After Mother Xu left, Fan Jialuo and Xu Yiyang sat side by side on the balcony floor, watching the half-awake frog.

At six o'clock, Fan Jialuo changed his clothes and asked, "Would you like to go to the TV station with me?"

Xu Yiyang nodded quickly and followed his big brother's footsteps.

Zhao Wenyan had also come to the studio this time, appearing at the TV station's entrance just as the clock struck half past six. His face had grown even more haggard, and his spirit seemed to have worsened since the last time they had met.

During this period of time, Su Fengxi had released several new songs one after another, all of which had topped the capital's music charts, and her singing ability was being compared to those whose songs were popular nationwide.

Zhao Wenyan would hear her songs whenever he walked on the road; sometimes they would come from the shop windows, sometimes from a passing car, and sometimes they were simply cell phone ringtones set by others.

He had no way to escape the torture brought on him by this evil sound, so he could only run away abroad to seek refuge.

But the most terrible thing was, even after going abroad, he found that he couldn't escape Su Fengxi's clutches. The hotel staff would play her songs from time to time, and would even start quarreling with him if he asked them not to broadcast them.

While the quarrel was on-going, her songs would still be ringing out aloud happily, and after a certain duration, Zhao Wenyan would become so fascinated by them that he would no longer say anything anymore.

That very night, he bought a ticket to return to China, wanting to go to Su Fengxi's house to reconcile. At the same time, he also brought all his wealth with him.

Wasn't she going bankrupt? Fine, he had plenty of money. He'll give it to her, give it all to her!

Fortunately, Zhao Guoan had kept a tight watch over his grandson, and had sent dozens of bodyguards in a timely manner to tie him up and bring him back to the main house, where he proceeded to lock him in a small, completely sound-proof room.

After a week of totally closed confinement, he finally managed to rid himself of this almost crazed state, and gradually discovered that Su Fengxi's influence was like an allergy to him.

Once touched by it, he would immediately break out with a very strong reaction, but completely removing it demanded that he go through a long and painful rehabilitation process.

And then there was the fact that this process would continue to lengthen. Just like how he only needed two or three days to adjust when he lost control for the first time, this second time, he ended up enclosing himself for seven days to dispel her influence from him.

What about the third, fourth, and fifth times? Would he still be able to even wake up?

The answer to this question loomed in Zhao Wenyan's mind, tossing him into a pit of fear and despair.

He often saw news headlines about Su Fengxi, a new singer who was being pursued by Mr. XX, and these XX names were always and constantly changing. The humble attitude of these Mr. XX, and their appearances which showed a total loss of sanity, sent chills down Zhao Wenyan's back.

But Su Fengxi's fans seemed to have gotten used to her fatal allure, and they no longer thought her previous romantic history so unacceptable. They even started to flaunt her charm, complimenting her easy-going personality and commenting that she was loved by everyone, everywhere.

If you fall in love with her, it's normal. If you don't like her, your eyes must be full of shit!

Strangely, this absurd and distorted statement had won the general public's approval.

In addition to gaining the title of being the Queen through her newly promoted song, Su Fengxi had actually gained the reputation of being a siren, an utterly enchanting girl. Her irresistible charm and unrestrained attitude towards life had long become a consensus among the people.

The number of people accusing her steadily decreased. The scandals that Zhao Wenyan had once released to pull her from her pedestal had now become a part of her brilliant record, and were a delightful topic her fans liked to discuss.

In the eyes of these fans, if any other person had more than one boyfriend, it meant that they were unrestrained and indulged themselves endlessly in sensual pleasures; but for Su Fengxi, having more than one boyfriend was a perfectly natural phenomenon.

Plenty of rumors featuring her were bainded about after her comeback; the good ones received more praise while the bad ones were completely twisted around and beautified. Thus

Who didn't know that Su Fengxi had a lot of boyfriends at the same time? But since every one of those parties was a willing participant in the relationship, then was there a moral issue with that? As long as they were not married, there was no moral issue really involved.

Such absurd remarks flooded all major social media channels. Netizens didn't even question the situation, instead acting as if it was common.

Unconsciously, their minds had been distorted by Su Fengxi's voice.

The woman who had in the past fallen due to her unclean behavior could make a comeback and stand firm once again, as long as she had enough charm!

Su Fengxi's success surprised everybody in the entertainment industry. But they were also aware that this way of making a comeback was not something they could imitate.

Without such a beautiful face, an enchanting figure and alluring music that could lift anyone to the seventh heaven, no one could contend and follow through with the same concept.

Su Fengxi was on fire and her popularity was higher than when she had left Xinghui Entertainment. Now her fans would ask Xinghui's official website everyday— do you regret it?

