Chapter 13: No One Shall Sleep Tonight.

“Afeng?”

Han Jiayin seemed to notice the change in Lin Feng’s expression, so she linked her arm with his and turned her head slightly, her eyes brimming with curiosity.

“Hehe, it’s nothing.”

Lin Feng chuckled softly. A faint fragrance brushed past his nose, stirring a flutter in his heart.

“Jiayin, you smell so good.”

“...” Han Jiayin smiled helplessly and playfully poked Lin Feng’s nose.

Lin Feng’s heart swayed.

“Is this about Can Ge?”

“Don’t even mention him during our time alone!”

Lin Feng’s face stiffened.

There was no way he would let Li Can’s lousy song interrupt his romantic moment with Jiayin!

Such a tender solitude—who would want to listen to “Little Chick, Little Chick” at a time like this? Ridiculous!

“...Have you two had some kind of conflict?” Han Jiayin looked at Lin Feng with some concern.

Sometimes girls really couldn’t understand the strange bonds between men.

But to Han Jiayin, Li Can was one of Lin Feng’s closest brothers. Besides, when she used to secretly like Lin Feng, Li Can was the one who helped push things along.

Although Li Can often said things like “one who doesn’t know how to hint,” “one who only licks without making a move,” “obviously mutual crushes but nearly ended up just good classmates,” or “I can’t stand you two dragging things out, just get together already”...

Han Jiayin always remembered his help.

“No, no!” Lin Feng shook his head. “It’s just... how should I put it? His songs... I feel like, I don’t even know how to describe it properly, but with him around, I probably don’t understand art.”

“That’s not true. You’re already amazing. Don’t compare yourself to monsters.”

Han Jiayin smiled sweetly.

Her words immediately lifted his spirits.

There was a reason Lin Feng was so completely enchanted.

Which man could resist a compliment?

“Haha, Jiayin, shall we rest for a while in the pavilion?”

Though he felt the explanation was inadequate, Lin Feng was too mesmerized by the woman beside him to care to explain.

In fact, a strange thrill and excitement, born of a mischievous impulse, stirred faintly within him.

Once the song was released, he wondered how those people would react.

---

As for others’ reactions, Chen Meijing had no idea.

But she was certain she was about to break down.

This should have been an exciting moment—the release of her new song—but she was hiding in her dormitory, wrapped tightly in a thick quilt, as if reluctant to face the beautiful world outside.

Her computer screen displayed the music platform where her song had just gone live.

In the bottom right corner, messages of blessings from friends and family kept pinging.

But the more people cared, the more embarrassed and anxious Chen Meijing felt.

“...”

Facing an impending epic social death, her heart pounded wildly and her breath quickened.

Was this the price of fame?

---

Recalling the weeks of practice, the awkward MV shoot, and the shocked expressions of her colleagues as if they had seen a ghost, Chen Meijing barely understood how she had managed to endure it all.

If it weren’t for the song “Illusion” to fall back on, she couldn’t imagine what her future career would look like.

Ding~

At the scheduled time, the song went live.

Simultaneously, promotional pushes began.

Chen Meijing really didn’t want to look at the comments.

Yet the notification sounds sparked her curiosity.

It was like Louis XVI being led to the gallows, wanting to glance up to see if the executioner’s blade was sharp enough...

Unable to contain herself, Chen Meijing crawled out from under her quilt and faced the computer, clicking open the music comments, confronting her fear.

Suddenly, her vision went dark.

Right as the song launched, the first comment appeared promptly.

“Doesn’t this world have anyone who cares about you?”

The commenter’s ID was unmistakable.

“Volcano.”

That was Li Can’s usual online handle.

She never expected him to be the first to mess with her mindset.

Chen Meijing’s heart, which had been hanging by a thread, finally broke.

Meanwhile, Li Can, having just posted the comment, smiled cheerfully and nodded.

Getting scolded was inevitable, but simply enduring insults wasn’t enough—he had to stir things up and take the lead.

Whether Chen Meijing could handle it or not was none of his concern.

He had proposed the plan, but the path was hers to choose.

Besides, wasn’t being a star meant to be entertainment for others? What was the point of putting on airs?

If you could earn money unimaginable to ordinary people, what harm was there in being the subject of others’ amusement? Isn’t that how it should be?

Even the secondhand market knows to give back to consumers!

If Chen Meijing couldn’t get through this, then she shouldn’t be a star at all.

Just as Li Can expected.

Though the social death felt excruciating, Chen Meijing quickly adjusted her mindset.

Soon, as more comments poured in, insults began to appear.

“What crap is this?! Going crazy to get famous, huh!”

“What kind of terrible songs are these in the recommendations?!”

“Bedtime lightning strike, damn, what rotten luck.”

“Using such clickbait nonsense to disgust the public is pure pollution.”

Reading each comment carefully, Chen Meijing suddenly realized there was nothing she couldn’t accept.

The expectations had arrived, and she was far calmer than she thought.

The comments were sharply divided.

Although most netizens were fairly serious, there were always some looking for entertainment. The song “Little Chick, Little Chick” sounded painful to some, awkward to others, and downright hilarious to a few.

“I’m amazed—human imagination really knows no bounds.”

“Hahaha, try not laughing late at night, it’s so hard!”

“So what exactly is chua rice?! So annoyed.jpg”

“Shocked after the first listen, listening again.”

“So catchy, haha, I feel like I’m going to learn how to lay eggs.”

“Got a song for square dancing tomorrow, I’ll be the brightest on the street!”

It was clear that whatever the audience’s reaction, it was intense.

At this moment, company executives monitoring the data were fully convinced.

The release had preliminarily achieved its goal.

The attention was spreading at an absurd speed.

“Li Can really is a genius!”

Wang Yongchang thought happily, glancing at his secretary, who was staring at the data fluctuations in disbelief.

“This kind of song can really elevate the singer. As for Chen Meijing... whether she blows up or not depends on what happens next, but she definitely has presence.”

“For the next stage of promotion, it seems there’s no need to hype it up excessively. Better not to overdo it, but we can spread it further, let the song brainwash as many people as possible.”

“Coordinate with the variety show side to keep her stable. Chen Meijing becoming a controversial figure has both pros and cons. To minimize cons and maximize pros, this variety show opportunity is essential. It will decide if there’s a big enough stage for a turnaround.”

Soon, the company set plans in motion.

Overall prospects looked promising.

---

But things were different at school.

Those who held legendary senior Li Can in high esteem were nearly struck senseless by the thunderous shock.

No one had imagined Li Can could pull such a stunt.

“What on earth did senior experience abroad...”

“I’m crying, give me back my classical prince!”

The song was ridiculous.

But for the fangirls and fanboys, thinking that their lifelong role model, even their spiritual idol on the artistic path, had personally gone off the rails...

Kid, this wasn’t funny.

Laughter and cheer stopped the moment the music started playing.

What followed was laughter born of utter madness.

“Crazy, hahaha! Li Can really knows how to stir things up.”

“I knew it! I knew it! I’m not the only one crazy—everyone in the arts is nuts!”

That night.

No one could fall asleep.

Whatever the emotions, they were all intense.