Have you ever been a celebrity? Why are you writing about entertainment?

Chapter 95 Living the Second Life

Three days after being written into Yu Wei's book, Tong Yulu became a celebrity...

There are four criteria for an artist to rise to stardom: representative works, authoritative awards, commercial value, and media exposure. She certainly doesn't have the first two, but she has done her best in the fourth one these past few days.

The company's full-fledged efforts and the big hand of capital played a crucial role in this process, but ultimately, it was Yu Wei's book that gave her significant exposure.

Without Yu Wei, none of these things would have come to her. The company's promotion of her was a natural progression, and the explosive growth in data was a result of leveraging that momentum.

Tong Yulu had never experienced this feeling of being turned into gold. She was a useless student in school, and after the talent show, she was a mediocre student who barely made it into the top. She got to where she is today entirely by luck.

Although this promotion was also due to luck, the difference this time is that luck is no longer elusive; she can grasp it...

"What are you doing?"

Before the performance of "Music Blind Box" began, Yu Wei, who was sitting in the guest seat thinking about the plot, was suddenly patted on the shoulder by Tong Yulu next to her.

"I want to touch my koi fish."

Tong Yulu smiled apologetically, a hint of satisfaction in her eyes. This kind of tangible luck was really good; her mother no longer had to worry about her career prospects.

"This is a sensitive area for the show, don't do this..." Yu Wei was a little speechless. Male and female celebrities still need to be mindful of their image in public. What kind of behavior is this, pulling and tugging at each other?

Of course, the same goes for private times.

In fact, there have been rumors about his relationship with Tong Yulu in the past two days. As the first female star to appear in his novel with her real name verified, Tong Yulu has been dubbed the "First Ren Wei Girl".

Some netizens think there's something going on between them, but it hasn't caused much of a stir. What era are we living in? How dare you spread rumors without any evidence? At least provide some chat logs.

Chat logs, you have to believe them...

"Don't worry, I have a measure."

Do you think Tong Yulu wants to create a scandal with Yu Wei? Of course she does. Creating scandals is common in the entertainment industry; it's all for the sake of becoming famous.

Given how popular Yu Wei is, it's only natural to want to ride his coattails.

But Tong Yulu definitely wouldn't do that, firstly out of respect for Yu Wei, and secondly because she knows that relying on hype won't get her far.

Moreover, she sensed that Yu Wei had someone else in his heart...

While the two were chatting idly, Meng Han and Su Xinnan finally finished touching up their makeup and entered the venue with the four amateur contestants.

Although everyone was filming at the sports base for this episode, Yu Wei hadn't run into the two of them at all these past few days, which shouldn't be the case.

It's understandable that he wouldn't run into Su Xinnan, who was in the indoor project section, but it's a bit puzzling that he hadn't seen Meng Han, who was in the outdoor section, for five days in a row.

No matter how large the sports base is, the filming crew of the program is still very conspicuous. They didn't even meet, so it's hard not to suspect that the program crew deliberately arranged it to separate their filming time.

There's a conspiracy going on...

"Xiao Lu has been a frequent visitor to the trending topics lately, she's almost more popular than me." Su Xinnan greeted them half-jokingly, especially impressed by Tong Yulu's recent popularity.

It's so good that the internet is so developed. Back when she first debuted, if you wanted to become famous, you had to work hard and seize every opportunity to appear on TV. Unlike now, you can easily become a sensation online.

However, she wasn't resentful; she was simply amazed by the speed of the times. Yu Wei's book had received far more publicity than many TV dramas and movies...

Why don't they just stop scrambling to act in period dramas? They're more likely to get criticized if they don't act well. They could just join Yu Wei's novels as supporting characters. That would be more likely to be popular and generate buzz.

After experiencing the life of athletes for a few days, the changes in the four of them were quite obvious. They didn't exactly transform, but their increased energy and spirit were clearly visible.

A healthy lifestyle, regular exercise, and a careful diet will definitely improve your mental state.

Except for Meng Han, whose face was etched with exhaustion, his dark eyes were so heavy they looked like they were about to pull him down, and his stubble protruded like withered grass from his cracked lips, making him look somewhat unkempt.

Compared to the three of them, Meng Han seemed more like a gloomy, reclusive old man who spent the whole night at an internet cafe...

Although he didn't look very energetic, he maintained a strange kind of excitement, which reached its peak when he faced Yu Weishi, to the point that his eyes turned green.

After the recording of the program began, the routine interview segment began. Yu Wei and the others spoke in unison: the athletes' lives are full of hard work and perseverance, and they deserve respect, except for the national football team.

In the past, their words might have sounded somewhat bureaucratic, but after experiencing the athletes' daily training firsthand, their remarks seemed very heartfelt.

Several of their athlete friends also spoke highly of them, saying that ordinary people's physical fitness cannot compare to that of athletes, and that their willingness to persevere is already quite remarkable.

It can only be said that the production team of "Music Blind Box" has a good eye; the celebrities they selected are all down-to-earth and don't try to be special.

"I believe that everyone here has gained something from these past few days of training. Let's not waste any more words and let the music convey our experiences and the songs carry our stories. Alright, please begin your performances!"

Of the four groups of guests in this episode, only Yu Wei's group sang solo. In fact, Xing Chao originally planned to sing a duet with him, since performing on the same stage with his idol would be very memorable.

However, after listening to "Chasing Dreams with a Pure Heart," he still decided to sing it solo... This song is too difficult to sing, and the contrast with singing it with professionals would be especially striking.

