Chapter 135: Chasing Dreams in Show Business (Double Episode)

The tremendous success of Beijing Welcomes You not only drew more attention to the upcoming Winter Olympics, but also significantly elevated Zhou Miao's personal reputation.

Regardless of how anyone looked at it, Zhou Miao was now a state-backed music producer, placing him leaps and bounds ahead of other music producers in terms of prestige and status.

Striking while the iron was hot, Zhou Miao finished recording the songs he had performed on Setting Out for Love and released them online, announcing that all proceeds from this mini-album would be entirely donated to charity.

This initiative vastly improved his public image among ordinary listeners.

The only thing that left Zhou Miao dissatisfied was how increasingly unbridled his fans were becoming on the internet.

Their noses were practically stuck up in the air, radiating an intense sense of superiority no matter which celebrity's fandom they were conversing with.

"Oh, your precious little idol released a new song too? The quality is a bit lacking, though. Why didn't you ask my Brother Miao to write a song for him? It's not even that expensive, just five million per track—oh wait, it must have gone up to ten million by now."

"This album by XX is a bit trashy, not a single track is worth listening to. How do they even have the nerve to sell it for twenty-five? My Brother Miao's two legendary albums only sold for twenty!"

"It's not that I'm targeting anyone in particular, I just want to say that these singers in the Mandopop scene—one and all—are absolute trash compared to my Brother Miao!"

Upon seeing this particular comment, Zhou Miao could no longer hold back. Gritting his teeth, he replied: "My foot!"

He finally understood: anti-fans merely wanted him driven out of the entertainment industry, but these blockheaded fans of his were actively trying to get him killed!

The spectacle of an idol personally descending into the comment section to rage at his fans instantly attracted a crowd of curious netizens.

The fan scolded by Zhou Miao felt deeply aggrieved: "I didn't say anything wrong. Why are you yelling at me, Brother Miao?"

Zhou Miao was rendered utterly speechless. He realized he could no longer let this behavior go unchecked, or else he would sooner or time be dragged to his death by this group of fans.

When Zhou Miao first debuted, his image as a gifted musical prodigy was widely embraced by the general public. However, as he grew more famous and his fanbase expanded, his public rapport paradoxically worsened.

Everyone acknowledged that Zhou Miao was indeed a rare, once-in-a-generation singer-songwriter, but his fans hyped him up as if he were a deity, constantly using him to belittle other artists—surely that was going too far.

By now, Zhou Miao's fandom had become a universally loathed cancer within the fan community, and the staggering number of anti-fans he possessed in the entertainment industry was entirely thanks to his dedicated followers!

Zhou Miao instructed Yang Xiaoya: "Contact the president of the fan club and have our staff added as administrators to all the fan group chats."

"We really need to rein in the things these fans are saying. From now on, anyone who refuses to mend their ways after repeated warnings should be directly kicked out of the group and stripped of their fandom status."

Hearing this, Yang Xiaoya looked somewhat troubled: "That might not be a good idea, right? The ones who get kicked out might turn into anti-fans out of spite."

With a deadpan expression, Zhou Miao asked, "How are they any different from anti-fans right now?"

Since Zhou Miao had put it that way, Yang Xiaoya had no choice but to comply. Still, she couldn't help feeling that Zhou Miao was being excessively harsh on his own fans, though she had to admit those fans certainly deserved a scolding.

After Yang Xiaoya left, Zhou Miao rubbed his temples in exhaustion. He had been so relentlessly busy lately that he hadn't even returned home, eating and living exclusively at the company office. Now, the work was finally finished.

Zhou Miao decided to treat himself to a well-deserved extended vacation. To hell with work; the man was going to rest!

Upon returning home and opening the door, Zhou Miao found Naitang squatting right on the entryway shoe cabinet. The moment it saw him return, it leaped onto his shoulders and began frantically rubbing against his face.

