Chapter Twenty-Five: Utter Defeat

“Damn, that was amazing! Absolutely amazing! I love you, man!”
“With this song ‘Rose,’ who in the music world still dares to call themselves a folk singer?”
In the waiting area, He Wei glared furiously at Chen Nian on the stage.
He simply couldn’t understand how a rookie like Chen Nian could possibly write a folk song of this caliber.
When it came to folk music, He Wei believed that in the entire Chinese music scene, there were no more than five people who knew more than he did. He was acutely aware of just how valuable “Rose” was.
“What’s the point of competing anymore?”
“Seriously, what’s the point?”
“My boy is a jack-of-all-trades!”
“I’ve listened to ‘Across the Sea’ for so long, but it’s only today I realized that ‘Rose’ is what true folk music sounds like!”
After Chen Nian’s performance, He Wei returned to the stage, his face dark as if he’d swallowed something foul.
The voting channel opened, and the number of votes on the big screen began to skyrocket.
476 to 24!
Chen Nian’s “Rose” claimed a decisive victory!
Lin Xinrou, watching the livestream, swept her computer off the table and sat motionless on the sofa, her eyes empty.
“How is this possible? How could this loser possibly beat ‘Across the Sea’?”
By now, Lin Xinrou was utterly unhinged. Sunny Day, Elopement, Cinderella, and now Rose—Chen Nian’s songs were like a series of sharp daggers, stabbing again and again at her fragile, sensitive heart.
Luo Xiaoyi’s feelings were complicated. What on earth had this person experienced to write such lyrics, such songs?
As a singer-songwriter herself, Luo Xiaoyi knew that writing a good song required more than talent; it needed experience and a depth of understanding of life.
Looking at Chen Nian standing on the stage, Luo Xiaoyi suddenly felt a wave of tenderness and sympathy for him.
Behind that dazzling exterior, what had Chen Nian really gone through?
“That’s a total blowout!”
“476 to 24—‘Across the Sea’ didn’t even make it across before sinking!”
Defeat.
He Wei stared at the result in disbelief.
Although, after hearing “Rose,” he expected he might lose, he never thought it would be so complete.

His own loss was of little importance, but for “Across the Sea” to lose to an internet songwriter—this was no small matter.
It was a tremor that would shake the entire music world.
His “Across the Sea,” one of the few renowned folk songs, had actually lost?
Only now did many viewers realize that something big had happened.
“‘Across the Sea’ lost?”
“This is going to be trending for sure.”
“A newcomer with a new song just took down a veteran’s classic!”
“Tonight feels like a turning point—I bet the music industry is about to be upended!”
After the final performance, all the singers from backstage returned to the stage for the last segment of the recording.
“Mr. Mo Fan! Mr. Mo Fan!”
“We did it! We made it! The livestream audience broke five million, and TV ratings surpassed 3.0 at the last moment, breaking the record just set by ‘Who’s the Singer!’”
“Tonight’s ultimate victory belongs to ‘The New Voice’!” the assistant director said, grabbing Mo Fan’s hand in excitement.
But Mo Fan’s attention was fixed solely on Chen Nian.
“It’s chaos, utter chaos. How many more surprises does this kid have in store for us?”
Just as Mo Fan anticipated, after the explosive popularity of “Rose,” the seemingly calm music scene was soon roiled by unseen currents.
In a chat group that included eighty percent of the industry’s biggest names,
“Everyone’s heard that song ‘Rose,’ right?”
“Not just ‘Rose’—I’ve listened to all his songs: Cinderella, Sunny Day, Elopement.”
“What’s this kid’s game? Is he here to steal our thunder?”
“Let’s see if he has what it takes. I’ve been in the business for thirty years—am I supposed to let some kid show me up?”
“We can’t let his arrogance go unchecked, or we’ll all be out of a job!”
After being thoroughly defeated by Hearttrace Entertainment in the plagiarism scandal with Lin Xinrou, and then crushing an established classic like “Across the Sea” on “The New Voice,”
Chen Nian was now at the eye of the storm, the scapegoat everyone wanted to strike down.
If he was allowed to keep strutting around, these veteran singers really would be left with nothing.
“So who’s going to put him in his place?”
They all egged each other on, but when it came to actually facing Chen Nian head-on, everyone instantly shrank back.

“I can’t. I have a performance coming up.”
“I’m busy too—conflicting schedule, I’m on tour.”
“Don’t look at me, I’m at the Grammys. No way I can make it back.”
Of course—who wanted the thankless task of going head-to-head with some upstart?
Especially given the ability Chen Nian had already demonstrated, he was no pushover.
If they won, fine. But if they lost, like He Wei, where would they show their faces?
“I’ll do it!” At that moment, a heavyweight veteran in the group spoke up.
“Isn’t he just a rookie? What’s everyone so afraid of? Next episode of ‘The New Voice,’ I’ll go and show him just how deep these waters run!”
“Great! With Brother Nan stepping in, we’re in the clear!”
“Brother Nan will crush him—it’s like squashing an ant!”
“Go, Brother Nan! We’re all counting on you!”
Amid their flattery, Brother Nan smiled, already carried away by his own bravado...
After the show wrapped, Zhou Lu wanted to invite Chen Nian out for a late-night snack, but Chen Nian declined, saying he was too exhausted, and took a cab back to his rented apartment.
He glanced at the streaming account Luo Xiaoyi had given him.
From a few tens of thousands of viewers, the numbers had surged to over two hundred thousand after the plagiarism scandal, and after tonight’s broadcast, his followers shot up to more than seven hundred thousand.
All this in just over two hours since the show aired.
While Chen Nian was celebrating, He Wei was nearly on the verge of a breakdown.
He had planned to capitalize on a victory over Chen Nian to release his seventh album, riding the wave of attention. Who could have expected to be defeated so thoroughly instead?
“Brother Wei, are we still releasing the new album?” his agent asked as He Wei returned to the company.
“Release it!” He Wei snapped through gritted teeth. “Letting a kid overshadow me? What’s the point of my career then?”
Those listeners actually said “Across the Sea” couldn’t compare to Chen Nian?
He Wei refused to accept it—absolutely refused!
Tonight, he would use his new album to prove himself, to show the world who the real king of folk music was!
And so, after the show aired, He Wei grandly announced the release of his new album, “King of Folk,” vowing to prove once and for all who truly ruled the Chinese folk music scene!