Chapter 179: Are You Singling Me Out?

The hand that had been hidden inside the clothing was drawn out. Opening a white plastic bag with both hands, the person stepped forward, picked up a plate, and silently dumped everything in sight right into the plastic bag.

The meat dishes, the vegetable dishes, and even the greens used as a base under the meat were swept clean in an instant. The man moved with incredible speed, not giving anyone a chance to react or stop him.

By the time the three of them came to their senses, everything on the table and in the pot had been completely emptied out by the man.

"Hey, wait, we haven't finished eating yet!"

Sichaozhe stared with a bewildered expression at this inexplicable man.

He had initially thought the person was a waiter, but judging by his attire and bizarre behavior, he didn't look quite like a normal person...

Even the single piece of beef the man had just gripped between his chopsticks was not spared.

The moment Sichaozhe noticed the stranger's gaze fixed on the last piece of beef in his hand, he hurriedly shoved it into his mouth.

Unexpectedly, the man reached out to snatch it directly. As he got closer, Sichaozhe was hit by a foul stench emanating from him, resembling someone who had been sleeping in a garbage bin for several years.

Suffocated by the odor, Sichaozhe quickly let go of his hand.

"Take it, take it! Fine, you win! Chemical weapon attack, ugh!"

After snatching the chopsticks, the man not only shoved the beef into his mouth and devoured it, but he even licked the chopsticks clean before handing them back to Sichaozhe.

Sichaozhe: What a wonderfully kind person you are...

Having cleared out Sichaozhe's side of the table, the man raised his eyes and locked onto the beef ball held by Lin Yu's chopsticks.

It looked exceptionally appetizing—springy, bouncy, and bursting with juice!

The man swallowed hard, pointing at Lin Yu while making babbling noises.

Like a toddler learning to speak, Lin Yu assessed his condition and guessed that the man probably had some mental disability.

Otherwise, what sane person would just waltz into a restaurant to snatch food, and not even spare what was right next to someone's mouth?

Reminded of the couple he had encountered on the road that afternoon, Lin Yu felt a pang of pity. He scalded a new tendon beef ball in the broth, placed it in a small bowl, and handed it to the man.

"Let's share."

The man seemed to understand. He babbled incoherently while making clumsy gestures toward Lin Yu, and it was evident that he was trying his best to express his gratitude with his limited intelligence.

Sichaozhe turned to stone at this sight.

No way...

You brazenly and forcefully robbed me without a word, yet if you wanted to eat, you could have babbled at me too, hey!!

I am a top-tier idol, after all—a very generous top-tier idol!

...

With their stomachs full, the three of them met up with the driver uncle and headed back to the hotel's underground parking garage. Sichaozhe and Wang Fei walked in front.

They looked around left and right, confirming it was safe.

Lin Yu followed behind with his arms crossed, still thoroughly enjoying the show.

Sigh~

Nothing can be done; with neither the boss nor the managers around, days when no one bothers you are just wonderful~

Confirming that the coast was clear, the three of them returned to their respective rooms.

Eleven o'clock.

Sister A and Brother Jun converged. With a single exchange of glances, each headed toward the door of their respective artist's room.

They knocked on the door, but received no response!

They called, but the calls went unanswered!

Because they had changed hotels, the manager had not provided them with room keys.

Standing back outside the room doors, Brother Jun frowned and questioned: "Have these two blockheads actually learned counter-reconnaissance?"

What?

Blockheads?!

Sister A certainly did not like hearing that word.

Her Ah Zhe was someone only she was allowed to scold and bully!

"Who are you calling blockheads?"

Brother Jun shot her a sideways glance. "Everyone knows who we're talking about."

Sister A's face darkened. "Are you implying that my Ah Zhe is the one who corrupted your manager?"

"You said that yourself, I had nothing to do with it."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I should be asking you that."

"Are you out of your mind or something?"

"Whoever answers is out of their mind."

"Get your lawyer's letter ready."

