Chapter 58: Lin Chuan's Troubles (Second Update)

The recording of the theme song went smoothly and was completed successfully in just two days. At the same time, the other song Lin Chuan had brought, "Farewell Poem," also caught the eye of Director Chen, who decided to take both songs and keep them all together. With this turn of events, Lin Chuan received more than just the initial two hundred thousand—Director Chen, in a generous gesture, handed over a bank card containing three hundred and fifty thousand.

Moreover, he promised that for the theme of his next drama series, he would collaborate with Lin Chuan again.

Holding the bank card in his hand, Lin Chuan began to plan how to change his and his son's current living conditions. Yet he had no idea that the internet was already in an uproar.

In the previous two seasons of "One Song to Fame," during the final round, contestants were allowed to invite guest singers to perform with them. Not only could this increase their popularity, but it could also help garner votes.

At this crucial stage, popularity became especially important, for the champion would be determined by a collective national audience vote. Thus, the choice of guest singer was a matter of great caution.

This, too, was a strategy by the producers to boost ratings.

Lin Chuan, who usually had few friends and knew no celebrities, found this to be a significant obstacle. If he failed to find someone to perform with him by the day of the final, it wouldn’t be impossible to compete alone—but in terms of popularity, Huang Quan would leave him far behind.

At the same time, rumors broke out online: Huang Quan had recently been in close contact with an established singer from Hong Kong, sparking speculation that this veteran might be the guest performer he had secured.

As soon as this news spread, many people began to guess the singer's identity. Eventually, someone even produced concrete evidence, revealing the singer’s name.

Dong Kai, a well-known singer from Hong Kong, had once achieved nationwide fame with the song "Sky." He later released several hit songs that were wildly popular with fans, winning numerous music awards and becoming one of the most influential singers of his time.

In recent years, Dong Kai had gradually withdrawn from the music scene, moving behind the scenes to write songs for stars such as Liu Qian, Feng Yang, and Ma Tianhui.

Reportedly, Dong Kai intended to enter the film industry and make a film of his own.

Some of this information was true, some invented by netizens, but it all pointed to one thing: this man was a big deal.

If Huang Quan really managed to bring such a figure out of retirement, it would pose a tremendous threat to Lin Chuan.

…

Unaware of these developments, Lin Chuan was at home having dinner with his son, but that didn’t mean his fans were oblivious to what was happening.

On the contrary, Ding Min, the president of Lin Chuan’s fan club, was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, sitting in front of her computer, constantly searching through the profiles of famous singers.

With only five days left until the finals, time was running out. Yet there was still no news about Lin Chuan finding a guest singer.

If things continued like this, it would be as if Lin Chuan were handing over the championship on a silver platter.

Suddenly, a message appeared in the chat group. Ding Min opened it to see a fan asking, "President, has Brother Chuan found anyone yet?"

Ding Min frowned slightly and quickly replied, "No, there hasn’t been any news online."

"Sigh, Huang Quan has already brought out Dong Kai—why does it seem like Brother Chuan isn’t worried at all?"

"Exactly. Is he really going to perform solo? That would be such a disadvantage…" chimed in another fan.

As she watched the lively discussion in the group, Ding Min’s brow knit ever tighter.

Early that morning, Lin Chuan, as usual, took his son to kindergarten.

On the way back, he chose not to take the bus, deciding instead to walk and contemplate some things. Lately, he had been under tremendous pressure, mainly due to the upcoming finals just days away.

With the competition drawing ever closer, he still hadn’t found anyone to perform with him. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to—he simply had no one to ask.

His circle of friends was small; people like Yuan Ye and Wang Yue were not even in the industry. As for Li Rong and the rock musician, their popularity was even lower than his own.

Inviting them would hardly be better than performing solo.

Meanwhile, Huang Quan was making waves online, gracing the headlines almost daily. Especially in the past few days, the news about Dong Kai as his guest singer had been confirmed, just as most netizens had speculated—Dong Kai was indeed there to help Huang Quan win the championship.

This explosive news shocked everyone, Lin Chuan included. The fact that Huang Quan could convince Dong Kai to come out of retirement was no small feat.

When Dong Kai had retired from performing, he had said he might never take to the stage again, preferring the life behind the scenes.

