Chapter 53: Trending Searches Explode! The Entire Internet Descends into Chaos! [Requesting Monthly Votes]

On the way, Lu Ming learned that Dilraba was also in Shenzhen attending an event, which happened to be not far from the broadcasting studio where he was located. Seeing that he had stirred up such a huge mess, she had immediately driven over to "rescue" him. Hearing her say this, Lu Ming actually felt quite touched inside, and he decided to be appropriately gentler to Dilraba the next time they recorded Keep Running.

After all, in this day and age, women who were exceptionally beautiful, cared about you, and were willing to spend money on you were extremely rare!

"Where are you taking me?" Lu Ming asked with curiosity.

Dilraba replied, "To have a meal, and chat about music by the way."

Hearing her say this, Lu Ming suddenly felt a bit hungry too. After all, earlier he had been entirely focused on making Teacher Yang and Teacher Hua completely full, leaving his own stomach rumbling.

The place Dilraba chose was a membership-only restaurant specializing in Hunan cuisine. As public figures, places of this sort all over the country were regular haunts for them. In terms of dish flavors, Lu Ming felt there was actually not much difference compared to regular restaurants, but these establishments primarily focused on creating a superior dining environment and privacy. After all, as a public figure, going to a regular restaurant to eat would inevitably invite trouble.

"When you said earlier that you could sing, I didn't really believe it. I never expected that you actually can sing, and that you're so amazing at it!" Dilraba sat across from Lu Ming and said enthusiastically, "Although I don't understand music theory, I could tell that your high notes today were even higher than the original singer's. That kind of mastery in high notes takes at least twenty years of solid practice. Bro, you hide your talents really deeply!"

"I have a bold guess!"

"How bold?"

"You played Huayue for a fool all this time, didn't you!" Dilraba excitedly brought up the doubt in her heart, wanting verification.

Vocal skills with such a high degree of professionalism obviously could not be perfected overnight. In the music industry for so many years, which singer worthy of being called exceptionally skilled hadn't accumulated at least seven or eight years of experience to reach their current prowess?

No matter how strong Lu Ming's innate talent was, with such profound fundamental skills, he must have had a certain foundation long ago without ever revealing it. At the thought of this, the look Dilraba cast at Lu Ming was suddenly filled with strangeness.

When such a thing happened in reality, it was hard not to feel shocked.

"You're this smart?" Lu Ming was astonished.

Suddenly receiving a compliment, Dilraba broke into a wide smile. "If there weren't some other reason, I simply couldn't understand why someone as strong as you are now could release those substandard singles back during your peak period that were boycotted by the entire internet."

"You guessed correctly. Your reward is to be the female lead in my new drama. Interested?" Lu Ming looked at Dilraba without denying it.

His future plan was diversified development, destined to blossom across three tracks: the music industry, the television circle, and the film industry, fiercely conquering the audience's ears and eyes. With such a huge contrast between his past and present, netizens would inevitably associate this with the fact that he had deliberately concealed his abilities and played Huayue for a fool.

Are you kidding me? A twenty-year exclusive contract with a shockingly lopsided revenue split of ninety-ten, where even the artist's meager ten percent share was defaulted on and withheld—with such a black-hearted company, which artist with even a tiny bit of talent wouldn't think of finding a way out?

"The female lead?" Dilraba was startled.

"Are you seriously planning to go into acting? Since your vocal skills are so good, isn't developing in the music industry the best choice? Besides, I specifically went and searched for clips from your previous drama. To be honest, your eyesore of an acting performance back then made me genuinely want to punch through the screen, and I couldn't recover for three whole days after watching it!"

"Bro, whether we make money or not doesn't matter; the important thing is that we really shouldn't torture the audience's eyes anymore!"

"Alas, I never expected that your tender thirty-eight-degree mouth could utter such ice-cold words!" Lu Ming put on an injured expression. "They don't believe me and slander me on the internet every day, but I never imagined that even you wouldn't believe I have acting skills!"

"Actually, my acting skills are really good. That kind of cringeworthy acting that could literally scare someone to death was similarly just my camouflage to escape Huayue's clutches."

"Really or fake?" Dilraba wore a look of utter disbelief. "But from what I saw back then, you looked like you were having a blast acting that way."

Lu Ming: "..."

"I thought you saw through my disguise and were different from those worldly gazes, but it turns out you only saw through half of it."

Dilraba hesitated. Could this washed-up celebrity actually be a genius?!

"You don't need to worry about my acting skills; it will definitely give you a surprise. In short, this web drama of mine is guaranteed to blow up this year. While I wouldn't dare say it guarantees you a spot among this year's Four Dan Actresses, it will definitely become immensely popular for a time. Do you want to take a look at the script? The roles of the two female leads in it are both very suitable for you!"

Lu Ming genuinely felt that Dilraba could handle either Yueya or Yue Qiluo, the two female characters in the script.

