Chapter Fourteen: He Led a Broken Man to First Place!

When people in the industry saw “Whatever” surpassing Li Zhilin’s song “Come On, Baby!” they all thought Li Zhilin would launch a fierce counterattack. After all, anyone who had watched her music programs knew this girl had a fiery temper and would never swallow such a defeat. Not to mention, the company behind her would never let her give up second place so easily.

And yet—

A few minutes later, everyone almost doubted their own eyes.

Li Zhilin, just like Zheng Xiao, posted on Weibo: “Congratulations to ‘Whatever’ for winning second place on the August Newcomer Chart. @Hao Mingxing absolutely deserves this honor. Darlings, if you trust me, go listen to this song—it’s absolutely amazing!!! → Portal here.”

What?

This move left everyone utterly dumbfounded.

Especially Zhang Mao, who was ranked first on the newcomer chart—he looked utterly stunned. He’d been expecting a dramatic showdown between the second and third place contenders. Instead, Li Zhilin surrendered her runner-up spot without a fight, even giving the rival a public compliment on Weibo.

Zheng Xiao, previously in third, did the exact same thing.

What on earth was going on?

Were celebrities in the entertainment industry suddenly all loving and supportive of one another? It was a sight that truly opened people’s eyes.

He couldn’t help but let out a wry chuckle.

But soon, he wasn’t laughing anymore.

Because after Li Zhilin’s Weibo post, “Whatever” took off like a rocket, closing in on his lead with alarming speed.

“Damn!” Zhang Mao nearly cursed aloud.

Why on earth would you post something like that?

You may be magnanimous, but can you spare a thought for my feelings?

“Whatever” had already shown strong momentum, and now, with the combined support of Zheng Xiao’s and Li Zhilin’s fans, its numbers were skyrocketing like mad.

Don’t come any closer!!!

Zhang Mao’s face turned green.

He had thought “Whatever,” no matter how strong, posed no real threat to him—at least not in the short term.

But now!

Zhang Mao began to panic.

This was no longer a competition between just two songs. It was the combined fanbases of second, third, and fourth places joining forces against him.

“You’re not playing fair!!!”

Zhang Mao was on the verge of tears as he watched “Whatever” overtake him, watched himself fall to second place.

On the other side, Zheng Xiao burst out laughing. “Now! Is everyone satisfied?”

Li Zhilin replied, “Yes, very much so.”

Zhao Long asked, “But what about Zhang Mao? He must be miserable.”

Zheng Xiao said, “That’s what he gets for being number one! He deserves it!”

Zhao Long and Li Zhilin swallowed hard. It made so much sense, they couldn’t even argue.

…

At Yunhai Media.

In the Vocal Department, the cheers were so loud, it was as if the building itself would shake apart.

Number one!

First place on the Newcomer Chart!

In the past two years, Yunhai Media hadn’t produced a single artist who managed to take the top spot on the newcomer chart. This accomplishment was thrilling news for the entire company.

Amid the excitement, everyone’s eyes unconsciously turned to Hao Mingxing, who was surrounded by a crowd.

Their expressions were complicated.

Outsiders might not know the inside story, but they certainly did.

Hao Mingxing had been widely recognized as a failure within the entire music division. A man with a ruined voice had just sung his way to the championship. How incredible was that?

But what seemed even more unbelievable to them was Wang Mo.

It was Wang Mo, with a single song—“Whatever”—who propelled this “failure” Hao Mingxing to the top of the newcomer chart.

That was the real shock.

Within the Vocal Department, everyone knew: after Hao Mingxing’s voice was ruined, he hadn’t given up singing. He’d tried many times to make a comeback, but every attempt had ended in failure.

“So, was it Wang Mo who saved Hao Mingxing?”

“I can’t believe Wang Mo actually has that kind of talent.”

“How did he manage to write a song so perfectly suited for Hao Mingxing?”

“I always thought Wang Mo was just another pretty face with no substance. Clearly, I was shortsighted.”

In fact, since “Whatever” became famous in recent days, many singers in the Vocal Department had secretly tried to sing it themselves, but all their renditions were dreadful. Even the few that weren’t terrible were just mediocre.

The more this happened, the more they felt Wang Mo’s composition was almost magical.

But for the Vocal Department to admit Wang Mo’s brilliance—none of them were willing. For this was a matter of departmental pride.

The Composers’ Department had always been regarded as the tool of the Vocal Department. Only singers could dictate to composers; only singers knew what suited their voices; only singers could enjoy the fame and fortune that followed.

But this time, a composer had turned the tables, playing a decisive role that even overshadowed the singer—becoming the true hero of the story.

