It wasn't just the Shanghai branch. At Taiyang Chuanhe's Beijing headquarters, fans were also showing up to ask about Chu Zhi's health. Huang Bo had no choice but to have them properly received.
Ordinarily, Huang Bo didn't have much patience for regular fans. In the past, he'd even had some unpleasant run-ins. But his polite treatment of the "Little Fruit" fandom wasn't just personal restraint—it was because Chu Zhi himself clearly cared deeply about his fans, from the inside out.
And Chu Zhi was the company's golden goose. The mom-fans had already made their stance clear, so Huang Bo couldn't afford to be careless.
The relationship between idols and fans was mutually reinforcing. If a celebrity truly valued their fans, you wouldn't see incidents like staff taking advantage of girls under the guise of idol connections.
Celebrity social media followings in the tens of millions often seemed inflated. But this coughing-blood incident proved Chu Zhi's real pull. Based on rough estimates, at least a million "Little Fruits" were genuinely worried about their idol.
"Chu Zhi's fanbase isn't just top-tier. He's in a league of his own. Even if you picked two out of the current top six, their numbers wouldn't match his."
This was the take from the producer of I'm a Singer-Songwriter, who had been following the situation the whole time. Now that Chu Zhi was his ticket to traffic, he was understandably concerned about the artist's health.
And what about the man at the center of it all?
Chu Zhi had just received his award and was planning to take a picture with it, along with a piece of Da Bai soft candy. He reached for his phone—only to find over twenty missed calls from Da Bai, Xiao Yun, Sister Niu, Brother Liang, and others.
Something major had happened.
A bad feeling hit him. He opened WeChat and found even more messages. He clicked on the long voice note from Niu Jiangxue.
The first few lines were concern. The rest explained the chaos.
"My mind's still spinning. The influence of a top-tier idol is way more intense than I imagined. What was meant as a little trial balloon has turned into a full-on internet explosion," Niu Jiangxue said in the message.
It wasn't that top-tier celebrities were inherently overwhelming. But Chu Zhi's fans were incredibly loyal and fiercely devoted, thanks to the emotional investment he'd cultivated over time. That's what made this blow up so fast, in just an hour or two.
Chu Zhi had originally intended to post a simple update online: "It's just a sore throat, no need to worry." That would've been enough to calm fans. But now even the general public was swept up in it. He could still go ahead with a statement, but given the scale, he figured it would be better to get a hospital report.
Thanks to the throat lozenge he'd taken during the awards ceremony, the swelling had already gone down. If he went to the hospital now, they wouldn't find anything.
People would think, "Things got this serious and you can't even bother to get checked?"That wouldn't do. He had an image to maintain. Even as a performance master, he needed to play this right.
"System, do you have any props that can simulate illness?" he asked mentally.
[This system does not produce fake illness items. However, if the host draws from the prize pool, such an item might appear.]
Chu Zhi's eyes lit up. While leaving the awards building, he pulled up the prize pool. This time, the contents made his eyes sparkle—so many good things.
[Items in Prize Pool]
Rare Item: "Nodding Elixir"
Title: "Sick Leave Guy"
Gift Pack: "Βο"
Gift Pack: "Devotion"
Special Grand Prize: Background Music Bundle
Special Grand Prize: Ren Tongxiang's Mastery Pack
The two grand prizes were jaw-dropping.
The BGM bundle didn't look flashy at first, but it included one hundred of Earth's most iconic soundtrack masterpieces—"Memory of the Forbidden City" from The Blessing, "The Knife Society Overture" from A Chinese Odyssey, "By Chance" from Tai Chi Master, even the emotional ending theme from Kung Fu Hustle. With this, he'd instantly become a soundtrack genius.
Forget arguments like "this is a different narrative" or "it won't fit the plot." Classic scores transcended their origins. Even martial arts series had masterpieces like "Harmony" and "Seven Swords." These soundtracks could elevate any scene.
The second grand prize featured the skills of Ren Tongxiang, aka the "King of the Suona." He was the one who adapted and popularized "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix."
The two gift packs were pure fire. One included Vitas's insane high notes. The other, an anime sword-drawing anthem.
Then came this:
[Sick Leave Guy – Epic Title] "Sick leave feels great. Eternal sick leave feels even better.
"Effect: Instantly afflicts the body with any chosen mild-to-serious condition eligible for medical leave. Comes with a doctor's certificate. Can be revoked at any time without harming the user.
"An epic title… a notch below the legendary 'Drunken Immortal,' but insanely useful." With this, Chu Zhi could finally deal with the hospital visit without issues. And in a sense, it freed him from his body's physical limitations.
"Still, I need to be careful. It's only today that I realized how overwhelming top-tier fame can be."
"Thanks, system bro," Chu Zhi said gratefully. Even if the grand prizes were just bait, the item he got was exactly what he needed.
[The system provides no assistance in blind box draws.]
"Right, right, no assistance at all." Chu Zhi nodded. This system was always so tsundere.
That music pack, though. It was incredibly tempting. Some of the world's most famous composers had low public profiles but were revered in their circles.
A top-tier singer-songwriter who could also compose soundtracks? That would be a major level-up. And it suited him. After all, he already composed and arranged his own music.
By the time he reached the van, Niu Jiangxue, Wang Yuan, Xiao Zhu, and Lao Qian were all waiting for him.
Niu Jiangxue spoke first. "Chu-ge, what's going on?"
Wang Yuan, the most worried of them all, was so tense she couldn't find her words at first.
"I think it's just a sore throat," Chu Zhi said gently. "Sorry for worrying you, Sister Niu, Sister Yuan, Qian-ge, Xiao Zhu."
"Really? You're coughing blood. Doesn't your stomach hurt?" Wang Yuan asked, concern etched into every word. "Let's go to the hospital just in case."
"My stomach's fine. The best integrative hospital in the capital is less than a mile away. Let's go. It'll put everyone at ease," Chu Zhi said.
Hearing that, Niu Jiangxue's tension eased. Qiu-ge started the van, and within minutes, they reached the hospital parking lot.
The moment Chu Zhi stepped through the doors, he activated his title. He gave himself an inflamed throat—and also, just in case, severe depression. What if the team asked for a psych evaluation too?
Suddenly, his limbs stiffened.
"Feels like I'm walking with plastic wrap around my arms and legs. Not painful, just… restricted." The sore throat sensation kicked in, too.
Chu Zhi took a deep breath and pushed forward into the hospital.
Wang Yuan noticed the change in his demeanor. She began to wonder… was it the depression that made him so resistant to hospitals?