Chu Zhi was naturally sociable. Not quite to the level of K-pop idol like Yang Xinbo, whose networking was legendary, but he held his own. So when he saw Feng Mei and Zhou Xiangsi at the Montblanc event, he greeted them first.
Zhou Xiangsi's mother was from Xingcheng, and her name had been chosen by her father, making her half a Xiang girl. She had the bright-eyed liveliness typical of women from the south, combined with the tall figure often seen in those from Shandong.
Her personality was easygoing. Despite being in her thirties, there was no generational gap between her and Chu Zhi. They hit it off quickly.
Feng Mei, on the other hand, seemed a bit arrogant. Even though Chu Zhi took the initiative to greet him, he barely responded.
"Did I offend him somehow?" Chu Zhi was confused. He'd met plenty of people who were jealous or held stereotypes about "idol singers with no talent," but this wasn't quite the same.
Still, Chu Zhi knew better than to offer a warm face to a cold one. He focused instead on chatting with Zhou Xiangsi while taking in the surroundings.
The venue's red-themed decor screamed "Chinese New Year" in the eyes of foreign luxury brands. To them, red alone symbolized China. Thankfully, there were no random red lanterns thrown in, or it would've been an aesthetic mess.
Montblanc, originally a German brand and now under the Richemont Group, held decent clout in fashion. Editors-in-chief from magazines like BAZAAR, GQ, and Figaro were all present.
As Chu Zhi mingled, Feng Mei couldn't help but glance his way again, thinking—
"That kid's looks are only about as good as mine back in the day. Why does Tian Tian like him?!"
That's right. Feng Mei wasn't naturally unfriendly. His attitude stemmed from his wife, Tian Tian, who had become completely obsessed with Chu Zhi lately.
Back in his youth, Feng Mei had been one of the top three students in Beijing Film Academy's history in terms of visual scores. If Chu Zhi's looks were a 97, Feng's were at least a 90. His figure and camera presence were excellent too.
He'd always been Tian Tian's "dream man," but now she called someone else her idol. Feng Mei had never felt his household status more threatened.
Montblanc's Asia President, Adam Miste, soon arrived and gave the opening speech.
"Feng Mei is aging like fine wine. So handsome," said GQ's Editor-in-Chief Lin Jiāmian. "That kind of mature charm is something traffic stars just can't compete with."
His words carried shade, clearly aimed at Chu Zhi.
"Come on," said BAZAAR's Editor-in-Chief Huang Qiong. "Chu Zhi's looks are top-tier—his facial structure is basically the industry's gold standard."
"Not the same," Lin Jiāmian replied. "Being handsome includes temperament, physique, and features. Chu Zhi's features may be perfect, like a 3D model, but he lacks the aura. He's just a shell."
Huang Qiong wasn't even a fan of Chu Zhi. Not even a casual one. She just couldn't stand Lin Jiāmian's tone. Who gets to define beauty anyway?
Yes, she often defined it herself, but that was different. She was allowed to be hypocritical.
"If we're talking temperament, Chu Zhi's is versatile. Look at the Peak Like Smoke MV—he was fantastic," she replied coolly, still contradicting him.
"Temperament is subjective," Lin Jiāmian countered. "But physique is another story. I saw that MV too. It was all static shots. Movies are different. Feng Mei has a real presence on camera."
They were talking about whether an actor had good camera presence. Some actors looked better in real life than on screen. Like Takeshi Kaneshiro and Yang Yang—they looked worse on camera.
As the editors debated, Montblanc's brand ambassadors, friends of the brand, and endorsers—around seventeen stars—gathered. With no fan mobs present, Chu Zhi stood out effortlessly.
Luxury brands made their money for a reason. If they could pay seventeen celebrities (even if the "brand friends" weren't paid), you could bet they'd squeeze every cent back from consumers.
Trust in capitalism's ability to extract value.
The event ran for two hours. Chu Zhi had never seen one so chaotic. It was hard to believe this was organized by Montblanc.
Not that luxury brands couldn't be messy, but they usually had experience with launches. This one? Disorganized Q&A sessions, a scattered theme—it was a mess.
Still, Chu Zhi maintained professional composure and stayed until the end, unlike Feng Mei, who bailed halfway.
Afterward, Zhou Xiangsi invited him to dinner. He accepted, mostly because he was hungry.
During the meal, Zhou Xiangsi mentioned, "I was in a drama called Drunken Heavens. The crew said they wanted to invite you to play the second male lead. I was excited, but then I heard it didn't work out because of scheduling."
"I remember that script," said Chu Zhi. "They offered me the role of a guy whose dad's an alcoholic and mom abandoned him, so he turns moody and negative but still has a glimmer of kindness. It was a complex role. If played poorly, it'd ruin the whole show. That's why I declined."
Zhou Xiangsi laughed. She found him quite interesting. "You really are the definition of self-awareness."
"No, no," Chu Zhi shook his head. "Self-awareness is knowing you're bad, then working hard until you're not. Not staying bad and calling it 'self-awareness.' That's just giving up. Admitting you're bad doesn't stop others from saying it."
"I've been focused on music these past two years, so I haven't had time to improve my acting skills," he added.
Once the meal ended, Zhou Xiangsi looked slightly sheepish as she got to the point. "My younger sister is a huge fan of yours. Could you add her contact info?"
