15: Chapter 15 You call this the joke of the year?

On the day "love you" was released, the atmosphere in the studio was like an ice cellar.

The source was that music critic named "Music Judge." Someone had paid for promotion for his Weibo post mocking Lu Zhixian's "downfall," sending it straight to the trending topics, and the comments following suit were each more biting than the last.

"Is the spirit of rock and roll worth so little? Turning around to lick the boots of the traffic-driven market already?"

"LMAO, has Lu Zhixian run out of talent? He held it in for so long only to squeeze out a bubblegum pop song?"

"Waiting for it to flop. The middle-aged fan groups won't pay for this kind of junk."

Each sentence was like a needle dipped in ice.

Tang Tang sat huddled on the corner sofa with her knees to her chest, the light from her phone screen reflecting off her pale face.

She refreshed the comment section over and over; every time she saw a new malicious comment, her heart sank a little further.

Was it her fault?

Was it because she was too bad that she had dragged Teacher Lu down?

Jiang Cheng and Su Qing weren't doing any better; the two paced back and forth in the room, their expressions more solemn than when Jiang Cheng was still the legal representative of the studio.

"Are these people rabid dogs? They start biting before they've even heard the song?" Jiang Cheng was so angry he wanted to smash his phone.

"They're coming for Teacher Lu," Su Qing said, her brow furrowed. "the former you threatened too many people's interests; they're just waiting for Teacher Lu to make a mistake."

In the entire studio, only Lu Zhixian remained aloof.

He was still curled up in his dedicated sofa, wearing headphones and listening to who-knows-what, with a small blanket Su Qing had dug up from somewhere draped over his legs, looking as relaxed as if he were on vacation.

Exactly twelve noon.

On Penguin Music, "love you" was officially released.

Almost at the same time, the #love you Finger Heart Dance Challenge# launched by Su Qing's account exploded on short-video platforms.

At first, it was just some influencers from the dance section jumping on the bandwagon.

But soon, things started to take an unusual turn.

First, students from various universities began dancing in groups in dormitory corridors, on playgrounds, and in front of library entrances. Their moves weren't perfect, but their smiles were truly radiant.

Then came the white-collar workers in office buildings; during lunch breaks, several female colleagues would hide in the pantry, clumsily making finger hearts at their phone screens before bursting into laughter together.

The most ridiculous part was when some netizen uploaded a video of her 1.9-meter-tall athlete brother being forced by his girlfriend to dance to "love you."

The muscular man had a face full of despair, yet his moves were surprisingly precise; the sense of contrast was maxed out, and the likes instantly surpassed a million.

Viral.

This song and this dance were like a sweet virus, spreading rapidly to every corner of the internet in a completely irrational manner.

Some people danced with their Golden Retrievers.

Others paired the video with footage of their cats tucking their paws in.

There was even a traffic policeman who, during a break from duty, was egged on by his colleagues and made a blushing finger heart.

The data for "love you" began to climb vertically before anyone could even react.

The style of the comment section on Penguin Music was completely different from the "crying like a dog" and "toasts to youth" atmosphere of "the former you."

Here, there was only a chorus of "ahhh" like screaming marmots.

"Oh my god! My heart has been hit! I declare that I am unilaterally in a relationship with this girl named Tang Tang!"

"This voice is way too sweet! It feels like a spoonful of honey was poured directly into my ears!"

"I'm a tough guy, 1.88 meters tall, 210 pounds, 150kg bench press. After listening to this song, the corners of my mouth are as hard to suppress as my AK-47. Who gets it?"

"I get you, bro upstairs! I've already looped it three times, and now even the big stray dog downstairs looks pretty to me."

Meanwhile, the area under "Music Judge's" Weibo post became another sea of joy.

The comment section was completely submerged by countless mentions of him and various finger heart dance videos.

There were people in hospital gowns dancing in hospital corridors.

There were people in work clothes dancing on construction sites.

There were people in diving suits making finger hearts underwater.

The captions were surprisingly consistent:

"Lord Judge, wake up! Get up and see the joke! @Music Judge"

"Lord Judge, does this 'biggest joke of the year' sound good? @Music Judge"

"I'll answer for Lord Judge: It sounds great! It's already broken my old waist! @Music Judge"

That music critic was probably terrified by this spectacle and quickly deleted the Weibo post, but screenshots had already spread across the entire internet. He himself and that phrase "biggest joke of the year" became the biggest joke of the year.

Twenty-four hours later.

Su Qing rushed into the practice room holding a tablet, her voice trembling.

"Teacher Lu! Jiang Cheng! Tang Tang! Look at this!"

On the screen was the real-time ranking of Penguin Music's New Song Chart.

First place was still Lin Shiya's "Star Whisper."

Second place, "Play."

Third place, behind a bright red "UP" arrow, were two words—

"love you."

Like a rocket, it left the new songs of countless A-list singers and traffic idols behind, making a powerful debut in the top three.

Tang Tang looked at the chart, completely stunned.

With trembling hands, she clicked on her personal Weibo account, which she had just registered the day before.

The follower count had jumped from 0 to 152,431.

That constantly ticking red number was like a heavy punch hitting her tear ducts.

She remembered the helplessness of having her speakers knocked over by a drunkard while busking in the backstreets.

She remembered the days of eating nothing but steamed buns for a month to save money.

She remembered the countless late nights in front of the mirror when she couldn't even get a single expression right.

Tears welled up without warning.

She started with soft sobs, then cried louder and louder, finally squatting on the ground and weeping uncontrollably like a child who had suffered a great injustice.

After crying for a long time, she looked up again, her face covered in tear stains, yet she grinned like a fool.

Jiang Cheng and Su Qing stood nearby, watching this scene with mixed emotions.

They glanced at each other, both seeing the same emotion in the other's eyes.

Numbness.

If "dispelling sorrow" and "the former you" had shown them Lu Zhixian's talent, then "love you" had shown them a miracle.

This wasn't just music production ability anymore.

This was internet alchemy.

Turning stone into gold.

Just as the studio was in a state of jubilation and Jiang Cheng was clamoring to go for a meal at the best restaurant in Jingzhou...

The official Weibo of an established domestic entertainment company, "Xinghai Entertainment," suddenly updated its status.

Xinghai Entertainment is one of the giants in the domestic idol industry, especially skilled at creating sweet-style idols.

"[Xinghai Entertainment V: Surprise ahead of schedule! Our artist @Weiwei-Vivi's new single "honey trap" will be released online tomorrow night at 8 PM! The purest sweet critical hit, please look forward to it!]"

Immediately after, Qi Weiwei's manager, a well-known gold-medal manager in the industry, reposted this Weibo and wrote pointedly:

"I'm glad to see the market starting to focus on the sweet style again."

"But sweetness requires years of training and the accumulation of stage experience; it's a temperament that radiates from the inside out, not something that can be imitated with temporary gimmicks and viral marketing."

"Tomorrow, let everyone see what a truly high-quality idol industry production looks like."

This Weibo post didn't name names.

But every word was like pointing at the nose of Heartstrings.

A blatant declaration of war.