Volume One: Debut at the Pinnacle Chapter Sixty-three: How Do You Know My Size?

After the live broadcast of the finals of the "Voice of China" concluded, Chen Jing took the initiative to contact Wang Youxuan and her mother, bringing them backstage to the program. The moment Wang Youxuan saw Ling Ruohan, she instantly transformed into a little fangirl, rushing to Ling Ruohan's side and exclaiming excitedly, "Ruohan, I'm your fan! Could you sign an autograph for me?" She gazed at Ling Ruohan with hopeful anticipation.

"Of course," Ling Ruohan replied warmly. "Why don't we exchange contact information too? If you miss me, you can always reach out." She had long heard about the little sister Chen Jing had acknowledged. Perhaps out of affection for Chen Jing, Ling Ruohan took to Wang Youxuan immediately upon meeting her.

"Yes, yes! Thank you, Ruohan!" Wang Youxuan beamed with happiness as they exchanged contact details.

Trailing behind Chen Jing, Wang Menglan could only shake her head helplessly at her daughter's enthusiasm. Suddenly sensing something, she looked up and saw a poised, elegant woman watching her. Wang Menglan recalled that this was Chen Jing's agent—her name, if she remembered correctly, was Lin Xi. Wang Menglan offered a polite smile.

Lin Xi, on the other hand, had simply been curious to see the elder sister Chen Jing often mentioned—after all, Chen Jing also called her "sister." With an impeccable aura and the charm of a mature woman, Lin Xi nodded and smiled in return when she noticed Wang Menglan's friendly gesture. Thus unfolded their very first meeting.

Originally, Ling Ruohan had suggested that they all go out to eat and drink together afterward, to celebrate Chen Jing's championship. But Chen Jing declined, citing the late hour. He still had to deal with matters concerning Zhang Jingzhi at home and needed to hurry back.

So, the celebration was postponed until the next evening.

As they parted, Wang Menglan turned to Chen Jing and asked, "A-Jing, do you need me to give you a ride?"

Chen Jing shook his head. "No need. I'll go back with Sister Lin Xi and the others—they're heading in the same direction."

"Alright. Be careful on your way home."

"Will do!"

In the car, Lin Xi glanced at Chen Jing and said calmly, "You need to buy yourself a car for getting around."

Chen Jing nodded. "Yes, I've been thinking about that. I'll go in a couple of days."

"For your first car, you should choose something ordinary, and you'll need to start wearing a mask when you go out—just in case of paparazzi," Lin Xi advised, worried he might be tempted to buy a flashy sports car, as so many young men do.

"Uh, is it really that bad? I'm not that famous, am I?" Chen Jing asked in surprise.

"After tonight, you will be," Lin Xi replied coolly.

"Huh? Alright then," Chen Jing said indifferently. He still hadn’t adjusted to the idea of being a star.

"If you want to buy a car, I can come with you," chimed in Lin Zitan, who was sitting across from him, volunteering eagerly.

"Sure, let's go car-shopping together," Chen Jing replied with a smile.

Back at the apartment, Chen Jing opened the door to find the place shrouded in darkness. He called out in surprise, "Molly? Jingzhi?" Frowning, he wondered if something had happened again, though it didn’t seem likely.

"Is that you, A-Jing?" came a faint voice. He recognized it as Zhang Jingzhi’s.

"It’s me," he replied.

Hearing his voice, Zhang Jingzhi let out a sigh of relief. She’d been so nervous when she heard the door open that she’d switched off the lights completely.

Chen Jing found the light switch, illuminating the room to see Zhang Jingzhi clutching Molly, both looking shaken.

With a reassuring smile, Chen Jing said, "Don’t worry. At least here, you’re safe."

Molly wriggled free from Zhang Jingzhi’s arms and walked over to Chen Jing. She’d sensed it was him coming home but hadn’t told Zhang Jingzhi, remembering his instructions not to reveal her abilities in front of others.

Chen Jing scooped Molly up.

"Jingzhi, stay here for the next few days," he said. "Once the organization has made arrangements, we'll see what happens."

Zhang Jingzhi nodded, then hesitated. "A-Jing, could I... stay with you? I mean, live here with you?"

"What!" Chen Jing was startled by the question.

Blushing, Zhang Jingzhi explained, "You still need someone to look after Molly, right? If possible, I’d rather not keep moving around. I’d be happy to stay and help out, even if it’s just looking after Molly."

Chen Jing considered the possibility. "It’s not impossible. But if you do, you won’t be able to join the organization—once you’re in, they’ll have other plans for you."

