"Ask for help?" Lin Feifei thought. He didn't know anyone in Turkey, so Jixia Technology was basically useless.
Just as I expected, participating in a variety show, and my character skills are completely worthless, Lin Xia thought inwardly, speechless.
So, what now? Lin Xia considered whether there was a Chinatown in Turkey. If it was a Chinese community, he could rely on his influence, maybe raise funds by "selling autographs." After all, he had once been a top-tier celebrity for two consecutive years, and even after stepping back, he starred in Palace Within the Palace, a movie that had gone viral across Asia. But with the phone taken by the production team, even if there was a Chinatown, he wouldn't know where.
How was he supposed to complete the mission?
As Lin Xia was thinking, his quiet teammate Gu Peng spoke up, "I have an idea…"
"What idea? Lay it on me!" Lin Xia said immediately.
"We could ask Little Jiu for help," Gu Peng said quietly.
Luckily, Lin Xia had good hearing and caught his teammate's words even amidst the noisy street. Little Jiu… Chu Zhi? Lin Feifei froze in hesitation.
"Yesterday, the record store next to our hotel had several albums selling like hotcakes, including Is It Peace?, All Nations, Vol. 1, and The One Gazed Upon by Gods," Gu Peng explained. "That proves Little Jiu is really popular in Turkey. So, we can use your skill to ask him for help. He should know what to do."
Lin Feifei never doubted Chu Zhi's popularity, but this wasn't in the script, right? Would it really be okay to call him out of the blue? He worried it might offend him.
Ah, whatever, it's Gu Peng's idea anyway.
"Ahem, I'll try?" Lin Xia said. "I hope it won't bother Little Jiu."
Before the participants could even dial, the on-site director, nicknamed Steering Wheel, got excited. His boss had climbed to the top of his career thanks to Star Journey 1, so he wasn't about to miss a chance to sneak a bit of fame.
The nickname was well-earned. His surname was Fang, and after crashing into iQIYI's glass doors twice, everyone jokingly said he couldn't steer properly. The nickname stuck, and most of the crew secretly used it.
Activate Skill—Jixia Technology
Later, Lin Xia would add Master Luban from Honor of Kings, since Jixia Technology was Luban's passive skill.
No flashy effects, just the staff handing over a phone. Since there was no phone sponsor, the back logo was covered with a [Journey of Stars] sticker.
Lin Feifei held the phone for a long moment without moving. He had a very serious question. "I don't remember Little Jiu's number."
Of course, Feifei had Chu Zhi's contact, but this phone was for the show's "Jixia Technology."
"I remember it," Gu Peng said. "My contacts list only has about twenty numbers, so I remember all of them."
He typed in Chu Zhi's number and dialed. His ringtone, "Run, Proud Youth, with Determined Hearts," was set to Proud Youth. Gu Peng, the masked prince, hummed a little along, but his voice was quieter than a mosquito's wings.
Lin Xia wondered how he managed to have so few contacts in showbiz. Normally it would be impossible, and he'd have to ask later.
After seven or eight rings, someone answered.
"Little Jiu, it's Lin Xia. Gu San and I are recording Journey of Stars Season 4, and we've got a tough mission. We thought of you first," Lin Xia said smoothly, skipping small talk.
"Oh, so the Season 4 lineup is Lin Xia and San? That's exciting," Chu Zhi said, pausing briefly before complimenting them.
Many might have forgotten, but Gu Peng was once criticized for his folk style and called "Shan Ge" by haters. After releasing hit songs, he became "San Ge." Chu Zhi first met Gu Peng at the North Beach in Beijing, at the Writers' Association headquarters. His attitude hasn't changed, regardless of Gu Peng's fame.
Chu Zhi greeted both Lin Xia and Gu Peng on the call.
"Wait a moment. I'm rehearsing, so I'll step outside to talk more clearly…"
Lin Xia and Gu Peng had almost identical thoughts.
Lin Xia: He's really giving face, the friendship formed in I'm Really a Singer shows.
Gu Peng: Little Jiu still takes care of me!
About two minutes later, Chu Zhi's voice returned. "What's the mission?"
"Raise two thousand bucks for event funds. We're in Ankara, Turkey," Lin Xia said.
"Two thousand in a foreign country? That's tough. No wonder you two reached out," Chu Zhi said, thinking quickly. "The fastest method is street singing. I've used it myself. I trust your performance skills, but finding the right spot will be tricky."
"Ankara doesn't really have a Chinatown. I think… Demirtepe Street near the Five Rams Hotel has more Chinese people. You can try there. The city buses are convenient, just ask and you'll know which one to take."
Perfect!
Lin Feifei rubbed his hands together, eager to move.
"No instruments," Gu Peng muttered.
Lin Xia realized they didn't even have a guitar. They'd have to busk with pure vocals. He trusted his skill, not out of arrogance.
"Instruments aren't a problem. I met Mr. Ciyilpu, GM of Warner Music Turkey, during my concert in Greece. I can ask him to help. Lin Xia and San, you go there first, I'll set it up. Don't worry, I'm not breaking the rules, right?"
Warner Music Turkey GM… were all his friends this high-profile? Lin Xia felt humble but couldn't prove it. He glanced at the on-site director for reassurance.
The director nodded vigorously.
"No rules broken," Lin Xia said. "San's outside help idea is perfect. Without it, we couldn't pull this off."
Chu Zhi remembered the two albums he'd drawn earlier, including Jay Chou's Bedtime Stories, and had promised to write a song for Gu Peng. The timing was perfect.
"San, getting to the Five Rams Hotel will take about half an hour, right?" Chu Zhi said.
"About," Gu Peng replied. The crew had already checked—bus ride takes about an hour.
"I'll send you something soon. Just use this phone," Chu Zhi said.
