Chapter 60: A Flamboyant Entrance

Saturday evening, 7:30 p.m.

Half an hour before the fifth episode of “My Song” was to begin.

The singers arrived backstage one after another, gathering in the artists’ lounge, chatting idly as they prepared for the recording.

All seven performers had arrived—everyone except Zhang Qiyang.

The veteran Tan Zhizhong seemed to joke, “He’s taken first place two weeks in a row, and now the young master’s airs are growing too. He’s making the rest of us wait for him.”

No one else dared to chime in on that remark.

Li Xuan, rarely one to speak on Zhang Qiyang’s behalf, said, “There must be some special reason. Didn’t the production team say they’d already contacted him? He’s stuck in traffic near the TV station. He should be here any minute.”

Zhou Delin, looking far more energized than last week, joined in cheerfully, “I glanced at tonight’s setlist—Young Master Zhang is performing ‘Pretentious’? Is it that old Hong Kong pop song from the 1960s, the one sung by the late master Wei Zhuocheng? He really has a unique taste in song selection—such sentimentality!”

That evening, Yue Li, who had gone for a retro Hong Kong look with a floral dress and a cute headband, laughed, “The song I picked, ‘Like a Dream,’ is the real oldie. I heard Zhang’s ‘Pretentious’ is a new song he wrote himself—it’s about his own story.”

“Oh? A new song?” Zhou Delin’s eyes sparkled with mischievous interest.

Zhao Lei, who had finished last in last week’s round, just chuckled and didn’t join the others’ conversation.

Upon hearing that “Pretentious” told Zhang Qiyang’s own story, Zhao Lei found it rather fitting; ever since his debut, Zhang had always come across as flamboyant and brazen. He wondered how Zhang would portray his own image on stage tonight.

Tan Zhizhong snorted, “He certainly is flamboyant. I bet tonight’s performance will be just as over the top.”

Sitting beside Tan, Lin Haoran broke into a cold sweat down his back. He hadn’t expected this esteemed senior, known for his sterling reputation in the industry, to be so deft at stabbing someone in the back—especially Zhang Qiyang, no less! That took real nerve! Wasn’t he afraid Zhang would go off and blast him in return?

Lin Haoran simply couldn’t figure out why Tan Zhizhong had suddenly developed such a grudge against Zhang Qiyang tonight. Was it deliberate? Or had Zhang just stolen so much of the spotlight that Tan had finally reached his breaking point? But for an old hand like Tan, who’d weathered the industry’s ups and downs for years, what could faze him? Clearly, he was going out of his way to mock Zhang Qiyang.

Behind Tan Zhizhong stood Chutian Entertainment, a company even more powerful than Dongyu. Ever since Dongyu was bought by Oriental Group and rebranded as Oriental Entertainment, it had been rising rapidly thanks to Oriental’s vast resources—becoming a formidable rival to Chutian.

This season, Tan’s participation in “My Song” had been completely overshadowed by Zhang Qiyang and Li Xuan; no headlines, barely a ripple. It was no surprise he was frustrated.

But Tan Zhizhong was not Chutian’s real ace for the show. Next week, during the replacement round, Chutian would field their true secret weapon: a formidable newcomer named Zhao Ziqi, to challenge Li Xuan and Zhou Delin’s dominance on “My Song.”

Toppling Li Xuan and Zhou Delin wouldn’t be easy, but Chutian was confident that Zhao Ziqi would make a powerful impression, giving audiences something truly memorable.

From Chutian’s perspective, their prodigy Zhao Ziqi was far superior to someone like Zhang Qiyang, who relied on controversy and hype.

Tan Zhizhong knew well that his role on “My Song” was just a smokescreen, a way for Chutian to feign disinterest in directly confronting Li Xuan this season. But he didn’t want to be just a decoy. Getting a spot on “My Song” was no easy feat.

He was eager for a new burst of fame, not to remain in this half-alive limbo within the entertainment world. Yet all the spotlight had been stolen by Zhang Qiyang, and now the powerhouse Zhou Delin had entered the scene too.

