Huayu: Starting from the top talent show

Chapter 486 Abandoned Song EP, Maintaining Popularity

The next morning at 10 a.m., after all the guests had finished their makeup and hair, the show officially began recording.

The members met for the first time on an outdoor T-stage, where extras who would act as the audience were already in place.

It's clearly related to fashion and runway shows, because the theme of this episode is "Run, Fashion Week!"

The production team first had the female guests of this episode appear one by one. They would gather in a small room and observe the male guests' every move after they had just woken up and were forcibly taken away by men in black before they could even figure out what was going on. They would also score the male guests based on their catwalk performance.

The actors' performances were all pretty good.

Apart from Cai Xukun, who debuted as an idol, most of them gave performances that were at least passable in reality shows.

The only problem is their makeup: although these guys said they hadn't had time to put on makeup yet, those in the know understand.

When celebrities talk about "no-makeup" makeup, they mean "no-makeup makeup."

After the five male regular guests finished their pajama fashion show, it was the turn of the six female guests for this episode.

Unlike the male guests who were dressed in pajamas, the female guests were all dressed up, each one more beautiful and refined than the last.

The main selling point is contrast.

And the "humiliation" of the male guests.

Of course, they couldn't humiliate Shen Juan.

They didn't intend to humiliate Shen Juan.

Because he is the main protagonist today.

Everyone else is serving him alone.

"Now let's give our last guest a round of applause and cheers!"

"He holds the record for the highest monthly listener count on Soundwave, the world's largest streaming music platform; he is the first person in history to surpass one billion in box office revenue for a single tour; he won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and Record of the Year at the 62nd Grammy Awards; he released three English albums that broke numerous records previously considered impossible to break; his Chinese albums significantly broke the sales record for Chinese-language albums; and his Japanese album won the Best Actor award at the 39th Hong Kong Film Awards. He is a global fashion icon, a philanthropic pioneer passionate about public welfare, hailed by Rolling Stone as a representative of the music industry, and the undisputed number one male singer of our time, a leader of Generation Z. Shen Juan!"

As the host finished his introduction, the audience members on both sides of the stage spontaneously stood up and erupted in the loudest applause and deafening screams they had ever heard.

"Why are so many people here all at once? Are they going to have a team battle with our Running Man team?" Guo Qilin couldn't hold back anymore.

"No, this treatment is a bit too much!" Sha Yi couldn't help but complain as he looked at Shen Juan, who was shining on the catwalk.

"Brother Juan is so handsome! He's practically my idol!" Cai Xukun has to act cool and maintain aloof image in front of others, but when he meets Shen Juan, he still has to honestly become a sycophant and flatter him, otherwise he'll be tortured and punished by Xiao Chun Juan for being "ungrateful and a big shot".

"Why wasn't the audience as loud when we came on stage?" Li Chen turned around and questioned the production team.

"Do you really need to humiliate yourself like this? Didn't you realize that at least half of these people are his fans?"

Zheng Kai poured him a basin of cold water.

Putting aside the difference in their achievements as celebrities, they are far behind Shen Juan in terms of social status alone. Although the Shanghai tycoon with some family background and connections may have the capital to be arrogant in front of others, he is obviously not enough in front of the illustrious Shanghai darling, The Chosen One.

In terms of fan popularity, he easily surpasses his opponent.

In terms of artistic achievements, he is the world's number one male artist.

In terms of status and position, he is the face of the Guo family.

Given the overwhelming and despairing gap in every aspect, we can't possibly keep insisting that we each have our strengths: he's better at being a star, and I spend more time squatting in the toilet, can we?

A real man has a sense of shame; he wouldn't do something like that!

Meanwhile, in the female guests' section opposite the male guests, the women were all using their own unique methods to curry favor with the male guests.

G.E.M.'s signature goldfish mouth opened slightly involuntarily, looking utterly shocked: "My God! Your production team is amazing! You actually managed to invite Shen Juan as well! Why didn't you tell us beforehand? You could have prepared us!"

Yang Ying laughed so hard her eye wrinkles appeared. Her tone was initially one of disbelief and amazement, but it quickly turned into a natural and appropriate exclamation: "I've been filming Running Man for so many years, and this is the first time I've seen the scene get so out of control. If Shen Juan's appeal could stay, our show would be a huge hit!"

He Sui also cupped her face in her hands and made a starry-eyed expression, saying, "When I first saw him backstage at Victoria's Secret in 17, I felt his energy and superstar aura. I knew then that he would become a superstar in the future, and now it seems that I was right!"

