The first-week sales of Is It Peace? had already smashed forty million.
All the media were watching. Influencers and self-media could report album sales every day, but official media couldn't report in real time, not even with breaking news. Everyone had to wait for the official first-month numbers.
Chu Zhi was waiting too, but he didn't really care about album sales anymore. Once he saw the first-day numbers, he knew Emperor Beast had it in the bag. He was waiting for the announcement of the Fu Lei Translation and Publication Award. His translation, Searching: French Art in the Eighteenth Century, had been nominated. Usually, Emperor Beast translated Chinese classics into foreign languages for cultural export. But recently, Timothy, the president of the French Literary Association, contacted Chu Zhi through Ono Akio. He went on at length, but the gist was to have Chu Zhi translate a few challenging French books, and Timothy, in his capacity as president, would help promote the subtitle of Youyang Zazu (Chinese Collection of Fantastic Stories).
Translating Youyang Zazu as "collection of stories" made sense. In classical Chinese, there's a term "Er You," referring to the Greater You Mountain and Lesser You Mountain. Legends say the Qin carried thousands of scrolls and hid in these mountains to study secretly. "Er You" came to mean abundant books or vast knowledge. The "Youyang" in Youyang Zazu came from this term, meaning "miscellaneous records of vast knowledge."
Why did Timothy pick Huainan? On one hand, he had enough reputation. On the other, his own French translations of poetry showed he knew the language and French culture well. Misunderstanding French culture could lead to embarrassing translations. For instance, many classical French paintings include a warm stove. Someone unaware of the culture might think it's just a stove, but it actually implies sexual innuendo. In cold winters, after a long day outside, you had to light the stove to… get comfortable. Belgium and the Netherlands had similar connotations.
Got it, got it!
The 18th Fu Lei Translation and Publication Award "Social Science" winner: Huainan — Searching: French Art in the Eighteenth Century.
"I feel like mastering a language in a blind-box kind of way is basically a grand prize level. Anyone who tries hard enough can become an excellent translator." Chu Zhi had drawn five times in total across French, Japanese, Spanish, English, and Russian, and he thought about trying a couple more times. When he retired, he could quietly be a plain, unremarkable translator at home.
Helping him accept the award would fall to the editor at Magic City Translations Publishing.
"Soon, soon. Maybe next year or the year after, he can get the Nobel," Chu Zhi muttered. The Nobel Prize for Literature had long ignored poets, and in European and American circles, Huainan, under his alias, led the so-called "Barren Generation," many poets even labeling themselves as such.
"What are you looking at, Jiu-yé?" A familiar male voice suddenly came from behind, startling Chu Zhi. He instinctively locked his phone. Huainan's identity couldn't be exposed just yet.
"Hey?" Lao Qian noticed his reaction. It was like when Qi Qiu reacted to the AVN Awards.
AVN? Many people pretend not to know. It's the adult film award. If you haven't crossed over, you've probably seen adult versions of Nightmare on Elm Street, Pirates of the Caribbean, Edward Scissorhands, Downton Abbey. Those films often won big at AVN. For example, Caribbean Female Pirate won eleven awards… No wonder Qi Qiu looked so nervous at the ceremony.
"What were you looking at just now, Jiu-yé?" Lao Qian asked, smirking from head to toe.
"I wasn't looking at anything adult. Stop talking nonsense," Chu Zhi said.
"Cough, cough, it's fine, we're all adults here," Lao Qian patted his shoulder, signaling him not to get worked up.
"Cough, cough. What's up?" Chu Zhi smoothly changed the topic.
Lao Qian continued down the steps, "It's nothing important. Has the song for the 80th anniversary of our country in 2029 been decided?"
Next year was only 2026, so it was still a couple years off.
"The officials want the song ready early, so it spreads longer. By 2029, everyone can sing it together," Lao Qian explained. "It's also my fault for not clarifying their plans."
"Alright, I'll send it to the company email next week, and they can handle the handoff," Chu Zhi said, immediately using his album selection coupon for My Motherland and I. Too familiar.
My motherland and I, can't be separated for a moment, wherever I go, a song of praise flows… If Emperor Beast remembered every lyric, he could write the whole song himself.
The officials bypassed submissions and directly gave Chu Zhi the task. It showed the trust they had in the artist. After all, the 80th-anniversary celebration was a huge event.
"No problem," Lao Qian said, moving on. "Jiu-yé, our 10th anniversary is in 2027. Still no concerts? The Little Fruits are really asking for it."
