Translator: 549690339
Publicity needs to be prepared.
Music reviews require auditing.
As noon approaches, the new song chart for May takes shape.
King Fei predictably captures the championship throne.
As if by fate, Chen Zhiyu is slotted into second place.
The third and fourth places are both occupied by top-tier singers, but there is a notable gap from them to Chen Zhiyu in second placeâ¦
King Fei is in the first tier.
Chen Zhiyu is in the second tier.
The rest are in the third tier.
In other words, if not for the sudden rise of King Fei, Chen Zhiyu could have unquestionably taken first place.
Because he indeed defeated the other two top-tier singers on the chart. Howeverâ¦
The reason why Chen Zhiyu took second place is not the focus of the publicâs attention; only those in the industry would care about such things.
The only thing the public knows is that Chen Zhiyu came in second again! As expected.
As soon as the rankings were released, the topic âChen Zhiyu, the Perennial Runner-upâ quickly rose on the Tribeâs trending list!
Its popularity was skyrocketing!
It broke into the top ten in the blink of an eye and continued to advance towards the top three!
Even those who were originally indifferent to this joke could not help but remain speechless this timeâ¦
âSecond place again?â
âI remember Chen Zhiyu lost to Zhao Ying Ge before⦠then he lost to Sun Yaohuo⦠and then he lost to Xia Fan⦠So he technically came in second three consecutive times!â
âIn simpler terms, he lost three times to Xian Yu. Each of those songs was written by Xian Yu.â
âAn old saying goes that things shouldnât happen thrice. There is indeed no problem, things didnât happen thrice, but Chen Zhiyu didnât lose to Xian Yu again⦠this time he lost to the King of Singing, Fei Yangâ¦â
The funniest thing is, this time, Chen Zhiyuâs song was written by Xian Yuâ¦â âWhat kind of luck is this? Too mystical!â
âI burst into laughter when I heard the news!â
âThe Runner-up: If only getting first place in the season was as easy as getting first place in trending.â
âWow, is the Runner-up really the first in trending?â
âFeel sorry for Chen Zhiyu, Chen Zhiyu, keep it up, protect the worldâs best Runner-up!â
âHangin there, Runner-up!â
Perhaps because Chen Zhiyuâs perennial runner-up status has deeply resonated with people, many netizens have directly nicknamed Chen Zhiyu âRunner-up Brotherâ.
The âRunner-upâ in Perennial Runner-up.
As for trending, Chen Zhiyu did indeed reach number one. At this time, even the trending ranking for Fei Yangâs new song only made it to thirteenth.
Not to mention the people in Qin Province.
Even netizens from Qi Province couldnât help but laugh when they learned about Chen Zhiyuâs record.
âPerennial Runner-up?â
âHas he been cursed?â
âNo wonder everyone calls him Runner-up Brother.â
In the dark, there is a will for number two!â
âThe song title âChange Myself is so fitting for the situation!â
Just like how a celebrity from a neighboring star can never make headlines, some news is just amusing in a mysteriously funny way.
Add to this some bloggers intentionally stirring the pot for traffic, itâs natural that many people are irresistibly attracted to this Perennial Runner-up joke.
The number of followers on Chen Zhiyuâs Tribe profile is swelling at an astonishing rate.
Howeverâ¦
Just as everyone was enjoying the joke, eminent music critic Zhang Qi suddenly published a music review:
[Did you truly understand Chen Zhiyuâs âChange Myselfâ?]
Who is Zhang Qi? n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The vice-president of the Qin Continent Music Association!
A top music connoisseur in the Qin Continent music scene!
Without boasting of his high reputation, he is at least considered a recognized industry mogul!
His article naturally drew the attention of countless people as soon as it was published.
However, everyone was puzzled.
What did the title of this article mean?
Did I not understand the song âChange Myselfâ?
With this curiosity in mind, many people clicked into Zhang Qiâs music review.
âThe Perennial Runner-up sings about his determination to change himself in his new song, yet he has once again taken second place. Chen Zhiyu has become a joke to everyone.
Iâm not here to criticize anything.
As artists, we must be mentally prepared to entertain the public.
Whether in their private lives or their work, such incidents will inevitably result in the public making jokes and teasing.
But we must not let these jokes cause us to overlook the song itself. Is âChange Myselfâ truly just a singerâs monologue?
Or, as I asked in my title, do you truly believe that you understood the song âChange Myselfâ?
I believe that the vast majority of those who blindly follow the trend and make jokes have not fully understood, otherwise, they wouldnât laugh so naturally.
So who is this âmyself that needs to change?
Is it Chen Zhiyu, who joined Starlight, or the Perennial Runner-up who collaborated with Xian Yu?
It is, and it isnât!
This âmyself is all of us!
The meaning of the song is actually hidden in every line of the lyrics!
The so-called change in the world signifies the future that we/us are facing in the grand integration of Blue Star; The so-called change in oneself hopes that everyone will adapt to this new world and take charge; The so-called change in barrier is the songwriterâs strong criticism of the cultural walls that still exist in the yet-to-be-unified continents; The so-called change in small- mindedness signifies our inherent territorial mindsetâ¦
Xian Yu is truly talented!
Chen Zhiyu is full of love!
This song uses a casual singing style to inspire our actions and attitudes in the face of progress, yet its lyrics do not have the usual preachy tone of officialdom. Change Myselfâ highlights our existing uncertainties, and provides a clearer direction for everyone. Those who truly can change the world are you who can continuously change yourself!â
II II
Many were stunned after reading this lengthy review!
To the vast majority, âChange Myselfâ was seen as a very pleasant, yet ordinary pop song.
Who would have thought that behind its seemingly simple lyrics and melody, there would encompass such profound connotations!
The netizens were dumbfounded!
Following Zhang Qi, other music critics spoke out, their critiques almost identical to Zhang Qiâs:
âWe canât just look at the surface of the lyrics of this song; the underlying implications are profound!â
âXian Yuâs âChange Myselfâ uses the âself to reflect on the changes in an era!â
âStop calling Chen Zhiyu the perpetual runner-up; he should not be second, his singing is a declaration of love for the world!â
âIs it too shallow to judge âChange Myself as a pop song?â
II II
Netizens are both blind and awake.
But no matter what kind of person they are, they can use their own thinking to consider the rationality of these music evaluations.
Many people, after reading the review, immediately replayed âChange Myselfâ.
Perhaps it was a psychological effect.
With the lyrics of âChange Myselfâ reflected beside it, they suddenly discovered, after listening to the song again, that what the music critics said was right!
These lyrics may appear simple at first glance, but they are indeed alluding to something, thereâs a deeper level of interpretation!
âOh my gosh!â
âI have learned a lot.â
âThis song is awesome!â
âZhangQiâs interpretation is almost divine!â
I admit that I didnât understand this song for the first time. Thanks to the music criticsâ reminder online, I have downloaded this song. The review made me like this songâ¦â
âXian Yuâs talents are fully exhibited in this song!â
âIn the era of Qin-Qi merger, âChange Myself is the most on-point song. I was shallow before.â
I never thought this way before⦠Now following the thinking of the music critic, my goodness, this song is simply mind-blowing!â
Wow!
The netizens in Qin and Qi provinces were totally blown away by the implied meaning of this song!
At this point, the official promotion account of Zhong Continent, with the avatar of a âBlue Starâ, forwarded this mind-boggling song âChange Myselfâ, and attached a quote and lyrics:
We change with the times, and the times also change because of us. Friends of the new generation, letâs work hard together!â