Volume One: A Peak Debut Chapter Forty-Five: All Talented People, and Such Pleasant Conversation!

The recording for the arrangement continued until the afternoon. Since Ling Ruohan had other matters to attend to and Chen Jing had no desire to work overtime, the two left on time and headed home separately. When Chen Jing arrived at his apartment, it was only around half past five—still early, and Zhang Jingzhi was still there.

Zhang Jingzhi was now responsible not only for educating Molly but also for preparing her meals, so when Chen Jing opened the door and stepped into the apartment, he found Zhang Jingzhi busy making dinner. Molly, spotting Chen Jing’s return, immediately ran over to him.

Chen Jing reached out and picked Molly up, smiling, “Lily, were you well-behaved today?”

Molly didn’t speak; she simply nodded and rested her head on Chen Jing’s shoulder.

Carrying Molly inside, Chen Jing saw Zhang Jingzhi poke her head out from the kitchen, giving him a warm smile. “Ah Jing, you’re back.”

Chen Jing nodded. “Sister Jingzhi, did you make enough for me? I haven’t had dinner yet.”

“Oh! I didn’t prepare your meal,” Zhang Jingzhi exclaimed in surprise. Usually, Chen Jing ate out, so she only cooked for herself and Molly.

Before Chen Jing could respond, Zhang Jingzhi added, “But it’s fine, there should be enough dishes for three. I’ll just cook you some noodles.”

“Great, thank you.”

“Hehe, it’s no trouble at all. Just take Molly to wash her hands and wait for dinner.”

After nearly a week on the job, Zhang Jingzhi was very satisfied and cherished it deeply. Though the work was somewhat like that of a nanny, making her feel less like a private tutor, the pay was excellent. Moreover, this job spared her from appearing in public, greatly reducing the risk of her secret being exposed. If discovered, she had no idea where she’d be sent next; after finally finding some stability, she was in no hurry to uproot her life again.

Of course, she genuinely liked Molly. In fact, even without the extra compensation for caring for Molly, she would have gladly done so. Most importantly, it was Chen Jing who had hired her—did people realize who Chen Jing was? The star singer renowned as a musical prodigy, the most popular contestant on Voice of China, and currently the hottest sensation. Living under the same roof as Chen Jing—it was a dream job, surely enough to make countless fans envious.

Humming Chen Jing’s “Birch Forest” as she cooked noodles, Zhang Jingzhi recalled her first impression of Chen Jing: handsome, but she hadn’t known he was a star singer. Only after she started working did she realize he was the Chen Jing from Voice of China. After a week of getting to know him better, she had become his little fan, though she kept it to herself, continuing to interact with him normally. She believed that keeping things casual was best for both of them.

Once dinner was ready, the three gathered at the table.

Zhang Jingzhi asked, “Ah Jing, isn’t tonight your performance on Voice of China?”

Chen Jing nodded, “Yes, tonight is my showdown with Li Qingwei. Also, Gu Tao versus Xie Weiyu.”

Hearing this, Zhang Jingzhi grew excited. “Who won between Gu Tao and Xie Weiyu? I think Gu Tao should win. She sings beautifully, I really love her voice. Among all the contestants on Voice of China, aside from you, she’s the best. With her skill, there’s no way Xie Weiyu could beat her, right?”

Chen Jing smiled, “Want me to spoil the result for you?”

“Uh…” Zhang Jingzhi hesitated, but then said, “Go ahead, I don’t mind knowing the outcome. I just enjoy watching their performances anyway.”

Chen Jing nodded and said directly, “Gu Tao lost.”

“What?” Zhang Jingzhi refused to accept it. “That’s impossible.”

“There are many reasons why Gu Tao lost—I’ll let you see for yourself tonight, Sister Jingzhi. Gu Tao only lost the competition, not the song,” Chen Jing shrugged.

After hearing this, Zhang Jingzhi quickly asked, “What about you, Ah Jing? You didn’t lose, did you?”

Chen Jing boasted, “Of course not. How could I lose? My match with Li Qingwei was spectacular.”

Zhang Jingzhi laughed, “Hearing you say that, I can’t wait to watch tonight’s Voice of China.”

After Zhang Jingzhi left, Chen Jing stayed in the living room with Molly watching television—or rather, Molly watched TV while he sat beside her, preoccupied with his own work.