Feeling a pang of heartache, Zhou Miao stroked the cat affectionately. Although Hu San came over every day to refill its cat food while he was away, staying home alone for long stretches still made the feline deeply lonely.

"Good kitty, I'll find you a companion another day."

To make up for it, Zhou Miao personally cooked its favorite chicken breast.

Just as the man and cat were sharing this tender moment, a third wheel intruded.

Hu San opened the door and, upon seeing that Zhou Miao was back, asked with pleasant surprise, "You're done with your busy work?"

Zhou Miao nodded. "Done. From here on out, I'm going to sleep for a solid three days. Nothing anyone says will work!"

"Sleep, sleep, sleep—come with me to watch a movie later," Hu San said in an unarguable tone.

"Oh."

Since Lord Hu had spoken, could Zhou Miao possibly say no?

Hu San retrieved a cap and a face mask from the wardrobe for Zhou Miao to wear, saying, "During the time you were busy, Zhao Li and I both passed our Subject Four driving tests."

"Huh? Why didn't you wait for me?" Zhou Miao was slightly displeased. He had been far too busy previously to even attend his Subject Two test, and he hadn't expected these two young women to secretly finish all their tests behind his back.

"I originally wanted to wait for you, but Zhao Li wanted to hit the road early and dragged me to take the exam. We both passed Subject Two and Subject Three on our first try! Impressive, right?" Hu San made a triumphant victory sign.

Zhou Miao curled his lips. "Passing on the first try? Anyone with hands can do that."

Hu San pinched his nose. "Fine, we'll see how many tries it takes you!"

Fully equipped, the two of them stepped outside. Zhou Miao asked, "What movie are we watching later?"

Hu San smiled with a mysterious air. "There's a particularly great comedy currently playing in theaters, and its box office is about to break a billion. You even have a cameo in it."

Zhou Miao was utterly baffled. "My cameo? When did I ever shoot a movie? How come I didn't even know about it?"

Question marks were practically spilling out of Zhou Miao's stomach, yet Hu San stubbornly kept her lips sealed, refusing to spoil the surprise.

Arriving at the cinema, Hu San purchased two tickets. Zhou Miao took them and glanced at the title: Goodbye Mr. Loser?

"What kind of lousy title is that? Sounds like a total flop just hearing it."

Hu San made a shushing gesture. "You'll know if it's good once we're inside."

Hu San's secretive demeanor only fueled Zhou Miao's curiosity, but every time he pulled out his phone to search for it, Hu San would cup his head and rub against him playfully, deliberately acting as a disruption.

Left with no choice, Zhou Miao could only wait quietly for the movie to begin.

Half an hour later, ticket checking commenced. Because it was a weekday afternoon, the auditorium wasn't very crowded; aside from Zhou Miao and Hu San, there were only seven or eight other viewers scattered loosely across the corners of the theater.

Hu San scanned her surroundings, and making sure no one could see them, she pulled down Zhou Miao's mask just a fraction and personally fed him popcorn.

Noticing her mischievous expression, Zhou Miao asked, "Tell me the truth, have you already seen this movie?"

Hu San readily nodded and confessed, "I watched it with Zhao Li last week, but I felt it was absolutely necessary for you to see it too."

Zhou Miao stopped asking questions; once the film started, he would find out what was going on.

At that moment, the theater lights plunged into darkness, the advertisements on the giant screen finally concluded, and the movie officially began.

At the opening of Goodbye Mr. Loser, nearly thirty and still unemployed freeloader Bi Feizhi sneaked off to attend the wedding of Qiuya, the goddess he had secretly loved back in high school, without his wife Ma Shimei knowing.

For this single day, he had deliberately purchased a brand-name suit and generously squandered years of Ma Shimei's savings on a massive cash wedding gift.

Seeing this, Zhou Miao couldn't help asking, "Wasn't this movie originally called Bi Feizhi's Great Troubles?"

