Chapter 90: The Song Is Titled “The Crimson Actor”

On stage.

After Wu Junchen's group and Xu Xinru's group finished their performance, the mentors offered their evaluations. The praise was directed at Xu Xinru’s vocal prowess and the impressive dance skills displayed by Wu Junchen’s team members.

Following Wu Junchen's group performance, the popularity scores for several team members began to skyrocket in the "Tomorrow's Star" section of Penguin Video. Not only Wu Junchen, but the rest of his team also saw their popularity surging; some even jumped several ranks. Liu Yichen's popularity was drawing ever closer to Fang Xing’s, and at this rate, he would reclaim second place on the popularity chart within ten minutes.

Fans, in their excitement, started spreading the word and rallying support for the ranking vote. When Wu Junchen’s group finished, it was time for Fang Xing’s team to take the stage.

He Hao began the pre-performance interaction: “I just received news from the production team that the newly released arrangement of Fang Xing’s ‘Nocturne’ has already reached the top of the Hot Songs Chart on Music Storm.”

At these words, curiosity swept over the live audience and viewers tuning in to the stream. Phones were whipped out, Music Storm was opened, and indeed—the popularity of “Nocturne” had surpassed “Reckless Youth” to claim the number one spot on the Hot Songs Chart.

The livestream barrage exploded:

“It’s really number one on the Hot Songs Chart.”
“That was fast! It’s only been a few days!”
“It was still second this morning.”
“Yesterday it was third.”
“So it only took five days to hit number one—that’s unbelievably quick.”

Some fans, however, responded with skepticism:

“Didn’t they just throw money at this?”
“Of course, they must’ve bought the ranking.”

But those familiar with Music Storm’s popularity index fired back:

“A subscription-to-play ratio of 1:12—no way this is paid for.”
“‘Reckless Youth’ has a 2:1 ratio; now that’s what buying a ranking looks like.”
“Sales are three times the others, but plays are less than a tenth, and you accuse someone else of buying votes? Shameless.”

The barrage quickly devolved into an argument. The battle spread from Music Storm to the “Tomorrow’s Star” section on Penguin Video. Many listeners who loved “Nocturne” poured into the section.

“Say what you will, but for the quality of ‘Nocturne’ alone, I’m giving my vote.”
“I can’t stand some fans acting up, so I’m here to vote out of spite.”
“The more votes we cast, the more money the other side has to spend.”
“I’ll start with a one-yuan vote.”
“I, a proud Penguin Video VIP member, am putting down ten yuan.”
“It doesn’t matter if we win; voting makes me happy.”
“Aren’t you all supposed to be hating on him? Why are you voting?”
“Hating on him has nothing to do with voting.”
“Keep hating, keep voting.”

Many netizens began a wave of retaliatory voting. Annoyed by the incessant fan barrage, and influenced by the viral success of “Nocturne,” many casual viewers began voting for Fang Xing out of spite.

Originally, Liu Yichen was poised to overtake Fang Xing and reclaim second place on the popularity chart. But with the “Nocturne” phenomenon in motion, the tide turned instantly. Fang Xing’s popularity soared like a rocket, rapidly widening the gap with Liu Yichen and even threatening Wu Junchen’s top spot.

Wu Junchen’s fans started to panic. The admins in their fan groups quickly issued a notice:

“Stop voting for Liu Yichen—put all your votes on Junchen. Liu Yichen can’t surpass Fang Xing anymore; we must defend Junchen’s first place!”

Initially, the fans of Wu Junchen and Liu Yichen had formed an alliance, planning to help Liu Yichen surpass Fang Xing and push him down the rankings. But after the host’s announcement about “Nocturne” topping the Hot Songs Chart, Wu Junchen’s fans sensed something was wrong. Not only was Liu Yichen unable to overtake Fang Xing, now even Wu Junchen’s first place was in jeopardy. The fans quickly changed course and focused their support back on Wu Junchen.

…

The livestream continued.

On stage, He Hao pressed on with his questions: “Fang Xing, your ‘Nocturne’ just reached number one on the Hot Songs Chart. Do you have anything you’d like to say?”

Fang Xing, looking calm, answered, “Not really.”

And indeed, there was nothing more to add—after all, “Nocturne” reaching the top spot was inevitable. From the moment the song was released, its fate was sealed.

He Hao raised his brows, “Now that ‘Nocturne’ is number one, will your company throw a celebration party when you go back tonight?”

With a faint smile, Fang Xing replied, “Reaching the top is only the beginning. No need to celebrate just yet.”

He Hao arched his brows again: “Only the beginning? What do you mean by that?”

“Just what I said,” Fang Xing nodded.

At first, the audience didn’t react. But as the meaning of Fang Xing’s words sank in, a wave of murmurs rippled through the venue.

The barrage erupted:

“What does he mean, ‘reaching the top is only the beginning’?”
“Isn’t it obvious? He’s going for chart domination.”
“If reaching the top is just the start, then what’s the end? The end is clearly holding the number one spot for weeks.”
“This guy is so arrogant—how can we not hate him?”
“He’s just a singer; what’s with the attitude?”
“To be fair, I’ve been watching ‘Nocturne’s data these past days—the play count is rising rapidly. At this rate, chart domination is inevitable. The only question is, for how long?”

Music Storm’s popularity index is measured in weekly cycles. A hit song may reach number one in one week, but if it can’t sustain its momentum, it’ll drop from the top spot the next week. If the song is strong enough to stay at number one for a second week, that’s considered chart domination. The real question is how long it can hold that position.

Seeing that the topic of the Hot Songs Chart had been thoroughly discussed, He Hao moved things along: “So, Captain Fang Xing, which guest have you invited to perform with you tonight? May we invite your guest on stage to greet the audience?”

“No,” Fang Xing replied without hesitation.

Backstage, Li Caiwei nearly tumbled off her chair.

He Hao followed up, “Why not?”

Fang Xing offered a brief explanation: “This time, my guest performer is Li Caiwei. Her makeup for tonight is rather unique and not suited for an early reveal. You’ll understand soon enough.”

He Hao nodded. “I see. Seems like Caiwei’s appearance will be a surprise for us. Then, Captain Fang Xing, please tell the audience—what song will you be performing tonight?”

Facing the microphone, Fang Xing replied slowly, “The song is called ‘The Crimson Player.’”

“‘The Crimson Player’—does that refer to an opera performer?” He Hao pressed.

“All the answers are in the song,” Fang Xing replied, feeling there was no need for further explanation—the song itself would say it all.

“In that case, the stage is yours, Fang Xing and your collaborator.” With his cue delivered, He Hao turned and left the stage.