The audience's cheers continued for a full five minutes before gradually subsiding.
The atmosphere at the live venue was incredibly electric!
Coupled with "Jue Jiang" (Stubbornness) being an inherently uplifting song.
The direct emotional impact naturally sent the audience into a frenzy.
Beyond the live venue,
The live stream's comment section was also flooded with messages.
"Listen to the Rain, you old thief! You made me cry again!"
"Lying in bed listening to this song, I felt my blood boil, an infinite surge of passion. I decided I couldn't stay so dejected, so I rolled over. But because the charging cable was too short, I rolled back."
"I never thought I, a mere salted fish, would be moved to tears by a motivational song..."
"I've been trying to quit lust for two hours. After listening to this song, I suddenly understood. Perhaps breaking through the heavens is my ultimate stubbornness! Tonight! Let's go all out!"
"It made me so passionate that I got up and beat up my useless roommate who was still playing games. Brothers, did I do the right thing?"
"The righteous path shines!"
"Wuwuwu... I had already given up on the postgraduate entrance exam, but after listening to this song, I suddenly want to try harder..."
"Keep going! Success awaits!"
"Everyone, keep it up!"
Apart from a few mischievous netizens,
Most were typing words of encouragement in the comment section.
Clearly, the song had resonated with their hearts, igniting their fighting spirit.
...
On the bus.
Zhao Qingquan sat by the window in the last row of the bus, wearing headphones, with a small cake on his lap.
It was already ten o'clock at night.
This was the last bus, and there were few people on board.
On his way home from work, he liked to sit by the window in the last row, listen to music with his headphones on, and watch the brightly lit night scenery outside. Amidst his busy schedule, this was his most relaxing time.
Today was his birthday, but work had been too busy, and he had to work overtime until now.
After work, Zhao Qingquan went to a cake shop to buy a small cake, as a way to commemorate his birthday.
His phone was playing the "Ace City Competition."
As a fan of Listen to the Rain, he listened to every song by Listen to the Rain as soon as it was released.
Today was no exception.
When Gong Ju Ren went on stage to speak, he couldn't help but chuckle.
Most fans of Listen to the Rain also liked Gong Ju Ren. After all, he was a man favored by Listen to the Rain, and it was a case of liking someone because of their association.
"When the world and I are different, let me be different..."
The song began.
Zhao Qingquan closed his eyes.
In this big city, people felt as if they were being pushed forward.
Even when tired, they dared not delay for a moment.
It was less about chasing dreams and more about survival.
It was almost funny.
He disliked the city; his dream was to return to his hometown and live an ordinary life.
Yet, to achieve that ordinary life, he had to work desperately in the city, toiling day and night and earning money, just to have a chance to realize it.
It seemed contradictory and absurd, yet it wasn't.
His current job, with its long hours, was tiring, but the salary was relatively high.
If he persisted for a few more years, saved some money, he could return to his hometown, open a small shop, spend time with his parents, and live an ordinary life with his wife and children back home.
"I am not afraid of being blocked by thousands of people, only of surrendering myself!"
When he heard this lyric,
The man's eyes instantly welled up.
Surrender?
When the pressures of life reached a certain point, even surrender was a luxury.
Time passed slowly.
By the time he finished listening to the entire song,
His eyes were already moist.
Just then, WeChat popped up with a video call.
It was from his wife.
Zhao Qingquan wiped his tears, took a few deep breaths, adjusted his emotions, and pressed the answer button.
"Honey, are you off work?" a gentle voice came from the other end of the phone.
"I'm off work. Has our daughter gone to sleep?" Zhao Qingquan nodded with a smile.
"Not yet. Xiao Ling, come here quickly, Daddy is off work." his wife called out.
"Why are you still awake so late? Xiao Ling has school tomorrow." Zhao Qingquan frowned.
Usually, by this time, his daughter would have already fallen asleep.
At this moment,
His daughter's small head appeared on the screen, and along with it, Zhao Qingquan's parents.
"Daddy, Happy Birthday!" his daughter's soft voice rang in his ears.
