Chapter 18

### Chapter 18: The Impact of a Song

The little girl in the white dress kicked the popcorn off the table, jumped onto it, and laughed heartily, dancing along with the song. While dancing, she called someone, saying, "How about it, Miaomiao? I didn't tell you wrong, did I? The music is indeed very beautiful. I'll call you back later."

I believe I am who I am,

I believe in tomorrow,

I believe youth has no horizon,

By the sunset beach,

On the bustling street,

All are the most beautiful paradises in my heart.

I believe in freedom,

I believe in hope,

I believe I can touch the sky with my hands.

With you by my side,

Life becomes fresher,

Every moment is incredibly exciting.

I believe......

The fiery red guitar played a faint melody, as if burning with the passage of time, igniting every part of the soul. This was a soul-shaking experience.

At this moment, the blood boiled uncontrollably.

The music ended, and the stage lights suddenly brightened. Ye Ming stood at the center of the stage, the dazzling light shining on him, emitting an extraordinary radiance.

At this moment, Ye Ming finally understood why so many people loved the stage. He felt like a king, overlooking the entire stage.

At this moment, the stage was his, and he was the master here.

Music was his most powerful weapon to conquer the world.

Even a singer doesn't need to conquer the world, because a singer conquers people's hearts.

Thunderous applause erupted, and the audience responded with the most enthusiastic cheers, wave after wave like a tide.

This scene even made Mao Duoduo feel a bit jealous. It seemed that his own appearance might not have been able to achieve such a strong resonance with the audience.

Even when he was listening to the music, he couldn't help but be drawn in.

This was a fatal threat, and Mao Duoduo wouldn't let Ye Ming off.

When the host announced the judges' scores, Mao Duoduo was the first to grab the microphone and said, "As a pop singer and a senior in the music industry, I must say that the second contestant's singing is excellent, with a strong穿透力, giving everyone a strong impact, making people dance involuntarily to the rhythm. This is the charm of music and the purpose of this original singer competition. However..."

Although Mao Duoduo saw Ye Ming as a threat, he still appeared to be very supportive of the younger generation. However, when the word "however" was spoken, everyone knew the real criticism was coming.

Mao Duoduo said regretfully, "However, rules are rules. Since this is a competition, it must be fair and just. If the second contestant had performed elsewhere, I would have given a high score of 9.9 without hesitation. But this is a competition, and he changed the song at the last minute. Therefore, according to the rules, I can only give him zero points. Otherwise, it would be unfair to the other contestants."

The original singer competition indeed had a rule that contestants could not change their songs at the last minute, so Mao Duoduo's statement was not wrong.

The judges present all thought about this. Ye Ming's performance was flawless. According to Mao Duoduo, giving a 9.9 would not be excessive, but he did change the song, so giving zero points was also in line with the rules.

The senior judges, any one of them more qualified than Mao Duoduo, did not speak up because they did not want to be the ones to offend the contestants.

Since Mao Duoduo took the lead in being the bad guy, the other judges also gave zero points according to the rules.

The staff member responsible for monitoring the ratings rushed out of the room, looking at the pale-faced Zhao An and Director Fang, unsure of what to say.

Zhao An looked at him and said, "What's the result?"

At this moment, the staff member glanced at Director Fang and nodded, then said, "During the song, the ratings once rose to 1.3, the highest for the entire show. However, after Mao Duoduo gave zero points, the ratings dropped to below 1 almost instantly. The current rating is 0.6 and is still declining."

0.6 and still declining. This meant the entire competition was ruined.

Zhao An looked at Director Fang and said, "Fang, what can I say to you? If a competition has one mishap, it's an accident. But you had two, and the last one even ruined the entire competition. We both know how good that song was, and no one else could surpass its impact. For a little bit of petty gain, you actually sacrificed your future. After the competition, don't say I was the producer; I can't afford the embarrassment. Tomorrow, who knows how many people will point fingers at this competition."

A song with such impact and ability to touch hearts was given zero points.

If this were a recorded broadcast, it might have been salvageable, but this was a live broadcast, and there was no way to change it.

After saying this, Zhao An left without looking back, leaving Director Fang, drenched in sweat, unsure of what to do.

As Zhao An said, no one after Ye Ming could surpass his performance. The highest rating for the entire final was 1.3 during Ye Ming's performance of "I Believe," and the average rating was a pitiful 0.5.

A 0.5 rating was almost the same as a garbage time slot.