For the next round on Voice of China, he would sing a solo, but there were challenging parts in the arrangement that he needed to think through carefully. He was determined to present the song flawlessly. It seemed he’d need to consult Teacher Yuan Mengru tomorrow to discuss the arrangement. Chen Jing mused silently. Whenever he encountered problems he couldn’t solve, he sought out Yuan Mengru for advice—her status as a doctoral advisor was no joke, and their discussions always broadened his perspective.

On TV, Voice of China had already begun, and happened to be broadcasting the segment where Xie Weiyu eliminated Gu Tao. Since Chen Jing used an online TV, he was watching the show’s online premiere. Wanting to see audience reactions, he kept the live comments on.

When the final score was revealed and Gu Tao was eliminated by Xie Weiyu, the screen was instantly flooded with comments.

“This is a total fix!”

“So fake—how could Xie Weiyu win? Are the audience and judges deaf?”

“To be fair, Gu Tao’s performance was a bit better.”

“What’s the point of saying it’s good? These shows are always rigged. I saw right through it long ago.”

“Xie Weiyu must be the predetermined champion. In the end, not even Chen Jing will be able to beat her…”

“No way, if that happened, it would mean Voice of China has no vision…”

The comments overwhelmingly accused Xie Weiyu’s win of being rigged, with most viewers believing Gu Tao’s performance was superior and venting their dissatisfaction. A few defended Xie Weiyu, but their remarks were quickly drowned out by the flood of other comments, barely making a ripple. Yet, no matter how many comments viewers posted, Gu Tao’s elimination was final, and the competition continued.

Meanwhile, at the headquarters of Huafu Entertainment, Xie Weiyu was watching the online broadcast of Voice of China with her manager. Seeing the barrage of negative comments accusing the show of being fixed, Xie Weiyu’s face darkened.

“Damn it, these fools don’t know how to appreciate talent. How was my performance any worse than Gu Tao’s? What a waste of eyesight, hmph!” Furious, Xie Weiyu slammed her fist against the table.

Her manager tried to comfort her, “Don’t worry, it’s just a few online comments. They don’t matter. Once you win the finals, they’ll realize how wrong they were.”

Xie Weiyu fell silent after hearing her manager, her expression uncertain. She longed to win the championship and prove them all wrong, but could she really beat Chen Jing? He was an artist from Jingrun, and unlike Gu Tao, there would be no room for manipulation. If it came down to pure talent, could she really surpass him? The thought made her face even gloomier.

When Chen Jing and Li Qingwei’s performance began, it stunned everyone watching. No one expected them to sing the same song.

“This is interesting—singing the same song, that’s truly fair.”

“Li Qingwei did well, but compared to our Ah Jing, there’s still a gap.”

“Incredible, that breath in the song made me want to pee!”

“Wait, fellow, is your urge to pee the same as mine?”

“…”

Though some comments were a bit irreverent, they unanimously praised Chen Jing.

“Haha—the song was written by Chen Jing, of course he sings it best. How is that fair?”

“With logic like that, you should be an expert professor!”

“Talent! If that’s not fair, should Chen Jing just drop out to make it fair?”

The rare negative comments about Chen Jing were instantly countered and disappeared.

When the scores were revealed, Chen Jing won by a wide margin, eliminating Li Qingwei. The result delighted the viewers. The screen was dominated by enthusiastic comments.

“Boss Jing is awesome!”

“Congrats to Boss Jing for advancing!”

“Boss Jing rules!”

“…”

These “Boss Jing” comments started after the previous round, inspired by Li Qingwei’s fans. Usually, male fans posted such comments, while female fans wrote:

“My Ah Jing is amazing!”

“Ahhh, Chen Jing is so handsome!”

“My hubby won, so cool!”

“…”

Yes, these were truly fan comments. Some were more objective:

“Thankfully Chen Jing won. If the show dared let Li Qingwei win, I’d never watch this trash again.”

“Indeed, Li Qingwei’s singing wasn’t as good as Chen Jing’s. He deserved to lose.”

“Never thought Chen Jing could rap—and so well. I’m impressed.”

“He truly deserves the title of musical prodigy.”

“…”

Chen Jing watched the barrage of comments with Molly, amused. He recalled a saying from his previous life—turn off the comments to preserve your IQ—but seeing Molly’s curious yet calm reaction, he felt reassured. Watching the comments was quite entertaining; they revealed the audience’s true feelings, even if some were offbeat.

Thinking of those witty remarks, Chen Jing couldn’t help but laugh. He had to admit, the commenters were all geniuses.