

Lin Chuan took a deep breath. All he could do now was calm himself as much as possible, though his eyes still drifted toward the audience, especially the seats closest to the stage.

He hoped, in the next moment, the three empty seats would be filled by Lin Yi Yang, Wang Yue, and Tang Qin Ru.

…

Meanwhile, in a taxi, Wang Yue, Lin Yi Yang, and Tang Qin Ru watched the road ahead anxiously.

They had left a bit late, and after getting stuck in traffic, they had already missed the entry time. If they didn’t hurry, they would have to wait outside until Lin Chuan’s performance was over.

“This is so frustrating. Why is everything going wrong today?” Tang Qin Ru complained from the front passenger seat.

“You’re one to talk. If you hadn’t dawdled, we would’ve arrived ages ago. There’d be no need to rush,” Wang Yue snapped, clearly annoyed.

“Well, I just wanted to look nice. We’re here to cheer for Brother Chuan—we can’t embarrass him,” Tang Qin Ru retorted, unwilling to back down.

“Yue, Qin Ru, please don’t argue,” Lin Yi Yang interjected, trying to lighten the mood.

The little fellow was dressed smartly today in a black suit, complete with a bow tie. But the heat was intense, and sweat already beaded his forehead.

If he couldn’t make it on time to cheer for his father, his efforts would have been in vain.

Just as their anxiety peaked, the car suddenly braked hard, thrusting all three forward.

Wang Yue and Lin Yi Yang, seated in the back, were spared. But Tang Qin Ru in the front was less fortunate—her face nearly slammed against the window, and her forehead took a hard knock.

“Driver, what kind of driving is this? If I hadn’t braced myself, I would’ve been thrown right out!” Tang Qin Ru exclaimed, rubbing her forehead.

Even Wang Yue, usually reluctant to cause a scene, looked upset, holding the frightened Lin Yi Yang close as she stared at the driver.

“S-sorry, it was that car—it suddenly stopped in front of us. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have happened…” The driver apologized, then his face darkened with anger.

Wang Yue and Tang Qin Ru looked ahead. Sure enough, a Santana sedan was parked across the road, as if intentionally blocking their way.

“Wait here, I’ll go see what’s going on…” the driver muttered, stepping out of the car.

Wang Yue didn’t want to get involved—time was pressing, and since nothing serious had happened, she just wanted to leave.

But as the driver got out, the doors of the Santana opened as well.

Several men dressed flamboyantly, their hair dyed in various colors, approached the taxi.

Knock, knock, knock.

The gangsters ignored the driver, heading straight to Wang Yue’s window and tapping lightly.

“What do you want?” Wang Yue remained silent, but Tang Qin Ru was unafraid, stepping out of the car.

“Heh, nothing much. Beautiful lady, why not join us for a little fun?” the leader grinned.

“Hmph, shameless! Driver, let’s go. We’re running out of time,” Tang Qin Ru snapped.

The driver, intimidated by the 'fashionable' gangsters, stood aside without a word. Hearing Tang Qin Ru call him, he hurriedly agreed and turned to open the car door.

But one of the gangsters stepped forward, grabbing the driver’s hand and said coldly, “You can leave. They stay.”

“Ah!” The driver nodded instinctively.

The leader gave a slight nod, and the others promptly moved in, dragging Tang Qin Ru, Wang Yue, and Lin Yi Yang towards the Santana.