I’m Really a Superstar

Monday.

In the morning.

The rebroadcast from that day was replaying on television.

“So then, with the final list confirmed, the three contestants who will be competing for the title of the greatest champion of I Am a Singer’s culmination battle are—”

“Qu Dong!”

“Qi Liang!”

“Zhang Ye!”

“Let us look forward to their performances next week!”

“Let us look forward to the finale night of the battle of the grand champions!”

“Who will get crowned as the greatest champion?”

“Please stay tuned and catch us again next week at the same time!”

There was also a bombardment of news.

“I Am a Singer’s viewership ratings are out!”

“I Am a Singer once again takes first place in the nationwide viewership ratings!”

“I Am a Singer breaks the variety viewership ratings record again! ”

“Zhang Ye fights his way out of a predicament! ”

“Zhang Ye advances as the final three. Experts express incredulity! ”

“Hai Yifei is unexpectedly eliminated! ”

At the entrance of the kindergarten.

Zhang Ye’s car arrived.

Instantly, over a dozen reporters sprang out and rushed over from nowhere. It was as though they had just appeared out of thin air. They came out from behind the doors, the bushes, and every nook and cranny to surround Zhang Ye.

“Teacher Zhang, I am from the Beijing Times!”

“Teacher Zhang, can you please take an interview from us!”

“Did you make a comeback this time to take back your spot on the Heavenly King’s throne?”

“How confident are you of becoming the overall grand champion of I Am a Singer’s culmination battle?”

“Do you think that you can really win against the fresh meat celebrities?”

“Teacher Zhang, please give us an exclusive interview with you!”

“How have you made it through all these years? What was life in prison like for you?”

The male reporters and female reporters were all pushing their cameras and microphones up at him.

When Zhang had just announced his comeback, no one paid any attention to him at all. But overnight, after I Am a Singer was broadcast, Zhang Ye’s name was once again being tossed up by everyone. The media reporters also came in droves to wait for him. It was too unexpected and they found it really surprising. No one could have expected that a has-been celebrity like Zhang Ye would actually be able to stand up so well against the most popular contemporary fresh meat celebrities. He had actually advanced into the finals of the competition!

Zhang Ye laughed and said, “Will you all please let me drop off my child first?”

A female reporter asked anxiously, “Please say a few words to us before that.”

Zhang Ye smiled. “Actually, I don’t know what to say either.”

That female reporter chuckled and said, “With that mouth of yours, all of us here wouldn’t be able to out-talk you at all. If even you are not sure of what to say, then the entire world’s population should just be dumb and mute.”

Zhang Ye was amused. “Sister Zhou, I have just returned to the industry, but you’re already making fun of me so soon?”

That female reporter exclaimed, “Oh my, you still remember me?”

“We’re already such old friends, how can I forget?” Zhang Ye looked at the others and saw that there were two of them whom he remembered as well. “Old Hu, Old Sun, how long has it been already? Why are you all still out on the frontlines doing field reporting?

The few of them laughed in embarrassment. “I guess that’s our lot in life.”

Zhang Ye quipped, “It’s because you all keep ambushing me like this that you’re unable to get a promotion.”

The few of the reporters: “Pfft, is that how it is?”

All of the reporters were amused when they heard that.

However, Zhang Ye’s words warmed their hearts up. As a former Asian Heavenly King who had bid farewell to the entertainment industry for the last four years, he was still able to recognize every reporter who had interviewed him back then and could even affectionately call them by their names. They were willing to bet that no other celebrity could do what he had just done. Zhang Ye was truly different from the others, he was really different from the other celebrities of the entertainment circle—On this point, four years on, this feeling was further reinforced.

A lot of reporters hated Zhang Ye.

Four years ago, it was so. Four years later, it was still the same.

A lot of reporters liked Zhang Ye.

Four years ago, it was so. Four years later, it was still the same.

Zhang Ye carried his child and spoke with the reporters for quite a while before heading into the school.

In the kindergarten.

The teachers and parents of the students were all thrilled to see him.

“Aiyo, Teacher Zhang is here!”

“You sang so well!”

“Those two songs which you performed yesterday had really left me in tears.”

“Me too. It has been so long since I’ve heard anyone sing like that.”

“Congratulations, Teacher Zhang!”

“What are you planning on singing this week?”

“Yeah, reveal a little bit to us.”

“I’m so looking forward to it. You can do it, Teacher Zhang!”

Zhang Ye said gratefully, “Thank you, thank you.”

Sisi was feeling so proud that she walked around with her head held up really high.

