Chapter 6: Sudden Fame

“It’s only been one night, and the video already has five hundred thousand likes. You’re famous! Absolutely viral!” Han Jiangxue gazed at the calm Su Chen, thinking he didn’t believe her words.

“Oh, come on! How can you still not believe it?” Han Jiangxue exclaimed anxiously. “It’s not just on Douyin—you’ve even made it to Weibo’s trending topics! If you don’t believe me, see for yourself!”

Snatching her phone back from Su Chen, she opened the Weibo app running in the background and handed the device to him.

On the screen, a trending post titled “A Song Called ‘Queen,’ How Many Singers Did It Outshine?” was climbing rapidly up the rankings, sparking a wildfire of heated debate among netizens!

Su Chen tapped into the trending topic. The top content was an entertainment news article published just that morning:

“Yesterday, at the Hang City stop of Queen Zhang Fuyu’s ‘Heart Like Falling Rain’ concert tour, Zhang Fuyu randomly invited a young man onto the stage during the interaction segment. The man introduced himself as Su Chen, recently heartbroken, and sang his original song ‘Queen’ for his ex-girlfriend, moving the entire audience to tears.”

Below the article was the Douyin video; the number of comments alone had already reached nearly ten thousand!

Among them, a sharp critique by Wang Kai, a renowned music reviewer in the industry, had received an overwhelming number of likes, topping the comment section.

Wang Kai, Music Reviewer: “Browsing in my leisure time, I happened to play this video. When the chorus hit, I felt my hair stand on end! Such a thrill—I haven’t experienced this from any new song in over a year! For an outsider to possess such talent, compared with the so-called ‘musicians’ among today’s entertainment idols, I feel nothing but sorrow for the industry!”

Beneath that, Wang Kai had replied to his own comment.

Wang Kai, Music Reviewer: “Couldn’t any of you have recorded the whole song? I can’t sit still, not hearing the complete version of ‘Queen’!”

Replies beneath were filled with hundreds of “+1” and wails of frustration, some even joking, “You only filmed a snippet—the excitement’s cut short!”

Su Chen simply chuckled at this. After all, he hadn’t filmed the video himself.

Scrolling through a few more comments, he noticed people had started connecting his name to yesterday’s statement from Starlight Entertainment.

Cat Named Egg Tart: “Has anyone noticed that this Su Chen has the same name as the guy who harassed Yanran?”

Xiao Wu Is Awesome: “Must be a coincidence! This guy is so talented and sings so movingly—he must be a deep and romantic soul!”

Little Tea-Picker: “Exactly! From his voice, he must have been hurt deeply! His ex-girlfriend must be blind! Su Chen, come here, let me comfort you~”

...

Shaking his head in amusement, Su Chen handed the phone back to Han Jiangxue.

“See? You’re famous, just as I said!” Han Jiangxue put her hands on her hips.

Su Chen nodded, his expression calm and unruffled. “Mm.”

Han Jiangxue was momentarily stunned, then asked with confusion, “...How are you not excited at all? You’re an internet celebrity now!”

“Aren’t internet celebrities just people? It’s not like I’ve ascended to immortality,” Su Chen shrugged. “Besides, it’s only natural for ‘Queen’ to go viral.”

“Wow... You’re really full of yourself!” Han Jiangxue looked at him with mock disdain.

Su Chen laughed. “It’s not arrogance—just faith in the quality of ‘Queen.’”

After all, back then, “Queen” had topped the KTV song request charts in Taiwan for over a hundred weeks, and on the country’s largest digital download platform, KKBOX, it remained in the Top 100 for a staggering 754 consecutive days!

A song like that would be a hit anywhere.

Han Jiangxue rolled her eyes at him, then said, “I bet if your ex-girlfriend finds out you’re famous now, she’ll definitely regret it! Hurry up and call her!”

Su Chen frowned. “Why should I call her?”

“To win her back, of course! Otherwise, you’ll get drunk and I’ll have to look after you again...” Han Jiangxue turned away with a huff, but kept glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

“No need; she’s not right for me,” Su Chen replied with a smile. “Besides, even a good horse doesn’t graze old pastures.”

