Chapter 38: Brother Can, is it absolutely necessary for us to sing this song?

"Brother Can! Come take a look! You’ve become a hot topic again."

Early in the morning, just as Li Can stepped into the studio, he was greeted by Lin Feng and Han Jiayin.

"Hmm? What did I do this time?"

Li Can leaned over to take a look. The two were scrolling through the "Melodious China" forum, and he caught a glimpse of a post. He almost couldn't keep a straight face.

[The rise of Li Can’s work is a heartbreaking carnival.]

"Pfft, which sentimental writer penned this sappy piece? Is this even a music critic? Why would they be heartbroken over my work becoming popular?" Li Can laughed out loud.

"It’s Wang Fusheng, the one you forced to speak up earlier," Lin Feng said with a chuckle.

"Oh? Well, in that case, he probably should be quite heartbroken."

Li Can hadn't intended to read further, but Lin Feng smiled and added, "This one is different. See for yourself."

"Oh?"

Confused, Li Can read a few more lines and was genuinely surprised. Wang Fusheng wasn't actually spouting mindless hate; he was praising him, albeit from a shifted perspective, finding a new angle to critique the broader environment.

[As a talent from the National Conservatory of Music, his work is solid, his aesthetic level is extremely high, and it has even received international acclaim. Yet, even someone like him must rely on hype to gain attention in the Chinese music market just to express himself in a more artistic form.]

[People can't tell what is good, so they can only be told what is bad; it seems this is the only way for "good" to get noticed. A distorted market, regressive aesthetics, and musicians compromising with the market have unveiled the ugliness of the traffic era.]

[The production concept of "A Glimpse of Beauty" is entirely anti-market. Not just the harmonies, but even the volume dynamics and spatial processing were handled with extreme precision. Everyone marvels at its artistry, but doesn't the current state of music—where one must first act like a clown to become a master—warrant deeper reflection?]

[In this grand farce, the sun representing art and aesthetics is falling into the abyss.]

"Tsk, Wang Fusheng is quite the talent. He even managed to find such a niche angle," Li Can noted, nodding.

It was interesting. A classic case of a self-proclaimed intellectual using information asymmetry to fear-monger and make wild insinuations. Looking at the comments, Li Can couldn't help but shake his head in amusement.

[I thought Old Wang was just trolling, but looking at it now, he’s truly willing to set aside his prejudices to look at the issue.]

[Who wouldn't agree? Sigh, it's tragic.]

[It really is: masters are wandering, while clowns sit in the halls.]

[It's a pity, but this market is one where bad money drives out good. If one wants to develop, perhaps Li Can's approach is the right one?]

Seeing these comments, Lin Feng asked with a smile, "Brother Can, so tell me, are you a wandering master, or a clown in the hall?"

"I'm a wandering clown," Li Can shook his head, looking utterly "humbled." "He is the master in the hall."

The high number of likes confirmed that many agreed with the post, leading to even more far-reaching interpretations. But...

"The perspective is too shallow. It’s one thing for the general public, but if even industry insiders can't see clearly, then they're just poorly trained," Li Can remarked. "'A Glimpse of Beauty' is not anti-market at all; it just uses a different approach than the norm. In fact, it's very market-oriented. Wang Fusheng’s vision is narrow—he’s shackled by so-called aesthetics and art."

Hearing this, Lin Feng nodded and laughed as well. As a musical talent himself, he understood exactly what Li Can meant. Perhaps the use of harmony isn't considered "important" in the Chinese music scene, but that's only because Eastern aesthetics prioritize melody. But in such a trend, isn't the field of harmony lacking in more works? Using harmony as the core to create something fresh and memorable—isn't that also a market strategy?

As for the talk of art, there's nothing tragic about it. Music isn't just art; it can have depth, but it can also be purely for entertainment. No matter how profound a comedy is, if it's not funny, it's a failure. Sometimes, if something is purely for laughs without deep content, as long as it's not vulgar, there's nothing to criticize.

"That guy? He doesn't know the first thing about music," Li Can said dismissively. "If he wants to pursue aesthetics and art, my advice is to stay away from pop music. The grand stage of serious music is waiting for you."

"But it's not waiting, so stop waiting for it," Lin Feng laughed even harder.

"The consequence of being hypocritical is that you can neither be a success nor keep your integrity." Some people love looking for art in entertainment music and entertainment in art music. Isn't that sick? If you want deep thought and cultural connotations, why not listen to serious music?

"He’s just blowing smoke, purely selling anxiety." Li Can waved his hand, not even bothering to refute it. "Wherever there are people, there is art. Human pursuit of the spirit is infinite. As long as humanity exists, art will always exist. Art never ends."

Changing the subject, Li Can looked at Han Jiayin. "Anyway, Feng-ge, are you and Jiayin ready for the variety show?"

"Of course," Lin Feng said, perking up. "This time, I'm going to get famous."

Three days later, there was a popular variety show where the two were scheduled to be guest performers. It was a mutual arrangement to boost each other's profiles.

Li Can seemed thoughtful. "I suddenly have an idea that could make you even more famous."

An idea? Lin Feng shuddered and looked at Li Can with immediate suspicion. "I’m warning you, don't pull any weird stuff on me."

Li Can’s ideas were unpredictable—sometimes brilliant, sometimes truly bizarre. It was a dual nature of genius and madness.

"It's not weird, it's just for fun," Li Can said dismissively.

Lin Feng looked grave, staring at Li Can. "Tell me first."

Li Can described his plan.

"Impossible! Absolutely not!"

Predicting Lin Feng's reaction, Li Can calmly continued, "If you take yourself too seriously, your persona will be pushed so high that you'll have nowhere to go. Any slight controversy will be blown out of proportion. Don't build your persona too high. If you don't build a house to begin with, you can't have a house collapse."

Lin Feng fell silent. A persona is easily filled in by fans' imaginations. If he just drifted along, his appearance, skills, song style, and his prestigious background would naturally form an image of someone serious and meticulous. But that wasn't actually him. If he didn't prepare early and let fans imagine a persona for him, who knew what would happen if his "true colors" were exposed? It was better to shatter that easy-to-imagine persona himself.

Considering it involved Han Jiayin, Lin Feng weighed the pros and cons and decided that losing a little face wasn't the end of the world. However, while he enjoyed watching others have fun, actually being the one to provide the entertainment... he still felt a bit hesitant.

"I’m just saying, Brother Can..." Lin Feng frowned, looking awkward. "Do we really have to sing this song?"

"Trust me, it will definitely be a hit," Li Can nodded sincerely. "Guaranteed."

"...Fine, I'll trust you this once!"