Volume One: Debut at the Pinnacle Chapter Forty-One: The Duet Guest

"Alright, let's congratulate Chen Jing on successfully advancing to the next round!" Cai Lun announced loudly.

Wen Wan glanced at Li Qingwei and asked, "Qingwei, is there anything you'd like to say to Chen Jing?"

Li Qingwei shrugged, "Nothing much. Losing to Chen Jing isn't shameful." Then he turned to Chen Jing and said, "Boss Jing, you have to win the championship. That way, I can say I'm the teammate of the champion. Haha, and what's wrong with losing to the champion? Anyone who comes up against him is bound to lose anyway."

Everyone present turned their gaze to Chen Jing.

Chen Jing let out a silent laugh. "The championship, huh? Who wouldn't want it? But in the end, it's all about ability. So let me win it first, and then I'll stand before everyone and give my speech." His words were somewhat boastful, but he didn't feel embarrassed about it.

"Woohoo!" The crowd cheered at Chen Jing's words. No one thought he was bragging—after all, his strength was undeniable.

To be honest, judging by everyone's performance so far, the other three contestants who advanced were no match for Chen Jing, including Xie Weiyu. In Chen Jing's eyes, they were still newcomers, even after this competition. Meanwhile, Chen Jing had already made a name for himself in the music industry. It was like a wealthy player crushing ordinary gamers—there was no challenge.

All the group matches had been recorded, but next they needed to record the announcement of the fifth-round rules and its prelude. The reason for all this was that the fifth round was the final round of the competition.

Chen Jing, Xie Weiyu, and the other two male contestants—Guo Feng and Yang Xingli—stood on stage, waiting for the host to announce the rules for the fifth round.

Cai Lun, reading from his script, said, "Alright! Congratulations to all four of you for advancing to the fifth round of the competition, which is also the final round. That's right, it's the grand finale. The fifth round consists of two stages. In the first stage, each of you must invite a special guest to sing with you as your duet partner. You'll perform a duet with your guest, and after all four performances, the audience will vote for their favorite. The number of votes will be your score, which will count towards the final total. The judges will not participate in the voting for this stage. The second stage is straightforward: you'll perform solo, and the scores will be determined by both the audience and the judges. The combined scores from both stages will decide the overall champion."

When Cai Lun finished, Wen Wan smiled and said to the four, "You all understand the rules now, right? Any additional questions?"

Xie Weiyu immediately raised her hand. Wen Wan nodded to her, "Weiyu, what's your question?"

"I want to ask, for the first stage, can I invite anyone I want as my duet partner?"

"Of course. As long as you think they can cooperate well with you, you can invite anyone."

Hearing this, Xie Weiyu's eyes lit up.

After listening to the rules for the fifth round, Chen Jing cast a subtle glance at Guo Feng and Yang Xingli. As expected, the two could only smile wryly. Neither of them was signed to any company, nor did they have the influence to invite a famous singer as their duet partner. So these rules put them at a disadvantage.

Chen Jing pondered—who should he invite as his duet partner? Sister Ruohan? Sister Xueyue? Or... His gaze drifted to Huang Wenhao at the judges' table.

Forget it, he'd discuss this with Sister Lin Xi later. There was no rush.

"Alright, you understand the rules. You need to inform the production team of your duet partner within two days. You'll then have three days to prepare. On the day of the official competition, it will be broadcast live, not recorded. So make sure you're well prepared."

A live broadcast, five days from now—that would be next Saturday's competition. Not bad, Chen Jing mused silently.

After the recording, Chen Jing, Lin Xi, and the others went out for dinner together, this time at Li Qingwei's treat.

At the dinner table, Lin Zitan picked up a piece of Dongpo pork, placed it in her petite mouth, and bit gently. Her lightly tinted lips glistened with a trace of oil, making her look especially alluring.

"Hmm? Jing, why are you staring at me? Eat," Lin Zitan asked in confusion.

Chen Jing secretly swallowed. "Ah, nothing, just... you look delicious... I mean, watching you eat makes the food look appetizing."

Men!

Lin Xi observed Chen Jing's little gesture with silent contempt. Then she spoke, "For the final round, who do you want to invite as your duet partner?"

Chen Jing replied, "Hmm, Sister Ruohan, Sister Xueyue, or Huang Wenhao, any of them would work."

"Wow! Boss, you can invite any of those three?" Li Qingwei exclaimed in surprise.

Lin Zitan bit her chopsticks and pondered, "That's true. For you, Jing, any of those three would work. After all, you're all from the same company, and Sister Lin Xi knows them all."