Yueya was foolish with relatively little screen time, a pure-love goddess through and through.

She was portrayed by Jin Cheng in his past life, but because the character wasn't as dazzling compared to the other roles in the show, Wu Xin: The Monster Killer failed to make her popular across its two consecutive seasons. On the contrary, every single character other than Yueya became more popular than the last, especially the CP pairing of Zhang Xianzong and Yue Qiluo, which countless netizens shipped obsessively.

The original version of Yue Qiluo in his past life was the kind of adorable little loli who instantly evoked pity at first glance. Her ruthless and vicious personality formed a sharp contrast with her delicate and cute face, which was precisely why she left an extremely deep impression on many viewers.

Character shaping was undoubtedly successful.

But in fact, if Dilraba were to take on this role, purely based on her exotic face, combined with Yue Qiluo's ruthless personality and bizarre, eerie artistic style, it would instead highlight the horror elements of this drama even more.

With a well-plotted script laid out right here, coupled with his current traffic and paired with Dilraba's breathtaking looks, filming it meant hitting the jackpot!

Another thing was that if Dilraba played Yue Qiluo, his top-tier divine face in the Chinese entertainment industry, coupled with his past history of hitting rock bottom due to the "simp" scandal, playing Zhang Xianzong would definitely generate massive buzz.

The final finished cinematic effect surpassing the height of his past life in this world was an absolute certainty.

Seeing Lu Ming so confident, coupled with the fact that she had recently signed on as a resident cast member for Keep Running, meaning she really didn't have any major film or television project locked down outside of a few commercial appearance announcements, Dilraba admitted that she was somewhat tempted to give it a try.

"I can take a look at the script first!" Dilraba said. "As for whether to take it or not, I still have to discuss it with Sister Mi, and my current salary..."

She looked at Lu Ming with an apologetic expression.

Before joining Keep Running, Dilraba had also filmed a few dramas. Although her current star status still fell far short of top-tier television actresses, thanks to the massive explosion of popularity from Keep Running recently, her Weibo follower count had violently surged by nearly two million in just a few short days. With her fame growing, her market value naturally rose correspondingly. The reason she hadn't finalized any acting projects all along was actually because Sister Mi had multiplied her salary demand several times over and had been screening offers recently.

As far as she knew, for a modern romance drama spanning a total of forty-one episodes and filmed over three months, Sister Mi had rejected an offer of twenty million.

Currently, multiple parties were still locked in a tug-of-war.

"Considering our friendship, I'll make the executive decision and give you a salary of zero!"

Dilraba: "???"

"Bro, how on earth do you manage to say such a stingy thing with such a generous tone?" Dilraba puckered her lips, speechless.

Lu Ming argued righteously and with absolute confidence:

"You're thinking too small, your perspective is too narrow. I was originally prepared to offer you a salary of thirty million, but the moment I thought about how truly healthy relationships don't mix in any material things, and that you aren't a materialistic and vulgar girl either, if I were to pay you a salary, what would I be doing? That would be insulting you, distorting you, and leading you astray onto the path of greed!"

"You must remember, genuine human warmth still exists in this world. Brother isn't strapped for cash; Brother wants to uplift you in the most selfless way possible. Brother is going to throw himself into the fray to bring you to conquer the Golden Eagle Award, conquer the Best Actress title, and conquer this year's Four Dan Actresses! Such a gift is far more meaningful than a string of cold, lifeless numbers!"

"The money is right there, and whenever you want to earn it, it won't run away. But once this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is missed, you'll never encounter it again. Do you really want to watch other female stars snatch away the awards and honors that rightfully belong to you?!"

Dilraba: "..."

"You're so smart, you must definitely be able to appreciate my painstaking efforts by now, right?" Lu Ming gazed at Dilraba with sincere eyes.

"I appreciate them."

Lu Ming's expression turned gratified, but in the very next second, he saw Dilraba wear a resolute expression: "I appreciate your utter shamelessness! Bro, even if you're trying to fish, at least hang some bait on the hook! You're literally just out here dry-fishing!"

"Alas," Lu Ming sighed, his heart aching. "I never expected you to understand me so little. Usually you call me 'Big Bro' this and 'Big Bro' that, but now that Big Bro has trouble you ignore it. Fine, I'll take my leave..."

"Don't! How wonderful it would have been if you'd just said that earlier, and I didn't say I wouldn't agree to you anyway." Dilraba quickly grabbed Lu Ming, who was about to stand up and leave. "I'll take on this script of yours!"

"You're taking it without even looking at the script?" Lu Ming was startled.

Dilraba smiled faintly. "I mainly want to see what kind of script could possibly make you that confident. Besides, you're right—you can earn money anytime, but you're already blacklisted. If I don't seize the chance to collaborate with you now, maybe once this wave of heat dies down, there won't ever be another opportunity. Filming a drama with you must be a lot of fun!"

