Chapter 138: Thank You, Teacher Lin

Although he knew he shouldn't be doing this, the show's increasingly bizarre ratings were in dire need of a rescue.

"Why don't we just try it once? If Lin Ze feels the pressure this time and finds it hard to continue, we can then argue that the situation is unfair."

Seeing the director wavering, Zhang Huai immediately added this nudge. The director, who had been rubbing his chin in thought, finally stopped, as if he had made up his mind.

"Tell me... do you think the free wind could ever fall in love with the boundless ocean?"

The director spoke with a sudden, artistic flourish, then drained the coffee in his cup. He stood up, bade Zhang Huai farewell, gathered his belongings, and left.

Zhang Huai stood there, stunned for a moment, before realizing that the director’s cryptic question was likely a hint for him. Perhaps that would be the theme for the next episode. Fearing he might forget, Zhang Huai pulled out his phone and messaged the prompt to Old Shi.

"Well... I'm tired." Zhang Huai checked his watch; it was time to clock out. He turned off his work phone and took out his personal one. "Off the clock."

He sipped his coffee and looked down through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the cafe at the crowds below.

...

"Excellent, we have the theme."

Old Shi smiled with satisfaction after receiving the prompt. There were five days left until the recording. If he couldn't beat Lin Ze in one day, surely he could with the full five days provided by the production team.

"There's no way a song I write with this much time will be inferior to yours!" Old Shi stared at the theme, a laugh bubbling up from deep in his throat.

Xu Shenshen was stirred by the momentum, though he remained somewhat anxious. Could they really win?

Tuesday arrived quickly, the day for drawing the themes. Originally, there were eight small balls in the container, four for each theme. But now, the director had put the leaked theme into all of the last eight balls. This meant that the other theme only had three, making it impossible for anyone to draw it.

Last time, Lin Ze had driven all six other contestants to a score of zero, leaving their final tallies to be decided solely by audience votes.

Unfortunately, it was Chen Nan who was eliminated this time. There was no helping it; most of Chen Nan's fans were very passive, and the songwriter paired with him lacked a certain level of skill. The songs they produced were consistently a cut below the rest in quality.

The songwriter wept on the show, lamenting that after so many episodes, he hadn't been able to secure anything for Chen Nan, instead relying solely on Chen Nan's vocal prowess to barely bridge the gap between them and the others. Chen Nan, like a caring older brother, patted the songwriter on the shoulder to comfort him.

However, the replacement singer was late to appear. Finally, the director spoke up over the studio intercom.

"Teachers, our replacement contestant today was delayed due to scheduling. She finished recording at another studio this afternoon and flew straight to Donghai City. I just received word that she is on her way and will be here shortly."

Hearing this, Lin Ze felt a spark of curiosity. He wondered who it could be; it sounded like someone of significant stature.

After waiting for about twenty minutes, the door to the large lounge was lightly tapped before inching open. A pair of beautiful eyes peered through the gap.

"Hello, teachers! I'm here. The traffic at this hour is just unbelievable..."

Her voice was melodious and charming, instantly washing away the slight annoyance everyone had been feeling. A woman stepped through the doorway, dressed in a youthful and chic outfit—denim shorts paired with a white shirt. Her hair was tied up with a colorful ribbon. As she entered, she pressed her hands together in a gesture of apology and offered a regretful smile.

"Liang Xiang! It's you!" Zhou Qiao exclaimed with a pleasant surprise. "Long time no see!"

"Old Zhou, Old Zhou!" Liang Xiang hurried over and gave Zhou Qiao a polite hug. "I rushed over the moment I heard you were making a comeback!"

Lin Ze was surprised; he hadn't expected Liang Xiang to be here. Had the show's standards really risen to the point where they could attract a singer like Liang Xiang, who was on the verge of becoming a diva?

She was nearly twenty-nine, but with her slight baby face and well-maintained skin, she looked no older than Li Xiyan. Still, compared to Lin Ze, she was a seasoned veteran.

Liang Xiang proceeded to shake hands and exchange pleasantries with everyone in the room. For a singer of her caliber, building good relationships with peers was crucial; they rarely spoke as bluntly or sarcastically as Lin Ze did.

She reached Lin Ze last. They hadn't crossed paths much, but as they shook hands, Lin Ze felt the surprising firmness of her grip.

"Teacher Lin, this is our first time meeting, right?"

Liang Xiang gripped his hand tightly, and Lin Ze caught a flicker of excitement in her eyes.

"Ah, yes. I've never had the chance to share a stage with you." Lin Ze let go, feeling a bit uneasy.

*Damn it,* he thought, *my first instinct is that Zhang Huai has hired someone else to come after me.* But then again, Zhang Huai shouldn't be able to afford someone of her stature.

Liang Xiang didn't do anything else that made him feel uncomfortable. "I'm a big fan of your music, Teacher Lin. I hope we get the chance to collaborate."

With that, she went to sit next to Li Xiyan. However, out of the corner of his eye, Lin Ze noticed her glancing in his direction repeatedly, which made his spine tingle.

Soon, the theme drawing began. Lin Ze picked up a small ball, unfolded the slip of paper inside, and read the line:

*"I fear you aren't doing well, yet I fear you doing too well."*

Lin Ze chuckled. Wasn't this a popular saying online lately? "I fear my brother isn't doing well, yet I fear my brother doing too well; seeing a brother you grew up with, someone you know inside and out, suddenly make a fortune—that feeling is worse than death."

This theme was clearly about brotherhood. Lin Ze showed it to the others before returning to his seat.

The next two people who went up drew the same theme. Songs about brothers? *Friends walking through life together?*

Lin Ze stroked his chin, wondering what to sing, when the following four people drew the other theme:

*"I see you flying across the sky; the whistling wind says you love me."*

Lin Ze paused. What was this? A romance between a person and an airplane?

The group stared at the prompt in silence. Only Old Shi and Xu Shenshen exchanged a glance, a subtle smile playing on their lips.