Hearing his answer, Han Jiangxue felt a weight lift from her heart, a sense of relief and unspoken delight.

She clapped Su Chen on the shoulder, beaming. “You’re finally coming to your senses! Don’t be a lovesick fool. With your popularity now, you could debut as a star without any trouble!”

“She ignored you yesterday, but soon she won’t even be able to reach you!”

“...Debut?” Su Chen was stunned.

He’d grown weary of the entertainment industry, yet somehow, life had come full circle, and he was once again facing this very question.

“Of course! If you become a star, I’ll have a celebrity friend—how cool is that?” Han Jiangxue’s eyes sparkled with encouragement. “And you look pretty good, at least clean and fresh—much better than all those pretty-boy idols.”

“Seeing them mislead young people, you’d be a much better influence!”

Clean...

Su Chen’s thoughts drifted. In his previous life, he was powerless in that chaotic environment, forced to go with the flow.

But now, things were different. He possessed the entertainment foundation of another world and had enough confidence to break through, even against the might of capital.

Yes!

A circle is made up of people. As long as you are strong enough and shine brightly enough, you can set your own rules!

Su Chen’s gaze grew resolute.

I will become a top superstar!

Oblivious to his transformation, Han Jiangxue continued, “Right, you need to hurry to the studio and record ‘Queen,’ then register the copyright on the relevant music platforms. Otherwise, if there’s a copyright dispute, you’ll be the one crying.”

For a musician, the work is the foundation of everything.

Especially in this world where entertainment is even more prosperous than on Earth, copyright issues are taken very seriously—there’s no room for negligence.

But Su Chen looked a little awkward, laughing it off. “No rush, I’ll do it in a few days.”

“How can you delay this? The sooner the bet—” Han Jiangxue cut herself off, then suddenly asked, “Don’t tell me you’re short on money?”

Su Chen smiled awkwardly.

Normally, recording a song in a studio cost about ten thousand yuan, with the cheapest around five thousand. That didn’t even include mixing or monitoring fees...

Han Jiangxue was speechless. “Where’s your money?”

“I broke up and left with nothing,” Su Chen shrugged. “All I have is the four thousand you lent me.”

“But it’s fine. Things will be tight for a few days, that’s all.”

Han Jiangxue sighed, covering her face, then whipped out her phone and started tapping away.

Moments later, Su Chen’s phone vibrated. When he checked, he was dumbfounded to see Han Jiangxue had sent him a hundred thousand yuan via WeChat transfer!

“There you go; now you have a hundred and four thousand,” Han Jiangxue said with a bright smile.

“Are you trying to keep me as your boy toy? That’s not nearly enough,” Su Chen joked, his finger hovering over the refund button.

No matter how poor, Su Chen would never live off a woman—especially since he and Han Jiangxue had only just met, shared a night under one roof, and she’d seen his “brave little ox” pajamas. That money couldn’t be accepted.

“Who... Who said I’m keeping you? Here, look at this!” Han Jiangxue suddenly produced an album. From the cover, Su Chen recognized it as the one he’d won from Zhang Fuyu the night before.

“One hundred thousand for your autographed Zhang Fuyu album—straightforward trade, cash for goods!” Clutching the album, Han Jiangxue hugged it to her chest as if afraid Su Chen would snatch it back.

“...Her autographed album is worth that much?” Su Chen asked, bewildered. “She’s still alive, you know...”

Han Jiangxue’s lips twitched. “...I like it, okay?”

“This was given to me personally by the Queen herself! It’s priceless in my eyes!”

Su Chen shook his head. “That’s not how this works. If you want it, I’ll give it to you as a gift.”

“Don’t argue with me! Worst case, just think of it as an investment. Pay me back when you’re rich, future superstar!” Han Jiangxue said hurriedly, pushing Su Chen out the door and stuffing the Porsche keys into his hand.

“The car’s in the underground garage—a red 918. Drive it to the studio, and don’t come back if you don’t record a good song!”

Hearing her voice through the door, Su Chen touched his nose and chuckled.

“Well then, she really is a rich lady...”