98: Chapter 98: Three hundred tickets have been purchased.

At 7:30 in the morning, the curtains in Xu Qingya's bedroom were drawn tight, with only a thin sliver of light filtering through a crack.

When Jiang Fan woke up, Xu Qingya was still asleep.

Clothes were scattered across the floor from the night before—his shirt was at the foot of the bed, Xu Qingya's bra was hanging on the doorknob, and her high heels were separated, one in the entryway and one at the bedroom door, with the entire hallway between them.

The battle line had been stretched quite long.

Jiang Fan picked up his shirt and put it on. His phone buzzed while he was buttoning it up.

[Li Cheng: The flight is at 2:40 PM. Are you coming straight to the company, or should I pick you up?]

Jiang Fan glanced at the time and replied: "I'll go straight to the company."

He leaned over and brushed his lips against Xu Qingya's forehead. She groaned, rolled over, and continued to sleep.

Jiang Fan took a shower and then caught a taxi back to his apartment.

His own apartment was cold and desolate. A half-finished glass of water from a few days ago sat on the coffee table, already covered in dust.

Jiang Fan dragged his suitcase out of the closet and tossed in a few changes of clothes and a charger.

He zipped it up and left.

—

2:15 PM, Hongqiao Airport Terminal 2.

Zhou Yutong dragged her suitcase in front, while Jiang Fan and Shen Nian followed behind, wearing masks and baseball caps.

As the plane taxied, Shen Nian put her earphones in and played the instrumental track of "invisible wings."

Jiang Fan turned his head to look at her.

The last time they flew to Star City, she had sat in her seat wringing her fingers, her shoulders tense.

This time, she was leaning back against the chair, eyes closed, nodding gently to the beat, looking very relaxed.

Jiang Fan leaned against the window, looking at the clouds beneath the wing.

The second episode, the challenge round.

He had studied the competition format—among the singers eliminated in the previous season, two would return as challengers.

The challengers would choose their targets, and the Audience Jury would vote to decide the winner.

If the challenger won, the contestant with the lowest total ranking over the two episodes would be directly eliminated.

Shen Nian had taken first place in the first episode, so her total ranking over the two episodes couldn't possibly be at the bottom; the risk of being eliminated was almost zero.

The challenge round was just an appetizer; the ranking round was the main course.

—

Star City, the same hotel as last time.

At 8:00 PM, the three of them finished checking in.

In the elevator, Zhou Yutong asked: "Brother Fan, what time is rehearsal tomorrow?"

"Ten in the morning. Rehearse twice, that's enough. Don't sing too much; protect your voice."

Shen Nian hummed an "Mm" in response.

The elevator arrived, and the three of them stepped out.

At the end of the hallway, two people were talking.

A middle-aged man in a suit and a young girl with a ponytail.

Zhang Yihan and her manager.

Seeing the three of them, Zhang Yihan's gaze swept over, paused on Shen Nian's face for a second, then shifted to Jiang Fan.

"Teacher Jiang, what a coincidence."

"Mm." Jiang Fan nodded and didn't stop walking.

The three of them walked past, and the low voice of Zhang Yihan's manager came from behind, though the words were unclear.

After entering the room, Zhou Yutong pushed her suitcase into the corner and leaned in.

"Brother Fan, I feel like Zhang Yihan's smile was a bit off."

"What was off about it?"

"I can't put my finger on it." Zhou Yutong gestured, "It just… felt a bit like mockery."

"You're overthinking it." Shen Nian took off her hat, her hair falling onto her shoulders, "She was just being polite."

"Sister Nian, you're just too kind."

Jiang Fan leaned against the doorframe, not participating in the conversation.

"Get some rest early. See you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Brother Fan."

"Goodnight." Shen Nian's voice drifted from inside the room, laced with drowsiness.

—

At the same time.

Star City, a private club by the Xiang River.

The private room was on the top floor, and outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was the night view of the entire Xiang River.

A table of exquisite Hunan cuisine was laid out; steam from the chopped chili fish head was still rising, the aroma of chili mixed with the scent of tea.

