Top Chinese celebrity: Debuted from Running Man

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……

"Part Two and Three!"

The lighting suddenly changed, from bright variety show recording effects to stage lighting interwoven with dark blue and red hues.

The flute sounds, the xiao flute plays, and the pipa begins to play.

As the song's prelude begins, the instrumental accompaniment is superb, layering and blending together to create a picturesque scene of a small bridge and flowing water in the Jiangnan region.

"Wow, this intro is pretty good."

In the contestants' section, a young rapper with dreadlocks raised an eyebrow and whispered to his companion, "The arrangement must have cost a fortune, right?"

"Does Brother Fan really have some skills?"

A middle-aged man, with a smirk, unusually abandoned his usual mocking expression. "This ancient style is quite authentic... Is he going to go head-to-head with that 'top ancient style influencer'?"

Many hip-hop artists at the scene showed expressions of surprise and delight.

Most of them have always been dismissive of Kris Wu's musical abilities.

But this meticulously crafted prelude did make them temporarily set aside their contempt and develop a sense of anticipation.

center stage,

Chris Wu held a custom microphone, his eyelids were lowered, and his profile was clearly defined under the carefully designed lighting.

He parted his lips slightly, and his voice, repeatedly adjusted and subtly enhanced with electronic music, flowed out:
"[Rain falls in the empty courtyard, flowers wither and fall in loneliness.]"

It was as if the clouds were drifting by...

If I can still keep you in my heart in the next life
Like the ocean speaking to the fish.

The grainy sound is like tiny electric currents coated in icing sugar, trying to penetrate the listener's ears.

The lyrics deliberately strive for a "classical Chinese style" that blends classical and vernacular Chinese, although metaphors like "like the sea talking to a fish" might sound a bit jarring to true fans of classical Chinese music.
But for the general public and rappers who focus more on rhythm and attitude, this already qualifies as "cultured".

"The lyrics aren't bad either!"

After so many episodes of the show, the contestants have gradually become numb to Chris Wu's signature "electric" singing style, and have even developed a distorted adaptation to it.

At this point, the use of electronic music in "Er San" is relatively restrained, serving more as a timbre enhancement.
On the contrary, some people felt... "Hey, it actually sounds pretty good."

"The story ends after a few sentences, perhaps things didn't go as planned."

Now that romance and beauty are absent, how can I depict your image?

Kris Wu was completely in character.

He frowned slightly, his gaze fixed on the void, as if there lay a "she" there who haunted his dreams.

Melancholy, affectionate, and with a touch of heartbreak, combined with his handsome makeup and expensive stage costumes, truly made him resemble a prince heartbroken from a comic book.

The arrangement of the chorus is more elaborate.

The sounds of the guzheng and drums intensified, and most importantly, the delicate electronic music, as fine as spring rain, finally went all out, fully charged, and roared like thunder!

The first snow fell, and the wind blew frost.

Can you give me a chance to start over?

His beautiful wife laughed at him, saying he was drunk with wine that very day.
Forget it as if waking from a dream.

The moment the song started, many people in the audience instinctively shivered and goosebumps rose on their arms.

Part of it is due to the physiological response to electronic music stimulation.
Another part, strangely enough, was captivated by the melody and rhythm of the song.

"[The rain falls with a sense of sadness,]"

The moon was flawless on the night the rain fell!
He picked up his pen and sketched for a while.
Just so I can preserve your image.

"Is this...a love song?"

There's a half-joking old saying in the underground rap scene: "The worst thing is when a rapper sings a love song."

"When those tough guys who pride themselves on being arrogant, angry, and real suddenly show their softer side,

This often produces an unexpected "gap moe" effect, which is especially easy to capture the hearts of female listeners.

In all fairness,

Kris Wu's performance tonight was definitely an "extraordinary performance" in his career.

The electronic embellishments perfectly masked his unstable breath control and inconsistent pitch.

Her meticulously crafted appearance and heartfelt performance were enough to make many young female rappers and female staff members on set starry-eyed and let out suppressed screams.

The enthusiastic response from the audience was clearly conveyed to Kris Wu's senses through the camera lens and the roar of the crowd.

His inner confidence swelled rapidly, like a balloon being constantly inflated. His singing became more "immersive," even taking on a heart-wrenching quality.