Despite curiosity, Gu Peng kept a straight face. After the call, he deleted it to protect Chu Zhi's number.
According to the show's rules, the phone would be returned after using Jixia Technology, but Chu Zhi said he'd send something back, so the crew ignored it.
Lin Xia mapped the route, and the two stumbled their way to the bus, helped by English-speaking locals. Since Season 1, Star Journey had never featured someone like Chu Zhi, fluent in multiple languages.
There weren't many Chinese in Turkey, but near Demirtepe Street, they saw several Chinese restaurants.
After about fifty minutes, they reached the Five Rams Hotel and saw a group of foreigners holding a sign: [Welcome Mr. Lin Xia and Mr. Gu Peng], written in Chinese. Slightly crooked, but readable.
Lin Xia glanced at Gu Peng, who was about to ask, but Lin Xia stepped forward in English. "Hello, I'm Lin Xia, um…"
"Hello, Mr. Lin Xia. I'm Selu from Warner Music Turkey," the foreigner said. His Chinese had an accent, but it was perfectly understandable.
No mistake. Lin Xia hurriedly said, "Hello, hello."
Selu continued, "Mr. Lin Xia and Mr. Gu Peng, the band and instruments are ready for you."
"A band?!" Lin Xia expected just a guitar or bass, but Chu Zhi had arranged a full band.
"Don't worry, Mr. Lin. They're the Adimi Band, fairly well-known and capable, they won't drag you down… sorry, won't hold you back," Selu said.
Lin Xia was completely impressed.
Jiu-yé is amazing! Gu Peng silently applauded Chu Zhi in his heart.
Right, the item Chu Zhi wanted to send. Gu Peng reminded Lin Xia, "Phone."
"Phone?" Lin Xia blinked for two or three seconds before realizing. Chu Zhi was sending something. "Oh, right, let's check my Jixia Technology."
A new message popped up. It was handwritten sheet music with some edits and an attachment. Downloaded, it revealed the accompaniment track titled Turkish Ice Cream.
Lin Xia and Gu Peng exchanged glances. Could it be an impromptu song by Chu Zhi for their show in Turkey?
…
Back in China, the Fu Lei Translation Award ceremony was in a Beijing hotel conference hall, attended by editors from Mountain Flower, Contemporary, People's Literature, Writer, and other major journals.
"Who's Huainan anyway? Both domestic and international awards are being accepted by proxies," Wang, deputy editor of Poetry Journal, said, watching someone from the Magic City Translation Publishing House accept an award. "Trying to become the Tao Yuanming of the internet era."
Jian, deputy editor of Huacheng, asked, "Wang, you don't know either?"
The Poetry Journal was the only central-level journal in China. Even Wang didn't know, since the Ministry of Education couldn't locate Huainan either.
"Education doesn't know? That's ridiculous. Those trying to find Huainan can't, and those who could just don't care," Jian said. "Also, rumors say… he's quite young, maybe in his thirties or forties."
Half right. The truth was Huainan was Chu Zhi, and he wanted to keep it hidden.
"Forty is impossible, at least fifty," Wang said firmly. "I've studied his poems. Mr. Cogito couldn't be written under fifty!"
"I've just heard," Jian shrugged. "Hard to believe he's that young. He's accomplished in poetry and translation—both take years."
"Ono Akio, his editor, also said Huainan seems young," said deputy editor of People's Literature.
Those who knew Huainan best remained silent for a moment.
"It's possible Ono is being deceived, or Huainan is just a playful old soul," someone speculated.
"Personally, I still think Huainan isn't one writer, but two sharing a pen name."
"Then it's not two. Huainan wrote seven collections, so maybe seven writers," another said.
Debate ended with no conclusion. The Fu Lei Translation Award ceremony was January 7. January 13 was special.
Is It Peace? sold millions globally in its first month!
IFPI: 63.49 million
Nielsen: 62.89 million
Ipsos: 64.10 million
RIAA: 63.77 million
Different stats came from different channels, some overlap occurred, but all numbers exceeded 63 million.
"One album by Chu Zhi outsold most singers' entire careers."
"Environmental factors helped, but his skill is undeniable."
"That doesn't even seem like much… billions of Christians globally…"
"No question, all other stars of this era pale in comparison."
These were casual opinions.
The New York Times, serious and influential, called him the Gray Lady. Yet Chu Zhi's numbers prompted the subheadline: "Is It Peace? the greatest album in modern pop history? George Robdrick: Absolutely!" Headline: "63.49 million, recorded in music school textbooks worldwide."
Announcing a pop king's coronation—the fake one, Akenda, versus the true one, Chu Zhi.
More accurately, the NYT front page signaled Chu Zhi as the representative star of this era.
To explain, a past Earth survey asked, "Which star represents Hong Kong cinema's golden age?" Over seventy percent chose Stephen Chow. That was the benchmark for "representative name."
Speaking of George, the music festival lawsuit followed.
George spent two to three months negotiating, compensating Michael Lang $3 million for Woodstock brand usage. Of course, he paid. The South African press wouldn't voluntarily pay.
Fortunately, Chu Zhi's media storm overshadowed George's case. As Grammy vice-chair, he praised Chu Zhi in an interview: "Where the wind blows, Chu Zhi's music echoes."
"If I'd known, I'd have just held the concert under Chu Zhi's name." George said, holding The Washington Post, whose headline celebrated Chu Zhi's new album sales.
Normally, entertainment news can't hit front pages unless the celebrity is in legal trouble. But Is It Peace? became a cultural phenomenon.
"No, if it started under Chu Zhi's name, it wouldn't be as grand, and I wouldn't make money," George said.
"Hmm… making money is more important. If you can't make money, what's the point of stopping a war?"