Chapter Ninety: The Black Son Speaks!

The editing team worked such wonders that Yunmeng Island, which had originally offered little in the way of spectacle, was transformed into something exceptionally tender and beautiful.

The caress of the waves and the flight of seabirds stirred countless viewers to want to visit the island themselves.

It had to be said.

The editors knew what they were doing.

Chen Fang was there in person.

During those seven days of filming, Yunmeng Island was either windswept or drenched in rain; there was scarcely a single day of good weather.

And yet, in such a difficult environment, the editing team still managed to cut together footage with this kind of effect.

Honestly, the show ought to give them a raise.

The program now moved into the main event.

One by one, the arrival clips of the eight celebrities appeared.

The others came by yacht or private jet, while Chen Fang, when he finally appeared on screen, was soaked through, and the eight defined lines of his lower abs were plainly visible.

"How did you get so wet?"

Su Mu Rou asked gleefully.

For some reason, she simply liked making Chen Fang uncomfortable.

Especially when she saw that constipated look on his face, or when he rolled his eyes at her, she felt a surge of satisfaction, as though she had just downed an ice-cold drink on the hottest day of summer, refreshed to the very soul.

Chen Fang did not mind at all. "There were no boat tickets left when I went, so I had to arrange a private boat locally. Unfortunately, there was a heavy downpour over the sea near Yunmeng Island that day, and I got caught in it before I had time to open an umbrella. That's how I ended up like this."

Ji Mei felt a little heartbroken.

If she had known, she would have bought Chen Fang a yacht.

That was the sort of thing Ji Mei would do.

Chen Fang understood her well.

Once she was deep in love, her whole heart would be tied to him, and she could not bear to see him suffer the slightest grievance.

Because he understood her so well, Chen Fang had never brought it up. After all, Ji Mei had not come from a particularly privileged family. Compared with An Ting Han and Xi Yuan Yuan, her background was downright ordinary.

Besides, Ji Mei had already spent a fortune buying Chen Fang a guitar.

Chen Fang did not know how much money she still had in her account, but after buying that guitar, there certainly could not be much left.

He did like living off a woman, but he had not sunk to the shameless level of draining Ji Mei dry.

...

Chen Fang looked expectant.

He knew the first climax of the program was about to arrive.

On the internet, the barrage of comments flew past in a frenzy.

"Chen Fang's entrance is so unusual. Everyone else looks clean and handsome or beautiful, and he turns up like a drowned rat."

"Serves him right! I love seeing Chen Fang make a fool of himself!"

"Damn, Chen Fang's eight-pack abs are killing me."

"You can't tell when he's clothed, but his body is amazing underneath."

"From now on, I'm Chen Fang's fan for the next ten years."

"The production crew is something else, always picking on the rookie, Chen Fang."

Unexpectedly, there were far more people online speaking up for Chen Fang than anyone had imagined.

Some were thirsting after his body.

Others were blaming the production team for not arranging things properly.

In the villa living room, Su Mu Rou pretended to be calm as she glanced at Chen Fang's lower abdomen.

Good heavens.

Eight-pack abs.

She had seen them many times before, but seeing that wet, shirt-clinging temptation on television still made her swallow against her will.

Who says men are the lustful ones?

Clearly women are worse.

Ji Mei blocked Su Mu Rou's view, her eyes domineering. "You are not allowed to look."

Su Mu Rou coughed a few times and said with feigned disdain, "They're just abs. I can find plenty at the gym."

"The climax is coming," Chen Fang said, patting Ji Mei on the back.

At that, Ji Mei stared at the television with bright, expectant eyes.

Su Mu Rou also put her thoughts aside.

Soon enough, the image on the screen changed.

Chen Fang's figure appeared in the very center of the frame, while behind him the sky was choked with black clouds. The oppressive clouds, the howling sea wind, and the scattered rain all laid a thin gray filter over his features.

The originally beautiful atmosphere suddenly became heavy and stifling.

Of course, the subtitles were still mischievous.

Amid the oppressive image, a few lines would occasionally pop up to ease the mood.

Chen Fang smiled faintly.

Here it was.

Hadn't he sung "The Sea Floor" on that boat precisely for this moment?

As the subtitles explained, all the viewers gradually understood that on his way by boat to Yunmeng Island, Chen Fang had sung a song, and it had been an original one.

At once, everyone marveled.

Chen Fang writing songs really was as prolific as a sow giving birth.

Not long after, the subtitles disappeared from the screen.

Only Chen Fang's face remained in the frame, with churning whitecaps and a pitch-black sky behind him.

The scattered moonlight passed through the clouds
Hiding from the crowd
Spreading across the sea like scales
The waves wet your white dress
Trying to push you back
The waves wash away the bloodstains
Foolishly wishing to warm you

A distant singing voice drifted out.

Pure a cappella.

On a boat that was not especially spacious, Chen Fang's melancholy, deep-eyed gaze rested on the sea, as though he were staring straight into the depths of the ocean.

In an instant, every viewer got gooseflesh and shivered.

The fall in tone on the word "scattered" was absolutely impossible to resist.

There was no doubt about it.

This was yet another divine song.

And from the moment the first word of the lyrics was heard, the song had already been destined for greatness.

More importantly, it was heartbreaking.

Granted, the background visuals played a strong supporting role; whether the black clouds and dark sky or the surging waves, they all added to the impact of Chen Fang's singing. But the most immediate impression remained the sorrow and desolation inherent in the song itself, which Chen Fang's voice brought to life with perfect fidelity.

His hoarse timbre, the melancholy at his temples, the strands of hair blown loose by the wind—at that moment, Chen Fang was the sovereign of the frame.

Su Mu Rou was stunned.

It was the first time she had seen Chen Fang with this air of a melancholy little prince.

He was melancholy to the bone.

This pitiful, sorrowful Chen Fang was exactly her type.

But... why?

Why had Chen Fang ended up with Ji Mei?

She was still Ji Mei's best friend. If she really tried to steal her friend's man, that would be far too shameless.

In truth, Su Mu Rou was not the only one thinking this way.

Online, many female viewers watching the dating show saw the melancholy Chen Fang on screen and were overwhelmed by a surge of sympathy, posting that they wanted to pull him into their arms and comfort him.

The song continued.

The subtitles vanished completely.

Clearly, this had been deliberate on the editors' part.

They did not want the subtitles to divert attention from Chen Fang's singing, so they chose the pure, unembellished footage, untouched by any processing.

After all, the raw footage was already perfect beyond fault.

The sea wind grew stronger.

The rain intensified as well.

Yet Chen Fang's singing was unaffected in the slightest, low and heavy, so subdued that it made people want to cry.

There was not the slightest cut in this singing segment. For as long as Chen Fang had sung a cappella on the boat, the footage continued for just that long.

Several minutes later, Chen Fang's voice faded away.

And the weather in the frame grew even harsher.

Wind and rain lashed against Chen Fang's body.

But by then, no one was laughing at him for being a drowned rat anymore.

In the space of a single song, Chen Fang had conquered every viewer, even the anti-fans.