Lu Zhixian's gaze swept across the seating chart on the screen, not lingering for a moment.

He stood up, casually grabbing the black jacket from the folding chair, and turned toward the exit.

"Let's go, Old Zhao."

Old Zhao quickly put away his phone and followed.

"Where to?"

"Back to the hotel to change. I still have to walk the red carpet tonight," Lu Zhixian replied without looking back.

...

Seven o'clock in the evening.

Outside the Jingzhou Sports Center, the crowd was clamoring.

The Penguin Music Annual Gala red carpet officially kicked off.

Hundreds of media outlets had set up their cameras on both sides of the red carpet. The flashbulbs never stopped for a second, making the night as bright as day.

Security personnel on the periphery formed a human wall to block the waves of screaming fans.

A white nanny van stopped at the end of the red carpet.

The car door slid open.

Shen Yihang stepped out of the car.

He wore a deep-V haute couture suit fully encrusted with rhinestones, the neckline cut extremely low to reveal a large portion of his chest.

He raised his hand, waving to both sides.

The flashes on both sides flickered as per routine.

Shen Yihang walked to the signing board in the center of the red carpet and stopped.

He turned sideways, left hand in his pocket, striking a meticulously calculated pose.

Three seconds passed.

Over ten seconds passed.

He cycled through four different poses, stubbornly lingering in front of the signing board without moving.

Several senior media professionals in the front row exchanged looks and silently lowered their DSLR cameras.

From behind came the urging voice of the floor director through a megaphone.

"Teacher Shen, please move to the inner venue; there are more guests behind you."

The voice echoed throughout the venue through the speakers.

The smile on Shen Yihang's face froze.

He lowered his hand and walked quickly toward the inner passage, his retreating figure showing an irrepressible embarrassment.

Half an hour later.

The red carpet procession was nearing its end. The security personnel outside began to contract their lines.

"The grand finale is coming," a reporter casually remarked while looking down to change batteries.

The media area, which had been somewhat fatigued, instantly fell silent.

Every photographer raised their machines simultaneously, lenses all pointing in unison toward the drop-off zone at the start of the red carpet.

An all-black Rolls-Royce slowly drove into view and came to a steady stop.

The driver got out, walked to the back, and pulled open the door.

A long leg clad in black suit trousers stepped out.

Lu Zhixian stepped out of the car.

In a pure black VALENTE custom suit, the perfect tailoring fit his broad shoulders.

Even models seemed redundant in the face of such proportions.

Just by standing there, he carried an air of nobility.

The media area completely exploded.

Flashbulbs flickered frantically.

"Teacher Lu! Look to the left!"

"Right! Lu Zhixian, look to the right!"

Reporters in the front row were shouting at the top of their lungs, half their bodies leaning out over the barriers.

Lu Zhixian did not intentionally linger.

He maintained a normal pace, walking casually along the red carpet.

His steps were composed.

At the same time, the bullet comments in the Penguin Video livestream room experienced a massive surge for the night.

"Oh my god!"

"Is this the prestige of a VALENTE global ambassador?"

"Dressed the simplest, yet his aura is the strongest."

"Shen Yihang's rhinestone suit earlier was honestly so tacky."

"Turn off the full-screen bullet comments, don't stop me from taking screenshots!"

"The Godfather descends!"

The bullet comments were completely flooded with those four words.

Lu Zhixian walked to the signing board, took the pen handed over by the hostess, and signed his name with a flourish.

He handed the pen back and, without striking any poses, turned and walked directly into the inner venue.

The screams from the female fans on the periphery of the red carpet even drowned out the venue's sound system.

Inside the venue.

A social arena where celebrities and elites converged.

Crystal chandeliers cast a warm glow.

Stars of all kinds and capital tycoons held wine glasses, talking in low voices in small groups.

Lu Zhixian picked up a glass of soda water from a waiter's tray.

He had just taken a sip.

"Producer Lu, that was quite an arrogant red carpet walk."

A cool female voice rang out beside him.

Lu Zhixian turned his head.

Lin Shiya was standing a step away.

She wore a minimalist black haute couture backless dress with a trailing hem.

Her cold white skin was extremely eye-catching under the lights. The teardrop mole below the corner of her left eye became slightly animated with her smile.

"Your seclusion is over?" Lu Zhixian looked at her.

Lin Shiya stepped half a step closer. A hint of astonishment flashed in her cool eyes, which quickly turned into a smile.

"I only went into seclusion for a few months to write songs, and the moment I come out, you've turned the entire music industry upside down." She raised her champagne glass and lightly clinked it against the glass in Lu Zhixian's hand.

"It was just something I did in passing," Lu Zhixian said flatly.

Lin Shiya arched an eyebrow.

"Even the elderly Li Zhong was stirred by you; that guitar is now being hailed as a legend across the entire internet. I don't think you did it 'in passing'; I think you've been holding back your mischief to give them a sharp cut."

"It's because they insisted on sticking their faces out."

