Chapter 14: Dark Horse Comeback

The Sigrela Xuan Palace Restaurant is the most distinctive Western restaurant in the central business district of Beidu.

To celebrate the birthday of his only older sister, Li Mingxin had reserved the largest private room early on, and also invited his good partner, Wan Baoluo, along with a few industry friends, to celebrate with her.

The luxurious decor of the private room resembled a medieval Western palace, with excellent sound insulation. The brown-red wooden fireplace flickered with a warm firelight, creating a spring-like warmth.

The dishes were served, all exquisite and refined, with an aromatic fragrance. In the middle of the table was a two-layered flower cream cake with thirty birthday candles. The sound of the pianist’s performance was soothing and elegant, and the friends at the table raised their glasses to toast:

“Happy Birthday to our beautiful Li Mingyue!”

“Thank you, everyone, and my dear brother,” the curly-haired woman smiled as she blew out the candles and extended a slender finger to poke her younger brother Li Mingxin’s chubby cheek. “Also, I hope you lose some weight and find a girlfriend soon.”

“What are you saying, sis? I’m not as fat as you make it sound,” Li Mingxin grumbled as he cut a large piece of cake and placed it onto Wan Baoluo’s plate. “You should eat more sugar, you’re getting so skinny… Hey, everyone’s eating, why are you still playing with your phone!”

“I’m not playing, I’m checking the data,” Wan Baoluo cheerfully shook the seashell-shaped smart terminal in his hand. “Guess what, how’s Farewell to the Past ranked now?”

“What Farewell to the Past?” Li Mingyue curiously looked over.

Li Mingxin rolled his eyes, not very interested. “It’s a contestant song in our Star Show competition. Speaking of this, it really annoys me. It was such a promising newcomer, but those lazy judges ruined it. Sigh, what a shame.”

Li Mingyue clicked her tongue. “Speaking of good newcomers, I met one the other day at a wine gathering. Tell me about yours first.”

Li Mingxin rubbed his hands together and squinted. “Well, how do I put it? His voice is very unique, and his singing ability is incredible for a newcomer. Although he has some flaws, they don’t overshadow his talent. In short, he’s fresh and natural, unforgettable the moment you hear him!”

Li Mingyue clapped her hands, eyes lighting up. “Hey! Coincidentally, the newcomer I met that day was also fresh and natural, unforgettable at first listen! Oh, by the way, it was introduced by your boss, President Ji from Huanyi.”

“Ah? President Ji?” Li Mingxin froze, exchanging a puzzled look with Wan Baoluo. “President Ji never cares about newcomers…”

“Silly little brother, you never read between the lines,” Li Mingyue smirked, lazily combing her wavy curls. Her bright red nails flickered between her hair. “No wonder you haven’t risen to higher management all these years.”

“…” Li Mingxin smiled perfunctorily. “We don’t dare to question the boss’s affairs. Anyway, let me play you this song.”

He gestured for the pianist to pause, then snatched Wan Baoluo’s seashell terminal, eagerly placing wireless headphones on his sister, showing it off like a treasure.

“I’ll listen, let’s see what this ‘divine’ song is that you can’t forget,” Li Mingyue gave him a half-amused, half-exasperated look, kicking her feet up on the sofa and tapping her high heels along to the melody.

Wan Baoluo noticed their almost identical habitual gestures and couldn’t help but laugh. This pair of siblings truly was a perfect match.

“What’s this song? So mysterious. Let’s all listen together,” some of their friends, who had been chatting, noticed that the piano had stopped and gathered around.

One of them was Director Liu Li, the man with a little mustache whom Li Mingyue had been gossiping with at the Yaxi winery.

Li Mingyue casually turned on the amplifier, and the powerful melody immediately poured out, a river of waves and a gust of wind, with the ethereal and smooth vocals weaving through it, as though pearls strung on fine silk.

Everyone fell silent, listening intently. The more Li Mingyue listened, the more shocked she became. She subconsciously crossed her arms and felt goosebumps rise along her arms. As the song ended, everyone looked at each other, still stunned, and no one spoke for a moment.

“This voice…” Li Mingyue bit her lip, furrowing her brows in uncertainty. “I feel like I’ve heard this before.”

