Huayu: Starting from the top talent show

Chapter 480 An Unfriendly First Encounter

Since its release, "Sisyphus" has become a wildfire, quickly spreading throughout the music scene and even the entire pop culture world.

On the album cover, Shen Juan's terrifying and even somewhat bloody battle-damaged appearance, combined with his unique musical style, is like a magic key that only works in special times. While providing psychological comfort, it also opens the door to music appreciation for countless people.

As soon as the album was released, "Sisyphus" dominated the homepages of major music platforms and began to be promoted like crazy.

The comment section was flooded with enthusiastic responses from fans.

They continuously contribute traffic, breaking the previous record for popularity.

Meanwhile, many celebrities in the entertainment industry have also joined this support frenzy for "Sisyphus".

Besides the celebrities Shen Juan knew, many unfamiliar colleagues also joined in the fun.

For example, Yoga Lin shared a photo on social media of himself wearing headphones, eyes closed, and engrossed in music, with the caption:
To be honest, Chinese pop music has been greatly influenced by Western pop music. Many of the works we hear today are products of Chinese musicians' modifications. To put it bluntly, Western music has matured to the point of branching out, while we are still in the stage of imitating them and finding our own path. Therefore, before this, it was really hard for us to imagine a Chinese singer challenging the Western music scene, let alone establishing a formidable influence within it and fundamentally changing Western pop music.
I have the highest respect for Shen Juan!
His value and significance are truly difficult to describe in words.

I have nothing but respect for him!

In addition, the contestants of "Sister-in-Law 101" and "Sister-in-Law 202" also gave different reactions and support measures.

Cheng Xiao responded to Shen Juan's call for the "Go Crazy" dance challenge and filmed a video which she posted on Douyin.

Shen Juan personally reposted and liked the post, prompting netizens to exclaim: When can we see you dance to her "Love Emergency"?
Sister Tian has been updating her Douyin videos very frequently lately, and without exception, the background music for all of them is Sisyphus.

Comments like "Spring is real" and "Spring Dynasty" have reached tens of thousands, causing the popularity of the Spring CP to soar.

Zhou Ye posted a cover video, but because it was so good, netizens commented that she was going to shake up the Chinese music scene!

So she immediately video-called Shen Juan, crying and begging for comfort. However, Shen Juan saw that she couldn't squeeze out a single tear for a long time, and guessed that she was probably just making up an excuse to video call him for comfort. After all, Xiao Yi was just a sweet, soft, and spoiled little cake.

Wang Churan shared the song "Good Days" from the album on WeChat Moments and Weibo, along with a mirror selfie: "Following the wellspring of youth, returning to those beautiful days! My favorite song on the entire album! Hoping that in the new year, each of us will have more and more good days!"

However, Shen Juan remembered very clearly that the background in the photo was the room he booked when he went to Zibo to find her.
And posting photos of someone with a flushed face right after the investigation—doesn't that make people wonder?
Or.
Did she deliberately send it to me to see?
If it's true.
That ship has a bit of a romantic side, doesn't it?
My cousin Shen Yujie needs no introduction.

Her support is among the strongest!
She can post twenty Weibo posts a day to promote Shen Juan, and her social media update frequency is comparable to that of the golden retriever next door.

Moreover, thanks to the popularity of "Sister-in-Law 202" among fans, she became a minor internet celebrity on Douyin (TikTok) even before any of her film or television works were released. Many mischievous people even joined in, intending to support her against Bao Tian, ​​which can only be described as a bit crazy.

Hu Lianxin posted an unboxing video of the physical CD of the album on Weibo, saying that although she is still recording Youth With You, she has been waiting for the day when Shen Juan's new album is released for a long time. Then, there were screams from other contestants in the video, and the number of Alovers was obviously not small.

Actually, not only these contestants, but even their mentor Lisa openly declared that she is an Alovers.

Whenever a Starlink trainee takes the stage, or when a contestant performs Shen Juan's song, she gives it extremely high praise.

It can only be said that she is still too eager to improve.

Song Zuer imitated Shen Juan's cover look by giving herself a battle-damaged makeup, but the effect was not good, and the comments backfired.

After seeing this, Shen Juan mocked her on WeChat for quite a while.