"Honey, Happy Birthday!" his wife also softly blessed him through the video.
"Quan, it's your birthday today. What are you planning to eat when you get back?" his mother's voice was full of concern.
"Quan, did you buy a cake?" his father leaned in and asked.
Zhao Qingquan stared blankly at the phone screen.
Listening to his wife's and child's blessings, and his parents' concern,
A pang of emotion struck him for no reason.
He quickly suppressed the tears that were about to fall.
He brought the small cake from his lap to the front.
"Look, I bought a cake." he held up the cake to the camera.
...
After chatting with his family for a while,
He heard their heartwarming reminders.
Then, he told his family that everything was fine and not to worry.
Zhao Qingquan hung up the phone.
He glanced at the traffic outside the window, and the rapidly passing neon signs.
He took a deep breath.
Opened the music app.
Searched for the song "Jue Jiang" that he had just listened to, and pressed play.
Then, he opened the cake packaging.
Holding the spoon, he ate it bite by bite.
Slowly, he lowered his head, his shoulders shaking incessantly.
"Zhao Qingquan, persevere, just a few more years, and your dream will come true!"
Listening to the song, he murmured to himself.
Though his voice trembled, it was filled with infinite resolve!
...
At the program venue.
The host returned to the stage.
"Thank you to both singers for bringing us such a wonderful performance!"
After speaking, the host continued, "Now, please welcome our expert jury to give their comments and cast their votes for both contestants!"
A member of the expert jury raised his hand.
"I lean more towards Teacher Li Shaojun's song. In terms of material selection, he is slightly superior to Listen to the Rain." someone commented.
"I believe a song cannot be judged solely on material selection. Let's comment on Teacher Li Shaojun's song first. His song can be considered as an unconventional approach, reflecting the difficulties of pursuing dreams through failure. The material selection is excellent, but the emotional depth is lacking. As for Teacher Listen to the Rain's 'Jue Jiang,' it made me, a middle-aged man in my forties, want to strive again after listening to it. It is undoubtedly a masterpiece of motivational songs." someone held a different opinion.
"I agree. Moreover, Listen to the Rain seems to be writing this type of song for the first time, using the most traditional writing style to convey a different feeling. I believe that for a while, motivational songs will have a new template."
"Gong Ju Ren's performance also added a lot of points to this song."
"I choose Listen to the Rain!"
"If it weren't for Listen to the Rain, Li Shaojun might have taken first place on the new song chart. However, the market response to Listen to the Rain's song will definitely be much higher than Li Shaojun's. Everyone can witness it together!"
After the experts' comments,
The outcome was clear.
Most people felt that Listen to the Rain had revitalized a very ordinary theme.
To achieve this was extremely difficult.
On the big screen,
The vote counts for "Jue Jiang" and "Meng Xiang Xian Shi" (Dream Reality) increased rapidly.
However, in terms of the speed of increase, "Jue Jiang" still had a slight edge.
Finally,
The votes were tallied!
"Jue Jiang" 1430 votes.
"Meng Xiang Xian Shi" 570 votes.
"Congratulations to Teacher Listen to the Rain for winning the first round of the Ace City Competition!"
The host's congratulations rang out.
The audience erupted in a sea of cheers once again.
Listen to the Rain had won.
He had defeated Li Shaojun, the "Motivation Master," with a motivational song.
And the margin of victory was so huge!
Li Shaojun was stunned, his head buzzing.
The other Ace producers also looked incredulous.
They weren't surprised that Li Shaojun lost.
They were surprised that Li Shaojun lost so badly.
A difference of nearly three to one in votes was simply outrageous for fellow Ace producers.
"We won!"
"Haha, Brother Yu is awesome!"
"Xiao Gong has grown so much this time. Compared to him, we're a bit too relaxed. Do we really have to be this competitive..."
"What good are Ace producers? What good is the 'Master of Motivation'? My Brother Yu used your specialty to crush you!"
In the singer's area, Zhang Yang and the others erupted in cheers.