"Haven't we discussed this many times?" Chu Zhi frowned slightly, decisively refusing. "We did a concert for the 8th. Two years isn't enough to justify another one. Even if we do, it'll be 2032."
Lao Qian got it — the 15th anniversary concert.
Today, Chu Zhi had to host the company's year-end meeting, so things were busy.
Aiguo Media's year-end meeting was popular because of the bonus segment. The company guaranteed 18 months' pay, with six months reserved as the year-end bonus. Guaranteed, meaning if the company did well, it could be higher. Last year, it was eight months.
So, with a 10,000 monthly salary, the bonus could be 80,000.
After board discussions, the 2026 year-end bonus was set at nine months' pay, totaling 21 months' salary. The high bonus considered Is It Peace? selling ten million albums. After taxes, Aiguo Media would get around six hundred million.
Xiao Zhuzi was thrilled. No more starvation! Recently, she was busy, but whenever she had time, she cared for her mother. Even eating a lot, she visibly lost weight.
"Our company's benefits are awesome. Hehe, another year passed, my seniority pay will go up again." Xiao Zhuzi loved that the company offered the highest seniority pay around. For someone who hated moving around, it was perfect.
Late winter turned into January. Early in the month, the Grammys announced their nominations:
The media scrambled on the official Grammy website for [zhi·chu], then saw something shocking.
Is It Peace? — Chu Zhi, nominated for Producer of the Year
Is It Peace? — Chu Zhi, nominated for Album of the Year
Earth.Song — Chu Zhi, nominated for Song of the Year
21Guns, imagine, Zombie, goodbye.blue.sky — Chu Zhi, nominated for Best Rock Song
we.are.the.world — Chu Zhi, nominated for Best Gospel Song
One.Day — Chu Zhi, nominated for Best R&B Song
Together — Chu Zhi, nominated for Best Electronic Song
Earth.Song — Chu Zhi, nominated for Best MV
Chu Zhi nominated for Best Pop Singer
Chu Zhi nominated for Best Rock Singer
Ten unprecedented nominations. Anyone who studied the Grammys could tell the Recording Academy was trying hard to hold him back. At least Best Instrumental Composition, Arrangement, Instrumental Accompaniment, and Rap Song should've been nominated.
The Grammys had always suppressed Chu Zhi. Even My Heart Will Go On only got nominated for Best Film Song years ago.
Even with suppression, Chu Zhi's momentum was unstoppable. Ten nominations broke the record for most in Grammy history. If he won five of ten, he'd share the record with American rock genius Kevin Alexander Carter. Any more, and he'd hold the record alone.
"The Grammys really picked a time to mess with me, right? Right during New Year," Chu Zhi said, seeing the list.
"The Grammys can…"
Wang Yuan interrupted, "The Grammys can handle it. Little Jiu, remember? Last time Jesus Loves Me won Best Gospel Performance, Lao Qian went to accept it."
"But this time, Little Jiu, it's better if you go. You might create a Grammy legend," Wang Yuan added.
"Alright then," Chu Zhi nodded, thinking, "Let's hope I get at least 6 out of 10, and I can claim the record myself."
"By the way, Little Jiu, do you want to perform?" Wang Yuan asked. Seeing his puzzled look, she explained, "With so many nominations, and Is It Peace?'s phenomenal sales and acclaim, you're bound to win a few. You should leave a classic stage at the Grammys."
"Hmm?" Chu Zhi's eyes flickered. His show-off instincts kicked in.
"You have twenty-some days to decide before the ceremony at the end of January," Wang Yuan said. She knew his mind perfectly as a mom-fan, so this advice was spot-on.
The Grammy ceremony didn't sell tickets. The audience included nominated stars, invited guests, producers, critics, sponsors, basically half of the Western music scene.
Chu Zhi had to pick a song from Is It Peace? for live performance.
Which song would suit a live show…
"we.are.the.world. Haven't sung with 100% angel gospel for a while. If I add some seductive tone, I'll be the brightest star at the Grammys." Chu Zhi thought. Previously, 100% angel gospel alone drove Christians worldwide wild, and he hadn't even added the seductive part.
Emperor Beast's voice channels were unified, wide in range, and strong in breath control. He handled vibrato, melisma, strong mixing, weak mixing, nasal, head, chest, and even sphenoid resonance effortlessly.
It wasn't that any one technique was unparalleled. Like the idiom "Shu Hou Yubin's strong mix is strong," Gu Peng's vibrato was top-tier folk.
Compared to them, Chu Zhi was evenly matched. The key was he mastered everything and had an extraordinary range. Calling Emperor Beast the world's best singer was a bit exaggerated, but definitely one of the best.
