"Just sneak in and watch, be a regular audience member," Chu Zhi murmured to himself, though of course that was only if he could actually get tickets. Tickets for the In Harmony with Chu · World Tour went on sale at 2 PM. Luo Jianhui had planned 21 shows this year, and In Harmony with Chu was the name of his album released at the end of 2026. The album's lead single, All Are Friends, had gotten a small buzz online.
Luo Jianhui's concert planning team thought the album name sounded nice, so they used it for the tour. Chu Zhi had already prepared to grab tickets. He could've easily asked Luo Jianhui to give him two tickets, given their friendship in the American Heroes Group, but Emperor Beast wanted to go incognito.
"Is it starting soon? Can you wait five minutes? I've got a little thing to finish up," Chu Zhi said when he saw a staff member from the show approaching.
The deputy director of the Classic Poems in Song 7 crew nodded, "No rush. There's still about twenty minutes before recording starts. I just came to see if you had any questions."
"No, everything's fine," Chu Zhi replied.
"Then I won't bother you. I'll just check the lights one more time," the deputy director said before leaving.
Emperor Beast stared at his phone. Three minutes passed, and Chu Zhi immediately tapped to pay… only for his phone to freeze at the crucial moment.
Something always went wrong at the crucial moment, he was used to it. On the other hand, his phone really did need an upgrade. After closing and reopening the app, selecting again, half a minute later, he thought he might've missed the tickets, but surprisingly, there were still plenty. For the Rongcheng stop at Shuangliu Sports Center (40,000 seats), the VIP section in row three was 2,200 RMB, quite cheap compared to the In Harmony with Chu · World Tour prices.
Ticket sales flying out in seconds was rare, and normally even selling out tens of thousands of tickets was considered great.
"Success. Next Wednesday is a day off, so I'll go see it," Chu Zhi said as he got up, heading to the stage early, ready for recording.
Classic Poems in Song was a strong program from the national broadcaster. Surviving seven seasons meant it had real credibility. The format was singing classical Chinese poetry, and Chu Zhi performed The Rolling Yangtze Flows East. He had prepared songs adapted from the Four Great Classical Novels for his album long ago, and today he finally used them.
Everywhere he went, it was a showstopper, and this program was no exception.
The four guest judges were full of praise. Middle-tone master Dean Wang said, "The lyrics and composition are both brilliant. I won't comment much on the words—Yang Sheng'an was the leading talent of the Ming dynasty, his work rich and elegant, unparalleled in his era. The composition for this poem is simple, yet it perfectly expresses the layers of Linjiangxian. Each emotion resonates, the singing complements the sighs."
Before finishing, Dean Wang continued, "It's not just the musical layers, it also captures the essence of the poem. The deep, sorrowful feelings climb with the melody. Starting from A Jug of Murky Wine Brings Joyful Reunion, it transitions from sadness to grandeur. The chest voice carries majestic power, the mournful melody softens into a brilliant B section, balancing with the A section beautifully."
"Father of the New Chinese Style," Professor Kang said, "Lyrics like Fireworks Cool Easily, A Thousand Miles Away, and Blue and White Porcelain are all stunning. If Chu Zhi hadn't chosen to be a singer, I think he could've been an excellent poet."
After the praise, Professor Kang went on to serious critique: "Modern scholars, including Qing dynasty ones, all agreed that Yang Shen and Yang Sheng'an had talents akin to the Six Dynasties literati. Li Ciming specifically said, Among the learned men of Ming, Sheng'an comes first. The praise is immense. Composing for The Rolling Yangtze Flows East is challenging enough, but Chu Zhi did it brilliantly. Singing classical melodies with Western bel canto technique—this is truly a triple masterpiece of lyrics, composition, and performance!"
The national broadcaster's guest selection wasn't ordinary: a middle-tone dean, a doctoral advisor, and literature professors, all top-tier in literary knowledge. A cultured compliment was far better than just shouting "666" online.
Hou Yubin spoke next: "I know Little Chu well. This song isn't just a masterpiece of setting ancient poems to music, it's a model of East-West musical fusion. I've recorded three seasons, and The Rolling Yangtze Flows East is the best, without a doubt."
The fourth guest was a famous singer from Taiwan, but their commentary was shallow and unimportant.
"Thank you for the feedback," Chu Zhi said.
He didn't do a full season anymore; his schedule was mostly similar events.
After recording, Chu Zhi visited some old acquaintances at the broadcaster, including Li Yong, the current deputy director, Xi Ye, head of production, and Zhao and Wang. About an hour passed in greetings and catching up.
Networking required effort. Take Minister Xi, for example. They met during Recreating the Long March, where Xi was the executive producer. Chu Zhi already had some status, but their good rapport came from his later efforts.
Minister Xi said, "Brother Jiu, do you have a signed album? I'll shamelessly ask for one; my niece wants it for her birthday."
"For a birthday, the standard version won't do. When exactly is her birthday? I'll have a special collector's edition vinyl sent with a signature," Chu Zhi replied.
Li Yong said, "Last time in Modu, you treated. This time in Beijing, I insist on treating."
"Then I won't insist on paying," Chu Zhi replied.
Even though he had dinner in Beijing, Chu Zhi didn't stay overnight. He flew to Xingcheng that night, preparing for Hello, Saturday. As the lead of The Matrix, he also got Hollywood-level profit sharing, so he handled the promotion personally.
This week's schedule was easy, only domestic promotion. In a few days, he'd fly to Japan and Korea. As the movie release drew closer, Director Davis stopped calling.
"Too much pressure, maybe he collapsed?" Chu Zhi thought. "Should I call… nah, better sleep early. Tomorrow, I'm back to being a flying superstar."
Early morning, Chu Zhi arrived at Rongcheng Shuangliu Airport. It was a day off, so his life assistant didn't come, but for safety, Xu and Huang were secretly protecting him. Even during their off days, top security personnel temporarily replaced them.
Official arrangements meant no risks. The concert didn't start until 7 PM, so Chu Zhi first decided to see the pandas. Wearing a cap and scarf, only his eyes showed, and no one recognized him.
After a light meal, he arrived at Shuangliu Sports Center around 6 PM, ready to enter.
===
Author Note:
If all goes smoothly, there's about 30,000 more words to finish. Don't worry about a rushed ending; all main plot points are addressed. There will also be around 20,000 words of extras: Ten Years Later, Fifty Years Later, and A Hundred Years Later. Also, last chapter got blocked; frustratingly, I couldn't even edit it.