After offending capital, my songs became more and more popular.

Chapter 223: Water sleeves rise and fall, singing of joys and sorrows, blood staining mountains and rivers!
To be honest, Shen Mingen's image and appearance are really good. He is over 1.8 meters tall and has maintained a very good figure due to years of exercise. He is young, and his skin is full of collagen. His face is also very attractive. Even without makeup, he still has sharp features and distinct facial features.

When he faces the camera, his appearance and demeanor alone are enough to attract countless viewers.

however……

now……

Even though many viewers in the online live stream thought Shen Ming'en looked good, no one dared to speak up for him.

no way……

Who made Hajime the target of everyone's criticism?

The reason why we don't praise him is not only because the audience in the Chinese entertainment industry is criticizing him, but also because the audience in the other entertainment industry is praising him.

Look?

On camera, the audience in the studio were calling out "Yoshi!" and "Ming En-san!" with faces full of joy, happiness, and welcome.

In this situation, if they speak up for Shen Ming'en and praise him, wouldn't that be...

Have you become complicit in this corrupt lifestyle?!

As a Chinese citizen, with national and personal grievances laid bare, who the hell would want to associate with these bastards?!
The worst insult a Chinese person has ever received abroad was being asked if they were Japanese. Need I say more?
【well……】

Thinking of this, many of Shen Mingen's fans sighed silently, wondering why Shen Mingen would agree to the request to "change the song".

Even if he was pressured by his superiors and insisted on disagreeing, even posting complaints online, how could all the controversy have fallen on him?
Now look what's happened...

The theater troupe that asked him to "change the song" got away with it, but he himself suffered heavy consequences, going from a glamorous "red song spokesperson" to a damn "traitor"!

The contrast is too great!

All I can say is, if people don't act recklessly, they won't make mistakes.

To be honest, at this moment, the fans also felt quite sorry for Shen Ming'en...

At the same time, I don't really expect a "reversal" to happen.

Shen Mingen had faced many insurmountable difficulties in the past. During so many episodes of "Chinese Music Show Center" and "Peak Singer Challenge", the capital backers relentlessly pursued him, putting him in many hopeless situations. Everyone thought he was finished, but he overcame them all as he was supposed to...

But this time, the nature of this matter is completely different!

Shen Mingen agreed to Xiao Rizi's request to change the song!

Why the hell do you have to fawn over someone else? You're fawning over a nobody!
Can't you see it?
Given the current situation, with everything seemingly settled, even fans might think that Shen Ming'en is definitely finished...

On President Qin's side, the tools for opening champagne have all been prepared.

Backstage, Mr. Chen Guangrong was so anxious he was almost sweating...

It was under these circumstances that...

Shen Ming'en nodded to the staff member at the scene from a distance, and then...

"Ding-dong..."

A series of crisp, melodious sounds began to play from the speakers and quickly echoed in the ears of every audience member.

The live stream camera captured the band members behind Shen Ming'en. You could see the band members, dressed in suits, playing the flute, erhu, and piano.

Yes, that's right. Shen Ming'en's song "Red Silk" features the traditional Chinese flute and erhu in its intro. As soon as the intro starts, many Chinese entertainment viewers can immediately hear a very clear ancient-style melody.

In the past, whenever Shen Ming'en's works featured traditional Chinese style elements, countless fans and viewers would have started praising them...

While the intro to "Red Cliff" isn't exactly a "killer intro," it's certainly commendable and deserves some praise.

But today, instead of a single kind word, the comments section was filled with criticism from viewers in the Chinese entertainment industry.
[Trash, you dare use traditional Chinese style?!]

[Using traditional Chinese style to please everyday life?]

[You think you can use our ancestors' musical instruments like this?!]

[You piece of trash, you've insulted our national character!]

[Ugh! Shen Ming'en is a disgrace!]

……

One wrong step leads to another. Under the strong influence of prejudice, even if someone wanted to praise Shen Ming'en, their voice was drowned out by a wave of insults.

And it was under these circumstances...

On stage, Shen Ming'en slowly picked up the microphone and softly sang:

……

"The play begins~"

"The water sleeves rise and fall~"

"Singing of joys and sorrows, partings and reunions, has nothing to do with me~"

"Fan opens and closes~"

"The drums sound, then fall silent."

"Love in the play, people outside the play—who can say for sure?"

……

The song begins with a very classic pop singing style. However, the contemporary "opera-style singing" is not the typical singing style found in Peking Opera or traditional Chinese opera. If it were purely that style, many audiences today might not even listen to it...

