CHAPTER 38: CHAPTER 34: EXPLOSIVE INTERNET SENSATION SKYROCKETS TO THE TOP

"In the human world, who lives,"

"if not as if in a competition?"

"I won’t cry, for I have no dignity left to abandon,"

"When, someday, those dreams,"

"become debts in the sea of people."

"Don’t be sad, let it go,"

"This song is a gift."

The crystal-clear voice, with its sad melody, was paired with lyrics marred by mottled scars. It plunged like a knife into the hearts of all who were listening, cutting to the quick and painfully touching their very souls.

"Damn, isn’t this song a bit too real?"

"It’s so suffocating to listen to. I feel like I can barely breathe!"

"Her singing this song is like an angel performing the sorrows of the human world, not the sorrows themselves singing."

"Gossip cuts deeper than a sharp knife, and human hearts are mostly unfathomable depths. Only those who have experienced it can truly empathize, and only by feeling it can one reconcile with oneself."

"Her performance of this song wasn’t just about using her voice; it was more like she was confiding, accusing, and using her own personal experiences to tell us that gossip wounds more deeply than a knife."

"I had planned to enjoy a musical feast, but instead, it felt like looking in a mirror and stabbing myself the moment it began."

This was the real reaction of many viewers. Because it was broadcast on a television station with no real-time comments or ways to interact, Weibo quickly became the hottest spot.

Under the official Weibo account of *The Sound of Nature*, the comment section was filled with discussions, as many netizens shared the emotions they felt from the song.

Initially, only a handful of people were casually chatting online. Most of the attention was still on the television.

But as the second performer finished, many viewers felt a sense of disappointment.

It felt as if they had tasted a strongly flavored dish, and the next was a bland, common stir-fry, lacking novelty, not dazzling, and tasteless.

At that moment, everyone thought it might be an individual singer’s choice of song and arrangement issues. After all, they were old songs, and such feelings were normal.

However, as the second and third performers took the stage, the stunning feeling from Xu Qingqiu’s performance was missing. Then they realized it wasn’t that the others weren’t singing well or that the arrangements were poor. Instead, it was that Xu Qingqiu’s performance had been too astonishing—

so astonishing that it suddenly raised their aesthetic standards.

So astonishing that their senses were spoiled and numbed. Their thresholds were raised, and they could no longer tolerate those "old songs in new bottles," their minds filled with the struggle in Xu Qingqiu’s voice.

More and more netizens chose to go online to vent their emotions and discuss their feelings with others.

The program team also realized something and promptly released singing clips on their short video accounts and Weibo.

This action was like a light in the darkness, instantly attracting the attention of netizens.

"Wow, she sang so well! Listening again, the feeling is even deeper."

"Listening to the song while reading the lyrics—only then can you truly appreciate what the song narrates."

"In this life, who doesn’t struggle and stumble forward?"

"Gossip is like a knife, always by your side and unavoidable even for ordinary people, let alone stars. Just the other day, people were all over the internet saying all sorts of things about her. Then she came out with this song—I can only say it’s awesome!"

"Indeed awesome! The songwriter must have tailored this for her, right? It must be Xu Qingqiu’s way of responding to the online controversy?"

While the show was still being broadcast, the song she performed had already started trending.

On short video platforms, videos using the song as background music quickly appeared, all invariably depicting various sad and desolate scenes.

The chief director of the program watched the TV ratings curve and sighed helplessly.

Indeed, starting off with someone so stunning isn’t good.

The one who performs first is usually at a disadvantage, but that depends on the person.

Perhaps it wasn’t so apparent on stage, but it became incredibly striking in reality.

This song, even with its revised lyrics, was still very subtle. Yet, it resonated with so many people, which said a lot.

By eight o’clock that night, both the network version and the live version of the song were simultaneously released online, one on a video platform and the other on a music platform.

The heated discussions online had already sparked the curiosity of many netizens. After all, not everyone has a TV.

Not everyone has the time to sit in front of the TV.

Most people were either just getting home, still working overtime at the office, or didn’t have a TV.

So, the show’s main traffic was still online.

With its rising popularity on social media, the online version attracted a huge amount of traffic as soon as it went live. Numerous netizens flocked to it.

It must be said that the production team really went all out this season. Not only was the stage glamorous and the equipment top-notch, but even the audio was edited.

As for why they edited the audio, that’s a deep issue. To put it simply, it was for the show’s overall effect.

To put it bluntly, as veteran singers from the first two seasons became fewer, new singers inevitably faltered at times. But the show had to go on; they couldn’t let the performers lose too much face, right?

Regardless, the show’s presentation was fantastic, and that was the feeling among the viewers tuning in.

Until the first singer, Xu Qingqiu, started to perform.

"Listen to it a billion times!"

"Here I am again!"

"Xu Qingqiu sings so well, I’m totally her fan now!"

"I’m here for my wife!"

Dense barrages of comments swept across the video. It was unknown how many people this one song had hooked into becoming her fans.

Xu Qingqiu leaned back on the sofa, watching the comments on the video, her lips pursed as she secretly snickered.

Ever since the show aired on TV, their attention had shifted to the internet. The best feedback was a sudden spike in fan numbers and a complete turnaround in the tone of the online comments.

Just then, Li Chunhua passed her phone over with a surprised look.

"What’s up, Sister Hua?"

Xu Qingqiu looked up, puzzled, not understanding why.

"Why are you looking at me? Look at the phone!"

Upon hearing this, she looked down and saw a message in the chat box: ’Congratulations, your new song has already broken 100,000 plays.’

What did that mean?

Xu Qingqiu was still a bit confused. She hadn’t released any songs recently, except for the one today, and it had only been online for just over an hour.

Li Chunhua glanced at her and sighed before explaining,

"It’s your song. This person is a staff member from *The Sound of Nature*, managing the song’s backend data."

As she spoke, she directly opened the music app and started checking the charts.

It would have been fine if she hadn’t looked, but this glance made her heart skip a beat.

"Qingqiu, look! Here, here, and here, it’s all your song!"

Xu Qingqiu knelt on the sofa and looked down. She saw the same song appearing in several categories on the charts.

[New Song Chart] First

[This Week’s Hot Song Chart] First

[Soaring Chart] First

There were seven charts in total. The song hadn’t appeared on the other charts yet, but these three number-one spots were enough to explain the situation.

Keep in mind, today was Friday, and the charts refreshed every Sunday at midnight.

This meant that in just one hour, her song had surpassed five days’ worth of data from other songs and skyrocketed to first place! What did that signify?

If everything went as expected, they would still be first next week. If they could maintain it for a week, Xu Qingqiu’s popularity would be secure!

The three of them sat on the sofa, staring at each other for a long moment before suddenly hugging and cheering.

How long had it been since they had been this excited? They had almost forgotten.

Xu Qingqiu was happy, but some people were not.

Such as Chu Tian.

Inside a room in Building No. 6 of Qingfeng Garden Community, Chu Tian lay on his bed, gritting his teeth and glaring at the air in front of him.