In the backstage corridor, the applause and cheers seemed ready to blow the ceiling off.

Just as Lu Zhixian pushed open the door to the lounge, he was met with a muffled "bang."

Confetti and streamers drifted down from the sky.

The manager, Chen Zifang, held a party popper, grinning from ear to ear. Beside her were Zhou Zhen, the CEO of Shengyue Culture, and the band teachers who had been incredibly hyped on stage just now.

"Teacher Lu, you're awesome!" The burly drummer came up for a bear hug, rubbing his sweat all over Lu Zhixian's white T-shirt.

"Easy, easy. This is my own performance outfit; if you ruin it, you'll have to compensate me." Lu Zhixian laughed and patted the man's back, handing over a bottle of room-temperature mineral water.

Lin Shiya walked behind, wiping the sweat from her neck with a towel. Seeing this scene, the corners of her mouth curved into a beautiful arc.

Zhou Zhen stepped forward and took the initiative to extend his hand. "Zhixian, tonight was truly a feast for the eyes and ears. I’ve been doing live music for so many years, and this version of 'the beach' can definitely rank in the top three domestically."

"President Zhou, you flatter me. It's because Teacher Lin warmed up the venue so well; I just went up and basked in her light." Lu Zhixian shook Zhou Zhen's hand, his response perfectly tactful.

"Alright, everyone, stop standing around backstage." Chen Zifang looked at her watch and called out loudly, "A private room has already been booked at Waika Private Kitchen. Tonight, we drink until we drop! President Zhou's treat!"

Amidst a wave of cheering, the large group set off grandly toward the celebration banquet.

In Magic City at one in the morning, the nightlife was only just beginning.

Inside the largest private room of Waika Private Kitchen, the atmosphere was steaming hot.

Lu Zhixian fully utilized the social butterfly attributes he had honed in his past life, holding a wine dispenser and moving effortlessly between the main and side tables.

"Teacher Zhang, that bass solo just now was explosive. I almost wanted to stop and applaud you. Come, I toast you with this glass."

"No, no, no, Teacher Lu, your arrangement is the true divine work. I'll finish this glass, you drink as you please!"

After a few rounds, Lu Zhixian showed no signs of intoxication; instead, he pushed the entire team's atmosphere to a climax.

Everyone had originally thought this suddenly famous genius would have some airs, but after a few drinks, they found this guy was even more down-to-earth than they were.

Lin Shiya sat at the main table, holding a glass of warm lemon water, quietly watching Lu Zhixian as he mingled with everyone.

The sharp, all-controlling aura he had on stage earlier was completely restrained. Now, he was like the boy next door, with a highly infectious smile.

"What are you looking at so intently?" Chen Zifang pulled out a chair and sat down beside her, her phone screen lit up.

"Nothing much, I just think he's quite interesting." Lin Shiya retracted her gaze and took a sip from her glass.

Chen Zifang pushed the phone in front of her. "He's not just interesting; he's currently the most sought-after person on the entire internet. Take a look at these trending searches."

Lin Shiya looked down.

Almost all of the top ten Weibo trending searches were dominated by the two of them.

#Lin Shiya Lu Zhixian God-tier 'the beach'#

#Lu Zhixian airport 10:30 Killing Blow#

#Lu Zhixian's Voice Kissed by an Angel#

Moreover, the tone under the tags was completely different from yesterday.

"I declare Lu Zhixian the strongest newcomer in the domestic entertainment industry. If you don't agree, keep it to yourself!"

"Who said he was leeching off her popularity just now? Come out and take your beating! This is clearly a powerful alliance!"

"Don't you guys think... their interaction on stage was so sweet? Especially the climax of the duet, it was amazing!"

"Person above, you're not alone! The CP fans have already created a Super Topic. The name is 'Zhi Shu Da Ya'!"

Lin Shiya froze for a moment, looking at those exaggerated CP names, and couldn't help but chuckle. "These netizens really have wild imaginations."

"Wild imaginations mean there's popularity. After these moves, not only has the negative public opinion online been swept away, but both of your fan counts are skyrocketing." Sister Chen said in a low voice, "In less than three hours, your Weibo gained 800,000 followers, and Lu Zhixian directly gained nearly two million. His latest album sales have already broken the five million mark. It's selling like crazy."

Just as they were speaking, Lu Zhixian walked over with his glass.

"Sister Chen, what are you chatting about so happily?"

"Talking about how you're now a top-tier star." Sister Chen smiled and pointed at the data online.

Lu Zhixian took a look and raised an eyebrow. "Zhi Shu Da Ya? This name is actually quite cultured."

"You sure are thick-skinned. Aren't you afraid of people saying you're hyping a CP?" Lin Shiya looked at him with her chin resting on one hand.

"The strength is right here, what's there to fear? If they want to ship us, let them. It's free traffic, might as well use it." Lu Zhixian sat down nonchalantly and poured himself a glass of water.

