Perfect Superstar.

On Monday morning, as office workers began their daily grind,

Wang Jiashi charged into the building like a berserker heading into battle. He took heavy, determined steps and beat his competitors to the elevator, securing the prime spot in the center, right by the door.

The poor elevator shuddered under his weight of over 100 kg, and the steel cables above creaked ominously, barely managing to withstand the strain.

The other passengers in the elevator couldn't help but feel a little nervous, their thoughts turning sour.

Just as the last white-collar worker stepped inside, the overload alarm suddenly blared!

Under the cold stares of everyone else, the man could only retreat, shooting Wang Jiashi a glare full of resentment.

If that guy wasn't here, at least two of us could've fit in!

Wang Jiashi, having developed a thick skin over the years, completely ignored the glares and waited for the elevator doors to close.

Once the elevator reached the 10th floor, he was the first to rush out.

When Wang Jiashi burst into the office and clocked in, the LCD clock on the time machine read exactly 9:00.

His first day back from vacation, and he wasn't late!

He wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling a sense of relief as if he had narrowly escaped disaster.

Six months ago, his company, New Tianyi, had been taken over by a new major shareholder. The new CEO came in with a vengeance, implementing strict rules. Being late even once meant a deduction from the full attendance bonus, and twice would cut into the monthly performance bonus.

Wang Jiashi, who loved to sleep in and had struggled to adjust his internal clock after a two-week vacation, had almost overslept but managed to clock in just in time.

"Old Wang, you're back?"

"Big Brother Wang, how was Phuket? You've got a tan!"

"Editor Wang, your work report is on your desk—two printed pages."

"The meeting is at 2:00 p.m...."

His colleagues were already hard at work and greeted him warmly when they saw him.

At 32 years old, Wang Jiashi was considered one of the senior employees at New Tianyi. He was well-liked for his good personality and real skills, earning him a solid reputation among his colleagues.

However, during work hours, his colleagues only exchanged pleasantries with him. In the past, they would have gathered around to ask about his vacation, whether he had any romantic encounters, and where the gifts were for everyone.

Wang Jiashi chuckled in response to a few questions but didn't hand out the small gifts he had in his bag. Before the boss arrived, he ducked into his office.

His 5-square-meter office could barely fit a small desk, but he made full use of the available space, with bookshelves fixed to the walls, piled high with books.

Though the space was cramped, Wang Jiashi was content.

As long as the door was shut, this small space was his private world— he could even smoke a cigarette without issue, thanks to the company's special accommodation for their senior employee and heavy smokers.

Wang Jiashi was the editor for Pop Color, a new media online magazine under New Tianyi. The company's app had maintained a market share in the top three among similar apps in the smartphone industry, making it well-known in the industry with solid advertising revenue.

Pop Color covered both international and domestic trends, including film, television, music, and fashion brands, primarily targeting young people in cities.

Wang Jiashi was the editor of the music section. Having worked for ten years in the same role, his pen name "Shitou Ren" was well-known in the circle, and his music review articles frequently appeared on the homepage.

Opening the window for ventilation, Wang Jiashi lit up a Lan Zhou cigarette, expertly clicked open his browser, and logged onto the Chinese Original Music Best-Sellers website.

He wanted to check the recent song rankings.

As soon as the page opened, Wang Jiashi spotted In Spring at the top of the charts!

He vaguely remembered the song title— it had appeared on the charts before his vacation, though it had been at the bottom. He hadn't had time to pay attention to it, but now it had risen to number one in just over two weeks.

Wang Jiashi found it hard to believe. After all, the band Wandering was virtually unknown in the pop music scene, and he had never heard of them before. How did their new song climb the charts so quickly?

Something felt off!

Wang Jiashi, cigarette dangling from his lips, flipped back to last week's rankings.

In Spring was still at number one!

This piqued Wang Jiashi's interest even more. If the number one spot last week had been due to luck, staying at the top for consecutive weeks could only be due to real strength. Although the fairness of the Original Sound charts has been questioned in recent years, it remained one of the most authoritative music charts in China.

He clicked on the link for In Spring from the Youview website.

Among the partners of the Chinese Original Music Best-Sellers chart were platforms like WeChat Music, NetEase Music, Pop Radio, and Youview, so songs on the chart had corresponding links to their websites.

Youview is linked to music videos (MVs), making it more visually appealing.

