Chapter 41: Yu Wei Makes His Move!

"Thirdly..."

"You've got a thirdly, for fuck's sake?"

"I haven't quite figured out the thirdly yet, ugh!"

Qi Yuan sighed, his exhausted eyes slightly out of focus. The dark circles under his eyes made him look so pathetic that even Zhang Lingye felt a twinge of guilt after snapping at him.

"You're right, I acknowledge you, so can you please go home and get some rest?"

If paparazzi caught him looking like he was on the verge of sudden death, they would spread rumors that the agency was abusing him. By then, wouldn't his millions of "Taro Ball" fans raise hell for three days and three nights?

"There are still so many things I can't figure out."

Qi Yuan clutched his head. Hearing Zhang Lingye say that actually made his head hurt a bit. "What kind of vibe is Yu Wei's new variety show trying to go for, and what on earth does that short film mean?"

Two songs had already made their real-life debuts one after another. Following Yu Wei's pattern, that short film definitely existed in reality as well.

"A short film?"

Zhang Lingye hadn't read Yu Wei's book yet and didn't know the specific plot, but he knew about short films—not only did he know, but he had even acted in one.

"You know?"

Qi Yuan's bloodshot eyes suddenly lit up. The exhaustion from pulling an all-nighter was instantly washed away, as if he were ready to memorize every single word that came next.

His appearance genuinely startled Zhang Lingye. This didn't look like doing research at all; if someone didn't know better, they'd think he was obsessed with reading a novel.

"Not really sure..."

It wasn't that Zhang Lingye was unwilling to speak, but Qi Yuan's current state was genuinely a bit dangerous. What if he heard something even more mind-blowing and just passed out on the spot?

If he told him about the script right now, he probably wouldn't be able to handle it. He should at least wait for an appropriate moment to tell him later.

"I knew it."

Qi Yuan forced himself to give him a side-eye through sheer willpower. He had racked his brain all night and couldn't figure it out, so it would be a miracle if a brainless guy like Zhang Lingye knew.

Instead of counting on him, he might as well look forward to Yu Wei updating soon!

Watching Qi Yuan drag his weary body away, Zhang Lingye had a rare flash of nostalgia for the days when they had first debuted as a group. Back then, they used to chat and laugh just like this.

It was just that ever since a competitive dynamic emerged, their relationship had grown distant.

Now look at them—a single Yu Wei had completely stunned both of them. Those open and covert rivalries were meaningless, and the so-called barriers naturally vanished.

Only an external enemy could put an end to internal strife.

"Is this book... really that good?"

***

Yu Wei slept until he woke up naturally, feeling refreshed and full of energy. He kicked off the blanket casually and nearly fell off the bed as his body listed to one side.

It seemed he really ought to change places. Now that the group had disbanded, it wasn't very appropriate for him to keep living in the artists' apartment, and the conditions were indeed mediocre anyway.

Back then, he was a total nobody, so he had gotten the worst room.

His six former teammates had all moved away long ago after making it big, leaving only a freeloading slacker like him lingering behind. In the past, he didn't have the means, but now he just needed to give the company a word, and his life assistant would arrange it.

Every industry is the same: as long as you have value, people will take care of everything for you...

Wait, the web novel industry didn't seem to work that way. He had never heard of any novel platform arranging for a Platinum God-tier author to have their food and lodging provided.

A backwater industry confirmed.

Aside from sending tomb-raiding authors to prison...

After filling his stomach, Yu Wei began a new day of creation. The new readers drawn in last night were frighteningly numerous, and the comments begging for updates were countless.

Did these people stay up all night reading every single chapter?

They were absolute hardcore readers.

Today's chapter was very important. After all, it was the first chapter after revealing his identity, and there were definitely not a few people waiting in the front rows to watch the spectacle.

Initially, Yu Wei wondered if he should write some kind of author's note, but he decided against it in the end. Readers came to read books, not to read short essays; that kind of fluff should be kept to a minimum.

[Several singer-songwriters were tortured to the point of agony by the time-limited and theme-restricted composition challenge, but Wei Yu alone wore an expression of effortless calm, as though he had simply spent an ordinary week.

Everyone suspected he might have a backlog of unreleased work, which happened to match the theme of this episode: "Color."

Under the director's cue, the recording of the third episode of "I Am a Singer-Songwriter" officially began, with Wei Yu's opponent for this round taking the stage first—the female singer Chen Yi.

The piece she brought was titled "Crimson." Through delicate lyrics and melodies, she deeply explored the complex emotions within romance from a female perspective.

Chen Yi's naturally storytelling voice was gentle and lingering, yet laced with humility and disappointment, strongly striking a chord with the audience at the scene.

"Wei Yu is in danger."

