Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Foreign Singer's Provocation

Just half an hour after Gong Yu decided to terminate the contract with Xing Fei, Xing Fei received the termination notice.

Seeing the contract handed to her personally by the trainee manager, Xing Fei felt as if struck by lightning on a clear day, utterly stunned.

“Why? Why is this happening?”

She couldn’t understand it. She was clearly the hottest new artist on “Who Is the Singer,” so why would Tianxing Entertainment choose to cut ties with her at such a critical moment?

To her, this was nothing short of a lose-lose situation.

“I don’t know.” The manager of Xing Fei’s trainee group shook her head helplessly.

When she learned that Xing Fei’s contract was to be terminated, she had tried to argue on Xing Fei’s behalf. But she was just a low-level employee—managing her trainees well was already a feat. How could a few words from her possibly sway the decisions of the company’s higher-ups?

Staring at the contract in her hand, Xing Fei’s legs went weak, and she collapsed powerlessly onto the sofa.

“Who Is the Singer” had already finished recording its third episode. This was the time she needed the company’s support most. If she lost the backing of capital at this juncture, no matter how strong her abilities were, she would still be eliminated by those with financial power.

Seeing Xing Fei’s devastated expression, the manager felt a pang of sympathy. Letting go of such a promising newcomer—she could not fathom the company’s decision, yet there was nothing she could do.

Half an hour later, Xing Fei dragged her suitcase out of the trainee apartment, walking alone through the bustling streets. The light in her eyes had faded, leaving only emptiness and gloom.

As she wandered, unsure where to go from here, a woman appeared before her.

Xing Fei slowly looked up. When she saw the woman’s face clearly, she was startled.

“It’s you!”

The woman smiled gently, reaching out a hand to her.

“Hello, I’m the interim manager of Morning Radiance Media. There’s something I’d like to discuss with you—do you have a moment?”

Two days later, the third episode of “Who Is the Singer” officially aired.

Unsurprisingly, with Chen Nian’s help, Xing Fei once again claimed the top spot with her performance of “The First Person I Loved.”

Meanwhile, “The New Voice” began its live broadcast at the same time.

“Who’s the singer invited for this episode of ‘The New Voice’?” The production team of “Who Is the Singer” gathered around the TV, ready to scoff.

“No idea. They said it’s a mystery guest, but I asked around in the industry—none of the strong singers accepted their invitation.”

“In my opinion, after tonight, ‘The New Voice’ is finished!”

“Hah! Compete with us? Do they even have the chops? With Xing Fei on our side, we can wipe the floor with all of them!”

After a round of mocking, the group erupted into laughter.

Lin Xinyou, among them, wore a smug smile. Riding the popularity of “Who Is the Singer,” she now seemed poised to surpass Zhou Lu. In her mind, if she could maintain this momentum, she would surely snatch the title of “National Goddess” from Zhou Lu after the show ended!

Just then, a seemingly trivial memory surfaced in Lin Xinyou’s mind.

A few days ago, when she went to see Chen Nian, she ran into Zhou Lu.

Could it be that Zhou Lu was there to invite Chen Nian onto the show?

Her expression darkened instantly.

As his ex-girlfriend, he actually shut her out for another woman! So what if she was the one who brought up the breakup? She’d only done it for the sake of her own future! Once she became a superstar, wouldn’t he just be “the ex-boyfriend of a superstar”? With such a title, Chen Nian should thank his lucky stars and be grateful to her.

How dare he reject her?

“Who does he think he is!” The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. With a loud yell, she smashed the cup in her hand to the floor.

Such a strange outburst quickly drew everyone’s attention.

Realizing her gaffe, Lin Xinyou forced a contrite smile. “Mr. Wang, Director Chen, I think I might have guessed who the guest on ‘The New Voice’ is.”

She recounted the background of her suspicion, embellishing it slightly.

“Chen Nian?” The others were momentarily stunned at the mention of the name.

But they quickly recalled the young man who had recently soared to fame, only to abruptly withdraw from the music scene.

Upon learning that the guest might be Chen Nian, the once-lively private room was instantly shrouded in gloom.

As producers, they were well aware of Chen Nian’s talent. Ever since he shot to fame with “Sunny Day” at Luo Xiaoyi’s concert, every one of his songs had been a classic worthy of the annals of music history.

“So what if the guest is Chen Nian? Can he really beat those two foreign guys?” In the oppressive silence, He Wei took a sip of red wine and spoke.

“I admit Chen Nian has something, but all his music is just folk and ballads—none of that counts on the international stage.”

“You all know how strong those two black singers are. With Chen Nian’s meager skills, do you really think he can outshine anyone?”

“On a competition with an international air, he’ll be utterly crushed!”

“Exactly! Old Wei is right.” He Wei’s remarks instantly snapped everyone out of their daze.

“No matter how good Chen Nian is, he’s only fit to croon a few lines at home. On the world stage, he’s a nobody!”

“I couldn’t even beat those two foreigners. What makes Chen Nian think he can?”

After tearing him down for a while, this group of Chinese producers ended up turning their sights on their own compatriot.

Meanwhile, at “The New Voice” live broadcast.

The host was interviewing the top three contestants from the previous episode.

“Miss Shantimo, you won first place last time. What do you think of the performance of our Chinese singers?”

Shantimo, the champion, exchanged a glance with the runner-up, Vancia, and both flashed a sneer, directly ignoring third-place Zhou Lu as they began to speak.

“As far as we’re concerned, your Chinese singers can’t sing at all—not even pronounce the words correctly. Beating you in a contest is even easier than beating my niece, Yelin.”

“Oh, by the way, my niece Yelin just turned three today.”

After she finished, Shantimo let out a shrill, piercing laugh.

That laughter was like a sharp dagger, stabbing again and again at the hearts of the audience. But there was nothing they could do—on this show, where strength reigns supreme, these women were simply too strong.

The host frowned and pressed on: “Did you know we have a special guest this episode? After saying something like that, aren’t you afraid of being defeated?”

Shantimo smiled faintly and glanced at the host.

“Forgive my bluntness, but as long as Vancia and I are here, your Chinese singers—every single one—can come and try if they dare! I’ll show you just how wide the gap between us really is!”

Beside her, Zhou Lu frowned deeply, fixing a steely gaze on the two foreign singers.

In the special guest lounge, Chen Nian took a sip of water and smiled.

“A gap between singers?”

“Very well. Then let me show you what kind of gap can truly exist between singers.”