I Heard That I Am Poor

Chapter 98: Why should I make myself suffer

The initial replies to this post are in perfect order.

[Holy crap!]

[Holy crap!]

[Holy crap!]

It seemed that everyone was going through a buffering phase, and gradually, various voices emerged.

[Holy crap, I didn’t recognize Mount Tai! I need to apologize for mocking Yu Nian before! It went from 25,000 to 260 million in the blink of an eye. What happened to the original 250? Even TV dramas don’t dare to exaggerate like this!]

[Legend says that picking up antiques can make you wealthy, but this is not just becoming wealthy; it’s becoming super rich! My horizons have been widened! By the way, what about those who mocked Yu Nian for wasting money on broken bowls and paying an ‘IQ tax’? How are they feeling now? Can’t be described in words, right? Oh, it’s not a bowl; it’s a cup used by the emperor for drinking…]

[Aaaaaah, the peak of picking up cheap deals! This is simply an incredible vision! Wasn’t he supposed to shoot a public service advertisement? Didn’t he just casually glance at some junk? Wasn’t he just a fool with too much money who bought a broken bowl? I sincerely bow down!]

[I’ll never criticize his image again, because he is the embodiment of an impressive image! Master, please take me with you to pick up cheap deals!]

Meanwhile, on Weibo, the hashtag #YuNianGotScammed# has regained the top spot on the trending list. Under the topic, both fans and passersby are expressing their pain, saying that their faces are swollen from the shock and that it hurts so much!

One of Yu Nian’s biggest fans posts, “Sigh, I’m really sorry. Our Nian Nian indeed spent 25,000 to buy a fake item for the sake of promoting his image, which turned into a big joke and once again topped the trending list. He really can’t compare with you people, who come from a spotless and refined background [sweatdrop]. By the way, the new song will be released tomorrow, the 16th, at noon. You’ll only know if it’s any good after listening!”

Zhao Shuya’s fans copy and paste en masse, questioning the authenticity of the matter and claiming that Yu Nian’s success was merely luck. They didn’t see any reason to boast so much.

However, they were quickly counterattacked by a highly respected antique V blogger.

“Picking up cheap deals is not an easy thing to do. Otherwise, anyone who strolls through the antique street could become rich overnight. There are many antiquities on the market, but even more counterfeits. Distinguishing the real from the fake requires testing a person’s character, vision, and knowledge. Only those with profound knowledge and rich experience can do it! The opposite of ‘picking up cheap deals’ is called ‘striking out,’ and one wrong move can ruin a person. Therefore, in the antique market, there are many experts, and the waters run deep. If you’re not at the level of Yu Nian, don’t easily make a move!”

Soon, he posted again, “Yu Nian’s vision is truly remarkable.”

Meng Yuan, who has been following the whole thing, smiled and chuckled with his legs crossed. “It’s delightful to see them surprised,” he added, “Indeed, I’m not the only one to be shocked!”

After scrolling through the comments, Meng Yuan frowned. “What’s wrong with Zhao Shuya’s fans?”

Knowing what he’s referring to, Shi Rou explained, “Isn’t Zhao Shuya’s mother a piano teacher? So, Zhao Shuya has been practicing piano since childhood. About two years ago, he started posting videos of him playing the piano. His piano skills are just average, but his good looks gained him some attention, and he became popular in a small circle, even earning the title of ‘Piano Prince.’ He had a decent fan base when he signed with Fenghe Entertainment, and his team started managing the fans, so, as a new artist, he already had a considerable following.”

“Rou Rou, you did your homework well!” Meng Yuan praised Shi Rou and didn’t pay further attention to the matter, then asked Yu Nian, “Are you nervous about the new single release tomorrow?”

Yu Nian shook his head, “Not nervous. I have confidence in my work.”

Meng Yuan likes Yu Nian for being modest when necessary and confidently outspoken when needed. He calculates, “Perfect timing. After sweeping the Golden Melody Awards, now picking up cheap deals, releasing a new song at this moment brings its own promotional buff and saves a considerable amount of marketing expenses!”

