Love Variety Show: The despised me exploded in popularity

Rain is such a nuisance, sticky and uncomfortable. She began to regret not wearing a mask. After struggling in the big city for so many years, there was no one to offer her an umbrella when it rained.

It's not that there was no one, but she didn't want her friends to know someone had smoothly 'borrowed' her newly bought umbrella again.

Being alone is just about getting rained on, going home to shower, curling up in bed, ordering milk tea for delivery, and blissfully watching dramas. Tomorrow, after a good sleep, she'd be refreshed and ready like a new ox or horse.

Bothering a friend meant maintaining a false smile the whole way. Even with true friends, she didn't want to let them think she wasn't doing well, like a lonely ghost in the steel jungle.

She hated that feeling of smiling until her muscles were stiff; it was so exhausting.

She was lost in thought when suddenly, a new voice filled the quiet car. "Let's welcome the challenger singer, Pei Muchan, with the song, 'Late Marriage'!"

Chen Ling was somewhat surprised and dug out her phone from her bag. The bright screen in the dim car was a bit dazzling, and she quickly turned down the brightness and the volume.

The prelude was so soft it was almost inaudible. On stage, lights as yellow as car headlights slowly drifted, giving an impression of driving through the hazy night.

Chen Ling was momentarily stunned, as it happened that she was in a car.

"Emotions harm the body, love traps the soul."

The voice was full of emotion, like a quiet confession between friends. The compelling singing made Chen Ling instinctively turn up the volume, and the song slowly flowed in the car.

Until--

"I never want to stay single, but I have a premonition of a late marriage. I am waiting for that one soul that fits mine perfectly."

With a buzz, Chen Ling's eyes widened, her breathing quickened for a moment. Her heart churned tumultuously as she blinked unconsciously.

The song was sung so well, and the lyrics were written so perfectly that Chen Ling felt as if it was written about her.

The singer sounded amazing, capturing the feeling of being weary from waiting for someone, of constantly wanting to give up, but after drying the tears, still choosing to wait.

Chen Ling's heart skipped a beat and she silently told herself she was the same. Even if her soul was nearly burnt to ashes by reality, she would choose to persevere.

Awaiting spring in winter, she desired not a wedding, but a wedding dress.

As the song ended, it received over seven hundred votes, earning the second highest tally. She gazed at the screen, watching the singer deliver their thanks.

"I want to thank someone. He is my... collaborator for lyrics and music, Xu Qingyan, Teacher Xu."

Xu Qingyan?

Chen Ling had just snapped back to reality, still slightly dazed. She vaguely remembered hearing the name a few days earlier in the office, something about a 'master of serving water.'

She lost interest in the video broadcast and swiped her finger lightly to search 'Xu Qingyan' on social media.

A bunch of scandalous posts popped up—cheating with eight people, skipping classes, trash of reality shows, the master of serving water, a violence aficionado, fighting until getting detained.

Most didn't have many likes, and as someone from within the media industry, Chen Ling knew these had been managed.

The entertainment industry was no stranger to artists with hidden scandals, but it seemed unlikely that all this bad press was true of someone who could write a song like "Late Marriage."

Besides, his song and name were still featured in the program, not cut out with a single edit. That meant these posts were likely not solid proofs, mostly fabricated.

She didn't waste time on scattered posts, instead looking up Xu Qingyan's personal account, only to find it buffering. She tapped several times without success.

"We are approaching our destination, please remind passengers to take all belongings with them."

The car was nearing the building complex, and Chen Ling thought the signal inside the car was bad. She got ready to disembark, but once outside, she still couldn't access the page.

As she walked into the compound, she murmured to herself.

"How strange, how many people could be visiting his account page right now."

She reached almost the bottom floor when, after a few jumps, the page finally loaded. She glanced at it and froze—the Xu's Spring and Autumn account was completely blank.

Apart from the verified Weibo, the personal page was desolate, not a single post in sight.

Didn't post anything?

Chen Ling frowned, puzzled as to why she couldn't access the page just moments ago. If the account was blank, then why were so many people visiting his page?

