19: Chapter 19: Return to the Stage

After a few seconds of silence at the scene, Zhou Yichen couldn't sit still anymore.

"Lu Li is amazing, being able to guess it right like that. So many of us didn't hear it, impressive, truly impressive."

After saying this, Zhou Yichen took the lead in applauding. The people around him froze for a moment, and then followed suit with applause.

The live stream's bullet comments instantly became lively again.

[Guessed right? Isn't this still implying that Lu Li just stumbled upon it by blind luck?]

[You upstairs are thinking too much, Brother Yichen is clearly praising him.]

[Hahahaha, can you guys really not hear the meaning in Zhou Yichen's words?]

[Exactly, repeatedly saying he guessed it right, isn't that just saying Lu Li was lucky?]

[What did my idol do to you guys? You can't praise him, you can't scold him, what on earth do you want?]

The bullet comments descended into chaos, while the atmosphere at the scene grew increasingly subtle.

Lu Li leaned back against the sofa, looking at Zhou Yichen's smiling face, the displeasure in his heart piling up thicker and thicker.

Guessed right?

The problem he managed to hear out through his own strength, yet in Zhou Yichen's mouth it turned into a lucky guess?

Moreover, Zhou Yichen said those words watertight; on the surface he was praising him, but in reality, he was implying that he hit the mark purely based on luck.

What's even more disgusting is that he even took the lead in applauding, dragging everyone else into the water, making it seem like everyone highly recognized Lu Li.

But what was the reality? The applause from this group of people was to save face for Zhou Yichen, not for him, Lu Li.

Lu Li took a deep breath and slowly straightened his posture.

Originally, he planned to endure it and talk after his segment ended, but now it seemed he couldn't endure it any longer.

With this kind of person, if you take one step back, he will advance ten steps.

"Teacher Zhou."

Lu Li spoke up, his voice not loud, but loud enough for everyone present to hear.

The living room instantly fell silent, and everyone's gazes fell upon Lu Li.

Zhou Yichen's smile paused slightly, but quickly returned to normal.

"What's wrong?"

Lu Li looked at him, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly, but there wasn't a shred of a smile in his eyes.

"You said I guessed it?"

Zhou Yichen froze for a moment, then hurriedly waved his hands, his tone so sincere it didn't look like acting.

"No, no, I didn't mean that. I meant that you are very amazing; none of us heard it, but only you heard it out. Doesn't this just prove that you have real strength?"

What he said was indeed very sincere, sincere enough that if Lu Li didn't know his character, he almost would have believed it.

The live stream's bullet comments surged with another wave.

[Zhou Yichen's explanation is very reasonable, right? Is Lu Li just being too sensitive?]

[I also think Lu Li is overthinking it; he was clearly praising him.]

[But those two words 'guessed right' really don't sound very nice.]

[Can you guys stop nitpicking words? That's just my idol's speaking style.]

Lu Li leaned back against the sofa, looking at Zhou Yichen's watertight smiling face, and sneered inwardly.

Fine, since you want to act, then I'll play along with your act.

"Director Zhou."

Lu Li suddenly turned his head, looking at Director Zhou behind the camera.

Director Zhou was crossing his arms and watching the show when he was suddenly called out, freezing for a moment.

"What is it?"

Lu Li stood up, straightened his clothes, his tone calm.

"Sigh, after Teacher Zhou's little hint here, I actually feel that my performance just now had more or less some issues, so... I want to perform again."

There was an uproar in the living room.

Zhou Yichen's smile instantly froze, a trace of unease flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly suppressed by him.

Su Qing widened her eyes and instinctively looked towards Zhou Yichen.

Everyone else also frowned simultaneously, obviously not expecting Lu Li to pull a stunt like this out of nowhere.

As for Director Zhou, his eyes lit up, and he almost couldn't help laughing out loud. You must know, this was precisely what he had been waiting for.

He wasn't afraid of them making a fuss; he was only afraid they wouldn't make a fuss. The bigger the fuss, the more topics of discussion, and the higher the heat.

After all, this came much faster in terms of popularity than manufacturing a CP fake romance.

Soon, Director Zhou cleared his throat and put on a very troubled look.

"Perform again? This... the rules don't strictly forbid redoing it, but..."

He deliberately drew out his tone, his gaze sweeping across everyone present, and finally falling on Lu Li.

"Are you sure? You've already performed just now. If you do it again, the audience might have objections."

Lu Li nodded.

"I'm sure. That cover song just now really lacked sincerity, so this time, I want to sing an original song of my own."

It would have been fine if he hadn't mentioned an original song, but the moment he did, the entire scene exploded.

Original?!

Who do you think you are? Is an original song so easy to make? If it really were that easy to make, the current music industry wouldn't have so many cover songs!

"Lu Li, you aren't joking, are you? Original songs aren't something you can just casually churn out."

Zhou Yichen leaned back against the sofa, crossing his legs with an expression of watching a good show.

"How would I know without trying?" Lu Li glanced at him and said unhurriedly.

"Great, then go ahead and sing. Everyone can look forward to it and hear just how stunning Teacher Lu's original song can be," Zhou Yichen said playfully.

Chen Wenwen wanted to speak from the side but stopped herself, finally letting out a soft sigh.

"Great, great, we are also looking forward to Teacher Lu's original song. It should be very stunning too, right?" Lin Yu spoke up.

"For sure. Since Teacher Lu dared to speak up, he definitely has that confidence. We must look forward to it," Lin Mo said with a slight smile.

Everyone else also joined in the teasing. Only Shen Qingxue maintained that cold and aloof appearance, showing no discernible emotion.

As for Director Zhou, he was frantically gesturing to the cameraman from behind the lens: Close-ups! Give them all close-ups!

This was the exact kind of show effect he wanted!

The live stream's bullet comments had completely flooded the screen.

[Original??? Is Lu Li serious???]

[I'm dying of laughter, an eighteenth-tier nobody wants to sing an original song, isn't this asking to humiliate oneself?]

[I think he might have been provoked by Zhou Yichen and acted on a momentary impulse.]

[Regardless of whether it's an impulse, this wave of operations completely ruins his favorability. I originally thought he was quite genuine.]

[Exactly, exactly, just because the goddess praised him once, he really thinks he's got what it takes?]

[Wait, don't rush to curse yet. What if he actually has some real talent?]

[What if? Hahahaha, do you even hear yourself?]

[If he had talent, would he still be an eighteenth-tier celebrity?]

[To be honest, I'm quite looking forward to it, let's see what kind of stunt he can pull off.]

[Looking forward +1, anyway we've got nothing better to do, might as well watch the show.]

The bullet comments were arguing intensely, but the online viewer count was soaring like crazy.

Director Zhou looked at the backend data, his mouth grinning from ear to ear.

Regardless of how well Lu Li sings, just based on this buzz alone, this wave was an absolute win.

As for Lu Li's reputation... what did that have to do with him?

Not long after, Director Zhou cleared his throat and raised his megaphone.

"At the request of the vast audience and all the guests... I announce my agreement for Lu Li to perform on stage once again!"

As his voice fell, scattered applause rang out from the group of guests present, with many more showing expressions of watching a good show.

"However..."

Director Zhou changed the topic, his gaze falling on Lu Li.

"Lu Li, what type of song are you planning to sing? How about giving everyone a little inside scoop?"