Chapter 74: Leng Yan’s Restlessness—Were Bai Ling’s Efforts All in Vain?

Leng Yan was also somewhat surprised. Although his agent had pressed Bai Ling several times, songwriting was not something that could be produced on a whim unless one was a top-tier lyrical and musical genius. Bai Ling’s musical talent had already amazed Leng Yan, and it was precisely because of this, along with Bai Ling’s insightful remarks during the show that revealed a deep understanding of “education,” that Leng Yan had personally reached out to invite her to compose.

However, that didn’t mean Leng Yan intended to entrust everything to Bai Ling. In fact, he had planned to schedule a meeting with her to discuss the creative process in detail. Yet, to his astonishment, Bai Ling simply sent him the complete lyrics and the music score.

What was she implying? That he, Young Master Leng, was unnecessary?

Leng Yan felt rather helpless about this. Had it been any other artist, he would have already scolded them for their audacity. If this wasn’t arrogance, what was? Still, for Bai Ling’s sake, Leng Yan decided to give her some face and began to read through the lyrics and music.

“When the youth are wise, the nation is wise.
When the youth are prosperous, the nation is prosperous.
When the youth are strong, the nation is strong.
When the youth are free, the nation is free.”

He skimmed through the opening lines—these were merely borrowed from classical sayings. According to Bai Ling’s notes, this section wasn’t even intended for him to perform but was meant to be sung by a group of children’s voices. Truth be told, it was a clever touch. Just picturing the scene in his mind, Leng Yan found it intriguing.

What came next was crucial.

“The red sun rises, and its path blazes bright.
The river bursts forth, surging vast and wide.
The hidden dragon soars from the abyss, scales and claws aloft.
The tiger cub roars in the valley, all beasts startle in fear.”

In an instant, the imagery leapt before his eyes, and Leng Yan felt himself immersed in the mood. The next line struck him even more profoundly.

“The youth possess their own wild spirit!
Their spines stand tall as mountains and rivers!
Daring to measure the sun and moon anew!
Today, we are the youth!
Daring to test our edge against heaven and earth!
Who can bar our path as we cut through thorns and brambles?
Let the world mock us; we only grow stronger!
We shall not betray our youth.”

With the melody, Leng Yan softly hummed along and immediately made his decision.

“Good girl, this is truly well written.”

Now, he no longer dared to underestimate her in the slightest. The lyrics and composition Bai Ling had provided were nothing short of perfection. If not the very best, it was certainly the most outstanding work he had seen on this theme.

Bai Ling’s talent had risen several notches higher in Leng Yan’s estimation.

Without hesitation, he took the score straight to his agent. What was there left to say? Record it! Record it now!

Whether it was the excitement of receiving such a great song or simply being astounded by Bai Ling’s gift, Leng Yan was determined to record the track that very day and get it released as soon as possible.

In the past few days, one of the entertainment industry’s biggest moves was the much-anticipated annual season of “Come Celebrate the New Year at My Home,” which was currently airing. Although there had been live broadcasts, the final edited version airing on major TV networks was still highly anticipated.

During this time, Bai Ling’s fans spared no effort to promote her. Their beloved Bai Ling had shone brilliantly in the show—especially the segment where her musical talent was on full display, which left audiences in awe and was still widely discussed.

The production team, well aware of Bai Ling’s popularity, made the most of it in their promotions. As a result, when the episode finally aired, its ratings broke all previous records for the show.

Even so, despite many highlights, the public service segment of the program remained controversial. Most viewers, much like those in the original live broadcast, felt that Wen Yan was indeed at fault, but saw no need to blow things out of proportion. It was only after Bai Ling’s sharp rebuke that they realized the deeper issue. Everything played out exactly as it had during the live broadcast, as if caught in an endless cycle.

Yet, this was only to be expected. Without external interference, the majority of people would react in a predictable manner.

However...

After that segment aired, new rumors suddenly began to circulate online.

“Scripted!”
“It’s all scripted.”
“This show has been full of staged performances for a long time. It’s just not interesting anymore.”
“That Wen Yan is really pitiful. Who knows how she offended Bai Ling?”
“Come on, that’s not fair. Wen Yan was in the wrong from the start—how is that offending Bai Ling?”
“Exactly, don’t talk nonsense.”
“Wen Yan already had her spotlight stolen by Bai Ling in the girl group show, during that sword dance—the marketing was intense. Now she’s just a prop for Bai Ling again.”
“Now that you mention it, that does seem to be the case.”
“Don’t just think so—it’s obvious, isn’t it? Doesn’t it all seem a bit too deliberate? No one would treat Principal Zhang Ruchun that way under normal circumstances, so why did Wen Yan act so out of character? Isn’t it all just for show?”
“Maybe Teacher Zhang Ruchun knew nothing and was so confused when she was pushed. Poor thing...”
“In the past, Bai Ling might not have had the backing, but now, who knows.”
“Exactly. Everyone’s raving about that performance, but honestly, if it was all pre-arranged and discussed, it wouldn’t have been hard to pull off.”
“Sure, it’s easy—just takes a pair of hands.”
“Nothing but hype and marketing...”
“I looked it up—turns out both Wen Yan and Bai Ling are from Spring and Autumn Entertainment. So Wen Yan was probably just the scapegoat.”
“No wonder I was puzzled how an unknown girl group member like Wen Yan got on the show—so that’s why.”
“I used to think Spring and Autumn Entertainment was above all this, but clearly, they play the same games. So disappointing.”
“Who could disagree?”

Though these comments didn’t directly seek to destroy Bai Ling, they were unanimous in painting her as an artist propped up by capital. The criticism may have been soft, but it was relentless.

Just when it should have been a prime time for Bai Ling to gain new fans, these narratives shifted public opinion.

As soon as Bai Ling became aware of the situation, she immediately reached out to Sister Ge for advice. According to her, this time Xinghui Entertainment seemed to have kept their hands off. Having been battered by recent scandals, the company was busy dealing with its own mess and had little time to concern itself with Bai Ling.

After discussing it, the two quickly came to a conclusion.

“It’s Wen Yan and Ou Qianqin stirring up trouble.”
“Most of the online comments are about Wen Yan’s innocence and accusations that you’re following a script.”
“Judging from the situation, it looks like Wen Yan is trying to seize the narrative.”
“And at the same time, she’s washing away her mistake on the show.”