The entertainment industry has never been fair.

Changsha, Mango Broadcasting Building.

The rehearsals for the season two finale of "Singer" had entered their second day.

Lin Wanwan sat at a makeup station in the deepest corner of the backstage area. The mirror in front of her was missing two bulbs along its frame, flickering on and off, much like her current mood.

She turned her head and glanced out into the main hall.

The best spot in the center was occupied by Zhou Chengyu's team. Three makeup artists hovered around him, while his manager stood nearby holding a tablet, coordinating the stage blocking with the directing team. Even the lighting technician had come over specifically to discuss stage effects with him.

Then, she looked back at her own situation.

She had one makeup artist, who was just a general staff member assigned by the production crew. After touching up her foundation, the artist had immediately run off to help someone else.

Su Man leaned against the wall, scrolling through her phone, her expression looking equally grim.

"Sister Su, has my stage blocking been finalized?"

Su Man looked up and hesitated for a moment. "It's finalized. You're scheduled to perform third."

"Third?" Lin Wanwan frowned. "I was second in the semifinals."

"They rearranged it for the finale," Su Man lowered her voice. "Zhou Chengyu's team pulled some strings with the directors; he wants the finale spot. Originally, you could have been fifth, but Huayu Entertainment shoved two guest singers in, taking up all the later slots."

Lin Wanwan didn't say a word.

When it came to performance order, the later you went, the better. The audience's memory and enthusiasm for voting were always concentrated on the final few acts. Performing third meant that by the time the remaining four or five acts finished, the audience would have long forgotten about her.

Su Man shoved her phone into her pocket, walked over, and crouched in front of her.

"Wanwan, don't be discouraged. We rely on your talent, not your performance slot."

Lin Wanwan nodded, but she couldn't help stealing another glance at Zhou Chengyu.

The man was laughing and chatting with several staff members. All the resources backstage seemed to revolve around him.

It was actually quite funny when she thought about it. Zhou Chengyu had nearly been eliminated in the semifinals. But Huayu Entertainment had mobilized his fans to vote overnight, forcefully dragging him back from the brink of elimination and parachuting him straight into the finale.

This kind of manipulation was something Lin Wanwan wouldn't have even dared to imagine before entering the industry.

She looked down at her phone. Chen Zhi's last message was sent at eleven o'clock last night: Focus on preparing, I've already sorted out the guest situation.

"Lin Wanwan."

A voice came from above her head.

Lin Wanwan looked up. Zhou Chengyu had walked over to her at some point.

Standing over 1.8 meters tall, he was undeniably handsome. He wore a custom-made black suit jacket, and the gold buttons on his cuffs reflected the light.

His smile was perfectly poised, the kind of approachable smile he had practiced countless times in front of a camera.

"Wanwan, why don't you join my studio?"

Zhou Chengyu had his hands in his pockets, his tone casual.

"We need young, beautiful, and talented newcomers like you. Huayu has deep pockets and will definitely throw all its weight behind you."

Lin Wanwan placed her phone face down on the table, her small face turning stern.

"No."

Just one word, crisp and decisive.

Zhou Chengyu wasn't in a hurry to leave, maintaining that standard smile. "You should think about my offer a bit more. Sometimes, your results don't just depend on your own talent; they also depend on the power of your company."

He was threatening her now.

Lin Wanwan didn't take the bait.

Zhou Chengyu chuckled and turned away.

Once he was far enough away, Su Man leaned in, her expression complicated. "He was giving you a warning."

"I know."

"Huayu has poured a lot of money into this show, so the directors have to give them some face," Su Man sighed. "Wanwan, this is just how the entertainment industry works. The sooner you get used to it, the better. There are too many unfair things, and I've already fended off quite a few people with bad intentions for you."

Lin Wanwan clenched her fists but remained silent.

She could act spoiled, play coy, or even cry in front of Chen Zhi, but in this vanity fair, she didn't want anyone to see her looking weak.

At 3:00 PM, rehearsals were paused.

Director Wang hurried over from the end of the hallway, followed by two assistant directors holding walkie-talkies.

"Everyone, your attention please." Director Wang clapped his hands, and the backstage crew and participating singers all stopped what they were doing.

