Chарtеr 15: Sоngs Аll Меet This Stаndаrd, Nо Diffiсultу in Poetrу Rеcitatiоn
“The sсоrеs bеtwееn first and sесоnd plаcе are vеrу clоse. Will thе сhаmpiоn bе Luo Qingхu оr Jiаng Suуun?”
“Lеt’s соngratulаte…” Еvеryone held thеir breаth, awаiting thе rеsult.
“Lеt’s congrаtulate…”
【Оld Ма stаrts showing оff as sоon as hе асhiеvеs somеthing】
【Hurry up! Аnnоunсе it quiсkly!】
【So nervоus! Sо nеrvous! Аnnounсe it alrеаdу, dоn’t make mе knеel and bеg you】
【Неrе hе goеs аgain, he does this every timе. Evеn if hе’s nоt tirеd оf it, I’m almоst tired of watсhing】
【So аnnoуing, alwаys keeping people in suspense. It’s not funny at all】
Luo Qingxu nervously clenched her fists, her gaze fixed intently on the paper in Director Ma’s hand, as if trying to bore a hole through it.
Standing at the side of the stage, Jiang Suyun tightly clasped her hands, fingertips trembling slightly, fine beads of sweat seeping from her palms, equally tense as she awaited the outcome.
“Let’s congratulate… Jiang Suyun! The champion of this round, congratulations! Luo Qingxu takes second place, with only a 0.5-point difference between them! Congratulations!”
The dust had settled. Luo Qingxu came in second by a mere 0.5 points, inevitably feeling disappointed. If she had little horns on her head, they would surely be drooping.
Nevertheless, Luo Qingxu sincerely congratulated Jiang Suyun, walking over to give her a hug and whispering, “Congratulations!”
After all, Jiang Suyun and Qu Guangqing’s collaboration was truly unparalleled. Their work deserved the stage’s accolades, and the championship was well-earned.
In the second episode of “National Style Grand Prize” in July, Jiang Suyun claimed the crown, Luo Qingxu took second place, Bai Xinyao remained in third, Bai Lin came fourth, while last episode’s second-place winner, Yin Tongyue, dropped to fifth.
Back in the lounge, Luo Qingxu’s spirits remained low, which also affected Zhen Chang and Zhou Yicheng, leaving them somewhat dejected.
“In a competition on the same stage, there are wins and losses. No need to be so disheartened. Based on the total scores from these two episodes, as long as you maintain this level next time, you’ve already secured a win over Bai Xinyao.
And you two, you’ve already done very well! Come on, let’s take a group photo. Smile!”
In Fei Jiajun’s eyes, these young performers had already delivered outstanding performances, their results far exceeding the 90-point benchmark for excellence.
She understood the youthful arrogance and competitive spirit within them—the unique vitality and drive of youth.
However, she also reminded them to recognize that “there is always someone better; beyond the sky, there is another sky.”
Jiang Suyun and Zhuang Guangqing’s collaboration was indeed superior, and combined with Zhuang Guangqing’s fame, Fei Jiajun had already anticipated this outcome.
Still, the kids were only 0.5 points behind them, which was already a surprising achievement, enough to prove their strength and potential.
Faced with a result that was already set in stone, wallowing in disappointment was undoubtedly futile. The most important thing was to adjust their mindset promptly and prepare for the next episode!
After returning, Luo Qingxu decided to make major revisions to the repertoire for the next episode. Based on the standard of the second episode’s stage performance, the previously prepared repertoire would have a hard time securing the championship.
The moment the results were announced, Luo Qingxu realized that her mindset toward participating in this program had long since changed:
At first, she only hoped to beat Bai Xinyao, reclaim the bet, and continue being a good-for-nothing rich second generation.
Now, Luo Qingxu could be certain that her competitive drive had been ignited by that stage—she didn’t want to lose!She loved standing in the center stage, the spotlight shining on her, all applause echoing for her. She reveled in the glory and aura of being the center of attention, with everyone’s eyes fixed on her.
