After offending capital, my songs became more and more popular.

Chapter 125 Yao Shuli's "Beautiful China"! Blackmail? Caught in a dilemma? Hetui!

"The moon is reflected in the chrysanthemum terrace."

"Who knows the chill in my heart?"

"Drunk in the king's arms~"

"Dreaming Back to the Tang Dynasty, Love~"

……

With its traditional Chinese style and operatic singing, and the rich cultural heritage of our ancestors, "The New Drunken Concubine" uses a unique approach to directly confront foreigners.

Perhaps, in terms of pitch, Shen Ming'en's performance this episode was a bit lacking compared to Isabella's, but music, no matter what, is never just about pitch...

Shen Ming'en now seems to be teaching foreigners a lesson with the phrase "It's not just high notes that count as showing off skills." The intonation that only people from our country can understand and practice is truly amazing to foreigners.

After being informed, those foreign netizens completely shut up, and even the Western singers stopped laughing; perhaps they're just naturally not fond of smiling...

The audience in the Chinese entertainment industry was caught up in a collective frenzy, and the singers in the industry were once again fed a good dose of milk by the "strongest nanny" Shen Ming'en, which boosted their morale.

Unsurprisingly, Shen Ming'en's ranking will remain high this period...

As in previous episodes, the singers in the Chinese entertainment industry will once again deliver exceptional performances.

[He's crucial! He's truly crucial!]

Viewers have realized that this show almost entirely relies on Shen Mingen's sheer talent. Without Shen Mingen, these fat catfish in the sewers of the Chinese entertainment industry would only be able to be rubbed into the ground.

"This 'jinx' statement... Mr. Qin, don't you think it's a bit too frivolous?"

In Shanghai, in a private room of a restaurant, Lin Bei didn't even bother to glance at the table full of delicacies. His lips twitched as he looked at President Qin, his expression slightly ferocious.

The saying goes that harmony brings wealth. Lin Bei isn't usually such a cold person, but what could he do when President Qin said those jinxed things? It really angered him!

The more I think about it, the angrier I get, you know that?!
You fucking sent Shen Mingen to the "Peak Singer Challenge," and now he can't be eliminated no matter what. You're not taking responsibility at all, and you're here saying that Ni Die is a jinx?!

Are you even human?!

Faced with Lin Bei's ferocious gaze, President Qin's lips twitched. He dared not meet Lin Bei's eyes, while his gaze swept across the live broadcast of "Peak Singer Challenge" playing on the wall-mounted TV.

In the live broadcast, Shen Ming'en had finished singing "The New Drunken Concubine" and was bowing to the audience. The audience stood up and cheered enthusiastically.

"I had no idea this kid was so weird..." President Qin thought to himself.

In other words, this kid knows too much, he's a bit too strong. Who would have thought that he would use Peking Opera singing when facing Isabella, a heavyweight singer from Europe and America!

Traditional Chinese style, opera singing, and traditional Chinese music—each of these is something that can make foreigners bow down and kneel in submission…

He was careless; he was careless this time. He was also extremely regretful about agreeing to let Shen Ming'en go to the "Peak Singer Challenge".

Now that Lin Bei has asked him to "take care of after-sales service," he has no choice but to bite the bullet and accept it...

How can we wrap it?

Judging from the current situation, it seems likely that Shen Ming'en will advance again this week. Although he can tell that Isabella hasn't shown her full strength yet and there will be another round next week, if Shen Ming'en isn't eliminated this week, he'll continue to generate buzz for another week...

Lin Bei's company is facing trouble every week that drags on, and he is also under pressure from his company's board of directors. If Ruixing Entertainment's board of directors puts pressure on Lin Bei, Lin Bei will definitely cause him more trouble.

He's really having a headache too...

Just when President Qin was racking his brains trying to figure out what to do with Shen Ming'en...

On the wall-mounted screen, the camera of the "Peak Singer Challenge" program happened to pan across the singers backstage.