He clicked into a video titled New Rock Power, Wandering's In Spring.

The video had been uploaded more than a month ago, and its click count was already over 1.7 billion!

Such an astonishing number of views made Wang Jiashi shake his head.

Today's new media was too fond of inflating numbers— one click could be counted as ten, or even a hundred. 

The amount of fake data being pumped up was overwhelming, and this wasn't just Youview; even platforms like WeChat Music and NetEase Music were no different, often boasting tens of millions or even billions of clicks and views to inflate ad value.

With all the manipulation of charts and clicks, it was hard to distinguish what was real and what was fake.

This soured Wang Jiashi's mood for listening to music. He absentmindedly clicked the play button.

After a 15-second ad, the MV began.

Soon, a raspy, soulful voice filled with the power of experience began to echo in the small room.

"Remember the spring many years ago,

At the time I hadn't cut my long hair short,

Without credit cards, without her,

Have a home without 24-hour hot water."

"But then I was so happy,

Although with only a broken guitar,

In the street, under the bridge, in the fields,

Singing songs that nobody cares!..."

Five minutes passed, and the MV ended.

Wang Jiashi sat there, stunned, the cigarette in his mouth nearly burned out. He didn't even notice the half-burnt ash falling onto his clothes. His gaze showed the deep, complex emotions of being deeply shaken.

How had he never heard such a song before?

His lips moved as if to say something, a surge of passion rising in his chest. But before he could speak, the cigarette fell from his mouth.

It landed directly in his lap!

"F*ck!"

The thin fabric of his loose shorts was instantly burned, narrowly missing a more... sensitive area. Wang Jiashi jolted awake, jumping to his feet. His thigh slammed hard into the keyboard tray underneath the desk.

He nearly flipped the computer desk over.

Wang Jiashi was on the verge of tears, hastily brushing the burning cigarette butt off his shorts.

After a frantic few moments, he finally sat back down.

The music video was over, and though it nearly turned into a disastrous incident, Wang Jiashi's emotions remained stirred. His heart was still turbulent.

Having lived in the capital for ten years, this huge city still felt unfamiliar to him. The passion and ideals he once had had long faded with time, leaving him to simply struggle to survive.

Wang Jiashi didn't own a home in the capital because he couldn't afford one;

He didn't have a girlfriend because no good woman liked him;

The most luxurious experience of his life had been the half-month vacation he'd just spent abroad!

Now, listening to In Spring and watching the MV full of stories of joy and sorrow, Wang Jiashi realized that the strength he thought he had was actually fragile.

He was deeply moved, and touched!

Taking a deep breath, Wang Jiashi rubbed his sore eyes and lit another cigarette.

Wang Jiashi decided to write an article about the song for the next issue of Pop Color's music recommendation. But first, he needed to understand the song thoroughly, including the band Wandering and the songwriter.

However, Wang Jiashi quickly stumbled upon something interesting. Wandering had three songs on the charts. Besides the top-ranked In Spring, there were also Reason to be Strong at number 7 and I Want A Family at number 12—all written by the same person.

Lu Chen!

Wang Jiashi was unfamiliar with this name. He was certain Lu Chen wasn't a well-known songwriter in the industry.

Most casual listeners didn't care about who wrote the songs, much like when dining in a restaurant. If a dish tasted good, remembering the dish's name and restaurant was enough— they wouldn't ask who the chef was.

But Wang Jiashi wasn't an ordinary person.

As the editor of Pop Color's music section, he was more interested in the stories behind the songs. Beyond the band Wandering, he became strongly curious about Lu Chen, the author.

What kind of person could write such an outstanding rock song?

In Wang Jiashi's mind, he envisioned a middle-aged man with a weathered face and determined eyes.

He had roamed the world, endured hardships, and never found recognition. He sang loudly with his guitar in the wind: "If one day, I leave quietly, please leave me, this In Spring!"

Wang Jiashi typed into the browser's search bar: In Spring + Lu Chen.

He pressed enter, and the search engine quickly produced a vast amount of information, both relevant and irrelevant.

Among the top results was a post on the Sky Forum.

[The Misleading Title of The Strongest Singer, Unveiling the Elimination of In Spring's Author Lu Chen!]

Keywords: The Strongest Singer, In Spring, Lu Chen.

——

(End of chapter)

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