As the song enters its second half, the melody abruptly changes, and the familiar trap rhythm forcefully enters, making his rap section feel particularly "genuine and heartfelt":
"You told me you just wanted a simple life."

That's why I said I've thought about the future.

My life is not as miserable as yours.
I understand that I sometimes go too far!

He did indeed write down some of his "inner thoughts".

Those chaotic relationships, those "going too far" that were criticized by public opinion, are now packaged by him as helplessness and remorse due to "being troubled by love" and "youthful recklessness".

The song transitions from awkwardly pieced-together ancient-style segments to a more polished Trap rap section.

While the flow wasn't particularly amazing, it was at least smooth and natural, without any serious slips of the tongue or loss of rhythm.

Even the three mentors who had been watching with a detached, spectator's attitude became slightly more serious.

"Ah Yue, what do you think?"

"I don't think so."

"???"

"Ahem, sorry, I'm just used to saying those lines."

A-Yue awkwardly pushed up his sunglasses and said seriously, "The arrangement is good, and the lyrics are also not too bad. They have normal story logic."

He gave a very conservative assessment: if judged by the standards of a professional musician,

"Er San" is just a passable, run-of-the-mill piece.

However, if the evaluation criteria are lowered to the category of "original new songs by popular idols".

So, it can even be considered "excellent".

Looking at the entire new generation of Chinese celebrities, especially those labeled as "traffic stars," those who can independently create songs of the caliber of "Er San" are extremely rare.

From this perspective, it seems that Kris Wu being hailed as a "musical prodigy" by fans is not entirely outrageous.
"but,"

A-Yue couldn't help but add, "Trying to use this song to piggyback on Gu Qing's fame? That's a long shot. They're not even in the same league."

"I don't think so."

Hotdog shook his head, and facing his partner's questioning gaze, he said, "Hip-hop isn't that easy to learn."

"Using traditional Chinese style songs, it wouldn't be difficult for Gu Qing to defeat him, but could rap be used?"

"You should know how difficult rap is."

"I……"

Ah Yue's already dark face darkened even more.

He glared at the hot dog, annoyed, but couldn't refute it.

Since the first episode of "The Rap of China" aired,
Trouble started after he eliminated a rapper from Taiwan with his signature "I don't think it's good enough" line.

Enraged, the contestant wrote a diss track overnight. The lyrics were sharp and the attacks were direct, making it as fierce as "Tao Ge's Execution Song".

Unlike Huang Zitao, who chose to remain silent and play dead,

As a senior figure in the music industry, A-Yue felt he had to "save face" and should respond.

However, his choice of method was rather awkward—instead of responding with rap, he posted a short, rhyming essay on social media.

The effect was naturally disastrous.

Not only did he fail to save face, but he also became a laughing stock in the industry, losing even more face than Huang Zitao.

Why not use rap to fight back?
The reason is self-evident.

Just like Kris Wu's singing skills are "perfect," but he always has to hang up.

now,

The camera pans across the mentors' seats, capturing their reactions in close-up.

A-Yue could only suppress his true feelings, force a smile at the camera, and nod in agreement, making an "appreciative" gesture.

There's no other way; I need to make money and eat.

On stage, Kris Wu's performance was nearing its end:
"I don't want to talk about it, I don't want to hide."

I never thought of leaving your world.

Even if there are many more, they are just passersby.

I never want to leave your world again…

In the final rap, he deliberately slowed down his pace and emphasized his words, creating a deep and persistent sense of farewell.

As the last note faded, he remained with his head bowed against the microphone, his chest rising and falling slightly, as if he had exhausted all his emotions.

"Brother Fan is awesome!!"

"It sounds so good!!"

"Professor Wu! Professor Wu!!"

The crowd erupted in enthusiastic applause, whistles, and cheers.

Some contestants, perhaps caught up in the drama or genuinely moved by the atmosphere, even had tears welling up in their eyes and made gestures of wiping away tears, bringing the "touching" atmosphere to its peak.

Chris Wu slowly raised his head and opened his eyes.

What comes into view is this vibrant scene of "full of life and everything thriving".

The spotlight shone on him, and the audience below watched with adoration and screams.

The advantage is mine!

The overall situation is decided!

Gu Qing, let's see how you handle this!

……

After the recording of the program ended, the post-production team worked overtime to complete the editing and packaging as quickly as possible.

