He glanced at the performer. Zhang Shaohan? Hmm? Had she sung this song before? Why didn't he remember it?
He read the introduction carefully and finally understood what was going on.
"In the World," by Wang Jianfang, wasn't exactly original; at most, it was just re-lyricized?
The original song was a foreign piece called "What Are Words."
It used the melody and then added Chinese lyrics. These lyrics were sharp and obscure, sarcastically portraying a sense of despair about reality. The song was later taken down due to copyright issues.
The version used here was one Zhang Shaohan adapted after purchasing the rights.
The reason he hadn't heard it was that this version was never released as a studio edition. It was only performed during the "Singer" show as a competitive song and was available online only as a live version.
At that time, Chu Tian was just a young talent who had debuted a few years prior and was making his way toward top-tier celebrity status, so it was normal that he hadn't heard it.
As for the other song, "Midnight Heading to the Dawn," he had heard it before. It was quite popular online and a very good song indeed.
The outcome was clear: those two songs. Everything else was irrelevant. It seemed he really had to rely on Xu Qingqiu's performance to earn Reputation Points for himself. Could this be considered living off a woman?
Just as he was conflicted about whether he was living off a woman, someone unexpectedly made a Weibo post. After some verification, it was quickly picked up by marketing accounts and went viral.
[Just listening to Xu Qingqiu's new song "The Original Dream," and I suddenly noticed that the lyricist, composer, and even arranger are all listed as 'Anonymous.' Is this 'Anonymous' a pseudonym, or is the person truly unknown? Does anyone know?]
Clearly, he wasn't the only one who had noticed this. Many other netizens had as well, but no one had spoken up until this Weibo post brought out even more curious netizens.
"'Anonymous' means the specific name is unknown; it's generally used for ancient poetry when an author's identity can't be established."
"Damn! I saw it too! I thought the lyricist and composer's name was actually Anonymous. So that's what it means?"
"I didn't even notice until you said something. It must be a stage name, right? Otherwise, how could the author's name be unknown?"
"A new song, and the author is unknown? How is that possible?"
"I heard Xu Qingqiu was being suppressed and secretly blacklisted by her former company. Could it be that someone, fearing retaliation, secretly wrote the song for her but didn't leave their name?"
"Is that even a thing? This song is really good. Who would willingly give up the credit for such a great song?"
"What if they were paid a lot? It's not impossible, right?"
"I don't know. Is there any insider information? I'm so curious."
As the buzz intensified, many marketing accounts, sensing a new hot topic, flocked to it.
[Who is the mysterious author of Xu Qingqiu's new song?]
[Who is behind the once-fallen Queen's sudden resurgence?]
[Suppressed by her company and blacklisted by the industry, she can perform again, all thanks to this 'Anonymous' author—who exactly is this person?]
["The Original Dream" and Xu Qingqiu's hidden secrets.]
...
All the explosive headlines were talking about the same thing.
Who wrote "The Original Dream"? Who is this person? Why didn't they leave a name?
These three questions quickly climbed the trending searches, with headlines about the mysterious author attracting a lot of curious onlookers.
"Judging by the song's style, it's a significant departure from Xu Qingqiu's previous love songs, which likely rules out her usual team of lyricists and composers."
"The song's content mainly talks about not forgetting one's original aspirations, which aligns quite well with Xu Qingqiu's recent experiences. It was likely tailored specifically for her, probably by someone who knows her very well."
"I'm part of this circle. Honestly, many people have a similar style, like Mr. Chen Zheyuan, Mr. Xu Congsheng, Mr. Lin Yan, and so on. But as of now, nobody has revealed who specifically wrote it."
Gradually, the discussion about who wrote the song evolved into a guessing game, with many people flocking to the accounts of various lyricists and composers to seek confirmation.
Lyricists and composers who were originally obscure and worked behind the scenes with little fame unexpectedly gained a wave of online attention.
Older artists who rarely used their accounts still hadn't responded. In contrast, some less popular and less renowned individuals, sensing an opportunity, began to frequently post inexplicable content without ever addressing the matter directly.
Netizens were abuzz with excitement, while the individuals in question delightedly watched their follower counts increase.
Overall, the internet world showcases a myriad of human behaviors, with all sorts of people involved. But today's hottest topic was undoubtedly the identity of the song's author.
"Xu Qingqiu has only one song out right now. If she wants to go further, she'll definitely release new songs, and Baise Entertainment won't just sit idly by. What do you guys think, will this mysterious author write more songs for her?"
When someone raised this question, netizens reacted as if they'd stumbled upon juicy gossip, and their enthusiasm flared up immediately.
"Damn, this feels like watching a palace drama! Facing suppression from her company, a mysterious songwriter suddenly steps in to save the day, helping Xu Qingqiu out of her plight. Is this damn novel coming to life, or what?!"
"Now that you mention it, it really does have that vibe. Hurry up and write it, I'd love to read that!"
"What an imagination! The world isn't as simple as you think. Everyone is just living for their own interests. From what I know, Xu Qingqiu was already heavily in debt. Where would she get the money to buy songs?"
"What do you mean? Are you saying the song wasn't bought? Could it have been given to her for free?"
"I didn't say that. Maybe there was some other kind of exchange of benefits?"
"You damn scoundrel, you're asking for it! What the hell are you spouting? Our President Xu isn't like that!!"
"Who knows? I'm just saying."
"Spreading rumors is illegal. You'd better be careful and not spout such nonsense."
Whether it was rumor-mongering or not, the previously clueless onlookers suddenly seemed to catch on to something from this exchange.
"I heard Xu Qingqiu was 'kept' by someone, and that's how she got the song?"
"I heard Xu Qingqiu traded her body for a song?"
...
The rumors grew more and more outrageous, and the internet quickly turned toxic and murky.
"No wonder."
"So that's how it is."
Comments like these were everywhere, as if everyone had suddenly obtained concrete evidence that Xu Qingqiu had traded her body for the song.
Even when fans tried to explain, no one was willing to listen anymore.
"What song could be that valuable? A world-class masterpiece? While this song is indeed good, isn't this an exaggeration? The idea that a Queen, who has maintained her integrity for years, would trade her body for a single, merely excellent song is ludicrous."
Some more discerning netizens saw through the nonsense and scoffed at the online rumors.
But people, unable to resist their love for gossip, only wanted to believe what they chose to believe. Who really cared what the truth was?
The studio was quickly alerted to the trending topic and instantly became a hive of activity.
"Notify PR, call a meeting in the operations office, and contact our law firm to help draft a legal notice."
This matter could escalate significantly or be dismissed as mere fabricated slander.
But how many celebrities throughout history have fallen because of such 'black material'?
Sometimes the truth isn't important, but at other times, it's incredibly crucial!
Amidst the panicked exclamations in the office, Chu Tian had already figured out what was happening.
As a seasoned gossip aficionado, he quickly traced the origins and understood the full sequence of events.
It was indeed a rumor. However, the nature of such a fabrication was hard to pin down, especially since it had been gradually distorted as it spread from person to person online.
The real instigator was just that sarcastic netizen. But one couldn't truly say he was spreading rumors, as he hadn't actually said anything definitive; everything was based on others' assumptions and misunderstandings.
That's what made it the most troublesome, because finding the original source of the rumor was nearly impossible.
With his extensive experience, he quickly realized how difficult it would be to investigate this matter. Even reporting it to the police wouldn't help much. At best, they could issue a clarifying statement and a legal notice to warn off troublemakers and cool down the situation.
But this, after all, was just another day in the life of a celebrity. As the saying goes, popularity brings rumors, and fame breeds disputes.
So, the question remains: will he give her another song or not?