"Every time he appears, he's a sight to behold, always so stunning, you can't take your eyes off him!" Zhang Tianai looked at Shen Juan with longing and admiration in her eyes, her tone carrying a hint of pride, as if to say, "This is my boyfriend. Do you guys have such a top-notch boyfriend?"
Song Zuer even stood up and gave Shen Juan a Viking war cry: "Ahhhhhh, my god! Ahhhhhh!"

Cheng Xiao couldn't help but hum with smug satisfaction as she thought about how so many women of different skin colors around the world had become infatuated with Shen Juan, while only a handful of girls, including herself, could actually have him. She even mentioned that they had spent the entire night selling Coke at the hotel.
Actually, if it were a foreign celebrity meeting Shen Juan, they would probably be even more excited than this group of people.

Especially in countries like Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, which Shen Juan had previously rarely dealt with or had a significant impact on.

After all, distance makes the heart grow fonder.

If Shen Juan travels overseas every day and interacts closely with fans, becoming too easygoing and down-to-earth, he will lose the mystery and novelty that public figures need, which will actually reduce the fans' enthusiasm by a level.

It just goes to show that even celebrities need to respect themselves.

If even celebrities don't see themselves as celebrities, then fans and the general public naturally won't see them as celebrities either.

After all the guests on today's show had made their varying degrees of appearances on the runway, the process continued. According to the rules set by the production team, the six female guests scored the male guests' runway performances on a large screen, dividing them into three fashion stages.

HIGH FASHION: Shen Juan, Sha Yi.

LOW FASHION: Guo Qilin, Cai Xukun.

NO FASHION: Li Chen, Zheng Kai.

The reason for this scoring is quite simple.

Li Chen and Zheng Kai do the dirty and tiring work that's shameful.

Guo Qilin and Sha Yi are comedians, so they're considered a safe bet.

Cai Xukun's fans are very misogynistic; any woman who gets involved with him will be subjected to humiliation and cyberbullying by Cai Xukun.

Shen Juan had nothing to say.

If this isn't given a high score, it might be directly labeled as malicious targeting. What would be the consequences of doing so?
Just wait until Xiao Chun Juan digs up their dirt and confiscates their family tree!
Xiao Chun Juan is the biggest evil force in the Chinese entertainment industry.

Whether it's Peter Pan, Little Motorcycle, Love Kun, or Paper Crane, or Alice, Bee, Reed, Little Crab, Little Dumpling, or Megni.
No one dares to easily antagonize the Spring Roll Gang!
Hmm, except for the spring.

After all, the woman who is leading the Spring Army to make great achievements in the fan circle and making the new fans afraid to cry at night is not easy to mess with. Even when Xiao Chun Juan is pushed to the limit and scolds her, she may accidentally hurt Shen Juan, because many of Sister Tian's actions that offend people are ultimately for her husband.

"She absolutely loves it" is not just a saying.

So, to put it bluntly, Sister Tian and Little Spring Roll arrived at the same destination by different paths, only they took different routes for various reasons.

But they were all doing it to protect Shen Juan.

It can only be said that we are all of the same origin, so why are we so eager to harm each other?

After the rankings are completed, team formation begins.

Zheng Kai took the lead, acting like a player and inviting all six girls, but none of them chose him.

After all, in the segment of Running Man where he invites female guests to form teams, he is always the one who gets "bullied" by the production team.

This event was also recorded in the Dali issue of 17.

Of course, as long as he can create a good show and satisfy the director, he will do it willingly and without regret!
Then Li Chen stepped forward and successfully teamed up with Yang Ying, becoming the first pair of partners today, setting an example for everyone.

Then Cai Xukun chose He Sui.

Although Kun Kun, like Shen Juan, also likes to pamper his fans and give them freebies by selling Coca-Cola, he is, after all, a celebrity, and is fundamentally different from Shen Juan. He doesn't dare to offend his fans too much, so he can only choose this 89 supermodel, who is unlikely to have any scandals, as his recording partner for today.

Next up was Shen Juan.

He first glanced at G.E.M., who knew she wouldn't be chosen and had already started watching from the sidelines as a bystander.

The other three all have ambiguous relationships with Shen Juan, and she doesn't think Shen Juan would choose her.

Then he glanced at Zhang Tian'ai and Song Zu'er, who were staring at him with incredibly expectant and longing eyes.

Zhang Tianai instantly recalled the happy and joyful crazy memories the two of them had shared in the past, and her mouth suddenly went dry.