Lin Xi set down her chopsticks and wiped her lips with a napkin. "Huang Wenhao won't do. Choose one between Ruohan and Xueyue."

"Why?"

The three looked at Lin Xi in astonishment, eager to know why Huang Wenhao couldn't be chosen.

After wiping her mouth, Lin Xi picked up her chopsticks again. "If I'm not mistaken, Xie Weiyu will definitely invite Su Tingting as her duet partner. If that's the case, inviting Huang Wenhao would put us at a disadvantage in terms of star power, since his fame can't match Su Tingting's. That would hurt us in the duet round when the audience is scoring."

"I see," Chen Jing mused.

"Of course, it's not that we can't win with Huang Wenhao, but we should choose the singer most advantageous to us," Lin Xi analyzed, as always, with clarity.

Chen Jing nodded, "Alright, I'll ask Sister Ruohan if she's available. Sister Xueyue just went to Lake City to shoot a commercial, so let's not ask her for now. I'll go find Sister Ruohan tomorrow."

If he asked Xueyue first, she'd definitely come back to help him, no matter what. So it's best to ask Ruohan first. Plus, Ruohan was currently the hottest singer, crowned by popular acclaim, while Xueyue had only recently started her solo career. Even though Xueyue's new album was a sales champion, it didn't compare. Maybe after two or three more best-selling albums, she'd catch up, provided Ruohan stopped releasing music. After all, fame is built up over time with good works; only then does it truly belong to oneself.

"So, what song are you planning to choose for the duet?"

"We'll see, depending on who ends up being my partner," Chen Jing shrugged.

Lin Xi laughed and sighed, "Alright." Only Chen Jing could say he'd choose the song depending on the partner. Anyone else saying that would be seen as boasting. Yet, when Chen Jing said it, none of the three thought he was bragging.

After dinner, Li Qingwei timidly asked Chen Jing, "Boss, should I start preparing to release my album?" What he really meant was: Hey, boss, do you have any songs for me to fill an album?

Chen Jing immediately caught the hint in Li Qingwei's words. He thought for a moment and silently looked at him without speaking.

Li Qingwei felt a bit guilty under Chen Jing's gaze. "Uh, boss, why are you looking at me like that? Did I do something wrong?"

Chen Jing said calmly, "Qingwei, do you want to be just a mildly famous rapper, or do you want to become a model artist in the music industry?"

Li Qingwei, hearing this, wiped away his playful expression and answered seriously, "No one wants to be a nobody—everyone wants to be the big boss. Of course, I want to be that superstar people talk about; otherwise, I wouldn't have relentlessly pursued this rap dream for so many years."

Hearing Li Qingwei's earnest reply, Chen Jing nodded and continued, "If that's the case, are you ready to shed blood and sweat for this road with no clear end?"

Li Qingwei nodded decisively, "Of course!"

Chen Jing acknowledged him, "Alright, then I'll give you some advice."

"Go ahead, boss."

"Don't rush to release your album. With the song 'Climb' coming out in a few days, you've already got a decent number of works. So postpone the album for now."

"Okay."

"What you need to do next is far more important. First, take the music theory courses the company arranged for you seriously. You can't be a leader without solid knowledge."

At this, Li Qingwei's face fell—studying was his weakest point.

"Next, you need to learn two or three instruments, and you must be really good at them. If you want to be a big player in the music scene, not knowing any instruments is laughable."

Li Qingwei could fully agree with this; he'd already learned guitar himself, and he planned to show off his skills to Chen Jing. The thought of surprising Chen Jing made him secretly delighted.

"Lastly," Chen Jing pointed at Li Qingwei's thick dreadlocks and ripped clothes, "as a public figure, you have to pay attention to your image. There's no need to be so unconventional. You must consider the influence you have on the public."

At this, Li Qingwei was truly disheartened—he'd dressed in hip-hop style for three years. But in the end, he gritted his teeth and said, "I'll cut my hair tomorrow."

Chen Jing nodded with satisfaction. "And work out more in the company's gym. A healthy, fit body is the best way to present a positive image to your fans."

"Even more exercise?" Li Qingwei smiled wryly. Well, whatever the boss says, he'll do. For the sake of the future, just do it.

Lin Xi, listening to the conversation between Chen Jing and Li Qingwei, felt something strange—as if Chen Jing's words sounded very familiar. Wait!

She came back to her senses and looked at Chen Jing speechlessly. Wasn't this the exact plan she had set for him when he first signed with her? So everything Chen Jing said was just reciting her template, after all.