"A new investor and a heavyweight guest will be coming over shortly for an inspection. I expect everyone to keep this strictly confidential. You've all signed the backstage non-disclosure agreements. I'll emphasize this once more: you will bear the legal consequences if any information is leaked."

The backstage area instantly erupted into chatter.

A male singer wearing a red hoodie was the first to speak up. "Director Wang, who is it to warrant such a big fuss? It couldn't be Jay Chou, could it?"

Director Wang shook his head, the unconcealable excitement on his face more obvious than anyone else's.

"Someone with an even bigger status than Jay Chou. Otherwise, our executive producer wouldn't have gone to the airport to pick them up personally."

The backstage area completely blew up.

"Bigger status than Jay Chou?" The singer in red's eyes widened. "That has to be an international superstar, right? Since when did the production crew have that kind of pull?"

"The production crew didn't invite them," Director Wang pressed his hands down to quiet the room. "They were brought in by the investor."

The investor?

Several singers exchanged glances, their eyes filled with confusion.

Zhou Chengyu didn't have much of a reaction. He leaned back in his makeup chair, legs crossed, playing on his phone. His manager leaned down and whispered something to him; Zhou Chengyu raised an eyebrow but dismissed it.

As a top star produced by the Huayu system, what grand scenes hadn't he witnessed? Even if they really brought in an international superstar as a guest, it wouldn't necessarily overshadow his massive domestic fanbase.

Lin Wanwan's heart began to race.

Brought in by the investor?

She thought of the global spokesperson Chen Zhi had mentioned.

Because Chen Zhi had been running his startup for less than a year, Lin Wanwan hadn't taken it seriously when she first heard him say he was going to invite Taylor.

But looking at this massive fuss, could it actually be true?

Su Man leaned in closely, lowering her voice. "Do you think this investor could be Chen Zhi?"

Lin Wanwan shook her head. "He's just a college student. Where would he get the money to invest in Hunan TV?"

Su Man thought about it and agreed, but something still felt off. A few days ago, when Chen Zhi called to say he would sort out a guest for Wanwan, his confident tone hadn't sounded like he was bluffing at all.

The person Chen Zhi had mentioned back then was Taylor Swift.

She had tentatively reached out to Hunan TV's chief director, and the response was, "An astronomical investment did indeed come in, which included a performance clause for an overseas artist. But as for who it specifically is, I've signed an NDA and can't say."

An astronomical investment plus an overseas artist.

Su Man's palms began to sweat.

Twenty minutes later, the atmosphere backstage grew tense and delicate.

The number of security personnel had doubled.

Temporary cordons were set up at both ends of the hallway, and entering or exiting required swiping a staff ID. Even the windows had been covered with a layer of black blackout film, making it completely impossible to see inside from the outside.

The singer in the red hoodie poked his head out to look down the hallway, only to be blocked and sent back by a foreign bodyguard in a black suit.

"Holy crap, foreign bodyguards?" The singer in red pulled his neck back, his voice trembling. "Is it really an international superstar?"

Zhou Chengyu finally put down his phone.

He glanced toward the hallway and narrowed his eyes.

The backstage door was pushed open.

Director Wang walked in first, his expression having shifted from excitement to a solemnity bordering on nervousness.

Behind him followed the executive producer, Old Zhou. Old Zhou was usually nowhere to be seen backstage, yet today he had actually shown up in person.

Then came two tall foreign bodyguards.

And then,

A tall blonde woman walked in through the door.

Wearing a long camel trench coat with vintage sunglasses pushed up on her head, her long blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders.

The backstage area fell silent for a second.

Two seconds.

The water bottle in the red-clad singer's hand dropped to the floor with a clatter.

"Holy shit..."

His voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet backstage, but no one laughed at him, because everyone present wore pretty much the same expression.

Zhou Chengyu slowly uncrossed his legs.

His manager almost dropped the tablet he was holding.

Su Man froze in place, her mouth hanging open, unable to close it for the longest time.

Lin Wanwan stared blankly at the woman who had just walked through the door, her mind going completely blank.

That face was far too familiar to her.

Taylor Swift.

Tay-Tay.