piaoling丶:"Your post got my blood boiling... but why will it be hard for brother Jiu to land luxury endorsements in the future? Isn't his current influence exactly what brands crave?"
yimoxieyang (Sunset Glow):"It's not like only Chu Zhi can be a brand ambassador. Sure, his popularity is sky-high, but brands can always hire more celebrities. I'm not even a fan of anyone, but Chu Zhi? I truly admire him. Whether it was risking his life to save people during the earthquake, or stepping up now, he's always been the one to lead."
Xin Zongjun:"Now that you say it, I'm starting to worry... brother Jiu swung his sword with all his might. But what if later on some leech sneaks in to scoop up the endorsement deals instead? Then we'll all go back to shopping like nothing happened."
Fengsha Howl:"The internet may forget, but I won't. Any celebrity who takes Adidas endorsements after this, I'll blacklist for life. And I'm never shopping Adidas again."
Sacred Stone: "Those who carry firewood for the people should not be left to freeze in the snow. Any brand that signs Chu Zhi now, they'll have my full support."
Kfs:"I used to just think Chu Zhi was bold. Now I see that speaking out like he did came at a huge cost. I still don't understand why these brands love playing dirty little games."
Commenter "Xiao Yan of the Ruo Family" had a point: the tug-of-war over pricing with Chu Zhi's team for the "Asia Brand Ambassador" role with a major fashion house? Put on hold.
In fact, Dior, which had been preparing a new contract proposal, abruptly shifted strategies in the past couple of days.
Only Montblanc, who had signed Chu Zhi not long ago, remained quiet. But Dior and Armani's reaction revealed two things.
To put it bluntly, while Dior and Armani may carry the lofty titles of the "Six Blue-Blooded" and "Eight Red-Blooded" fashion houses, they don't come close to Adidas in scale or global market share. If even Adidas could be struck down in Asia, what chance did they have?
Luxury brands have a habit: they hire many celebrity ambassadors, but never really treat them as important. In fact, inside their companies, brand-specific models usually hold more status.
But "Chu Zhi"—that name is now etched into every luxury brand's global memory.
This brought both setbacks and blessings. Chu Zhi gained overwhelming public goodwill and, more importantly, official recognition.
In the eyes of the authorities, Chu Zhi had always been "one of our own." He was a public security image ambassador, a fire safety ambassador, a model taxpayer for Shanghai's tax bureau, and the son of two national martyrs.
This recognition soon became public.
His management received a notice yesterday: Chu Zhi's song "Chrysanthemum Terrace" had been nominated for next year's "Five-One Project Award" by the Ministry of Public Security's propaganda department.
Anyone who knows the entertainment world knows what that means. Hosted by the Central Propaganda Department, the award honors the best cultural works (books, films, TV, etc.) from the past year. Just getting nominated is almost impossible for an average person, let alone winning.
Meanwhile, the Literary Federation Headquarters was also preparing to award Chu Zhi. After all, cultural expression must align with ideological direction. The challenge was choosing the right award.
Director Jiang of the federation was thinking hard. There were many awards they could give Chu Zhi, but the very abundance made the decision harder.
His secretary, Xiao Xi, knocked on the door. "Director Jiang, Teachers Yuan and Wang are waiting in the conference room. They'd like to discuss something."
Yuan He and Wang Dong? Director Jiang was puzzled. With all the association's projects, how did these two have the time to come calling?
The upcoming Sino-Japanese-Korean cultural performance was under Director Jiang's supervision, and China's representatives were: Chu Zhi, Qi Dake, Gu Peng, Wang Dong, and Yuan He. So if the two were here, Jiang had to make time.
"I'll go take a look," he said. He also told Xiao Xi to ask the editor-in-chief of People's Music magazine whether the next issue's theme had been decided. If not, they'd do a "New Chinese Style" special.
Magazines like Music Composition, Songs, Lyrics Digest, People's Music, World Cinema, Film Art, and Global Screen all belonged to the Federation.
When Director Jiang entered the meeting room, Yuan He and Wang Dong stood at once.
"Teachers Yuan and Wang, what did you want to discuss?" Jiang was busy, so he cut straight to the point.
"We think the team leader for the cultural exchange should be reconsidered," Yuan He said.
"Hm?" Jiang raised an eyebrow. Wasn't Yuan He the one who had recommended himself for that role? Both he and Wang Dong were from the theatre world and had strong vocal skills, which is why they were approved in the first place.
"This performance is of great significance. After discussing it with Teacher Wang, we feel we might not be up to the task," said Yuan He. "We thought perhaps Teacher Gu would be a better fit."
Gu Peng? That introverted man who gets stage fright? You'd be lucky if he could lead a toilet line, let alone a team. Jiang stared at them, suspicious of what game they were playing.
"Gu Peng's recent album, 'Lugou Bridge,' was very well received," Yuan He added.
"I agree," Wang Dong chimed in.
With less than a month left before the show, switching leaders was absurd. Director Jiang didn't have time for this.
"Teacher Yuan, you were appointed by both the team and us. We all trust you. Let's not waste time on this issue," he said, then stood up. "I have other matters to attend to."
Yuan He was left speechless.
Truthfully, this visit had one purpose: to curry favor with Chu Zhi through Gu Peng.
Back when Chu Zhi was a newcomer with no major works, they had said some rather nasty things. But in just one year, the tides had turned.