Lu Ming paused for a moment.

"Didn't you say you needed your Sister Mi to make the final decision? If the two of us do this like this, won't Sister Mi be angry if she finds out? If I cause you and Sister Mi to argue because of this, I'll feel guilty..."

"..." Dilraba was rendered speechless. "You are so manipulative!"

"She won't try to tear us apart, will she?" Lu Ming still asked with lingering concern.

Dilraba bluntly stated, "There will probably be a bit of resistance. After all, with your current reputation, I'm afraid not a single female actress with any name recognition in the Chinese entertainment industry would dare to collaborate with you, especially for something like filming a drama. Just hearing about it makes people terrified!"

"But you can rest easy, I've got this!" Dilraba patted her chest in assurance. "I'll just tell her we've already signed the contract. Sister Mi usually dotes on me quite a bit; once the raw rice is cooked into cooked rice, she'll have no choice but to agree."

"Then it's settled!" Seeing that the meal was almost finished, Lu Ming stood up and prepared to leave. At that moment, the waiter who had been standing not far away helping to pour tea and water walked over with the bill. "Sir, the total is 2,761 yuan. Here is the bill, please check it."

"Have her pay." Lu Ming pointed at Dilraba, and then added, "Also, help me pack two bottles of Moutai, and put that on her tab as well."

The waiter: "..."

"Next time you encounter something like this, please be more proactive. You're a grown-up, going out to eat with a boy without even a shred of lady-like grace—how can that do?" Lu Ming reproached her with a righteous air of entitlement.

Dilraba: "..."

...

That same night.

Keep Running's dominant position on the hot search trending charts was squeezed aside, and a series of related trending topics concerning Who is the King of Singers soared into the air en masse.

#The Chinese Music Industry Has Blown Up!#

#The Greatest Live Broadcasting Accident in the History of Music Variety Shows!#

#When a Washed-up Celebrity Goes Out to Battle, Not a Blade of Grass Grows! When a Washed-up Celebrity Drinks, Life and Death Are Unpredictable!#

#A Washed-up Celebrity Has Ruined the Chinese Music Industry!#

#An Ordinary, Mediocre Music Variety Show Has Been Pushed to Heights It Never Should Have Reached by a Washed-up Celebrity!#

#Teacher Hua Threatens to Boycott the Washed-up Celebrity.#

#Insects Form Long Queues Outside the Dental Clinic of Shenzhen First People's Hospital, Ganging Up to Visit Teacher Yang.#

#If Seeing Each Other Again Cannot Be Done with Red Eyes, Can It At Least Be Done with a Red Face? Sister Zheng Meets the Washed-up Celebrity Once Again and Sheds Tears!#

#The Washed-up Celebrity's Madness Has Finally Spread to Music Variety Shows!#

#The Washed-up Celebrity's Vocal Skills#

As the buzz fermented, major comment sections were completely filled with a wildly explosive scene.

[I'm utterly shocked. I've been busy with work lately and haven't paid attention to the entertainment circle for a month, only to come back and be told the entire Chinese entertainment industry was detonated by a washed-up celebrity?!]

[In the past, when stars wanted to get on the trending searches, it was either a female star's shoulder strap slipping at an event or some male star cheating on someone. Everyone was sick of these hype tricks, but I was even sicker of watching them. This wave of the washed-up celebrity throwing himself into the fray has completely swept away this crooked trend in one fell swoop.]

[True talent-type contestants never bother with these small-time spectacles. My Bro Washed-up Celebrity only had to make a tiny move, and it immediately became the absolute limit of the trending searches.]

[Hot searches come and go like flowing water, but the washed-up celebrity stays firmly glued on top!]

[The Chinese entertainment circle has suffered under Teacher Yang and Teacher Hua for a long time. In a sense, the washed-up celebrity has eliminated a public hazard for the people this time.]

[Choose the lesser of two evils. As a hater of Ming, there's no need to elaborate on how much I hate the washed-up celebrity, but if the washed-up celebrity's opponents are those three teachers, I'm supporting the washed-up celebrity this time!]

[In ancient times, Wu Song got drunk and beat a tiger; today, the washed-up celebrity got drunk and eliminated three pests!]

[Looking across the entire Chinese entertainment industry, if you ask who has the most friends, it's impossible to calculate, but if you ask who has the most enemies, the washed-up celebrity is uncontested!]

[Honeybees, Yellowjackets, Megnies, Little Ears—he was already facing enemies on all sides before, and now he's added two more opposing factions: Insects and Fresh Flowers. When it comes to the number of anti-fans, my Bro Washed-up Celebrity can be said to have a hundred flowers blooming in this field!]

[I'm dying of laughter.]

