"Alright, you all head back first. I think I'll take a walk alone!" Yang Yi said to Feng Eleven and the others after settling into the car.

Before they could react, Yang Yi’s car was already speeding away. Fatty Lin watched it go, muttering under his breath, "Damn, why is Brother Yi taking off so fast? Where is he rushing off to?"

Fatty Lin might not have grasped it, but Feng Shi and Xuanyuan Bing certainly did. After all, matters of the heart are often inexplicable. With both Li Qian and Xia Shiyun in Shanghai, Xuanyuan Bing had no idea how many women Yang Yi was involved with.

Consequently, the ever-unaware Xiaoyao Wuqing had no clue why Yang Yi had chosen this abrupt departure, leaving him standing rooted to the spot.

"You all go back. I'm heading home too. If I don't visit that old man soon, he’ll surely be angry," Xuanyuan Bing nodded to Feng Shi, Fatty Lin, and the others, then slipped into a waiting car and left.

"Jeez, everyone’s flying off in different directions," Fatty Lin observed with a helpless shake of his head. "Feng Shi, looks like it's just you and me left to get busy back at HQ."

"Heh, what business do you have to be busy with? Head office has plenty of matters, but I’ve yet to see one that actually suits you, Fatty Lin," Feng Shi replied with a faint smile.

"Uh, hey, don't underestimate me, Feng Shi..." Fatty Lin started, but trailed off. In truth, he wasn't sure what he could handle. Dealing with the faction's politics was too tedious—he wouldn't do it. Handling company affairs was too hectic—he definitely wouldn't do that either.

Fatty Lin was inherently the kind of man who was naturally carefree and somewhat wild. He only ever knew one thing: if Yang Yi gave an order, Fatty Lin would execute it without question.

"What, lost your words?" Feng Shi smirked lightly.

"Crap! Let's just get going then," Fatty Lin’s face flushed with embarrassment. The guy dared not try to hold his ground against Feng Shi. If he actually tried to argue, Fatty Lin knew he'd feel utterly useless, as his contributions paled in comparison to Feng Shi's dedication.

A sleek, black sedan, valued at no more than a million, cruised at a steady forty kilometers per hour—a pace not considered fast in the sprawling avenues of Shanghai.

Yang Yi gripped the steering wheel with one hand, the other resting near his mouth, giving the impression of a man either driving casually or trying to look cool. Yet, the intensity in his eyes revealed that his mind was preoccupied with something else entirely.

"The Southern affairs are finally concluded, but why do I feel like something about this whole situation is strange, almost as if something was pulling the strings?" Yang Yi mused, his brow furrowing deeply. His gaze remained fixed ahead, and as he navigated a curve, his frown tightened further.

"Phantom, Phantom, Phantom, Phantom..."

Waves of chanting erupted outside the gates of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, sounding like an army of obsessive fans cheering for their idol, rallying support for their beloved star.

"Phantom?" Yang Yi glanced at the dense crowd packed by the entrance, muttering in confusion, "What exactly is Phantom?"

What was Phantom?

A character from a comic or an animation?

But why were they gathered here? And the fervor with which the crowd was shouting suggested this was no ordinary 'Phantom.' If they were ordinary, such a massive turnout wouldn't be happening.

Furthermore, after parking his car, Yang Yi started walking toward the Conservatory. He was genuinely surprised to see so many people there today, and that male students were allowed entry so freely? Observing the sheer number of people queuing confirmed the massive throng.

"Did the Conservatory undergo some sort of reform? Or is the Dean pulling some stunt?" With a pocketful of lingering doubts, Yang Yi allowed a faint smile to touch his lips as he took a shortcut toward the interior.

But the next moment left him speechless. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't squeeze through the masses. "Damn, what is going on up front? Why is everyone jammed together like this? Sigh, I might as well call those two women."

Yang Yi, who had initially planned to surprise Li Qian and Xia Shiyun, abandoned the idea. It was impossible to push through this human sea, and for a first-timer like him, locating Xia Shiyun and Li Qian amidst this chaos would be a near-impossible feat.

"I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is switched off!"

"Switched off?" Yang Yi let out a wry chuckle. He realized he rarely called them, and this time, when he finally did, he was met with a dead line.

"Looks like I'll have to get in..." He stopped mid-sentence, unable to speak over the surging crowd. He scanned his surroundings, spotted a young man nearby, a slight smile playing on his lips, and tapped the youth’s shoulder. "Hey, student! Student!"