He turned to look at Lin Shiya, his tone becoming a bit more serious. "But seriously, thank you for standing up for me under such great pressure tonight."

He knew about Lin Shiya's toughly-worded lawyer's letter on Weibo during the day.

This Heavenly Queen seemed cold on the surface, but she was truly fierce when protecting her own.

"A god-tier arrangement in exchange for one Weibo post; I've made a profit." Lin Shiya replied nonchalantly, but there was a hint of genuine warmth in her eyes.

The celebration banquet continued until after three in the morning before breaking up.

The next morning, sunlight pierced through the hotel's floor-to-ceiling windows.

Lu Zhixian packed his simple suitcase and dragged it to the underground garage.

A black nanny van was already waiting there.

The car door opened, and Lin Shiya sat in the back row wearing a baseball cap and a mask.

"I'm troubled you to personally see me off to the airport. Why not catch up on some sleep?" Lu Zhixian handed his luggage to the driver and climbed into the car.

"I'm afraid you'll be blocked at the airport by fans. Last night, the fan groups in Magic City were already exploding. Sister Chen specifically arranged for the company car to take the VIP passage." Lin Shiya took off her mask; her bare face was still stunning.

The car drove smoothly out of the garage, heading towards Hongqiao Airport.

During the half-hour drive, the two didn't say much, but the atmosphere was unusually harmonious.

Arriving at the airport's internal VIP passage, Lu Zhixian pushed open the door and looked back at Lin Shiya in the car.

"I'm off."

"Yeah." Lin Shiya nodded, paused for two seconds, and called out to him, "Lu Zhixian."

"What is it?"

"Next time you hold your solo concert, remember to save a ticket for me." Her voice was very soft, yet carried clear anticipation.

Lu Zhixian smiled, a very bright smile that revealed a row of white teeth.

"How could one ticket be enough? At the very least, I have to save a guest spot for you."

With that, he gave a cool wave and turned to walk into the passage.

Lin Shiya watched his back disappear around the corner, put her mask back on, and said to the driver, "Let's go back to the company."

...

Five hours later, in Yanjing.

Lu Zhixian's studio.

Just as he pushed open the door, before he even had time to change his shoes, a thick report was slapped down in front of him.

The newly hired PR staff, Xiao Liu, was so excited his face was flushed red.

"Boss! You're completely viral! Our digital album sales have already topped seventy million, and the combined physical pre-orders have exceeded 300,000 copies. The factory is already working three shifts through the night to catch up!"

Old Zhao, who was in charge of business connections, also leaned in, holding a tablet and scrolling non-stop.

"On the charts of all major music platforms, six out of the top ten songs were written by you."

"Additionally, the endorsements, variety show invitations, and commercial performance offers that have come to our door these past two days... the inbox is about to explode! The offers are getting higher and higher; just that music variety show 'Sounds of Nature' offered a price of fifteen million for a permanent guest spot!"

Lu Zhixian pulled over a swivel chair and sat down, taking the tablet from Old Zhao and scanning it briefly.

The data was indeed frighteningly good.

"Reject them." He casually tossed out two words.

"Ah?" Old Zhao was stunned. "Reject them? Boss, this is a phenomenal music variety show, and they're offering so much..."

"Reject them all." Lu Zhixian tapped his fingers on the table, interrupting him.

"What would I do on those variety shows now? Show my face? Or follow a bunch of scripted mentors and act on stage?"

He stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

Echoing in his mind was the blood-boiling feeling of singing in front of tens of thousands of people last night.

That sense of reality standing in the center of the stage, using his voice to conquer tens of thousands of beating hearts.

"Old Zhao." Lu Zhixian turned around and said word by word.

"Go contact a venue for me."

Old Zhao was taken aback. "Contact what venue? For a fan signing?"

"A concert." Lu Zhixian laughed. "My solo concert."

The entire studio instantly fell silent.

Xiao Liu swallowed and whispered, "Boss... you've only been debuted for less than two months and released one album. Although your popularity is very high right now, isn't starting a solo concert directly a bit too big of a step? There's no such precedent in the industry..."

"Doesn't that mean there is one now?" Lu Zhixian was indifferent.

"But you're right, you can't get fat from one bite. There has to be a first time for everything."

He walked to the whiteboard, picked up a marker, and drew a heavy circle on it.

"We won't go for a stadium with tens of thousands of people first."

"Help me find a Livehouse or a small indoor stadium with a capacity of three thousand people. I want to hold a small concert for three thousand people."

"The time will be at the end of next month."

Old Zhao immediately opened his phone to start checking information. "There are about four venues in Yanjing that fit this scale. The more popular ones are Starlight Livehouse and the side hall of the Workers' Cultural Palace. But I have to remind you, Boss, with our current popularity across the internet, if we set up a venue for three thousand people... the tickets might be gone the second they're released. It'll be easy to get criticized."

"Getting criticized is better than having a performance fail."

Moreover.

Rarity increases value.

"Let's go with Starlight Livehouse." Lu Zhixian made the final decision.