Soon, “My Song” would become a battleground between Li Xuan and Zhou Delin, with Zhao Ziqi shaking things up. When that happened, it would be even harder for Tan Zhizhong to stand out.

As for Zhang Qiyang? He probably wouldn’t last much longer before being eliminated.

That’s when Tan’s team devised a plan—pick a fight with Zhang Qiyang, and ideally provoke him. Zhang was at the center of controversy now; if he lashed out at Tan, for whatever reason, public opinion would surely side with Tan. The resulting buzz would give Tan a chance to reignite his fame.

A textbook case of clinging to a headline star for exposure.

For a veteran like Tan Zhizhong, though, it was a shameful tactic. But he couldn’t bear to let the opportunity slip by. Once Zhang was eliminated, even that chance would be gone.

So, throwing caution to the wind, Tan decided to go all in, targeting Zhang Qiyang with every chance he got, hoping to trigger his temper.

Li Xuan and the other savvy ones all saw through Tan’s unusual behavior tonight, which was why none of them responded to his barbs.

7:45 p.m.

Fifteen minutes before the live broadcast.

Zhang Qiyang burst breathlessly into the artists’ lounge.

The moment he appeared—

Whoa!

Everyone was stunned!

It was over thirty degrees outside, the height of summer in Star City.

And Zhang Qiyang strode in wearing a ridiculously extravagant black fur cloak!

The kind with a thick collar of fur around the neck—ultra-warm, winter-grade outerwear!

Even more startling, he had on a pair of skin-tight leather pants that looked hot just to look at!

Though he was shirtless underneath, baring his chest and abs—muscles accentuated by Qin Xueyang’s expert contouring makeup—the sight of him in that open fur cloak, leather pants, and heavy boots was enough to make anyone feel faint from the heat.

Perched on his nose were a pair of bold, industrial-style sunglasses; on his head, a deep green military cap cocked at an angle, with permed hair tumbling wild from beneath it. His entire look was as uninhibited and rebellious as his demeanor.

To top it all off, a thick steel chain hung around his neck, highlighting the bread-like ridges of his chest, drawn in with shadow pencils—an image of unrestrained, wild masculinity.

The moment Zhang Qiyang entered, Luo Tao and the staff were left dumbstruck.

Luo Tao looked as if he might explode from fury at Zhang’s outrageous getup.

With the live broadcast about to start, he didn’t bother saving face for Zhang and strode over, demanding in front of everyone, “Why did you come dressed like this?”

Qin Xueyang, trailing behind with a bag in hand and panting from the rush, quickly explained for Zhang, “We were running late, so we changed in the car and came straight here ready.”

“It’s not whether you’re in costume,” Luo Tao said, voice edged with reproach. “I’m asking—are you really planning to perform dressed like that tonight?”

Zhang Qiyang, puzzled by Luo Tao’s sudden anger, replied in a low voice, “Yes, we agreed on this during rehearsal. I was going for a fur and military look. We even tested the lighting, how to cast half in shadow for a split good-and-evil effect. We rehearsed all that.”

“We did, but you never said you wouldn’t wear anything underneath!” Luo Tao was on the verge of a headache, staring at Zhang’s bare-chested, brazen look.

“I never said I would, either. Bare skin under fur—that’s the most visually striking!”

Luo Tao was left speechless, clenching his fists in frustration.

Tan Zhizhong suddenly interjected, as if siding with the production team, “Young man, stop making trouble for Director Luo and the others. Last week you already got the station fined; do you really want more drama this week? Just change your clothes. It’s only a song called ‘Pretentious’—do you really have to dress so pretentiously? If you won’t change, at least button up that coat. Do you have to look like this?”

“Button it up?”

Zhang Qiyang took off his oversized sunglasses, wiped the sweat from his brow, and shot Tan Zhizhong a disbelieving glare.

That look startled Yue Li and Lin Haoran, who sat beside Tan.

Was the infamous firebrand about to erupt?

Damn! Collateral damage was the last thing they wanted.

Cleverly, both Yue Li and Lin Haoran leaned away, immediately distancing themselves from Tan Zhizhong.