"What is it?" The latter looked annoyed at the sudden tap and stared at Yang Yi with suspicion. "What's the matter?"

"Uh, what exactly is happening inside here?" Yang Yi asked with a friendly smile.

"Whoa, friend, are you new here?" Hearing Yang Yi ask about the situation, the teenager seemed energized, as if he'd just had an adrenaline shot, eager to elaborate.

"Uh, yeah, I'm new," Yang Yi paused, slightly taken aback by being addressed as 'friend' ( - xiōngtái).

"Oh, you're new, no wonder you don't know what's going on!"

"I heard everyone shouting 'Phantom'? What is that?"

"Damn it!" The young man stared at Yang Yi for a long moment before finally blurting out, "Friend, you’re a total newbie!"

"..." Yang Yi was speechless. So not knowing meant you were a newbie? This logic was hard to decipher.

"Hey, you really don't know Phantom? Let me tell you!" Suddenly, a slightly thin boy with a distinctly suggestive glint in his eyes chuckled slyly, "Phantom is a group, and they're a beautiful girl group, tsk tsk!"

"A girl group?" Yang Yi looked at him in surprise. "What kind of girl group is it?"

"Don't rush, I'll tell you slowly!" The boy smiled, then pointed toward the stage ahead. "Phantom is a girl group. One plays the violin, the other plays the piano. Both beauties are incredibly talented. Their music is heavenly! But the best part is, they've become famous across all of Shanghai. Anyone in Shanghai who doesn't know them is officially labeled a newbie!"

"That’s right, that’s why I called you a newbie just now," the first teenager added with a chuckle.

"Uh!" Hearing this, Yang Yi’s mind suddenly flashed to Li Qian. Could the violinist be her? He remembered Li Qian being an absolute master of the violin back when they were at No. 1 High School.

But who would be the pianist? Just as he was about to ask the two explainers, Yang Yi froze. What was happening? The two who had just been explaining things to him now had dazed, infatuated expressions, with a bit of drool escaping their lips. He asked curiously, "Hey, you two..."

"Beat it, don't interrupt me!" The first teenager stared fixedly ahead, tossing a dismissive remark at Yang Yi.

The thin boy next to him, however, patted Yang Yi's shoulder and grinned wickedly. "Bro, you think his expression is pretty perverted, right?"

"Good heavens, is that even a question?" Yang Yi felt that was stating the obvious.

"Hahahaha! But do you know the saying: 'Easy to dodge a strong attack, difficult to guard against something seductive?' Look, the performance on stage is about to start. The Phantom group will be out soon, so we are all..." He let out a suggestive chuckle.

"Damn, more shameless than me!" Yang Yi simply smiled faintly at the remark and turned his attention to the stage. He was actually curious to see what charm this Phantom group possessed to make these men look so utterly lovestruck.

"Phantom, Phantom, Phantom!"

The shouts of the horde grew more intense, their hands rising and falling with a synchronized rhythm.

Yang Yi looked at the scene, a bitter smile playing on his lips. The popularity of this group called Phantom was absolutely dominant. Scanning the area, he realized the entire Conservatory grounds were packed shoulder-to-shoulder; moving around was nearly impossible. If it weren't for a few security guards maintaining order, these maniacs would have likely gone completely wild by now.

As the shouting intensified, an emcee first walked onto the stage. Before she could speak, she gestured with her hands to quiet the crowd. At that moment, a middle-aged woman holding a microphone appeared. Her attire clearly marked her as a senior administrator of the Conservatory.

"We sincerely thank everyone for your great interest in our Conservatory's music evaluations, and also thank all the supporters of the Phantom group. Today is a graduation ceremony held to celebrate the Phantom group passing the Conservatory's final graduation examination with outstanding results!"

"Graduation ceremony?" Yang Yi’s confusion deepened. Could someone in the Shanghai Conservatory of Music actually graduate early?

He might not know the specifics of everything else, but he had done some research on the Conservatory for Xia Shiyun’s sake. If a student or group achieved exceptional results, graduating within a single semester, it signified that individual or group had a high probability of becoming the next big star strongly promoted by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Simply put, students graduating early could skip many formalities and sign directly with major record labels, launching their first EP.

This was an achievement only possible for those possessing truly exceptional musical talent. In the Conservatory's fifty-year history, the number of students achieving graduation in a single semester was extremely small. Nearly every reigning music superstar who had dominated the Chinese music scene had emerged from these halls.