Chapter 86: Shielding the Blade

Everyone turned to look, only to see Tang Zhichu with an utterly carefree smile on his face. He stood up and nodded, saying, “Sorry for the trouble!” Not only the other alliances but even his own Wildfire Alliance members were baffled for a moment—what was going on?

Shen Jianxin glanced at Tang Zhichu with a complex expression, then sighed softly and addressed the host, “This is what our Wildfire Alliance is about—we dare to take up the sword.”

The host nodded, visibly more excited. “Excellent, we strongly encourage challengers who dare to stand up. Let’s give Xiao Tang a round of applause.”

The audience applauded, their excitement palpable—one had to admit, this was indeed impressive.

“Xiao Tang, which project are you challenging?”

Tang Zhichu pointed at the big screen and smiled. “It’s not exactly a challenge. I’ll be defending—‘Guarding a Wave,’ the Three Kingdoms game dungeon theme song.”

“Whoa! Impressive!”

Someone gave Tang Zhichu a thumbs-up.

This meant that the Three Kingdoms game dungeon promotional song project for this stage had now four people competing.

On the surface, it looked like Pu Jingshi had stepped up to take on two, and now this newcomer called Tang Zhichu had stood up to make it a three-way challenge.

Very thrilling!

However, most musicians looked toward the Wildfire Alliance with amusement—since the drama was unfolding on their side, everyone else could just watch.

Only a few nodded slightly, acknowledging Tang Zhichu’s action.

“This young man isn’t bad,” someone muttered.

“What do you mean? Isn’t this reckless? Teacher Pu is already in the game—if you ask me, Wildfire’s prospects were shaky enough, and now another one steps up, it looks even worse.”

The other person chuckled deeply, lowering his voice. “You just don’t get it. Xige is considered pretty strong in Wildfire. If he loses to Teacher Pu, what happens? Anyone who dares stand up now is basically taking the fall for him.”

“Damn, there’s that angle too?”

“Ha, look at him—polite since entering, a newcomer facing so many people without a hint of panic. That’s already rare. Plus, Teacher Shen went all-in on him. It’s fair, returning the favor—a real man.”

Some saw Tang Zhichu this way, and so did Shen Jianxin.

Shen Jianxin glanced around; the two newcomers beside him had their heads down, not to mention standing up. Unless you’re in this setting, you don’t know the pressure—this is a real showdown, not facing judges but the sponsors. If they don’t like you, the market won’t accept you.

Everyone came here having set aside so-called artistic ideals—it’s all about making money.

Xige frowned, not quite understanding. Yun Miao, beside him, whispered, “Don’t misunderstand—Xiao Tang wants to protect you.”

No one thought Tang Zhichu stood up to really challenge Pu Jingshi. Most believed he was a fearless rookie trying to make a mark early, otherwise it would be harder later. Maybe overestimating himself, but his courage was admirable.

A small minority felt Tang Zhichu was acting for the greater good, taking the hit for Xige. Even if Xige lost, Tang Zhichu would lose too; when it came to elimination, Wildfire would surely keep Xige, or else Wildfire Alliance would have no one left.

Tang Zhichu originally intended to come up with an excuse, but seeing everyone seemed to understand, he couldn’t be bothered to explain.

“Xige, good luck.” After sitting down, Tang Zhichu said to Xige.

Xige started to believe Yun Miao’s words; looking at Tang Zhichu again, he felt this little brother was truly heroic.

“Don’t worry, brother, I’ll give it my all this round!”

......

The recording building was bustling with activity, while Zhou Yun was alone in her dormitory.

She lay on the bed, handled some studio matters, pushed the computer aside, and reached for her phone on the bedside table.

Sitting cross-legged, her pants tightened a bit, and her feet in white socks stuck out.

“When are you guys done recording?” She typed a message, but deleted it before sending.

She looked up at the window, then brought her laptop over.

She’d already watched the fourth episode of the dating show once, mostly skipping through the earlier parts.

Opening it again, the barrage of comments filled the screen, making it impossible to see the people.

“Play it again a billion times!”

“I’ve rewatched this episode five times! This is the pinnacle of dating shows!”

“Apologize to Tang God! Who said he had low emotional intelligence and looked frail? He just hadn’t shown his strength yet!”

“This is truly the ceiling—QQ candy is sold out, I can’t buy it, folks!”

“I’m relieved you all couldn’t get it, because I made it myself! Yangyang’s version—without Tang Zhichu, I can still make it, right? Forever the best! So delicious!”

“Sorry, forgive me for underestimating him before. Reporting as a Yangbao fan—if it’s Candy God, it’s fine, I’ll play the supporting role!”

“Please tie Yangyang and Candy God together for me, preferably bury them together!”

“Why do so many call him Candy God? Isn’t his surname Tang?”

“He’s Candy God, the number one sweet-giver in dating shows. When he gives sweets, it’s magical attack; Candy God’s sweets are magical plus physical!”

“Hahahahaha~”

.......

Zhou Yun looked at the view count, which had broken into nine digits. No wonder Director Li contacted her yesterday about a potential show—clearly the aftermath of this episode’s viral effect.

Zhou Yun frowned, recalling—was that candy really so outrageous?

“Damn capitalism, all this marketing—let’s see how you wrap things up!” She complained.

Watching again, she couldn’t resist and quietly set the playback to triple speed.

“Use your brain—while he was making candy for you, his father was still in the hospital.”

Zhou Yun suddenly felt worried. She knew the outcome—after such publicity, backlash was inevitable.

Chen Siyang had Tianhe Entertainment’s PR behind her; could DY take responsibility for Tang Zhichu?

Thinking it over, Zhou Yun opened her phone’s memo and began typing away.

Half an hour later, she stretched, her belly button in a straight line peeking out.

Looking again at her laptop, it was already the scene of her and Tang Zhichu climbing a mountain.

“Why, why would Zhou Yun go on a date with Tang Zhichu?”

“What do you know? She gave Tang God medicine right from the start. After meeting Yang Jiaxing, she was so cold; isn’t it allowed to change partners?”

“Yangyang, come quick! Someone’s intruding!”

“I’m dying laughing—second male lead is a real sad case, chasing Yangyang while she’s already interested in Candy God. Xiao Yun treats him so well, but during their date he wasn’t focused, even brought gifts for Yangyang. Now Xiao Yun doesn’t want him anymore.”

“Fortunately, there’s not much couple chemistry; Yangbao and Candy God are a better match.”

“What should I do, I’m getting angry? Candy God belongs to Yangbao! Please uphold marital loyalty! Never liked Zhou Yun much, now even less!”

“Let’s be real—at first you all said Tang God wasn’t good enough for Chen Siyang, now when he interacts with other girls, you’re still the ones complaining. Are you split personalities?”

.......

Zhou Yun wasn’t provoked by the gossip, but the sudden thinning of the barrage did annoy her.

She understood this was the show’s deliberate creation of conflict. That damn Old Tang had made some QQ candy again, turning her into cannon fodder.

To say she wasn’t jealous of Chen Siyang would be a lie, but Zhou Yun felt it was inevitable. She hadn’t gone on the dating show for romance anyway—who knew she’d meet Tang Zhichu? Gossip was expected.

Feeling down? A good night’s sleep would fix it.