When Zhao Wenyan was sober, he stated that he had never regretted it.

Walking beside Fan Jialuo in the corridor, Zhao Wenyan followed his every step before asking in a low and almost inaudible voice, "Jialuo, Su Fengxi's influence is getting greater and even escaping abroad is of no use to me. I sometimes even think that she has the ability to control all the people in the world with her voice and appearance."

Fan Jialuo calmly replied, "No, as I said before, there's no power in the world that is unrestrained."

"How on earth can we restrain her?" Zhao Wenyan asked anxiously.

Fan Jialuo walked into the make-up lounge, sat in front of the dressing table and pondered, "A clear mind and a pair of eyes that can penetrate the illusion should be able to restrain her."

"A clear mind? Eyes that penetrate the illusion? Who can stay awake after listening to her songs and seeing her in person? This is simply a paradox." Zhao Wenyan wiped his face, full of anxiety, helplessness and panic.

At this time, Cao Xiaofeng entered with the makeup artist and said with a smile, "Teacher Fan, from today onwards, Sister Sisi will be your exclusive makeup artist."

Fan Jialuo immediately stood up and greeted him, "I've caused you trouble."

Jie Furui covered his uncontrollable smile and even remarked that it was not a problem, that it was his honor to work with him and so forth.

The current him was different from the one prior to meeting Fan Jialuo. The gloomy air in his glabella had dispersed and it was now full of vitality. The dullness in his skin had also disappeared, having transformed into shining lustre, and it was as if he had been reborn within a very short time.

"Teacher Fan, please sit down, I will help you with putting on the foundation first."

He caught a glimpse of Xu Yiyang sitting on the sofa obediently, and exclaimed, "Oh, whose child is this? Why is his skin so white?"

"He is a child from my family," Fan Jialuo replied without further thought.

Hearing this, a bright smile stretched across the little boy's numb, almost stiff face. Those intensely black eyes that didn't refract any light gave off an air of obscurity.

Although Jie Furui thought the child was a bit strange, he couldn't say anything in front of a family member. He could only smile and flatter him with a few words before burying himself in his work.

Zhao Wenyan, who had other thoughts on his mind, naturally didn't notice the abnormality shown by the child. Cao Xiaofeng, who caught sight of a purple spot at the back of the child's neck thought it was caused by allergies, and didn't think any deeper about it.

He took out his mobile phone and began to relay the audience's reaction to the broadcast of the first episode.

"Teacher Fan, that Meteor Street Code Farmer is still jumping around and calling you a liar. They said that the money invested on the show is all from you so of course all the hosts and crew would support you in cheating and acting as a psychic.

"Most of the audience believe this person's words, but it doesn't matter. They still love seeing you appear on the screen, because your face is so good-looking that they are willing to be cheated."

"Listen to this comment, they said— [Fan Jialuo's face is the highlight of the show. There is a bright galaxy flowing in his eyes. I don't care if it's a scam, I just care whether I can lick more of his face! His acting skill is so superb. When others act the part of a psychic, they look like a joke, but his look is really impressive! I like the atmosphere that he created, so keep it up!]"

As soon as Cao Xiaofeng finished reading the comment, Jie Furui exploded, "Bah! These audience members are blind! Does Teacher Fan need to act?"

Cao Xiaofeng responded in kind, "Yes, our Teacher Fan can enter this program through his real ability! But if we don't change what type of broadcast this is, who will believe such a thing?!

"Now it's spread everywhere that it's a scripted show. Teacher Fan is the leading actor and the other contestants are the supporting actors. Everyone reads their lines according to the script and their main job is to highlight the leading actor's presence. Listen to them, is that even reasonable?"

Jie Furui heard the implication in his words and said carefully, "The broadcast type can't be changed, that's what I heard."

"Is it really impossible to change?" Cao Xiaofeng asked, still unwilling to give up. He felt uncomfortable seeing his artist not being properly acknowledged by the program.

"You really can't change it. Even Sister Song has no right to speak. Think about how deep the water runs..." Jie Furui pointed his finger to a space above his head, and said nothing more.

Cao Xiaofeng's heart trembled and he fell into silence.

After a few minutes, the two of them began to talk about other topics.

"I heard that your program group invited a super famous guest today?"

"Yes, but only Sister Song knows exactly who it is."

"So mysterious?"

"I heard that the guest wanted to take part in today's segment, so they had to keep it a secret."

"Oh, then I won't ask. Anyway, our Teacher Fan doesn't need to inquire about it."

"That's for sure! Who is Teacher Fan? He knows everything..."

As the two took turns boasting about Fan Jialuo, his makeup was finished and he then walked into the studio.