The two stood in the peripheral area, chatting casually without any pretense.

Their interaction, completely devoid of baggage, caused the A-list stars around them—who were racking their brains for a way to approach Lu Zhixian—to stop in their tracks.

Jealousy and envy were present, but no one dared to step forward and interrupt.

In this circle, status determines the right to speak.

"Where is your seat?" Lin Shiya swirled the wine in her glass.

"I just took a look at mine; it's a core seat in Section A, first row. Let's go, it's about to start."

Lu Zhixian didn't move.

He reached out and pointed toward the very front of the venue.

"I'm not there."

Lin Shiya followed his finger's direction.

Directly in front of the first row of seats was an area completely independent of the rest of the audience.

The Head Table.

Lin Shiya's gaze locked onto the very center of the head table.

On the back of the chair, a card printed with a name was attached.

[Lu Zhixian]

Lin Shiya's breath hitched for a moment.

She withdrew her gaze and looked back at Lu Zhixian.

To the left was the CEO of the Penguin Music Group.

To the right was the Chairman of the Chinese Music Association.

Further out were the big shots of domestic top cinema chains and several capital helmsmen who truly held the power of life and death.

That was the very pinnacle of the entire vanity fair.

It was a realm that even she, a little diva of the music scene, could absolutely never touch.

Capital used the most simple and crude seating arrangement to announce a fact to everyone in the venue.

The rumors online were all wrong.

Lu Zhixian was not a product packaged by capital.

He was capital itself now.

"Go take your seat." Lu Zhixian put down his glass and strode toward the head table.

Lin Shiya stood in place, watching his retreating back.

By the head table.

As soon as Lu Zhixian approached, the Penguin Music CEO immediately stood up.

This tycoon, whose slightest movement usually caused an earthquake in the entire entertainment circle, was now all smiles and proactively extended both hands.

"Teacher Lu, we were just waiting for you."

Lu Zhixian shook hands with him and sat down in the center C-position.

The Association Chairman to his right picked up the teapot and poured him half a cup of hot tea.

In the back row.

The furthest corner of the second row.

Shen Yihang tightly gripped the wine glass in his hand.

His gaze was nailed to that retreating figure in the center of the head table.

Two hours ago, the PR department of Xingyao Entertainment had sent a message.

Not only had he lost his endorsement for a high-end luxury watch, but the company's slots for several upcoming major music variety shows were also being blocked by the platforms on the grounds that they "needed re-evaluation."

All of it was because of that one guitar.

He watched as Lu Zhixian was surrounded like a moon by the stars—those tycoons he only dreamed of currying favor with.

He suddenly stood up, picked up his wine glass, and attempted to walk toward the front row.

Even if just to make his face familiar or offer a toast, he had to try for it.

He had only taken two steps.

Two burly security personnel in black suits and headsets stepped in directly, arms extended, firmly blocking his path.

"Sorry, Mr. Shen," the security guard said expressionlessly.

Several third-tier artists nearby turned their heads to watch the scene.

Shen Yihang's face instantly turned bright red.

He stood there, his hand holding the wine glass frozen in mid-air, unable to move forward or back.

In the end, he could only grit his teeth and retreat to the corner in embarrassment under the gazes of others.

Eight o'clock sharp.

The lights in the venue dimmed, and the large stage screen lit up.

The Penguin Music Annual Gala officially began.

The three-hour process was an ordeal for most, but tonight there was only one protagonist.

Nine o'clock.

The award presenter on stage opened the envelope.

"The winner of this year's Best Lyricist is—'the brightest star in the night sky', Lu Zhixian!"

Lu Zhixian stood up and walked toward the stage amidst applause. He took the trophy, and his acceptance speech was only one sentence.

"Thank you, I will continue to write."

Nine-thirty.

"The winner of this year's Best Composer is—'the rose in the palm', Lu Zhixian!"

The entire audience stood up to applaud.

Ten-fifteen.

"The winner of this year's Most Influential Producer is—Lu Zhixian!"

By the time Lu Zhixian walked off the stage for the third time, no one in the venue was sitting anymore.

All the stars, singers, and behind-the-scenes producers, regardless of what they thought in their hearts, had to stand and applaud at this moment.

Sweeping the awards like this was an absolute crushing display of strength.

Ten-forty-five in the evening.

The last few major awards had been presented. The presenters left the stage.

The chatter in the venue gradually quieted down.

Everyone knew that there was one final segment left on the schedule.

The male host walked to the center of the stage.

He held the microphone, his hand trembling slightly.

In his ten-year hosting career, this was the first time he felt such an intense sense of pressure.

He glanced toward the head table and took a deep breath.

"Everyone."

The host's voice echoed through the entire stadium through the top-tier sound system as he directly raised his volume.

"Next!"

"Let us leave the time for tonight's one and only!"

"Grand finale god-tier live performance!"

The moment the words fell.

*Snap.*

Hundreds of stage lights throughout the venue were cut off at the exact same second.

The entire stadium plunged into darkness.