"No problem," Chu Zhi said.
...
After the Montblanc event, it felt like New Year's Eve arrived in the blink of an eye.
Most celebrity studios were working overtime or only taking off the holiday itself.
Even on New Year's Eve, top-tier celebrities were in demand. For example, the developers of Honor of Kings wanted Chu Zhi to write a theme song for the hero Sun Shangxiang—for 18 million yuan.
Tencent had money. More accurately, TiMi Studios made serious money. But they wanted full copyright ownership of the song.
On Earth, Liu Yan had a song titled Sun Shangxiang that was pretty good. Chu Zhi still rejected the offer.
No one gets to own his music. No one.
He began his vacation on the 28th of the lunar calendar. A five-plus-two day break.
Five days off, two days of half-work from home. Effectively a week, which was short compared to government jobs but downright generous for entertainment studios.
As the Spring Festival wrapped up, work began anew.
Some had no motivation. Others brimmed with ambition. Some longed for love, some always took the easy way out. Time marched forward all the same.
"Morning, Brother Chu!"
"Let's help Jiu-ge reach new heights this year!"
"He works so hard already. Let's just make sure he doesn't overwork. Rest is important too."
"Happy New Year, boss!"
"We smoked some cured pig trotters back home—want one, Brother Chu?"
Naturally, he accepted. Good relationships require reciprocation. Gifts? Always accept—just be sure to give good ones in return.
It had only been a week since New Year's, yet Chu Zhi thought Lao Qian looked rounder.
"Come on, what's with those looks? I just slacked for a couple days!" Lao Qian couldn't take the judgment.
"Tsk, someone's six-pack is history," Wang Yuan said, amused.
"I can get it back with a little effort," Lao Qian said firmly.
He worked out twice a week to stay in shape—those abs weren't fake.
A guy needed assets to flirt properly.
The new year brought a cheerful atmosphere. But then a voice cut through the laughter:
"I've finished the promotional proposal. Our next big project is the album launch," said Fei-ge, passing out documents.
A surprise meeting on the first day back?
Well, Chu Ci: Ode to the Orange was an important release, so a meeting it was.
The first few points were standard promotional tactics—tried and true. The fourth one, though, sparked interest:
[Joint challenge event: Upload cover videos of Nan Nian De Jing on Kuaishou, Douyin, Quanmin K Ge, and other apps.]
"Interesting..." said Niu Jiangxue, who'd witnessed how hard Chu Zhi worked in the studio. He'd spent all afternoon recording just one song.
"Nan Nian De Jing is hard to sing and hard to recite. I call myself a karaoke god, and even I can't manage it," said Lao Qian.
"It's like he didn't even give himself an easy time," Wang Yuan added.
The Spanish version was easy. The TVB original? Brutal. Even the original singer, Emil Chau, rarely performed it live.
It wasn't about vocal range. The lyrics were fast, filled with triplets, requiring insane breath control. The chorus involved complicated runs and had to deliver heroic emotion.
Not the hardest song ever—that honor goes to things like A Lam's Diary, Love Even in Death, or Light—but still a beast.
"My only concern is with Point 6," said Qi Qiu. "Promoting the new Chinese style is fine, but this particular campaign might not be cost-effective."
Fei-ge valued cost-efficiency more than anything. He was visibly annoyed.
"How's it not cost-effective? It's under a million yuan and will cement Chu-ge's status as the father of new Chinese style."
Qi Qiu shook his head. "Let's suppose we don't do the campaign. Is Chu-ge still the father of new Chinese style?"
Fei-ge was stunned. He wanted to argue, but couldn't. Chu Zhi had pioneered the style with Chrysanthemum Terrace, Drunken Imperial Concubine, and his upcoming album was all in that genre.
Qi Qiu's point was clear—this campaign was like taking your pants off just to fart.
"Forget Point 6. That plan was garbage," Fei-ge admitted, unashamed.
To his credit, he was quick to admit mistakes.
A title like "father of new Chinese style" was valuable. Chu Zhi wasn't exploiting it—he was living it. The best lies are half-truths.
"One item was flawed, but the other seven proposals are solid. Let's proceed," Chu Zhi said.
Cheers echoed in the studio. Everyone was on the same page, and everyone believed in the second album.
On Dragon Raising Its Head Day, Chu Ci: Ode to the Orange would be released.
===
"难念的经" (Nan Nian De Jing, "Hard-to-Recite Scripture")
Original Artist: 周华健 (Zhou Huajian) - Emil Chau
Notes: Originally a TVB theme song known for its difficulty due to fast-paced lyrics, breath control requirements, and dynamic range.
"阿lam日记"(Ā lam rìjì), "死了都要爱"(Sǐle dōu yào ài), "光明"(Guāngmíng): Infamously difficult songs to sing, each with unique vocal challenges.
"Dragon Raising Its Head Day" (龙抬头, Lóng Táitóu), also called "Er Yue Er" (二月二), is a traditional Chinese festival celebrated on the 2nd day of the 2nd lunar month.
Ancient Chinese believed dragons hibernated in winter. On this day, the celestial dragon "raises its head" to bring spring rains, symbolizing renewal and prosperity.
Marks the start of spring plowing—farmers prayed for rain and good harvests.