I was exposed for adding my female boss to my group of female friends.

“First,” he said without looking up.

The live chat exploded again, with boy band members cheering wildly.

However, everyone present was a veteran in the entertainment industry and they all knew what was going on.

The music charts are different now than before; they're all about who has the most money.

That chart has long become a plaything for various capital groups; the music that ranks at the top of the chart is something that no one listens to at all.

Only fan groups take those rankings seriously.

He Ling placed the Bluetooth speaker on the table and said:

"Xingliang, connect the Coolqi Bluetooth speaker. It has great sound quality. Use Coolqi."

Li Xingliang turned on his music and placed his phone on the table.

The crackling electronic music, like sawing bones, drifted out of the speakers.

Xu Xiangxiao frowned.

The song began with a boy band chorus, followed by a barrage of other noises. After a cryptic rap, Li Xingliang became excited, pointing at the speakers and saying:

"Listen up! High energy ahead! This is my guitar solo and vocal performance!"

The music suddenly quieted down, the sound of a guitar came on, the style of the music changed, and then Li Xingliang's electronic music performance began.

Xu Xiangxiao listened to the whole thing with a frown, and after the music ended, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

After the music finished playing, Li Xingliang looked up and asked, "How was it?"

Everyone applauded.

"pretty good."

"The savior of the Chinese music scene!" Qin Yunshang exclaimed dramatically.

The barrage of comments exploded, roaring in unison across the screen:

"The East is rising! China is shining!"

Li Xingliang asked eagerly, "Senior, how was it?"

Xu Xiangxiao sighed, rubbing her forehead, and said, "The arrangement is pretty good, it has a Korean boy band feel to it. The rap could have a bit more rhythm, but that's not a big problem."

As Li Xingliang listened, he sensed that something was amiss.

Xu Xiangxiao swiped her phone screen, moved the progress bar, and said:

"This singing and playing was actually not bad, but I feel that the emotion wasn't quite there. What could be the reason for that?"

Li Xingliang looked embarrassed: "Huh?"

Xu Xiangxiao simply took the guitar hanging on the wall, strummed the strings, and tuned it immediately (because she had perfect pitch), then said:

"This part is correct, right? The solo is very good, simple and not flashy."

She immediately displayed that passage, and the comments section instantly filled with "666":

"This must have been a lot of hearing before, right? How come she could play it after only hearing it twice?"

"Hey, you must be really young, right? Don't you know Xu Xiangxiao is a musical genius?"

"She can transcribe the sheet music for you after hearing it once and play it again. What's so strange about that?"

...Xu Xiangxiao sang and played the guitar once, and it definitely felt different from before. She continued:

"If you really can't learn how to create the right emotions, I suggest you listen to Jiang Xinhai's 'Bicycle'. Her singing and playing of that part is absolutely fantastic."

She realized she had said the wrong thing as soon as the words left her mouth, and quickly pursed her lips and remained silent.

In her excitement, she forgot that she shouldn't mention Jiang Xinhai.

Li Xingliang was a little unconvinced: "Bicycle? Never heard of it."

Xu Xiangxiao said in a defiant tone, "Bicycle is a Cantonese song about fatherly love by Xin Hai and Zhi Chi. The song is very simple and pure, but it fully demonstrates Xin Hai's explosive singing skills."

After a pause, she added, "And your part really sounds like 'Bicycle,' which is why I remembered that song."

With a livid face, Li Xingliang searched for "Bicycle" on his phone and then said, "Her song didn't win any awards."

“Well, that’s because she was unlucky and her opponent was quite strong,” Xu Xiangxiao said. “Because that year, my album ‘November’s Chopin’ was released.”

Li Xingliang listened with his mouth wide open. He had been a trainee in South Korea since he was a child, and he had never heard of the album that Xu Xiangxiao mentioned.

He opened the song "Bicycle" on his music app, and after a while, a tranquil, gentle, and slightly melancholic guitar sound drifted from the Bluetooth speaker.

After a simple melody, Jiang Xinhai's unique and slightly deep voice rang out:

Don't assume I know.

Everything was done for me.

Why is it so great?

I can't feel it at all...

Her voice was deep and gentle, as if she were telling a story.

She didn't tell any stories, but her voice seemed to be full of stories.

As the chorus began, the drumbeats swelled, and Jiang Xinhai's powerful voice suddenly came to the fore.

"It's hard to leave, I want to hold you tighter."

Life is vast and boundless, like a wilderness.

If a child can rest on his father's shoulder

Who wants to get off?

...He Ling and the others listened to the song very quietly.