[The washed-up celebrity's madness is truly off the charts, but did really nobody notice the washed-up celebrity's vocal skills? That rendition of "Love Even Unto Death" possessed emotional tension and technical execution that genuinely felt even more moving than the original singer's version.]

[As a music major, I just remembered. Earlier I was too busy laughing and actually ended up ignoring the most important thing.]

[...]

While netizens were busy eating melons, an increasing number of people instantly turned their attention to his musical talent. After all, compared to his past ear-splitting noise and tone-deaf performances, the musical talent Lu Ming displayed now was clearly on a completely different dimension from his past self.

As more and more people participated in the discussion of this topic, the trending search topic regarding #The Washed-up Celebrity's Vocal Skills# skyrocketed at breakneck speed, squeezing into the top three of the trending list before long.

Netizens from all walks of life scurried over to the social media account platforms of various singers in the Chinese entertainment industry, or simply rushed straight into their live broadcast rooms to seek verification.

In a split second.

The entire internet was dancing with demons and monsters; virtually every singer with any name recognition hastily stepped forward to deliver harsh reviews on Lu Ming's musical foundations.

Voices of recognition were ultimately in the minority. Out of respect for the lofty positions held by Teacher Hua and Teacher Yang in today's Chinese music industry, most people feigned ignorance while knowing the truth, trashing Lu Ming's vocal skills as completely worthless. Many people criticized him for maliciously mocking Teacher Yang's "insect-style singing" as a mere gag.

As the discussion around this topic became increasingly widespread, even some online singing streamers who had nothing to do with music and merely made a living on the internet relying on sound cards and various equipment eagerly joined the army of harsh critics.

For a brief moment.

Lu Ming's negative traffic instantly became a grand feast for countless third-tier minor singers and streamers to capture public eyeballs!

A wind of ruthlessly critiquing the washed-up celebrity quickly swept across the entire internet.

...

Deng Ziqi couldn't sleep in the middle of the night, her mind entirely filled with the image of Lu Ming singing loudly on stage. Whenever she thought of his sky-piercing high notes and his application of vocal techniques during the performance—which was even more solid than her own foundational vocal skills—she couldn't help but feel a sense of astonishment and dissonance.

An internet idol who was previously tone-deaf, had zero vocal technique, and couldn't even convey any emotion in his singing could transform overnight into a powerhouse singer stronger than herself. This made it extremely difficult for her to let go.

Recalling Lu Ming's past masterpieces and comparing them to the events that happened today, she instantly experienced a very strong sense of cognitive fracture.

"It's already almost two AM. The internet should have long since sung praises of his musical talent to the heavens by now, right?" Deng Ziqi picked up her phone from the bedside table to check the time. Since she couldn't sleep, driven by curiosity, she intended to go online and surf the web.

The moment she opened Weibo, however, she was dumbfounded.

The internet's prevailing winds and topics didn't escape her expectations, and the topic regarding the washed-up celebrity's vocal skills had indeed surged onto the trending list, ranking second. But the problem was that even the comment sections were flooded with all sorts of derogatory voices, and it was rare to see anyone genuinely understanding just how high the washed-up celebrity's technical proficiency truly was.

Countless social media accounts were even posting updates harshly criticizing the washed-up celebrity's vocal skills as still being atrocious. On the rare occasion that she saw two different viewpoints, they merely stated that the washed-up celebrity had improved by a tiny fraction compared to the past—and of course, it was strictly just a tiny fraction.

"How could this be? Did someone buy troll armies?" Deng Ziqi found it hard to believe.

She opened the short-video platform to check what the situation was like there, and lo and behold, she was instantly stunned. Not only were the marketing accounts completely unified in their stance, but even some singing vloggers who couldn't even explain what the definition of vocal technique was were talking big while spewing full-on derogatory remarks.

"This is utterly unreasonable!" Deng Ziqi felt anger rising from the bottom of her heart. "It's one thing for these clueless laymen to jump out and ride the coattails of the hype, but how can even those industry insiders be telling blatant lies with their eyes wide open?!"

"They are simply insulting the profession of being a singer!"

In a fit of anger, Sister Deng immediately turned on her room light, got up to quickly touch up her makeup, and directly launched a live broadcast on Douyin.

Although she had never met the washed-up celebrity before, the moment she thought of these people's hypocritical faces spouting lies while wide awake, a bellyful of fire ignited within her. She immediately resolved to set the record straight for the washed-up celebrity!

[Sister Ziqi starting a live broadcast in the middle of the night?]

[Seeing the live broadcast notification, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Can a big celebrity like you really stream at two in the morning?]

[Has my wife finally remembered the password to her Douyin account?]

Netizens who received the live broadcast notification rushed over to watch the spectacle, all of them sending out barrage comments in astonishment.

...

Today's update is a bit slow.

The next chapter will be after twelve. I won't sleep until I finish writing it, and the author will continue churning out words.