A week later, this episode of "The Rap of China," filled with tension, officially aired.

How popular is this show?
It not only captured the attention of countless ordinary viewers, but also became a "fashion item" that many celebrities—especially female celebrities—privately watched and even became obsessed with.

In the private cinemas of luxury homes, or during breaks on busy film sets, one can often see female celebrities holding their phones, sometimes screaming and sometimes laughing at the screen.

Like Xiao Lu, who successfully disappeared from the public eye because of Xiao X Na's incident.

Masu, who appeared on the original Running Man, is also a loyal viewer of the show "The Rap of China".

Coincidentally,
The two are also very close friends and often interact on social media.

now,

In the latest episode, the two best friends got together.

In Masu's luxury apartment, two women were lounging on a huge sofa without any regard for appearances, with the latest episode of "The Rap of China" playing on a giant screen TV in front of them.

"Ahhh!! Magneto is so cool!!"

"Look at his eyes! That flow!"

Masu hugged a velvet pillow and pounded it vigorously, her cheeks flushed with excitement.

"So I'd already decided on the champion! Oh oh!"

Xiaolu hummed Magneto's lyrics as she watched the show, gesturing casually with her fingers in the air, "He's really cool and talented!"

"The finals! I absolutely have to be there for the finals! I want to sit in the front row and cheer him on!!"

Masu spoke with unwavering conviction, her eyes gleaming with fervent enthusiasm.

Many people believe that
Xiaolu is the one most deeply obsessed with Magneto. But in reality, Masu's level of "brainwashing" might be even higher.

In her past life, she not only personally appeared at the finale of "The Rap of China" to publicly support Magneto,

He even used his extensive network of contacts in the entertainment industry to gather a large number of celebrity friends to record video messages to support Magneto.

The list includes, but is not limited to: Jia Nailiang (husband of a close friend), Bao Beier, Han Dongjun, Song Jia, Qiao Shan, etc., making it a truly "all-star support group".

This is not finished.

After learning that Magneto's "goddess" was Bingbing,

Masu persisted in her efforts, eventually persuading Da Bingbing to record a special blessing video for Magneto.

This is the energy that can be unleashed by a woman obsessed with a celebrity.

Female celebrities are no exception.

Unfortunately,
In her past life, she put in so much effort, only to end up "making wedding clothes for others".

The person she had her eye on was snatched away by her best friend, leading to a hilarious situation that went viral online.

"SuSu, how's the celebrity video message you found for Magneto's campaign coming along?"

While scrolling through photos of Magneto on her phone, Xiaolu asked the question casually.

"almost!"

Masu sat up straight excitedly, "I asked almost every friend I could think of!"
Liang Ge and Bell both agreed!
"When the voting opens, we'll all work together and we'll definitely get him into the center position!"

As she spoke, she pursed her lips, revealing a hint of dissatisfaction, "It's just that Bingbing... absolutely refused to help me record."

I said it was inconvenient to say anything, for fear of causing misunderstandings.

Seriously, they've been best friends for so many years?

Magneto is a fan of hers! Do you think our combined influence is less than that of Gu Qing?

"Gu Qing?"

Xiaolu keenly caught the key words, her long false eyelashes fluttering as she instantly perked up, sensing the air of gossip. "Susu, Bingbing and Gu Qing... is there something going on between them?"

She lowered her voice, her tone laced with a knowing inquiry, "Gu Qing is 'Big Black Bull's' younger brother! This relationship..."

Thinking of this, Xiaolu involuntarily squeezed her legs together, and hot breath suddenly rushed from the tip of her nose.

"Oh dear, what are you thinking? Are you not having a fulfilling nightlife, girl?"

Masu gave her a push, annoyed. "Your mind is full of nonsense all day long. Bingbing is afraid that recording a VCR to support Magneto at this time will upset Gu Qing."

"Gu Qing? Why are you unhappy?"

Are you using a 2G network?

Masu rolled her eyes. "Gu Qing and Chris Wu don't get along, and it's causing a huge uproar online!"
Magneto is being heavily promoted by Chris Woo. If I ask Bingbing to record a video to cheer on Magneto, wouldn't that be the same as siding with Chris Woo?

Bingbing said she was afraid that doing so would affect the relationship between Da Hei Niu and Gu Qing…

Masu got angrier and angrier as she spoke, "My best friend of mine has completely become love-struck! She always puts her boyfriend first in everything! It's so annoying!"

