Rebirth of the Godly Prodigal

The next few days passed relatively peacefully, and soon, it was time for episode three of I Am a Singer.

As usual, it was an explosive experience. As with episodes one and two, the audience screamed their lungs out.

The web download numbers were crazy this time as well.

The only difference was, this time, the audience’s discussion was almost entirely focused on the overwhelming suspense in I Am a Singer.

The biggest social media platform in China—Sina Weipo.

“I used to think that Jiang Ruoyu was enough to dominate the stage, but the appearance of Chang Gongyan changes everything.”

“Yes, Chang Gongyan’s ‘Reminiscing the Past’ is a classic. Jiang Ruoyu has met her match this time.”

“Are you blind? How can our Ruoyu lose? Just wait and see!”

“The one who really sang well this time is Chu Zhongqin. Okay, unfortunately, he only placed third. Sigh, that makes me so sad.”

“Be contented. The few contestants in I Am a Singer now are all people with real skill! Chang Gongyan deserved to win this time. Jiang Ruoyu and Chu Zhongqin who came in second and third, respectively, are both singers with real ability. All the other contestants are also very talented.”

“That’s right, the organizers seem to be have invested a lot this time. The singer lineup is impressive. The first few contestants were relatively unknown, and I thought it was going to be uninteresting. Now, I hope Tuesday comes quickly every week so that I can watch the singing legends compete!”

“Who would deny it? There is a serious battle going on now on stage. I’m really excited about the upcoming rounds!”

Originally, people had thought that the outcome of the contest was more or less certain. But ever since Hong Dali completely ignored all the popular singers who had come to apply, deciding instead to pick Chang Gongyan, who had always kept a low profile, the audience suddenly felt that I Am a Singer was once again full of suspense and unexpected turns.

Chang Gongyan’s stage presence was simply overwhelming.

It was so overwhelming that the previously popular Jiang Ruoyu could do nothing to diminish his magnificence.

The contest was once again the topic of people’s conversations. Almost all of the discussion was focused on two points: the first being who would be the ultimate champion, and the second when the fourth episode was over, who would be the newcomer on stage.

Hong Dali didn’t care about the discussions online at all.

At that moment, he was lying on Li Nianwei’s lap, listening to Zhang Cai’s report. “Young Master, the popularity of I Am a Singer is steadily increasing. The download counts on the web are also increasing. Downloads for Nianwei’s concert and, unexpectedly, episode one, have both reached record highs.”

Hong Dali waved his hand. “Mm, mediocre. Anything else?”

Zhang Cai smiled. “There’s more. We have received the broadcasting rights fees from Tianjing Satellite TV, So Cool Video, as well as hosting rights fees from the US. The amount is substantial.”

Hong Dali had a slight headache. “Mm, leave it as petty cash. It’s really hard without Xiaoyi around. I have no idea how my projects are coming along. So troubling.”

Zhang Cai and Li Nianwei were also troubled about Xiaoyi.

It was hard to help in such situations. They still did not manage to find out who the mastermind was.

The few of them were idly chatting when Chu Zhongqin rushed in. He hurled himself at Hong Dali and grabbed his leg. “Young Master, help! They are too fierce. The newcomer Chang Gongyan is too powerful, I can’t hold up!”

Hong Dali had known all along that he would not be able to hold up. He just didn’t expect that he would fall apart so soon. “Ahem… Slowly, slowly. What is the situation now? Can you slow down?”

Chu Zhongqin was still flustered but tried his best to calm down. “Okay, okay. Young Master, you must help me now, else I’m afraid I will not be able to go on and will get kicked out of the show! I didn’t go anywhere at all and have practiced hard the whole week for this episode. I only placed third! I’m afraid if I let up a bit, I will end up in the last place. That would be super embarrassing!”

It was not just unfounded fears on Chu Zhongqin’s part. He really couldn’t afford to lose.

Dignity was an important part of life. He had come here to increase his popularity. If the audience really didn’t support him anymore, even if he didn’t get kicked out, being in one of the last few places would already be very embarrassing.

Hong Dali was unperturbed. Coming to this world, he might as well kill himself if he couldn’t even handle such a small matter. “Oh, it’s okay. Don’t worry.”

So, Hong Dali straightened himself and smilingly said, “Here is a song for you. I wrote it while I was bored at school these two days.”

Zhang Cai was surprised but quickly caught herself as comprehension dawned. “Young Master can write songs? Oh right, you wrote Rolling up the Beaded Curtain for Nianwei last time. What song is it this time?”

Hong Dali said as he walked, “Follow me and you’ll find out. Erm, oh right, I only have the lyrics and can only vaguely hum the tune. You still need to arrange the music. I would still like to have it edited and arranged as per my request, but I think it should work.”

