Are you trying to force me to become a star?

Chapter 40 A Surprise in the Chinese Music Scene

"Since its inception, the 'Heavenly Voices and Soulmates' competition has remained lukewarm. However, it wasn't until the 2015 competition that we saw the right way to conduct a competition."

"In this competition, the organizers changed the format, requiring the semi-finalists to perform original pieces for the first time ever, and there was an unprecedented gap of a whole week between the semi-finals and the finals. These unprecedented changes also brought unprecedented surprises."

"Xu Jinyan, the champion of the competition, achieved the weekly chart champion status with her works 'Anhe Bridge' and 'Huo Yuanjia'."

"His music perfectly blends traditional Chinese instruments with Western instruments, and includes elements of rap, opera singing, and pop. The songs are conceptually complete, precisely executed, and highly innovative and technically sophisticated, making them rare masterpieces. Among them, 'Huo Yuanjia' became the theme song for the movie 'The Great Hero Huo Yuanjia' upon its release."

"Hua Chenyu, the runner-up in the competition, also achieved the weekly chart champion with her latest publication, 'Mars'."

"Hua Chenyu is not confined to one style in his melody creation. He takes rock as the core and widely integrates elements of lyricism, folk, pop, and hip-hop. In terms of arrangement, he pays attention to layers and atmosphere, and innovatively uses the combination of guzheng and suona. You can feel his self-awareness and exploration of music from it."

"It's worth mentioning that Xu Jinyan and Hua Chenyu are both students at the Oriental Drama Arts Academy. Xu Jinyan is a composition major and will soon be a senior, while Hua Chenyu has just graduated from the vocal performance major. These two twenty-year-olds have been in the industry for less than two months, yet they have already made a name for themselves and secured a place in the Chinese music scene. As the two strongest contestants in this competition, let's continue to look forward to what surprises these two fellow students will bring."

"But no matter what, I have to say that both Xu Jinyan and Hua Chenyu were the biggest surprises that the summer of 2015 brought to the Chinese music scene."

Xu Jinyan finished reading the article Lin Wanqing had shown him and burst out laughing.

Seeing that he had finished reading, Lin Wanqing said, "You can still laugh? This is forcibly binding you; I thought you would be angry."

Xu Jinyan put down her phone and asked with a smile, "Where did they tie me up? I read it through and it just seems to be true."

Lin Wanqing said, "I don't know what that team was thinking. 'Borrowing Five Hundred Years from Heaven' only got third place. Plus, you don't show up often. Did they get too cocky after winning the championship?"

Xu Jinyan said, "It's already pretty good that 'Borrowing Five Hundred Years from Heaven' has achieved this result. It's the kind of big song that's suitable for galas, and considering that Teacher Li Tian doesn't have many fans, it's still acceptable that it got third place in the first week."

Lin Wanqing asked with some doubt, "Is that all? You're just going to accept this loss? That's not like you."

Xu Jinyan looked at her speechlessly: "What are you talking about? I have always acted in self-defense."

But she continued, "Didn't they say that the Chinese music scene had two surprises this summer? How can we allow that? A triangle is the most stable. After I finish recording for Sister Mi, I'll write a song for Tian Xiwei and let the two of them battle it out."

Lin Wanqing's lips twitched, and she said, "Have you already started calling me 'Sister Honey'?"

She did know that Nanfeng was his senior sister, and the only person he had ever actively written songs for, but Yang Mi had only met her once.

Hsu Chin-yen appeared "innocent": "She told me to call her, you know, you can't go against a woman's wishes."

Lin Wanqing rolled her eyes and left.

Xu Jinyan picked up her phone and checked the message she had just received; it was from Nanfeng:

"Are you even capable? How did you manage to let Hua Chenyu catch up?"

Xu Jinyan understood as soon as she saw the message that Nanfeng had also seen the article. Having been in the industry for several years, she could tell at a glance that this was a forced connection, and she had come specifically to watch the spectacle.

He thought for a moment and replied, "Sister Nan, I've been bullied. What do you suggest we do?"

Nanfeng: "Then why don't you promote him?"

Xu Jinyan choked on his water after taking a sip. As expected, gossip spreads fastest in the industry. He replied, "Power should be used with caution."

Nanfeng burst out laughing when she saw his reply: "Alright, then watch me this time. 'Shanghai Storm' will be released tonight."

……

……

At 7:50 p.m. sharp, Hua Chenyu turned on the TV, ready to watch the theme song of "Shanghai Storm"...