Hong Wen's roast goose immediately declared that even if she were to die the next time they met, she would still trick him into calling her "Mom" while he was leaning against the wall!
To assert her presence, Zhang Jingyi shared "Let Me Go" from Sisyphus on Weibo, with the caption: "I recently discovered a song I really love! Every time I listen to it, I feel like I'm running on a quiet beach at sunset. I hope you all like it too."

Jiang Peiyao wrote a heartfelt fan fiction based on the lyrics of several songs from Sisyphus and posted it on Weibo.

Although the male protagonist is not named Shen Juan and the female protagonist is not surnamed Jiang, she is still respectfully called Teacher Jiang by countless female fans of Shen Juan.

They absolutely love it when people who know Shen Juan write fanfiction about him! Because it feels so real!
Even dreaming about it is exciting!

As expected, Aibao and Nazha once again used the opportunity of supporting Shen Juan to engage in a subtle and overt battle on Weibo.

Shen Juan couldn't handle the two of them.

Because a thirty-year-old woman and a young girl who has just come of age are ultimately different.

The former has experienced many things and their mindset is relatively fixed, making them far less likely to compromise or change than the latter.

Miao Zong had also come to Qingdao to see Shen Juan some time ago, but she didn't need to prove her presence. She wasn't the kind of 18 or 19-year-old girl who was jealous and competitive, so she didn't go to the film set. Instead, they met directly at the hotel, and Shen Juan conducted a thorough investigation into her background and education that very night.

In addition, many idols in neighboring South Korea have also followed suit and joined the dance challenge, such as Kwon Eunbi and Jang Won-young.

Or they might start doing cover songs like Zhao Meiyan.

In short, amidst this wave of support in the East Asian entertainment industry, the influence of "Sisyphus" continued to rise, helping it transcend the scope and concept of an album and transform into a symbol—a symbolic representation that inspires people to bravely fight against fate during special times.

After observing the fish fry's reaction during a break in filming, Shen Juan then browsed news related to "Youth With You 2".

With less than two weeks to go before the Youth With You 2 finale, the program team announced the final ranking results before the finale.

35 into 20.

That means 20 people will be able to enter the final live broadcast.

The top nine are: Liu Yuxin, Yu Shuxin, Yu Yan, Xu Jiaqi, Kong Xueer, Zhao Xiaotang, Jin Zihan, An Qi, and Xie Keyin.

The 10th to 20th places are: Hu Lianxin, Naiwan, Liu Lingzi, Dai Meng, Wang Chengxuan, Lu Keran, Shangguan Xi'ai, Sun Rui, Song Xinran, Dai Yanni and Zeng Keni.

All five Starlink members have advanced to the final round.

Netizens immediately launched a heated discussion.

There are predictions about the debut lineup.
Based on the current vote count, Liu Yuxin will definitely debut as the center. I think Yu Shuxin might eventually drop to fourth place, being the most popular and funny member. Yu Yan and Xu Jiaqi will be second and third. The only question for Kong Xueer and Jin Zihan is whether iQiyi will give Xinglian three debut spots. I even think Xie Keyin is safer than An Qi. I don't believe iQiyi will let Naiwan in. As for Hu Lianxin, I feel so sorry for her! Although her skills are indeed lacking, her personality and attitude are really good! But thinking about it, that's just how it is. After the group is formed, iQiyi won't give her any resources. Hu Lianxin has already gained a lot of casual fans, which is great. I believe Shen Juan won't mistreat his promising young talent. (There's a rumor that Hu Lianxin will immediately join the cast of a movie with Shen Juan after the finals. If that's true, that would be wonderful!)

There were also comments and cheers for the individual contestants.
[Teacher Liu, you deserve it! I feel even more excited than you! Hold on to your center position, okay? Don't get up! It hurts me to hear you say, "My last girl group flopped because of me," and it hurts me to hear you say, "Talent isn't the most important thing." It started with your talent, I fell for your character, and I'm captivated by you. I like you as a person, regardless of whether you have long hair, short hair, long pants, or shorts, whether you're the center or not. My eyes are only for you. Androgynous style doesn't matter; you've never been defined by that term. You're clearly wonderful; you're the true X QUEEN! This time, everything is in your favor! I believe you will finally achieve the success you desire!]

Liu Yuxin's data is now basically at a standstill.

Unless iQiyi (the platform behind Taobao) follows the example of Produce 101 and manipulates the vote count, no one can threaten her center position.