The next day at noon, Yu Nian’s new single “Whispers” was released as scheduled. The three major music platforms provided the best advertising spaces. By the fifth day, it had already garnered tens of millions of listens in total. Some media outlets even called July the “Month of Yu Nian,” with his headlines stacking up one after another.

As expected by Yu Nian, the traditional endangered instrument “Feng Xiao” also gained attention with the popularity of “Whispers.”

[Recommending ‘Whispers’! Those who said he ran out of talent, go listen to it. You’ll understand what a genius musician he is! And, I want to learn to play Feng Xiao! I didn’t even know such an instrument existed, but when I listened to the song, I was instantly captivated by its beautiful sound!]

[I’m actually learning to play Feng Xiao. Originally, my teacher had only me as a student, but suddenly so many people want to learn it, and both my teacher and I are puzzled. Later, I found out that Yu Nian included Feng Xiao in his new song! My teacher said, regardless of how long this trend lasts, we are grateful.]

[Yu Nian said in an interview that the Feng Xiao player is his grandfather’s good friend. I checked the performer, Fu Wanming, a master of Chinese studies, a famous translator, and a calligrapher—damn, such a big shot!?]

Sun Mengze happened to see this post and sighed, “It turns out to be Teacher Fu Wanming! I was obsessed with calligraphy for a while and tried to get a calligraphy masterpiece from Teacher Fu, but my dream never came true. I still regret it now! If only I had known you, Yu Nian, earlier, maybe the success rate would have increased!”

Yu Nian smiled and replied, “Grandpa Fu has an old wrist injury, and now that he’s older, the injury flares up, making it difficult for him to write as he intends. So, he simply doesn’t pick up the brush anymore.”

Both of them were backstage at the recording of the seventh episode of “Let Me Sing.” Bai Yan walked in wearing high heels, making a thumping sound. She sounded irritable, “In the last round, allowing someone to advance to the semifinals was fine. His skills weren’t too bad, and he could still barely make it to the semifinals. In the previous round, letting fifteen advance to the top seven was also acceptable. But this time, allowing a high-scoring contestant to advance to the top four? Is this a joke?”

Sun Mengze wiped the smile off his face and honestly replied, “Zhao Shuya? His level is barely enough to reach the top eight. Making it to the top four is out of the question.”

Bai Yan crossed her arms and said in annoyance, “The program team has planned too well. If they really want high scores to advance to the top four, I’d rather flip the table and not do it! I won’t earn that money!”

She fumed, “And in the previous round when asked if he had anything to say, everyone talked about their feelings, experiences, and lessons learned. But this Zhao Shuya,” Bai Yan imitated his tone, “recently, some inappropriate remarks from my fans have caused trouble for Teacher Yu Nian. I hope to be forgiven by Teacher Yu Nian. And then, Yu Nian didn’t immediately respond. He even bowed at a ninety-degree angle for eight seconds! What’s this? Morally blackmailing him? The atmosphere at the scene was so awkward it almost solidified.”

She returned to her normal tone and slapped the table, “Then Yu Nian replied with ‘Pay attention next time.’ And now, Zhao Shuya’s fans say he’s acting arrogant, acting like a senior, and tormenting newcomers. Yeah, let’s see Zhao Shuya bow for eight seconds! They even sent out a bunch of press releases, and now they can’t get rid of them, can they? Get the hell out of here!”

Sun Mengze quickly warned, “Be careful, be careful. Don’t break your newly done nails!”

She cooled down in an instant, withdrew her hand, and said with hatred, “Right, not worth it!”

Yu Nian didn’t say much and said, “Let’s see how he performs in this round before making a decision.”

At that moment, Wei Lu walked in, heard the last few sentences, and continued, “He’s singing ‘Mountain Snow’ in this round.”

Yu Nian’s expression turned cold, and Bai Yan coldly snorted, “He must be underestimating his own singing ability if he thinks he can sing ‘Mountain Snow’!”

During the actual recording, Yu Nian and the others displayed professionalism in their comments, whether it was introducing jokes, offering critiques, or giving feedback. In this episode, the contestants’ performances were all above average. Only six contestants had performed, and three of them had already received high scores.

