Chapter 146: Hegemon-King of Chu, Who Changed You?

The final challenger to take the stage was Qin Yiyang. Having started as a comedian, even his mask was uniquely different, styled as a clown. His debut performance was a grand magic show combined with pantomime, delivering a completely fresh visual feast to the entire audience.

Once all the performances concluded, the new round of voting channels opened. On the big screen, the vote counts for each competing group began to soar rapidly. To everyone's surprise, Liu Niwen's *Moulin Rouge* came right after Chu Chuo's performance, securing the third position.

Discussions rippled through the audience:

"Actually, I also thought *Moulin Rouge* was great!"

"Me too, me too! So sensual yet aesthetic~"

"Nini always gives people a different experience. It's so creative, I can't help but look forward to her theme for the next round."

......

"Bitch!" Ye Lingyun cursed loudly in the backstage VIP lounge. The stage she had meticulously designed actually fell short of that cheap slut Liu Niwen's pole dance—it was simply beyond belief.

Xiao Zhu hurriedly tried to comfort her, "Sister Yun, it's just that male viewers paid more attention to it. It's only a temporary novelty anyway; her fan base isn't high after all, so her vote count is bound to run out of steam later."

With her face shrouded in gloom, Ye Lingyun was in no mood to listen to any comfort and snapped back irritably, "What the hell do you know..."

"Sister Yun, the introductions for Liu Niwen and Chen Yu are over. You can get ready to go on stage," Xin Xin knocked on the door to remind her.

"Hmph, at least your show's production team has some sense." Ye Lingyun rose gracefully, smoothed her long hair, and instantly transformed her expression, preparing to take the stage with elegance and composure.

Xin Xin kept her head lowered, not daring to look directly at the glamorous and noble woman before her. Just thinking of her venomous heart made her tremble.

Under He Liang's enthusiastic introduction, Ye Lingyun made her entrance accompanied by her collaborating actor. Similar to the previous two, she had chosen an unknown artist from her own agency to prevent anyone from eclipsing her own spotlight.

"Best Actress Ye's performance today was simply breathtaking! Actually, the moment you stepped on stage, I think everyone already guessed..." He Liang glanced at the vote count on the big screen and hurriedly buttered up the woman beside him.

Ye Lingyun offered her thanks with grace, "Thank you, Teacher He. For this round, I really wanted to present a stage with a deeper artistic conception and a more aesthetic vibe!"

Qin Yue rolled her eyes inwardly while keeping a smile plastered on her face, long accustomed to Ye Lingyun's dismissal of her.

"Actually, I don't think it was necessary to put Ye Lingyun on right before..."

"The production team's desire for self-preservation is way too strong!"

"Totally! Hey, did you guys read that Douban post from earlier?"

"Of course I did. It said her real-life personality is terrible and she's extremely domineering. Such massive gossip."

"Judging by this momentum, I'd say it's nine-tenths true..."

......

The audience in the seats whispered among themselves, gossiping. Most of them grew suspicious of the noble persona Ye Lingyun had painstakingly built, yet they also guessed that the entertainment industry had always been fond of mutual backstabbing.

When Chu Chuo took the stage, the thunderous cheers from the audience nearly ruptured eardrums. Chu Chuo briefly greeted the audience and brought out his collaborator, who turned out to be the red-hot female rapper CC.

This completely caught all the viewers off guard; nobody expected that Chu Chuo would actually find such a strong partner, showing that he cared not a whit about whether his own aura might be overshadowed.

"My Overlord Chu is fierce!"

"Goddess CC!! The little queen of rap!"

......

Chu Chuo's move won him a wave of praise, sending his vote count soaring as well.

Having removed her mask, CC greeted everyone with cool nonchalance, "Yo, what's up everyone, it's CC here!"

"CC! CC..." The waves of cheers at the venue rolled on without pause.

"I'm quite curious, I wonder how Heavenly King Chu managed to get CC to collaborate with him?" He Liang blinked and asked with a curious expression.

After exchanging a smile with Chu Chuo, CC generously spoke up, "Oh, it's just because this guy has such a terrible temper. He threatened that if I didn't help him this time, he'd cut ties with me forever. He'd previously agreed for me to write a rap theme song for his new movie, but then I went to country M for advanced studies. So now I'm just here to pay off my debts!"

"Hahaha..." A burst of wild laughter erupted from the crowd.

It was an open secret that CC and Chu Chuo shared a good relationship in the circle. Moreover, CC had been deeply in love with her non-celebrity boyfriend for a decade and never used Chu Chuo to climb higher or gain trending searches, making her deeply favored by fans.

Coming off the stage, CC bumped her shoulder against Chu Chuo's and smiled mischievously, "Overlord Chu, I've seen the changes in you lately. Who on earth changed you? Introduce them to me, any gender is fine."

"Nothing of the sort," Chu Chuo replied with an icy expression.

"Don't try to hide it from me. I've heard that you haven't... you know, for quite a while now. Right, Time Management Master?" CC shot him a *you-know-what-I-mean* look. "With your walking-hormone self, not spreading your seed for this long... could it be... is your kidney function failing?"

Chu Chuo glanced at her sidelong. She was perhaps the only woman who dared to speak so casually and recklessly. He gave a light cough, "I just haven't laid eyes on anything worth looking at lately."

"Ha, stop kidding. I ran into Sasa and Ellie a few days ago, and both of them complained in tears about getting snubbed by you. Those two are quite well-known in the industry; they definitely count as stunners. Plus, their figures and looks are totally your type. There's no reason for you to refuse."

"..." Chu Chuo remained speechless.

"I really want to see what kind of celestial woman could leave Overlord Chu in such a disarrayed state." CC crossed her arms, raised an eyebrow, and wore the expression of someone waiting for a good show.

"Stop guessing nonsense..."

"Don't be so quick to deny it. A playboy like you—the moment you actually fall, you fall hard." CC gave him a meaningful look.

Chu Chuo frowned, uncomprehending.

"This is the balance of cosmic energy. Fickle people will ultimately meet their match in someone. That's retribution!" CC patted his shoulder, clicked her tongue a few times, and walked toward the public lounge.

Meet her match in someone?

Had he met his match?

Chu Chuo stood rooted to the spot, offering a bitter smile. Perhaps so. Even he himself had no idea what had happened to him now...

In his mind flashed the girl's gorgeous yet chillingly cold face, that faint, elusive smile that refused to fade away, alongside... those enchanting, expressive eyes...

Lin Zhiwei... Have I truly fallen to you? he asked himself softly, his heart tightening even more.