The singers in the Chinese entertainment industry were standing up and cheering for Shen Ming'en, looking as if they had been injected with chicken blood. In the crowd, only Yao Shuli, wearing a silver-white strapless dress, sat there, clearing her throat slightly.

"Are you still feeling unwell?" a member of the production crew asked.

"No, I'm much better," Yao Shuli forced a smile.

It's worth mentioning that at the time, there were comments on the screen expressing concern for Yao Shuli, indicating that she was feeling unwell...

It's no secret that Yao Shuli was unwell this week; audiences, fans, netizens, and even the investors behind the scenes all knew about it.

Initially, Lin Bei also intended to take this opportunity to give this young girl a good talking-to...

The original plan was to eliminate her this week if she underperformed.

But then again...

Whether she's eliminated or not won't have a big impact on anyone. At most, it might slightly affect Shen Ming'en's mentality, but it won't have any effect on Lin Bei, President Qin, and the others.

They can be eliminated or not.

So……

Could you come up with a "elimination" method that would be effective for Lin Bei and President Qin?

"Mr. Lin..."

As if struck by a sudden thought, Mr. Qin, the tea master, smiled slightly, staring at Yao Shuli's figure on the screen, and whispered to Lin Bei beside him:

"I do have one more trick up my sleeve, but this one... is a bit underhanded. It's up to you whether you're willing to use it."

"...At this point, who cares about the underworld?!" Lin Bei said without hesitation, "Stop beating around the bush, just tell me, President Qin!"

If his tricks aren't sinister, then he'll be in the underworld!
……

Recording scene of "The Ultimate Singer Challenge".

After the performance, Shen Ming'en walked out of the studio led by staff.

A staff member handed him a bottle of mysterious Oriental Water provided by the sponsor. Shen Ming'en was also thirsty, and after confirming that it hadn't been opened, he opened it and took a sip.

Sigh, I have to be careful. There's no way around it; there are always treacherous subjects trying to harm me.

Glug glug, Shen Ming'en drank water as he walked back to his dressing room backstage. The costume looked good, but it was too thick. In July, the temperature in Changsha was always above 30 degrees Celsius. It was humid and hot. Even though there was air conditioning and dehumidification in the room, he was still covered in sweat after the performance.

I went back to the dressing room to get my clothes, changed in the changing room, and came out not caring whether it was a performance venue or not, I just wanted to cool off first...

Ding dong, ding dong. Shen Ming'en had just changed his clothes and hadn't even had a chance to sit down and catch his breath when his phone rang.

I picked it up and saw it was an unfamiliar number.

Shen Ming'en frowned...

Shen Ming'en will answer calls from unknown numbers without IP address display, but he won't speak immediately upon answering.

He usually listens to what others have to say first. If they're talking about serious topics, he doesn't mind chatting with them for a bit, but if they're talking about trivial things...

What will Shen Ming'en do?
Hey?
Hey?
Why aren't you saying anything?
what happened?
Who is it? Seriously, they're not saying anything...

If you don't say anything, I'm hanging up.

Then I just clicked the phone down.

If you call again, I'll still answer, but I'll still use the same approach.

To prevent the other party from recording, and also to prevent yourself from accidentally saying something wrong that could have consequences.

This is what meticulous people are like.

"It's me..." a familiar voice came from the other end of the phone.

Shen Ming'en lost all patience as soon as he heard that voice and planned to hang up and block the number, because the caller was Ma Ling, who had an itchy nose.

Just as Shen Ming'en was about to hang up, Hajiling, who was on the other end of the line, wisely said, "Don't hang up yet, I have something important to say."

"Let it go," Shen Ming'en said.

"Squeak..."

When talking to Shen Ming'en, Ma Ling unconsciously clenched her back teeth, and the veins on her forehead bulged. She asked:

Were you at the recording of "The Ultimate Singer Challenge"?