That choked-up, indescribable feeling—once was enough. Whether chasing fame or fortune, she just wanted to win! She simply refused to lose!
On the National Trend Music Chart, “Divination” had already entered the top ten, currently ranking sixth, with a subtle trend of breaking into the top five.
On the July New Song Recommendation Chart, it had climbed to third place. The top two spots were occupied by new releases from second- and third-tier singers, with no signs of new songs from Song Kings or Song Queens yet.
For a complete newcomer, “Divination” could be said to have achieved remarkable success.
Just as Luo Qingxu was preoccupied with revising the song and melody, begging Producer Chen to work overtime to redo the accompaniment, and pleading with Fei Jiajun to find a singer better suited for the song, “Know or Not” surged forward with unexpected momentum.
In just one day, “Know or Not” had already soared to tenth place on the National Trend Music Chart.
Curious listeners clicked on the comments section and nearly thought they had entered the wrong “scene”—the entire comment section was flooded by students.
【My Chinese teacher played this song in class today—so good!】
【As someone who has never passed Chinese, I feel like memorizing has never been easier.】
【So catchy, I memorized the poem in no time.】
【My deskmate wasn’t lying—listening to the song made it easy to memorize the lyrics.】
【If all songs were like this, memorizing poems would be a breeze.】
【Sis, can you turn “Li Sao” and “Shu Dao Nan” into catchy songs like this? Memorizing poems is torture.】
【I can recite it now. “Last night, the rain was light, the wind fierce. Deep sleep did not dispel the lingering wine. I ask the maid rolling up the curtain, but she says the crabapple blossoms remain the same. Know or not? Know or not? It should be green plump and red thin.”】
Some netizens who had watched the Program, seeing the uniform student comments in the “Know or Not” section, couldn’t help but share with them that the champion was “The River All Red,” along with other songs adapted from poems like “Guanju” from the Book of Songs.
After listening, the students immediately came back with feedback: Too hard to sing!
Everyone suddenly realized that while Jiang Suyun’s “The River All Red” was indeed beautiful, Qu Guangqing’s singing skills were beyond ordinary. In simple terms, it was pleasant to listen to but not easy to sing along with.
In contrast, “Know or Not” had a gentle, lingering melody. After listening once, you could hum along, and after singing along twice, you’d basically have the poem memorized.
July happened to be the final exam season, and the Chinese poetry recitation section coincidentally included Li Qingzhao’s “Like a Dream.”
This led to a flood of students pouring into the “Know or Not” comment section, treating it like a wishing well.
【Amazing! It predicted the exam question—hope I pass Chinese.】
【May I know what’s tested, guess what’s right.】
【I’ve always made up answers for poetry recitation on the spot—this question finally let me shine.】
【Bless me to pass math!】
【Bless me to pass English!】
【Bless me to pass chemistry!】
…
With the massive support from students, curious listeners clicked on the new song recommendations and were instantly hooked.
The play count of “Know or Not” skyrocketed, directly claiming the top spot on the July New Song Recommendation Chart.
On the National Trend Music Chart, it surpassed “Divination” and climbed to third place.This song even managed to squeeze into the tail end of the annual music chart, ranking at 198th place.
“The power of student fans is truly terrifying.”
Han Changsheng, the head of the creative department, couldn’t help but sigh as he looked at the data. Another high-quality song had broken through the competition purely on the strength of the program’s traffic, and Luo Qingxu’s capabilities once again reshaped his understanding.
Indeed, Luo Qingxu’s partial rise to fame relied entirely on her solid talent and the support of Director Ma.
Every artist at Luo Shen Media has a certain budget for promotion and advertising, with higher-level artists naturally receiving larger allocations.
As a rookie singer at the bronze level, Luo Qingxu herself had very little budget to begin with, let alone the means to launch a large-scale promotional campaign.
“It seems I need to discuss the young lady’s rating and treatment distribution with Sister Jun immediately.
Wait! The young lady’s contract isn’t under the creative department. I need to first contact Qu Xue from the artist management department to transfer the contract over.”