The social media battle ultimately paused after Qin Shousheng posted his pinned Weibo.
But it was merely a pause.
Everyone knew that the victor would be determined by whether Ting Yu could deliver more impressive works.
Ting Yu and Qin Shousheng's online clash had captured the attention of many, and simultaneously propelled the song "Gu Yong Zhe" to immense popularity.
In just a few days, it was nearing the second spot on the hot song chart, held by "Chi Ling."
It was worth noting that "Chi Ling" had been on the charts for the longest time, and Lin Zhaoyang had been promoting it in its early stages to achieve its current standing.
"Gu Yong Zhe," however, had no promotion whatsoever, relying entirely on Ting Yu's personal appeal. Reaching this level of success was a testament to the importance of hype for a work.
The coffee shop below Bloom Entertainment's building.
"Zhang Wei, congratulations."
Li Yunchuan genuinely felt happy for him.
"Thank you, senior brother."
Zhang Wei's face had been frozen in a smile for quite some time.
According to his agent, his schedule was already booked until the latter half of next year.
This was even after declining smaller commercial performances.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have had so much time.
He had now completely made a comeback, and his appearance fees were on par with first-tier singers, which signified that the market had recognized his value.
And all of this was thanks to Ting Yu!
Zhang Wei's phone pinged again.
He knew without a doubt it was the internal group chat for the contestants of "Good Guys."
"@Zhang Wei, truly worthy of being the champion of Good Guys, your singing is impeccable!"
"Haha, I knew Zhang Wei's talent wouldn't be buried like this!"
"@Zhang Wei, big champion, are you too busy to even treat us to a meal now that you're famous?"
"This solidifies Zhang Wei's position as a first-tier singer. If he can sing a song like 'Gu Yong Zhe,' he might even reach super-first-tier status."
"Zhang Wei, we're all friends, you can't hog all the good stuff. Can you introduce us to Teacher Ting Yu and have him write a song for us too?"
"That's right, we've been friends for so many years, you should at least look out for us, right?"
"Haha, @Zhang Wei, is the big champion that busy that he's not even popping into the group?"
"..."
Just as the group was spamming @Zhang Wei,
A single message suddenly rendered the entire group silent.
【Zhang Wei has left the group chat】
In reality,
Zhang Wei finally breathed a sigh of relief.
These so-called friends made him feel utterly disgusted.
Yet, seeing their fawning yet tinged with sourness messages also gave him a sense of triumphant satisfaction.
There was nothing worth cherishing about these people anymore.
Having experienced so much, he had learned many valuable lessons.
Quality friends were better than quantity. Having his senior brother, a friend who never abandoned him, was more than enough.
It was like a line from the game "Hero":
"I have trod the highest peaks and fallen to the lowest valleys; both have taught me greatly."
...
Zhou Sisi had been very frustrated lately.
Because "The Legend of Sword and Fairy," the book she had taken on, had only experienced explosive updates for the first two days. After that, the author, Jiangnan, had completely fizzled out.
He wrote five thousand characters a day, and each time he stopped at a crucial plot point, driving her crazy.
Just as she was reading about her aunt being unable to defeat the Baiyue cultists and the Wine Sword Immortal descending from the heavens, it abruptly ended.
As an editor, she was more anxious than the readers to see the next part of the story.
Just as she was considering how to chase down Jiangnan for the manuscript, her phone suddenly rang.
She picked it up and saw it was her grandfather calling.
"Old man, why are you calling me at this time?"
She answered, playfully asking.
"You cheeky girl, no respect!"
The aged voice on the phone carried a hint of pampering.
"Hehe, I'm at work, spit it out if you have something to say."
Zhou Sisi, holding her water cup, got up to get some water.
"It's almost Chinese New Year in a month. Are you coming back for the holiday this year?"
"If you don't force me into blind dates, then I'll come back."
"How dare you say that! Last time you refused to go on a blind date, and now that Su Yu kid has been snatched away by that girl Lin Yanyu!"
The elder's voice, filled with exasperation, came from the other end of the phone.
"Oh, you're talking about Su Yu. I've met him. He's quite handsome, but not my type."
Zhou Sisi calmly took a sip of water.
Others had such good relationships with Lin Yanyu, so she didn't need to interfere.
Besides, she could see Su Yu's character; he wasn't the type to flirt around.
However, his little follower was quite interesting...
"When did you meet him?" the elder asked, astonished.
"Didn't you ask me to attend a friend's wedding for you before? I met him at the wedding. But they almost demolished the wedding venue, and it was Lin Yanyu who diffused the situation."
She had been present at the time, but it was too chaotic, and she hadn't even had a chance to talk to Lin Yanyu.
"There was such a thing? If I had known that Su Yu kid would be there, I would have gone myself."
"You're at an advanced age, you should just stay in Kyoto."
Zhou Sisi was a bit speechless.
"What, you think your grandpa is old? Don't look at my age, I'm still active in the opera association..."
"Alright, alright, I know all your glorious deeds. You've told me countless times since I was a child, I can recite them backwards..."
As if knowing what the elder was about to say, Zhou Sisi quickly interrupted.
"Sigh... I'm old. Even my granddaughter finds me long-winded. It seems I'm truly useless. I wonder which nursing home in Kyoto is good..."
The aged voice carried an endless sense of desolation...
"Uh... I'll come back for Chinese New Year, alright!"
Zhou Sisi's lips twitched involuntarily.
"You said it yourself. Come back early."
After saying that, the line went dead.
Zhou Sisi looked at her phone, stunned for about ten seconds before snapping back to reality.
That old man had manipulated her again!
She stomped her foot and, carrying her water cup, walked back to her workstation.
"Sisi, you've been coming in quite early lately."
Lu Xun walked in from outside.
He had been in good spirits recently, as the new book under his management, "Ling Yu," was performing well.
Judging by the reader data, it should maintain its previous performance, and perhaps even surpass it slightly.
"Mhm, I've signed a good book recently."
Zhou Sisi nodded and said mysteriously to Lu Xun.
"Sisi signed a book?"
"Why didn't you tell us? We could have helped you review it."
"What's its name? I'll go take a look now."
Her colleagues, upon hearing this, put down their work.
The Xianxia department was already in decline, and because of Zhou Sisi's lively personality, her colleagues all enjoyed working with her.
Therefore, they all wanted to help her sign a relatively good book so that she could stay in the Xianxia department, bringing them some cheer.
"It's called 'The Legend of Sword and Fairy.' I've already signed it. You can go take a look."
Zhou Sisi chuckled and gave them the book title.
"Sword and Fairy? About swords?"
"The name certainly has a Xianxia feel to it."
"Let me see what good book our Sisi has signed."
Upon hearing this, her colleagues immediately went to the website to search for the book title.
Meanwhile, Zhou Sisi took a sip of water with a mischievous grin.
See? Once you read it, you'll know what a cliffhanger writer is...