Chapter Fifty-Four: The Rap Star’s Challenge

"Entertainment Godfather?"
"Leading Chinese music onto the world stage?"
Hearing Chen Nian speak with such seriousness, the staff member responsible for filming was utterly dumbfounded.
Leading the Chinese music scene to surpass the world?
Who in the entire entertainment industry would dare to utter such words?
And the key point was that Chen Nian said this while holding a skewer of lamb, his face earnest and sincere.
It was as if leading Chinese music to surpass the world was nothing more than a trivial matter for him.
Though it sounded unrealistic, for some inexplicable reason, when Chen Nian said it, it felt as though he might truly achieve it.
The cameraman was speechless at first, but quickly regained his composure and asked:
"As the contestant with the most first-place rankings on the show, is there anything you’d like to say to your rivals, Mr. Chen Nian?"
Chen Nian thought for a moment, as if he didn’t care in the least, then took a sip of Qingdao beer before answering:
"Honestly, I’m not all that interested in the weak. But since they’re my competitors, I have just one question: So, you’re all this fascinated by second place?"
The moment the words left his mouth, the live chat exploded.
"Damn! That’s the swagger I expect from Chen Nian!"
"Chen Nian, I believe you really can lead Chinese music to surpass the world!"
"Go for it, Chen Nian! I’m waiting for the day you take the world by storm!"
The other singers were also watching Chen Nian’s live interview.
They were both infuriated and helpless at his bold challenge.
But there was nothing they could do; his strength was undeniable.
Judging by previous episodes, perhaps all they could hope for was to compete for second place!
No wonder "The New Voice," as a top-rated show, was more lively than ever for the finals. And with Chen Nian’s pre-show taunt, the program’s popularity soared to new heights.
Zhou Lu, the star singer of Celestial Entertainment, was the first to perform, instantly igniting the crowd to a fever pitch!
Determined to claim the runner-up spot, the other singers gave it their all—each performance nothing short of perfection!

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! This is exactly the effect I wanted!" Backstage at the recording, Mo Fan and the other key producers were ecstatic.
"This Chen Nian, he’s really fired everyone up!"
Mo Fan nodded. "Chen Nian is different from the others. Maybe, under his lead, Chinese music really does have a chance to return to the world’s summit."
"Heh, it’s nice to dream."
"Just recently, the Eagle Nation sent over two minor acts, and they nearly flipped our entire music scene upside down."
"Chen Nian wants to lead this ragtag bunch back to the top of the world? That’s wishful thinking."
Mo Fan could only sigh helplessly.
Dreams are beautiful, but the others were right—China’s current corrupt music scene can’t be saved by Chen Nian alone.
After several acts, it was finally time for the rap sensation Jay Zhou to take the stage.
True to his title as the Rap Emperor, the moment Jay Zhou appeared, the crowd erupted with thunderous applause.
Based on the fans’ reactions, Jay Zhou’s popularity even surpassed that of Celestial’s leading singer, Zhou Lu.
He strutted onto the stage, embodying everything about a rapper—nonchalant, untouchable, owning every inch of the spotlight.
When the fans finally quieted, Jay Zhou slowly raised the microphone.
"As a rapper, I want to speak my mind here."
"Mr. Chen Nian, I know you’re strong, but weren’t your words on the livestream just now a little disrespectful to us?"
"As a true rapper, I have to stand my ground!"
"In short: Mr. Chen Nian, I’m going to diss you! I challenge you! I’ll show you, through rap, what it really means to be a man! Do you dare accept my challenge?"
His words set off another storm of cheers.
"Lunlun, you’re the best—Mom loves you!"
"That’s the spirit, Lunlun! Show Chen Nian that we rappers aren’t to be trifled with!"
"Beat Chen Nian and you’ll be tomorrow’s rising star!"
Standing on stage, Jay Zhou closed his eyes, basking in the adoration of his fans.
Backstage, the other singers perked up, watching the live broadcast with great interest.
To be honest, since his debut, Chen Nian had written dozens of songs—rock, folk, ballads—but never a single rap track.

Perhaps Jay Zhou’s sudden rap challenge really stood a chance of defeating Chen Nian?
The camera cut to Chen Nian, who had just finished his barbecue and was heading back.
"Ah? No problem, I accept his challenge," Chen Nian replied to the camera without a second thought.
On stage, the host turned to Jay Zhou.
This challenge from Jay Zhou was not just personal—it represented the entire rap community, perhaps even the whole Chinese music scene.
Tonight, he intended to overthrow Chen Nian’s two-month reign over the charts!
The performance began.
Jay Zhou, dressed in a baseball cap, baggy pants, and an oversized shirt, looked every inch the hip-hop star.
As the beat dropped, he started moving to the rhythm.
"Yo! Yo! Yo!"
"Yo, yo, hey, hey, let’s get hyped together!" He paid no mind to anyone else, just throwing himself into the music.
...
When the song ended, the audience went wild.
"Ahhh, that was amazing! Chen Nian will be stunned for sure!"
"This song was written in collaboration with several leading rappers. I admit Chen Nian is strong, but he’ll never write a rap like this in his life!"
"Chen Nian’s defeat is certain—serves him right for being so arrogant on the livestream!"
In the final vote, Jay Zhou’s song—backed by the entire rap circle—scored an impressive 426 points!
"And now, it’s time for Mr. Chen Nian to take the stage!" The host waved the lineup in hand.
"I wonder what genre Chen Nian will perform this time?"
"What’s there to guess? Rock, or maybe folk, or ballad, or pop, or jazz… He only ever does those same few styles, one, two, three, four, five, six moves and that’s it."
At that moment, Chen Nian stepped onto the stage, a trace of chili oil still glistening at the corner of his lips.
"I’ll be performing an original rap song, ‘Border Tavern.’ I hope you enjoy it..."