…

In the morning.

At the studio.

It had been a long time since Zhang Ye dealt with the media and he was almost unable to cope with handling them anymore, having become quite unfamiliar with how to deal with such situations.

When he pushed open the studio’s door, he got yet another fright.

Bang!

Bang!

The confetti streamers came flowing down!

All of the staff at the studio were cheering and clapping!

“Director Zhang!”

“You’re so awesome!”

“Congratulations on winning your opening battle, Director Zhang!”

“You won it so beautifully that day!”

“You left me crying so raucously at home!”

Ha Qiqi gave him the thumbs up.

Zhang Zuo was also laughing out heartily.

They were all really happy for him from the bottom of their hearts. Back then, when they knew that Zhang Ye was going to participate in the competition and challenge the fresh meat celebrities, many of them objected to it. They really did not want Director Zhang to start a war against those people so quickly upon his return. Some things just wouldn’t stand up well to comparisons, and that applied to one’s popularity as well. But who could have thought that Director Zhang would be so fearsome? He had actually managed to stay on until the finals even though he was at such a disadvantage? Although Hai Yifei was not the most popular one amongst those three, although he was still a level below Qi Liang and Qu Dong, it still left everyone extremely surprised. Zhang Ye had been away from the entertainment circle for four years prior to this!

At this moment, there was the sound of knocking on the door.

At the next moment, the door was pushed open by someone.

A man and a woman both walked in with a smile. “Where’s Zhang’er?”

Zhang Ye turned around to look at them and was stunned for a moment. Then, he broke into a smile and said, “We’ve rare guests!”

Ha Qiqi said, “Teacher Chen Guang?”

Zhang Zuo was surprised to see them as well. “Teacher Fan Wenli?”

“What rare guests!?” Chen Guang went up to give him a hug. “Kid, you didn’t even treat us to a meal since you came back and we had to come here personally to look for you?”

Zhang Ye laughed and said, “I was busy.”

Fan Wenli waved and said, “Hi, Director Zhang.”

Zhang Ye waved back. “Old Fan, you still look the same.”

Fan Wenli gave a bitter smile. “I’ve become older already.”

Zhang Ye glanced in the direction of Chen Guang and said, “He does look much older now, but not you.”

Chen Guang rolled his eyes. “Get lost!”

“Haha.” Zhang Ye said, “How’s your throat?”

Chen Guang casually played it down and said, “Just like that, it’s no big deal.”

But Fan Wenli explained on his behalf, “He can still sing, but he can’t hit the high notes as strongly as before anymore. Otherwise, he would surely have grabbed at the chance to appear in this culmination battle of I Am a Singer. Do you think he’d have pushed it to you?”

Chen Guang laughed and said, “It was the correct decision to let Zhang’er go. Hurry up and bring the trophy back for our first season’s class of singers! Everyone is waiting for your victory report!”

Zhang Ye smiled. “That will be difficult.”

Chen Guang said, “You so talented, how could anything hinder you?”

…

On Weibo.

A lot of netizens were making their predictions about this week’s battle of the grand champions.

The live broadcast of the competition this time had garnered a much higher viewership rating than the grand finals of I Am a Singer’s fifth season, so just imagine how it was like. Almost everyone was watching it and discussing about it. It had already become the grandest occasion of the music industry. In the end, even the media and the entertainment circle’s industry insiders joined in the discussion. From the participants’ singing skills to their popularities, an in-depth analysis was carried out.

“Zhang Ye is really such a dark horse.”

“We’ve witnessed the glory of a Heavenly King again.”

“The overall grand champion should be Qi Liang, right?”

“Get lost, it will surely be our Qu Qu.”

“It’s possible that Zhang Ye might win too.”

“Zhang Ye has the least chance of winning it.”

“Hai Yifei’s elimination was purely accidental. This sort of surprise wouldn’t happen again, or that would be abnormal. It just wouldn’t be logical at all. I admit that at the peak of Zhang Ye’s popularity, Qi Liang and Qu Dong would both not be a match for him. But he has already been away for the past four years, so there’s no reason why his popularity wouldn’t have dropped. In any case, I wouldn’t believe that to be the case. Let’s just wait for the finals this week to find out whether he’s a mule or a horse.”

“Qi Liang, Qu Dong, and Hai Yifei’s popularity are absolutely on a different level from Zhang Ye’s.”

“Don’t underestimate Teacher Zhang. We have all witnessed his capabilities before four years ago.”

“Exactly, that was four years ago!”