Hu San looked slightly bewildered by the question. "No, it wasn't. Why would you ask that?"

"Nothing..."

The subsequent plot unfolded precisely as Zhou Miao had anticipated. Ma Shimei stormed into the wedding, tearing Bi Feizhi's painstakingly constructed persona of a successful elite to absolute shreds.

Having become the laughingstock of everyone present, he fled in mortification to hide in the hotel restroom. When he finally emerged, the world had changed!

He had actually traveled back to his high school days!

At first, he thought it was all a dream, recklessly doing all the things he had wanted to do in the past but never dared.

Kissing Qiuya, beating up a teacher, setting fire to the classroom—only after he finished indulging himself, jumped from the teaching building, and broke his leg did he realize this was no dream!

The heavens had genuinely given him a second chance at life!

Returning home, he frantically tore through his family's CD collection.

"Park Shuo... he hasn't blown up yet. Wang Leehom, he debuts next year. Who else was an absolute musical powerhouse back then?"

Suddenly, Bi Feizhi gave himself a gentle slap to the face. "How could I have forgotten about that cheat code Zhou Miao! He hasn't even been born yet!"

"Hahahaha! I'm finally going to be famous!"

Unable to contain his excitement, Bi Feizhi grabbed his guitar and strummed while singing: "Remember you said home is the only castle, running along with the rushing river of rice fragrance..."

Witnessing this scene, Zhou Miao's brain short-circuited.

Meanwhile, Hu San, having anticipated this reaction, suppressed her laughter and recorded the moment with her phone.

The subsequent plot did not diverge much from the original. Bi Feizhi became an overnight sensation in the school broadcast room with the song The Brightest Star in the Night Sky!

Immediately following that, Bi Feizhi represented the school in the youth singer competition, clinching third place with a stellar performance of Nunchucks.

Bi Feizhi's reputation as a genius musical prodigy spread far and wide. From then on, his musical journey was smooth sailing; he even appeared on the Spring Festival Gala alongside a heavenly queen, and his song The Wind Blows the Wheat Fields swept through every household.

His debut solo album, Listen Up, shattered the ten-million sales mark, directly breaking the Mandopop record for album sales!

With his peerless creative talent, he conquered the entire Asia and was hailed as the new generation's Heavenly King of the music scene.

At the same time, he won the heart of the beauty, marrying the goddess Qiuya and living a happy ever after.

Until that one day, when he saw a handsome teenager being chased up a tree by a dog on a reality show called Transformation.

Bi Feizhi jolted awake in terror. He realized he was rapidly catching up to the era preceding his rebirth.

By then, stripped of his memory advantage, his true colors would inevitably be exposed, and the mere existence of Zhou Miao filled him with dread—a terror born from the guilty conscience of a pathetic thief.

Fearing he would be surpassed by Zhou Miao, Bi Feizhi used overwhelmingly generous terms to sign Zhou Miao to his own company, only to mercilessly freeze him out!

Realizing Bi Feizhi harbored malicious intent toward him, Zhou Miao flew into a rage and started a shouting match with him, ultimately resulting in the two of them brawling right in the middle of the street.

Afterward, during a news interview, Zhou Miao put on a melancholic expression and said, "For some reason, I always feel like I've been living in Bi Feizhi's shadow..."

"Hahaha~" The audience in the theater couldn't help bursting into laughter at this segment.

Yet Zhou Miao couldn't laugh at all. From the very start of the film, his emotions had been immensely complex.

This movie, bearing a ninety-percent similarity to his past life's Goodbye Mr. Loser, had coincidentally laid bare the deepest secret hidden within his heart.

The film's ending concluded just like in his past life: Bi Feizhi died of a terminal illness, only to wake up and discover it had all been one long dream.

For Bi Feizhi, the dream allowed him to achieve complete enlightenment, and waking up was undoubtedly a form of rebirth.