"What else?" Shen Ming'en replied irritably.

“…Okay,” Ma Ling nodded, and then said something completely absurd: “Then you should get ready to talk to the production team and quit the show.”

Shen Ming'en: "?"

Shen Ming'en had only one thought in his mind: "Is this guy an idiot?"

You suddenly came up here and ordered Ni Die to quit the show in such a commanding tone. Do you think Ni Die would agree?!
Are you out of your mind, or do you think Reverse Butterfly is out of her mind?!

Shen Ming'en was too lazy to ask anymore, assuming the man had gone mad, and was about to hang up when Ma Ling on the other end of the line suddenly added, "As far as I know, Yao Shuli seems to be feeling unwell this week..."

She stopped there and didn't continue.

But what happens next...

Anyone with a modicum of common sense could tell!

Shen Ming'en was taken aback upon hearing this...

As intelligent as he was, how could he not hear the "threat" in those words?
Oh ~
Got it~
This means that given Yao Shuli's poor health this week, she is unlikely to perform well and will likely rank last due to a poor performance...

They had every reason to eliminate Yao Shuli, but instead of eliminating her without any benefit, they planned to use the condition of "not eliminating Yao Shuli" to blackmail and coerce Shen Ming'en into withdrawing from the competition.

You wouldn't want your girlfriend to be dumped, would you?
That's roughly the idea.

Hajiling could tell whether Shen Mingen and Yao Shuli were close or not. After all, on the day of the recording of "Chinese Music Center: Red Song Season" last week, the two of them secretly went to the beach to "date" and swim together behind everyone's back.

Their previous intimate interactions have long since crossed the line of what is commonly referred to as a "couple" on the internet, and it's highly likely that everyone is shipping them as a real couple.

So if that's the case...

If the two are close, then Shen Mingen will definitely think of Yao Shuli's interests, and then this blackmail will definitely work.

If the two weren't that close, or even if they were, Shen Ming'en wouldn't sacrifice his own interests for Yao Shuli and wouldn't agree to their request to withdraw from the competition...

That makes things easy!

They could easily leak this matter to Yao Shuli through various means. Regardless, as long as Shen Mingen doesn't consider Yao Shuli's feelings, she'll definitely harbor resentment, and their relationship will...

all in all!
This strategy can be described as entirely beneficial with no drawbacks.

Shen Mingen is a loser either way. If he agrees to their demands, he will lose the huge exposure of "Peak Singer Challenge". If he doesn't agree to their demands, he will lose Yao Shuli.

No matter what Shen Ming'en chooses, the company will not lose out.
Ma Ling felt that if she were Shen Mingen, she probably wouldn't agree to the company's request and would choose "Peak Singer Challenge" instead of Yao Shuli...

After all, women are like the dazzling array of clothes in a shopping mall—there's as many as you want!

As long as you're successful in your career, what woman can't be more beautiful, refined, sensible, and adept at understanding others' needs?
Even if there is no Yao Shuli, there will be thousands upon thousands of Yao Shuli.

People are all indifferent and heartless, especially someone like Shen Ming'en...

Even if he makes this choice, even if the company can't eliminate him in this episode of "Peak Singer Challenge", Yao Shuli will definitely not help him on various stages anymore. He will at least lose this so-called "right-hand man" and the benefits of the "CP".

In that sense, the company isn't losing out either.

To be honest, Ma Ling really admires the person who came up with this plan...

Shen Ming'en was truly caught in the middle, finding it difficult to please everyone! But something that surprised Ma Ling was...

After receiving the threatening ultimatum from her and the capital behind the scenes, Shen Ming'en only pondered for a brief moment before retorting:
"Oh, is there anything else?"

Ma Ling: "???"

Upon hearing Shen Ming'en's words, Haji Ling was completely bewildered and utterly confused!
Ber……

What? !

What the hell do you mean, "Is there anything else?"
How could you talk about this so casually?!

