Perfect Superstar.

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The fourth song was also a new release. For this PK LiveStreaming show, Lu Chen prepared five original songs to debut on 'Whale TV'.

He had already sung "Dust in the Wind" and "Sleeping in the Bunk Above Me," while the third song, "Cinderella," served as a warm-up. The fourth song would be another new piece, aiming to maintain his current surge in popularity and push it even higher! 

Audiences are always drawn to the new and discard the old, and Lu Chen planned to conquer them with an unending stream of original creations.

However, before he started singing, he wanted to express his gratitude to the generous viewers who had sent him tips, following international practices.

Thanking tipsters is a routine for streamers; many small hosts even take the time to name every viewer who tips them 100 Fish Balls, using this to build rapport and increase their popularity, giving those who tip a sense of accomplishment.

Lu Chen, however, couldn't do this. It wasn't that he was being aloof; it was just that there were too many people tipping him hundreds or thousands of Fish Balls. If he thanked each one individually, he wouldn't have time to sing during this Live Streaming show; it would just be "thank you" all the way through.

Most importantly, he earned the love and support of the Fish Fans not by acting cute or charming but by his talent!

Of course, he still needed to thank wealthy fans like Li Bai and Boss Ge, those who deserved recognition.

"Here, I want to express my heartfelt thanks. With your support, I have the motivation to strive on!" 

"The next song is also my original work, another folk song, and it's also being performed for the first time." 

"I hope you enjoy it!"

…

At that moment, as Lu Chen was thanking the generous fans, a user named 'Feeling at ease whatever the Circumstances' casually entered Lu Fei's Live Streaming room.

'Feeling at ease whatever the Circumstances' was certainly not his real name; his actual name was Sui An, and he was an editor at Yunjing Music Network.

Founded in 2007, Yunjing Music Network is one of the top 5 music websites in the country. Sui An had joined the site as a member of the show business community and had been working there for five years, making him a seasoned editor.

Additionally, he currently held a temporary position as one of the 12 judging panel members for the 'Whale TV' PK Live Streaming show, possessing the power to score and evaluate the 24 participating hosts, thus capable of influencing their final rankings.

Upon entering Lu Fei's Live Streaming room, Sui An was in a foul mood.

He had just come from the Live Streaming room of a host named "Princess Yu," who, to be fair, was very attractive, scoring at least an 8 out of 10 with her careful grooming.

Unfortunately, her performance was unbearable; for every minute she sang, she spent three minutes acting cute. The skill on display was not her singing but rather her pouting, frowning, and making faces.

Sui An couldn't take more than three minutes of it; if it weren't for his responsibilities as a judging panel member, he probably wouldn't have lasted even three seconds.

Now, regarding Lu Fei, the theme of the show was "Graduation Season," which seemed somewhat interesting and fitting for the current season, but what was this nonsense about campus folk songs? Moreover, the theme introduction claimed they were all original pieces performed live, calling him a new-generation folk talent. 

Didn't the young people feel any shame in boasting like that?

As a true industry insider, Sui An felt helpless. On one hand, the original power of domestic pop music was declining, and on the other hand, every newcomer claimed they could write original songs, yet the results were all garbage songs bought with money, dressed up and renamed as their own work, fooling fans into spending tons of money.

As an editor at a music website, Sui An had encountered too many such situations; seeing claims of originality made him want to vomit! 

So he had no expectations, fully adopting a professional attitude of getting paid to do his job when it came to evaluations.

The moment he entered the Live Streaming room, Sui An saw a young man with a guitar babbling into the microphone.

His impression immediately soured.

Instinctively, Sui An considered clicking the "Exit" option in the upper right corner, but he held himself back and instead moved the cursor to "Replay."

Sui An was logged into a privileged account provided by 'Whale TV', which meant he couldn't see the comments or tipping information in the Live Streaming room, and he entered and exited in a stealth mode, able to replay previously aired Live Streaming content.

He decided to browse from the beginning, giving this young man three minutes of his time.

If after three minutes he wasn't interested, he would say goodbye to this host.

As for the 10 blue whales in his account, not a single one would be wasted!

The Live Streaming replay began.

