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

Chapter 17 China in the Lights

Do you know Ace?

"?who?"

"Emperor Showa, Director of the Meat Processing Plant."

"...Ultraman?"

"Yeah, yeah, or did you think it was Ace, the Pirate King?"

"I know, so what?"

"You know he has an absurdly large number of skills, so he never has to worry about running out of mana, right?"

"? What do you mean?"

Feng Yucan was completely bewildered by Shen Mingen's smooth talk. He had asked Shen Mingen how the song was going, and somehow the conversation had turned to Ultraman!
Dude, do your fans know how abstract you are?

"I'm here to tell you..." Shen Ming'en finished the last spicy snack and said bluntly, "Never worry about whether a mage will run out of mana, we have the Holy Grail."

As soon as he finished speaking, he stuffed the bag of spicy strips into Feng Yucan's hand, and Shen Mingen stood up and went to wait in the wings.

Feng Yucan was left sitting there, bewildered in the wind...

When he came to his senses, the guy was holding the bag of spicy snacks, looking at him with a headache: "Where the hell am I supposed to throw this?!"

Shortly after, Yao Shuli finished her performance, and Shen Mingen took the stage.

"Oh!!!"

Perhaps it was because Emperor Ming'en had been at the top of the trending search list for the entire week, but Shen Ming'en's popularity at the scene was simply explosive. From the moment he appeared, there was a constant stream of cheers and shouts from the audience.

Several fans followed the example of the last time someone sent flowers and brought him a lot of flowers. Goodness, one girl brought 999 roses, a huge bouquet that must have taken two people to carry up.

Shen Ming'en couldn't help but sigh, "The flower seller at the entrance should burn incense and make offerings to me."

"Hahaha..." The audience burst into laughter.

After going on stage, Shen Mingen didn't rush to start singing. He spent a long time interacting with fans and the audience, creating a really good atmosphere. Some people even said it was a pity that Shen Mingen didn't go into crosstalk.

"This guy……"

Looking at Shen Ming'en's relaxed demeanor, everyone in the control room felt a little uneasy. It's worth mentioning that Wei Zihan was also there this time, and he asked Director Niu, "Do you know what song he's going to sing this time?"

"This..." Director Niu hesitated.

"What?! You guys don't know?!" Wei Zihan exploded.

In the last episode, due to a mistake by the production team, they didn't know what song Shen Mingen was going to sing, and this kid tricked them.

How come your production team didn't know about this episode?!
"Didn't you call him to rehearse?" he asked.

"No... he called..." Director Niu didn't speak, but a director in charge of rehearsals nearby said helplessly, "He's not coming."

"Huh???" Wei Zihan was immediately confused. What did he mean by "can't understand"?

"This..." The director in charge of the rehearsal looked at Director Niu, and then the two of them sighed in unison.

Well, this is a long story, the child has no mother.

During the last recording, didn't they think Shen Mingen was going to be eliminated, so they simply kicked him out of all the group chats on the show?
Because they needed to notify him about the rehearsal for this episode, the production team had someone specifically add him to the group several days in advance, but this guy...

He won't go in!

Not only does he not join, but he also deletes anyone who tries to add him. Now, almost no one in the production team has him as a friend.

It's not that no one has asked him to rehearse, but it's no use asking him. He said, "You guys don't give me rehearsals, you didn't ask me to rehearse last time, and you didn't notify me when you recorded the daily gatherings, so why are you asking me now?"
Lighting? Stage design? Band?

Need not!

I won't use any of them!

Just like last time, give me a piano and I'll play and sing myself. I won't "trouble" your production team. Who cares!

Are you unhappy?

Not happy?

Go ahead and eliminate me if you dare!
"This guy took advantage of the fact that we wouldn't dare eliminate him through informal channels, so he acted with complete impunity..." The director in charge of rehearsals was seething with anger as he spoke of it. To this day, they still don't even know the title of the song Shen Ming'en is going to sing!
"Then..." Wei Zihan hesitated for a moment, his lips twitching as he said, "If you still don't know what he's going to sing, what if he sings another patriotic song?!"

"Don't worry, it won't happen." An executive director nearby said, "You know what our creative theme is this time. Can you write a revolutionary song about the night?"

“That’s right…” The others nodded in agreement.

"..." Wei Zihan didn't say anything more, but it was easy to tell from his expression that he was still a little worried.

Shen Mingen's demeanor didn't seem like he was unsure of himself...

The production team also noticed this and had some doubts, but the theme of the creative assignment made them reassure themselves that it should be fine.

It was under these circumstances that...

After exchanging pleasantries with the audience and receiving many flowers, Shen Ming'en finally sat down at the piano.

"The night..." He adjusted the microphone, recited the theme given by the production team into the microphone, and then smiled and said, "Let me tell you about the night that belongs to us Chinese people."

The words fell...

"Oh!!!"

The crowd's eyes lit up, and they started cheering.

Meanwhile, more and more people on the production team were starting to have concerns.

As his fingertips touched the piano, a gentle melody, like a babbling brook, gradually spread out. Shen Ming'en sang as he played:
……

"The city streets are already shimmering with lamplight..."

"The community is filled with warm, flowing joy..."

"A village in the distant mountains, with flickering flames..."

"Reflections on the Gradually Brightening Prosperity..."

……

Unlike his previous performance of "My Motherland and I" with its grand and majestic tone, or his gratitude in "I Love You, China" with its heartfelt emotion, Shen Ming'en's voice this time was gentle, ethereal, and graceful, with a balanced and distinct quality, giving the listener a soft and gentle feeling.

Combined with his lyrics, everyone felt a sense of warmth.

That is the light of countless homes, and also a symbol of national peace and prosperity, just like...

It brings peace of mind.

……

"Sailing ships returning to port glide past the lighthouse..."

"Footsteps chasing dreams intertwine under the moonlight..."

"Fireworks in the square tell a story during the festival..."

"The magnificence of the era of rising stars!"

……

"Oh……"

Many people at the scene looked down at themselves and found that they had involuntarily developed goosebumps all over their bodies.

Please!

Shen Mingen, why are you getting so emotional?
The theme of this episode of "Chinese Music Center" is "Night". When singers such as Ji Cheng, Hua Zichen, and Zheng Yun created works based on this theme, they inevitably associated it with "whining without reason" in the dead of night.

The loneliness and silence after nightfall, the unbearable pain in one's heart and the wounds in one's emotions all burst forth, blending into a song that is exceptionally difficult to sing and tear-jerking, which can be described as a perfect creation.

But it's inevitable that... it's petty.

What is "night"?
The night is not about emotional trauma, nor about whining without reason, nor about any moment of secretly weeping under the covers.

The night is a time of countless lights, a time of peace and prosperity for the nation!

The night is "China in the Lights"!
……

P.S.: I'll be updating three times a day for the next two days. I hope you brothers can keep up with the reading if you can. It should get recommended soon. Thank you so much!
(End of this chapter)