"What, are you going to sue me for defamation?"

"You really reap what you sow with artists like that."

Sister A completely snapped, baring her teeth as she demanded: "What do you mean by that?!"

"I'm asking you what you mean!"

The noise and commotion in the corridor grew louder and louder.

There were even sounds of crashing and banging.

Could they actually be about to start a physical fight?!

The two artists, who had been peeking out from behind their respective doors to watch the drama, thought to themselves.

This is bad!

If we don't stop them now, it's going to end in disaster!

If these two keep arguing like this, something serious is bound to happen!

Both doors swung open simultaneously, and each artist grabbed their own manager by the arm!

"Stop fighting already! You aren't going to beat each other to death like this!"

"Everyone, calm down!"

"Finally willing to come out?"

Both managers were holding rolling pins in one hand.

Evil, devilish smiles hung on the corners of their mouths.

"Thought you could hide?"

"Keep hiding then."

Seeing the triumphant, cunning smiles on the faces of the two managers, the two fellows finally realized.

They had fallen into a trap!

Oh no.

Run!

"Want to run?!"

Sister A extended a hand, grabbing Sichaozhe backward by his collar.

Mercilessly, she dragged him back into the room...

As the door slammed shut:

"Aaaaahhhhh!!"

The sounds of slaughtered pigs echoed once more!

"Add four more hours of vocal practice."

Brother Jun glanced sidelong at Wang Fei.

He shoved the rolling pin from his hand straight into Wang Fei's grip.

"No stopping allowed throughout the whole session, or else don't blame me for showing no mercy."

Wang Fei: ?????

Oh, fabulous.

You people are inhuman, aren't you!!

...

After finishing his wash-up, Lin Yu gave Ji Ya a brief report on today's schedule.

Then he lay down on the bed, preparing to scroll through short videos.

Suddenly, the sounds of a slaughtered pig and increasingly hoarse vocal training drifted in from the left and right sides respectively.

He couldn't help frowning slightly.

Ah, well.

Left and right ear channels—top-tier enjoyment?

"Awoo～!"

"Ah～!"

Fortunately, having listened to this the last time, he was already used to it.

Otherwise, he really wouldn't have been able to fall asleep!

As it approached three in the morning,

the lullabies from the left and right stereo channels finally stopped.

Right at that moment, a message popped up in their three-person group chat:

"The plan has failed!"

"We lost!"

Lin Yu flipped over and continued sleeping soundly!

He still needed to continue playing chess with the God of Dreams!

...

Early the next morning,

Lin Yu went through his usual routine of aerobic exercise followed by coffee to wake up his mind.

Right after, he set off for the recording studio to meet up with the judge who would be duetting with him this time.

Before leaving, he didn't see Sichaozhe or Wang Fei.

He had no idea whether they couldn't get up because they had expended too much energy last night,

or if they had already headed out bright and early.

Half an hour later, he arrived at the recording venue and met up with judge Song Xixi.

After exchanging greetings and conventional pleasantries, Lin Yu directly handed over the demo he had recorded to Song Xixi.

"Teacher Song, take a listen and see if you have any questions. Feel free to discuss them with me anytime."

After listening to the demo for a short while, Song Xixi wore a satisfied smile on her face.

"As expected of a little songwriting prodigy, this song is quite good."

Following her praise, however, her brows furrowed.

"But this song doesn't seem very suitable for a duet, does it?"

Lin Yu smiled faintly.

"That's why it depends on how we arrange the vocals during the performance."

"Teacher Song's vocal prowess is top-notch; I'm sure there won't be any problems."

Song Xixi's pretty eyebrows curved slightly.

"You brat certainly have a sweet tongue. Did eldest Miss Ji teach you that?"

Lin Yu narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Miss Song's gossip radar is certainly well-tuned."

"Well?" Song Xixi leaned in close to Lin Yu and asked.

"When on earth are the two of you going to officially announce it?"