The man sitting in the main seat was in his early fifties, his hair combed meticulously, a Rolex watch chain peeking out from his suit cuff.

Qin Wanhao.

Chairman of Universal Entertainment.

Sitting opposite him was Tang Yingxue.

She was wearing a dark green silk shirt today, her hair put up, and a pair of Bvlgari studs on her ears.

"Yingxue, try this. It's their signature dish." Qin Wanhao placed a piece of fish into her bowl.

Tang Yingxue smiled, took it, and put it in her bowl.

"Since you invited me to dinner today, Mr. Qin, please just say what you need to."

"Mm, there is something I'd like to ask for your help with."

After Zhang Yihan returned from Star City last time, she had 'worked' in his office for over two hours, and all she kept saying was one thing—she wanted first place.

Tang Yingxue didn't speak, picking up her teacup and taking a sip.

"Yihan has been signed with us for three years. We've given her plenty of resources, but she's always lacked that one explosive moment." Qin Wanhao tapped his fingers on the table twice.

"The Sound of Nature is a good opportunity. She took third in the first episode; it's not bad, but compared to Shen Nian and Chen Hao, there's still a gap."

"Mr. Qin wants her to take first place?"

"I don't expect first every episode." Qin Wanhao leaned back in his chair. "But for this episode, I want her to be first."

Tang Yingxue put down her teacup.

"Shen Nian got 504 votes in the first episode, Yihan got 423. An eighty-vote gap is not small."

"That's why I've made some preparations."

Qin Wanhao took his phone out of his inner suit pocket, swiped a few times, and turned the screen around.

"Out of the one-thousand-person Audience Jury, I've already taken care of three hundred."

Tang Yingxue glanced at the list on the screen but didn't respond.

"Regardless of who sings better, those three hundred people will vote for Yihan." Qin Wanhao took his phone back.

"Among the remaining seven hundred, as long as Yihan performs normally, getting another three hundred votes won't be a problem."

Tang Yingxue was silent for a few seconds.

A cruise ship sailed past outside the window, its lights casting a long reflection on the river.

"Mr. Qin, buying votes like this carries a significant risk."

"Don't worry, these are old connections. There are people on the production team side as well." Qin Wanhao picked up his wine glass and swirled it. "Yingxue, Universal is practically your home, too. You've come this far in this industry, and I haven't treated you badly."

The words were polite, but the meaning was clear.

Tang Yingxue debuted at Universal, and her first album was funded by Universal.

Her first Golden Melody Awards nomination was also a resource managed by Universal.

"What do you want me to do?"

"When you give your critique, say a few good words for Yihan. As for Shen Nian—" Qin Wanhao paused, "You did a good job last time."

Tang Yingxue's finger traced the rim of the glass.

Last time, when she questioned Shen Nian's "story bonus" on the livestream, it had indeed suppressed some votes.

"I'll be careful with my words this time." Tang Yingxue said, "But no matter the outcome, this has nothing to do with me. If there's a problem, Universal will have to handle it themselves."

Qin Wanhao smiled, his teeth gleaming under the light.

"Yingxue, when have you ever seen me handle things unprofessionally?"

He raised his wine glass.

"Come, let's have a drink."

The two glasses clinked together with a crisp sound.

Tang Yingxue took a sip of wine, her gaze falling on the river outside the window.

Shen Nian.

A girl she had met once at a private party a year ago.

At the time, Hua Xingyu had brought her along, introducing her as his colleague, but his eyes were full of possessiveness.

Everyone knew what happened later.

But Hua Xingyu was someone she had brought into the industry.

Plus the pressure from Qin Wanhao—

Tang Yingxue downed the rest of the wine in her glass.

"Mr. Qin, what song is Zhang Yihan preparing for this episode?"

"A new song, written by a gold-medal producer. A lot of money was invested."

Tang Yingxue nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Three hundred guaranteed votes, a new song that had cost a fortune, plus her own cooperation from the mentor's seat—

For Shen Nian to want to take first place again.

It would be difficult.