Xiaolu looked down, intently gazing at her newly done, exquisitely rhinestone-encrusted nails, her tone flat.

"Women in love are all like this; they only have eyes for their partner. After a few years, when the passion fades, they naturally come to their senses."

Just then, the voice of the chief director, Che Che, came from the television:

"At the end of the show, there's a special gift. Our mentor, Chris Wu, has specially created a brand new song in response to some recent comments and to express his support for rap culture..."

The two women's attention was instantly drawn back to the screen.

"A response to recent comments?"

Xiaolu's eyes lit up. "You mean... that thing related to Gu Qing?"

"It must be!"

Masu got excited and leaned closer to the screen, "It's been arguing about this online for half a month! Is a diss track coming out?!"

Since becoming obsessed with "The Rap of China," they have naturally become well aware of the online controversies surrounding the show.

In their view, Kris Wu's "response" on this episode was a heroic act of standing up and vindicating the "wronged" hip-hop scene!
"I originally had a pretty good impression of Gu Qing; he was indeed a rather handsome young man."

Masu crossed her arms and snorted, "But now, we've completely changed course. So what if you sing a traditional Chinese style song?"

Did our hip-hop antics offend him?

She hadn't forgotten that during the filming of Running Man, she had shown some 'goodwill' to that little brother, but he politely and distantly avoided it.

She still remembers that subtle awkwardness and feeling of being ignored.

"Young boys don't know much, so they often speak and act without tact and don't understand social etiquette."

Xiaolu's tone was somewhat disdainful.

Her aesthetic preferences seem to lean more towards the "cool" and "stylish" type like Kris Wu.

She felt a subtle sense of rejection and rivalry towards Gu Qing's exquisite, almost androgynous beauty, which she herself might not even be aware of.

When the intro to Kris Wu's "Two or Three" began, the two women were immediately drawn in.

"This intro... is quite interesting!"

Wow! Yifan is singing in the ancient style?

"The melody is quite nice! And the lyrics are... quite beautiful!"

"Ahhh! He's so romantic! His stage presence is amazing!"

They were completely immersed in the atmosphere created by the show, captivated by Kris Wu's performance, makeup, and the carefully edited audience reaction footage.

"Who says Yifan has no talent? Can Gu Qing sing hip-hop?"

"Exactly! Does he know how to freestyle? Does he understand what flow is? Does he know how to use Auto-Tune?"

"Using traditional Chinese style to defeat traditional Chinese style! That's true talent! Well done, Yifan!"

If two female celebrities could behave so badly in their private living room, one can only imagine how much more upset the millions of ordinary viewers and fans who follow the show.

After the program aired, the related topics quickly went viral on social media.

"Awesome!! That's how it should be!!"

"Mentor Wu is so impressive! He lets his work speak for itself!!"

"Last week, those people from the traditional Chinese style community came and spammed the comments section, it was disgusting! What were they pretending to be cultured for! Now they've been proven wrong, haven't they?!"

"I'm listening to 'Er San' on repeat! This fusion is amazing! A new trend in the Chinese music scene!"

Chris Wu's team seized the opportunity, investing heavily in distributing a massive amount of press releases across the entire internet.

The headlines are getting more and more shocking:
Chris Wu's "Er San" bursts onto the scene, a perfect fusion of ancient Chinese style and rap—whose face has it slapped?

Top-tier showdown! Kris Wu responds to criticism with music – this is what a true musician is all about!

From electronic music to traditional Chinese style, Kris Wu breaks through his own limitations; "Er San" may become the hit song of the year!

With the combined support of strong marketing and the show's popularity,
Chris Wu's reputation, which had been teetering on the brink due to various gossip, has actually shown signs of "rebounding against the trend."

Some music critics have also begun to seriously analyze the "innovation" and "artistic value" of "Er San".

The most excited were none other than the "Meigeni" fans. After nearly two years of suppressing their anger at Gu Qing and her fans, they finally found an outlet.

They touted "Er San," a song that was barely passable in the eyes of professionals, as a "groundbreaking milestone," "the hope of the Chinese music scene," and "a model of the fusion of Chinese and Western music."

Then,

It's the usual "face-to-face attack".

