"By Lake Baikal" and "So Many People in This World" were unquestionably great songs, but they didn't meet Chu Zhi's current lottery requirements.
He examined the prize pool details for the album Faith, discovering it was a record by the Prince of Love Songs, Zhang Xinzhe. Aside from the title track, Chu Zhi hadn't heard any of its songs.
He hummed:
🎵"I have so many regrets, so many hopes, do you know? I love you, so deeply..."🎵
Halfway through, he stopped humming abruptly, like suddenly stopping mid-stream in the restroom—absolutely inhumane.
"Isn't Wukong a single by Dai Quan? Turns out it was a whole album."
Unlike previous prize pool albums like Poems of the Post-Adolescence or Still Fantasy, which had many familiar hits, Chu Zhi picked the blind box that looked most pleasing—second from the right. The wordplay reminded him of "right ear," and his right ear had been hot all day. That had to be a sign.
He opened it. A purple glow burst out—[Album: Wukong]
Twelve complete song compositions flooded into Chu Zhi's mind. He took his time savoring them. While he hadn't heard any of the songs before, aside from Wukong, two others stood out: Poison of the Flower and The Married Woman. Their styles were niche, appealing deeply to a smaller audience.
"The Married Woman, Ferry Others, Old Immortal, Evening of Jianghu... these four songs blend pop with traditional Chinese flair. They'd fit perfectly into my second album. Having a few lesser-known songs is a good thing."
He deliberately skipped over Wukong as a candidate for the album.
That song had another purpose. Chu Zhi had long planned to use his fame to promote a Four Great Classical Novels album series across Asia, maybe the world. Wukong represented Journey to the West, and was a vital puzzle piece.
"Might as well name the album Chu Ci: Ode to the Orange."
He immediately envisioned the album cover: seal-script verses from the Ode to the Orange Tree as the backdrop, with an orange background.
Ode to the Orange Tree comes from Chu Ci, the work of Qu Yuan, and expresses ideals and moral character through metaphor. It suited the spirit of the new Chinese-style album. Best of all, Ode to the Orange Tree was part of the Nine Chapters.
Nine Chapters! That matched his nickname—Xiao Jiu—perfectly.
The more he thought about it, the more satisfied he felt. Clearly, all those ancient texts he read were finally paying off.
He would personally handle the album's theme, cover, promotional poster, and the copy for each track. Once you possess the all-rounder buff, you never want to take it off. Sure, it was exhausting, but it won fans.
As for the music videos, those he could leave to professionals. He could hire Liao Dachong.
Elsewhere, Chu Zhi's recent maneuver had stirred up activity in the China Charity Federation.
The Federation oversaw more than four hundred member organizations nationwide, managing diverse efforts in emergency relief, medical aid, education, and more.
Over the past two days, Chu Zhi anonymously donated twenty million yuan across more than a hundred charity programs.
General Secretary Peng Xuan noticed a suspiciously high number of large anonymous donations. Any donation over 100,000 yuan counted as "large."
Though many generous people donated, this frequency and amount were unusual. Sensing something off, Peng Xuan printed the records to investigate.
One glance and he was stunned. Most donations came from the same name:
[Donor: Tree Planter]
[Address: No. 46 Chaonan Road, Cainiao Pickup Station, Magic City]
As general secretary, Peng Xuan had access. He ran a search through the anonymous donor database. Donations from this ID totaled 50 million yuan...
Alarmed, he approached Vice Chairman Zhou Minfu.
"Vice Chair Zhou, our Federation received a massive anonymous donation. We should consult the Chairman."
Zhou Minfu raised an eyebrow. Why consult the Chairman over this? As Vice Chair, wasn't he also the Chair?
"What exactly is going on?"
"A donor named Tree Planter has given 50 million yuan over the past year," Peng said hoarsely. "The same address was used each time. It's unlikely this is a coincidence. But I can't confirm if Tree Planter is one person or a group."
"Hold on—fifty million in a year?!"
"Divided across 284 projects. I checked the database—it totals exactly fifty million," Peng Xuan confirmed.
Zhou Minfu sipped tea to steady his nerves.
"This needs Chairman Jia Ban's attention."
The two rushed to find Jia Ban, head of the Charity Federation. Due to his distinctive surname, everyone called him Chairman Jia Ban rather than simply Chairman Jia.
They explained everything. Jia Ban's expression grew more serious by the second. Even overt donations of this size were rare, let alone anonymous ones.
What if the money was illicit?
No, criminals wouldn't launder funds through charities like this... would they?
Still, Tree Planter's identity needed checking. The donation address was vague—clearly just a return point for thank-you letters, not a traceable residence.
If it truly involved dirty money, even though the Federation would not legally need to return it under "unknowing receipt," the entire board could be dismissed for not investigating.
The Federation appeared independent but all its board members held public posts. Vice Chairman Zhou Minfu, for instance, was deputy editor-in-chief at Global Times and a party secretary.
Chairman Jia Ban, even more so, worked in the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
Jia Ban filed a report. That same afternoon, the central bank issued a directive to banks to assist in identifying the source.
Several hours later, Peng Xuan received results from the Construction and Communications Banks. All donations originated from the same individual...
"The donor is Chu Zhi. The 'Chu' from Chu-Han Contention, the 'Zhi' from 'Huai Orange becomes Zhi.'"