Director Liu Li nodded, “I also feel like I’ve heard this voice before, but I can’t quite place it. Hey, Li Fat, what’s the singer’s name? Could it be someone we know?”

“Stop calling me Li Fat!” Li Mingxin glared at Wan Baoluo, who shrank his neck, pretending he didn’t hear.

“You probably don’t know him. The singer is a college student named Liang Jingsheng.”

“Liang Jingsheng?” Li Mingyue shook her head, indicating she had never heard of him. “This song is great, the ranking should be pretty high, at least in the top twenty!”

“Heh, top twenty? Not even in the top thirty!” Li Mingxin muttered in frustration. “Those judges are all focused on the vote battle, ^[1]“Eyeing that big slice of cake” is a figurative expression meaning someone is eagerly or greedily looking at something they want, often with the intention of taking it for themselves. It … Continue readingeyeing that big slice of cake.”

“Oh, that’s a shame,” Li Mingyue nodded in realization, then suddenly stood up, an idea flashing in her mind. “I remember where I’ve heard this voice before!”

She turned to Director Liu Li, making a violin-playing gesture. “Do you remember? The handsome young guy President Ji brought that day?”

Director Liu froze for a moment. “I vaguely remember. You’re saying it sounds like him?”

“Yes, it’s quite similar, but he didn’t say much at the time, so I’m not entirely sure.”

Director Liu shook his head. “I remember his last name is Xiao, not Liang.”

Li Mingyue looked disappointed. “That’s true. Looks like it’s just a coincidence.”

Wan Baoluo suddenly shouted, “Li Fat, look! The song’s ranking has changed, it’s moved up two places!”

Li Mingxin’s eyes lit up, his fingers interlocking as his pupils began to spin. “Right! Sis, didn’t you promise the fans on Weibo you’d make a birthday video for your birthday?”

Li Mingyue looked at him suspiciously. “Yeah, so what? What are you plotting in that brain of yours?”

Li Mingxin had a sudden flash of inspiration. “I think this song has a nice melody and the lyrics are fitting. Why don’t we just use this song as background music? All our competition songs have promotion rights through the company.”

“Ha, so in the end, you just want me to help promote it. Did this singer give you something in return?”

“No, no! I don’t even know him!” Li Mingxin quickly waved his hands, embarrassed, and pressed his lips together. “I just think it’s a bit of a waste. Besides, if he really becomes popular, it’ll prove I had foresight. Those judges won’t be able to act all high and mighty in front of me. But if it doesn’t work out, it’ll just mean the song didn’t pass the market test, and I won’t feel bad about it.”

Li Mingyue raised her chin and smiled slightly. “Alright, since my video needs background music anyway, and since his voice is so similar to the handsome guy from that day, I’ll help him out.”

Director Liu Li volunteered, “I wonder if I have the honor of helping you film this meaningful birthday video?”

“And us! We can’t miss out on the video for Sister Li’s 30th birthday!” A group of celebrity friends from the industry gathered around, all eager to participate.

Wan Baoluo let out an exclamation. “Oh my god, just for a birthday video, and you guys are doing it with top-tier production?”

The entire table burst into laughter.

—

The next day.

As the pillar of Star Weekend and the beloved national host, Li Mingyue’s 30th birthday celebration naturally attracted a lot of attention. The variety television station even arranged a grand celebration event for her to interact with her fans.

The entire event was live-streamed both online and offline.

Director Liu’s studio worked with incredible efficiency. A three-minute birthday video was filmed and completed, including post-production editing, in just one day. It was ready to be broadcast during the live stream.

As the event began, the online viewership surged, instantly surpassing fifty million viewers.

The commemorative video, being the opening segment, immediately attracted countless eyes.

Turning thirty marks a significant divide between the first and second halves of life.

Li Mingyue’s first thirty years had not been smooth sailing. On the contrary, she had experienced a troubled childhood, a failed marriage, and in the lowest points of her career, she faced repeated setbacks, almost reaching a point where she couldn’t even afford her rent.

The turning point came four years ago. By a stroke of luck, she became the host of Star Weekend, a variety show whose ratings had dropped to the point where it could barely sustain itself. No one had high hopes for her, nor for the fading show.

No one expected a miracle, but it happened. Li Mingyue persuaded the director to change the show’s format, and with an emotionally charged, unique hosting style, she gained a large following of viewers.

