I’m Just the CEO’s Assistant

Taylor Swift stood at the backstage entrance, taking off her sunglasses and casually clipping them to the collar of her trench coat.

Chen Zhi was just half a step behind her.

Director Wang was the first to react, hurrying forward in a few quick strides to greet them.

"Ms. Swift, welcome, welcome! I am the chief director of this season of Singer!"

He opened with English heavily accented with a Hunan dialect, then immediately switched back to Chinese, shooting a look at Old Zhou behind him.

The chief producer, Old Zhou, immediately stepped up. The two of them flanked Taylor on the left and right, acting as enthusiastically as if they were greeting their own mothers.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Director Wang's gaze finally landed on the excessively young Chinese man standing next to Taylor.

"And this is..."

Director Wang looked Chen Zhi up and down. His face was plastered with a smile, but internally he was puzzled. When they coordinated earlier, he was told that Deep Space Technology would send a senior executive to oversee the whole process. He assumed it would be a bald, middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, but instead, here was a young guy who looked even younger than the contestants.

Chen Zhi took the initiative to extend his hand. "Hello, Director Wang. I am the assistant to the president of Deep Space Technology. I will be fully coordinating Ms. Swift's itinerary this time."

Director Wang shook his hand vigorously. "So young! Deep Space Technology really is a world for the youth. Amazing, simply amazing!"

Old Zhou also shook his hand. His attitude was warm but clearly measured. Naturally, one had to be polite to the investors, but an assistant wasn't quite enough to make the chief producer bow too low.

Chen Zhi didn't mind. He hadn't wanted to reveal his true identity anyway.

"Director Wang, the core purpose of Ms. Swift's visit is very simple," Chen Zhi said, withdrawing his hand, his tone flat. "She is here to perform a duet for the finals. As for which contestant she will collaborate with, we have some thoughts on that, which we can discuss shortly."

Director Wang nodded repeatedly. "Good, good, good. Please come in and take a seat first. The tea is already prepared!"

The group was led to the VIP lounge at the very back of the backstage area.

As they passed the makeup area, Chen Zhi swept his peripheral vision around the room.

The singers backstage were frozen in place as if they had been petrified. A singer in red remained stuck in the posture of bending over to pick up a water bottle, eyes glued to Taylor and unable to look away. Zhou Chengyu, however, had stood up and smoothed his suit, adopting an unhurried posture, though his legs were practically trembling.

Chen Zhi scanned half the room but didn't see Lin Wanwan.

The sofas in the VIP lounge had just been moved in. On the coffee table sat coffee and several plates of exquisite pastries. After Taylor sat down, Jeffrey and two bodyguards took their places behind her.

Director Wang and Old Zhou sat opposite them, separated by the coffee table.

Chen Zhi took the seat next to Taylor.

After a brief chat about the show's flow and live broadcast technicalities, Director Wang cut to the chase.

"Well then, regarding the pairing for the guest duet..."

He picked up his teacup and took a sip, his tone growing warmer.

"There are a total of six groups of contestants in this season's finals, and each group will be paired with a guest singer. Since Ms. Swift is the most prominent guest of the event, our directorial team has some recommendations on which contestant she should be paired with."

Chen Zhi leaned back against the sofa, not saying a word.

Director Wang unlocked his tablet, pulled up the contestants' profiles, and began introducing them one by one.

"The first is Zhang Yifan, a powerhouse vocalist from the mainland. He has competed for three consecutive seasons and is a veteran in the music industry..."

"The second is Liu Siqin, nominated for Best Female Singer at last year's Golden Melody Awards..."

"The third..."

Chen Zhi listened, his fingers absentmindedly tapping against the armrest of the sofa.

When introducing the fourth contestant, Director Wang noticeably sped up, glossing over them before quickly shifting the topic.

"Let me focus on our fifth contestant, Zhou Chengyu."

Director Wang set down the tablet, his tone taking on a salesman-like quality.

"Zhou Chengyu is the top artist of Huayu Entertainment. Last year, his solo album sold over twenty million copies across all platforms, and he has a massive fan base. His performance this season has been outstanding, and he secured the highest number of votes during the semifinals."

At this point, Director Wang made a point to glance at Chen Zhi.

"Furthermore, Zhou Chengyu's musical style leans toward Western pop, which heavily overlaps with Ms. Swift's style. Our directorial team's preliminary suggestion is to have the two of them perform a duet of one of Taylor's classic hits. Once this gimmick is announced, the ratings will double at the very least."

Chen Zhi listened to the whole pitch without making a sound.

Old Zhou chimed in from the side, "Huayu Entertainment, the company behind Zhou Chengyu, is also a major partner of our show. The resource matching is very high, so cooperation across all aspects will be quite smooth."

The two of them sang the same tune, praising Zhou Chengyu as if he were the savior of the domestic entertainment industry.

Chen Zhi glanced at the contestant list on the tablet, skimming it from top to bottom.

Lin Wanwan wasn't there.

His fingers stopped tapping.

"Director Wang."

"Yes, go ahead."

"You just introduced five people. What about the sixth?"

Director Wang froze for a moment and looked down at his tablet.

