How did this star become more popular after his scandal?

Chapter 185 Hu Tian was dumbfounded

When Director Hong Tao pushed open the door of the lounge and walked in, the guests' eyes were all focused on him. Everyone was eager to know the ranking results of this episode.

Hu Tian, ​​in particular, was incredibly excited. He was incredibly confident in his song and performance this time around. He felt like the situation from the previous episode wouldn't happen again. He had no chance of being narrowly defeated by Jiang Yu again. He knew many people were hoping Jiang Yu would surpass him, waiting to see him and Jiang Yu make a fool of himself in a competition.

But now, Hu Tian feels that this is impossible. The song he is performing in this episode was written by himself and his old partner Li Shuming. It was a song specially prepared for the semi-finals. He is very confident.

Furthermore, Jiang Yu's song "Sunny Day" this episode, while catchy, was too simple in both lyrics and music, giving it a perfunctory feel, as if he hadn't put much effort into writing it. Unlike him, this new song, co-written with his old partner Li Shuming, had been painstakingly written and composed.

"Everyone, thank you for your patience. The semi-final results are now in my hands. I'm sure everyone is eager to know the results."

Director Hong Tao still had that smiling face. When everyone looked at Director Hong Tao like this, they knew that he was going to start to keep people in suspense.

As expected, the next moment, Director Hong Tao picked up the milk sponsored by the sponsor and said, "Before we announce the results, let's go to a commercial..."

Everyone just stood there watching Director Hong Tao reading the sponsor's advertisement into the camera. Jiang Yu wanted to say, Director Hong, you are the director, why don't you make such little money? Let me do it.

Director Hong Tao was also a little embarrassed, but he had experienced a lot and knew that as long as he was not embarrassed, others would be embarrassed.

"Okay, let's get back to our show. Next, we'll announce the ranking results of this semi-final."

Everyone's attention returned to Director Hong Tao. Director Hong Tao glanced at the ranking results on the tablet and continued speaking with a smile.

"Then I'll announce it from the back to the front."

Hearing Director Hong Tao's words, Zhang Yue's expression suddenly became nervous. If the results were announced from the end, wouldn't she be the first to hear her ranking?

She was ready to leave, as the teachers ahead were no longer someone she could defeat.

"Seventh place, Zhang Yue."

When Director Hong Tao announced the seventh and final guest's name, everyone's eyes turned to Zhang Yue. Although Zhang Yue had been prepared, she still felt a pang of disappointment when she heard her name, and she was filled with bitterness and disappointment.

As expected, I was the one who was eliminated.

Sun Leyan gently patted little sister Zhang Yue's shoulder to comfort her.

"Sixth place...Hashimoto Kana!"

"Fifth place...Sun Leyan!"

"fourth place……"

When Director Hong Tao announced the fourth place, he paused and glanced at the guests' reactions. Sun Leyan and the others were quite accepting of the ranking result; it was within their expectations.

Director Hong Tao looked at Jiang Yu, Hu Tian and the other four people who had not received their results yet. He originally wanted to ask Duo Ya, but when he thought about her Chinese not being very good, his eyes fell on Jiang Yu.

"You four, Xiao Jiang, are the only ones whose rankings haven't been announced yet. Where do you think you stand? Will you still be in fourth place like last time, or will you be at the front?"

When Director Hong Tao asked this question, everyone looked at Jiang Yu.

Director Hong Tao asked this question, has Jiang Yu's ranking changed in this episode?

Hu Tian seemed to realize something, but after thinking about it carefully, he thought that maybe Director Hong Tao was just asking this question for the sake of show effect, to whet the audience's appetite. After all, this kind of thing has happened every time the ranking results are announced before, and he has asked himself this question before.

When Jiang Yu heard Director Hong Tao's question, he smiled and replied, "Well, I'm not sure either. I'm just waiting for you, Director Hong Tao, to announce the results."

He kicked the ball back to director Hong Tao.

This question is a bit tricky to answer, especially since I'm one of the top four. If I say it's the same as before, I'll definitely get criticized by the audience when the show airs, saying I lack confidence. If I say I've made it to the front, they'll think I'm too arrogant. These days, the audience and netizens are really weird, so it's best to give this ball back to Director Hong Tao.

Seeing that Jiang Yu did not jump into the pit, Director Hong Tao looked at Hu Tian again and asked with a smile.

