Kyoto,
Lin family villa.
Lin Chaoyang stood by the window, his expression calm, a subtle smile on his brow.
“Miss him already?” Chen Rong entered from outside.
She had just sent Su Yu and Lin Yanyu to the airport. After spending a few days in Kyoto, they were returning to Shuangqing City today.
Chen Rong had wanted them to stay a few more days, but the Ace City Competition was still ongoing, and the next round was about to begin.
“What’s there to miss…” Lin Chaoyang shook his head.
“Still playing hard to get. Su Yu stole the show this time, and you were bragging to all your friends that he’s your son-in-law. You thought I didn’t know?”
Chen Rong said with a half-smile.
“Can’t I brag? I’m telling the truth. He is my son-in-law. He’s been calling Dad for so long,” Lin Chaoyang retorted, annoyed.
“Yes, yes, you’re so capable,” Chen Rong rolled her eyes at him.
Lin Chaoyang returned to the sofa and sat down, then sighed, “Originally, I called that kid here to broaden his horizons. I didn’t expect him to broaden the horizons of those old timers in the cultural circles instead…”
“Heh heh… It was indeed quite unexpected.” Chen Rong chuckled at the thought of those cultural elites looking shocked.
“Su Yu is good in every way, just too low-key. He’s proficient in poetry and couplets, and he writes beautiful calligraphy, yet he’s only showing it now,” Lin Chaoyang said.
There was a hint of disappointment in his tone.
“Do you think everyone is like you, with their talents known to all?” Chen Rong, however, really liked this aspect of Su Yu.
She felt that Su Yu was capable but not boastful, a down-to-earth young man, perfect for settling down with.
“No, I need to let him show off more,” Lin Chaoyang shook his head.
He then picked up his phone and started searching on WeChat.
“Show off how?” Chen Rong asked, confused.
“Find some reality shows and see if the kid is interested,” Lin Chaoyang scrolled through the group.
“Reality shows? He has competitions, does he have time to participate?” Chen Rong was taken aback.
“Definitely not now. I’ll contact a few directors first, and after Su Yu’s competition is completely over, I’ll talk to him to see if he’s interested,” Lin Chaoyang said, then buried his head in WeChat, searching for directors.
He would contact them first, and whether Su Yu participated would depend on his own willingness.
…
The fifth installment of the Ace City Competition was in its preparation phase.
With the show having aired for so long,
the City Competition had become the hottest competition program.
Only two matches remained in the regional qualifiers.
Out of the five zones, only the champions of the regional qualifiers could advance to the main competition, meaning only five individuals would enter the city competition.
Currently, except for Ting Yu from the fifth zone, who had been the reigning champion since the first match and had successfully defended his title, all other zones had seen their champions replaced.
Shen Jinghong, a disciple of the Melody God from the first zone, was incredibly strong and was considered the most popular contestant after Ting Yu.
In the third zone, Xu Ming had attracted many fans with his masterful playing of traditional instruments. According to him, his instrument for this season would be the "xiao."
Besides these two zones, the second zone also had a highly popular producer named Liu Qiliang. He hadn’t participated because he wasn’t a reigning champion, but this season he would finally get his chance.
This person had a massive fanbase. Previously, because he hadn’t competed, he hadn’t garnered much attention. It was only when he took the stage this time that the terrifying scale of his fanbase was revealed.
Unlike all other producers, his fans were very unique, mostly middle-aged and elderly square dance enthusiasts.
This was because Liu Qiliang’s songs were very down-to-earth, and his music was popular at various square dance venues. His fans were precisely that vast number of square dancing aunties.
The aunties affectionately called him "Director Liu," which showed his dominance among them.
Although these zones received considerable attention,
the highest popularity still belonged to the fifth zone.
This was because it featured the most popular genius producer, Ting Yu!
Someone had compiled Ting Yu’s record online.
From his first song onwards, every single one had reached the number one spot on the new song charts.
In the earlier months, people said it lacked substance because the Ace Producers hadn’t made a move.
However, in the Ace City Competition, Ting Yu continued his chart-topping streak.
Not only did he compete in styles favored by his opponents, but he also defeated them by large margins.
It was almost like using their own tactics against them.
Online, discussions were also held about his versatile style.
“I think mainstream genres can’t stump Ting Yu.”
“Those in front, don’t be so conservative. I think no genre can stump Ting Yu.”
“Heh, are Ting Yu’s fans getting so arrogant now? Do you really think Ting Yu is omnipotent?”
“Don’t blame the fans for being arrogant. After all, Ting Yu proved his ancient Chinese style was god-tier at the cultural exchange. I admit Ting Yu’s ancient Chinese style is invincible, but that doesn’t mean he’s invincible in other genres. For example, Hu Yang from his own zone specializes in Cantonese. Does Ting Yu dare to compete with him in Cantonese?”
“Ting Yu isn’t an idiot; he wouldn’t use Cantonese to compete with Hu Yang. So he’s not truly omnipotent.”
“Not only that, but there’s also the square dance maestro from the second zone and the ethnic instrument maestro from the third zone. They have very high reputations in their respective fields. If Su Yu were to stick to his ancient Chinese style, he might still have a chance to win, as these are truly niche areas.”
“I admit Ting Yu’s ancient Chinese style is god-tier, but I don’t admit he can do everything.”
“Haha, I really hope he stubbornly continues to go head-to-head. That way, the competition will be more interesting. If he keeps winning with his ancient Chinese style, it loses its fun.”
“Ting Yu’s fans say they’ve screenshotted.”
“Ting Yu’s fans have reached a cooperation agreement with ‘Shenyin Zhe’.”
Just as these people were heatedly debating,
Ting Yu’s fans strongly intervened.
And the mysterious organization "Shenyin Zhe" suddenly posted a Weibo update.
“In recognition of the netizens’ approval of this organization, we have reached a cooperation with Ting Yu’s fans. Fans will be responsible for taking screenshots of discussions about Ting Yu before the competition, and Shenyin Zhe will release them collectively after the matches.”
This Weibo post immediately
shot to trending status.
After all, it had only been a month since "Shenyin Zhe" first appeared in the public eye.
By debunking Ting Yu’s opponents, they had gained the attention of many of Ting Yu’s fans.
In just one month, Shenyin Zhe’s Weibo follower count had surged. The main reason was that after so many instances of debunking, they were still able to unearth pre-competition remarks from Ting Yu’s opponents.
This was considered quite miraculous by netizens.
Those pre-competition remarks were also treated as scriptures by netizens.
After each match was completed, they would become a meme and go viral.
Now, with Shenyin Zhe and Ting Yu’s fans collaborating,
it undoubtedly increased netizens' sense of participation.
This novel experience made Ting Yu’s fans eager to participate, going around to capture any pre-competition remarks that doubted Ting Yu.
For a time, it even sparked a nationwide trend of "Shenyin Zhe."