Volume One, Chapter 92: I Am Here to Stand by You, Not to Uphold Justice

After Jiang Yu finished his greeting, the host, clearly swept up by the enthusiasm of the live audience, raised his voice noticeably.

“That’s right! It’s Jiang Yu, who, with his astonishing talent, has created a miracle!”

“Today, we’ve invited him back to this stage once again!”

“As everyone knows, we have guest singers to assist tonight, and the one collaborating with Jiang Yu is... Su Muyu!”

As the host called out, Su Muyu appeared, dressed in a youthful, girlish outfit that made her look especially radiant and fresh. Her appearance stunned every member of the audience.

“Mom, I think I’m in love!”

“Is this what a goddess looks like? This is unreal!”

“Forget a husband, I want a wife!”

Su Muyu smiled softly, waving to the crowd. Jiang Yu extended his hand, and Su Muyu gently placed hers on his. The moment was picturesque, almost ethereal.

Su Muyu’s arrival sent the atmosphere to its peak.

“Wow, they look perfect together!”

“Didn’t Su Muyu leave the show?”

“Weren’t you listening? She’s here as Jiang Yu’s guest singer!”

“Wait a second, Jiang Yu is back, Su Muyu is back... am I onto something?”

“No way, Jiang Yu doesn’t deserve Su Muyu!”

“Oh, come on. If Jiang Yu doesn’t, then who does? You?”

A gentle melody began to play—the same charming and fresh style Jiang Yu was known for. Wearing a sweet smile, he reached out his hand and looked at Su Muyu, his voice flowing gently.

“I’m still searching for someone to lean on, someone to embrace.”

“Someone to pray for me, to worry for me, to get angry and make a fuss for me.”

Su Muyu, too, broke into a sweet smile. It was their second time holding hands; the first had been at the graduation party, when Jiang Yu supported her, fearing she might stumble.

As their hands met, Su Muyu felt her fingers tremble, but the warmth from his palm slowly steadied her heart.

“Happiness gives a subtle sign, fate drawing us closer together.”

“And then loneliness is swallowed up, boredom turns into conversation, everything is different now.”

Hand in hand, the two gazed at the audience.

If one looked closely, Su Muyu’s delicate earlobes had turned bright red.

It was their first time holding hands in front of a crowd, and her heart was pounding uncontrollably. Even Jiang Yu, feeling the delicate softness in his palm, was distracted on stage.

If not for the fact that he had sung this song countless times in his past life, the lyrics etched into his very bones, he might have forgotten them now!

“Dimples and long eyelashes, enchantingly irresistible.”

“I can’t sleep every night, it feels like I’m drunk.”

“You don’t know how much you mean to me.”

“With you, my life is finally complete.”

...

“Oh my god, I can’t take it, this is too sweet!”

“I don’t think they’re acting at all!”

“Look at the way Su Muyu looks at Jiang Yu—if you told me nothing was going on, I wouldn’t believe it!”

“Same here. And look at Jiang Yu, all smug!”

Every audience member wore a doting smile, the kind only an admiring aunt could give.

Such a sweet song could only have been written by two people in love.

“At last, I’ve found the beauty of a heart in sync.”

“A lifetime of gentle warmth.”

“I’ll love you forever, until we’re old.”

...

Backstage, Yan Ming watched the brightest duo at center stage, joy lighting his eyes. Since Jiang Yu’s departure, he hadn’t witnessed such a passionate response from the audience.

As their voices faded and the last lyric ended, the background music came to a stop, and the final note lingered briefly in the air. The two took a bow, still holding hands.

The audience, not yet satisfied, erupted into shouts for an encore.

Jiang Yu simply smiled. “Thank you for loving my songs. Goodbye!” With that, he and Su Muyu left the stage, their hands still joined.

A chorus of playful cheers and teasing rose up again from the crowd.

Their response sparked a wave of envy among the other contestants waiting backstage. At last, they understood why so many companies had joined forces to push rumors and pressure Jiang Yu into quitting the show.

With talent and creativity like his, if he stayed, none of their own contestants would ever stand a chance.

Though the show’s popularity had waned, at least their investments wouldn’t be for nothing.

But Jiang Yu was still Jiang Yu. As he’d said himself, he was like crabgrass—impossible to stamp out, thriving on adversity.

Who would have expected that a newcomer, barely two months into his career, could achieve so much?

Now, even if the industry’s elite tried to suppress him again, they’d find it impossible to bring him down.

...

On the day the episode aired, Yan Ming kept an eye on the numbers in the data center. At first, viewership was sluggish, just like usual, but as time went on, it steadily climbed. When Jiang Yu and Su Muyu appeared, ratings soared to their peak.

With this episode’s broadcast, major platforms once again began sharing Jiang Yu’s song.

“Oh my god, it’s just too sweet.”

“Are they using this song to make their relationship official?”

“No way, absolutely not!”

“Dimples and long lashes—just look at those lyrics!”

“Ugh, all I wanted was to hear Jiang Yu sing, but now I feel a little heartbroken!”

Though praise flooded in, a few discordant voices mixed among the comments.

“Su Muyu as a guest singer feels unfair to the other contestants!”

“Come on! Stop shipping them—it’s just Huayue Entertainment using Su Muyu to boost Jiang Yu. It’s unfair and shady.”

But the following interview instantly silenced the critics.

The production team had interviewed Su Muyu after learning she’d return as Jiang Yu’s special guest.

“Su Muyu, may I ask what made you decide to come back to the show?”

Su Muyu replied calmly, “Because of Jiang Yu—he’s always getting into trouble, and the company sent me to keep an eye on him.”

The staff couldn’t help but laugh, preparing to move on to the next question, but Su Muyu wasn’t finished.

“That’s only part of the reason. The bigger reason is, as you saw before, the company feared that if Jiang Yu returned, someone might bully him. So I came back to support him.”

At these words, the staff’s smiles froze. Thinking quickly, they shifted to another topic.

“Miss Su Muyu, some viewers feel that your participation as a guest singer is unfair to the other contestants because of your immense popularity. What’s your view on that?”

Su Muyu looked into the camera, her expression cool.

“Jiang Yu is no longer a contestant, so my involvement doesn’t affect the results for the others. Besides, as I said before...”

“I’m here to support Jiang Yu, not to make things fair for everyone else!”