Liu Wen didn't sleep all night.
She watched a show with her daughter.
After hearing the song "Prose Poem Written by Father," she thought of her recently deceased father.
She wanted to cry, but her eyes were extremely dry, without a single tear.
Her heart was no longer empty; it was filled with memories of her childhood with her father.
After placing her sleeping daughter in bed and tucking her in,
She sat alone on the sofa all night.
Even when her husband returned and called her name several times, she paid no attention.
As dawn broke,
She went to the bathroom and washed her face.
Then she woke up her daughter and husband.
Today, they had to go to deregister her father's household registration.
Despite not sleeping, Liu Wen felt no fatigue at all.
Upon arriving at the household registration department,
As it was just opening,
There weren't many people.
Liu Wen still didn't say anything, but her husband understood her gaze. With a tacit nod, he didn't follow her.
Liu Wen approached the household registration counter alone.
She handed the documents to the staff member.
After receiving the documents, the staff member began to retrieve the files.
Liu Wen stood there, watching quietly.
When she saw her father's information appear on the staff member's computer screen,
Her body trembled violently.
There, it was a household registration photo of her father.
Seeing that familiar face,
Liu Wen's eyes stung instantly.
After all this time, she hadn't shed a single tear, but now tears streamed down her face.
"Hello, after the cancellation, this photo will be gone. If you'd like, I can use your phone to take a picture to keep as a memento," the staff member said softly, noticing Liu Wen's gaze.
Hearing this, Liu Wen nodded quickly and handed her phone from her bag to the staff member.
After taking the photo, the staff member returned the phone to her.
Then, she handed Liu Wen a stack of documents to sign.
Liu Wen lowered her head, tears flowing down her eyelashes, dripping onto the papers.
Her name, Liu Wen, had eighteen strokes. In tradition, eight symbolized auspiciousness. Her father had painstakingly flipped through the dictionary to choose her name; it was the first gift her father gave her when she entered this world.
Now, using the name her father had given her, she was bidding her father a final farewell. With every stroke, her heart felt like it was being cut by a knife.
When she signed the last paper and handed it to the staff member,
She could no longer control her emotions and sank to the ground, her legs giving way.
"Mom!" Her daughter, Xiao Tong, rushed over immediately.
Her husband also hurried over.
The family knelt there by the counter.
Xiao Tong opened her small arms and hugged Liu Wen.
"Xiao Tong, do you know? Mommy doesn't have a dad anymore..."
As Liu Wen finished speaking, she hugged her daughter and sobbed uncontrollably.
It was the first time she had spoken since hearing that song last night.
Her words, however, instantly brought tears to the eyes of her husband and the household registration staff member.
...
The viewership ratings were about to break records.
In the meeting room of Watermelon TV,
Everyone wore tense expressions.
On the large screen, the viewership rating backend system was loading.
"According to the data department's analysis, our show's traffic has absolutely exploded!"
"Perhaps, the viewership ratings can really reach 5%..."
"I originally thought breaking five was a pipe dream, but judging from the show's feedback, I suddenly gained quite a bit of confidence."
"Haha, I thought it was just my imagination, but it seems everyone feels the same."
"It's time, refresh it quickly!"
When someone refreshed the viewership rating system,
The ranking appeared before their eyes.
Seeing these ratings, everyone froze.
Their mouths were so wide they could have swallowed a lightbulb.
"Awesome!"
"Holy cow!"
"Hiss... it's taking off!!"
Everyone shot up from their seats.
It wasn't that they didn't want to sit.
It was that this achievement made them unable to sit still!
Prime-time viewership ratings.
First place: "Music Touches Hearts" 8.5%
Second place: "The Masked Singer" 4.2%
Third place: "I Am a Singer" 4.0%
Fourth place...
In the industry,
A viewership rating of over one was considered a very impressive show.
The two "Singer" shows were currently the hottest variety shows online, which was why their viewership ratings were around six percent.
And now, "Music Touches Hearts" had surpassed the two dominant music programs and soared to first place in viewership ratings!
And it had reached an astonishing 8%!
"My directing career is now complete..."
"Unbelievable, I've been in this industry for so many years, and I've never seen anything so outrageous!"