"Then how does Mr. Hu feel about his ranking this term?"

Hu Tian also did not respond. Facing the camera, he had a smile on his face. Although his cheeks were made up, one could still see some scars from being beaten by Jiang Yu.

"I'm not sure about this, but it shouldn't be fourth place."

He said this half-jokingly, glancing at Jiang Yu as he spoke. No matter what happened, he would never end up in fourth place. As for Jiang Yu, Hu Tian felt that fourth place was very likely to be his.

Although I didn't expect that this guy's simple and perfunctory song "Sunny Day" would be liked by so many people this time, allowing him to rush into the top four again. But this time, my votes will definitely leave him behind by a distance. It will definitely not be like before when I was only a few votes away from Jiang Yu and was almost surpassed by him and became a laughing stock.

Seeing that neither of them fell for it, Director Hong Tao stopped talking and just glanced at Hu Tian. It was this glance that was keenly caught by Hu Tian.

All of a sudden, Hu Tian felt a panic for no reason.

What does Director Hong Tao’s look mean?
Am I really fourth?
No, that's impossible. Maybe it's because my ranking and votes in this issue are very high, leaving Jiang Yu far behind, even first, or almost surpassing Duo Ya?
Hu Tian stared at the tablet in Director Hong Tao's hand. The next moment, Director Hong Tao's voice sounded again.

"Fourth place in the semifinals...Hu Tian, ​​total votes: 1008!"

"Third place... Jiang Yu, with a total of 1089 votes!"

"Second place... Park Jun-yeol... 1110 votes!"

"First place... Duo Ya... 1167 votes!"

When everyone heard the result, they were shocked.

Hu Tian is fourth and Jiang Yu is third?!
At this moment, Sun Leyan and the others suddenly looked at Hu Tian and Jiang Yu with a hint of shock in their eyes.

Jiang Yu actually surpassed Hu Tian!

And the vote gap is quite big!

There were one thousand audience members on site, plus the votes from five experts, totaling one thousand five hundred votes. Hu Tian only got about one thousand votes this time, which was dozens less than Jiang Yu!
At this moment, Sun Leyan and Zhang Yue were stunned. Even Hu Tian's entire body seemed to stiffen when he heard the result. Even the smile on his face disappeared at that moment. In its place, there was a touch of shock, confusion, and disbelief.

Did I lose?

Hu Tian couldn't believe the result, but when he looked at the semi-final results on the tablet displayed by Director Hong Tao, seeing that he was in fourth place, and seeing his name behind Jiang Yu, it was like a sharp knife stabbing into his chest.

He actually lost!

Hu Tian seemed a little dazed and seemed unable to accept this result.

I had carefully prepared a new song, a song specifically for this semi-final, and it was a collaboration with my old partner Li Shuming, and yet I lost, lost to Jiang Yu?!

His face turned pale and blue, and at that moment, it was as if he had tinnitus. The sounds around him were noisy but he couldn't hear them clearly. He felt dizzy and lightheaded. This made him stumble back a few steps and sit down on the sofa.

He couldn't accept that he actually lost to Jiang Yu this time, and that he was even dozens of votes behind him!

Why?
Just because of his simple and perfunctory song "Sunny Day"?
My lyrics and music are countless times better than his. Li Shuming and I spent countless hours creating this song, but it actually lost to Jiang Yu's rubbish song "Sunny Day"?
How could a song that is so simple that seems to be done in a perfunctory manner be liked by so many people?
Hu Tian couldn't understand why this was happening.
At this moment, he raised his head slightly, as if he saw Jiang Yu's face with a smug smile. He clenched his fists, this bastard, why on earth!
Director Hong Tao just glanced at Hu Tian and didn't say much.

"Okay, our semi-finals are over. Unfortunately, Xiao Zhang, you have to leave our stage. As for the next round, there will be challenge singers participating, and we will follow the new rules that Producer Xu mentioned earlier."

"If the challenger's votes exceed any of our guests, then they're considered a success, and the last-placed guest will be eliminated. If they don't, then they're considered a failure, and the guest won't be eliminated..." Jiang Yu and the others listened intently as Director Hong Tao explained the rules for the next episode. But Hu Tian sat there, feeling like he couldn't hear anything.

At this moment, he seemed to have lost his soul. He sat there with a frown on his face, as if he couldn't accept that he would lose to Jiang Yu in the semi-finals.