Yet only a few years later, he was making a comeback for a talent show contestant?

What intrigued people even more was that Huang Quan himself was an unknown, with no background or dazzling history. Many had tried to dig up information about him—even several media outlets had wasted resources in the attempt—but all had come up empty. On the surface, Huang Quan seemed utterly ordinary, so unremarkable that no one would look at him twice on the street.

Yet this ordinary man had managed to bring Dong Kai out of retirement? That was curious indeed. Suddenly, Huang Quan, with his low-key manner and unassuming lifestyle, was shrouded in an air of mystery.

“Sigh!” Lin Chuan let out a long breath.

He glanced at the cars roaring past on the road, kicking up clouds of dust.

Frowning, Lin Chuan moved further in from the edge. Just then, a Santana sedan suddenly pulled up beside him.

Three young men, their hair dyed in garish colors, got out of the car one after another.

With mocking smiles on their faces, they approached Lin Chuan and stood there, lounging about and surveying him from head to toe.

Lin Chuan didn’t know them, but they seemed vaguely familiar.

Most importantly, he remembered that after the semifinal a few days ago, Wang Yue and the others had been late because they’d been forced into a car by some thuggish-looking men. Could these be the same guys?

Lin Chuan couldn’t be sure, but if Wang Yue or Tang Qinru were here, they would definitely recognize them as the very gang who had forced them and Lin Yiyang into a car on the night of the semifinals.

“So, you’re Lin Chuan?” one of the men said, eyeing him with a playful look.

Lin Chuan’s expression changed as he asked warily, “Who are you?”

“Heh, get in the car. Someone wants to see you—you’ll know who we are when you get there.” The man with yellow hair waved his hand, and the other two, also sporting brightly dyed hair, came over grinning, each grabbing one of Lin Chuan’s arms and leading him to the Santana.

Lin Chuan didn’t resist or struggle. Not only were they outnumbered, but fighting back would be futile. More importantly, Lin Chuan also wanted to see just who was hiding behind the scenes.

The Santana turned around and sped off down the road.

No one spoke during the drive, and the atmosphere inside the car was heavy.

Lin Chuan sat in the back, expressionless, watching the scenery outside the window, silently memorizing the route and any distinctive landmarks they passed.

No matter what, it was wise to be cautious—what if these men really intended to kidnap him?

After nearly an hour, they finally arrived in a deserted area on the outskirts of the city. All around were open lots, with the occasional dilapidated factory building. Waist-high wild grass grew in tangled clumps, as if no one had been here in ages.

At this point, Lin Chuan began to feel a faint unease—why bring him to such a godforsaken place? Even if someone wanted to meet him, surely it didn’t have to be here.

Was it really a kidnapping? Or worse? Countless thoughts ran through Lin Chuan’s mind.

Sensing his anxiety, the yellow-haired man in the passenger seat turned slightly and said with a smile, “Don’t worry, we’re almost there.”

“Who are you people? Why bring me here? What do you want?” Lin Chuan asked with a deep frown.

“I told you, you’ll see when we get there. Relax, you’re not worth much these days—there’s no point in kidnapping you. We’re just here to let you meet someone,” the man replied with a mocking grin.

Lin Chuan fell silent—it was pointless to keep pressing them. They weren’t going to tell him anything. In that case, he could only adopt a ‘wait and see’ attitude and deal with whatever was about to happen.

After another twenty minutes or so, a red-brick factory building appeared ahead. Unlike the others, this one, though old and rundown, had a spotless yard outside the main gate, free of weeds or debris.

Two cars were parked outside—one a red sports car that looked expensive, and the other a bulky vehicle Lin Chuan recognized as a Land Rover.

Would people who drove Land Rovers and sports cars really kidnap someone like him, who didn’t even own a Santana?

With that thought, Lin Chuan felt somewhat reassured.

The car stopped outside the factory, and Lin Chuan followed the thugs out.

Two of them went to the gates and, with some effort, pulled open the heavy iron doors. As the hinges screeched, the yellow-haired man led Lin Chuan inside.

The factory was vast, every sound echoing through the empty space.

A few high windows let sunlight stream in, dispelling some of the gloom, but it wasn’t enough to fully illuminate the enormous hall.