[What makes Jin Zihan stand out? I'm indifferent to her. Besides being pretty, all I remember is that she loves to sleep. She doesn't seem ambitious at all. I think she'll only debut at ninth place at best because of her company's strong support. I feel An Qi and Xie Keyin are definitely ranked higher than her! Then Yu Shuxin and Zhao Xiaotang should also debut securely, followed by Xu Jiaqi, Yu Yan, and Kong Xueer. So the only suspense now is whether iQiyi will give Starlink three debut spots.]

Actually, there's not much to hesitate about whether it's Taobao or Tencent.

Because Shen Juan is not Du Hua.

Starlink is not Lehua.

Lehua will run away with the artists in her company.

But Shen Juan and his Starlink will not.

Therefore, they can confidently sell their debut spots to Shen Juan without worrying that Shen Juan will follow Du Hua's example and pull off some shady tactics.

I like Xiao Hu.

I think she's just an ordinary female college student with dreams of becoming a star and some talent.

Although she is pretty, her singing and dancing skills, which are required for idols, are not particularly outstanding. She trains very hard, but it is still obvious that she has only recently started practicing dance. She sings in tune, but she is far from the standard of vocals. If she were in a girl group, she would probably only be the visual or the maknae.

Why do I like her?

It's probably because she has a student-like quality.

That pure, sincere drive and mindset of doing something out of pure love and without distraction is probably only found in student days. Now, as a seasoned professional, I have too many distractions and too much pressure from all sides, making it impossible for me to focus on my work.

Perhaps it's because she likes photography and traveling.

Me too. I love using my camera to capture flowers and plants, mountains and rivers, the ebb and flow of the tides, and every moment in life, whether beautiful or sad. I also especially love traveling, particularly solo travel, because that's true freedom. No need to go to popular tourist spots, no need to shop, no need to worry about what to eat for lunch or dinner—I can do whatever I want! How wonderful!
It's probably because she's very plain-looking.

She probably doesn't come from a wealthy family, so she would wear the same dance costume for a long time, and her everyday clothes are very simple, without any designer brands. She's just like an ordinary female college student, an ordinary pretty girl (this is what I find most strange. Aren't all the fans saying she's Shen Juan's girlfriend? But Shen Juan is so rich and generous, why don't we see any trace of him in Xiao Hu? So I think there's only one reason: she's not a girl who likes to flaunt her wealth or compare herself to others).

In short
Hu Lianxin, the road ahead is long. I hope you never lose courage, but also don't push yourself too hard.

Xiao Hu has gained fans through this show.

Thinking about it this way, the recording took place from January to late May.

It wasn't a waste of time to record in such a closed environment; at least it helped her get 10,000 super topic check-ins, right?
After browsing online comments for a while, Shen Juan was just about to chat with Xiao Hu about his recent situation when he received a WeChat message from Xiao Ye.

Her assistant picked her up and took her to the film set.

As in previous years.
They'll be celebrating their birthdays together at the same time this year.

As the car departing from the airport turned into the filming location in Qingdao's old town, Zhou also peered out the window for a long time.

In May, the sky in Qingdao is pale blue, and the clouds drift slowly, like a weary child occasionally letting their mind wander.

I remember the first time they celebrated their birthdays together was in Las Vegas, USA. The fireworks that night were beautiful!

The second time we celebrated our birthdays together was in Xiamen, when we were filming "The Matchmaker," so Tian Xiwei was also there as a third wheel.

Then came my third trip to Qingdao this year.

I only need to experience happiness twice in my life.

The first time I met you.

Go all the way once and for all.

I wonder where we'll spend next year together.

With hope and anticipation for the future, the vehicle arrived at its destination smoothly. Zhou Ye tidied her makeup, picked up her bag, got out of the car, and followed her assistant into the film set.

As soon as he rounded the corner, he bumped into a girl.

It is Liu Haocun.

The female lead in this drama, Juanjuan, wore a red coat with skinny jeans and her hair in a high ponytail, looking very energetic.

It seems to be the type that Juanjuan likes.
Zhou Ye's mood took a sharp turn for the worse, and she became somewhat annoyed.

Because she felt that Liu Haocun was similar to her.

Although we don't know their specific personality traits, judging from their appearance alone, they seem to be energetic, lively, and cute.

Even like her, it's a done deal.

Did something go wrong?
It's fine if we're born on the same day, month, and year.

As for copying even the size of the bear's body from me?

