Chapter Twenty-Six: If You Like Someone, Just Confess

"@Everyone, the voting channel is now open. Remember to support our own!"
The school sent the audience a simple link, containing two voting buttons.
But at this moment, no one had picked up their phones.
"What kind of man are you?"
"What kind of man."
"You still love her, yet you don't dare to ask her to wait."
"It doesn't matter, just keep resigning yourself to fate."
"She'll meet someone better."
Lin Ze let out a breath, moving the microphone aside.
The audience below was silent.
The school leaders could barely contain their delight; the students were truly giving them face today.
Somewhere in the crowd, someone sniffled, as if flipping a switch.
"Zhou Yi! I like you!"
"Yang Limin! Be with me!"
"Senior Tian! I graduate in a year, wait for me!"
Faced with this mass confession scene, Lin Ze originally wanted to sing a song to liven things up.
But standing there, for some reason, all he wanted to sing was "Dignity."
Holding the microphone, Lin Ze smiled softly.
"If you like someone, just confess. Don't wait until everything's over and end up listening to 'Later' alone."
[Brother Lin! Brother Lin, you’re the greatest!]
[Brother Lin, I love you! I’m going to confess right now!]
[Quick—what song should I sing for my confession? 'Later' or 'Liking You'?]
The school leaders and Li Xiangyu walked up onto the stage.
Su Zitan cheerfully took Lin Ze’s hand.
Lin Ze had thought Li Xiangyu would look furious or vengeful.
He hadn’t expected to see excitement shining in Li Xiangyu’s eyes as he looked his way.
The school leader, all smiles, was about to announce the modified voting results—
But Li Xiangyu spoke first, gripping the microphone.
"I lost!"
The school leader paused, results in hand.
"But it’s fine. Freshmen and sophomores, pay attention to the county arts delegation selection in two days. I’ll face off with Lin Ze there!"
"Alright!"
Sparse applause broke out.
"Your seniors are tired. Let’s end today’s event here!"
The school leader hastily declared the activity over, microphone in hand.

"Lin Ze, you..."
Li Xiangyu wanted to call out, but Lin Ze was already pulling Su Zitan off the stage.
Watching them slip away with the cameraman, not looking back, Li Xiangyu scratched the back of his head.
Their attitude was plain enough:
I’m just here to make money—nobody cares who wins or loses.
His agent handed him the phone in the wings.
Li Xiangyu glanced at it: it was Zhang Huai again.
"Boss..." he braced himself and answered.
He’d expected a tongue-lashing, but Zhang Huai’s tone was surprisingly satisfied.
"Not bad. You’ve got some sense—not forcing the school to rig it for you."
"By feigning weakness, you gain goodwill and get the underclassmen’s attention for the county competition."
Zhang Huai was delighted. If Li Xiangyu were his own son, he’d be far less trouble than Zhang Yang.
"You flatter me, boss," Li Xiangyu replied quickly.
"Pick some good dancers from your school and prepare well. With the company backing you, you don’t need to worry about the next round."
"Thank you, boss!"
After hanging up, Li Xiangyu handed the phone back to his agent.
The agent smiled. "Don’t mind the song Lin Ze sang today. Your image is great right now—just keep it up."
"…Keep it up?"
Li Xiangyu frowned. "The new company trainee variety show starts tomorrow. There’ll be hundreds with the same image as me. How do I keep it up?"
"Don’t worry. Your cute-puppy persona will last another two years at most. The company will help you transition then."
The agent grinned. "Looks like Su Zitan doesn’t like the puppy type. Next time, go for a lighter makeup look and try again?"
Li Xiangyu frowned at his agent, saying nothing.

In the program’s vehicle, Lin Ze and Su Zitan had already changed into their Zitan’s Note uniforms and removed their makeup.
Su Zitan leaned on Lin Ze’s shoulder.
"I wish I could watch you sing on stage like this forever."
"Am I handsome?" Lin Ze rubbed her head.
"Very handsome. Dazzling."
"Then I’d better sing for a couple more years before switching to acting. Otherwise, my acting skills go to waste."
"Oh, getting cocky after a few compliments, are we?" Su Zitan pinched his cheek.
"Let’s not tell anyone we’re going to the city tomorrow."
As the car neared their destination, Lin Ze whispered, "I saw the other six sneaking around last night, plotting something."
"Don’t tell me they’re going to ambush us at the park?"
"Who knows?"

"How are things over there?" Director Zhang pulled the assistant director aside.
The assistant director gave an OK sign. "Don’t worry, Director Zhang. Ji Chen’s group has already been brought in. Tomorrow, Zhao Funing’s group can intervene."
"It’s just as well Lin Ze and Su Zitan are going out tomorrow—otherwise, they might catch on."
Director Zhang patted his belly in satisfaction. "Very good, very good..."
The Q&A round was over for the day.
Out of the four groups, only Ji Chen and Lin Chunshui’s group received a secret mission; the other three got daily tasks.
Lin Ze’s group just had to perform on the street, which was quickly done.
In terms of points, Ji Chen’s group was temporarily first, Lin Ze’s second, and the other two tied for third with twenty points each.
Lin Ze had done so much that day, he was exhausted—bathed and in bed early.
"I’m so bored!" He stared at the ceiling. "I really want to check Weibo to see how many fans I have now."
Su Zitan turned off the hairdryer and made sure her hair was dry.
"I just want to see what netizens think of me—if anyone’s cursing me out."
"Why would they curse you? Didn’t you see my fans all calling you ‘wifey’?"
"Wifey! What a bunch of little bandits!"
"Hey now." Su Zitan turned out the lights and slipped under the covers. "And how many call you ‘hubby’?"
Her cool hand landed on Lin Ze’s abs, making him shiver.
"Not bad, little guy—you’ve got abs."
In the dark, Su Zitan’s cheeks burned as she mustered her courage.
"Ah, big sister... hey? Hey! What are you doing?"
"Shh! The last time I saw them, I was still in elementary school."

The next morning, Director Zhang handed out several phones to each group member.
These phones only had basic camera and bullet comment functions.
Everything else was locked.
And the bullet comments weren’t live—they were filtered by the production team before being shown, to prevent any program leaks.
Afterward, Lin Ze and Su Zitan took the production van straight to the city.
Their relationship had grown a little closer the night before, but only a little.
The finish line was still far away.
After an hour’s drive, they arrived in the city.
The production team had snagged tickets for the giant panda breeding base and drove them straight to the entrance.