Therefore, many creators nowadays are accustomed to incorporating traditional Chinese opera into popular music, performing it in a combined way to highlight the contrast between the two.

Shen Ming'en's opera-style works are among the best!
Oh no……

It should be said that he was the "leader" of this trend!
After all, this fusion style started with his "Ten Thousand Frontiers"!
Back then, the Mandarin Music Awards made things difficult for Shen Ming'en, demanding that they create a work in the style of Peking Opera. Even now, many people still remember how shocking it was when the line "The red sun rises in the east, its great road is full of rosy light" came out of the lyrics of "Wanjiang".

At that moment, the patriotism and national pride that Shen Ming'en conveyed to everyone were self-evident.

But at this moment...

While listening to operatic singing and similar works, audiences in the Chinese entertainment industry no longer feel any patriotic sentiment; on the contrary…

It's all irony!
What the hell are you singing...?

[Hey! Stop singing, it's disgusting!]

[Those Japanese people at the scene who seem to be doing quite well are actually listening with a lot of gusto...]

[A bunch of idiots, idiots all together!]

……

Although the criticism was equally overwhelming, there was an interesting phenomenon: those who were smearing Shen Ming'en only targeted his past behavior, and none of them addressed his work.

even!

Some viewers, listening to Shen Ming'en's "Red-Clad Lament," inexplicably felt a certain...

A feeling of desolation.

It's that kind of desolate color, like the blood-stained mountains and rivers during wartime.

In fact, there was such a metaphor in the lyrics of "Red Actress". Shen Ming'en is wearing a theatrical costume and is singing about the role of an actor. The opening is from the perspective of an actor, describing the "fake" on the stage and the "real" off the stage.

This suggests that actors, who may seem detached from reality, have actually been swept up in the tide of the times!
A feeling of helplessness quietly spread.

The melody is also very clever. The verses are laid out with a soothing ancient Chinese style melody, and the background music includes some "recitation" parts from traditional opera. The calmness hides a sense of narrative, which is absolutely amazing!

Gradually, some people began to feel that this song...

This is getting interesting!

Not everyone finds this song interesting; that wild boar certainly wouldn't be used to fine chaff, and some people just don't understand elegance at all...

such as……

That rabble in the teahouse?

Domestically. In the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

In the restaurant.

"What kind of singing is this, haha..."

Fatty Ma laughed heartily as he listened to Shen Mingen sing. He couldn't understand a word Shen Mingen was singing. To be honest, when he first heard that Shen Mingen had obediently agreed to change the song, he wondered if Shen Mingen had some other tricks up his sleeve...

Will the works they release, like before, shamelessly slap them in the face?

But the song Shen Ming'en presented sounds pretty much the same now...

Not only does it lack the characteristics of the revolutionary songs found in all his previous mainstream works, but it also feels somewhat like a hybrid that is neither quite traditional nor quite operatic.

In fact, the song "Red-Haired Girl" was just a prelude.

“Who says otherwise…” Ms. Liu, the woman in the suit standing to the side, said with a smile, “This kid has probably given up struggling, knowing he’s definitely doomed.”

Sitting opposite President Liu, the white-haired President Li laughed and pointed to the champagne in the center of the table, saying to President Qin, who was brewing tea, "President Qin, I think we should just open this champagne. It should be fine."

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at President Qin.

But facing everyone's gaze, President Qin's expression wasn't what they had imagined...

Happy and excited.

instead……

He frowned, as if deep in thought, his expression slightly grave.

"..."

For a moment, Mr. Li's hand, which was about to reach for the champagne, froze in mid-air, unable to move even an inch further.

The scene became somewhat awkward for a moment.

They're a little confused...

Ber, could it be that Shen Ming'en, this BYD, has some kind of backup plan?
It shouldn’t be!

What's wrong with President Qin?
Is he suffering from paranoia?

Faced with the questioning looks from the crowd, President Qin did not explain, but simply stroked his chin with both hands, savoring Shen Ming'en's rendition of "Red-Clad Lament"...

Something just doesn't feel right.

But he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.

Well, let's listen and see first...

……

To be honest, it was fortunate that there were no audience members from the Chinese entertainment industry at the performance, otherwise someone might have already thrown rotten eggs and banana peels at Shen Ming'en and kicked him off the stage.