Long-distance runners don't have that much teamwork; they just want to do their best.

Yu Wei admitted that he initially intended to "torture" the readers, but during the subsequent days of song practice, he was impressed by Xing Chao's sincerity and dedication. As a non-professional, his passion for music was genuine, because music was the only thing that accompanied him through the monotonous daily training.

In the three episodes, Qi Luoan and Lin Yuting came for Yu Wei, but Xing Chao only joined the show because he likes to sing. In comparison, he was the most genuine one.

Yu Wei couldn't help him by not participating in the chorus, so she could only cheer him on silently.

Tong Yulu made great progress in this episode. As the opening guest, she used a song called "Blooming Flowers" which revolves around female heroes to perfectly interpret the core of female gymnasts. Her performance was graceful yet heroic, and her entry point was quite good.

Everyone says popularity makes you more popular, and Yu Wei truly believes it now. After becoming famous, even her taste in choosing songs has improved a lot...

In contrast, Su Xinnan, who followed closely behind, was rather mediocre, mainly because of problems with the coordination; she failed to capture the nuances of the original song.

The development of this episode was somewhat unexpected. Who would have thought that Tong Yulu, a girl group member who was just a nobody, would outshine Su Xinnan right from the start?
"Brother Yu, I'll go first!"

Before going on stage, Meng Han gave Yu Wei a meaningful look. Yu Wei immediately understood that this was a challenge.

Ever since he wrote Meng Han's song in his novel, the other party has been wanting to practice with him. He thought that this episode wasn't suitable for singing "Smog" and he would give up, but he didn't expect him to be so determined...

We can't take it anymore, we must start a war immediately!
The lights in the entire venue suddenly dimmed, with only a beam of cold white spotlight piercing the darkness and focusing on the bronze longbow in the center of the stage.

The drummer's three deep strikes sounded like ancient war drums, while the pipa's tremolo notes rose into the air, dense and heavy like a rain of arrows.

The song's opening was incredibly epic, something Yu Wei had never heard of before... Not only him, but the other audience members hadn't heard of the song either.

The prelude, a blend of traditional Chinese music and electronic music, exploded with a bang. This was Meng Han's original new song "Hou Yi," created specifically for this episode.

No wonder Meng Han has been elusive these past few days; it turns out he's been holding back something big.

Yu Wei's feelings were somewhat complicated. He had always planned ahead beforehand, but this time he had met his match. He wasn't the only one in the entertainment industry who could release new songs; others could too, and their quality was no worse than his.

Meng Han's thinking was simple: since "Smog" couldn't be released, he would do the same as Yu Wei and create a new song for the show.

Use new songs to promote new songs, and original songs to promote original songs.

Before the song even started, the audience could smell the tension; they could clearly see that Teacher Meng Han wanted to have a head-on confrontation with Yu Wei.

He can write any plot he wants in a novel, but only by comparing it to reality can he know the truth.

On stage, Meng Han made his official entrance, with the archer serving as his bassist, providing some of the harmonies and backing vocals.

Yu Wei didn't know if this person was genuinely talented or just putting on an act, since bass couldn't be discerned...

"Break bamboo! Join bamboo! — Flying earth chases flesh!"

With his screams and distorted guitar sounds, Meng Han's voice immediately drew the audience into a primitive hunting ground, both bloodthirsty and wild.

This is an ancient hunting song, and its placement at the beginning of a song about bows and arrows is quite fitting, demonstrating considerable creative talent.

Amidst the low-frequency vibrations of the bass, Meng Han bent over, mimicking the posture of drawing a bow, his roar a furious sound mingled with the friction of his true and false vocal cords, like an arrow piercing the wind.

"Willow leaves tremble a hundred paces away, and the bullseye is etched into a crown."

Before the gasps from the audience had even subsided, Meng Han waved his arm, and an electronic sound effect exploded with a "whoosh," just like an arrow hitting the bullseye.

This song is so well-made; the lyrics, arrangement, and concept are all amazing. It's hard to imagine that Meng Han wrote it in just one week.

Everyone says Yu Wei has strong creative abilities, but Yu Wei knows his own limitations. That's what true creation is. Those who make it in the entertainment industry are not easy to deal with, let alone a talented person like Meng Han.

In the realm of Chinese-language rock, he is undoubtedly a master...

On stage, in a sudden silence, Meng Han knelt on one knee, sweat dripping into the microphone and amplified into thunder, as he softly recited the archery proverb in a low, mixed voice:

"An arrow shot without intention has no eye; a bow shot with intention will never deviate."

To be honest, Yu Wei put a lot of pressure on Meng Han. He worked hard and made every second count for this song, and he hasn't had a good night's sleep in the past few days.

Creative ability is something that comes out of necessity. He wouldn't dare say this song is his peak, but it should rank in the top three of his works.

For a singer of his age, this breakthrough is tantamount to living a second life!

There was no other way; I was forced into it...

It wasn't until Meng Han tried writing for a week that he realized just how terrifying Yu Wei was. He was exhausted like a dog while writing a song, but this kid still had time to cause trouble and write a novel.

This gap put immense pressure on him, but it also enabled him to achieve a breakthrough amidst his anxiety.

As the melody pours forth, the powerful mixed D5 sustained notes intertwine with the metallic vocals, proclaiming the undying spirit of the arrow from mythology to the arena, from cold weapons to the Olympics.

I really like one of Hou Yi's lines: "Freljord will be unified again."

(End of this chapter)