During Yiqing's stay-at-home period, she was unable to go out, which meant that she could only watch Shen Juan mining on her phone every day.

Although it's a little hard to say.

She's already thirty years old, not young anymore, yet she still longs for a sweet romance like a naive and innocent little girl, yearning to be with the person she likes 24/7, breathing in his pleasant scent, feeling his warmth, and sharing every little detail of their lives.

Everyone says that Gulnazar, that stinky brat, is love-struck.
Actually, I'm the one who's good!
She's not love-struck at all!
That's pure scalding!
Nobody takes relationships as seriously as me!

However, it must be admitted that this shameful experience did indeed greatly deepen her infatuation and dependence on Shen Juan.

If we were to quantify the innate attractive energy of each person, Shen Juan's energy would definitely be higher than mine.

But he was also tolerant of others; he not only understood my temper but also knew all my shortcomings and accepted everything about me.

Thinking this, her eyes also became moist.

He's not perfect; he has many flaws.

But by a stroke of luck, or rather, by sheer coincidence.
I can accept both!
Isn't this the greatest happiness?
Beside Zhang Tian'ai, Song Zuer couldn't help but feel nervous, her breathing and heartbeat quickening.

Even though she knew that Shen Juan most likely wouldn't choose her.

If I had to choose, I would have chosen last night.

I chose the 22nd.

Why wait until now?

But perhaps influenced by Zhang Tian'ai beside her, she still felt a sense of déjà vu, like the final two-choice stage of "If You Are the One," and inevitably developed inappropriate emotions and unrealistic expectations.

perhaps
Because he spent time with Cheng Xiao last night, he plans to appease us today by asking us to choose between me and Zhang Tian'ai.
Should I take this opportunity to garner some votes?

After all, opportunities don't come twice!

perhaps
Does he want to choose me today?
How happy should I act later?
Getting too excited would make me seem pathetic, but being too calm might disappoint him, and if he doesn't choose me later, I'm doomed.

Sigh. Dating is such a troublesome thing.

I wish he could support me for life.
Or maybe.
Does he just like me more?

Wow! That actually seems quite possible!
I've known him the longest!

When he returned to China, the first person he saw was me! He knew all my secrets!
Make me suffer any loss.

Make me suffer whatever sins I may have.

What does this mean?
This shows that he has long considered me family!
Because only family members can unconditionally accept him!

Thinking about it this way, maybe when facing Tian Xiwei...
I actually have the strength to fight!
Reason told her that this was clown behavior, but the emotional impulses brought on by hormones still made her unable to resist falling for it.

Everyone dreams.

The difference lies in whether or not one is willing to step out of that situation.

then
Then Shen Juan shattered her illusion.

He turned and walked straight to the composed Cheng Xiao, forcibly shoving his name tag into her hand.

“Say I agree.”

"I agree!" Cheng Xiao couldn't help but smile happily, nodding earnestly, her voice incredibly soft.

With a maternal smile, Sha Yi exclaimed, "Is this how the show's rules are set? This must be considered forced buying and selling!"

Like witnessing a wedding, Song Zuer and Zhang Tianai's disappointed and dejected eyes were certainly heartbreaking, but Cheng Xiao's heartfelt smile was even sweeter.

As I get older, this is what I really like!
These are all wonderful memories from my youth!
“You should learn from him, you need to be more assertive!” Li Chen joked with Zheng Kai, who had just been rejected by all the female guests.

"What Kai Kai did was just being a hooligan."

"Brother Juan's performance this time really depends on the modeling."

What is modeling?

"Just look at their appearance."

Guo Qilin, not wanting to miss out on the fun, jokingly said, "This is the first time I've seen Xiao Xiao smile so happily since I joined Running Man. People who don't know might think the winner has already been decided and everyone is going home after this episode."

He genuinely admired Shen Juan.

Because he had been there, and longed for it.

I know how oppressive Sister Tian is.

So the fact that he could date Sister Tian while simultaneously juggling so many other relationships is enough to prove his capabilities!

Everyone loves a top-tier Alpha like this!
They laughed and joked for about ten more minutes.

The group assignments for the twelve guests have been finalized:

Shen Juan and Cheng Xiao are in the same group.

Sha Yi and Song Zuer are in the same group.

Cai Xukun and He Sui are in the same group.

Guo Qilin and Zhang Tianai are in the same group.

Li Chen and Yang Ying are in the same group.

Zheng Kai and G.E.M. are in the same group.