The next day, the entire entertainment industry was ignited. "Heavenly Voice," another original song worthy of entering the hall of fame, injected a burst of vitality into the stagnant music industry, like a spring breeze.

The Beijing Entertainment News used a full page to report on the original singer competition, but almost the entire page was about the newcomer Ye Ming, with a special column analyzing the potential of "I Believe." Music critics gave it a four-and-a-half-star recommendation index without hesitation.

Mr. Wu Mao, a music critic, pointed out that the half-star deduction was due to Ye Ming being a newcomer without enough experience; otherwise, it would have been a five-star recommendation.

The Beijing Entertainment News and Beijing TV, which were not on good terms, naturally took the opportunity to criticize the competition harshly.

The Jiangnan Daily, on the other hand, was more objective. It not only vividly analyzed the first contestant's loss of control and hinted at some behind-the-scenes manipulation but also discussed whether the second contestant, Ye Ming, was being suppressed by seniors because Mao Duoduo gave him zero points first.

After reading the newspaper, Mao Duoduo was so angry that he smashed his beloved tea set.

He then threw the Jiangnan Daily to the ground and stomped on it, saying, "Damn it, how dare they say such things. George, remember, from now on, refuse any interviews from Jiangnan Daily reporters. I won't accept interviews from such a ** media outlet."

Although it didn't name Mao Duoduo, even a fool could see that it was referring to him.

Of course, the Beijing Film and Television, a magazine directly under the Beijing TV, stood up to defend the competition, stating that the scoring was based on fairness and justice. Regardless of how well Ye Ming sang, changing the song at the last minute was not allowed in any competition.

This was disrespectful to the audience, the judges, and even the entire music industry.

Director Fang even personally came forward to explain that no matter how good a song was, it had to be performed within the rules. No one could be above the competition.

Regardless, in the week of arguments, Ye Ming began to be recognized by the public. "I Believe," a rock song worthy of entering the hall of fame, became a well-known song due to the controversy.

The entertainment industry is like this: it's not afraid of topics but of a lack of topics. As long as there is enough hype, it's hard for someone to be forgotten.

Regardless, Ye Ming, who had been washed ashore from the sea of extras, now had the capital to stand on the beach and speak. He truly had the qualifications to challenge the newcomer wall.

Signing with a company was just the starting point. To truly have the qualifications to challenge the newcomer wall, one had to have results and not be washed away by the tide.

Su Xiuxiu was very unhappy. Ye Ming, whom she had never taken seriously, had a day of turning things around. She was very, very unhappy.

In the office of Deputy Director Jiang Chuan at Beijing TV, a messy pile of newspapers and magazines lay on the table in front of him.

These media outlets were all criticizing the TV station.

In the media, TV stations often held a dominant position, but this time, the print media found an opportunity to vent and did not let it go, piling on the criticism.

Jiang Chuan pointed at Director Fang and scolded, "Fang, open your eyes and look. This is the task I gave you. Is this how you treat my trust? Are your eyes blind? Didn't you know how much impact that song would have on the music industry?

To ensure the success of this competition, I even invited Zhao An to oversee it. What was the result? This is how you completed the task? Do you know what the station director said about me? 'Incompetent.' You're a waste of space. I've never heard the station director criticize someone like that."

Director Fang was sweating, even though the air conditioning in the office was set to a comfortable temperature. His cold sweat wouldn't stop.

At this moment, he could only apologize and admit his mistakes. When he saw that Jiang Chuan's anger had subsided, he tentatively asked, "Director, what should we do next? Should we blacklist Ye Ming?"

Jiang Chuan grabbed a handful of newspapers and magazines and threw them at Director Fang's face, saying, "Blacklist? Are you not ashamed enough? That would just give those reporters more to write about. Let Song Kai be suspended without pay. If he has the ability, let him fend for himself."

Suspension without pay, in a nicer term, was a suspension, but in a harsher term, it was a dismissal.

Suspension without pay usually left room for return, but if you angered the leadership, thinking about coming back was just a dream.

In the world, the leadership is the greatest.

Director Fang quickly nodded in agreement. If this matter didn't involve him, he would consider it a blessing. As for Song Kai, he couldn't guarantee his safety.

Jiang Chuan thought for a moment and said, "Contact Yonghua Film and Television and arrange an interview for Ye Ming on Entertainment New World to clarify this matter. You know how to handle it, right?"

After being scolded for two hours, Director Fang finally stumbled out of the station director's office, dazed and disoriented.

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**End of Chapter 18**