Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

It was almost 1 a.m. when I left the bar.

Jiang Fan returned to his rented room in the north of the city, took a shower, and lay down on the bed.

On the WeChat interface, Li Cheng sent an encrypted file and several voice messages.

Jiang Fan clicked on the competition rules for the second season of "Rising Star".

The program is divided into three tracks.

The "Unique Talent Track" selects contestants with originality and exceptional talent.

Beauty Track: Selecting contestants with high looks and idol-like qualities.

The "Magic Voice Track": Selecting contestants with outstanding singing skills and superior vocal qualities.

Each track will have a star mentor.

Jiang Fan's gaze fell on the list of mentors.

Duxiu Track Star Promoter: Xue Zhiheng.

A recognized gold-medal producer in the Chinese music scene, he has written seventeen annual hits and won the Chinese Music Award for Best Lyricist three times.

Known in the industry as a "melody genius," he is also notoriously bad-tempered.

When he was a judge last season, he scolded a contestant to tears on the spot, saying, "This kind of thing doesn't even deserve to be called a song," which immediately went viral.

Beauty Track Star Ambassador: Xu Qingya.

One of the four queens of Mandopop, she was the best-selling album for three consecutive years.

What a small world.

Two days ago, this woman tore his uniform in the security room.

Now, she has become the examiner on his path to promotion.

All-around track star mentor: Hua Xingyu.

The champion of the first season of "The Rising Star" debuted on various charts with his original hit song "Stars", winning the Best Singer-Songwriter of the Year award and rising directly to the top.

Jiang Fan noticed a line of small print at the bottom of the document.

Hua Xingyu's agency is Sheng Hai Entertainment.

Sheng Hai Entertainment.

Li Cheng mentioned at the bar that the direct entry spot was originally intended for trainees from Sheng Hai Entertainment.

Now that Jiang Fan has taken the spot, how will Sheng Hai react?

Jiang Fan clicked on Li Cheng's voice message.

"You can only choose the solo track. Xue Zhiheng is difficult to deal with, but he truly understands music. If you can win him over, it's more useful than winning the championship."

"The show will officially begin recording next Friday and will be streamed live online. Each contestant will perform one song for their debut stage. The show has been confirmed for a featured spot on the Tencent Video homepage, and the estimated simultaneous online viewership for the first episode is no less than eight million."

Jiang Fan turned off his phone screen.

He brought up the system panel and glanced at the numbers in the upper right corner.

[Remaining lifespan: 8 days]

[Remaining lifespan: 800 points]

[Skills: Basic singing, basic guitar]

His lifespan is now only 800 points, which is barely enough.

But after changing the song, his lifespan was immediately depleted.

He needs more lifespan.

With a sigh, Jiang Fan closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

But the countdown to the end of your life doesn't stop because of sleep.

Unbeknownst to him, as he fell asleep, a one-minute and fifty-eight-second video was spreading on Douyin.

The photographer's ID is "The Little Match Girl," referring to the girl who was trying to leave from the corner of the bar.

One toast to freedom, one toast to death: A "sorrow-relieving" master appears in a bar.

The screen was shaky, the lighting was dim, and there was noise.

All that could be seen was a young man in black sitting on a high stool, holding a guitar in his arms.

At 2 a.m., the number of views exceeded 100,000.

By daybreak, the video had reached number nineteen on Douyin's trending list.

-

Jiang Fan was woken up by his phone vibrating at nine o'clock on Saturday morning.

Three missed calls, all from Li Cheng.

He called back.

"You're awake?" Li Cheng's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement. "Your song 'Sorrow' went viral on Douyin."

"What do you mean?"

"Someone filmed you performing at a bar, and the video went viral, getting over two million views overnight. It even trended on social media. But the video is blurry, and nobody knows who you are."

Jiang Fan remained silent for two seconds.

"Don't let anyone know."

Li Cheng paused for a moment, then laughed: "You little rascal. Trying to save the suspense for the stage?"

"almost."

"Okay, I'll have Old Zhou at the bar keep quiet. But you'd better be prepared, Xue Zhiheng won't be polite to you just because you've become famous online."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Fan opened Douyin and searched for the words "Xiaochou" (消愁).

