Chapter Six: Victorious Challenge!

“Now, let’s have the audience cast their votes!”
The host turned to look at the large screen behind him, and Jiang Yun also turned his head.
“Three hundred votes!”
“We’ve broken three hundred!”
“Five hundred votes, everyone—five hundred!”
The host reported the numbers with rhythmic cadence.
Listening to the host’s impassioned announcements, the audience’s hearts were in their throats; Jiang Yun was no exception.
The host was masterful at manipulating the crowd’s emotions.
His reporting stirred up excitement.
“Seven hundred votes, everyone, seven hundred! Congratulations!”
“Let’s congratulate this challenger—he’s successfully defeated the house!”
The host spoke with emotion and fervor.
“Phew—”
Jiang Yun let out a sigh of relief.
“Now, contestant, you may remove your mask,” said the female judge in the center.
Jiang Yun slowly took off his mask.
“Wow!”
“The Prince of Love Songs?!”
“So it’s the Prince of Love Songs—no wonder the original song was so beautifully sung.”
Zhou Yang was a streamer with a bit of fame.
He was broadcasting live: “Folks, guess who I ran into at ‘You’ve Got Talent’? Who’s the challenger this time?”
His fans left comments in the livestream.
“Who is it?”
“Stop keeping us in suspense.”
“Turn your camera around, streamer!”
“Heh heh!”
Zhou Yang chuckled, “Just send ten rockets and I’ll show you who it is!”
“Get lost!”
“Drop dead!”
The comment section exploded with curses.
Zhou Yang laughed awkwardly, realizing he’d pushed too far. “Alright, I won’t ask for rockets, planes will do—just ten!”
The curses continued, and Zhou Yang knew he was being too impatient.
“Fine, I won’t ask for gifts, I’ll let everyone see for free.”
He pointed the camera toward the stage.
“Wow!”
The livestream erupted.
“It’s Jiang Yun, the Prince of Love Songs!”
“Wow, it’s Jiang Yun himself!”
“Streamer, I’ll tip you just because Jiang Yun is here!”
“Ding! ‘Dreams of You’ sends a ship.”
“Ding! ‘Riverside’ sends five ships.”
Zhou Yang grinned from ear to ear—this was truly a stroke of luck.
On stage, Jiang Yun had defeated the house and advanced to the finals. The final PK would take place a week later.

Today, footage from the live show “You’ve Got Talent” spread online, and Jiang Yun once again appeared on the trending list.
Shock! The mysterious challenger at “You’ve Got Talent” is revealed—it’s him!
Shock! The original song by the mysterious challenger rocked the entire venue!
Shock! Talent cannot be buried by capital; see how the underdog turns the tables.
Jiang Yun knew nothing of these headlines.
When Jiang Yun and Li Lulu left the performance hall, it was already noon.
“Where shall we eat?” Jiang Yun asked.
“Boss, how about we buy ingredients and cook at home?”
Jiang Yun shook his head and laughed—clearly, Li Lulu was craving his cooking.
“Alright then!”
Jiang Yun took Li Lulu to the biggest department store in Magic City to buy fresh produce and fruits.
When they left the supermarket, they were carrying two large bags of groceries.
If they walked back carrying those bags, they’d have to cross several streets—it was simply too much to carry.
So they hailed a taxi.
The cab stopped at the old apartment complex, and Jiang Yun paid the fare.
“It’s so convenient to have a car—I need to buy one myself soon!”
Jiang Yun and Li Lulu went upstairs.
“Phew—”
The old building had no elevator; they climbed six flights in one go, exhausted and out of breath.
Jiang Yun unlocked the door.
Once inside, Jiang Yun began preparing the fresh ingredients.
Li Lulu tidied up the apartment. To anyone who didn’t know, they might have looked like a couple.
Soon, Jiang Yun had finished cooking. There were scrambled eggs with tomatoes, shredded pork in Beijing sauce, preserved vegetables with pork belly, stir-fried green beans and eggplant, and a salmon head soup.
Four dishes and a soup, served with rice.
Li Lulu looked at the small table piled high with food and swallowed.
The dishes were vibrant, aromatic, and delicious—mouthwatering. Li Lulu dug in impatiently.
“Mmm—”
She picked up a piece of preserved vegetable pork, her mouth full, exclaiming how delicious it was.
Jiang Yun shook his head with a smile—Li Lulu’s eating habits left much to be desired, and he felt a bit helpless.
Jiang Yun ate slowly and elegantly, in stark contrast to Li Lulu’s ravenous pace.
After lunch, Li Lulu slumped back in her chair, clearly stuffed.
She glanced at her phone and suddenly jumped up.
“Boss, look!”
“What is it?”
“Chairman Zhou just released a new song—ten million views in two hours!” Li Lulu said.
Jiang Yun nodded—Zhou Lun was indeed prompt, clearly eager for a great song to prove himself.
“Boss, there’s more. Li Mengya is releasing a new song too. She’ll debut it at her next concert.”
Jiang Yun nodded; it made sense for Li Mengya to release a new song.
“Boss, you’re trending again.”
“Mm.” Jiang Yun nodded calmly, indifferent to fame and fortune.
Li Lulu’s excitement made Jiang Yun’s ears ache.
After sending Li Lulu off, Jiang Yun set his alarm and went straight to sleep.
He slept soundly, but it felt like only moments before the alarm went off.