Are you no longer concerned about the exposure from "The Ultimate Singer Challenge," or are you no longer concerned about Yao Shuli?!
Ma Ling said that both are very important. Regardless of feelings or friendships, they are both about interests. Both the "Peak Singer Challenge" and Yao Shuli can provide Shen Mingen with great help and benefits in terms of interests. They are like his left and right hands. He can't bear to cut either one, and it will hurt to cut either one!

How could Hakim react so calmly when faced with such a problem?!

Does that mean he could cut off a hand without hesitation?!

what the hell!

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Ma Ling stammered, "So... are you withdrawing from the competition or not?"

His withdrawal from the competition means that he chose Yao Shuli;
Not withdrawing from the competition shows that he still chooses his career.

Although she had a bad feeling and her eyelids were twitching wildly, Haji Ling still felt that no matter what, Shen Ming'en should choose one.

But to everyone's surprise, Shen Ming'en retorted with a sharp retort:
"As for me, I won't withdraw from the competition; and as for Yao Shuli, you guys basically have no chance of being eliminated."

"You guys have some skills..."

"But it has no hair."

Having said that...

"Dudu..."

The phone rang with a disconnection sound; Shen Ming'en had hung up immediately.

Ma Ling: "?!?!?!?!"

"Hello? Hello? Hello! Shen Ming'en, you bye-d you *&%￥#@..."

Haji-ling was absolutely furious!

no……

What the hell is this kid talking about with his Kabuto Super Transformation Form?! It's like he's talking about 13 episodes!

What the hell do you mean if he doesn't withdraw from the competition, Yao Shuli and the others won't be eliminated?!
Who are you underestimating?!
"Okay...okay!"

Haji Ling gritted her teeth and nodded repeatedly, thinking to herself, "Since you're not withdrawing from the competition, then just wait and see Yao Shuli get eliminated!"

At that time, we will convey your choice to Yao Shuli completely, without any "embellishment"!
But right now...

To be honest, Ma Ling really didn't know how she managed to convey Shen Ming'en's "answer" to her own CEO, Mr. Lin...

……

Performances came one after another, and Yao Shuli's show was scheduled for the third to last. As one of the show's main draws, the production team occasionally gave her screen time, but each time they did, fans felt sorry for her. Some said:

I always felt that Yao Shuli had a weak presence...

Yes, she's so delicate and frail, it's heartbreaking.

They felt sorry for him, but some people were actually quite pleased...

For example, President Qin and Lin Bei, who were in a private room at a restaurant in Shanghai.

"What did Shen Ming'en say?" President Qin asked with a smile.

"I didn't agree." Lin Bei shook his head.

"Heh, that's exactly what I expected." President Qin chuckled and shook his head.

yes……

How could someone like him possibly have feelings and loyalty?

A person like him probably only cares about his own future.

The girls online often try to manipulate us guys, saying things like, "Behind every successful man, there's a woman silently supporting him," and using this 13-line phrase to attribute all the man's efforts to the woman standing behind him who did absolutely nothing...

But how many truly successful men would believe that?

A truly successful man is like Uncle Jackie Chan, who may be surrounded by many women, but will never be truly attached to them.

Women who get in the way of your interests? Ha, get out of my way!

Giving up your future for a woman is the most idiotic thing to do.

So from the beginning, they never expected this "blackmail" to succeed...

This allowed Yao Shuli to see what kind of person Shen Mingen was, and she would no longer be able to help him in any way. It might even affect Shen Mingen's mentality, which would ultimately be good for them.

And it's not just that...

It's important to know that Yao Shuli comes from a family of opera performers, and her father is said to have connections in Beijing's entertainment circle. If Yao Shuli is badly hurt by Shen Mingen, her father certainly won't stand idly by. If he were to step in and help target Shen Mingen as well...

That really helped them a lot.

all in all!
They can accept Shen Ming'en's decision regarding the song.

That's right...

