Chapter 43: The Tumultuous Relay of the "Challenging Sutra"

"Tomorrow’s Star" Episode Four, Part Two aired for an hour.

Both "A Difficult Sutra" and "Love Under Heaven" shot up the trending charts.

Along with them, several topics sprang up. The hottest was: "Let’s Sing ‘A Difficult Sutra’ Together."

The internet erupted in a craze to learn this song. Many quirky netizens uploaded their own renditions to Weibo and DouM short videos.

Crash-and-burn performances abounded, each with its own unique flair.

Some posted their practice sessions, and the song gained yet another nickname: "Hard to Practice Sutra."

There was even a relay of failed attempts.

Shen Xiyin had received the demo of "A Difficult Sutra" before the show aired and had been practicing for days.

She recorded a cover and posted it on Weibo, captioned:

"That’s right, I am a warrior. ‘A Difficult Sutra’ refuses to crash."

Singers with some fame rarely cover a song lightly.

If they can’t match or surpass the original, it’s embarrassing.

Shen Xiyin, brash and unconcerned, didn’t mind. Even if she crashed, it didn’t matter.

Besides, a female vocalist’s key-raised version wouldn’t be compared directly to the original.

Her cover had been recorded several times, so it was polished, with clear enunciation.

As soon as the Weibo post went up, witty netizens commented:

"The show’s only been live for an hour, and you’re already this good at covering it? Something’s fishy."

Shen Xiyin replied to each comment with interest:

"As a mentor, I have a special privilege: sneak-recording during rehearsals. Keep it quiet, or the production team will confiscate my phone."

The netizens got even more excited:

"Okay, I won’t tell anyone. Everyone, come see, Xiyin sneak-recorded during rehearsal!"

"The mentor sneak-recorded the contestant’s song!"

"Xiyin, don’t fall for Fang Xing’s trap; he doesn’t really want you."

The netizens linked it to the previous "Want You" incident.

Shen Xiyin rolled over in bed, holding her phone, muttering, "I think I really am addicted to him—addicted to his music."

Her roommate Xu Menghan suddenly turned and huffed, "Shen Xiyin, when did you sneak-record rehearsals without sending them to me!"

...

The "Hard to Sing Sutra" crash relay caught fire on Weibo.

The show’s team seized the opportunity, launching an official cover relay of "A Difficult Sutra."

Still, netizens called it the "Hard to Sing Sutra" crash relay.

The event spread from Weibo to short video platforms, then to streaming platforms.

On every major streaming platform, anyone singing "A Difficult Sutra," good or bad, drew crowds of viewers.

Quick-witted music streamers were riding a wave of traffic.

Those slower to react scrambled to practice singing "A Difficult Sutra."

Chen Tianyu was a music streamer on Orca Live. He’d once signed with a small entertainment company.

But before he debuted, the company folded.

He loved singing, but his looks were mediocre—not unattractive, but not enough to make a living off his face.

Once streaming platforms appeared, he began singing live on Orca.

When he focused on singing, viewers were few.

But when he started crashing mid-song, he attracted crowds of online game fans, and his follower count slowly grew to twenty thousand.

That number kept him from starving, but survival was all it offered.

Such was the environment: female streamers could become popular overnight with a slip.

Pure singing streamers like Chen Tianyu rarely hit it big.

But after people began to pay attention to his mishaps, he shifted from music streaming to comedy.

The "Hard to Sing Sutra" crash relay had reached the streaming platforms.

In Chen Tianyu’s live room, viewers sent barrage comments asking him to sing "Hard to Sing Sutra."

He saw the comments and interacted:

"Someone wants me to sing ‘Hard to Sing Sutra’? Who came up with that name?"

"You want me to sing just because you ask? That’d be embarrassing."

"What! The top supporter wants me to sing? Well, now I have to. Let’s listen first and start practicing right now."

"I tell you, I learn songs fast—just three listens, more than that and I’ll eat the mic."

Viewers instantly commented:

"You can start eating the mic now."

"The song’s real name is ‘A Difficult Sutra.’ I just listened. My only feeling: what is this? Why is it so good?"

"Streamer, give it a try. I’m here just to see you crash."

Chen Tianyu opened a webpage while chatting: "Don’t rush, let me find it. Let’s watch the pure performance version."

"I see someone said it’s a Cantonese song. Well, what a coincidence—I’m Cantonese Proficiency Level Eight."

He played the pure performance version; music sounded, Fang Xing started singing in the video.

Chen Tianyu widened his eyes, staring at the subtitles, frozen in place.

Viewers in the live room began posting question marks:

"???"

"Am I stuck?"

"The screen isn’t moving!"

"Are you all stupid? The video is playing; it’s the streamer who’s frozen."

"The screen isn’t still; the streamer is."

Chen Tianyu finished one listen, chuckled, and said, "This song is definitely Cantonese Level Eight standard. I guarantee, on Orca, I’m the only one who can sing it. Let’s watch again."

After three listens,

The viewers reminded him:

"You’ve watched three times, it’s time to eat the mic."

"Sing, I’m just here to see you crash."

Chen Tianyu put on a serious face: "Crash? Crash? What are you talking about!"

"I haven’t even climbed into the car—how can I crash?"

"I’ll eat the mic to calm my nerves, then listen again."

He pulled a microphone-shaped bread from under the table and munched away.

The comments erupted:

"Never seen such shamelessness."

"Never seen such shamelessness +1."

He listened three more times.

Chen Tianyu began to sing, stumbling, halting, falling into pitfalls with every line:

"Swallow... swallow the wind, kiss... kiss the rain, bury the sunset, never... never wandered..."

"Crash, crashing all the way."

"Is this a crash? It’s more like rolling over the whole way."

"Crash King Chen lives up to his name."

"I just like how you crash but still look so proud."

After finishing the song, Chen Tianyu pressed his fists together and declared, "Whoever wrote these lyrics, I, Handsome Chen, concede."

Witty netizens commented:

"Just a singer, nothing special."

"Just a singer, nothing special +1."

"Handsome Chen? Streamer, are you mistaken about yourself?"

Chen Tianyu read the comments, clenched his fist, and announced, "I set a flag—tonight I’ll stay up practicing this song. Tomorrow after school, don’t leave, I’ll sing again, absolutely no crashes. Everyone come, everyone!"

The comments flooded the screen:

"Definitely crashing!"

"Definitely crashing +1."