But for Zhou Miao, if everything he currently experienced was likewise an extended, beautiful dream, then waking up would mark the true beginning of a nightmare.

He had grown sick of speaking in a fragile, half-life whisper; he was sick of the warning chimes of heart rate monitors; he was sick of having to protect his heart even while simply walking down the street.

If this was a dream, please, do not let him wake up.

Hu San nudged the dazed Zhou Miao. "What's wrong? Why does your complexion look so awful?"

Zhou Miao snapped back to reality, realizing the movie had already ended and the other viewers were filing out.

"It's nothing, just a bit tired."

Zhou Miao had clearly been acting unusual all evening; watching such a hilarious film, he hadn't cracked a single smile the entire time.

Still, Hu San simply assumed his threshold for comedy was high, compounded by severe fatigue.

"Then let's head back early so you can rest." She was already deeply content just being able to watch a movie alongside Zhou Miao.

"Mhm."

On the walk back, Hu San looked at the distracted Zhou Miao and intentionally prompted, "Do you remember what day today is?"

Zhou Miao paused for a moment. Today? Suddenly, he slapped his forehead hard. "Ah! I remember now—today is your birthday! Oh no, how could I have forgotten this!"

Embracing Hu San apologetically, Zhou Miao said, "I'm sorry, I forgot to prepare a gift for you. Tell me whatever you want, and I'll go buy it right now."

Hu San smiled. "Just having you accompany me to a movie makes me happy enough. We haven't even properly been on a movie date since we made our relationship official."

Feeling a wave of self-reproach, Zhou Miao pulled Hu San tightly into his arms. "I'm sorry."

"If you really feel sorry, spend more time accompanying me from now on," Hu San said, pressing her cheek against his chest.

"Okay."

Upon returning home, an overwhelmingly drowsy Zhou Miao went straight to wash up and prepare for bed.

Meanwhile, Hu San posted the short video she had recorded at the theater onto Weibo, which rapidly drew thousands of replies.

"Hahaha~ Brother Miao's expression is completely frozen."

"Is Zhou Miao feeling a cold draft on his scalp? Bi Feizhi practically targeted him alone in that movie, shearing him until he's almost bald."

"Can't be helped, who told Zhou Miao to hoard all the good songs? If they don't fleece him, who else are they going to fleece?"

"Sometimes I really suspect Zhou Miao is a time traveler; his creative capability feels simply unbelievable."

...

"Wake up, get up and eat." A voice, both unfamiliar and familiar, echoed by his ear.

Zhou Miao opened his heavy, sleep-laden eyes to find a middle-aged woman with graying hair and an apron standing beside his bed.

"Go a little slower, don't make any sudden movements. Take your medicine first once you're up..." the woman chattered on with lingering instructions.

Witnessing everything before him, Zhou Miao's eyes dilated with a growing terror. His chest heaved violently, and the heart rate monitor strapped to his arm began emitting a harsh, piercing alarm.

"No, this isn't real! It's impossible! This is impossible!"

Bang!

Zhou Miao snapped his eyes wide open, jolting awake from the nightmare. He gasped heavily for air, his entire body drenched in cold sweat.

Beside him, Hu San was sleeping soundly. Zhou Miao pinched himself hard, the sharp pain finally allowing him to release a long breath of relief.

Quietly slipping out of bed and into the bathroom, Zhou Miao filled the sink with water and submerged his entire head beneath the surface.

At that moment, the steady thumping of his heartbeat was clearly audible—proof that he was still healthily alive.

He lifted his head, water droplets streaming continuously down his cheeks. As Zhou Miao stared at his own reflection in the mirror, he suddenly realized this scene was identical to the moment in the movie when Xiaoluo hid in the hotel bathroom before his time travel.

His gaze shifted to the bathroom door. Once he opened it, what would be waiting for him on the other side?

Zhou Miao gripped the doorknob and slowly pulled it open, a blinding white light streaming in from the outside.