Chapter 159: No fighting allowed when you go on stage this time!

Hearing the cause of the conflict from Bai Su, Tang Zhong felt a mixture of tears and laughter.

Out of all the people Zhang Shangyin could have asked, she just had to ask Lin Huiyin, who never liked to telling lies.

Thinking of Lin Huiyin standing there in complete silence, not knowing how to answer the question, Tang Zhong couldn't help but find it slightly amusing.

He hadn't expected that the usually ice-cold Lin Huiyin could have such a cute side to her.

However, in such a glamorous and superficial industry, a personality like hers made it far too easy to offend people.

Celebrities were just like ordinary people; they had loves and hates, petty tempers, and knew how to trip each other up.

Zhang Shangyin was a dazzling major star in the public eye, and her fans called her "Little Star." Yet, if she truly didn't want to come and anchor the stage for the Butterfly Group, even the company's senior executives would be powerless to force her. The entertainment industry was the same as every other circle: minor stars were treated like nobodies, while big stars were lofty gods. Even company leaders had to maintain a considerable level of respect toward them. Otherwise, they could switch agencies at any moment.

"Does that mean we are flying solo now?" Tang Zhong asked helplessly.

"Pretty much," Bai Su sighed. "The company does have other choices. But if we find someone who isn't up to Zhong Mingyu's level, or is far inferior to him... why bother humiliating ourselves?"

"Then we'll have to rely on ourselves," Tang Zhong said. "Music fans come to listen to music, not to fight. Singing well for the fans is enough for us. Whether our popularity explodes or not is determined by the singer's own strength. I've watched videos of T4; they have top-tier figures and second-rate dancing, and their singing can only be described as barely listenable—whether now or in the future, their development potential is far inferior to Butterfly's. They're just a bunch of actresses eating bowls of youth."

Bai Su offered a bitter smile and said, "Tang Zhong, you still don't know how dark this circle is. Some people play very dirty tricks. We might think this way, but they certainly don't. Haven't they been keeping their eyes on Butterfly precisely to step on them to the top? Since they've already leaked the news, they definitely have a backup plan."

Tang Zhong pointed at the empty teacup in front of him, signaling Bai Su to refill it for him.

Bai Su shot him a sideways glance, but still obediently climbed off the sofa to pour hot water into his cup, personally handing it back to him as she said, "My lord, please partake in your tea."

"Massage my shoulders too," Tang Zhong said.

"Oh, you really are treating me like a maid," Bai Su said with a laughing scold. "I know you've got plenty of tricky ideas up your sleeve. Hurry up and think of something. Once you've figured it out, tell me quickly so I can have some peace of mind. You have no idea, I haven't had a single good night's sleep these past few days."

Tang Zhong cradled the teacup, blowing gently on the tea leaves floating on top, and said, "Have you forgotten where I came from?"

"Prison?" Bai Su asked.

"That's right," Tang Zhong said. "No matter how dirty the outside world gets, how could it possibly compare to the filth inside that place?"

Seeing Tang Zhong's confident expression, Bai Su thought to herself that it was true; this guy was so insidious that those people might not necessarily be able to outplay him.

With that, she stretched lazily and said, "Fine. I'm going to sleep. Tomorrow I'll take you to the Huanglong Gymnasium for a rehearsal."

"A rehearsal?" Tang Zhong asked in confusion.

"Yes," Bai Su said. "I've thought about it over and over, and I still feel you should go and rehearse. Although there's a chance it might expose some flaws, it will also allow us to spot potential problems. Huiyin and Hepburn go to practice every day, and it won't do for you to constantly skip it. It would only make people suspicious."

"Alright," Tang Zhong said. "With Ah Ken helping with the styling, the worst that can happen is I just talk less."

"Mm," Bai Su nodded, lifting her foot to walk up the stairs.

Halfway up, she paused, turned her head, and said, "Tang Zhong, promise me one thing."

"What is it?"

"No fighting when you get on stage this time."

"---------l"

The Butterfly Group's concert was being held at the Huanglong Sports Center, while T4's concert venue was the Century Center Gymnasium.

The two venues stood opposite each other from north to south, eyeing each other like rivals, mirroring the current relationship and state of the Butterfly Group and T4.

"There are no concerts or events at the Huanglong Gymnasium these few days; it's just waiting for your performance on the evening of the sixth," Bai Su explained to Tang Zhong. "However, because Huiyin and Benben are rehearsing inside, security outside is still very strict. Otherwise, if reporters managed to sneak in, it would be a disaster."

"Xiao Xin didn't come these past few days, and a lot of people have been asking," Ah Ken said, clasping his hands together with a smiling, chirpy expression. "But Xiao Xin, dear, I must seriously remind you. Today, right now, in a little while, you must absolutely, positively not speak casually, and try to talk as little as possible. In the past, the people you met were all outsiders to the company; they knew of you, but weren't very familiar with you."

"However, many of the staff busy working in the auditorium today are your acquaintances—for instance, the lighting engineer, the choreography director, artist assistants, and so on. You've interacted with all of them before. If there's anything unusual about you, it will be very easy for them to notice."