The Vocal Department couldn’t accept this.

Nor would they admit it.

“It was just luck.”

“Wang Mo must have just stumbled onto this by accident.”

“Honestly, it’s all because of Hao Mingxing’s unique voice—Wang Mo just got lucky.”

“Yes, it’s Hao Mingxing’s talent that made this happen!”

“Wang Mo should be thanking Hao Mingxing for making his song famous. Otherwise, no one would care about it.”

“Exactly.”

Just days ago, this same group had called Hao Mingxing a failure and suggested he sweep the floors. Now, they swore it was his talent that made this miracle possible.

…

Liu Zhengwen had been basking in the joy of Hao Mingxing’s victory, even rushing to Qian Lun’s office to celebrate together.

But as he overheard the Vocal Department’s chatter, his brows furrowed.

Hao Mingxing’s talent?

That was the biggest joke he’d heard in his life.

Previously, the entire Vocal Department had written off Hao Mingxing as a lost cause, even telling him to clean the floors. Now, suddenly, they were praising his talent?

If he was so talented, why had he never succeeded before?

“Are all your employees this shameless?” Liu Zhengwen demanded of Qian Lun.

They were trying to rob Wang Mo of the credit.

Without Wang Mo,

Hao Mingxing would still be a nobody!

Qian Lun replied with a genial smile, “President Liu, don’t get upset. The kids just speak without thinking, you know. Still, Hao Mingxing is indeed talented—it’s just that we never noticed before. As for Wang Mo… well, whether he really saved Hao Mingxing remains to be seen. If Wang Mo can pull off another success like this, then we’ll admit we underestimated the role of composers. Why don’t we use next month as the test? Let’s see if Wang Mo can create another miracle.”

Liu Zhengwen nearly swore aloud.

Qian Lun’s words sounded reasonable, but were more cutting than the staff’s.

Liu Zhengwen knew full well that some composers go their whole lives writing only one hit song. In his view, for Wang Mo to have written “Whatever” might have exhausted all his inspiration.

To create another song at the same level, and then launch another “has-been” like Hao Mingxing to stardom? The odds were minuscule.

Yet Qian Lun wanted Wang Mo to produce a second high-quality song next month.

Was that even possible?

“You’re making things difficult!” Liu Zhengwen snapped.

But Qian Lun just kept smiling. “Not at all. We’ll let the facts speak for themselves.”

Damn it!

Liu Zhengwen swore silently, but there was nothing he could do.

The notion that composers were subordinate was deeply ingrained on this world—no amount of argument would change that.

He said nothing more and turned to leave.

Just then, he ran into Hao Mingxing, who was carrying a gift bag and heading into Qian Lun’s office.

Liu Zhengwen became even more frustrated.

It was Wang Mo who made you famous, yet you come here to thank your own manager?

He snorted coldly and shot Hao Mingxing a glare.

Hao Mingxing looked puzzled, not understanding at all.

After a moment’s pause, he entered Qian Lun’s doorless office.

Seeing Hao Mingxing, Qian Lun immediately put on a warm smile and got up to receive the gift. “Ah, Mingxing, you really didn’t need to bring a present.”

Hao Mingxing instinctively pulled the gift back. “President Qian, this… it’s for Brother Mo.”

Brother Mo?

Who?

It took Qian Lun a moment to realize he meant Wang Mo.

His brows drew together. He said earnestly, “Mingxing, you need to have the right attitude. Just because Wang Mo wrote ‘Whatever’ for you, doesn’t mean you owe him anything. He may have been a top star once, but now he’s just a composer. Composers exist to serve singers; writing songs is their job. It’s thanks to your performance that ‘Whatever’ became a hit.”

“We might have overlooked your talent before, and that’s on us. But don’t worry—from now on, I’ll ask President Liu from the Composer Department to assign our best songwriters to tailor songs for you, and I’ll allocate resources to promote you as our next breakout star.”

As Qian Lun spoke at length, his throat grew dry.

Only then did Hao Mingxing reply, “President Qian, thank you for your support. But I know one thing: when I was still considered a failure, only Brother Mo gave me a song. So, I’ve come to ask for a short leave.”

With that, he picked up the gift and headed out.

Qian Lun was taken aback. “Where are you going?”

Hao Mingxing answered, “To express my gratitude.”

Qian Lun watched in astonishment as Hao Mingxing walked out, swallowing hard.

What was happening?

Composers writing for singers is natural—why should singers be grateful?

It completely upended his understanding.

After a long while, Qian Lun muttered to himself, “Does this mean… my talent just walked out the door?”