"I suddenly feel a little sorry for Yao Shuli," President Qin said with a chuckle.

Not far away, Lin Bei frowned, seemingly lost in thought, and was about to speak...

“Hey, Mr. Lin,” Mr. Qin suddenly interrupted, saying, “Don’t jinx it this time. Let’s just watch quietly.”

Lin Bei: "(￢_￢) Aim"

Damn it!

……

During the recording of the show "Peak Singer Challenge", after one competition after another, the host finally called out the name of Yao Shuli, the goddess of Peking Opera singing.

"Oh……"

"Ah Li, my Ah Li!"

"Ahhh, Ah Li, I want to have your babies!"

At the scene, all sorts of crazy people started going completely mad...

In contrast, many people in the online live stream felt sorry for Yao Shuli, saying:

[So busy, so busy all day long, don't you ever think about taking care of your health?]

That damned capitalist is exploiting my Ah Li just to make money!

[Stop saying anything, just go and yell at Ah Li's company and studio!]

【Wow!】

……

The audience seems unaware of what happened behind the scenes, let alone that if Yao Shuli's performance this episode is poor, she could easily be used as a "sacrificial lamb" and eliminated...

Yao Shuli herself had heard about this matter, but she didn't pay much attention to it. In the video, you can see a faint smile on her fair and radiant face.

Although she looked a little pale, she seemed to be in good spirits.

It's worth mentioning that the program didn't provide Yao Shuli with a band teacher; instead, they played background music.

It is said that Yao Shuli was not feeling well yesterday and did not have time to rehearse, so a new song was chosen at the last minute, which led to the problem.

But this scene is strangely reminiscent of the Cantonese-themed episode of "Chinese Music Awards: Red Song Season" when she was targeted...

No way...

[Are they targeting me again?!]

[If we can't eliminate Shen Ming'en, eliminating Yao Shuli would be a good way to make him feel bad, wouldn't it?]

[Seriously...]

Many fans watching the live stream were furious.

It's worth mentioning that Shen Ming'en, who had already finished his performance and left the stage, also came to the audience in the studio...

The director was quite the troublemaker; he actually focused the camera on Shen Ming'en, who, seeing that Yao Shuli on stage wasn't doing so well, was still clasping his hands and shouting "Go for it!" to Yao Shuli!
The shouts of encouragement were deafening, and many people were cheering, but Yao Shuli seemed to only see Shen Mingen. Upon hearing this, her pretty face flushed slightly, and she smiled in Shen Mingen's direction. Then, in a very contrasting way, she made a "fighting" gesture with her fist clenched in front of the camera.

At that moment, Yao Shuli gave off a very cute and innocent vibe, and the director happened to be filming them...

【oh!!!】

No...no, that's not it!

What are you two doing?!

Many netizens are in an uproar!
Seriously, do you guys really go to such lengths to generate buzz as a couple?

With so many people watching, aren't you ashamed or embarrassed at all? It's really...

That being said, the popularity of the CP (couple pairing) caused the number of viewers watching the show online at the same time to skyrocket once again!
"Ha~"

In Shanghai, President Qin watched this scene from afar, a mocking smile on his face.

He thought to himself that the sweeter these two were now, the more heartbroken Yao Shuli would be when she found out that Shen Mingen had "given up" on her.

He'd like to see if those two would still be sweet together and able to smile then!

As the benefits of the CP (couple pairing) continued to grow, Yao Shuli, who had finished preparing for the stage, nodded to the program crew members not far away and gave them a wink.

After receiving the signal, the staff immediately played the accompaniment melody provided by Yao Shuli.

You won't know until you hear it...

Listen!
President Qin and President Lin were completely stunned!
no……

This melody...

It's kind of like...

Red songs!
This magnificent and grand melody, this... this...

What kind of revolutionary songs are you singing, Yao Shuli?!
Is this "Beautiful China" for real?!

……

(End of this chapter)