Three minutes later, Sui An remained seated, utterly still, his face showing immense surprise.

He realized he had almost missed out on a talent.

He never dreamed that this host named "Lu Fei" would perform an original song that was genuinely impressive— at least in recent years, few folk songs could compare!

"Dust in the Wind," a campus folk song, is indeed a original creation.

Sui An suddenly felt like he had stumbled upon a treasure in a storage room, and he couldn't help but feel excited.

After the first song, he suppressed the urge to replay it and fast-forwarded to the second song.

"Sleeping in the Bunk Above Me"!

Another original piece with the similar style was performed beautifully and movingly; Sui An was completely at a loss for words.

When had the long-dwindling folk music scene produced such a talented young person?

Sui An was 100% sure he had never heard these two songs before, and the host's face was also very unfamiliar.

Then came the third song, "Cinderella."

Sui An's face turned red— not from emotion; he was past that age— but from sheer excitement!

Without hesitation, he sent 5 blue whales from his account!

One blue whale represented one good review; the more good reviews a host received, the greater their influence on the final ranking.

The reason Sui An didn't send all of his blue whales was that, according to the rules, he could only give 50% of his blue whales to one host!

Sending five good reviews still didn't satisfy Sui An. He copied the link to the Live Streaming room and opened WeChat, pasting it to send to two friends from the show business community: "You guys should check out this young man and listen to his songs!"

His two friends were also members of the judging panel for the 'Whale TV' PK Live Streaming show.

Sui An would rather let all his good reviews rot in his account than easily give them away, but for the host named "Lu Fei," he only regretted that his votes were limited. 

So, he needed the support of his companions.

If this PK Live Streaming show allowed those attention-seeking individuals to rise to the top, Sui An would feel he had betrayed himself!

Lu Chen, completely unaware of this, was performing the fourth song of the graduation season while Sui An replayed the Live Streaming.

The title of this new song was "Golden Time of Youth."

"Back to late spring in May, 

The market is not crowded at dawn. 

Children are singing in front of the door, 

The sunshine warms the stream. 

Willow catkins are blown by the strong wind, 

People under the tree want to sleep, 

Silent people begin to find joy in this moment, 

Shedding the puppetry of cold winter. 

My melancholy white shirt, 

The first cigarette in my youth pocket, 

Awakening feelings, 

I never dared to speak to you..."

The first song of the graduation season, "Dust in the Wind," was about romance, while the second song dedicated to boys, "Sleeping in the Bunk Above Me," represented friendship, and the third song for girls, "Cinderella," depicted the fantasies of love.

Now, this song, "Golden Time of Youth," focuses on nostalgia, reminiscing about the time of youth, cherishing that innocent era, recalling the naïve love, and longing for a simple life filled with carefree days.

The lyrics mention houses covered in ivy, neighbors under the eaves, persimmon trees, and radios— all reflecting a strong sense of nostalgia. Listening to his gentle strumming and singing felt like returning to that beautiful time.

This song resonated most with those born in the 70s, 80s, and early 90s.

Because they have profound memories of that era!

"... 

A playful boy clutching a comic book, 

Accompanying me to sleep 

Is the moon's sorrow, 

And the pillow filled with dreams, 

The drool-soaked pillow..."

In a vague dream, do you often recall the past? Many fans listening to the song felt their hearts stirred.

"What a beautiful song, it reminds me of my childhood."

"Childhood +1, when I was in the countryside, I played every day, fishing, catching frogs, and digging for loaches."

"Now there are no villages left, only agritainment."

"I want to eat malt sugar, DaDa rolls, fruit leather, and Arctic popsicles."

"Foodies in front, wait for me!"

"My favorite radio was thrown away by my mom, sob sob~"

"Have you seen comic strips?"

"I want to say…"

"What a terrible song, it sounds awful, and someone actually supports it? What a joke!"

"This is the level of the popularity chart? Must be rigged!"

"So outdated! What campus folk songs, this is just ridiculous."

"Hehe."

Suddenly, amid the blockbuster and harmonious comments, glaring criticism emerged.

And the number of criticisms kept increasing!

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'(End of Chapter)'