Zhao Shuya was the seventh to perform, and as soon as the prelude of “Mountain Snow” began, the camera turned to show a close-up of Yu Nian’s face. Yu Nian managed his expressions exceptionally well, maintaining a calm demeanor and listening attentively. Bai Yan, however, furrowed her brows as soon as Zhao Shuya started singing.

When it came to the part with consecutive ascending high notes, Zhao Shuya’s voice didn’t reach the high notes, and he even cracked his voice. Sun Mengze didn’t avoid the camera and showed concern, tightening his brows.

When the accompaniment ended, Zhao Shuya turned toward the judges’ seats without any worries about being eliminated. Instead, he looked calm and confident, as if he was certain he would receive a high score.

The host asked, “Why did you choose this song, Shuya?”

Zhao Shuya struck a pose, “Because Teacher Yu once said it’s his most satisfying work to date and also universally recognized as a very challenging song. So, I wanted to challenge myself.”

Bai Yan, sitting in the judges’ seat, could clearly see that this guy was probably relying on the fact that the show was recorded, and they could tune his voice afterward to cover up the cracked notes and failed high notes. That’s why he appeared so sure of himself.

However, she caught a glimpse of Yu Nian’s expressionless profile and felt that this guy was in for trouble.

Sure enough, when it was Yu Nian’s turn to speak, he gave a straightforward critique, “You started the notes too low, and throughout the entire song, you failed in six transition notes, and your high notes didn’t hit the mark. You even cracked three times and missed the beat four times. And you had a prompter, yet you sang the wrong lyrics.”

Zhao Shuya on the stage froze with a stiff expression.

Yu Nian didn’t say anything further and lowered his head to write the number “5” neatly on the scoring board.

Bai Yan was even more straightforward, “It’s already the seventh episode, and compared to the first episode, you haven’t improved in terms of vocals or stage performance. Maybe you should think about what it really means to be a singer.” After speaking, she also gave him a score of 5.

Sun Mengze and Wei Lu followed suit and also gave him 5 points each. Without a doubt, Zhao Shuya was eliminated with the lowest score of the round, missing the top four.

After the recording, before they even reached the backstage area, Yu Nian and his group were intercepted by the program director and the chief planner of the show. They spoke rapidly, “Didn’t we agree to let him advance to the top four? Why did you give such low scores? We can adjust the voice in post-production, so there shouldn’t be any problems!”

Yu Nian, standing at the forefront, had already withdrawn his gentle expression, but he still patiently explained, “Director, the scores should match the contestants’ actual abilities, shouldn’t they?”

The director slapped the rolled-up paper tube in his hand against his palm several times in a gesture of being unable to explain clearly. He quickly said, “Among the currently popular influencers, how many of them actually have matching abilities? They’re still making money! You guys are not unaware of the rules in this industry——”

Yu Nian, unusually impolite, interrupted the director’s words with a slight curl of his lips and a slightly chilling gaze, “Since the director wants to talk about the rules in this industry, can you please recall how the program received double funding?”

The director suddenly jolted, as if being drenched in a bucket of icy water. His mind cleared, and the words he was about to say were all swallowed back. “I didn’t think it through,” he said, and then turned around, seemingly on fire, and hurriedly left with the chief planner.

Leaving the recording studio, Meng Yuan, who was waiting, was well-informed and already knew what happened inside.

“This time, he sang ‘Mountain Snow’ again. Zhao Shuya is really determined to cling to you, huh? He’s making grand plans, thinking you’re an easy target, right?”

Yu Nian sent a message to Xie You, informing him that he had finished recording the show, but he didn’t respond to Meng Yuan’s remarks.

No one would feel comfortable when faced with such a disgusting situation. Meng Yuan comforted him, “It’s alright. Zhao Shuya won’t be able to cause trouble for you anymore in the future.” He felt relieved, “Seeing the surprised expression on Zhao Shuya’s face after you gave him a score of five, it really made your Brother Meng feel good!”

Yu Nian turned the ring on his finger and smiled, “Xie You provided double funding because he didn’t want to see me treated unfairly. So why should I make myself suffer?”