The night before the college entrance exam results were released, I redeemed my Peking University ad

Yan Dahai listened to the vicious voice of the femme fatale on the phone, closed his eyes, and sighed heavily.

Getting on the boat is easy, but getting off is hard!

Now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to grit our teeth and persevere.

"Yes, I understand!"

Less than two minutes after hanging up the phone, Yan Dahai updated his Weibo, still maintaining the airs of a veteran artist.

After listening to Ji Bai's new work, I have to admit that young people do have some creative talent. The melody is catchy and deserves encouragement.

Objectively speaking, the work's scope, depth of lyrics and music, and artistic value are still immature, and it is far from being a "timeless classic," let alone a justification for the previous controversy.

Young people have a long road ahead; focusing on solid creation is more important than rushing to defend themselves.

As soon as the Weibo post was published, the pre-arranged online trolls swarmed in, and the comment section was instantly thrown into chaos:

"It's just a catchy pop song, okay for a bit of fun, but it dares to call itself a 'hit song'?"

"Even Teacher Yan said he's not qualified, so what are the fans still bragging about? Do they really think they've written a divine song?"

"The two songs are so different in style, who knows who they might have copied, it's just that they haven't been exposed yet."

"They've run out of ideas, so after all that effort they came up with this cheesy pop song that can only fool fans who don't understand music."

"Teacher Yan has been a professional composer for thirty years, how could he be wrong? If you say he's not qualified, then he's not qualified."

"It's just that the fans have a strong bias; objectively speaking, it's really just average, and its popularity is nowhere near that!"

……

Of course, many casual listeners disagreed and argued in the comments section, saying that the song was good, had quality, and deserved to be a hit.

However, "sounds good" is a subjective feeling, and the online trolls insisted that it was "not professional enough" and "did not meet the standards," leading to a heated argument between the two sides and the topic becoming increasingly popular.

Ji Bai saw Yan Dahai's Weibo post and sneered.

The old man is all he's good for is being stubborn.

He glanced at the time.

It's already 11:30 pm.

Row!

You wait!

Wait another half hour

Let me show you what it means to...

A barrage of hit songs!

. . .

Just as Ji Bai was waiting for the system to refresh the selection panel, a group of music critics and veteran songwriters in the industry spoke out one after another online.

@Senior music critic Lao Zhou: "Simple and catchy doesn't mean it's a hit song. The melody of this song is full of the same old formulas that are all over the market. The chord progressions are completely unoriginal. The whole song relies on youthful sadness to build up emotions. It's a fast-food pop song, at best a viral hit. It's a long way from being a hit song."

@Veteran lyricist Chen Shu: "The lyrics are too narrow in scope, indulging in personal emotions throughout without any profound meaning. The words are flat and straightforward, lacking any white space or charm. A true classic song has lyrics that can withstand repeated readings, but this song clearly does not."

@Arranger and Producer Akai: "Based on an acoustic guitar, the arrangement is extremely thin, lacking any layering or progression. The harmonic arrangement is completely unoriginal, and any amateur arranger could replicate it in half a day. There are absolutely no highlights from a professional perspective."

@Liu Ming, a master composer of traditional Chinese music: "The melody is thin, the vocal range is narrow, and the composition difficulty is extremely low. The so-called empathy only touches the shallow emotions of young people. The aesthetic upper limit is too low, and it cannot be considered a golden song with industry benchmark significance."

Even a second-tier male singer with considerable talent directly criticized:

"To be honest, I can write one of these assembly-line tunes in three minutes, not even ten."

Why don't I write it? A man has pride!

……

As a group of industry insiders with professional certifications collectively voiced their pessimism, those who were initially firmly on the sidelines were gradually swayed and their attitudes began to waver.

"Actually, I've wanted to say this for a while now. It was okay the first time I listened to it, but the more I listened, the more something seemed off!"

"Experts say it doesn't meet the standards of a golden hit, and there must be a reason for that. We laymen are just listening for the fun."

"I was initially quite impressed, but now that I've listened to it more closely, the melody is indeed a bit too common and lacks originality."

"But I really think it sounds pretty good!"

"Oh dear! Just listen to the experts!"

……

That's what art is all about.

When the vast majority of so-called "professionals" unanimously deny it, ordinary people who genuinely like this song seem like outsiders, like laymen who don't understand aesthetics.

On the other side, Yan Dahai leaned against the headboard, repeatedly refreshing Weibo.

He usually washes up and goes to bed by this time, but today he's wide awake and keeps scrolling through the comments section.

