This admiration wasn't for successfully hooking up with Xu Zhinan. For Xu Zhinan, one couldn't use "hook up," it had to be "conquer."

And he had tamed her so well, making her obedient and gentle, with no trace of arrogance left.

But now it seemed this little girl could pull away with clear-headed speed.

It was hard to say who had conquered whom.

It had been raining on and off for the past two days. After finishing the first exam of the exam week, Xu Zhinan stepped out of the academic building onto the wet ground.

She went back to her dorm to grab some spare clothes and then took the subway home.

Today was the anniversary of her father's death.

Xu Zhinan raised her hand to hold the subway handrail, her expression softening slightly as she recalled things from the past.

After getting out of the subway station, she passed several neighbors on her way home, who greeted her with broad smiles. "Ah Nan is back."

Xu Zhinan had always been well-liked by everyone.

Just as she walked through her front door, she heard another voice. "Auntie, just put that down. I'll carry it."

"Gu Congwang?" she was taken aback.

Gu Congwang was holding several fruit platters. He turned his head to look at her. "You're finally here. I sent you a message, didn't you see it?"

"Huh?" Xu Zhinan took out her phone and looked, only to realize that she had turned it off for the exam earlier and hadn't turned it back on yet. "I forgot to turn it on."

"That's just like you." Gu Congwang laughed, then snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Why do I feel like you've been in a daze lately?"

"Today's exam was a bit difficult."

"Oh, come on." Gu Congwang didn't quite believe her.

"Why are you here?" Xu Zhinan asked.

"I was free, and today is..." He trailed off, then ruffled his hair. "It's tough for Auntie to be alone. I came to help, but who knew I'd be late? Auntie had already done everything."

Her mother called her from the kitchen, and Xu Zhinan quickly answered, going in to help.

It was after noon by the time they set out for the cemetery.

Fortunately, it had just rained, so it wasn't too hot.

Her mother set out the pastries and offerings she had brought and knelt before the tombstone.

On the tombstone was a photograph of a man in a police uniform, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, looking very righteous.

Xu Zhinan had heard from her grandmother that her father had been handsome since he was young. Plus, he was a police officer with a government job, so many girls in the area admired him back then.

But he was too busy with work and had no time for blind dates. He was surrounded by men his own age, not even a single strand of a girl's hair in sight.

It wasn't until his grandmother gave him a direct order that he finally agreed to go on a blind date, where he met her mother. It was love at first sight, and they quickly settled down.

On their wedding day, everyone looked at the handsome man and beautiful woman—one a people's police officer, the other a people's teacher; one full of righteous spirit, the other gentle and virtuous—and were filled with envy and admiration.

At that time, it was considered a beautiful story.

Who could have imagined that it would end up like this now.

For a period after her father's death, her mother cried every day, fell seriously ill, and only recovered after more than a year. However, her eyes had developed a problem, and now she couldn't see clearly at night.

Her mother sat before the tombstone, talking to her father.

Xu Zhinan didn't disturb her and walked to the side with Gu Congwang to talk.

In the television station's recording studio.

The recording of the first episode of "Crazy for the Song" had concluded.

The show had an elimination system. In the early stages, many people were invited, including established, talented singers, young idols with less favorable public opinions hoping to prove themselves, and a small number of undiscovered singers scouted from various places. Lin Qingye belonged to this last category.

Later on, contestants with low vote counts would be eliminated, and there would also be a challenger system.

Although Lin Qingye had never debuted, judging by the light-up signs in the audience during this episode, his fan base was no weaker than that of a popular idol.

Perhaps it was because his type had never appeared in the entertainment industry before, so his ability to retain fans was very strong, with few who "jumped ship."

The lighting and various equipment in the studio were much better than at the graduation gala. It was an immersive performance, and everyone sang the song they had previewed earlier.

Lin Qingye sang his signature song, 'Black Locust'.

Below the stage, fans held up light-up signs and banners, swaying them. They wore fluorescent bracelets on their wrists, waving in time with the melody.

It was a much grander spectacle than at the bar.

However, he always felt that something was off, which left him feeling uneasy.

Then he remembered his last performance at Ye Bar not long ago.

Xu Zhinan had also come, sitting in a corner, quiet and still. Many men around her had noticed her, and some had even approached her directly, but she had refused them all.

Then, across the crowd, their eyes met.

They had only locked gazes for a few seconds, but she felt embarrassed, lowering her eyes and taking a sip of her drink to cover it up, only to choke and blush.

Pure and cute.

The song ended, the drums beat a final, heavy rhythm, and many in the audience stood up to applaud. Lin Qingye was about to leave directly but was stopped by the host.

His willingness to participate in the show was a surprise to many. The host asked a few questions according to the script.

Unfortunately, Lin Qingye remained very indifferent. His voice was flat, and his attitude was flat.

The host was a bit awkward and joked, "Is today going to be the Waterloo of my hosting career? I feel like I'm running out of things to say."

The audience below roared with laughter.

Coming out of the studio, Wang Qi was talking to a staff member. Seeing him emerge, he said, "Qingye, wait a moment."

He stopped but didn't come closer, leaning lazily against the wall with his eyes lowered, looking a bit weary.

After Wang Qi finished giving instructions to the staff, he walked over and patted his shoulder. "Want to join everyone for a kickoff dinner in a bit?"

He was about to refuse when Wang Qi interrupted him. "Alright, it's settled. Get to know each other. You'll be together for a few months."

Lin Qingye smiled roguishly, his tone careless. "Maybe I'll be eliminated in this round."

"You." Wang Qi pointed a finger at him. "It'd probably be hard for you to get eliminated early even if you wanted to. Your stage presence is even better than many of those celebrities. Young girls these days love that wild energy of yours."

Though he said that, another matter crossed Wang Qi's mind.

His own daughter was only 15. She had seen a photo of Lin Qingye online somewhere and had actually developed a crush on him. Today, she had pestered him, wanting to come to the set to meet him, but Wang Qi had refused.

Being a fan was one thing, but if it developed into a personal relationship, that was out of the question.

His silly daughter was no match for a formidable figure like Lin Qingye.

"By the way," Wang Qi asked again, "once this show airs, your popularity is probably going to shoot up. It won't be so easy to hide your private life. What do you and your little girlfriend plan to do?"

He had seen the way Lin Qingye chatted with the young girl before.

Although he hadn't explicitly said she was his girlfriend, at his age, it wasn't hard to guess.

Lin Qingye paused. "She has a quiet personality. Making it public would affect her life. I don't plan on letting people know about my private life either. Uncle Wang, I'll have to trouble you with the program team."

"Now you're willing to call me Uncle Wang." Wang Qi chided him lightly, then quickly agreed. "Don't worry about that. We won't use the contestants' personal lives for hype, nor will we edit clips misleadingly. It's all written in black and white in the contract."

He gave a soft "mm."

"But, I can control things on the show's side. Once your popularity rises, I can't control the eyes of the fans and the media. Control yourself."

He responded again, his brow furrowed, his thoughts unclear.

The last singer for the first recording finished their performance, and the audience voting ended.

The vote count would be announced next time. Everyone went to the banquet together.

At the table, a man sat next to Lin Qingye. He looked older, with medium-long hair held back by a thin black headband.

Like Lin Qingye, he hadn't debuted either and was also a bar singer scouted by Wang Qi. Although not as famous as Lin Qingye, he had a certain level of fame in his local area.

"Uh, hello." He leaned over to greet him. "My name is Zhou Ji."

Lin Qingye's hand, holding a wine glass, paused. He turned his head to look at him. "Lin Qingye."

"I know, I know. I've heard your songs. I even sang them back when I was at the bar."