Chapter 42

  Lu Fei hasn't eaten for two days.

  Before going on stage, most singers won't eat much, fearing that they'll get bloated and accidentally burp in front of everyone, which would be embarrassing.

  Before he was locked in this small room alone, the last meal he had was half a meat pie that he wolfed down hastily at four o'clock yesterday afternoon before putting on makeup.

  He knew he had definitely made a big mistake, letting the program team ride a tiger to get off, but he didn't regret it at all. He was on stage with his skills, and his promotion was justified. Others who wanted to humiliate him would have to ask his fist first.

  So he successfully blew away Beifang Ming with this set of twisted logic and sent himself into this small room without windows on all sides.

  This small room was a place like a storage room, filled with all sorts of boxes, and it's unknown what the TV station usually uses it for. When Luo Fei was locked in, Bai Fu Ming was furious, telling him to calm down. So he obediently listened, not caring about the thick layer of makeup on his face, taking off his clothes and spreading them on the ground, planning to sleep for a while before calming down.

  But he tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

  He is hungry.

  I'm starving.

  His mind was filled with all sorts of food, from sweet and sour pork ribs to braised pork belly, from garlic roasted eggplant rolls to ham sandwiches, even the Japanese sashimi he normally disliked was swirling in his head, each dish a perfect combination of color, aroma and flavor, as if it were a culinary competition.

  Lu Fei felt like he was starving to death.

  He is a person who cannot starve, and if he doesn't eat for one meal, he will be distressed for half a day. Now that his stomach is empty, he has also suffered distress mentally.

  He then lay down in distress, and suddenly couldn't sleep. He sat on a cardboard box, feeling angry and sad at the same time, with red eyes and a sour nose.

  Li Jin walked in just as he was putting on his makeup, and she took in the whole sight.

  He let out a long sigh and handed over a KFC family bucket first.

  "Go ahead and eat," he said.

  Luo Fei stared blankly, holding the whole family's bucket: "Xiao Jin? Xiao Jin, how... aren't you being someone's assistant?" He wasn't that stupid after all, and he reacted, "Did Bei Fuming tell you about it?"

  "Never mind who told me," said Li Jin, opening the lid of the bucket, the unique smell of KFC wafting into Luo Fei's nostrils. "Hurry up and eat."

  Luo Fei's nose suddenly turned sour, as if to cover up his momentary weakness, he almost buried his face in the bucket of fried chicken and started devouring it.

  Before long, there was nothing left in the bucket but a pile of bones.

  He twisted open a Coke bottle, tilted his head back and gulped down half of it, only then did he feel satisfied and stopped. He turned to look at Li Jin, feeling a bit guilty as he handed over the remaining half bottle: "Do you want to drink some?"

  Li Jin didn't refuse, holding the bottle and taking two sips. The coolness of the carbonated drink rushed to his head, he took a couple of deep breaths, and asked Luo Fei with a tilted mouth: "Do you usually sneak a sip of Coke?"

  Luo Fei was overweight and on his first day at New Star Academy, he was ordered to go on a diet.

  "I... " Luo Fei licked his lips, "None."

  Tell lies.

  Li Jin didn't see through him and continued to ask: "Then the words I asked you to memorize, did you all memorize?"

  Luo Fei pursed his lips: "Carrying... it."

  Li Jin said: "How about singing an English song next?"

  Luo Fei listened to the competition and immediately raised his head: "Which song?"

  Li Jin said a song name, unfortunately, he didn't understand a single word.

  He let out a sigh: "It wasn't my fault last night."

  Li Jin didn't say anything and quietly listened to him speak.

  "Qí Yì Chén said I'm not worthy of playing music at all." Qí Yì Chén is another male lead in this trashy drama. "He said that my rearrangement of rock classics is blasphemy to rock. He said I don't even deserve to call myself a rocker, and that I don't deserve to sing at all. He said that the only reason I've made it this far is because Shī Dōng Níng has been protecting me. He said that everyone knows Shī Dōng Níng is the top mentor, and that I must have some shady dealings with him behind closed doors - otherwise, with my talent, I wouldn't have made it this far."