Star Weekend, once a sunset show begging for celebrity guests to boost ratings, leaped to the top of the ratings charts.

Li Mingyue, in turn, emerged from the shadow of her failed marriage and became a symbol of confidence and independence.

She considered this achievement one of the proudest moments of her life. So, when Xiao Chi praised her in person at the wine gathering, she was deeply moved.

The three-minute video encapsulated Li Mingyue’s brief yet dramatic thirty years of inspirational life, paired with an emotionally stirring, uplifting soundtrack. As the climax of the video approached, nearly all the fans present were on the verge of tears, excitedly shouting Li Mingyue’s name.

The online viewers surged again, reaching nearly seventy million!

At the end of the video, Li Mingyue’s emotional and deep voice delivered a monologue: “At thirty, say goodbye to the past, and look to the future.”

Following that, the credits rolled with the names of the production team: Director Liu Li, the production team, and Liu Li’s studio. The audience was stunned—wasn’t this too extravagant? The Best Director of the prestigious White Horse Film Festival was filming a birthday video?!

The names of well-known industry leaders flashed by.

The final musical piece: Farewell to the Past, sung by Liang Jingsheng.

Almost simultaneously with the live stream, Li Mingyue updated the video on her social media, and it was quickly reposted, commented on, and praised by various influencers. The national host’s vast network of connections was on full display.

In less than five minutes, the video’s shares, comments, and live stream comments surpassed a million. The comments fell into three categories:

Wishing the goddess a happy birthday!

So many big names, blinding my eyes!

Asking about the background music—what song is this?

At first, fans answered the questions seriously, but eventually, they became so overwhelmed by the constant inquiries that they humorously replied: “Keep asking and you’ll be banned!”

In less than an hour, Li Mingyue’s birthday video went viral across all major online platforms. The twelve words from her closing monologue trended on social media, and one hashtag soared to the top: #FarewellToThePast.

In the internet age, the speed at which information spreads is mind-blowing. Soon, someone discovered that the song in the birthday video was actually the second-round entry in the nationwide Star Show competition.

From the day the song was launched on the platform, its ranking silently began to climb from 39th place, gradually reaching 31st.

As Li Mingyue’s birthday video went viral, Farewell to the Past shot to the trending topics, climbing rapidly with the heat, overtaking the unlucky 30th place, and its momentum continued to surge. In just a few hours, it surged into the top 20!

There were still no signs of it slowing down.

With over six million votes, shockingly, its download count was closing in on five million!

This meant that the singer of this song could directly earn a million in revenue.

The current 10th place only had around five million downloads!

The ratio of votes to downloads was staggering.

Entertainment media influencers couldn’t help but marvel, saying that this was the true measure of an overnight sensation.

Forget those first few entries, with ratios over three to one, they’ve clearly inflated their numbers, so don’t even try to boast about them!

However, the heat generated by trending topics was only temporary. Ultimately, the song’s real endurance would depend on its quality.

Would Farewell to the Past continue its sprint toward the golden top 10, or would its momentum wane and the ranking slip as the buzz from trending topics faded?

This question became a major topic of discussion for everyone watching the Star Show competition.

Various entertainment media reporters, like flies sensing fresh meat, quickly swarmed to interview Liang Jingsheng, this ^[2]“dark horse” refers to a person or thing that unexpectedly achieves success or outperforms others, often in a competitive situation. It originates from horse racing, where a “dark … Continue reading”dark horse.”

But the true originator of it all, Liang Jingsheng himself, was not celebrating at all. Instead, he was deeply anxious, too terrified to even leave the house, let alone pursue a girlfriend. Watching his ranking rise daily felt like a countdown to death!

The truth was inevitable, the paper couldn’t cover the fire.

—

At the same time, while this song was skyrocketing across the internet, the actual singer, Xiao Chi, remained completely unaware, lost in his knitting.

One day, after finishing work, Ji Chenxuan returned home to find Xiao Chi lounging on the sofa with a carrot-shaped pillow behind him, happily knitting and humming a tune:

“I deeply love you~~ but you love a fool~~ oh~~ and still knitting for the fool~”

Ji Chenxuan: “…………”

—

Author’s Note: 

Little scene:

Ji: Who are you insulting?

Xiao: Isn’t it obvious?