One hit after another, a revolution in New Chinese Style music, insane vocal technique, and even that haunting performance of "Opera 2" at the Saint Petersburg International Cultural Forum...
And what truly stunned them was the rumor: high-ranking officials had praised Chu Zhi by name. "This is the kind of young star China needs. That's how we succeed at cultural export."
They had to fix things. As theater professionals, they depended on state support.
"What do we do now?" Wang Dong asked.
Yuan He threw up his hands. "Don't ask me. Who do I ask?"
The center of all this attention, Chu Zhi, had taken the day off. Not because he wasn't busy, but because his "acting beast" was sick.
He had achieved the "hangover achievement" last night and passed out with the air conditioner on, forgetting to cover up. Now, he had a sore throat from inflamed tonsils.
After a trip to the hospital and under heavy pressure from his team, he was ordered to rest.
Even swallowing hurt—a major issue for a singer with a packed schedule.
Still, Chu Zhi rarely got downtime. Might as well call it a vacation.
"Activate Sick Leave Person, simulate flu—make it a severe flu," he instructed mentally.
A few seconds later, he felt lightheaded, his throat sore, and his body weak.
"Remove flu symptoms," he commanded.
Cough cough. His throat still felt raw. He took another sip of honey green tea and muttered, "Damn. I thought I could overwrite my tonsillitis with a simulation and cancel it out. Guess not."
[…], the system said, clearly annoyed. Why was this guy always trying to exploit bugs?
"Whatever. My song credit vouchers are low." Chu Zhi's thoughts shifted. He'd spent his last one to unlock "The Most Beautiful Sun", leaving him with just one voucher.
He had two pressing goals during the upcoming Chinese-Japanese-Korean cultural performance period.
First, it was mid-May, almost June. High school and middle school entrance exams were coming, and he wanted to write a song to encourage Little Fruits who were taking them.
He glanced at his playlist. Nothing suitable for that yet.
Second, with the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party approaching, the Ministry of Culture was launching a tribute event. Chu Zhi wanted to contribute a piece.
"I'll need fifty personality coins to do a ten-pull... gonna cost me again," he sighed, throat itching as he sipped more tea.
He currently had 25 coins. A recent public appearance without makeup earned him 8 coins, and he had planned to save up for six more months.
"Let's roll the gacha," Chu Zhi thought. Last time, he drew blind. This time, he looked at the prize pool:
[Bat Back]
[Voice of Enchantment]
["Big Fish" Gift Pack]
["My Motherland and I" Gift Pack]
[Album: "Flight Cycle of a Flying Machine"]
[Album: "Love Is So Amazing"]
"'My Motherland and I'—this song fits me perfectly!" Chu Zhi felt like the system bro really had his back.
What was Bat Back? He checked the description.
It was inspired by martial arts superstar Bruce Lee. His latissimus dorsi muscles spread like wings from his armpits down to his waist. It wasn't just for show. If it wasn't just cosmetic, it could really improve his physique.
"I kinda want this one," Chu Zhi muttered. The whole prize pool was stacked.
Then there was Voice of Enchantment. It added charm to the user's voice, making listeners irresistibly drawn in.
"System bro, what are you planning? First Angel's Gospel, now this? You're making it so I can only be active during the day, otherwise something's gonna happen."
He joked, but the acting beast inside him clearly wanted it too.
"Flight Cycle" was Guo Ding's album. It had hits like "Mercury Records," which was hauntingly beautiful and had some popularity.
"'Love Is So Amazing'? Never heard of it… Wait, Andy Lau's album?!"
Chu Zhi didn't expect that. He hadn't followed stars much in his past life, but he had always liked Andy Lau.
Still, "My Motherland and I" felt more urgent right now. He made a wish and opened his gacha box...
[Album: "Love Is So Amazing"]
Chu Zhi facepalmed. Andy Lau was great, but this wasn't the time. Just as he was about to complain, the memory fusion kicked in. As the song list downloaded into his mind, he stopped mid-sentence.
"Sorry, bro. I was a little loud. This album... this album is amazing."
Fourteen tracks, including "With All My Heart," "You Make Me Drunk," "Goodbye Kiss," "Love Like Tides," "Flower Heart," "Wanderer's Love Song"—and even "Chinese People", perfect for the tribute event.
"What kind of god-tier compilation is this? Zhang Yu, Wang Jie, Jacky Cheung, Jeff Chang, Emil Chau, Wu Bai… how did so many legends' classics end up here?!"
He examined further. It was a 1997 cover collection by Andy Lau, with fourteen songs—ten of which were iconic covers.
"System, from this day forward, you are my half-brother."
Chu Zhi grinned. With this, he could release the most invincible love ballad album in existence.
===
"Love Is So Amazing" (爱如此神奇, ài rú cǐ shén qí) – album by Andy Lau (刘德华, Liú Déhuá)
Tracks featured in Andy Lau's album (covered):
"Goodbye Kiss" (吻别, wěn bié) – originally by Jacky Cheung
"Love Like Tides" (爱如潮水, ài rú cháo shuǐ) – originally by Jeff Chang
"Chinese People" (中国人, Zhōngguó rén) – originally by Andy Lau
"Flight Cycle of a Flying Machine" (飞行器的执行周期): album by Guo Ding (郭顶).