After being dumped by the diva, I was picked up by her arch-enemy.

the next day.

Recording Studio A, 17th Floor, Star Entertainment Headquarters.

In front of the mixing console, Jiang Yichen wore monitoring headphones, his slender fingers sliding rapidly across the faders.

The densely packed audio waveforms on the screen fluctuated with his movements.

Inside the recording studio with the glass windows, the two folk music teachers I had worked with before were already in place.

Teacher Li played the erhu, and Teacher Zhang held the bamboo flute.

The two were making final adjustments to their instruments.

The heavy, soundproof door was pushed open.

Gu Ruanxing walked in with a cup of iced Americano in her hand.

Today she wore a loose black letter T-shirt and hot pants, her two fair and straight long legs were very eye-catching.

Gu Ruanxing walked to the sofa, sat down, and crossed her legs.

"How is it?"

She took a sip of coffee and watched Jiang Yichen's retreating figure.

"Just beginning."

Jiang Yichen didn't look up, his eyes fixed on the screen.

Gu Ruanxing pursed her lips.

The second round of the 1V1 elimination tournament will be recorded next Saturday.

There's really no rush in terms of time.

But she still said it.

"Hey, I'm talking."

"What song have you prepared? Or is it in the style of traditional opera?"

Jiang Yichen removed half of his earphone, turned his chair around to look at her, and smiled mysteriously: "It's a secret."

"Tch, trying to act all high and mighty with me."

Gu Ruanxing put down her coffee cup, crossed her arms, and gave him a look that said, "I saw right through you."

"Don't try to be brave. Songwriting is all about inspiration; it's not something you can just have whenever you want."

"If you really can't come up with anything, don't suffer for the sake of saving face. I'll bring you back Old Wang's song 'On the Edge of Heartbreak'."

"Although it's not as amazing as 'Red Dress,' it's still at the level of a top-notch producer."

"Anyway, you're already popular enough, so there's nothing shameful about playing it safe and steady."

Seeing Gu Ruanxing's smug and proud demeanor, Jiang Yichen smiled and shook his head.

"That song doesn't suit me."

"Besides, if I dared to sing those kinds of love songs on stage now, my grandmaster could come over through the internet and beat me up."

Mr. Li Guochun just publicly supported him online.

What if in the next round he comes up with a love song that has nothing to do with traditional opera?

Wouldn't that be a slap in the face to the old man?

Gu Ruanxing rolled her eyes.

"Fine, fine, you're so high and mighty, you think you're so great."

"I'm not going to bother with you anymore, do whatever you want."

After saying that, she stood up, brushed off non-existent dust from her trousers, and walked out of the studio without looking back.

Jiang Yichen put his headphones back on and focused his attention on the arrangement in front of him.

......

And at the same time that he went into seclusion.

The online storm not only failed to subside, but intensified.

On Tencent Weibo, the topic of boycotting Chen Yaohua remains highly popular.

Netizens spontaneously organized themselves and flooded the official Weibo account of the "Voice of Heaven" program.

The comment section was completely flooded with comments.

"If the production team still keeps Chan Yiu-wah, I won't watch this show!"

"One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel; we need to replace him immediately!"

"Did you take money from Chen Yaohua? Why keep a judge like that around for the holidays?"

Amidst this overwhelming outcry of resistance, Tuesday arrived.

It was exactly 10:00 AM.

The official Weibo account of the "Voice of Heaven" program posted a new update.

"Thank you for your attention and support of 'The Voice of Heaven'."

"It is with great regret that we inform you that Mr. Chen Yaohua is unable to participate in the recording of the subsequent programs due to a sudden health issue."

"Thank you, Teacher Chen, for your insightful comments and hard work in the first two episodes."

"At the same time, we will welcome a brand new heavyweight replacement judge in the next episode."

"Stay tuned!"

The moment this Weibo post was published, the comment section instantly turned into a sea of ​​joy.

"Haha, health reasons? That's such a flimsy excuse!"

"Old Deng is finally gone! Rejoice!"

"What do you call this? This is called a just trial!"

"I wonder who the replacement judge is. Please don't choose someone who's just relying on their seniority again."

........

It was Thursday afternoon.

Jiang Yichen exhaled a breath of stale air, took off his over-ear monitoring headphones, and rubbed his slightly sore neck.

Inside the glass window, Teacher Li and Teacher Zhang also put down their musical instruments.

The two pushed open the heavy soundproof door and walked out of the recording studio.

"Thank you for your hard work, teachers," Jiang Yichen said.

As Teacher Li packed up his erhu, he smiled and said, "It's not hard work. The coordination has been very smooth these past few days."

"Your arrangement is truly excellent, and we two old buddies had a great time playing it!"

Jiang Yichen stood up, picked up the bottled water on the table, and opened it.

"You're too kind, teachers. I'll contact you again if I need anything else."

Teacher Zhang carefully put the bamboo flute into the velvet box.

"No problem, feel free to contact me anytime."

After seeing the two teachers off, Jiang Yichen leaned against the edge of the mixing console.

He looked up.

I took a big gulp of water.

The liquid slid down my throat, dispelling some of the fatigue from working non-stop.

The arrangement for this song has finally been finalized.

He picked up the black coat draped over the back of the chair, turned around, and walked out of the recording studio.

Just as he finished work, another storm quietly erupted online.

The top spot on Weibo's trending topics list features a striking red "Explosive" character.

[#Lin Qinghe and Chen Yu's Late-Night Rendezvous#]

Below the entry is a set of nine high-definition candid photos.

The photo was taken from an extremely unconventional angle.

The first picture is taken in a dimly lit tavern.

Lin Qinghe was wearing a baseball cap, which covered half of her face, but her cool temperament and distinctive jawline still made her instantly recognizable.

Chen Yu sat opposite her, holding a wine glass in his hand, his eyes so tender they could melt your heart.

The two appeared to be very close.

The most fatal part is the last two photos.

Under the dim streetlights at the alley entrance.

Chen Yu reached out and placed his hand on Lin Qinghe's head, helping her into the passenger seat.

Due to the camera angle, the two appear to be embracing each other in the shot.

As soon as these photos were released, Lin Qinghe's fan base erupted in despair.

"No way! How could Qinghe be in a relationship? She promised to focus on her career!"

"My dear Qingqing!!! My heart is broken!!"

"Going to a pub late at night and getting into the same man's car—how can she explain that?"

"I'm not a fan anymore. She's so boring. She always puts on a cool and aloof fairy persona, but behind the scenes she's just eager to find a man."

Of course, besides heartbroken fans, there were also a group of casual observers and fans of the couple's pairing.

"To be honest, Chen Yu is the top lyricist and composer of the new generation. He and Qing He are a perfect match, I'm already shipping them!"

"Top-tier songwriter x rising star – this is like a fairytale come true!"

Luxury apartment in downtown Shanghai.

Lin Qinghe sat cross-legged on the sofa.

She stared intently at the set of photos on her phone screen, her delicate eyebrows furrowed tightly.

That little tavern was in a very secluded location, so why would paparazzi stake out such a place?

What a coincidence!