Could it be that Sister Tian isn't my nemesis, but this person is?
Zhou Ye smiled on the outside, but in his heart he was already cursing.

And the other side.
Liu Haocun was also clearly stunned.

She never expected to meet this famous "sister-in-law" on the film set the day before her birthday.

To be honest, before joining the crew, she did her homework and spent time learning about the well-known actresses Tian Xiwei, Zhou Ye, and Cheng Xiao. She watched the materials related to them and understood their personalities and characters.

In her opinion, Tian Xiwei was undoubtedly the most difficult one to deal with, because this woman would threaten to kill at the slightest disagreement.

When a scholar encounters a soldier, reason is useless.

The second most difficult opponent is clearly Zhou Ye.

Although outsiders think Zhou Ye is harmless and like Cheng Xiao, he is completely controlled by Sister Tian, ​​Liu Haocun, who considers herself the same kind of person as Zhou Ye, doesn't think so. She thinks Zhou Ye must have something on Tian Xiwei, or that Tian Xiwei is not as powerful as outsiders imagine.

the reason is simple.

If Tian Xiwei were truly exercising iron-fisted rule, then she would absolutely not live under the same roof as Zhou Ye and Cheng Xiao!
A woman's possessiveness is a terrible thing.

Therefore, what can suppress possessiveness must be something more terrifying or more important and irreplaceable!
Therefore, it doesn't matter what others think.

Anyway, she felt that Zhou was a big threat.

This absolutely needs to be taken seriously and deserves our utmost attention!

Thinking so
Her eyes lit up instantly, and then she smiled sweetly and asked, "Excuse me, are you Zhou Ye?"

Out of politeness, Zhou also stopped and gave her a polite smile: "Yes, you must be Liu Haocun!"

Liu Haocun's eyes widened, looking quite surprised: "You know me too? Did Juanjuan tell you?"

Tired?
Is this the name you can use?

Do you deserve it?
Zhou Ye shook her head with a smile that concealed a knife, and intentionally or unintentionally brought up the widely circulated black mark on Liu Hao in the fan circle: "Juanjuan has never mentioned you to me. I saw it online. They said you are the most resourceful person in the Chinese entertainment industry and that you used a lot of connections to become the female lead in Zhang Yimou and Juanjuan's drama."

Liu Haocun's smile froze for a moment, and he cursed Zhou Ye inwardly for being insidious, "They're all talking nonsense."

“I know!” Zhou Ye blinked.

Since you already know, why did you say it out loud?

Are you trying to annoy me on purpose?
You've messed with the wrong person, let me tell you!

Liu Haocun tried to calm himself down and began to devise a temporary plan: "Did you come here today to play with Juanjuan?"

"Mmm!" Zhou Ye smiled gently.

"Oh~" Liu Haocun drawled, his gaze sweeping over Zhou Ye, and said with a hint of amusement, "Juanjuan has been in particularly good form these past two days! The whole crew was stunned by the rainy night confession scene we filmed the night before last. They said he acted so realistically that I was quite taken aback!"

She took a half step closer and lowered her voice as if she were whispering, "If I didn't know he was acting and had just won the Best Actor award, and that his acting was very good, I probably would have mistaken him for someone who had fallen in love with someone on set, because he acted so realistically! I was stunned at the time and almost couldn't keep up with his performance."

Zhou Ye almost lost control of her facial expressions: "Juanjuan is a very good actor! I experienced that when I worked with him before."

Since becoming friends with Timmy, she hadn't felt like someone had taken advantage of her for a long time.

Even Dilraba couldn't withstand their onslaught. What right do you, a nobody, have to act tough in front of me?

Hahaha.
good very good!

You have a way to die!
I'll call Sister Tian in a bit!
Just wait to be swept away!
Completely unaware that he was about to be ganged up on, Liu Haocun still smiled broadly: "By the way, Juanjuan once said that I was the most talented actress he had ever met. Did he ever say that to you before? I always felt that he was encouraging me and coaxing me to give me confidence. I'm not as good as he says!"

"No~ He probably only said that to you, which means you are really talented! I think you have a good chance of becoming a future Best Actress!" Zhou Ye didn't care, because she knew she didn't have much acting talent, so she wouldn't be upset by this. She even took the opportunity to flatter him.

"You think so too? Then it seems I really am talented!" Liu Haocun chuckled innocently, his eyes revealing longing: "In that case, maybe in the future I can walk the red carpet with Juanjuan at the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival and go on stage together to accept the award!"