Unlike listening to Li Xingliang's songs earlier, they felt very comfortable this time.

Jiang Xinhai's voice seemed to carry a natural sadness.

In short, they were heartbroken, yet also healed.

...When Li Xingliang first heard this, he was a little unconvinced.

He didn't understand anything special and thought Jiang Xinhai was just singing a song in a very ordinary way.

But when he heard the climax, he stopped shaking his leg.

That falsetto—it sounds kind of amazing?

The chat room, which was originally chaotic, suddenly fell silent.

The older listeners were speechless for a moment, sitting silently in front of their phones.

They wanted to listen to the song quietly and didn't want to post comments.

Despite the many people on the screen criticizing Jiang Xinhai for shamelessly trying to gain attention by putting others down, they didn't want to pay any attention to it.

They just wanted to enjoy the music.

...A girl from a boy band sat in front of her computer, a sentence lingering in the comment input box:

"What? This is all? You think you can compare to my brother Xingliang?"

This sentence was typed in advance before "Bicycle" was played, ready to be sent out when the song started playing.

After listening for a while, the girl sniffed and deleted the sentence in the input box.

Next, she opened her computer's music software and typed in the search box:

"Bicycle - Jiangxinhai".

Click to add to favorites.

……

Meanwhile, at Jiang Xinhai's home.

Chen Ya came out of the bedroom, buttoning up his shirt as he did so.

Although they said they were there on official business, the two hadn't seen each other in a long time, so they went inside and chatted for a while.

This conversation lasted for two hours.

Chen Ya yawned, sat down at the piano in the living room, and opened the piano lid.

A smooth melody flowed from his fingertips.

Jiang Xinhai also came out dressed. Chen Ya stopped playing and conducted:

"You just stand there, playing guitar and singing, can you still do it?"

Jiang Xinhai's face darkened: "You underestimate me, don't you? I can play it with my eyes closed!"

"It doesn't matter whether it's closed or not," Chen Ya said. "Alright, alright, we've already wasted a lot of time. I'll accompany you on the piano, let's rehearse first."

Jiang Xinhai didn't like hearing that: "How was it a waste of time? Didn't you enjoy yourself just now?"

Chapter 101 Killing the chicken to scare the monkey, you dare to say that?

"It's not a matter of whether it's enjoyable or not. We're going to start filming videos now to help you regain your status as a pop diva. Your popularity should at least surpass that young heartthrob's."

While he was speaking in a serious tone, Jiang Xinhai looked at him very attentively, and after listening, she smiled.

Chen Ya stared at her with displeasure: "Did you hear what I said?"

"I heard you."

What did I say?

"Taking a video, taking over... what a terrible spot." Jiang Xinhai said with a grin, then changed the subject:

"Hey, can't you tell that I really like you?"

Chen Ya looked into her eyes, which seemed to be full of starlight:

"So what if I figured it out?"

"Hehe, it's good that you figured it out. I was afraid you wouldn't have, because I would definitely be too embarrassed to say something like this."

"Tsk. Didn't I already say that?" Chen Ya placed his fingers on the piano and casually played a few notes.

Whether by coincidence or subconscious influence, he happened to play a short excerpt from "Für Elise".

Jiang Xinhai smiled even more sweetly.

Because Chen Ya had told her that this piece of music was dedicated to her beloved.

After finding the right key, Chen Ya played a few chords of "Summer Wind" and then turned to Jiang Xinhai.

What are you laughing at?

“I was thinking,” Jiang Xinhai said, looking at his slender fingers resting on the piano keys, “that’s how I fell in love with you before, because you look so handsome when you play the piano.”

Chen Ya silently turned to the sheet music, and after a while, he couldn't help but smile.

"She's such a love-struck fool. But I really like her."

……

Meanwhile, a poetic life livestream room.

"Jiang Xinhai's fans are disgusting; they're really good at putting others down."

"That's right, their own master made a mistake and can't get on the show, so they're here to criticize my brother."

"I used to respect Xu Xiangxiao quite a bit, but now I realize she really has no emotional intelligence. Bringing up Jiang Xinhai at a time like this is just asking for trouble."

"I really don't see what's so great about your diva. How can a nobody who hasn't released a song in 5 years be trying to ride on the top spot on this year's new song chart?"

...The comments on the screen were all curses from boy band fans.

It's completely unwatchable.

These boy band fans may not be numerous, but their fighting power is astonishing.

They all have QQ accounts, unified command, coordinated actions, and even their insults are methodical.

There are fixed routines and rhetoric for who to criticize, how to refute, and how to put others down.