He wasn't being poetic for no reason—he was simply stunned.
He handed two sets of documents to Jia Ban and Zhou Minfu.
"Chu Zhi sounds so familiar," Jia Ban muttered, scanning the transfer details.
Zhou Minfu, though not tech-savvy, wasn't totally out of touch. The name rang a bell. A celebrity?
There was no financial statement included because if the donor was well-known enough, their name alone sufficed to prove legitimacy.
"Is this Chu Zhi the rising star who just made headlines in Russia?" Zhou Minfu asked. His sly smile hinted at experience.
"Yes," said Peng Xuan. "Both banks confirmed it."
"The same celebrity who performed in Japan recently?" Jia Ban recalled.
They didn't follow pop culture closely, but anything involving Ministry-supported artists or those with national recognition did get their attention.
"But if he's a celebrity, why donate anonymously?" Jia Ban asked.
"Exactly," Zhou Minfu echoed. "Plenty of artists donate quietly. But deliberately hiding one's identity? That's unusual."
They both turned to Peng Xuan, who could only shrug.
"I can't figure it out either," he said. "Chu Zhi has also made a few public donations—millions in total. Not a small sum among celebrities."
A few million in public, fifty million in secret. What kind of modern socialist spirit was this?
"Chu Zhi is a good man," Jia Ban finally said.
Coming from him, that was high praise.
No one questioned the legitimacy of the funds. A celebrity of Chu Zhi's caliber could definitely earn that much.
"We may not understand why he stayed anonymous, but we must respect it," Zhou Minfu said.
"Agreed," Peng Xuan nodded.
Even though they promised secrecy, the news quickly spread within the Federation and its member organizations.
In any small circle, once something isn't a secret, it becomes public knowledge...
Entertainment is a vast sea—who knows how deep? But waves never stop. Just two days after Chu Zhi's Russian performance, former top idol Li Xingwei was arrested for soliciting prostitutes.
A fallen star still casts a long shadow. Though no longer top-tier, Li Xingwei still had fans and endorsement deals worth 18 million yuan. The arrest caused a massive online uproar.
Comments poured in:
"Why would a celebrity like Li Xingwei need to do that? I'd understand if it were fan hookups."
"Maybe it's just his preference. Celebrity circles are messy. Especially the young pretty ones."
"Chu Zhi seems clean. No scandals."
"Chu Zhi? Actually... wait, no rumors come to mind."
"I heard he takes meds for depression and might be asexual? No idea if true."
Fame invites gossip. Even unrelated news eventually circles back to Chu Zhi.
Li Xingwei's arrest fed the drama-hungry public for days. Then came Yu Gong.
Yu Gong debuted from a talent show and was still a popular name with endorsements over 15 million yuan.
Turns out, during interrogation, Li Xingwei confessed that he and Yu Gong often went together...
One carrot pulled out another. The investigators hadn't expected a bonus catch.
Good thing Yu Gong didn't implicate more, or it would never end.
But the Emperor Beast ignored the gossip.
Chu Zhi was entering an even busier phase: variety shows, endorsements, brand events, award ceremonies, plus recording new tracks.
Time flew. Before he knew it, a month had passed, bringing the arrival of Yan Month.
He made three trips to Russia to finish filming Journey Among the Stars. The final two episodes were pure gameplay with no singing.
The last two episodes leaned into real emotion. Over three months of filming, Chu Zhi built genuine friendships with Zhang Ning, Min Jeongbae, Luo Jianhui, Cai Jia, and the others. Esports girl Cai Jia even shed tears.
Chu Zhi had delivered so many iconic performances. The producers considered adding another original song, but making it fresh and impactful wasn't easy.
In the end, there was no stage performance.
Chu Zhi's team also informed the network he was busy with album production and song creation.
"Brother Chu needs a break. Even without singing, he brings in traffic," thought producer Lun Zi.
As Journey Among the Stars wrapped, invitations from Back to the Field and Voice of China followed—both high-paying shows set to shoot next year.
With his current fame, no matter how high his price, Chu Zhi would never lack gigs.
"His schedule is full. We turned them down. Spread the word—Brother Chu won't be doing variety shows for now," said Manager Niu Jiangxue.
"He's not a variety star anyway."
"Totally. Brother Jiu has been overworked this year."
"Even Old Ma said his muscles were tense during his last massage."
Everyone on the team agreed. Fei Ge added, "Should we manage online comments tonight?"
That reminded Niu Jiangxue—
Tonight's the broadcast of Chu Zhi's episode of Day Day Up. It had been over a month and a week...
===
Chu Ci: Ode to the Orange Tree (楚辞·橘颂) by Qu Yuan: Expresses personal ideals through metaphor. Part of the Nine Chapters (九章), matching Chu Zhi's nickname "little Jiu."
In Chinese culture and traditional calendars, "Yan Month" (臘月/腊月, Làyuè) refers to the 12th and final month of the lunar year, also known as:
"La Month" (臘月) – Associated with winter sacrifices and ancestor worship.
"Preserved Month" (腊月) – Named after the tradition of preserving meats (làròu, 腊肉) for Lunar New Year.
The character 臘/腊 (là) originally meant "winter sacrifice" (to gods and ancestors). Over time, it became synonymous with the 12th lunar month's festivities.