Zhang Jingzhi shook her head. "I’ve thought it over. It’s fine if I don’t join. I’m really not cut out for dangerous work. Just thinking about what happened today terrifies me. I'd rather live a normal life with you."

Since she was so insistent, Chen Jing didn’t argue. "Alright, I’ll talk to them. In the end, though, it’s up to their decision. If they agree, I’ll have them arrange an identity for you so you can stay."

Zhang Jingzhi smiled happily. "Thank you, A-Jing. By the way..." Suddenly remembering something, she asked, "How did your competition go tonight? Did you make it? I was so shaken by everything that happened, I forgot to watch."

"No worries—I made it. In the end, I won the championship. If you want to see how it went, you can watch the replay online."

"Congratulations, A-Jing! I’ll go watch it in a bit—I want to hear your singing." Then, recalling something else, she went on, "Oh, A-Jing, could you buy me a set of clothes tomorrow? And..." Her cheeks flushed scarlet as she wrapped her arms around her chest, nervously tugging at her collar. "Could you get me some undergarments too?"

Her underwear had been torn to shreds by the robbers, leaving her with nothing to wear. At the moment, she was wearing only one of Chen Jing’s T-shirts and nothing underneath, having changed into a new pair of boxers after her shower. She was completely bare otherwise.

Chen Jing put Molly down and gazed at Zhang Jingzhi, who stood there in his oversized T-shirt and shorts, her freshly washed hair still damp. Her shy request sent his thoughts wandering.

Ahem! Enough, no need to let your imagination run wild.

He instinctively turned to Molly, stroking her purple hair. "Alright, I’ll buy them for you tomorrow." With that, he led Molly further inside.

Zhang Jingzhi hesitated, then called after him, head lowered. "A-Jing, do you know what size to get?"

"Of course, 35C, right?" Chen Jing replied without thinking, but the moment the words left his mouth, he froze. Damn! He’d spoken too fast.

Sure enough, Zhang Jingzhi was stunned, then blushed crimson, whispering, "How do you know that?"

He forced a laugh. "Heh... I guessed." There was no way he’d admit the truth—that he’d figured it out in the chaos of rescuing her and seeing her torn clothes. He’d never admit it, not even under threat.

The live broadcast of "Voice of China" concluded without a hitch. Though the show had enjoyed steadily climbing ratings from the start, no one expected its finale to become the highest-rated program on the entire internet.

Hunan Satellite TV, the station airing the show, achieved record-breaking viewership, especially when Chen Jing took the stage. The ratings soared to new heights.

The next day, the show's popularity continued to skyrocket. All four finalists saw their fame rise, but none so quickly as Chen Jing. With so much attention, "Who Understands a Wandering Heart" became a sensation, but it was "Nocturne" that blew up even more.

The song "Nocturne," performed by Chen Jing in the competition, was fervently embraced and widely praised. Of course, there were a few voices critiquing his enunciation, but these were drowned out by the public’s enthusiasm.

Especially on the day after the competition, when Jinrun released the single version of "Nocturne," its professional-grade, lossless recording revealed the true brilliance of the song, far surpassing the live competition version. It instantly swept the music scene.

Before midnight, "Nocturne" had already dominated the fastest-rising chart on Chinese music platforms, taking the number one spot in overwhelming fashion. "Who Understands a Wandering Heart" also surged to third, trailing only "Crimson Oath of Snow and Moon," and it was only a matter of time before it overtook that as well.

Thus, Chen Jing, the grand champion of "Voice of China," became the hottest trending topic on the internet.

Fueled by this fervor, Chen Jing's duet version of "Climbing" with Li Qingwei and Ling Ruohan’s "Aurora" both re-entered the top five on the music charts. "Under the Heavens" sat at number nine, and another song, previously secured by Li Manru from the company, climbed to sixth. Altogether, seven of the top ten songs on the Chinese music charts were connected to Chen Jing, with the top six all created by him.

The whole country was ablaze with excitement. It was no exaggeration: Chen Jing had become a household name, lauded as a true prodigy of music. As a singer, he was now firmly established among the top-tier artists, and as a composer, he had become the most sought-after in the industry—all this less than two months into his career.

Yet Chen Jing paid little mind to all of this. After the competition, he simply returned to his regular life. Aside from the nuisance of having to disguise himself in public now, his days were much as they’d always been.

Author’s note: Just one more chapter until the end of Volume One. The outline is clear, so I’ll post it later tonight. I hope you’ll continue to support the story!