Entertainment News: I'm Not a Scumbag After Rebirth!

A while ago, the most popular topics on Baidu Tieba and forums were celebrity gossip and game guides.

Suddenly, a "copywriting style" emerged.

During the day, everyone still goes to school or work as usual, joking and laughing.

But at night, especially after midnight...

Short articles and somber images began to flood social media.

"You loved the sea, and I loved you."

"Later, the wind blew all the stories away, but it didn't take away my memories."

"If you don't love someone, please don't hurt them."

"You are the dream I'm obsessed with, and I'm someone you can do without."

"Even the input method remembers you, how could I possibly forget you?"

It struck a chord with a large group of young people.

Perhaps it's academic pressure, perhaps it's confusion, or perhaps it's the unsettling loneliness at the end of adolescence.

Followed by.

The concept of "late-night emo playlists" has also become popular.

Instead of listening to a few songs like this late at night and posting a status update with a sad caption.

This night was wasted, and this youth wasn't profound enough.

This trend is growing wildly among young people like weeds.

Following trends is instinctive, and these trends carry a flavor of identity recognition.

You're not alone; many people are just as "emo" as you.

Li Jun scrolled through Tieba, and seeing those familiar, even somewhat naive, sentences appearing a few years earlier than expected, he twitched the corner of his mouth.

The public sentiment was captured perfectly.

It was faster and more intense than he had anticipated.

He closed the webpage and picked up the phone to call Zhang Liangying.

The phone rang for a long time before being answered, and there was some background noise.

It quickly quieted down again, as if we had walked into a corner.

"Yingzi, where are you?"

"Just finished an interview and am on my way back to the hotel."

Zhang Liangying's voice sounded somewhat tired, but she forced herself to stay awake:

"What's wrong?"

"How's your form? The national competition must be stressful, right?"

Li Jun asked with concern.

"It's alright, it's just that we're rehearsing, interviewing, and taking promotional photos every day, it's non-stop."

Zhang Liangying paused:

"I've also watched videos of players from other regions, and they're all pretty strong."

"Never mind whether they're strong or not."

"Just sing your song. Have you noticed the recent trend?"

Li Jun asked the question.

"Emo trend? Fang Zhi has been deeply affected by it lately, crying in front of the computer every night."

Zhang Liangying was somewhat helpless, speechless at Fang Zhi's antics.

"I've prepared a new song for you, in this style."

Li Jun raised an eyebrow.

"A new song?"

Zhang Liang's English tone carried a hint of anticipation.

The song is called "Take Me Away".

Li Jun paused, waiting for Zhang Liangying's reaction.

But there was no response, so Li Jun had to continue.

"It's a bit different from the style you used to sing; it's closer to the kind of feeling that's popular online now, the kind you listen to quietly late at night."

Li Jun gave a brief description:

"I've sent the piece to your email. Try to get a feel for it."

After hanging up, Li Jun called Yuan Tao again.

Yuan Tao answered quickly, but in a very low voice, with the faint sounds of a meeting discussion in the background.

"Mr. Yuan, are you busy?"

"Let's have a quick meeting. Teacher Li, what are your instructions?"

Yuan Tao's tone was half-joking, but it carried a sense of familiarity.

Since their friend's investment, their relationship has subtly grown closer, with less of the usual businesslike formalities.

"I wouldn't presume to give instructions. There's a small matter that I need your help with, as a senior executive, to mobilize some resources."

Li Jun didn't beat around the bush:

"I wrote a new song for Jane Zhang called 'Take Me Away,' and I want to finish it as soon as possible to match the current online atmosphere."

"The online atmosphere?"

Yuan Tao didn't react for a moment.

"Just look at what kind of 'tragic literature' young people are posting on Tieba and forums these days, and you'll understand."

Li Jun offered a suggestion.

Yuan Tao responded quietly on the other end of the line; he knew a little about this too.

"I chose this song because of the feeling it evoked."

We need Huayi's music production department to work overtime and produce high-quality arrangements and accompaniments as quickly as possible. I'll cover the cost; we can discuss the copyright later.

Yuan Tao remained silent for a few seconds on the other end of the phone, seemingly processing Li Jun's words.

This is essentially using Huayi's private resources to help Li Jun.

He quickly replied:

"Okay, I understand. Send me the sheet music, and I'll personally oversee the production team. Teacher Li, what are you going to do..."

He hesitated before speaking.

"The wind is blowing in, what are we waiting for if we don't take off?"

"By the way, we need to keep up with the promotional resources. Don't use those old-fashioned people. Find some forum moderators and music critics who have a lot of influence among young people, and use methods like 'Recommending a new song for healing/depressing late at night' or 'The perfect background music for the latest Tieba copywriting style' to quietly generate buzz. Especially the 'late-night emo playlist', try to find a way to put this song in it."

"You're pretty good at this, Teacher Li."

Yuan Tao laughed. Li Jun was really good at this.

"Okay, I'll arrange it. But your song has to be of high quality, otherwise it'll be weak to promote it."

"You can rest assured about the quality of my products. Just listen to Zhang Liangying's voice, and with the current emotional climate, you can't go wrong."

Li Jun was full of confidence; how could he lack confidence? It was all copied.

A few days later, the official version of "Take Me Away," with its excellent arrangement and rich accompaniment, was completed.

Zhang Liangying's performance completely exceeded Li Jun's expectations. She didn't try to show off her skills; she simply used her clear voice to sing with great emotion the complex emotions of longing to be understood yet fearing being hurt again.

Especially the chorus

"Take me away, to the far future."

It truly touches the softest spot in people's hearts.

The song first appeared on several core music forums and online communities.

These recommendations, posted by "veteran music fans" or "emotional forum moderators" in the form of "personal favorites," all have very internet-savvy titles:

"Tonight, let Jane Zhang's 'Take Me Away' accompany your emo."

"Healing from heartbreak? Try listening to 'Take Me Away' instead."

"I've found the ultimate background music for the latest Baidu Tieba posts!"

It initially circulated only in a small circle, but soon, young people who were scrolling through sad captions late at night were almost instantly captivated by the song.

"Holy crap, this song is totally hitting the nail on the head!"

"The lyrics—these lyrics are exactly what I felt in that status update I posted yesterday!"

"Zhang Liangying's voice is killing me!"

"This subtle sadness is more painful than wailing!"

"Added to my 'Late Night Emo Playlist' on repeat, a perfect match!"

"This is the kind of song we want to hear! It's so much better than those mindless love songs!"

The heat fermented and spread at an astonishing speed.

From Baidu Tieba to QQ Space, from music forums to the newly emerging blogs, "Take Me Away" and the name Zhang Liangying swept across the internet in an unprecedented way.

Following Li Jun's advice, Yuan Tao took the opportunity to fuel the discussion, deeply linking the song with "copywriting style" and "late-night emotions."

Everything was as Li Jun had predicted.