Chapter Thirty-Six: A Man Must Strive for Strength

Isolation.

After singing Lin Ze’s song, that trainee was ostracized by the others. The very same day, someone gave instructions to the rest of the trainees to isolate him. Even those who had been close to him just days before, inseparable companions, turned their backs on him as soon as they received the order.

This trainee was quite talented and likable, ranking in the top ten among all the trainees in terms of fanbase. Naturally, his fans began to investigate the reason for his isolation. With a little guidance from other trainees, it became obvious: he was being excluded because he sang Lin Ze’s song.

Thus, public attention and ire shifted to Lin Ze.

Zhang Huai executed this maneuver with practiced ease. After all, Donghuang Entertainment had built its reputation on such tactics—guiding public opinion, inciting fans to attack rival artists, spreading rumors and scandals. Zhang Huai had taken down many of Donghuang’s competitors this way.

Once again, Lin Ze became the target of public outrage, utterly innocent.

Tonight marked the trainees’ first group assessment, where they would be divided from S-rank down to D-rank. Each would challenge the level they believed they deserved, and only those approved by the judges could remain at that level; those who failed would be demoted straight to D-rank. Every seven days, another evaluation would take place, and anyone who received three consecutive D-rank assessments would be eliminated.

Among them was a young man with his hair parted in the middle, clutching a basketball as he strode towards the S-rank assessment hall.

Zhang Yang had been brought in by Zhang Huai to serve as a mentor. In truth, Zhang Yang might have been younger than some of the trainees, yet here he was, seated among the judges. He was the mentor for the S-rank trainees.

“So, Zhang Yang, what do you think of the trainees so far?” asked the man beside him, a well-known choreographer in the industry who occasionally appeared on variety shows.

From his perspective, a few among those who had come in earlier showed promise, but Zhang Yang had dismissed them all.

“Hmm. Perhaps they seem impressive to the average person, but in my eyes, they’re just not quite there yet.” A mischievous smile curled Zhang Yang’s lips. “To put it simply, they’re not as good as I am.”

Wow! He’s so cool!

He’s so arrogant—I love it!

He’s amazing! Zhang Yang is incredible. How dare that loser Lin Ze laugh at my idol?

The choreographer twitched at the corner of his mouth, barely containing his reaction.

“Next! Xu Shenshen!”

Xu Shenshen strode in wearing sneakers, his socks pulled over his pant legs, dressed in a basketball jersey that revealed two slender arms.

“Hello, mentors. I’m Xu Shenshen.”

“My hobbies are singing, dancing, and rap, and I used to be an athlete on the basketball team.”

Wow! Xu Shenshen! An athlete! So handsome!

He’s no athlete. I was in his class in high school—he couldn’t even hit the backboard with a three-pointer!

Shut up, hater! Do you know how hard he’s worked? If it weren’t for that storm ruining his college dreams...

“Today, I’ll be performing a song with singing, dancing, and rap: ‘We’re the Real Men. You’re Not a Man.’”

Zhang Yang’s eyes lit up—this song was clearly aimed at Lin Ze!

Good!

“Hey! Hey!”

“I brought my basketball today!”

“I’m standing at the forefront of fashion!”

“Let me show you my strength!”

“Reflect on your intelligence!”

Bounce! Bounce! Bounce! The basketball drummed against the floor as Xu Shenshen pounded it, then launched into a few robotic dance moves.

He’s amazing! So intense!

Ahhh! I can’t take it!

...This is so surreal.

“I am a man!”

“Hearing your song is unbearable!”

“I’m talking to you, Lin Ze!”

“You want to be our guest here?”

“My dance will knock your teeth out and show you what responsibility is!”

Xu Shenshen tossed the basketball aside and, keeping to the beat, performed several moonwalk steps followed by more robotic moves.

As the music faded, Xu Shenshen snapped to attention and bowed deeply.

“Mentors! My performance is complete!”

The choreographer sighed, “Kid, your...”

“You’ve passed!” Zhang Yang slapped the table. “I appreciate your work!”

???

The choreographer gaped, only snapping out of it after Xu Shenshen had left.

“Wait, Zhang Yang...”

“I appreciate the core of his song, and his potential,” Zhang Yang replied solemnly. “He dares to speak the truth. Why can’t a cute man be called a man? Why can’t a man who acts cute still be a man?”

“Heh.”

What has a certain singer done? Just because he sings tearfully in a bar, does that make him a man!?

Thunderous!

Zhang Yang and the fans of Creation House felt electrified!

They’d never found a real reason to attack Lin Ze before. But now, they had one!

What has he ever done that’s truly manly? Sobbing in bars, clinging to sugar mamas! Writing songs with veiled jabs at others behind their backs? Is that what it means to be a man!?

...

Lin Ze! What have you done? Who are you to say someone else isn’t a man!?

We still have recordings from your live broadcast begging for a sugar mama’s sponsorship!

I’m just a passerby, but I think Zhang Yang is right. Why can’t a cute man be a man?

Just a few days ago you were dressing up as an old lady, Lin Ze! What kind of man are you?

Eight people sat in the living room, staring at the bullet-screen comments Director Zhang had pushed over, silence descending like a shroud.

All the comments had been filtered; Director Zhang was clearly trying to stir up trouble.

“Ahem.” Chen Weiguo cleared his throat. “Don’t take it to heart, Xiao Lin. Fans these days are just too crazy.”

“Yes, yes, Xiao Lin, you too—you’re usually a bit too careless with your words, which led to misunderstandings,” Ji Chen added, trying to smooth things over.

Zhao Funing, seeing the comment about Lin Ze crying in a bar for a sugar mama, quickly chimed in.

“I watched that livestream—it was obvious he was just moved by the song. What are they talking about?”

The three seniors all showed their concern, trying to help Lin Ze save face.

“It’s all right, brothers,” Lin Ze said, grinning at the barrage of comments.

“A man should strive to be strong. The male aesthetic doesn’t have to be all bulging muscles, or an unkempt, rough exterior. But whatever it is, it should never be a man caked in three pounds of makeup, performing feminine acts just for attention.”

“Of course,” Lin Ze pressed his palms together in a gesture of respect to the camera, “I have respect for those whose actions are feminine due to psychological reasons.”

“But what I look down on will always be those who are simply trying to be different for fame, making strange noises and faces for attention.”

“Why are celebrities called idols? Because there’s something about them worth learning from. I, Lin Ze, am not afraid to say these things. What I fear is that no one dares to say them at all.”