Dating the Heartthrob Superstar Chapter 33: Disheartened Singer

Chapter 33: The Fallen Singer

That evening, ng Ke sent the profile of the celebrity he had ntioned to ng Chao.

Just as ng Ke had said, the person in question was a singer nad Han Zhi, who had been a fleeting sensation in the entertainnt industry two years ago. A song he had both written and composed had beco wildly popular nationwide.

After the success of that song, given his looks that matched the current beauty standards, Han Zhi should logically have been at the peak of his career. But instead, he vanished from the lilight, completely untraceable in the industry.

Now he’s resurfaced, and he’s connected to ng Ke? ng Chao couldn’t figure it out.

He sent ng Ke a ssage on WeChat.

ng Chao: What’s your relationship with Han Zhi? Aren’t you the one most critical of so of the shady dealings in this circle? Why are you suddenly paving the way for a small-ti celebrity?

ng Ke quickly replied to ng Chao.

ng Ke: It’s just like what you’re thinking—Han Zhi is being kept by . He’s my little lover now.

ng Chao: What’s really going on?

ng Ke: It’s hard to explain over text. I’ll call you once I’m done with work.

ng Chao: Alright.

Half an hour later, ng Ke called and succinctly explained Han Zhi’s situation to ng Chao.

It turned out that over two years ago, when Han Zhi was at the peak of his career, his disappearance wasn’t voluntary. Instead, he was frozen out by his company.

Han Zhi had a formal background, having graduated from a prestigious overseas music academy. But upon his return to the country, he was tricked by a so-called friend into signing with a small, shady studio.

After much effort, he wrote a song that made him famous overnight. However, he caught the eye of a corporate bigwig who declared he wanted to "keep" Han Zhi.

Han Zhi, proud and talented by nature, was lured into attending a dinner party by his manager. When the bigwig made a move on him, Han Zhi punched him on the spot and stord out.

The bigwig, angered, got back at him by having his company blacklist Han Zhi.

And just like that, Han Zhi, who had barely started to shine, beca a forgotten fleeting star. The entertainnt world evolves at breakneck speed, and over the course of two years without appearing in public, Han Zhi was lost to mory.

At this point, ng Chao realized that Han Zhi embodied the story of many in this industry—those with talent and capability who, upon confronting the moral corrosion of the entertainnt world, chose to remain true to themselves, even if it ant going unnoticed. Such people deserved respect.

But ng Chao was still puzzled. "So why did he agree to let you keep him? Because you’re handso?"

ng Ke denied it. "Because, well... due to certain twists of fate, I slept with him."

ng Chao caught the slightly guilty tone in ng Ke’s voice and rcilessly exposed him. "Let guess, you unilaterally announced that you’re keeping him, but Han Zhi hasn’t taken it seriously?"

There was an awkward cough from the other end of the line, and ng Ke weakly defended himself. "If I don’t ’keep’ him, he’ll probably be treated like a product for others to pick and choose in that lousy studio. I’m helping him!" ng Ke’s tone grew more righteous the further he explained.

ng Chao reluctantly accepted ng Ke’s reasoning but still disapproved of his approach.

ng Ke continued, "Anyway, when he cos over, help take care of him a little."

"No problem," ng Chao agreed, then added, "Should I also offer him whatever resources I have?"

ng Ke replied matter-of-factly, "That’s pretty much the idea."

ng Chao chuckled. "Brother, your plan is really well thought out. You sleep with soone, and now I’m the one making it up to them. You really do treat like family."

ng Ke laughed heartily. "What are little brothers for, if not this?"

The two brothers bantered a bit more before hanging up.

The next day.

ng Chao went straight to the director and handed over Han Zhi’s contact information. To his surprise, the director actually recognized Han Zhi and rembered him vividly.

"Han Zhi, huh? A truly gifted young man," the director said with a sigh. "It’s such a pity—he’s too bold and proud. That kind of personality breaks easily, like a fleeting blossom."

"But I do admire him," the director added. "Although proud, it’s pride rooted in talent. He’s capable of putting his head down and doing the work; he just joined the wrong company and was suppressed too much."

ng Chao listened to the director ramble for quite a bit before the director got to the point. "Alright, I’ll have soone contact him. I actually admire him a lot. The program still needs a the song—ng, would you take a look later and see if he can both write and perform it? Saves the trouble of looking for soone else."

This director clearly liked Han Zhi quite a bit.

Although ng Chao was an investor in the program, he usually refrained from ddling in its planning. If it weren’t for ng Ke personally asking him, he wouldn’t have stepped in.

So when it ca to the the song, ng Chao left it up to the director, saying he wouldn’t interfere.

The director didn’t make things difficult for ng Chao and even personally went to contact Han Zhi’s studio in the end.

After handing off this matter to the production team, ng Chao didn’t follow up. Whether Han Zhi agreed to join the recording or not wasn’t ng Chao’s concern. His job was rely to fulfill the task ng Ke had entrusted to him.

When ng Chao returned to the villa, Lin Qin was on the beach with an easel, sketching with such focus that his cheeks puffed up like a hamster nibbling on food.

It was a rare day without visitors, giving the two of them a fleeting mont of leisure.

ng Chao didn’t approach him imdiately but instead went back inside the villa to grab his own easel before strolling toward Lin Qin.

Once he reached Lin Qin, ng Chao put on a playful act. "Mr. Lin, I’m here to learn how to draw. Could you teach ?"

Lin Qin was montarily confused but quickly played along, putting on a serious face. "What do you want to draw?"

"You," ng Chao said with a smile. "I want to learn how to draw Mr. Lin into my heart."

Lin Qin’s face turned bright red at ng Chao’s sudden corny pickup line. Unsure of how to respond, he pretended to concentrate on his sketching.

ng Chao, sensing he had pushed far enough, set up his own easel beside Lin Qin and mimicked him, attempting to sketch sothing on the blank paper. If you ignored the result on the paper and focused solely on his posture, he actually looked the part.

After playing along for a while, ng Chao realized he had no talent for drawing and grew bored of pretending. Tilting his head, he rested his chin against the edge of the easel and simply stared at Lin Qin. After a while, he couldn’t resist poking Lin Qin’s puffed-up cheek.

At first, Lin Qin tried to act like he didn’t mind, but his ears gradually turned red, followed by his entire face.

"Brother ng Chao!" Lin Qin protested, looking at ng Chao with wide, accusatory eyes that were more shy than angry.

ng Chao replied with a playful "Hmm, I’m right here."

Lin Qin thought that ever since agreeing to date ng Chao, all of ng Chao’s hidden mischievous tendencies had fully co to light. He was a little sly, a little cunning.

Yet Lin Qin didn’t find it disappointing. In fact, he felt that this version of ng Chao, far from being distant and untouchable, was more down-to-earth—almost dreamy in its own way.