Chapter 44: Are You Sure You Didn't Pick the Wrong Character Design?

The live stream chat was still in chaos.

But Su Mu paid it no mind. He took a deep breath and directly played the prepared backing track.

As the prelude began, his expression and emotions swiftly settled into the mood.

[Expression proficiency +1]

[Emotion proficiency +1]

[Skill point +0.01…]

Singing, in truth, is also a form of performance.

A truly soulful singer can use everything at their disposal to interpret a song.

Even without uttering a word, they can draw listeners into the world of the melody.

Before Su Mu’s voice even sounded, there was already a hint of inexplicable melancholy and loneliness in his demeanor.

As if his eyes had been clouded by the passage of time and veiled with the sorrow of past memories.

The duet of guitar and violin instantly stirred countless feelings in the heart.

It made everyone all the more eager to hear what kind of relief this song would ultimately bring.

The next moment, Su Mu’s voice broke boldly into everyone’s ears.

No reverb, no sound card—just the purest expression:

“When you walk into this hall of joy,”

“Carrying all your dreams and hopes,”

“Each face painted with its own disguise,”

“No one remembers what you looked like…”

“You raise your glass and speak to yourself!”

Su Mu had only sung the first verse.

Yet the audience in the live stream was already stunned silent.

“It’s actually kind of good!”

That was the first thought in everyone’s mind.

The straightforward melody, though lacking the support of reverb, still drew people in.

And the lyrics were unexpectedly evocative.

In the aftertaste, there was even an urge to light a cigarette.

The trolls in the chat, who had been poised to hurl insults a moment before, now found their fingers unable to type.

“A toast to the rising sun, a toast to the moonlight,”

“A toast to my hometown, a toast to distant lands,”

“A toast to tomorrow, a toast to the past,”

“A toast to freedom, a toast to death,”

“Forgive my mediocrity, dispel my confusion,”

“All right, when the dawn comes, we always part in haste,”

“The sober are the most absurd,”

“The sober are the most absurd, ah…”

[Mid-low range proficiency +1]

[Breathy tone proficiency +1]

[Skill point +0.01…+0.01…]

Su Mu finished the song in one breath.

The live stream fell silent for a moment.

Then came the applause from Zhang Huaimou and the others.

The tone of the chat changed instantly!

[Chat:

Damn! This song is amazing! Release it now, I want to download it!

Is this Su Mu’s original? I take back what I said earlier!

Su Mu, this isn’t fair. If you perform like this, how are we supposed to troll you?

The lyrics are poetic—‘A toast to the rising sun, a toast to the moonlight!’

Awesome! So good! I want to hear it again! I almost want to cry.

Gotta admit, Su Mu… cough, okay, even I can’t deny you sang well!

I counted—eight toasts in total!

Eight cups of poetic wine! Sun, moon, hometown, faraway, tomorrow, past, freedom, death!

Wow! Wow!

No way, this is Su Mu? This is his original? I can’t believe it!

Guys, we can’t troll this time. Should we move on to the next round?]

The chat began to scroll like mad.

And the wind had shifted completely.

Everyone was so moved by this “Relieving Sorrow” that they felt embarrassed to criticize.

For a long while,

Zhang Da finally collected himself and quickly took charge: “Wow! That was simply incredible. I never expected Su Mu to have such talent in songwriting. I wonder when ‘Relieving Sorrow’ will be released? We really want to hear it again—we just can’t get enough.”

Finally, someone asked the right question.

Su Mu smiled. “If you want to hear it, follow me. I’ll post the recording on Douyin.”

Zhang Da said, “Great! So if you want to listen again, make sure to follow Su Mu. Now, let’s move on to the next segment…”

…

The stream lasted for an hour.

The rest of the segments went fairly smoothly.

But it was obvious most people were still more interested in Su Mu’s song, “Relieving Sorrow.”

Even as the stream ended, the chat was reluctant to leave, reminding Su Mu to remember to post a full version on Douyin.

Meanwhile, Su Mu’s follower count was skyrocketing…

“Phew, finally over.”

Turning off his phone, Su Mu collapsed onto the sofa.

He found that live streaming was truly exhausting.

Mostly, staring at those chat messages made him want to argue back and forth with the audience.

Reading what people wrote almost made him choke with frustration.

It was one thing to be insulted in the chat—he could take that.

But some people even asked him to release the song for free!

Now that was going too far.

Insult me if you must, but don’t ask me to forget my principles!

As he was thinking this,

Suddenly, a sharp pain.

A small hand pinched his arm.

Su Mu looked up at Fan Little Tangerine. “What are you doing! Are you trying to assassinate your boss?”

Little Tangerine was staring at him in shock. “Oh my god! You really are Su Mu!”

Su Mu: “…”

Little Tangerine: “How did you suddenly become so amazing? That song was incredible!”

Su Mu: “Hmph, see? Didn’t you realize your Brother Su Mu is much better than those trainee boys?”

Little Tangerine: “You don’t get it, boys have their own charm.”

Su Mu rolled his eyes. “Where’s Boss Qian?”

Little Tangerine: “He’s over there on the phone. Since just now, he’s been getting call after call—everyone wants to book you for shows.”

Su Mu raised an eyebrow.

These people were quick—he’d barely ended the stream and already the invitations were coming in.

Maybe that’s the benefit of having popularity and traffic.

There’s never a shortage of business.

It wasn’t long before Qian Jida finished his calls and came over.

He was beaming with pride, excitement in his voice. “Su Mu, well done! We’re not short of opportunities now. Bookings for you are lined up through next year! Why don’t you find time to live stream more often, and write a few more songs? I bet every song you write will go viral!”

Su Mu: “…”

…

Elsewhere.

In Galaxy City, Li Hui and Li Xinjie sat silently, staring at each other.

For a moment, neither knew what to say.

They’d come ready to watch a joke.

Instead, they got shown up by Su Mu.

Li Xinjie was starting to question his life. The more he thought about it, the more it didn’t make sense. He suddenly looked at Li Hui and asked in confusion, “Boss Li, are you sure the company is training me to be like Su Mu?”

Li Hui: “Of course.”

Li Xinjie looked Li Hui in the eye: “You’re lying to me, aren’t you?”

Li Hui was speechless. “Why would I lie to you? What would the company gain from that?”

Li Xinjie: “But look at Su Mu—he can act, compose, and sing. What do I have in common with him? I’m not even as good-looking. Are you sure you didn’t mix up my role plan?”

“You…”

Li Hui’s mouth twitched.

He felt like coughing up blood.

Was this his fault?

The thing was, not just Li Hui, but everyone in the company for the past three years knew Su Mu had made it on looks alone.

He was dumbfounded too.

Since when did Su Mu become so capable?

It had to be Qian Jida!

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Li Hui took out his phone and messaged Qian Jida on WeChat.

He had to get to the bottom of this, or he’d never be satisfied.

[Li Hui: Qian Jida! Get out here! Have you been playing us all along?]

[(!) Sorry, you are not friends with this user.]

Li Hui was furious: “Damn you, Qian! You bastard!!!”

Li Xinjie: “…”