  Li Jin was both black and speechless.

  What Zhai Yichen said is not wrong.

  The contestants of Star Voice have their own strengths and are not lacking in professional training. Take Qi Yichen as an example, he has led his band to perform at the Hong Kong International Rock Music Festival for three consecutive years, and with his past experience, he can easily crush Luo Fei, looking down on him is a matter of course.

  Li Jin understood in her heart that Luo Fei was still not completely speaking based on his actual ability.

  Everyone has strength, but proper packaging and publicity are not everyone's forte. Luo Fei's popularity to this day is actually not closely related to his musical abilities.

  Moreover, up until now, Li Jin had intentionally reserved some strength for Luo Fei.

  The bird that sticks its head out gets shot. So far, Luo Fei's popularity isn't the highest among all the students. If he reveals all his strength too early, it will be easy for the surprises to dwindle later on. The audience aren't fans, they won't make any excuses for you. Once you stop dazzling them, they'll immediately abandon you.

  At that time, what's the use of having more fans? The fans of an idol, no matter how loyal they are, will only follow you for those two or three months when you frequently appear on TV. Once you disappear from sight, they will also start to like someone else.

  But such a complex marketing strategy, you tell Ruo Fei now, he can't understand it. Moreover, look at Ruo's wronged expression now, I'm afraid he hasn't even realized his own half-baked skills, not to mention being close to professional singers.

  Forget it, not now, but in the future. After all, this is a rare piece of uncut jade, with strong comprehension and high perceptiveness. What's most precious is a heart of sincerity. It's probably because of this that even Shi Dongning, who has been in the music industry for many years, looks at him differently and intentionally or unintentionally protects him.

  He just needs to be made aware of the current situation.

  So Li Jin asked: "You're unhappy about this and then gave him a punch?"

  Luo Fei's expression stiffened for a moment: "I was momentarily blinded by rage, and besides, he always looked down on people with his nose in the air, it's been a long time since he deserved to be taught a lesson."

  Li Jin couldn't help but burst out laughing.

  "So you think it was you who won or him?" asked Li Jin.

  "Of course it was me!" The man, with a fist that would not admit defeat, "He was beaten by me until his nose bled, but look at me, I'm fine. Heh heh, this is the iron fist I've been practicing since I was young, and I've never lost to anyone."

  As he spoke, he also waved his fist, as if it was a great honor.

  "Yes, and various media have recorded it for you as well." Li Jin changed his sitting posture, "When you swung your fist, did you think about how to end it?"

  After talking for so long, Luo Fei's nerves were no longer tense, and Li Jin was his most trusted friend, he didn't want to lie: "I didn't expect it to be like this. The backstage is quite far from the media interview area, I don't know why they suddenly ran over, by the time I came back to my senses, it was already too late..."

  "Lu Fei, do you know what's the biggest difference between a star and an ordinary person?" Li Jin interrupted him.

  "I know," said Luo Fei. "Every moment, I have to deal with the media, follow the company's arrangements, even if I'm dying of exhaustion, as long as the camera is on me, I have to show my best side..."

  Luckily, if he were to become a star and just stand on the stage singing, Li Jin was afraid that she would not be able to perform anymore. She would have dragged him down and given him a good scolding right there.

  However, looking at his dejected tone when speaking, it's likely that he didn't adapt well to life in the spotlight during this period.

  In Lei Jin's heart, a small ache arose, but he couldn't be the first to soften.

  "Not just that." He paused for a moment, "When you're a star, it also means you can't have a moment of 'I didn't think'."

  Luo Fei suddenly lifted his head.

  "The media is everywhere," said Lijin. "For their next month's salary and bonus, for the twenty years of mortgage they have to pay at home, they must dig three feet to find news. And if you don't want them to take negative news, you can only be on guard at all times. You can no longer show a bad face, nor can you let your temper get out of control, and even when you're happy, you can't show it too much. In this regard, Shu Mu did very well."