Then, another hour was spent on a game segment where participants selected outlandish fashion items with avant-garde concepts to showcase on the runway.

With that, the morning's recording tasks were all completed.

The sun was high in the blue sky.

It's lunchtime.

Speaking of which, since "Sisyphus" swept across major music charts around the world with unparalleled success, announcing with solid results that "the era of Leviathan is over, and now it is the era of Sisyphus," Shen Juan's already exaggerated fan base and popularity have also risen accordingly.

Twitter and Instagram followers, TikTok and YouTube channel subscribers, listeners of "The Voice of China", and Google search index.
All countries that have integrated with the mainstream world and all platforms widely used by the general public are under Shen Juan's rule.

Such phenomenal popularity further solidifies Shen Juanshi's status as the male lead, and in the eyes of many, he has become the number one in the world!

Therefore, in order to maintain this momentum and keep moving forward, Shen Juan and his team have put in a lot of effort.

This includes, but is not limited to, global social media promotion, joint promotion with Douyin and TikTok across the entire network regardless of audience demographics, releasing behind-the-scenes stories of album production and MV shooting footage in sequence, leveraging personal connections to encourage friends in the industry to join TikTok challenges for each single, and fully embracing the short video streaming market.

The entire album, including the deluxe bonus tracks, contains 22 songs and has generated a total of 10 TikTok challenges.

It can only be said that he has indeed set an example for all his fellow singers, showing everyone how to survive in the streaming era.

He certainly made the release more interesting.

It will benefit all musicians.

In addition, Shen Juan used a trick that few people in the industry use because it is difficult to master and easy to get hurt.

That was when Tao Factory accidentally leaked "Slaughterhouse," a song he had prepared for but ultimately couldn't use in the finals of "The Rap of China," on the day the Billboard weekly chart rankings were released. This caused everyone to mock and ridicule Pigman, who had already been officially banned and sent back to the underground.

They're saying that if Wajuan had sung this song in the finals, they'd probably have dragged Pigman straight to the slaughterhouse, butchered him into pieces, and fed him to the dogs. Then there wouldn't have been any of the hair-dressing incidents with Luhan. Wajuan is the real culprit who caused Tianxin to be fatherless! Oh dear, how could Wajuan be so wicked!
Then, after TaoCity issued an apology statement saying that everything was the work of temporary workers and that they were trying to shift the blame, Shen Juan came forward again and posted that he did not blame TaoCity. The music works that have been completed should be released to meet everyone. Since that's the case, then let's release all the abandoned songs that were not included in Sisyphus!
So he took the opportunity to release his abandoned EP.

Consider this a gift to thank fans for their unwavering support and for helping Sisyphus break Leviathan's sales record!
1. "this is what winter feels like"

2. "Here's Your Perfect" (original singer: Jamie Miller)

3. "Night" (original singer: Keshi)

4. "Soft Spot" (originally sung by Keshi, Shen Juan used an acoustic version that weakens the instruments and emphasizes the vocals)
5. "Superpowers" (Daniel Caeser)

6. "The Field" (Blood Orange)

Actually, Shen Juan had done this before.

He combined underrated abandoned songs with a few new songs to create a Valentine's Day EP to warm up Leviathan.

The most popular song among female fans, "Late Summer," is among them.

Now, the songs that were created at home during the period of loyalty but were ultimately not included in the album for various reasons are presented as an EP, as a gift after the album has achieved success. And like the album "Crush", all the proceeds from this album "Winter" will also be donated to charity.

Therefore, while the outside world's expectations for this EP remain within a reasonable range, the tolerance for such expectations is also relatively high.

After all, if it was well-produced, it would have been included in the album back then. Why release it as a charity track instead of a public service announcement?
Many people are even mentally prepared before they actually listen to it, and they will praise it against their conscience even if it sounds bad.

After all, it's all for public welfare and charity.

Every time I hear it, I donate money to impoverished children.

Alex releases a charity EP every year.

He's already so great!
We should learn from him!

So it's just a matter of sacrificing your ears, right?
Just do it!

We can be great too!

But when they clicked into the album playlist with mixed feelings and listened to all six songs in order, they realized...
Wait, is there something wrong with my ears?
Or am I just biased towards Alex?
It doesn't seem as bad as I imagined.

It even has a slight ribbon-like feel.

So they flocked to the comment sections of various platforms to leave positive reviews, trying to attract more people to listen to the EP and contribute new energy to Alex's charity work.

