Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Man Who United the Music World

Faced with the approaching storm, Chen Nian was completely unaware, caught off guard.

Bang bang bang!

"Chen Nian! Open the door for me!" Having finally obtained Chen Nian's address, Zhou Lu hurried there alone, furiously pounding on his door.

As she entered the neighborhood, Zhou Lu found it hard to believe. How could a producer as successful as Chen Nian still live in such an old, shabby rental apartment? With the money he earned from songs released on all the major music platforms, buying a decent home should be effortless. Not to mention, she'd paid him a substantial copyright fee for the song "Under the Sea" he wrote for her.

"What's wrong?" Chen Nian opened the door, looking at Zhou Lu standing outside with confusion.

"Something big has happened," Zhou Lu replied. Originally, she had planned to drag Chen Nian out for a meal, but on her way over, she received news: the folk and rock circles of the music industry were joining forces to boycott Chen Nian!

"What?" Chen Nian was even more bewildered. He had simply taken a nap at home—how could something so drastic have happened?

"See for yourself." Zhou Lu handed him her phone.

"Awful!"

"Total garbage!"

"This is supposed to be folk music? Stop tarnishing the genre, will you?"

The comment section for "Rose" was nothing like before; it was flooded with negative reviews and insults.

"It's not just 'Rose.' Even our 'Under the Sea,' 'Elopement,' and 'Cinderella'—as long as the song is connected to you, it's all being slammed now," Zhou Lu said, then tapped into the trending topics.

He Wei and a group of folk singers had issued a joint statement. Their new song aimed to show what folk music truly was, not just any song labeled as folk. Some newcomers randomly put out a song and call it folk—that's an insult to the spirit of folk music!

"I think Chen Nian should apologize publicly and have all his works taken down. His pop music pollutes the musical landscape. He doesn't understand what a real song is; he's just a clown chasing clicks online!" He Wei's statement was shared by most of the industry musicians, particularly those from Xinji Entertainment.

"They don't just want to blacklist you—they want to drive you out of the circle entirely!" Zhou Lu said passionately.

To be honest, in all her years in the business, she had never seen the rock and folk circles unite like this. In a way, Chen Nian had contributed greatly to the evolution of pop music.

Chen Nian shrugged, unconcerned. "Let them say whatever they want. It's not like I ever planned to debut."

"The fact they're spending money to promote your new song should make you happy. Negative publicity is still publicity."

"How can you joke at a time like this?" Zhou Lu snapped indignantly. For most artists, even a lifetime of effort might not reach Chen Nian's current achievements. Reputation and accomplishment mattered to her more than anything.

"Come on, let's go back to the company and figure out what to do next." Chen Nian wanted to refuse, but Zhou Lu had already grabbed his wrist. It wouldn't look good to be tugging at each other in the corridor, so he simply followed her to the car.

As soon as Zhou Lu started the engine, Luo Xiaoyi called.

"Damn, what are they trying to pull? Just because they lost a contest? Is it really necessary to break all ties?"

"Those bastards, it's pure jealousy—slander! They can't write songs like yours, so they want to destroy you!"

If they can't have it, they'll ruin it.

Chen Nian's arrival had shaken the stagnant music industry, making those empty, superficial musicians feel an unprecedented sense of crisis.

"Mind your manners," Chen Nian said, puzzled by Luo Xiaoyi's intense reaction—after all, he was the one being attacked.

After Luo Xiaoyi finished venting, Chen Nian put the phone back to his ear and said, "Manners? They're shameless now, and you're lecturing me? If I don't storm Xinji Entertainment and tear off their false masks, that's already restraint!"

Luo Xiaoyi's eyes were red with anger. She'd finally gotten a representative work, "Love That Never Loses Contact," and now it was flooded with bad reviews. How could she not be furious? They hadn't offended anyone—just quietly made music—and now this?

What, is it a crime to be honest and hardworking?

"Where are you now? I'll come find you."

"No need, Zhou Lu is with me. We're on the way to Tianxing Entertainment," Chen Nian replied.

"Wait, hey? Hey!" Chen Nian looked at his phone and smiled wryly. These women were all more impulsive than the last.

"Where do you think you're going?" As Luo Xiaoyi grabbed her car keys to leave, Luo Youdao happened to return home.

"To find Chen Nian," Luo Xiaoyi said angrily.

"Chen Nian?" Hearing the name, Luo Youdao paused. "Right, when he has time, invite him over for dinner. I'll host."

Yu Wenqing had just returned from the capital with Chen Nian's calligraphy and was urging Luo Youdao to arrange a meeting.

"Weren't you pretty dismissive of him before? Why the sudden invitation?" Luo Xiaoyi frowned at her father.

"Just wait—he's probably very busy right now," Luo Xiaoyi said irritably.

"Why?" Luo Youdao asked, his brow furrowing.

Luo Xiaoyi recounted the whole story.

"You mean the entire folk music community is boycotting him right now?"

As the most outstanding entrepreneur in Rong City, Luo Youdao had some knowledge of the music world. To unite the entire folk circle against him—this Chen Nian must truly be something special.

With that thought, Luo Youdao smiled slightly and made a call to the boss of Xinji Entertainment.

"Hello, Mr. Luo, it's been a while. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Do you know a young man named Chen Nian?"

"Chen Nian?" Xinji Entertainment's boss frowned, sensing trouble.

"Just now, Xinji joined several industry leaders to pressure us to blacklist you!" Tianxing Entertainment's boss looked at Chen Nian with deliberate seriousness.