Shen Ming'en was unaffected. Looking at the group of idiots who seemed to be living a good life, and seeing the smug expressions on their faces, a sarcastic smile appeared on Shen Ming'en's lips.

The next moment, he continued singing along with the accompaniment:

……

"Accustomed to infusing all emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—into their performances."

"So what if the lyrics are already sung to death?"

"Bones and ashes are all me~"

……

When Shen Ming'en sang this line, many people didn't actually react much...

Most of the viewers who found the song interesting were hesitant to speak up for Shen Ming'en because of the overwhelming smear campaign and the insults from his detractors.

But just as Shen Ming'en was singing the next line of the lyrics...

The situation has begun to reverse!

On stage, Shen Ming'en looked at the group of ordinary people below with a hint of contempt, mockery, and sarcasm. He sang in a pretentious tone:

……

"In times of chaos, we drift like duckweed, how can we bear to watch the flames of war engulf our land!"

"Though my position is humble, I dare not forget my duty to the nation!"

Even if no one knows me!

……

At this point in the song, everyone knows that the chorus is coming.

Even so, everyone's enthusiasm was completely ignited when Shen Ming'en uttered the lines, "In this chaotic world, I am like a duckweed, watching the flames of war burn across the land; though I am of humble status, I dare not forget my duty to the nation!"

At that moment, while the criticism in the comments section was equally intense, these kinds of voices gradually began to emerge:
No, I don't think this song... is pandering to any particular group, is it?

Why do I feel like I'm being forced or coerced in this song?

It's as if someone is forcing Shen Ming'en to sing, and Shen Ming'en is forced to use his work to "cry for help" from everyone!

[I feel like his song is telling a story... You see, he's wearing opera costumes, and the lyrics are full of helplessness, it's like he's... telling a story from wartime.]

[I always thought that a patriot like Shen Ming'en wouldn't just change songs on a whim. After all, he's the kind of man who would hand over all copyrights to the country if it wanted them!]

Something's wrong, there's definitely something going on here!

[Damn, those BYD haters have been going a bit too far lately, it's outrageous. I already suspected someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes!]

……

Perhaps because the lyrics were so "resonant", many fans in the online live broadcast room of the Chinese entertainment industry who were originally afraid to feed Shen Mingen peanuts because of the overwhelming criticism finally couldn't hold back anymore and finally started to stand up and speak up for Shen Mingen!

And it wasn't just the fans and viewers who supported Shen Ming'en online who realized that there was something wrong with this lyric!

Back in Shanghai, in a private room at a restaurant, Mr. Ma and Mr. Li also realized that something was wrong!
"This...this..." The white-haired CEO Li's lips twitched, his face turning somewhat grim. He pointed at Shen Ming'en on the TV screen and mumbled incoherently, "What does his lyrics mean? This isn't right!"

"I knew something was off about this song!"

Not far away, Ms. Liu, the woman in the suit, slammed her hand on the table in anger and shouted:

"This kid seems to be messing with us again!"

Although this wasn't the first time they'd been tricked by Shen Mingen, this time, no matter what, was the closest they'd ever come to "blacklisting" him!

"Knock him down!"

Fatty Ma was so angry that he slammed his fist on the table and stood up. He was just short of crawling into the TV and climbing over the internet cable to strangle Shen Ming'en!
No wonder President Qin's expression was off just now; it turns out he noticed something was wrong with the song a long time ago!
At this moment, President Qin, sitting in the center of the group, certainly didn't have a pleasant expression...

His face twitched slightly, and he covered his mouth with his hands clasped together—a gesture that seemed profound but actually concealed a deep well of anger…

If he doesn't cover his mouth, people will see his expression of clenched teeth in hatred!

"Zhao Yin!!!"

Right now, President Qin really wished he could tear Zhao Yin, the director of the "Silk Road Blossoms" troupe, to pieces!
He knew that lyric was there, but he didn't tell himself!
Isn't this deliberately stirring up trouble?!

Zhao Yin is indeed a seasoned veteran. Not only did he not tell President Qin the lyrics of the song, he also did not tell Shen Ming'en that he had agreed to it without hesitation. Otherwise, given President Qin's shrewdness, he would definitely have taken precautions and would not have been caught off guard so suddenly.

But then again...

It's just a lyric, but it seems unable to reverse the fact that Shen Ming'en chose to change the song because of the voices from "Little Days".

But next...

When they came across the hashtag "#TheStoryBehindTheRedDresser!" online...

But no matter what, I can no longer laugh out loud!

……

(End of this chapter)