His manager, Sister Wang, sat to the side. Knowing what Hua Chenyu was waiting for, she said, "Hua Hua, relax. Xu Jinyan is amazing, but you're no worse than him. As long as you focus on music, you'll definitely become a superstar in the future."

Hua Chenyu shook her head: "That article was fairly fair. Xu Jinyan is indeed a formidable opponent, no weaker than me, and I will do my best to defeat him. This is also my goal: I hope that when everyone recalls that summer of 2015, they will only think of one surprise."

Seeing Hua Chenyu's determined gaze and lofty aspirations, Sister Wang's lips twitched: Could he really think that? That article was published by us.

Moreover, Xu Jinyan already shows the potential of a superstar. If you want everyone to only remember you, you'll probably have to become a god!

At that moment, Sister Wang suddenly felt that Hua Chenyu could try pursuing a career in the entertainment industry; her conviction was too strong.

At 8 o'clock sharp, "Shanghai Storm" began its broadcast.

Three minutes later, the opening theme finished playing, and the first episode began playing on the TV...

Hua Chenyu frowned, Sister Wang pursed her lips, and only the television was making noise.

Hua Chenyu's gaze was resolute: This is my lifelong enemy!

Sister Wang was equally certain: He really has potential; let's contact a production crew and give it a try.

……

……

"Wow, this song is really good!"

Garden Building residential community, where people often gather for meals.

This was the first time the old lady had praised Xu Jinyan's song: "The previous three songs were good, but I still think this one is the best. I remember when I was young, I loved watching TV dramas from Guangdong Province, and the songs from those days were really good."

Xu Wenqing nodded, a rare occurrence for him, and said, "It is indeed very good."

My son is getting more and more impressive, and I have to be more careful when I give him my evaluation.

Even Xu Yunge said, "It's strange, why do I also think it sounds good? I don't know what the song is about without looking at the subtitles, but I just think it sounds good."

Grandpa Xu also reminisced about the drama he watched when he was a child, and exclaimed, "The writing was so vivid, and the singing was so good. It's a classic!"

Xu Jinyan smiled but remained silent, expressing her longing for her family with each new song, her emotions conveyed by her family were truly overwhelming.

Xu Yunge then sat down next to Xu Jinyan and said, "Dear brother, may I have a signed photo of Nanfeng?"

After saying that, she blinked her big eyes at him and ran her fingers back and forth on Xu Jinyan's arm, as if to say, "If you don't agree, I'll arrange a tattoo for you."

Xu Jinyan looked down, scoffed, and said, "Brother, I'm a martial artist. Would I be threatened by you?"

Although her claws could twist like pliers, he remained unyielding.

Xu Yunge smiled slightly: "I've been practicing martial arts recently too." As she spoke, she showed off her sharp nails.

"What kind of martial art is this?"

Xu Yunge suppressed his smile and said, word by word, "Nine Yin White Bone Claw."

Upon hearing this name, Xu Jinyan was immediately stunned: "Your Excellency... Your Excellency could you be Mei Chaofeng?"

Xu Yunge's eyes lit up immediately: "Brother, you read 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes' too?"

Xu Jinyan truly didn't expect that the first person around him to mention this book would be her younger sister. He usually wrote secretly and had never brought it up on his own initiative.

He wanted to see when he would hear about this novel from other people; that would surely make it very popular.

Xu Jinyan nodded: "What do you think of the novel?"

Xu Yunge said, "It's wonderful. Shuyin recommended it to me. It's by the author Lin Yuan..."

"What happened to Lin Yuan?"

"He's too quiet, doesn't create a reader group, and doesn't interact with readers. Is he socially awkward?"

"Moreover, he updates too quickly and too much. He posted more than 200,000 words in ten days. I really don't know how many chapters he has in reserve. How can there be such an author?"

"But this author is truly amazing; I follow the story every day."

Xu Jinyan nodded in agreement: "Yeah, just how many drafts does he have in reserve? What if he suddenly abandons the project? Tsk tsk... Ouch, why are you pinching me?"

[Negative emotions from Xu Yunge: +88];

His shout attracted the attention of the other people watching TV, who saw Xu Jinyan rubbing his arm in a grimacing manner.

Xu Jinyan complained to the old lady, "Auntie, she pinched me. Isn't today Thursday? Doesn't she have class?"

Aunt Xu glanced at him and then turned back to watching TV, ignoring him. She found the show quite entertaining.

Xu Yunge: "I'll be on summer vacation in July or August."

Xu Jinyan: Okay, if I can get you to read 100,000 words in August, then I'll be sorry for pinching me like this today.