Although Chu Zhongqin knew that Rolling up the Beaded Curtain was gifted to Li Nianwei by Hong Dali, there was a saying that the difference between gifts for a woman versus a man was like heaven and earth. “This… Young Master, will it work?”

Hong Dali seemed relaxed. “Don’t worry. It should be okay.”

Chu Zhongqin suddenly felt weak. “Should…”

…

As a previously unknown new singer, Jiang Ruoyu was in a good mood recently.

As the popularity of I Am a Singer rose, her popularity also soared. Although she was nowhere near as popular as Li Nianwei, her standing in the domestic market was at least substantial.

Having signed a couple of advertisement contracts a few days ago, Jiang Ruoyu had been feeling increasingly more self-confident.

Her luck had not been good previously, and her popularity remained low and stagnant. That was probably the darkest time of her life. It was not so bad that she had to sell her body, but there were numerous commercial engagements which did not pay very well.

It was at such a time when she heard about the program”I Am a Singer”produced by Caiwei Entertainment and the fact that there was a monetary prize that Jiang Ruoyu agreed to take part without hesitation.

Judging from the current situation, that was the best decision she had made in her life. It would not be a stretch to call it the turning point in her life.

She had talent and looks, as well as Young Master Hong Dali’s overly generous financial support. Jiang Ruoyu was famous.

Very famous.

People even thought that the future stage of I Am a Singer would be dominated by Jiang Ruoyu.

A new star was rising.

And so it was inevitable that Jiang Ruoyu became complacent. It was not her fault. It was a necessary stage for many people who suddenly became famous. First, their attitude changed for the worse, then they started being full of themselves. Finally, they became unreasonable and thought themselves above others.

It was lucky then that Jiang Ruoyu had a somewhat hard life in the past. She understood that success did not come easy. She was happy about her success but did not become complacent.

When Chang Gongyan arrived on the scene, Jiang Ruoyu was not fazed. Instead, she felt excited.

That was because she knew that a contest with strong competition would have higher viewership rating. That would mean that her popularity would also increase.

She did not say anything. All she did was work hard at bettering herself, compose better songs, and train hard at singing.

She was a resilient woman and made it through the dark days in the past. How could she give up now that the light was just ahead?

She stood in front of the mirror in the washroom, silently encouraging herself. Jiang Ruoyu’s face was filled anew with confidence. “Jiang Ruoyu, fight on! You’re the best!”

At that moment, the sound of footsteps came from outside the door. Jiang Ruoyu didn’t bother with them at first, but she soon felt uneasy. She heard Chu Zhongqin’s voice saying, “Young Master, what is the name of the song?”

Hong Dali’s voice rose. “I will tell you about it later. First I need to see if you can sing. If you can’t sing it well, then too bad, you just don’t have the luck.”

As they spoke, the sound of their footsteps faded away.

Jiang Ruoyu was puzzled. “It’s Chu Zhongqin? Didn’t he come in third previously? Why is he coming to Young Master for help?” With Chu Zhongqin’s standing in the entertainment circle, there should be no need for him to get help from Hong Dali when it came to music.

Jiang Ruoyu shook her head gently. “Keke, I wonder what they are up to. I better go practice my singing. I heard Young Master hum before. His singing is completely out of tune. It’s not possible that Chu Zhongqin is asking him for advice…”

Not two steps later, Jiang Ruoyu came to an abrupt stop and cried out hoarsely, “No, that’s not right!”

At this moment, Jiang Ruoyu suddenly thought of something. “The song that Miss Nianwei sang previously, Rolling up the Beaded Curtain, was supposed to be a gift from Young Master! In that case, is Chu Zhongqin thinking of… No way, I have to listen to it!”

Having carefully followed Chu Zhongqin and Hong Dali to the singing room, Jiang Ruoyu secretly eavesdropped on them.

The door to the singing room was not closed tight, and Hong Dali’s obviously out of tune singing could be heard. “I have loved, and lost…”

Jiang Ruoyu casually continued listening to another two verses and wondered. “Just this standard? This is not right.” Although she was perplexed, she had to say it. Her difficult past had made Jiang Ruoyu an extremely careful person, and she knew Hong Dali was a superprodigal. However, she also knew something else about Hong Dali. She knew that Hong Dali was not only good at spending money, he could also make miracles happen.

So, even though the song was out of tune, she continued listening patiently.

The sound of Hong Dali’s out of tune voice drifted out from the room. “I have searched for the ends of the sea, but neglected the winding rivers…” Jiang Ruoyu listened for a while and wondered. “It’s not right. This is still not right. Have I made a mistake somewhere?” She thought about it some more and suddenly came to a realization. “That’s right, it’s because the lyrics are not in sync. Young Master is not singing in sync!”