Chapter 144: Two Internet Celebrities

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Qiu Zhen was only halfway through his performance when many of the musicians backstage began shaking their heads.

A catchy pop song simply could not compete with a composition arranged for choir and symphony orchestra.

Those who knew music understood the difference. Given enough time and freedom to refine their work, there were songs anyone could write. But there were also songs that ordinary people simply could not create.

It was the same with Pu Jingshi and Guo Jinglong’s film scores. Creating music of that caliber required an exceptionally high level of musical understanding. You had to know everything before you could produce something like that.

Give you a string ensemble—would you know how to write for it? And that was before even considering a more complex symphony orchestra.

What surprised everyone about Tang Zhichu this time was that, to a certain extent, he already possessed the same kind of ability as Pu Jingshi and Guo Jinglong.

Qiu Zhen understood it himself. The moment he finished listening to Tang Zhichu’s song, he knew he had no chance of winning.

To take something complex and make it accessible to everyone, while still allowing them to be moved by it—and to produce it in such a short time…

Even if you refused to admit it, you still had to say the man was incredible.

After Qiu Zhen finished singing, the host invited Tang Zhichu onto the stage as well.

190 to 158.

There was no suspense in the audience vote. Even now, everyone was still discussing Tang Zhichu’s rendition of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer.

At a time when many believed the Chinese music scene had entered an age of decline, a work like this had appeared—and it had been created by a young man. The audience showed Tang Zhichu an enormous amount of respect.

So much so that when faced with Qiu Zhen, many did not even cast a vote. It was an overwhelming victory.

Tang Zhichu and Qiu Zhen exchanged a brief embrace, but Tang Zhichu said nothing. In a setting like this, anything he said would have felt insincere.

Qiu Zhen opened his mouth as well, but all he managed was a simple congratulations.

“To be honest, when I found out that two young people had taken on this project, I was a little disappointed deep down,” Xu Huaijin said. “That isn’t because I look down on young people. It’s because wuxia films require a particular musical quality. At the very least, you need to create the atmosphere of a martial-arts film. You have to know what effect a qin will produce, and what effect a xiao will produce. It’s like cooking—you need to know when to use salt and when to use soy sauce.”

“You need chili and Sichuan peppercorns to create the flavor of Sichuan cuisine. You can’t simply set out to write a pleasant song. It requires a very high level of musical literacy. Tang Zhichu, you truly surprised me—and you created this in such a short time. I have a suggestion for the program team: perhaps you could be bolder and take on more scoring projects.”

“That would showcase the diversity of music while also encouraging young people today to explore its many possibilities. And I believe you have the ability to do it. Since you’ve decided to take this path, you might as well explore it more deeply. As for the final decision, let our assistant director handle it.”

After finishing, Xu Huaijin turned to Xu Lai beside him.

Xu Lai smiled and said only five words:

“I choose Tang Zhichu!”

The audience burst into laughter. This father and son were rather unusual.

It was obvious that the father had brought his son along in the hope of giving him a chance to shine. Yet the son seemed faintly annoyed with his father. During Xu Huaijin’s lengthy speech, the camera had caught an expression of disdain on Xu Lai’s face.

When it was finally his turn, he settled everything with a single sentence.

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After the contracts were signed and the group photographs taken, the formalities were complete. Yet when Tang Zhichu was leaving the stage, Qiu Zhen surprisingly did not go.

Tang Zhichu was somewhat puzzled, but he still walked alongside him.

Once they passed through the corridor and reached a deserted area, Qiu Zhen suddenly said, “I really didn’t mean any harm.”

Tang Zhichu nodded. “I know.”

“There were too many people at dinner last time. If you felt offended, I owe you an apology.”

Tang Zhichu looked at him in surprise.

This man had something about him. He knew how to bend when necessary and stand tall when necessary.

“You’re being too serious. It was the program’s rules that caused all this. When you’re out in the world, you can’t always control yourself.”

Qiu Zhen nodded, seeming to judge whether Tang Zhichu meant what he said—or perhaps evaluating whether his apology had worked.

He had spent some time thinking about Tang Zhichu’s personality. At first, he had tried to flatter Tang Zhichu, but Tang Zhichu had not chosen him. Later, he had resorted to petty tricks, only to run into Tang Zhichu again.