"This Is What Winter Feels Like" reminded me of how I felt when I first heard "Golden Hour" two years ago—both were equally amazing! Honestly, I really feel that Alex is a creation that blends classical and futuristic elements; this guy's arrangements are truly imaginative and undefinable!

"Here's Your Perfect" has a kind of back-to-basics beauty, which reminds me of the underrated "Lucky Me." It seems like he hasn't sung such a pure love song in a long time. Now I know why it wasn't included in the album—because this style isn't very popular right now.

Am I the only one who thinks "Night" is the best track on the album? This song has a kind of eerie, ghostly feel to it—who can understand? It feels like you're a ray of light shining into someone's dark heart, and he tries hard to grasp that light, quietly clinging to you without you even realizing it. The drumbeats are like the surging emotions he's hiding beneath a calm surface—it truly showcases Alex's vocal strengths to the fullest!

[Soft Spot is absolutely amazing! It's lonely, serene, and yet tender, like winter is just around the corner, and you feel like a heavy snowfall and a warm embrace are just around the corner. The atmosphere is incredible! If my boyfriend had this kind of taste, I'd laugh myself to death! Anyone who wants to say anything unpleasant, get lost!]

[Superpowers is so good! I love it! This song really has the magic to calm you down!]

My assessment is that this is a very personal EP of discarded tracks, seemingly without any consideration for commercial success (perhaps because the incredible purchasing power of his fans gave Shen Juan the confidence to experiment more musically). Why weren't they included in an album? It could be because Shen Juan felt the song styles didn't match the album's concept, or perhaps he was worried that too many songs would lower the overall album's rating. Regardless, we can see that Shen Juan is starting to focus on personal expression. Whether this is good or bad for his fans is hard to say, but for both his fans and Shen Juan himself, it's crucial, as it directly determines how far he can go in the music industry!

It's not that this EP is terrible; it's just rather flat and not very catchy. It's understandable that some people find it unpleasant. After all, a world-class pop star who switches to experimental music is likely to face criticism because the style change is too drastic, and their original audience might not accept it. But fortunately, Alex has taken a double-pronged approach: the success of "Sisyphus" and the announcement that all EP proceeds will be donated. This practically puts him in an invincible position!

[Did Shen Juan really write "The Field"? To be honest, I really didn't expect it. My previous impression of him was that he was a pop icon who was incredibly talented at teen pop but wanted to dabble in everything. But now, listening to this song makes me feel like I'm running through a field, with damp bubbles gently bursting and releasing the fresh scent of grass and earth. Regardless of what others think, I feel that "Winter" and "Sisyphus" have proven that Shen Juan isn't just a pop singer who caters to the masses, but an artist with an independent artistic personality! Do you know what kind of feeling he gives me now? He's like Michael Jackson, who pushed pop to its limits, and also like Prince, whose songs have depth—he's simply not a product of this era!]

Speaking of MJ and Prince, Shen Juan actually set a really awesome record a few days ago to prove that he is the best in the world!

That's the number of weeks a song tops the B200 album chart.

Previously, the number one spot was held by Michael Jackson's "Thriller," released in 1982, which held the number one spot for 37 weeks.

Second place goes to Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours," released in 1977, which held the number one spot for 31 weeks.

The album ranked third has been at number one for a total of 24 weeks.

This honor was shared by three singers.

These are Prince's "Purple Rain" released in 1984, Adele's "21" released in 2011, and the soundtrack album "Saturday Night Fever" from the 1977 film "Saturday Night Fever".

It can be seen that, apart from Ah Dai, those ranked at the top in this record are basically ancient gods from forty years ago.

Dudley Scott's "25" lasted 10 weeks, while Taylor Swift's proudest "Fearless" and "1989" only lasted 11 weeks.

The closer we get to modern times, the more diverse and vibrant our learning becomes.

Competition in the music industry is becoming increasingly fierce.

Shen Juan's AS2 "Leviathan" achieved an astonishing 39 weeks at number one from April of last year until the release of AS3 "Sisyphus" this year. During this period, except for the time when a top-tier artist's album could push it to second place based on its first week sales, it dominated the charts.

It can only be said that this phenomenal album, which achieved 2000 million actual sales despite being the only one released against the original version in the streaming era, is truly a masterpiece!

In East Asia, almost everyone owns two Alovers.

Nobody knows how to be a fan of celebrities better than them!
They're so willing to spend money on their idols!

That is precisely why.
Leviathan, an album that brings together many of the 21st century's top 100 hits, is able to shine the brightest!

(End of this chapter)