Chapter 126: Mixed Reviews

Zhang Qiyang’s sarcastic rap and Qin Xueyang’s goofy operatic style flowed together seamlessly:

"Traffic is crawling, faces are blank, long used to driving with no target in mind! The Fifth Ring Road remains so carefree, it’s always there; the rot of honking horns, the poor driver sighing in despair! Beijing style, in the morning and evening rush, cars lined up all the way—for a living, for a dream, for a holiday pay. Perhaps one day, we’ll have to go to the Eighth Ring; Rest in peace, Beijing traffic, I’ve brought you a floral wreath!..."

It seemed like a casual, bored rant about Beijing’s traffic, but every beat of Zhang Qiyang’s rap landed perfectly on the rhythm and struck a chord with the listeners’ heartbeats; it was unexpectedly infectious.

Xiao Wa and Li Xuan were both slightly stunned. They hadn’t expected Zhang Qiyang to be able to pull off such a stylish rap on a whim.

When Qin Xueyang’s operatic vocals returned, the transition was so precise that it left Li Xuan and Xiao Wa unable to laugh, instead marveling at the brilliance of Zhang Qiyang’s arrangement. Mixing silly opera with angry rap was like boiling a hot pot with ice cream—yet he had somehow cooked up an incredibly spectacular "dark cuisine."

The flavor was "off" in the most explosive way!

This "off" wasn’t the repulsive kind, but a rather intriguing one that couldn't help but make one chuckle. The goofy opera highlighted a distinctively quirky "fat girl" persona, and when contrasted with the image of the furious protagonist stuck in traffic on the Fifth Ring, the dissonance was pure black comedy.

If an average rapper were asked to write such a song, they might rack their brains and still fail to produce it. Yet, Zhang Qiyang had tossed it together while stuck in traffic, and it was still this brilliant. His talent was simply inhuman.

Li Xuan glanced at Zhang Qiyang, who was listening to the song with a smile, and felt a deep sense of wonder. Was this guy even human? He could master any musical form with such ease! Though his rap wasn't earth-shattering, his musical intuition was truly off the charts. Combining two completely unrelated musical forms so effectively—she had never seen a musician as "demonic" as him.

Chen Ke was also slightly stunned by the rap song Zhang Qiyang had written on a whim while stuck in traffic. Ever since his change in attitude, this young master had been charging forward, seemingly capable of anything. This "Song of the Fifth Ring" was permeated with an angry yet goofy, otherworldly aura. It was likely that no one else in the Chinese music scene could write a song like this; only a freak of nature like Zhang Qiyang could.

Chen Ke couldn't help but wonder just how high Zhang Qiyang’s talent truly reached. Looking back at the history of the Chinese music industry, no musician as "demonic" as him had ever appeared. If he continued to develop, he could truly become a superstar in the Chinese music world—surpassing even Li Xuan! Listening to the silly "Song of the Fifth Ring," turbulent waves surged in Chen Ke’s heart, making him increasingly eager to grow closer to Zhang Qiyang.

As for Xiao Wa, there was no need to even mention him. In the previous track, "Dark Skies," Zhang Qiyang had woven in a nursery rhyme with great flair. In this "Song of the Fifth Ring," he had interspersed goofy opera into rap—this level of musical creativity was off the charts. Xiao Wa felt the urge to kneel and study Zhang Qiyang’s creative process.

Only Fatty Qin felt more embarrassed the more she listened. She had been hoodwinked by a single lollipop; she really wanted to call herself a massive idiot. She didn't even dare look at the comments on Weibo, fearing she would be cursed to death. But not looking made her itch with curiosity. It was as if thousands of fleas were crawling on her, driving her mad. Finally, with her "steamed-bun" fingers acting on impulse, she clicked on Zhang Qiyang’s Weibo to see what people were saying.

To her surprise, the comments under the post were not uniformly abusive. Although the trolls still occupied the majority, many replies were actually praising the song!

Qin Xueyang was astonished, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her. Was there really someone praising such a ridiculous song? She looked closer; they were indeed praising it!

"Master Pao’s rap is truly unique. I’m speechless; all I have left in my heart are two gold-plated words: Respect!"

"Master Pao is a genius! Haha! To actually combine rap with opera—I ask you, who else in the world dares to do this?"

"'I don't care about anything, I just want to get on the Fifth Ring!' Could it be... is the Fifth Ring the legendary 'Mrs. Pao'?"

"Master Pao, you’re being naughty again! Writing a song while stuck in traffic on the Fifth Ring—that's badass!"

"This song is so addictive! I’ve been looping it and can't stop! Help, 999!"

"Is that female vocal Master Pao in falsetto? It sounds so hilarious! It’s a waste of your talent not to do cross-talk!"

"I’m driving my car onto the Fifth Ring! I’m driving my car onto the Fifth Ring! Drive the car onto the Fifth Ring quickly! Don't care about anything! I just want to get on the Fifth Ring! Fifth Ring, Fifth Ring! Fifth Ring, Fifth Ring! This is the Fifth Ring, Fifth Ring! Don't care about anything! I'm getting on the Fifth Ring now!... This is so damn catchy! I’ve already downloaded the song; my first time supporting the original version! I’m going to live by this song whenever I hit the Fifth Ring from now on!"

"This song made me laugh like an idiot."

"My mom actually likes this song! It’s bizarre! She’s still humming it now; she can't stop, she’s like a lunatic."

"Master Pao is actually quite decent at rapping, but what the hell is that female voice?"

"Don't you guys realize? The female voice in this 'Song of the Fifth Ring' is the same person from 'Singing About Jerking Off for a Lifetime.' Even though she changed her singing style, she can’t hide her goofy nature! Could she really be Mrs. Pao? Nicknamed 'Sister Fifth Ring'? Is the Fifth Ring Master Pao wants to get on actually her?"

...

These comments with a hint of praise were, after all, in the minority. Most of the comments were like this:

"Trash Zhang Dapao, can you stop creating noise?"

"Damn! You actually dared to release such trash rap? Zhang Dapao, your courage is truly commendable!"

"The pinnacle of brain-dead rap—'Song of the Fifth Ring.'"

"If you can’t rap, can you stop making a fool of yourself? Don't ever call yourself a rapper; the scene can’t afford to lose face because of you!"

"I didn't feel it so strongly before, but today I finally discovered that Zhang Dapao is truly an incomparable moron!"

"I’m drunk on how soft this rap is. It’s not even as powerful as what a woman could do."

"Did Zhang Dapao get into a car accident on the Fifth Ring? Did his brain get crushed by a tire? What kind of chaotic mess is he singing?"

"It’s the female voice whose head got crushed by a tire. Zhang Dapao’s rapping level is just like this, don't expect more. The guy is just playing at brain-dead rap."

"No wonder the King of Rap, Da Luo Luo, cursed him. His rapping is a total disgrace to the rap world!"

...

Seeing that there were very few people cursing her on Weibo, Qin Xueyang felt slightly more balanced. She logged onto EastNet to check the song’s sales. A figure appeared that left her completely shocked! The "Song of the Fifth Ring" had been released on EastNet for less than an hour and a half, and it had actually sold...!