Volume One, Chapter 18: The Folk Song Takes the World by Storm!

"Then it's settled!"
"Tomorrow I'll go register the company. As for funding, I'll figure something out. The money from selling the copyright of 'Big Fish'—I'll invest that first!"
"And as for 'Afterwards' and 'Seven Miles of Fragrance,' I plan to give those to Hongyan and Yingying..."
"If they're willing to join us!" Su Le said with a smile.
"If they find out, they'll probably pay you for it!"
"Those two songs have already pushed their individual fan counts past two hundred thousand!"
"The fans on Douyin are increasing every minute!"
"By the way, Ale, I suggest you open an account right now and post some of your original performances. You can build up your fan base and use it for promotion!" Chen Tianxiong proposed.
Su Le nodded.
He had long considered this idea.
Singing was something he loved.
And he wanted to keep singing folk songs.
Moreover, he had a vast store of original entertainment works, making him perfectly suited for a behind-the-scenes role!
Opening a Douyin account and posting his work was entirely possible!
The two of them chatted backstage about the future of their new company.
Meanwhile, on stage,
The fans had gone completely wild!
With Song Hongyan's second performance of 'Afterwards,' another wave of excitement swept through!
"Hongyan, could you let the White Elephant God sing another folk song?"
"Yes, we really haven't had enough. Who knew folk songs could be so captivating?"
"I used to think folk music was too rustic, but now I realize I was too superficial. I wasn't worthy—I couldn't grasp the essence. Now I am. Please, White Elephant God, sing another!"
"Woo woo woo, I want to hear more. I want 'Seven Miles of Fragrance,' 'Afterwards,' and 'South Mountain South'..."
"This ticket was absolutely worth every penny!"
The calls in the venue rose one after another, higher and higher!
Such enthusiasm was hard to refuse!
"Unfortunately, your White Elephant God thought you all didn't like folk songs, so he only prepared one. If you enjoy it, please keep supporting!"
"Let folk music become the new trend!"
Ren Yingying spoke into the microphone, smiling at the crowd.
"Folk music rules forever!"
"From today on, I’ll only listen to folk songs."
"Everyone, call me the Prince of Folk Music!"
"Yingying, since the God can't perform, can you sing 'Seven Miles of Fragrance' again?"
"Yes, yes, please, we're begging!"
Under the fans’ fervent requests, Ren Yingying, ever indulgent, chose to perform again.

Some rejoice, others despair!
The neighboring concert was supposed to last two hours!
In the end, it wrapped up hastily after just one.
Especially after a mishap led to a fiasco, leaving many fans and listeners disappointed.
Most critically, more and more people left halfway through.
They were all drawn to the Oriental Group’s concert!
Once Su Le’s 'South Mountain South' spread across Weibo,
It stirred up a tidal wave of excitement!!
[Breaking! Super popular, White Elephant God, after 'Big Fish,' was invited to the Oriental Group’s concert and performed an original folk song, 'South Mountain South,' creating yet another legendary moment!]
[Top Search! Shocking, the lyrics and composition of 'Big Fish' were actually created by the White Elephant God, just confirmed by Oriental Group Entertainment Director Chen Tianxiong!!]
[Unbelievable! The new three songs debuted at the Oriental Entertainment Group’s concert are dominating the original entertainment charts, refreshing the weekly rankings in just half an hour!]
[Hot Topic! At Phoenix Media’s concert, their leading actress Lu Yaoyao flopped in her performance. The new song supposedly from Master Sun, but she forgot the lyrics during the chorus after her partner jumped the cue!]
For a while,
Weibo was ablaze.
All the talk was about the Oriental Entertainment concert!
The only hot topic for Phoenix Media was the on-stage fiasco.
The Oriental Entertainment Group’s fan count soared by half a million in a single night!
...
Phoenix Media, lounge.
Lu Yaoyao played the piano with a blank expression, the melody chaotic, utterly devoid of rhythm.
Her eyes had lost their shine.
She looked devastated.
Since the concert ended, she hadn’t spoken a word, playing song after song on the piano.
Just then, A Lian walked in.
"How’s Yaoyao doing?" A Lian had just finished dealing with Weibo and hurried over to check on Lu Yaoyao.
"Since the concert ended, she’s been silent. Looks like this setback hit her hard!"
"I’ve tried persuading her for a long time, but it hasn’t worked."
"Why don’t you give it a try!"
"No need to worry about the company, I’ll handle the explanation!" Yang Wei said calmly.
"Thank you, Young Master Yang!"
"I’ll go check on Yaoyao now," A Lian said, heading toward Lu Yaoyao.
"Yaoyao, don’t lose heart. This wasn’t entirely your fault—the new song from Master Sun is very challenging, and you were cramming at the last minute. To perform as well as you did was already remarkable!"
"If it were someone else, they’d have not only forgotten the lyrics but likely gone completely off-key!"
"Don’t be discouraged. Once you get familiar with these two new songs, you’ll definitely achieve great results in the finals!"

A Lian began to console her.
"Lian, do you think maybe I’m not cut out for singing?"
"Why can’t I capture the essence of such a good song?"
"But 'Big Fish' suits me perfectly—I recorded it just once and could sing it comfortably."
"If not for that song, tonight would’ve been a complete disaster!"
Lu Yaoyao sighed deeply.
She stopped playing the piano and walked over to the window, gazing at the night outside.
Her delicate face showed hesitation.
"Don’t overthink it. You’ve always been excellent—otherwise, why would the company put so much effort into you, giving you the newly popular 'Big Fish'?"
"The company wants to make you a star."
"And you have the talent for it."
"The finals are coming up soon. Get yourself together and start practicing the two new songs Master Sun wrote!"
A Lian spoke earnestly.
Yet, Lu Yaoyao shook her head at the words.
"Lian, maybe I should stick to folk songs."
"Though folk music doesn’t fare well in variety shows, at least it’s better than struggling with new songs I’m not suited for!"
Lu Yaoyao was already thinking of retreating.
With folk songs, she knew she’d never make a mistake!
Even if something went wrong live, she could handle it gracefully.
It was like a novice driver who just got their license—focusing entirely on the car, ignoring the road, overwhelmed by everything.
But an experienced driver, familiar with their car, can steer with one hand, smoke, listen to music, even roll down the window to mock others’ driving.
It was because she’d sung folk songs for years, but wanting to break through, she found the limits of folk music too low, no longer meeting her ambitions!
So she had to reinvent herself.
The transformation was going well, but this concert made her realize her own shortcomings.
"Folk music?"
"Yaoyao, are you serious?" A Lian asked in surprise.
"I don’t know what else to do!"
"Folk music is so niche, it’s hard to get good results!"
"But it’s what I’m best at."
"In the end, my mistake was in the beginning—I shouldn’t have sung Su Le’s songs, otherwise I wouldn’t have become so dependent. That’s why transitioning is so tough!"
At this, Lu Yaoyao felt more and more uneasy within her heart.