Thousands of Meigeni flooded Gu Qing's blog comment section, launching a frenzied provocation:

"Who? Who? Who? Keep calling! Why are you so quiet?"

"Did you see that? This is His Highness's powerful counterattack! Let's put 'Two or Three' on repeat!"

"Rain falls in the empty courtyard, flowers wither and fall in loneliness~ This poem must have made some 'talented scholar' sweat profusely, right?"

"His Highness can write something with a casual stroke that some people can never reach in their entire lives!"

Faced with this overwhelming provocation, the Gu family members were first taken aback, then laughed in anger.

"Good lyrics? You call the lyrics of 'Two or Three' good? 'Like the sea talking to the fish'? What kind of ridiculous metaphor is that?"

"My God, anyone who has ever heard my brother sing one of his songs would not say such an outrageous thing."

"The line 'The lights are lush and vibrant,' from the play 'Puppet Show,' is enough for your horse-faced prince to write about for a lifetime!"

He responded to the Gu family's insults.

"Heh, what's the point of saying so much? If you're so capable, why don't you get your Gu Qing to write one too? Isn't he a talented scholar?"

"Our prince can sing and recite ancient songs with ease. What can your husband do besides singing in a high-pitched opera voice?"

"A nobody who just returned to China is trying to mess with our top international celebrities. He really doesn't know his own limitations!"

"If we were still in the South Korean entertainment industry, His Highness would only let you sit if he told you to, and you would stand if he told you to! Don't you understand the rules?"

This time, the Megnis fought back "with full confidence".

For the first time, they experienced the triumphant feeling of having a breakout role as the source of their confidence.

Seeing their own fans flood Gu Qing's blog comment section and the praise for "Er San" on the trending topics, a huge, suppressed, and explosive sense of pleasure swept over them.

Awesome! So awesome!!

This "top-tier showdown," initiated by Chris Wu and quickly swept up by capital and fans into a massive wave, has attracted the attention of the entire Chinese entertainment industry.

The media and marketing accounts, like sharks smelling blood, frantically followed up, praising Chris Wu's "talent" and "courage" on one hand, and subtly belittling Gu Qing for being "small-minded," "hiding in his comfort zone," and "not daring to take on challenges."

Everyone understands that in a battle between top stars, one person is bound to be injured.

Regardless of who wins or loses in the end, this process will generate huge traffic and discussion.

And these bystanders always manage to get a share of the profits.

Time flies and three days have passed.

Gu Qing's personal blog, which was being watched closely by millions of eyes, remained silent, without any updates or responses.

The festivities of the Megnis reached their peak.

"Hahaha! Gu Gou chickened out! He doesn't dare to accept it!"

"He gave up! He gave up!! I knew he couldn't rap at all!"

"What kind of ancient-style scholar is he? He'll show his true colors when he meets a real musician, won't he?"

The Megnis, beaming with joy, were preparing to head home satisfied after stirring up a mess in the comments section of the blog, ready to share their victory with their prince.

however,
Just when public opinion was almost unanimously against Gu Qing, and everyone thought Gu Qing had chosen to remain silent and avoid conflict—

The blog account that had been silent for three whole days suddenly updated.

There was no prior notice or hype; it was just like a casual, everyday post.

The update was extremely simple, and even somewhat... baffling.

There is only one short line of text, accompanied by a picture.

The picture shows a pair of slender, fair hands with distinct joints, holding a simple, unadorned large porcelain bowl.
The bowl contains steaming wide noodles, a clear broth, garnished with bright green scallions, and a few thin slices of beautifully marbled beef.

The lighting is warm, and the scene even has a down-to-earth, relaxing, and everyday feel.

The caption read: "The noodles were delicious."

This post seems extremely out of place to outsiders, given the recent heated online battles and tense atmosphere surrounding the musical duel.

For the fans, seeing that bowl of noodles instantly turned their faces red and then pale.

Noodles? What are noodles?
It means: 'Look at this... Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!!'

The fans are going crazy.

I never expected that Gu Gou, who had been silent all along, would be so cunning. He attacked with deadly force right from the start!
What makes them most uneasy is that
Below this seemingly unrelated post, there was a surprisingly prominent audio link.

The song title, a simple four-character phrase, seems to reflect Gu Qing's feelings.
Song title: 【Heart as Still Water】.

"This isn't... rap, is it?"

……

...(End of chapter)