Jiang Yun tidied himself up—he had to admit, he looked quite handsome. Over six feet tall, with a strong and chiseled face, though from the side, his features softened.
He messaged Li Lulu to wait for him downstairs.
“Sigh—now that I’m just starting out, I have to do everything myself. This agent is practically useless.”
Jiang Yun sighed, “Maybe things will get better in the future.”
After meeting up with Li Lulu, they hailed a taxi.
“Driver, to Red Romance Café.” Jiang Yun and Li Lulu sat in the back.
The car started off.
The driver glanced at them in the rearview mirror: “Are you two going to Red Romance for a date?”
“Pfft, certainly not!” Li Lulu blushed slightly.
Jiang Yun smiled and explained, “We’re colleagues!”
The taxi driver chuckled and didn’t pursue the conversation.
“Ring ring ring!” Jiang Yun’s phone rang.
He answered.
“Hello? Who is this?”
“Is this Mr. Jiang Yun?”
“Yes, and you are?”
“We’re from Penguin Music, and we’d like to purchase exclusive streaming rights for your songs ‘Lip Service’ and ‘Pacific Heartbreak.’”
Jiang Yun felt a bit helpless—he was just about to meet an editor from NetEase Music, and this call was very timely.
“How much are you offering for exclusive rights?”
“Ten thousand for both songs. What do you think?”
Jiang Yun didn’t hesitate—he refused immediately.
“Boss, who was that?” Li Lulu asked with curiosity.
“Penguin Music, wanting to buy exclusive rights.”
“Oh! And the perks?”
“Not much!” Jiang Yun replied perfunctorily.
The taxi stopped outside Red Romance Café.
Jiang Yun and Li Lulu entered.
A greeter came up to meet them: “Are you Mr. Jiang Yun?”
“I am!” Jiang Yun replied.
“Mr. He has been waiting for some time.”
The greeter led the way, and Jiang Yun and Li Lulu followed.
A man in his thirties, tall and slender, dressed in a suit, stood up as soon as he saw Jiang Yun.
“You must be Mr. Jiang, right?” The man surnamed He extended his hand.
“No need for formalities, you flatter me.” Jiang Yun replied courteously, shaking his hand.
They smiled at each other in greeting.
Jiang Yun seated Li Lulu and himself.
After a few pleasantries, they got straight to business.
“Mr. Jiang, here’s the situation: we’re prepared to offer fifty thousand for exclusive streaming rights to ‘Lip Service.’”
“Fifty thousand?” Jiang Yun frowned.
He signaled to Li Lulu—time for her to take over.
At this moment, Li Lulu’s professionalism came to the fore.