When he first posted that comment on Weibo, he was actually feeling very uneasy, afraid that his industry peers would see through his little scheme to deliberately suppress others.

He was still secretly worried that someone might stand up for Ji Bai, leaving him with the reputation of abusing his seniority and suppressing younger generations.

In just half an hour, a large number of songwriters, composers, and music critics stood up to support him, and countless passersby were swayed by public opinion, changing their tune and questioning the quality of the song.

Yan Dahai stared at the screen, his tense lips slowly curving upwards, the anxiety he had been feeling vanished, leaving only a sense of exhilaration.

good good!

Very good!

With so many industry insiders supporting them, public opinion has completely turned in their favor. So what if that kid Ji Bai can write so well?

One person can't fight against a thousand mouths; no matter how talented you are, you can't withstand the collective rejection of the entire industry.

Now there's no need to worry about ruining one's reputation in old age; public opinion is entirely on one's side.

Yan Dahai put down his phone and yawned.

The outcome is decided!

In a couple of days, once the hype dies down, this matter will be over. He'll have repaid his debt of gratitude, preserved his reputation, and suffered no loss whatsoever.

As for Ji Bai? He was a student with no connections who was accused of plagiarism, and eventually, no one remembered him anymore.

This game is a sure win!

……

Special care ward.

Shen Yizhen leaned against the hospital bed, while Wang Nan sat beside her, scrolling through online controversies surrounding hit songs on a tablet.

After reading the screen full of criticism of Ji Bai from industry leaders, the two were stunned, their faces filled with astonishment.

Originally, it was already surprising enough that Yan Dahai, a senior figure in the music industry, would step forward to make trouble, but unexpectedly, a bunch of industry insiders appeared overnight to collectively belittle Ji Bai.

Shen Yizhen was both shocked and frightened, muttering under her breath, "What big shot did he offend? So many people in the industry are ganging up on him, it's obvious they want to destroy him."

In an instant, a hint of schadenfreude flashed in Shen Yizhen's eyes, and he perked up immediately.

"Sister Nan, this is the perfect opportunity! The entire internet is condemning him right now; it's the perfect time to kick him when he's down!"

"Let the fans bombard him!"

Wang Nan frowned, looking troubled: "The chairman said we shouldn't get involved in this matter anymore..."

"What are you afraid of? This time we're not going after Blackwater, we're just giving a hint to those big fans."

"The fans' actions have nothing to do with our studio; they can't be traced back to us!"

"Maybe... let's just forget about it." Wang Nan shook her head repeatedly, unwilling to cause any more trouble.

But Shen Yizhen ignored all advice and directly opened the super fan group with thousands of members, and personally typed a message.

"I'm fine now, I'm sorry to have worried everyone."

The moment the message was sent, the group chat exploded, with countless female fans flooding the chat with messages:

"Zhen-ge! How are you feeling? We were so worried seeing you in the hospital!"

"Honey, focus on getting better and don't worry about all that upsetting stuff online!"

"Our baby has been wronged, hasn't he? It breaks our hearts to see him like this!"

"Get some rest, we'll get justice for you!"

……

Shen Yizhen smiled as she read the messages in the group chat.

Then he typed out a long message:

"I'm really fine, I'm just upset that everyone was worried about me!"

"As long as you're all happy, I don't mind suffering a little!"

"Let's have a rational discussion and not attack each other. Ji Bai is young, and perhaps he's just confused for a moment. Let's give him another chance."

These tea-related remarks immediately broke the defenses of the fans in the group, who felt sorry for him.

Even though her own brother was injured so badly, she was still speaking up for others and suffering injustice!

"Ugh, I'm so angry! My brother is in this state and he's still so kind!"

"Why should we suffer this injustice! That plagiarist has ruined you like this, we can't just let it go!"

"My brother is too kind. He's even speaking up for them when they're being completely unreasonable. We can't stand it!"

"Brother Zhen, don't be afraid! We'll go and get justice for you!"

"Sisters, charge! We have to make him apologize to our brother!"

……

23 points.

A large number of brainless fans suddenly flooded Ji Bai's Weibo comments.

"Don't try to change the subject with a lousy song! Apologize to my Yizhen brother!"

"Admit you plagiarized Yan Dahai! Issue a public apology!"

"Compensate me for my brother's medical expenses, emotional distress damages, and all losses incurred during the concert!"

"Delete your Weibo account immediately and never touch music creation again!"

……

at last.

The time has come to midnight.

The notification sound finally rang in Ji Bai's ears:

[Ding! Daily Selection System activated!]