Chapter 111: Even If You Become Famous, You Still Have to Sing in Bars

When a song becomes popular, it’s often not because it’s particularly melodious or well-composed.

Sometimes, it’s simply because it’s hilariously absurd.

When this song was released, listeners had no idea what Wu Qian was so excited about—what’s so great about being hungry all the time?

Ironically, the meme-worthy nature of the song actually added to its buzz.

“Hello everyone, I’m the artist planner for the rap competition show *I Am the Big Rapper*, which will be launching soon! Please show your support!”

As soon as people saw this online, they burst out laughing. Wasn’t this the same guy who sang that ridiculous “I’m not full” song?

And now he wanted to host a variety show? And do rap? Wasn’t he just setting himself up for humiliation?

A swarm of random netizens flooded his live stream, and in the current atmosphere of Weibo, it was a barrage of insults.

“You really should be hungry.”

“For you to have this many fans with a song like that, you must have spent all your meal money on buying followers.”

“You’ll never be full, and you deserve to be hungry!”

Wu Qian stared at the comments, nearly boiling with rage. The internet trolls!

No, I have to check Lin Ze’s side. Surely he’s being berated too!

Wu Qian sneaked a peek at Lin Ze’s Weibo and realized that Lin Ze hadn’t even promoted the song yesterday.

Lin Ze had no choice; promoting it would cost money...

With nowhere else to vent, people who’d listened to the song but couldn’t find Chang Zheng’s Weibo had flocked to Lin Ze’s page instead.

“Awesome! I only just now understand why everyone says trusting Lin Ze is never a mistake.”

“Anything produced by Lin Ze is guaranteed top quality!”

“Looking forward to Lin Ze dominating the charts with this month’s new releases.”

Wu Qian looked at these comments and his brow furrowed in confusion.

Wait, why is this so different? Why are all those haters here in my stream and not on Lin Ze’s?

No matter how hard he thought, Wu Qian couldn’t figure it out.

At that moment, Lin Ze posted a new Weibo, sharing Chang Zheng’s account.

Chang Zheng’s Weibo used to feature videos of him singing in bars.

Within a short time, his followers skyrocketed by tens of thousands.

But Chang Zheng didn’t have the luxury to be excited now; he was still busy shooting a microfilm.

Just a little distracted, that was all.

“All right, time to take a break,” Chen Weiguo sighed helplessly.

These young people, after an overnight rise to fame, had their minds elsewhere.

Lin Ze leaned over to Chang Zheng and quietly opened his own Weibo homepage.

“Look, how many followers do I have?”

Lin Ze’s account gleamed with several million fans.

Then he pointed to Chang Zheng’s phone screen.

“Now, look at yours.”

Only a few tens of thousands.

“Feeling a little more grounded now?”

Chang Zheng thought for a moment. “I am.”

“Good. Now focus on filming properly. If you don’t, I’ll have you benched!”

“Ahem, got it!”

Chang Zheng tossed his phone aside and immediately gathered his scattered thoughts.

Lin Ze and Su Zitan continued pondering how to capitalize on their momentum.

“We don’t have much money or time right now, so... why not just go back to what we know best?”

“Singing at the bar?” Su Zitan caught Lin Ze’s meaning.

“Exactly! The costs are minimal, and we can still make some money.”

Lin Ze’s conviction in this plan grew stronger.

Su Zitan nodded in agreement.

Actually, some invitations had already come in today, but Ji Chen had refused them all. Even if the shows were quick, they’d still take a couple of days, which conflicted with filming schedules.

Better to just perform at the bar.

After finalizing the plan, and with no scenes scheduled that evening, Lin Ze informed Chen Weiguo.

Around five or six in the afternoon, Lin Ze and Su Zitan took Chang Zheng to the bar where Lin Ze had previously confessed his feelings.

They were familiar with the place, and it was easier to negotiate.

Coincidentally, someone else was about to start a live stream at the same moment.

Wu Qian.

Wu Qian felt that maybe people hadn’t grasped the artistic depth of his song yesterday. So he planned to go live to prove himself and promote the upcoming show *I Am the Big Rapper*.

Once again, the two groups converged on the same night.

The venue was nearly ready; though the lighting was still a bit rough, it was at least bright.

After choosing a good angle, Wu Qian even hired a professional photographer and used high-end equipment.

Once the equipment was adjusted, the scene was streamed live.

“Hey hey hey, everyone! I’m Wu Qian!”

His fans immediately flooded his live stream.

“Wu Qian! Wu Qian!”

“So handsome! Qian Qian is so handsome!”

“Wu Qian, I love you!”

Seeing the flood of messages, Wu Qian’s confidence soared.

This is how it should be! This is the popularity I deserve.

The strange outcome of yesterday’s song must have had a reason. Yesterday...

Ah, it must have been Lin Ze buying internet trolls to smear me!

That scoundrel!

He’s willing to stoop to any depths to beat me!

“Welcome to my live stream! Tonight, I’ll be performing several of my hit songs.”

A sly, mischievous smile curled at Wu Qian’s lips.

“Take a look around—this is the site for our upcoming large-scale variety show! Pretty cool already, right? But this is just a rough draft; the venue will be even cooler later!”

Wu Qian was utterly absorbed as he stepped onto the stage, breathing in the dusty air.

Meanwhile, Lin Ze had already arrived at the bar.

The bar owner rubbed his hands together as he approached Lin Ze.

“Mr. Lin, how are we doing the live stream today?”

The owner wasn’t naive; since Lin Ze’s last revelation here, the bar’s business had boomed.

Hearing that Lin Ze would be live streaming here again, the owner was eager to have him come every day.

Though Lin Ze had just arrived, the bar was already packed. Keep in mind, it was only just past dinner time, nowhere near the usual peak hours.

“Oh, today it’s not me streaming, it’s him.” Lin Ze pushed Chang Zheng forward.

“And this is...?” The owner didn’t recognize the slightly older singer.

“This is Chang Zheng.”

The owner shook his head. “Can you give me a hint?”

Lin Ze sighed. Apparently, just one hit song wasn’t enough for everyone to remember him.

“*Old Boy*.”

“Ah! It’s you! Oh, I really love your song!”

The owner’s expression changed instantly, shaking hands warmly with Chang Zheng.

“He also started as a bar singer. He’s coming here to perform tonight; you should show some appreciation,” Su Zitan whispered.

The owner hesitated.

“Well... why don’t you name your price?”

He was afraid of quoting too low and offending the three of them.

Su Zitan saw the owner’s expression and exchanged a glance with Lin Ze, understanding the situation perfectly.