He didn't know how he left, only Jiang Yu's smug face was all he could see. Sitting in the car, he barely listened to his agent. He couldn't even imagine how big a fuss his loss to Jiang Yu would become after this episode aired. He was going to lose all his face.

Seeing this, the agent sighed inwardly.

"Cheer up, Lao Hu. It's just one failure. Don't be discouraged. There is still a chance."

He hadn't been entirely surprised that Hu Tian would lose to Jiang Yu in the semifinals. Honestly, while he thought Jiang Yu was quite capable, and his song "Sunny Day" was certainly pleasant, it was still too simple, almost perfunctory. He knew how long Hu Tian had been preparing for this new song, having co-written it with teacher Li Shuming.

The result was that he lost to Jiang Yu, and even though he was ahead in the expert panel's votes, he was overtaken again. This time, the gap was quite large, with the vote gap being dozens of votes.

Do today's audiences like simple and perfunctory songs like "Sunny Day"?

The agent was a little confused, but seeing that Hu Tian looked a little distraught, he also tried to comfort him.

"It's just once. Who hasn't lost before? As long as we can win back and get our advantage back, it won't be a big deal. And your new album is going to be released early next month. As long as it's a hit, this won't be a big deal."

"You just need to cheer up now. Don't let one failure get you down. Prepare well for the album promotions. When the new album explodes, this won't have much of an impact."

The agent felt that although losing to Jiang Yu was indeed unexpected, and when the show aired, public opinion would undoubtedly explode. However, a single failure didn't prove anything. Even Hu Tian and Li Shuming, who had become superstars back then, had lost to other superstars before.

This failure served as a perfect reminder to his friend to take Jiang Yu seriously and not underestimate him. Jiang Yu's momentum was truly overwhelming, and even now, caught in the whirlpool of public opinion, his momentum remained undiminished. His strength and talent were rare in the industry. He knew full well that his friend had always looked down on Jiang Yu with a certain disdain and contempt.

This time, losing would serve as a good reminder for him. A failure would allow him to clearly see Jiang Yu's strength, allowing him to face Jiang Yu thoroughly, learn from his mistakes, and win again next time.

As long as he could win back later, then this loss wouldn't matter. And as long as the new album he was about to release performed well, Hu Tian would still be the king in everyone's hearts. Jiang Yu was just lucky to win against him once.

When Hu Tian heard the words of his friend and agent, his eyes lit up slightly.

Is there still a chance?
Yes, I only lost this time. If I get scared by Jiang Yu this time, then I will really lose. One failure doesn't mean anything. I have lost before, and even the singers in the circle, which one has not lost?
Jiang Yu thought this was just a fluke. As long as he could win back, then winning or losing wouldn't matter. Furthermore, if his next album performed well, or maintained the same performance as before, then this stain would naturally be overshadowed.

Hu Tian thought of Jiang Yu's past where he relied entirely on fans to inflate his statistics. He seemed to have good results, but he was not popular at all, and there was not even an album that could compare to his own. The fire in his heart burned again.

Yes, he still has a chance. Next time, he will also have his new album. These are all opportunities. He must use the new album to prove himself that he is not weaker than Jiang Yu, and he is better than him!

Who was Jiang Yu? Was his album's success comparable to mine? Just because he luckily beat me once, did that mean he was better than me?

Thinking of this, the light in Hu Tian's eyes gradually returned, and there was even a bit more seriousness in his eyes.

"I understand. I underestimated my opponent this time. This will never happen again."

Hu Tian admitted that he had underestimated Jiang Yu before, and it was his own negligence that led to his loss in the semi-finals. Next time, he would never underestimate his opponent again. He had to get back at the top. He had to win the next round, and his new album had to be a hit!

He wanted to let everyone see that Jiang Yu's victory over him once didn't mean anything, Jiang Yu was just lucky.

The agent was relieved to see Hu Tian recover. It would be great if he could figure it out. The agent was most worried that this failure would destroy Hu Tian's spirit, which would be the worst thing.

……

In Hu Tian's villa, after a night of recovery, he had almost fully recovered. He sat in the yard with his old partner, the country's top lyricist Li Shuming, drinking tea and chatting about last night's "Singer" performance.

Li Shuming frowned slightly when he heard that the new song he created with his old friend lost to the young boy Jiang Yu in the semi-finals.

