I became a music industry godfather by writing confidantes.

Chapter 156 A Wave Not Yet Subsided

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Yang Du suddenly received a call from Yan Baokuan.

"Happy New Year, Senior Brother Yan!"

Happy New Year!

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Yan Baokuan got down to business: "There's something I feel I need to remind you of. Yesterday, someone called the station to inquire about the broadcast time of 'Little White Poplar'."

Yang Du was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, sensing that something was amiss.

The recording of "New Year's Greetings from the Military Camp" was completed around the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month. The program list was naturally not as confidential as the Spring Festival Gala program list. If someone wanted to find out what songs were on the show this year, they could find out, but usually not many people would ask.

Moreover, the fact that they are now inquiring about the specific broadcast time of a particular song clearly indicates that they have other motives.

"Who's asking?" Yang Du asked.

"Zhuang Zhiyuan".

Yang Du wouldn't have known this name if he weren't a student at the Beijing Conservatory of Music.

This is an old-school music critic who was a professor at the Central Conservatory of Music before retiring. He also served as the chairman of the Theory Committee of the Chinese Musicians Association. He can be considered a leading figure in the mainstream music circle.

"Why would he suddenly inquire about 'Little White Poplar'?" Yang Du had a bad feeling.

Zhuang Zhiyuan's previous platforms were usually the *Chinese Art News*, or *Renren Daily* and *Guanghui Daily*.

Their cultural section and professional field have always focused on the study of bel canto or folk music, keeping their distance from the pop music scene, with no overlap between the two.

Now he's making a special call to CCTV to inquire about the broadcast time, clearly preparing to write something.

Yan Baokuan said, "You probably don't know, but Old Zhuang and Li Musheng are old classmates of many years and have a very close relationship. Nine times out of ten, Li Musheng is the one who acted as matchmaker. You know what he's thinking. If you have a public relations plan, you should prepare it now, so you won't be caught off guard."

"Okay, thank you very much, senior brother."

"But you don't need to worry too much," Yan Baokuan added reassuringly. "After all, Elder Zhuang is a senior figure with status and prestige. Even if he criticizes you, he will definitely do so according to music theory and artistic standards, not by making up stories or fabricating facts like those online."

"I understand, senior brother. I'll treat you to a meal when I return to the capital."

"Haha, okay."

After hanging up the phone, Yang Du immediately contacted Yuan Xiuqing and recounted what had just happened.

"Things aren't actually as bad as they seem," Yuan Xiuqing analyzed. "Director Yan is right. Zhuang Zhiyuan is, after all, a highly respected senior figure in the industry and a genuine music critic."

The word "home" is stressed!

In China, the word "home" is not something that just anyone can use; it must stand the test of time and gain industry recognition.

Yuan Xiuqing continued, "Think about it, President Yang, someone like Zhuang Zhiyuan has spent most of his life working within the system. Although he is now retired, he certainly still retains the integrity and principles of an artist."

"These old-school music critics carefully choose their words when publishing articles, and they're constantly watched by their peers. They value fairness, objectivity, and impartiality. If they were like those music critics and bloggers on the internet today, taking money to do their jobs, wouldn't the arts and culture world be in chaos?"

Yang Du agreed, saying, "That's true. They're more concerned with genre than with a single piece of music."

A debate between different ideologies.

For example, when it comes to debates about ethnicity, bel canto, and popular music, the professors from the three universities really don't show the slightest bit of civility when they get into a heated argument.

Yuan Xiuqing concluded: "To put it bluntly, at Zhuang Zhiyuan's status and age, the importance he places on fame far outweighs that on profit."

"He wouldn't deliberately write a commentary that's unbecoming of his status just to spite a classmate or to help Li Musheng get revenge. That would ruin his reputation built up over decades in the industry."

"So even if he was influenced by Li Musheng and his stance shifted, and he naturally viewed 'Little White Poplar' with a critical eye, there is definitely a limit to this shift. He cannot call a deer a horse or distort the truth, otherwise, if he were to fall from grace, he would ruin his reputation in his later years."

"That makes sense, but we still can't let our guard down," Yang Du said.

"Of course, we can't be too wary of others. I'll contact someone to collect his previous commentaries to get a feel for his style and standards of judgment. As long as the final commentary is within the scope of professional discussion, we'll humbly accept it. If he takes advantage of the situation, we won't sit idly by."

It's 8 PM on the second day of the Lunar New Year.

The border region episode of "New Year's Greetings from the Military Camp" aired on CCTV's military channel on time.

In a residential compound in Beijing, Zhuang Zhiyuan, with gray hair and wearing reading glasses, watched a program while waiting for "Little White Poplar" to begin, and pondered deeply.

In fact, Zhuang Zhiyuan was no stranger to Yang Du.

Even though he doesn't usually pay much attention to the pop music scene, Yang Du has been accompanied by a lot of buzz and discussion since his debut.

Moreover, Yang Du has also made his way from the pop music scene to the mainstream music scene, with his song "Today is Your Birthday" receiving countless accolades.

In Zhuang Zhiyuan's view, Yang Du is undoubtedly a rare genius in the Chinese music scene in the last ten years or so!

If he didn't have real talent and ability, how could he have become the youngest recipient of the Feitian Award in Chinese history, and even won two awards?

If it weren't for exceptional talent, how could a military song like "Little White Poplar" have passed through layers of review and finally made it onto a stage like "Military Camp New Year Greetings," which seems ordinary but is actually very serious?

However, Yang Du's success came too quickly, and his journey was smooth sailing.

How old is he?

In their early twenties, they are already surrounded by countless flowers, applause, and streaming business data in the hundreds of millions.

The media is praising him, fans are complimenting him, and even industry insiders are full of praise for him.

Zhuang Zhiyuan felt that what Yang Du needed most right now was not these cheap compliments, but a few pertinent, or even harsh, criticisms.

Excessive praise and adulation can easily lead a young person astray.

If a creator in his early twenties has no one around him who dares to point out his shortcomings and has never heard any thought-provoking advice, then his future is at best that of a business prodigy, and he will never be able to settle down and transform into a true music master.

Therefore, Zhuang Zhiyuan secretly decided that this time he must examine "Little White Poplar" from a fair standpoint and with the most rigorous and critical attitude.

This necessary wake-up call is definitely a good thing for Yang Du's long-term development.

With that in mind, "Little White Poplar" finally made its appearance during the host's introduction.

The singer, Zhuang Zhiyuan, is no stranger to him. He is a tenor named Zhou Weidong, a typical folk singer and a national first-class actor. He is someone that his generation has watched grow from a newcomer to a pillar of the arts.

"It seems that this song 'Little White Poplar' is indeed quite good."

Singers of Zhou Weidong's caliber have long since passed the stage of needing to use TV shows to gain exposure, and they have a great deal of freedom and say in song selection.

If the song quality is not up to par, or does not suit his singing style, Zhou Weidong will never force himself to accept the role.

Of course, there are difficulties within the system. If it's a task assigned by the organization, then you have to sing it whether you like it or not.

But would "Little White Poplar" be the kind of task assigned from above?

Obviously impossible.

It's true that Yang Du just won the Feitian Award, but given his age, experience, connections, and background, it's absolutely impossible for him to have been specifically assigned by higher authorities to have Zhou Weidong sing "Little White Poplar."

Therefore, "Little White Poplar" at least received the approval of the famous singer Zhou Weidong.

Thinking of this, Zhuang Zhiyuan, who already had a scrutinizing and critical look in his eyes, became even more serious.

"A little white poplar tree grows beside the sentry post —"

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