If he didn't make the Grammy audience cry, it would be a mistake, he thought.
Feeling great, he drew twice from the blind box. Both gave him two albums. Even though he was helping write songs, he still had plenty of cards. Using ten personality coins from album coupons, his balance dropped to 33. Why was he suddenly so bold?
Because he was about to earn a huge pile of coins from his charity achievement [Low-Key Donation: 10 Million × 60]. He'd already donated over 500 million. No gimmicks — real money.
Just 30 million more, and he'd reach sixty coins. Keep pushing, and he could hit triple digits.
Emperor Beast wasn't in a rush. He donated gradually. At his pace, in two to three months, he'd reach the goal. No need to rush.
The next morning, Chu Zhi headed to the capital for the Qingge competition restart. He had to attend. The previous competition ended due to scandals and declining ratings.
Ratings fell, so it was canceled. With Chu Zhi as chief planner, he could easily keep the competition legitimate.
On January 5th, Aiguo Media announced the copyright for Tomorrow Will Be Better. Any charity could use it for free.
On the 6th, Chu Zhi personally donated 5 million USD to UNICEF to help children affected by war. He was invited as International Goodwill Ambassador and awarded the [UN Peacekeeping Award] and [Felix Uferé-Boivani Peace Award]. Considering his popularity, a small donation would be inappropriate, so he carefully chose this number.
"Brother Jiu, this is the New Year's Eve dinner spot. Is it okay?" Zhuzi asked, giving the location chosen by logistics.
"Farmhouse restaurant? No problem. I think it's better than a fancy restaurant," Chu Zhi nodded.
During New Year, he always envied company employees. Their eyes showed hope for the next year.
Even so, variety show filming couldn't stop.
Journey Among the Stars 4 was still in Turkey.
"Chen just left, and he's already followed," Gamba said, lowering his gaze.
Gu Peng thought this chatter was too boring, not pure enough.
Qin Qingqiao played along, "Xiaolin, say something. Haven't heard your nonsense in a while."
Everyone looked at Lin Feifei. Lin Xia calmly checked his watch, then said, "Do you know? You waited sixty seconds just to hear nonsense. Do you know what that equals?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"That's one minute of your life," Lin Xia said firmly.
Ouch. Sounds logical, but totally nonsense on second thought.
Journey Among the Stars 4 tried to replicate season one's setup. Big sister Zhang Ning invited Qin Qingqiao. Min Jeongbae's comedy role was Gamba. Athletic and quiet Luo Jianhui was Gu Peng's replacement. Game girl Cai Jia was Wang Zhi. Youth leader Chu Zhi was just back from a solo challenge, taking over Chen Yonghui's role.
The concept was good, but apart from the big sister, the rest felt low-budget.
Min Jeongbae was a box office guarantee for domestic comedies. Gamba only did mediocre ones, and most jokes relied on name puns.
Gu Peng and Luo Jianhui were both pros, quiet, but Luo's early-morning athletic image was memorable. Gu Peng tried to hide; the camera struggled to capture him.
Cai Jia genuinely mastered games, finding easter eggs and no-damage clears first. Wang Zhi just played a role.
The key was the leader choice.
Season four's leader, Chen Biao, in his thirties, almost made it into the top two seasons, wrote songs, and was marketed as a genius songwriter.
"Chen leader has left. Let's work hard. Gu, Xiaolin, you do Task A. Gamba and I do Task B," Qin Qingqiao instructed.
She was Zhang Ning's talented friend. A few years ago, Chu Zhi had saved her, earning her fandom. Zhang Ning's over-the-top praise made Qin Qingqiao a "mom-fan" Little Fruit.
She'd watched season one many times. Chen Biao, even ten years older than Chu Zhi at the time, couldn't match his smarts. She had to give instructions herself, feeling a bit resentful, hence "Chen leader" sounded formal. Everyone else just said "Leader."
The big sister's words carried weight. They split into two teams.
Gu Peng and Lin Xia weren't familiar, so their conversations went quiet. The director thought, "This is torture."
At the designated spot, their task was earning a living. Easy at home, tough in Turkey.
"Xia, what's your skill?" Gu Peng asked. "I forgot to ask."
"Skill: Jixia Technology." Lin Xia immediately pulled out a card from his clothes.
Journey Among the Stars retained its classic mode. Each guest had a "skill" to help complete tasks. Sponsorship remained with King of Glory.
"The skill activates Jixia Academy's mysterious tech, letting us call for help outside," Lin Xia read from the card, then explained plainly, "Basically, we can call friends or family for help."