"Wow! That's something to look forward to~" Zhou Ye interrupted her, looking up and saying sarcastically, "But Juanjuan told me the other day that she felt most relaxed and comfortable attending award ceremonies with me, since I'm family! She doesn't have to make small talk, right?"

She maintained a polite smile throughout her speech, easily shattering Liu Haocun's carefully guarded illusions. In particular, she emphasized the word "family member" with exceptional clarity, as if calmly stating a simple fact, yet it was more unsettling than any sharp rebuttal.

Liu Haocun was speechless. Although she was very unhappy, she couldn't find a reason to refute it. After all, no matter how much she said now, it wouldn't change the fact that she and Shen Juan were just ordinary colleagues and ordinary friends.

She's a tough woman to deal with.
But just as she was about to make an excuse to slip away and save her strength for the rematch, her eyes suddenly lit up. Her slightly uneasy expression was instantly replaced by surprise, and even her voice was filled with a sweet joy: "Juanjuan, you're here!"

Zhou Ye turned around abruptly and saw that Shen Juan had spotted her from afar, walking slowly towards her while smiling and waving.

All the emotions that had been building up inside her lately, from missing him so much and her confrontation with Liu Haocun, were instantly ignited. She immediately took a step and threw herself into his arms, her voice incredibly soft and sweet, with a hint of coquettishness, as if she were deliberately putting on a show for him: "I missed you so much!"

Shen Juan quickly observed the situation and the expressions on everyone's faces. He could roughly guess that before he arrived, the two women had a verbal exchange, and it seemed that they had a draw, with each having their own advantage and disadvantage.

Although, in principle, he should remain neutral.

By sitting on the mountain and watching these two tigresses born in 98 fight, he can stay out of it and avoid getting burned.

But as an Alpha male, he has to take action!

He just doesn't want to remain neutral!
He wanted to ensure absolute control over the fishpond!
What's this about creating a chaotic scene right in front of him?

That's disrespectful to him!

I don't care how much they fight and tear each other apart in private.

But what if we put it out in the open and let him see it?

That's wrong behavior.

It needs to be rectified and corrected.

So he patted Zhou Ye's head, which was considered his intervention as the referee, and declared the outcome of the match.

"Jealous?"

Zhou Ye nestled in Shen Juan's arms, looking up at him. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, but she didn't hide anything: "A little."

Being arrogant and stubborn is Tian Jie's behavior.

She was always very honest with Juanjuan!

"So how can I make you less jealous?"

Zhou frowned and thought for a moment, then took half a step closer to him, tiptoed to his ear, and spoke in a soft but clear voice, while glancing at Liu Haocun out of the corner of her eye, seemingly with a hint of provocation: "Give me a kiss!"

Shen Juan couldn't help but chuckle softly. His gaze unconsciously swept over Liu Haocun, who was clearly in a very complicated mood but was trying to act nonchalant. His eyes, however, held a hint of helplessness and indulgent pampering as he looked at Xiao Ye: "Right here?"

"Ok!"

Zhou Ye nodded emphatically, his chin slightly raised, like a small animal eager to assert its dominance, "Right in front of her!"

"Ok."

Shen Juan leaned down and kissed his lips. Zhou Ye wrapped his arms around Shen Juan's neck and stood on tiptoe to meet his kiss.

As he watched the two figures overlap, Liu Haocun's smile grew increasingly stiff, and his eyes gradually lost focus, becoming unusually empty, much like a fake.

Isn't this a detective storyline?

How did it suddenly become the wife's fault?
And this was on the Magic Mirror in public!
Is this Joan of Arc beaver?

There are cows!!! There are cows!!!
As a goddess of pure love, she couldn't stand this!

Not to mention that she herself was the one who got bullied!

So her mind immediately went into a complete mess.

Zhou Ye's move was even more destructive than the combined impact of Shen Yujie, Wang Churan, Cheng Xiao, and the others!
Liu Haocun felt that everything around him had turned gray.

But then again, she doesn't regret it.

Because of her optimistic nature, she was commonly known as a stubborn person.

The more she denies it.

The more she wanted to achieve something, the more determined she became.

Prove you can do it!

Therefore, the humiliation of today will be repaid a hundredfold in the future!
Let me take some time to process things, and when we meet again, I will make sure you understand how I feel right now!

(End of this chapter)