So he had simply decided to swallow his pride and apologize first, preventing any lasting grudge from forming.

“Don’t dwell on it. Good luck from here on out!” Tang Zhichu added before pushing open the door to the lounge.

Qiu Zhen did not understand what Tang Zhichu meant at first. It was only when the program ended and the eliminations began that he understood why Tang Zhichu had wished him luck.

Wildfire defeated Stellar. The Stellar Alliance had accumulated two losses and needed to eliminate one person.

Vanguard defeated Sunflower. The Sunflower Alliance had also accumulated two losses and needed to eliminate one person.

Sunflower made its decision quickly. It seemed they had long since agreed on who would leave first and who would leave later.

But what about the Stellar Alliance?

Zhu Yiyang and Qiu Zhen both volunteered to leave.

They had both lost, so the elimination spot would go to one of them.

Qiu Zhen had reasoned that he needed to maintain the proper attitude. After losing, he could not shamelessly wait around to be spared.

Still, he had confidence in his heart. Liu Xingyun would certainly favor him.

At least in terms of actual ability, Zhu Yiyang was clearly below the standard. It had taken him eight episodes to produce a single song, and he had still lost.

What Qiu Zhen had not expected was that Zhu Yiyang would put on an even more determined display, as though he would become frantic if Qiu Zhen were not allowed to eliminate him.

“It’s decided, then. I’m leaving. Don’t waste time agonizing over it. I sang the song I wanted to sing, and I lost to Brother Tang. I have no regrets at all. Brother Zhen, you’re different. You’ll be more useful if you stay. If you feel guilty about it, then do your best from here on out!”

Zhu Yiyang’s words left everyone unable to argue.

Qiu Zhen knew that Zhu Yiyang was close to Tang Zhichu.

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Zhu Yiyang had even been the one who urged Qiu Zhen to participate this time. Qiu Zhen had assumed that Zhu Yiyang intended to join forces with Tang Zhichu and eliminate him.

He had not expected Zhu Yiyang to volunteer to leave himself. Qiu Zhen’s conspiracy theory had fallen apart, and he took the initiative to embrace Zhu Yiyang.

“Good luck, Brother Zhen!”

“I’ll do my best!”

As he embraced Qiu Zhen, Zhu Yiyang glanced at Tang Zhichu. He was practically one gesture away from flashing him a victory sign as well.

Of course, he had never intended to get rid of Qiu Zhen. He had merely used Qiu Zhen to raise Tang Zhichu’s reputation.

If Tang Zhichu kept winning a few more times, wouldn’t his standing rise accordingly?

Zhu Yiyang knew the difference between a single satisfying meal and having enough food for every day. He had also discussed it with Tang Zhichu. Rather than waste time here, they might as well go do something more meaningful.

In Yuzhou, inside a five-star hotel near the Bodhisattva Bridge commercial district, a luxurious office was occupied by several people.

Zhou Yun had uncharacteristically dressed in a white blouse and women’s tailored trousers. Seated at the head of the table, she rested both hands on its surface and calmly studied the people before her.

There were three women seated opposite her. The one on the far left was the most striking. Her smooth, flowing hair faded from golden white into a gradient of blue, creating a dreamlike color.

Hair of that shade was extremely difficult to pull off. If the wearer had poor skin, poor hair quality, or mediocre features, it would look eccentric and gaudy.

But she carried it perfectly. Instead, it made her skin appear even fairer and enhanced her beauty.

Lin Maomao was a DY beauty influencer with 3.2 million followers.

Her hair color was her greatest selling point. Pure white, rose pink, and gold—she could wear them all flawlessly.

Aside from her hair, she was probably the fairest-skinned of all the DY beauty influencers, which allowed her complexion to complement her hair perfectly.

The woman in the middle was middle-aged, with short hair and a professional suit. She was carefully reviewing the documents in her hands. She was a lawyer.

On the right sat another young woman. Her hair color was ordinary, and her skin was also very fair. Her teeth were especially striking. When she did not smile, she possessed an imposing, regal air; when she smiled, she gave off an unusually gentle warmth. She was very slender, with prominent collarbones.

Nai Huiya was also a DY influencer, though she was a singer, with nearly five million followers.

Zhou Yun had spent a long time trying to win these two over. Only today had she finally succeeded.

End of Chapter.