Even if the "I Am the King of Songs" show was popular, it wouldn't make sense for everyone to be looking for the songwriter. Logically, they should be visiting the singer's account page instead.

She exited the page and took a glance at the trending searches, suddenly unable to take her eyes off. The expected "I Am the King of Songs" wasn't trending. Instead, something she never anticipated was...

#LinChuanLikesSongwriter#, followed by a red exclamation mark, trending seventh.

The second one was even more bizarre, just three words, #JiangLingSays#, also followed by a red exclamation mark. It was separated from Lin Chuan's hot search by one called #ZhaoHan'sEyes#.

Trending searches were always strange, and Chen Ling had grown used to that.

The elevator dinged, she walked in and pressed for the staircase. Casually scrolling, she skipped over the nonsensical trending search #ZhaoHan'sEyes# and clicked on Lin Chuan's.

She had interviewed Lin Chuan and had brief contact with him.

Lin Chuan was an optimistic and active singer, with clear eyes. His path to growth was quite tortuous, but luckily someone discovered his potential, leading to his sudden rise to fame.

The dedication Lin Chuan had for music and his love for the stage had left a deep impression on her.

After a few seconds of loading, the post finally displayed its content.

But this content wasn't about sharing everyday life or business news, nor was it about his long-awaited album. It mentioned someone, Xu Qingyan.

"I had the honor to participate in the 'I Am the King of Songs' show, as a supporting guest for Teacher Hou. And I was fortunate to hear Brother Xu's song 'Late Marriage'; Sister Pei's live performance was second to none."

"Regarding the lyrics and composition of this song, I have only one thought. If one day I can write a song of the caliber of 'Late Marriage,' I reckon I'd be so happy I couldn't sleep for three days and nights."

"During this time, I've heard many bad rumors about Brother Xu, but I just want to say, in real life, Brother Xu is a very clean and pure person."

"Gossip only demonizes people, and I know Brother Xu is not as the internet portrays him. I hope everyone can discard those baseless rumors and get to know Teacher Xu again."

"A very good friend of mine, a reliable, excellent, and highly talented songwriter."

The post was accompanied by several photos that appeared to be taken in a private room. A few people were dining, and Xu Qingyan was sitting there, appearing relaxed, talking and laughing.

Chen Ling was somewhat stunned by the end of it, not even noticing when the elevator reached her floor, until it started moving again. Only then, she abruptly snapped back to reality and hurriedly pressed the elevator button.

Lin Chuan and Xu Qingyan had a personal relationship?

No wonder Xu Qingyan's account was inaccessible, it turned out that Lin Chuan's post was driving traffic to him. But even so, it wouldn't cause a delay of seven or eight minutes.

The comments below the post were constantly refreshing, like a surging tide.

"Went to watch 'I Am the King of Songs' because of Lin Chuan, and unexpectedly discovered two good songs. 'Hurry That Year' and 'Late Marriage' are both masterpieces; it's hard to believe that such excellent originals could come from this type of stage. What surprised me even more is that these two songs, which express completely different ages and sentiments, were written by the same person."

"The 'Hurry That Year' performance was absolutely incredible, I almost cried during the weather forecast part. The 'Late Marriage' performance was also good, they were all written by Xu Qingyan, I need to listen to more songs written by him."

"With Lin Chuan vouching, it seems to truly be just rumors. Xu Qingyan is too pitiable, being cyberbullied all this time. It's hard to imagine what it feels like to be pursued and abused for things he never did. I was deceived by those marketing accounts back then and even cursed him a few times, I owe Xu Qingyan an apology, and I hope I can be forgiven."

Countless lengthy comments blossomed under Lin Chuan's post.

Chen Ling stepped out of the elevator, staring at her phone as she walked to her room. Now she finally understood why Xu Qingyan's personal account was not accessible—it was overwhelmed with too many people trying to get in.

Imagine the feeling of wronging someone over an issue, wanting to apologize, but finding out they had moved away.

Those who clicked and discovered Xu Qingyan's account to be completely empty felt the same way. If they couldn't get in, they just kept trying again and again, only to find it empty when they did get in...