"Am I dreaming? Pinch me!"
"Hiss... it's real, this is actually real!"
Exclamations echoed through the conference room.
...
Kyoto.
Lin family villa.
Lin Chaoyang was leisurely brewing tea in the courtyard.
He had a teacup in front of him and another teacup placed opposite.
Just as he had poured tea into both cups,
A figure walked into the courtyard.
"Haha, Old Lin, you knew I was coming, didn't you?" The person arrived in front of Lin Chaoyang, sat down opposite him, and unceremoniously picked up the teacup, drinking it in one gulp.
"To waste good tea given by my son-in-law. Truly a waste," Lin Chaoyang shook his head and sighed softly, but he still refilled his own teacup.
"He's not even married yet, and you're calling him son-in-law so fluently?" The person completely ignored Lin Chaoyang's words.
"I suddenly realized something," Lin Chaoyang said abruptly.
"What is it?" The person, who was about to take another sip of tea, paused.
"Your son is my son-in-law's disciple. This means that you, Shen Tianyue, are one generation below me," Lin Chaoyang said with a half-smile, looking at the person opposite him.
That's right, this person was Shen Tianyue, the chairman of Yihai Entertainment and the father of Shen Qingfeng.
"Juniors are juniors; we'll each address each other as we see fit," Shen Tianyue said, waving his hands quickly.
He didn't take it to heart at all. Instead, when he mentioned Su Yu, a smile he couldn't suppress appeared on his face.
He was happier than anyone that his son and daughter could become Su Yu's disciples.
As the chairman of an entertainment company, he knew Su Yu's potential better than anyone.
Being connected to such a nascent genius would bring immense benefits in the future.
"What's the viewership rating?" Lin Chaoyang didn't dwell on this topic.
"4.2%. This is the lowest viewership rating for 'The Masked Singer' since its premiere!" Shen Tianyue said with some indignation.
That's right, "The Masked Singer" was a Yihai Entertainment program, and Su Yu had inadvertently harmed his own company this time.
"I'm asking about the first place viewership rating," Lin Chaoyang said, taking a sip of his tea.
Shen Tianyue was stunned for a moment and replied, "8.5%. They were completely crushed."
Lin Chaoyang couldn't help but smile and put down his teacup. "It's close to what I predicted."
"Old Lin, you called me here just to mock me?" Shen Tianyue said with a hint of resentment.
"Of course not. I just wanted to ask if you've found any singers for the next season of 'The Masked Singer'," Lin Chaoyang continued.
The masked singers were nearing the end of the season.
The next season was scheduled to start in early next year.
Shen Tianyue frowned. "Most of the selections have been made, and the singers have been confirmed."
Lin Chaoyang said, "Drop one. I plan to have Su Yu give it a try."
Shen Tianyue was surprised. "Su Yu? Old Lin, have you gone mad? Having Su Yu, a producer, compete with a group of singing kings in terms of vocal ability? Do you know what kind of powerhouses are participating in the next season?"
The minimum requirement for "The Masked Singer" was being a singing king.
Because their identities were hidden behind masks, everything relied on their own strength.
Therefore, each episode featured performances with top-notch vocal skills.
This kind of competition was like a battle of gods among singers.
Furthermore, with their identities hidden, Su Yu's popularity would have no effect on the show, and it couldn't be used to create hype.
Lin Chaoyang said unhurriedly, "Keep one spot open for now. Whether he participates or not will depend on whether the kid is willing."
In the entertainment industry, only Lin Chaoyang dared to boldly ask Shen Tianyue to reserve a spot.
If it were someone else, they probably wouldn't even be able to finish saying this.
"But the singing kings who are participating have already been confirmed, and we at Yihai Entertainment are a reputable company..." Shen Tianyue said with some difficulty.
"Our company, Dynasty Products, will be sponsoring this season's show," Lin Chaoyang said with a slight curl of his lips, looking at Shen Tianyue.
Shen Tianyue was startled and, without thinking, picked up his teacup. "It's a deal!"
Dynasty Entertainment was not only an entertainment company but also owned several luxury brands.
The sponsorship from these companies was known for being incredibly lucrative!
No one in the industry would refuse it!
...