"I know," Tang Zhong wiped a tiny bead of sweat from his forehead. "You guys cover for me and try to keep them from getting close to me."

"I've already made arrangements in advance. Benben and Huiyin will go in to practice first, and the moment you enter the arena, you'll join them directly, avoiding the time needed to make pleasantries and greet people. During breaks, I'll also use the excuse of calling you in for a small meeting to discuss matters, blocking them outside the door."

"Yes, yes. Su Su, Huiyin, and I will all work hard to cooperate with you. As for Benben, I'm not so sure..." Ah Ken giggled. "Xiao Xin, don't be so nervous. Your makeup is going to smudge soon. Come here, let me wipe your sweat for you."

As he spoke, Ah Ken pulled out a small handkerchief embroidered with tiny floral patterns, intending to wipe Tang Zhong's forehead.

Tang Zhong hurriedly dodged, pulling out a wet wipe himself to dab away the sweat beads.

When watching martial arts TV dramas in the past, the male lead would practice his swordplay under peach blossoms while the female lead played the zither in a stone pavilion. After the man practiced for a while, sweat would appear on his forehead, and the female lead would then walk over with fragrant robes billowing, holding a little handkerchief and wiping her lover's brow with a tender expression.

Tang Zhong had envied such poetic and picturesque scenes to no end. He knew it was impossible for him to fly around in peach trees, nor could he have flying peach blossoms dancing everywhere while practicing swordplay—finding a grove of peach trees that beautiful nowadays was already very difficult. But if he could have a little beauty like that wipe his sweat, he would be quite content.

He had finally waited for this day to arrive, yet the person handing him the handkerchief was a man. A man. A man.

Ah Ken's eyes held a grievance, extremely dissatisfied with Tang Zhong's rejection.

Bai Su chuckled heartily, and when she saw Ah Ken glaring at her angrily, she could no longer hold it in and burst out laughing.

The Mercedes-Benz luxury van they were riding in drove straight up to the entrance of the Huanglong Gymnasium, where quite a few reporters were already staking out the place.

Seeing the Mercedes approach, a large crowd of reporters immediately swarmed over, shouting loudly:

"Can the Butterfly Group brief us on the current rehearsal situation?"

"Does the Butterfly Group have anything to say in response to T4's provocation?"

"Is the Butterfly Group scared? Is that why they haven't accepted any media interviews during this period?"

Ah Ken sneered repeatedly and cursed, "Lunatics."

However, Bai Su had no intention of stopping the car to accept interviews. Once the security guards at the gate verified the owner's identity, the gates were immediately opened to let them through. Those reporters were once again blocked outside, along with their noisy voices and sharp questions.

After getting out of the car, Bai Su and Ah Ken flanked Tang Zhong, escorting him toward the gymnasium as they instructed: "Just do what we talked about. Smile and greet people, try not to pay attention to anyone, and start rehearsing the moment you get inside. Huiyin and Benben will cooperate with you."

"I understand," Tang Zhong nodded.

The volume of the speakers inside the gymnasium was very low, making it impossible for the reporters outside to hear clearly.

On stage, Lin Huiyin and Zhang Hepburn were dancing, with several muscular men dancing as back-up—this once again caused a violent shudder to run through Tang Zhong's body. They wouldn't rush over, hug him, and lift him onto their shoulders to spin around in circles again, would they?

That would literally exhaust them to death.

Seeing Tang Zhong, Bai Su, and Ah Ken walk in, a few staff members off stage immediately crowded around.

Bai Su gave Tang Zhong a look, signaling him to get on stage immediately.

With that, Tang Zhong broke into a run, leaped into the air, and jumped directly from the floor onto the stage.

The surrounding staff immediately broke into loud cheers, and even the concert directors who were just about to walk over stopped in their tracks and turned around to look.

To everyone's absolute astonishment, after 'Tang Xin' jumped onto the stage, instead of immediately joining Lin Huiyin and Zhang Hepburn in rehearsal and dancing with them, he sprinted straight toward the corner of the stage.

"Is Xiao Xin in a rush to find the restroom?" Ah Ken asked in confusion.

"I don't know," Bai Su thought to herself in secret alarm. Did this guy know to go to the women's restroom this time?

Very quickly, Tang Zhong returned to the center of the stage.

At the same time, he was dragging a man dressed in a Huanglong Gymnasium security uniform by the collar.

The man was still struggling desperately and resisting, waving his fists in an attempt to attack Tang Zhong. Enraged, Tang Zhong struck him squarely in the eye with a punch.

And with that, the man quietly collapsed and lay motionless on the floor.

Zhang Hepburn and Lin Huiyin, who were in the middle of rehearsing, had no choice but to stop when they saw this scene, while the other muscular backup dancers ran over and surrounded the security guard in the center.

Seeing this unfold, Bai Su felt so aggrieved she wanted to burst into tears.

"I... I only said last night not to fight when getting on stage this time..."