Earlier during the prize draw, the host saw two special grand prizes and thought it was the first time something like this had happened. But in truth, when he opened the "Sick Leave" title blind box, it was already predetermined. The prize pool also had two special grand prizes, which is why the system had noticed it.
For most people, memory naturally declines with age. In severe depression, this decline is even more pronounced. To throw out an irresponsible figure, the rate of memory deterioration could be more than five times faster than normal. A person might forget what they did last week just a few days later.
The only reason Chu Zhi seemed to have better memory than most people was because his personal memory techniques were extraordinarily good.
The system prompted: [Would the host like to exchange 3 Personality Coins for the rare item Childhood Memory Cotton Candy?]
"No," Chu Zhi refused. He still had 31 Personality Coins, and even with 10 frozen, he had 21 available. More than enough to buy rare items.
The system tried again: [Would the host like to exchange 1 Personality Coin for the discounted rare item Childhood Memory Cotton Candy?]
Well, now the system sounded like it was bargaining.
"Really, no. Honestly, I'm tempted to just let my memory deteriorate so I can forget everything from Earth. There's no real use keeping it," Chu Zhi explained why he had never acted on this before despite knowing about the option.
[…] The system had no idea how to respond.
Many people dream of time travel, but not everyone wants it. Chu Zhi was one of the latter. Before he traveled here, the company he had built from scratch was about to be listed on the A-shares market. Most importantly, on Earth, he could still be with his mother.
"Don't overthink it, brother. I don't blame you. Besides, without you, I wouldn't be able to perform in front of so many fans or become a mental anchor for millions of people. That part is actually pretty great," Chu Zhi said.
The system had a secret it wanted to tell him, but couldn't. It would be a violation of system law.
It recalled how, in a neighboring galaxy, a film fund system had once allowed its host to return home after completing their mission. But that host refused to leave, and in the end, their system functions were stripped away.
"Time for a shower, then some reading," Chu Zhi said, slipping back into his daily rhythm.
Then he added, "Actually, by your logic, brother, if I read on time every day, shouldn't that count as an achievement too?"
The system replied [It did not count, because reading was considered self-improvement.]
"Fair enough," Chu Zhi said, letting it go. It was pointless to waste breath arguing over achievements; the system would never change its mind.
He planned to sleep at two. Filming took a lot of energy, so an early-to-bed, early-to-rise routine was necessary.
Time passed. To avoid sinking too deeply into parallel world emotions and forgetting Earth, Chu Zhi quoted a post from Earth's Weibo:
There had once been a debate — "The more famous someone is, the easier it is for them to be criticized. But is it possible to be famous and yet not get much hate?"
At the moment, it seemed his portrayal of the Emperor Beast had achieved that. It was simple, really. He hoped Earth's celebrities could manage the same.
The seasons turned. In early April in the capital of this parallel world, the weather was still chilly.
It had been more than two weeks since Hou Jun and Sadie Johnson's wedding. During that time, some guests, including Xuanyuan Jianglong and Siyi Anran, had posted about it in their Moments, but it caused no major stir.
The main reason was that when Siyi Anran uploaded the full performance video of "Sugar" to Orange Home, the site's moderator sent her a private message asking to create a special MV for YouTube. Understanding the hint, Anran deleted her post.
Finally, at the end of April, a video titled A Special MV was uploaded on YouTube by [Chu Zhi (chuzhi) Official].
"Quick, look! This MV is from my wedding!"
"Hopkins, are you still my friend? If you are, you have to watch this!"
"This is the biggest surprise I've ever had in my life!"
These were some of the excited messages sent by Sadie, still on her honeymoon, to her friends.
As soon as the MV was released, Chu Zhi's team notified Hou Jun. Naturally, Hou Jun told his new wife, who had never expected such a surprise. One wave of joy followed another.
Sadie made a special call to her best friend Amanda, hoping to convince her this time.
Far away in Philadelphia, Amandahung up the phone with mild exasperation. What MV could possibly have anything to do with her? Still, she opened YouTube and pasted the link her friend had sent.
The truth was, she had not attended the wedding because her job in Philadelphia had refused to give her leave, and she still felt guilty about it. Skipping this would have made her feel even worse.
"What a terrible title," Amanda muttered.
She had a point. Titles like The Superstar Who Crashed the Wedding Banquet, The Wedding Scene That Left Everyone Speechless, or The Moment Fans Will Remember Forever would have been much more eye-catching.
Amanda was never into watching MVs, especially since she felt there was nothing worth seeing in them.
The video began with an Asian celebrity seemingly preparing something.
"Oh… of course it's that Chinese star," Amanda said in a tone like she had known it all along.
If she had not been so busy during her internship, she would have heard from her friends what had happened at the wedding. Lately, she had been collapsing into bed the moment she got home, without even showering — something unthinkable for her before.
Then she began to sense something unusual. The Chinese celebrity, Chu Zhi, was sneaking into a cart, which also contained a keyboard covered in red cloth.
"Where is he going?" Amanda wondered.
The MV cut to a panoramic view of a wedding venue, just as the song's prelude began.
"No way… he's not going to Sadie and Chase's wedding, is he?"
She was no fool. She figured it out immediately, though she still found it hard to believe.
After all, it was not easy to imagine a superstar attending an ordinary person's wedding. If she had not known Sadie personally, she would have assumed the wedding was a set-up for the MV.
And then, there he was — Chu Zhi, the Chinese superstar — stepping onto the scene. The entire wedding party froze in astonishment. Amanda recognized several guests: Milton, Alice, Philip.
The song started: 🎵 "Peel a coconut but you give me a—" 🎵
Amanda felt a pang of envy watching the bride and groom kiss, surrounded by a haze of happiness as if wrapped in pink bubbles.
Good Lord. Having your favorite idol sing at your wedding… that was straight out of a fantasy. Any woman would be jealous.
The song was catchy, and even Amanda found herself nodding along to the beat. Many guests began dancing right there.
Onstage, the Chinese superstar shone with energy. For the first time, Amanda began to understand Chu Zhi's appeal.
People in America — no, all over the world — loved those moments when someone appeared and left the whole room in awe.
With a massive promotional push, Aiguo Media, though newly founded, had poured every available resource into this project.
The MV and Sugar exploded across the global internet in an instant.