"Oh, the sixth one..." He flipped through the profiles, his tone noticeably more dismissive. "Lin Wanwan. A rookie singer who just debuted this year."

That was it?

Chen Zhi didn't reply, waiting for him to continue.

Director Wang hesitated. Seeing that Chen Zhi seemed genuinely interested in hearing more, he added a few words. "To be honest, the main reason this contestant made it to the finals is through fan voting. Her vocal skills still lag behind the previous few, and she doesn't have any representative works on the show. She belongs to the type who is carried by popularity."

He paused, putting on a you-know-how-it-is expression.

"From a professional standpoint, it wouldn't be very appropriate to have Ms. Swift carry a rookie contestant. If something goes wrong with the stage performance, it would also be detrimental to Taylor's brand image."

If Lin Wanwan had heard those words, she would have been upset for days.

She practiced her vocals every day until her voice went hoarse and endured physical training until she got blisters on the soles of her feet. She had finally managed to sing an incredibly difficult song in the semifinals to silence those doubting voices, yet from the mouth of the show's chief director, she was still just that rookie carried by fans.

In a corner backstage, half a makeup room away, Lin Wanwan looked at the figure in the black coat surrounded by the crowd in the center.

At first, she didn't dare to recognize him.

Because Chen Zhi had told her he couldn't make it, saying he was tied up with work arrangements.

But that side profile, that posture, and even that slightly cheeky aura were incredibly familiar.

Lin Wanwan's heartbeat suddenly accelerated.

She stood up abruptly from her chair.

Su Man was startled by her sudden movement. "What's wrong?"

Lin Wanwan ignored her, standing on her tiptoes to peer over the shoulders of several staff members, her eyes locked on the VIP area.

The man turned his head slightly, revealing his full side profile.

It was him.

It really was him.

"Chen Zhi!"

This shout rang out exceptionally loud in the quiet backstage area.

Everyone's gaze swiveled over in unison.

Chen Zhi turned his head and saw the girl waving at him from the corner, sporting a ponytail and a bare face with her makeup only half done.

Director Wang's smile froze.

He looked at Lin Wanwan, then at Chen Zhi, rapidly replaying every word he had just said in his mind.

"Carried by fan voting."

"Vocal skills still lag behind."

"Not very appropriate."

He was screwed.

Lin Wanwan had already jogged through the makeup area, moving so fast that Su Man couldn't even keep up behind her.

"Why are you here!"

Lin Wanwan rushed right up to Chen Zhi. Her eyes instantly turned red, and her voice was filled with a mix of shock, joy, and a hint of grievance. "Didn't you say you couldn't make it? You liar!"

Chen Zhi was bumped by her momentum and took a half-step back.

With dozens of people backstage watching this scene unfold, the air instantly fell dead silent.

Taylor sat on the sofa, resting her chin in her hand, watching the drama before her with great interest.

Director Wang stood frozen in place, feeling his heart slowly rising into his throat.

This Executive Assistant from Deep Space Technology actually knew the rookie singer he had just spent the last few minutes belittling?

No, looking at this dynamic, how the hell was this just a matter of knowing each other?

"Director Wang."

Chen Zhi patted Lin Wanwan's head, signaling her to calm down first, and then turned around.

His expression hadn't changed, and his tone was just as flat as before, but Director Wang somehow felt the temperature in the room suddenly drop a few degrees.

"Did you just say that Lin Wanwan's singing skills were lacking and that she only got here through fan votes?"

Director Wang's Adam's apple bobbed heavily.

"I... well..."

"Please say that again for me."

Chen Zhi's tone wasn't forceful, but Director Wang felt as if a mountain had suddenly been pressed against his back.

Old Zhou was winking frantically at Director Wang from the sidelines—don't be stubborn, just back down.

Anyone who could personally escort Taylor Swift into this backstage area, whether his business card read Executive Assistant or Front Desk Security, was not someone he could afford to offend.

Director Wang was, after all, a sly old fox who had spent twenty years in the television industry, and his reaction was swift.

"It's a misunderstanding, a total misunderstanding! I just phrased things poorly earlier!" He immediately plastered on an overly enthusiastic smile. "Lin Wanwan is the dark horse of this season's show! Her talent is obvious to everyone, and her reputation with the audience is absolutely fantastic! I was just worried that the pressure might be too much for a newcomer, so I..."

"Enough," Chen Zhi interrupted, not bothering to listen to his rambling excuses.

He glanced down at Lin Wanwan. The girl was still clutching his sleeve, refusing to let go.

"I brought your guest for you."

Chen Zhi stepped to the side and tipped his chin toward Taylor on the sofa.

Lin Wanwan followed his gaze.

Taylor Swift was smiling and waving a hand at her.

"Hi, you must be Wanwan."

Lin Wanwan completely turned to stone.

Standing two meters away, Su Man leaned against the wall, feeling her knees go weak.

Director Wang opened his mouth to say something, but swallowed the words back down.

Rising from the VIP sofa opposite them, Taylor set down her coffee cup and walked over. The blonde woman leaned in and spoke in accented but incredibly sincere Chinese.

"Your boyfriend, loves you very much."

Lin Wanwan's tears immediately spilled over.