Chapter 26: "Little Luck" Becomes a Hit

After dinner, Yu Zhile chatted with Yang Bing for about an hour. Once Yang Bing had his moment of clarity, he needed to hurry back and work on his show proposal, and Yu Zhile also needed to return home, so Yang Bing didn’t linger.

"Let’s get together again sometime!" Yang Bing was in high spirits tonight; after such an in-depth conversation with Yu Zhile, he felt even more confident about revising the show’s proposal.

Suddenly, Yu Zhile thought of something and said, "If my wife ends up winning the audience revival vote, I might need to trouble you again to sneak me into the live recording."

"No problem!" Yang Bing agreed readily, then added, "But we still don’t know if the show’s producers will introduce the audience revival segment."

"They will," Yu Zhile replied with certainty. "As soon as the episode airs tomorrow night, they’ll realize that my wife’s failure to dethrone the established stars will be a huge loss in terms of audience engagement and buzz. Unless they don’t care about ratings and online attention, they’ll definitely add a revival segment!"

"Let’s hope so!" Yang Bing nodded. "I’ll go back and write up the proposal. Once I perfect the voting and revival segments and submit them, we’ll see what happens!"

"Alright, that’s it for today. Next time, we’ll get together again!" With that, Yu Zhile and Yang Bing parted ways, and Yu Zhile drove home.

Half an hour later, Yu Zhile returned to his house. The first thing he saw was his mother and his wife sitting across from each other in the living room, watching over the baby practicing crawling on a soft mat.

Lately, their little one had become an expert crawler. Yu Zhile and his wife didn’t even dare let the baby sleep on their big bed anymore, worried that she’d wake up and tumble off while crawling around.

"Ladies, I’m home!" Yu Zhile waved. "Honey, come over here for a moment!"

Qin Haiyu glanced up. "What is it?"

"Come smell me and see if you can detect any trace of alcohol or perfume from another woman!"

"How childish!" Qin Haiyu rolled her eyes, as though she truly suspected her husband of sneaking off to meet a female classmate.

Yu Zhile just grinned and went to sit cross-legged on the floor, joining his mother and wife in playing with the baby. After a bit of rest, he went to shower and get ready for bed.

That night, his mother took over the task of caring for her granddaughter, giving her son and daughter-in-law a chance to catch up on sleep during the National Day holiday.

The next evening.

This week’s episode of "I Am a Singer" began airing. Yu Zhile tuned in on time to Dongfang TV to watch the show. His mother was well aware that her daughter-in-law was a singer and a celebrity, just as she had long since known that her son was a famous writer—the boy had stopped asking for living expenses from his parents as early as his sophomore year in college and had even sent money home regularly.

At first, the idea of their son dating a celebrity singer had not sat well with the family. After all, public opinion about celebrities tended to be less than favorable. But once they got to know Qin Haiyu and her family background and character, they grew fond of this daughter-in-law.

Watching television, his mother suddenly complained, "You two are something else! You hardly have time to rest with the baby, and now you're off participating in TV shows!"

Qin Haiyu huffed, "Exactly! It’s all his fault. He insisted I join this show. Mom, you should punish him!"

Slap!

His mother gave her son a playful smack on the thigh, making Qin Haiyu burst out laughing in schadenfreude.

Yu Zhile sighed helplessly, "Fine, I admit it, this time it really was my fault!"

Qin Haiyu giggled and tattled, "Mom, see? The moment you’re here, he behaves. When you’re not around, he bullies me all the time!"

"Deserves another smack!" His mother slapped his thigh again. Seeing his wife’s mischievous grin and crescent-shaped eyes, Yu Zhile silently plotted how he’d "teach her a lesson" tonight.

To think she’d join forces with his mother and tease him! This was too much. Tonight, she would have to pay.

Once the loving family banter subsided, the whole family—except for the ever-active baby—turned their attention to "I Am a Singer."

During this episode, Yu Zhile had only witnessed his wife’s performance live, so he had no idea how the other seven singers had fared.

Now, watching the broadcast, he became even more convinced that the voting was based on popularity and star power rather than actual vocal ability.

For example, the first male singer to perform, Zhang Qingsong, was neither good-looking nor popular. Even though he’d performed well for two consecutive episodes, he still ended up in last place. Meanwhile, others who were clearly less impressive received high numbers of votes.

Take, for instance, Mr. Fan Di, who had faltered in the last episode and came second to last. This week, he made a dramatic comeback to fourth place. It wasn’t that he sang particularly well this time, but rather that, after Mr. Wu, he was the most influential and established singer on stage.

Then there was Chen Yuzhong, who topped the votes, drawing even more criticism. He was a young idol who had become extremely popular in recent years. Most of the show’s ratings and online buzz were thanks to him and another female singer named Ye Fei; as a result, neither of them ever landed at the bottom, and even if a challenger succeeded, neither would be eliminated.

The greatest controversy, however, surrounded Mr. Wu. As an industry veteran, his influence and musical achievements were unparalleled among the contestants. But time waits for no one. Approaching his sixtieth year, his vocal abilities had noticeably declined, and his voice had acquired a distinct old-age timbre. Most viewers found his singing lackluster, yet because of his stature, the judges consistently gave him glowing reviews and high scores.

This led many viewers to criticize the show for valuing popularity and influence over actual singing ability.

Watching the program, Yu Zhile remarked, "Mr. Wu is better suited as a judge or mentor. He truly lacks the stamina for on-stage competition."

Qin Haiyu nodded, "Maybe that’s why he announced his retirement from the stage and let me advance."

Yu Zhile continued, "This season of ‘I Am a Singer’ just isn’t up to par—the judges aren’t good, the lineup is weak. Making veteran singers compete against pretty-boy idols is just about the dumbest idea! Chen Yuzhong’s vocal skills are mediocre and his voice is generic. Maybe inviting him boosted ratings and online traffic, but bringing in someone with fame but no outstanding talent only makes the show look worse."

Qin Haiyu teased, "Honey, you really have it in for him! From the first episode till now, you complain about him every time!"

Huh… So before I transmigrated here, the old me used to criticize him a lot.

Yu Zhile smiled, "I judge by skill, not by person. He really is the least worth watching of all the singers."

"But his popularity is through the roof," Qin Haiyu replied. "Otherwise, the producers wouldn’t have invited him. Each episode, he and Ye Fei are the hottest topics, so even if his singing is mediocre, he’ll keep getting invited to music shows."

Yu Zhile shrugged, "Singers like him are shooting stars—they burn out in a few years."

Qin Haiyu suddenly asked, "Husband, are you talking about me?"

Yu Zhile quickly clarified, "No, no! My wife’s vocal skills are superb and her voice is unique—how could she be a shooting star?"

"Well, well! The legendary triple denial!" Qin Haiyu feigned indignation and whined, "Mom, look at him, he’s picking on me again!"

His mother, carrying her granddaughter, shook her head as she walked back to her room. "I can’t bear to watch!"

Yu Zhile grinned, "Hear that? Even Mom can’t stand you!"

A voice drifted back, "I was talking about you! Stop stirring up trouble between us!"

Qin Haiyu burst out laughing, then reached over to pat Yu Zhile’s head in mock pity. "Poor husband, there, there, don’t cry."

Yu Zhile chuckled, leaning in to whisper in her ear, "Drama queen, just wait till tonight—I’ll teach you a lesson!"

Qin Haiyu’s eyes grew wide, pleading for mercy as if to say she’d already learned her lesson.

Half an hour later, when Qin Haiyu came out from her bath, Yu Zhile reminded her, "Honey, ‘Little Luck’ is starting to take off!"