"The Ageless Song" changed public perception, "Summer Insects" amazed everyone, "Mulholland Drive" pioneered a new music genre, sparking discussions among industry leaders and earning Fang Xuanling's support, "Meow Meow" featured a revolutionary adaptation, and "Pilgrimage" was simply phenomenal. Now, she's won the "Million New Singer" award, a recognition directly from the Music Association. Her future career path seems incredibly smooth!
1L: I clicked in intending to mock you, but after looking at my playlist, I decided against it...
2L: Is the OP a fan or a hater? Never mind, I'm taking Cangcang away.
3L: I didn't think so before, but after the OP's summary, it suddenly seems kind of interesting.
...
16L: Don't you guys think Ye Cang's singing style is a bit similar to Lu Yang's?
17L: LS is trying to scam us by going above and beyond, isn't he?
18L: Lu Yang is truly a star sent from heaven. At that time, the music scene was full of talented people, but he managed to break through with rock, a niche genre, and has remained popular for so many years. He is a true national singer. Even my dad, who only watches the news and current affairs, can sing his songs.
...Netizens completely veered off-topic and turned the discussion into a fan meeting for Lu Yang.
74L: Let's bring this up again. Putting aside the issue of Ziwei Star (a Chinese astrological configuration), Ye Cang is now considered quite talented among the new generation of singers.
96L: In terms of singing ability, I think it's okay. Besides, judging from his adaptations in these few episodes, he should also have original songwriting ability, which would almost completely crush a large number of new singers today.
132L: Sigh, weren't we talking about Bai Weijia last year? He swept all the charts with one single, how come he's flopped this year?
135L: This post is about Ye Cang, okay? Please don't bring in irrelevant people, okay?
138L: And the cat food company's shady tactics are simply unbearable to watch. I heard they implied that Ye Cang disrespected his seniors, and then someone released the so-called argument video, which was actually fabricated by him. They're even from the same company. How narrow-minded of them!
155L: Wei Jia already explained that the video was problematic; the beginning and end were cut off. The problem was originally with Ye Cang's manager…
156L: The way the person above is trying to defend him is really funny. Putting everything else aside, just look at the vicious things the cat food guy said. He's nothing like the sunny and upright little prince you guys are praising. You can see the black heart and black lungs in his mouth.
161L: Putting everything else aside, Cat Food's single from last year can't compare to the songs Ye Cang performed in this year's competition. I know some people will say that the first few songs were written by Lu Yang. Although Fang Jiqing came out to explain that the idea for "Mulholland Drive" came from Ye Cang and they only helped with the arrangement, some people just can't see that anyway. So let's talk about "Meow Meow". Can Cat Food have modified it?
162L: Let's not talk about cat food. Didn't a few big spenders directly state on Weibo that they couldn't do it?
195L: This isn't right. Wasn't it all mockery a few days ago? Why is everyone praising it today? Are there too many paid trolls?
198L: The homepage was flooded with paid trolls a few days ago, don't think we're all idiots... Besides, we're mocking someone who's unworthy of their position. Whether Ye Cang is truly capable or not, whether he deserves such high praise, everyone has eyes to see, okay?
200L: I admit, I initially watched the live stream expecting a joke, but after watching the match, I was completely convinced. Some people are just that capable; they can hold their own even with excessive hype.
...
The post on the Entertainment Forum quickly spread to various social media platforms. Without any large-scale smear campaigns by online trolls, most netizens appreciated Ye Cang's attitude.
When Bai Weijia saw this post, she was so angry that she almost threw her phone again, but remembering that most of her money had been spent on hiring online trolls, she managed to swallow her anger.
Cassie was also filled with regret. What could this be called? It was like trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead. Normally, if you leave this kind of thing alone, no one would care after a few days. But now that they had gotten involved, not only did they fail to drag Ye Cang down with them, they also made themselves sink even deeper into the quagmire.
The music industry is different from the entertainment industry. After all, the quality of acting is much more easily manipulated; a 5 out of 10 performance can be exaggerated into a 9. In the public's ears, a good song is a good song, and a good performance is a good performance. No matter how much they try to discredit it, a good song will be widely sung, and the public's reaction is crystal clear.
Just like this time, even though they used online trolls to ruin Ye Cang's public image, he still won back the audience's favor with his amazing performance in this match.
Cassie understood, and said directly to Bai Weijia, "Alright, let's put this matter behind us..."
"Why should I?!" Bai Weijia exclaimed angrily. "Then all the money I spent before was wasted?!"
Cassie frowned: "It's pointless to argue with Ye Cang now. Unless he does something stupid, no matter how many online trolls we hire, as long as he can produce a song of the quality of his cover of 'Meow Meow,' the audience will still be on his side."
"Instead of wasting this money, it's better to put it into promoting your new album. Don't forget, this is the foundation of your livelihood. Our goal is the Golden Melody Awards at the end of this year. It just so happens that this year is a slow year for singers. The big names haven't released any new albums, and the other singers who have released new albums can't compare to your popularity. If things go well, you can win the Golden Melody Awards this year."
"Winning Best Newcomer in the first year and the Golden Melody Award in the second year, these two achievements will solidify your status as a pop star."
Bai Weijia's eyes lit up as he listened to Cassie's vision of the future for him, and he forgot all about his previous conflict with Ye Cang. But then he hesitated, thinking of something.
"Well... didn't Ye Cang just become a 'million-selling new singer'? What if he releases an album this year too?"
Cassie frowned: "It's already July. Even if production starts immediately after he finishes the finals, it will take at least a month. Add in the subsequent promotion, and it won't be until September at the earliest. The record market is notoriously bleak after September, and the Golden Melody Awards are in mid-November. Singers usually don't choose to release albums at this time. Even if he does release an album, the sales won't be able to match ours. At most, he can only compete for Best New Artist."
"But doesn't Ye Cang know Fang Jiqing? What if Fang Jiqing helps him write a song..."
“Impossible.” Cassie denied it immediately. “I just heard that pop diva Lu Zhenzhen is really planning to return to China. She found Fang Jiqing to be the producer of her album. You know Lu Zhenzhen’s habits. Once you take her job, you have to be completely devoted to her. If Fang Jiqing doesn’t want to offend her, he can’t possibly be distracted by writing songs for Ye Cang.”
"Besides, about that incident before, it's said that Shen Huai knew Yan Xiangming and asked him for a favor. Fang Jiqing happened to be free, so she came over out of curiosity. Yan Xiangming is known in the industry for his good temper. He'll agree to help anyone who asks for help, so this isn't a big deal for Shen Huai."
After hearing what Cassie said, Bai Weijia finally felt relieved.
-
Meanwhile, Fang Jiqing and Yan Xiangming, whom they thought were busy with the diva's album, were sitting in Shen Huai's villa drinking coffee.
Fang Jiqing looked annoyed: "You really don't need me to write a song for you?"
Ye Cang refused him without hesitation: "No need."
Fang Jiqing: So who are you planning to ask to write songs for your new album? You're not going to write them yourself, are you?
Ye Cang: "Yes!"
Fang Jiqing: "..." In the past, he might have mocked Ye Cang, saying that writing songs was not a simple matter. But after seeing his adaptation, he realized that this kid was really talented.
Fang Jiqing was both angry and jealous: "Damn it, I almost turned down the production of the diva's new album because of you!"
Ye Cang: "What does that have to do with me?"
Fang Jiqing: "..."
Ever since the previous adaptation of "Mulholland Drive", Fang Jiqing has always admired Ye Cang. In his opinion, with Ye Cang's strength, winning the championship would be no problem at all.