Chapter 12: "You Are My God!" (Please recommend, please add to your favorites, I beg you.)

"Original Singer Zhou Ran," "Chen Yi Returns!," "Who Is the King of Singers"—two hours after the show aired, the popularity on Weibo soared to its peak. These three headlines occupied the top three spots on the trending list. The last time such dominance happened was when a certain celebrity was exposed for tax evasion.

Praise for Zhou Ran flooded Weibo.

Shang Mu: "I started paying attention to Zhou Ran, this new singer, from his first song 'Sunny Day.' I thought he was just a flash in the pan, but his 'Dissolving Sorrow' slapped me right in the face!"

Gentle: "My goodness, every time I listen to Zhou Ran’s songs, I get completely immersed! They’re simply wonderful!"

Sword Flight: "Zhou Ran! You are my god!"

The heat generated by today’s episode of "Who Is the Singer" completely crushed all other shows, and unexpectedly propelled Zhou Ran into the spotlight—what a blessing in disguise.

Not long after the program aired, Li Mi called Zhou Ran, urging him to seize this opportunity and consolidate the momentum. Zhou Ran readily agreed; it was exactly what he intended to do.

Meanwhile, at Mango Broadcasting Tower, Ning Wei was grinning ear to ear as he watched the show’s data. This surge instantly pushed the program’s buzz to the top. The show had barely begun, and the heavyweights were just entering the stage.

Ning Wei thought it over—besides thanking Zhou Ran, he also owed gratitude to Am, who, despite being eliminated, continued to support the show. Ning Wei decided not to settle scores with Am for the time being; if ratings declined, he would simply give Am a permanent blacklist. With Ning Wei’s connections in the industry, that would be easy.

At that moment, the well-meaning Am was at home obsessively scrolling through comments about Zhou Ran, hoping to find a few negative ones. Yet, after half an hour, he found none—only waves of praise.

Am nearly suffered a stroke from frustration. When did Weibo users become so tolerant? They certainly weren’t this gentle when they attacked him!

Enraged, Am hurled his phone across the room, unwilling to see another compliment about Zhou Ran. Every positive comment felt like a sharp insult to Am’s own foolishness, stabbing into his heart.

After venting for some time, Am finally calmed down. Since he couldn’t touch Zhou Ran now, he would take it slowly—opportunities would come; surely Zhou Ran would slip up eventually.

Once calm, Am felt hungry. He picked up his phone to order takeout, only to find it shattered from the throw. When bad luck strikes, even drinking water can crack your teeth.

...

Zhou Ran’s popularity kept rising. He closely watched the comment section for praise, liking every compliment he saw. Since he was using a small account, no one would know.

Whenever someone praised his looks or emotional singing, he would modestly protest, "Oh, not at all," while honestly hitting the like button and replying, "I think so too."

He scrolled through comments until one in the morning, liking hundreds before exhaustion forced him to sleep. Otherwise, he could have gone on all night.

...

The third episode began recording. When Zhou Ran entered the lounge, he immediately sensed a shift—contestants now proactively engaged him in conversation, something absent in the previous episodes.

Fame truly changes everything. Once you’re popular, everyone wants to be your friend; enemies vanish.

Typically, the agent would go to the director’s office to draw lots, but today, director Ning Wei changed the rules, coming directly to the lounge for contestants to draw. This made for better television, heightening the atmosphere.

Director Ning Wei entered, first greeting Zhou Ran, then exchanging pleasantries with the other contestants, chatting about family and daily life.

Jin Kun watched Zhou Ran, feeling uneasy about the change in his own treatment. Previously, everyone would approach him; directors would greet him first. Since yesterday’s episode aired, everything had shifted. His agency even advised him to build a good relationship with Zhou Ran—if Zhou Ran maintained this trajectory, he would be the rookie of the year in entertainment.

By the time the show aired, Zhou Ran’s two new songs soared to the top two spots on the new song chart.

Jin Kun had originally held the number one position, but Zhou Ran’s arrival pushed Jin Kun’s new song down to third. Still, Jin Kun bore no resentment; Zhou Ran truly had talent, and Jin Kun could see it.

He had walked this path himself—the entertainment world is like this: the waves behind crash the waves ahead onto the shore.

This round’s drawing order was based on last episode’s performance ranking.

Jin Kun and the others hoped that Zhou Ran, Ji Song, and Chen Yi—the three big bosses—would draw later positions; otherwise, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

After yesterday’s trending, the contestants gained more fans, and their agencies urged them to cherish this opportunity—if they seized it, they could ignite their careers.

Following last round’s order, the first to draw was Chen Yi.

As he drew, everyone focused on him.

"Please, don’t let me be first," prayed Li Di, who ranked second-to-last previously.

Chen Yi, in a playful mood, milked the moment, reading the result envelope word by word, as if announcing an award winner—maximum showmanship befitting a seasoned king.

The... fifth... position. Chen Yi finally revealed it, lest he suffer the same fate as Ning Wei—being ambushed at night with a brick.

Upon seeing the result, the contestants felt a weight lifted. Two more stones remained.

Luck favored Jin Kun and his group today—Ji Song drew fifth, and Zhou Ran drew seventh.

Jin Kun and his peers relaxed, their pressure reduced. Now, they only needed to worry about the surprise challenger.

At that moment, the surprise challenger was watching them from the next room.

"May I choose to go first?"