This was the shared thought of the other singer-songwriters and the director's team. Today's judging panel had a preponderance of female audience members, and songs from a female perspective possessed a natural advantage.

What's more, the song itself was exceptional; if it were any of them up there, they basically wouldn't have any chance of winning...

"Wei Yu, how would you evaluate your opponent?"

After the performance, the host stepped in to liven up the atmosphere through the standard procedure. Usually, moments like this mostly consisted of mutual commercial praise.

Who would have thought that Wei Yu remained the same old Wei Yu? His critique showed absolutely no mercy, analyzing everything from the lyrics, melody, and overall composition to the inner core, ultimately awarding a score of just 6.

Only six points for that? Had he lost his mind?]

Giving a passing grade in the novel was already being generous on Yu Wei's part. Although "Crimson" in Blue Star had a polarized reputation, the fact that it was wildly popular was undeniable. Scoring it too low would easily offend people.

In the book, Wei Yu could defy the heavens and earth, but he couldn't. When it came to the instinct for self-preservation...

This song was a standard easy-to-sing pop track—quite pleasant to listen to, but looking into it deeply made it completely inadequate, bordering on whining over nothing and lacking any real depth.

As an analogy to ancient poetry, if a classic musical masterpiece was a seven-character quatrain, this song was a doggerel rhyme. Its catchy nature was undeniable, showing a touch of cleverness, but not much else.

If it were merely that, the song wouldn't have sparked such polarized reviews. What truly subjected it to heavy scrutiny was the suspicion of plagiarism.

Parts of its melody were far too similar to a Japanese song. To not call it a direct copy, there was definitely a certain degree of borrowing involved.

As for those who praised it, their reasoning was simple: the song sounded good and catchy, and it was genuinely popular. Didn't popularity mean widespread public recognition?

Yu Wei chose this song for "targeted strikes," clearly rejecting that notion. If being popular meant being good, then auction-style rap would be able to sit at the proper dining table.

His understanding was that music capable of withstanding the test of time was real music. Internet hit songs might stay popular for a year or two, but they would definitely never last for twenty.

Popular things aren't necessarily good, but they definitely have die-hard defenders. Those who loved it adored it, and those who hated it loathed it, which was why the reviews for this song were so polarized...

Still, he could easily win against this level of song—and do it through a total encirclement of the same theme, the same concept, and the same perspective. You couldn't call it anything other than a targeted strike.

Yu Wei finally got to experience what it felt like to write a hit book. Less than five seconds after the new chapter was published, three comments popped up in the backend.

"First floor."

"First floor."

"Front row."

Several comments in a row were just checking in with the chapter title. Yu Wei simply started writing the next chapter directly, deciding to check the readers' evaluations and thoughts later.

He had meant to increase the readers' sense of immersion, but the readers seeing this song definitely didn't think that way...

Good news: The book has finally become a true copycat novel.

Bad news: The real-life song is given to a supporting character.

What on earth is Yu Wei trying to do?

"Is that the 'Crimson' I've heard before?"

"It has to be. Chen Chen's song, and the novel character is named Chen Yi—he isn't even pretending anymore."

"Finally, a song I've heard before, but why is she the opponent?"

"What is the meaning of this, sir?"

"I get it. Yu Wei is planning to open fire on internet hit songs! Writing this book really does have a profound meaning—the world has suffered from internet hit songs for too long, support the crusade of justice!"

This update adjusted the reader immersion stat; the "Over-Interpretation" talent was adjusted to "Reasonable and Well-Grounded," and conspiracy theorist players were about to become the optimal meta version.

The previous plot points in the novel could still be explained as genre tropes, but this time directly reversing the trope into a plagiarism-style face-slap was clearly intentional.

Yu Wei had made his move!

This was clearly meant to use the protagonist "Wei Yu" as a tool to beat internet hit songs to a pulp—dropping normal songs in real life, but landing heavy punches inside the novel.

Letting Wei Yu take the blame for offending people had what to do with Yu Wei himself?

Oh my god, the master chess layout of God Yu.

"Let me see what the readers are saying... What the hell?"

Yu Wei just wanted to write some real-life songs to give readers a bit more immersion; when did he ever want to revitalize the glory of the music industry?

Even if there was a slight element of targeted striking, it was at most finding a point of reference to use as a unit of measurement. He completely lacked any such grand ambition.

Shouldn't readers be looking forward to what song he would use to win the competition? Why did they fast-forward directly to this stage...

"If you ask me, we shouldn't just beat internet hit songs. Can we just beat up the entire entertainment industry? Write a song, beat a target, until no one dares claim supremacy."

Yu Wei was startled when he saw this comment. Write a song, beat a target? Did they think he was the Grimnotch taking attendance? And beat the whole industry? Were they trying to get him killed faster?

I'm just a lowly book writer, what do you guys want me to start a crusade for?