However, after watching the video recorded on the spot by Hu Tian's agent and Jiang Yu's performance, Li Shuming just took a sip of tea and said.

"The lyrics and music of his song are so simple, but because of that, it feels catchy and easy for the audience to remember. The quality of our song this time is definitely no problem. It's just that the live performance was too short and the audience didn't fully understand the song. This time he was lucky."

Li Shuming felt he lost to Jiang Yu this time because his song was too simple. But precisely because of its simplicity, the audience was able to more intuitively understand and even remember his song during the brief performance. He felt their songs were of much higher quality than Jiang Yu's "Sunny Day," possessing a high level of quality and depth that required time to grasp. However, the live performance was too short, leaving the audience with insufficient time to grasp the song before the next singer's turn.

If they were to put it online in the form of a new song competition, Li Shuming didn't think he and Hu Tian would lose.

This time, he and Hu Tian both felt that Jiang Yu was just lucky.

Winning once really doesn't mean anything.

But this win and loss had Li Shuming thinking about comparisons. For so many years, among domestic lyricists, he was second to none. Which of his songs hadn't been a hit, a masterpiece for a major singer? Even when he and Hu Tian had lost, they'd only lost to a handful of top-tier singers, and the gap wasn't huge.

This time, he lost to the young boy Jiang Yu, and Li Shuming felt really humiliated.

but……

They still have a chance to get their place back.

"Looks like I have to be more serious. I have to get back this time. Lao Hu, leave the new songs to me for the next episode. You prepare the music then. Let's be serious this time. This kid is really good."

Hu Tian nodded as well. He also knew that he couldn't underestimate Jiang Yu anymore. He had already lost once, and he absolutely couldn't lose again.

"I understand that I must win again next time, and the performance of my new album must be even better. Only in this way can I cover up this stain."

Li Shuming also meant this. A single win or loss doesn't really mean anything. But it's definitely a stain on their careers. They have to win next time, and the new album has to be a hit, and even better than before.

"As for the new album, the company is going to start pre-promotion today. Just a heads-up, it's going to be released on the 1st. So, I'll have to do a lot of promotion then."

If Hu Tian wants his new album to perform better, he can't just go on a few shows to promote it like he did in the past. This time, he has to make a thorough move to ensure that the new album gets more exposure and achieves better results.

……

Meanwhile, Jiang Yu had already prepared the songs for his new album. He planned to record them in the company's studio over the next two days, and then release them online on December 1st. After all, work was quite busy right now, with a lot of announcements. He had a couple of days off, but then he had to fly off to record a new episode of "Singing While Walking."

"Boss Jiang, if there's no problem, I'll start working on the new album."

Chu Jingya watched Jiang Yu come out of the recording studio. He had already recorded some songs in the morning, and the recording of the new album should be completed today or tomorrow.

She had originally thought the new album would take a long time to record. After all, recording a song well takes time and effort, and you can't be perfunctory, otherwise the recorded songs will be poor. However, she underestimated Jiang Yu's singing skills and ability. For him, these songs were all written by him, so he understood the meaning of the songs more clearly and expressed the emotions more accurately, so the recording process was faster.

Now that she had confirmed the progress of her boss's new album recording, Chu Jingya was ready to start the promotion and preheating. After all, it was only ten days away until December, so preheating now would be perfect for the time being.

Xiaoyue handed the thermos to Jiang Yu. Jiang Yu felt a little thirsty after the recording, so he drank some to moisten his throat and nodded.

"Okay, Sister Jingya, you can just take care of these things."

Chu Jingya nodded, then used Jiang Yu's Weibo account and the company's newly registered official Weibo account to announce the December release of Jiang Yu's new song. Although she and her boss had agreed on December 1st, she didn't announce the exact release date for this preview. This was to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, such as missing the release date. It also piqued everyone's curiosity.

As luck would have it, just a few minutes before Chu Jingya announced that Jiang Yu would release a new album in December, Hu Tian's company and Hu Tian's Weibo also announced that Hu Tian's new album would be released in December.

All of a sudden, not long after the news from both sides was released, it became a hot search.

I’ve seen many people say that this part about Hu Tian is not good, so I’ll end it as soon as possible and move on to a new volume, focusing on the protagonist and his other two exes, Yang Xue and Song Yuqing. There’s also a career line, so let’s write about the two lines together.

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(End of this chapter)