The first one is...

One toast to freedom, one toast to death: A "sorrow-relieving" master appears in a bar.

It has already received over 500,000 likes.

There are already thousands of comments in the comment section.

"Did a human write these lyrics? One cup to freedom, one cup to death, I'm fucking speechless."

"I need the song title!! I need the artist's name!! Which platform can I listen to it on?!"

"The video quality is so bad it's like a pixelated mess, I can't even see faces! Were any of you ladies there?!"

"I was there! Everyone who reached the door came back! But I couldn't see what he looked like clearly, the lights were too dim!"

"This person must be in their early twenties, right? How can they sing about a forty-year-old's life?"

Jiang Fan swiped through a few screens and then logged out.

Half a million likes is already considered a minor hit.

But he knew very well that popularity on Douyin comes and goes quickly; if you don't release new content for three days, nobody will remember your last name.

Jiang Fan quickly washed up and headed straight for the city center.

Clothes make the man.

His current outfit, bought from a street vendor, probably wouldn't even pass the security check at the Tencent building.

In the mall, Jiang Fan decisively picked out two crisp black shirts, two pairs of slim-fit casual pants, and a pair of sneakers.

Wearing new clothes, the young man in the mirror stood tall and straight.

His pale face, paired with his black clothes, exuded a chilling aura that kept strangers at bay.

The young cashier with blond hair couldn't help but glance at him a couple more times as she scanned the code.

"Handsome, haven't we met somewhere before?"

"No."

"Really? You look like that singer on Douyin..."

Jiang Fan picked up the shopping bag.

You've mistaken me for someone else.

After leaving the mall, he turned and walked into the largest music instrument store in the vicinity.

A secondhand guitar covered an entire wall.

He tried them out one by one, and finally found a Martin DX2 in the corner.

"How much is this?"

The boss was a fat man with long hair, who was scrolling through Douyin (TikTok) with his head down.

The song playing on my phone was "Sorrow".

He looked up from behind the counter and glanced at him.

"Three thousand five. 90% new. The previous owner was a music student, and the instrument was very well maintained."

Jiang Fan plucked a string, and a very rhythmic blues phrase flowed from his fingertips.

The fat man's eyes lit up. He put down his phone and walked over: "You're an expert. That hand speed takes at least five years of practice."

"Swipe card." Jiang Fan took out his bank card and placed it on the glass counter.

The fat man quickly paid the bill, put the guitar back in its case, and handed it to Jiang Fan.

"Bro, judging by your demeanor, are you a resident singer or in a band? That 'Sorrowful Guy' is all the rage lately, and I think you're just as good as him."

Jiang Fan took the violin case: "Thank you for your kind words."

It was already 3 p.m. when I got back to my rented room.

Jiang Fan placed the guitar on the bed and brought up the system panel.

"Sorrow" is the key to advancing; if I successfully advance, I will have to sing at least one new song in each round of the subsequent competition.

Eight hundred points, calculated at 200 points per song, can be exchanged for a maximum of four songs.

He stared at the store list for two minutes before finally redeeming one song.

[Exchange: "The Ordinary Road" by Pu Shu]

[Deduct lifespan points: 200]

[Remaining lifespan: 600 points]

Let's save the rest for now and survive the first two rounds first.

Copyright registration in this world is quite simple; Jiang Fan can do it directly on his mobile phone.

After registering the copyright, Jiang Fan picked up the Martin guitar.

I went through the chords of "The Ordinary Road" three times from beginning to end.

His basic guitar skills and basic singing ability are enough for him to perform this song completely.

But there's still a gap between "complete" and "explosive".

All that's left is practice.

"I have crossed mountains and seas, and I have walked through crowds of people."

Everything I once possessed vanished like smoke in the blink of an eye.

The singing voice penetrated the thin wall.

The female college student, who was about to order takeout, paused.

The phone was suspended in mid-air.

She unconsciously pressed herself against the wall, completely absorbed in the listening.

When she realized what was happening, she hurriedly turned on her phone to record.

The guitar music from next door suddenly stopped.