Today's episode was still following the same order as the last one. All the contestants would draw lots one by one and then be tested by the order of numbers drawn.

There were only 13 of the 16 contestants remaining. In addition to the two who were at the bottom of the rankings and were eliminated in the last episode, there was also Chongming who had withdrawn from the show after citing illness.

The person who was in charge of Chongming told the show that he was suffering from some mental problems. He often said that he was a dog and also made all kinds of strange postures and movements. However, he would then ask the people nearby to hold him down, saying that he wasn't able to control his body.

His illness was the delusional kind of disorder, yet not very similar to one. The doctor had not yet given an accurate diagnosis, so he could only be admitted to a mental hospital for further observation.

The host simply explained the reason why Chongming had withdrawn from the competition, and then said mysteriously, "All right, everyone, please put on your blindfolds with the help of the staff. There is a big surprise waiting in our test room."

When the host mentioned a big surprise, the contestants burned with eagerness to start the test, all except Fan Jialuo, who lowered his head instead and smiled.

It was a smile so cold that it emitted not even the slightest bit of warmth.

***

In the observation room.

Song Wennuan, who had returned from the United States, rubbed her hands together and looked toward the camera, filled with excitement, "Dear audience, please look at our big screen. Do you know who our guest is?"

Except for Song Rui, who was still indifferent, everyone in the room looked at the big screen with eyes that radiated surprise, eagerness and infatuation.

A woman in a flaming long red dress sat on a single seat sofa in a lazy manner. The long dress had a high slit on one side, making the long, slender, snow white and perfectly straight legs vaguely wind out with a thrilling curve.

The elegant and soft skirt covered her feet half-way. Under the lights, a gold anklet that circled those white feet dazzled brightly, but her ankles themselves seemed even more fragile than this thin chain, as if they would break with just a slight pinch.

Her long and narrow eyes carelessly swept past the cameras, leaving behind a wisp of light. Her appearance was like a magnificent rainbow, captivating the sight of all those who saw her and reaching the highest point of their aesthetic appreciation.

She was that newly promoted singer who had recently been booming on the Internet— Su Fengxi!

Even Song Wennuan had to admit, "She is the only woman in the entertainment industry who is more beautiful than me. How about it, dear audience? It took me a lot of effort to invite your goddess to our show. Are you happy now?"

She paused for a moment and then continued, "You should know that I encountered some very bad things recently. I was in a terrible mood for some time. It was only by listening to Su Fengxi's songs that I survived this difficult time."

Dr. Qian immediately agreed, "Yes, I love listening to Su Fengxi's songs whenever I feel unwell. Her singing voice contains some kind of healing magic. I often can't help but shed tears when I am down, and then can't help laughing soon afterwards. You can't find a more appropriate phrase to describe that kind of feeling, it's very comfortable, moving, and relaxing, it's as if your soul was being cleansed."

Dr. Ouyang and Dr. Lin also agreed with his words. They too loved to listen to Su Fengxi's songs after a long tiring day at work; it helped them in regaining their energy faster.

The more they talked, the more speculative they became. They had a heated discussion about each song that had been sung by Su Fengxi, and could even recite every line from the song that resonated with them. This fanaticism, which was not in line with their characters as judges, was captured by the camera, but no one found it unusual.

Only Song Rui sat quietly and didn't speak a single word.

Song Wennuan, whose cheeks were flushed red with excitement, finally noticed her cousin's silence, and so asked, "Why aren't you saying anything? Don't you like listening to Su Fengxi's songs?"

Even she herself didn't realize just how overbearing and arrogant her attitude was at that moment. It seemed that as long as her cousin nodded and stated that he didn't like it, she would pounce on him and bite him.

But this wasn't her actual character at all.

Since Yu Yuntian's incident, she had become more gentle and open-minded, tactful and reserved, just like a jade polished to perfection, to utmost beauty.

All of these traits seemed to have disappeared under the influence of Su Fengxi's songs.

Song Rui observed everyone silently, a dark light flickering in his eyes.

He leaned back into his chair and every word he spoke was filled with taunting and disgust, "I really don't like listening to Su Fengxi's songs. I have never felt that her voice is full of emotion and tenderness. On the contrary, all I have heard within her songs is the dark desire, superficial utility and disgusting vanity hidden in it.

"If I were to be forced to describe her singing as an image, I can only think of a dead body covered in a perfumed brocade. It smells rich and looks beautiful, but when the brocade is lifted, there is only a mass of rotten meat and wriggling maggots inside."

As soon as his voice fell, the observation room sunk into silence. Song Wennuan and the other three doctors glared at him as if they had been enemies in their past and were so in their present lives as well.

Such slander was simply unforgivable!