Volume One, Chapter 120: Capital Blockade? Rise to the Pinnacle

As soon as the first line of the lyrics appeared, some people, limited by their cultural background, did not understand what it meant. They curiously asked those beside them.

“What is Jiang Yu singing about?”

“I don’t know either. My English isn’t that good.”

“This music has some power to it, but the lyrics are hard to catch.”

“The music is good; as for the lyrics, I’m not sure. But I did get what Jiang Yu said earlier—he mentioned that without singing in English, you can’t win a Chinese music award. Haha, that guy’s got guts!”

Those who understood English looked on with admiration and shock. Someone asked for just one sentence from them.

“This guy is about to shatter the heavens of the music industry!”

“Wele to the war we’ve only begun.”

(The smoke of war spreads before our eyes.)

“Pickup your weapon and face it.”

(Grab your weapon with no regrets.)

He’s declaring war!

Those who understood were even more impressed by Jiang Yu.

In him, they saw their former selves.

Once proud and sharp-edged, yet in this circle, their edges had long been worn down bit by bit by people and circumstances.

They had become more timid, more fearful.

But this young man before them?

He showed no fear, no hesitation, standing alone against the powers that be.

In him, they saw that talent can indeed triumph over capital.

“There’s blood on the crown. Go and take it.”

(If you have a dream, you must defend it.)

He only wanted to protect the dream in his heart. But why did these people have to suppress him so?

Sitting in his seat, Xu Kun, who had just won an award, felt his face burning. The trophy meant to bring him honor now felt unbearably hot.

Watching Jiang Yu perform on stage, he gritted his teeth, yet a sense of helplessness rose within him.

He hated Jiang Yu, hated how he repeatedly ruined his plans.

But there was nothing he could do about Jiang Yu.

His talent, those works he could never surpass.

Originally, those didn’t matter; there were plenty of talented people in the industry. But there was one thing—Jiang Yu had the full backing of Huayue Entertainment.

Xu Kun’s own Star Entertainment was a relationship based on mutual use. He knew well that if he ran into trouble, the company would never help him, and might even abandon him without hesitation.

Meanwhile, Huayue Entertainment had stood with Jiang Yu from the start, helping him deal with all sorts of challenges.

Coupled with Jiang Yu’s extraordinary talent, he had achieved in just over five months what some never accomplish in a lifetime.

Previously, Xu Kun had been envious of Jiang Yu’s good company and talent.

But now, he no longer felt envy, because the name Jiang Yu would soon be history on the internet.

After Jiang Yu, it was over.

...

“This is your moment. Now is your time, so—”

(The pinnacle moment, the decisive battle.)

“Prove yourself and...”

(Clench your fists.)

On stage, Jiang Yu looked at everyone, veins bulging on his neck as he raised his voice.

“Targeting me? Am I afraid of you?”

Rise, rise.

“Make ‘em remember you!”

...

“They will remember you!”

The live chat exploded.

“Wow, did Jiang Yu write this? His English is incredible! He can write songs at this level?”

“I’m an English major with an IELTS 8 score. I can confirm, Jiang Yu’s skills are outstanding. I couldn’t write something like this.”

“My translation, please? Translate it for me.”

“You just need to know that Jiang Yu is declaring war!”

“I don’t understand the meaning, but it feels so electrifying and powerful!”

“No way, he’s about to have a concert, right? I must go to his live show and hear this song!”

“My husband is so handsome!”

...

On stage, all the live cameras focused on Jiang Yu.

He kept shouting, his emotions soaring higher.

Behind the scenes, other entertainment company bosses wore looks of resentment.

Their secretaries had already informed them of what Jiang Yu was singing.

For the first time, they felt regret.

“I said if you wanted to kill him off, just do it directly. But you insisted on humiliating him, making him sing on stage, supposedly to discipline the young talent. Now, you’re the ones getting hit, right?”

Another boss sighed, “President Li, this was your idea. The Golden Melody Awards are not what they used to be, and have faced much criticism. Now being slapped in the face like this will surely tarnish the award’s reputation further. You’ll have to take full responsibility.”

Li Gang gritted his teeth, glaring at the figure on stage. Hearing other bosses try to shift the blame to him, he grew displeased.

“President Wu, you can’t say that. Jiang Yu’s appearance threatens your interests too. Nowadays, on major music platforms, your artists have fewer and fewer charting songs.”

“At the beginning, everyone present agreed on disciplining Jiang Yu. I proposed the idea, and you were the first to support it.”

“Plus, I was completely opposed when Jiang Yu wanted to change his song. I dislike him, but never doubted his talent. That song ‘Don’t Bite Me’ caused us so many troubles—have you forgotten?”

“I opposed it, but what about you? Afraid of public opinion, you agreed to the song change, which led to this outcome, and now you expect me to take the blame alone? That’s unfair.”

The major bosses began arguing.

In the end, Li Gang cast a venomous glare at the figure on stage again and muttered, “I suggest we collectively blacklist him.”

Hearing this, the other bosses pondered carefully.

“I agree!”

“Agreed!”

...

On stage, Jiang Yu had finished the last line of the song.

“Rise, rise.”

(Reach the summit!)

But after Jiang Yu finished singing, no applause erupted.

They were stunned by the power of his song.

He was truly incredible.

They had already overestimated Jiang Yu before, yet still underestimated him. Forget Chinese songs—his English songs were just as impressive.

This song was on a whole different level compared to the “Hughug” that had just won the Chinese Golden Melody Award.

More than marveling at Jiang Yu’s talent, they were shocked by his courage to stand up against capital.

Countless reporters blushed deeply.

If not for the crowd, they would have shouted, “Jiang Yu, I love you!”

For the first time, they had a delightful problem.

This Golden Melody Awards event was packed with material, so rich that they didn’t know where to start writing their reports.

On stage, Jiang Yu waved to everyone.

Slowly, he uttered a few words.

“A song called ‘Rise,’ Chinese title ‘Reach the Summit,’ dedicated to the Chinese Golden Melody Awards jury. Hope you like it.”

Having said that, he walked off the stage.

At the leadership seats,

Wang Xianjun and Liu Banshan exchanged a glance and smiled. Though silent, they both knew exactly what the other was thinking.

They knew that after this Golden Melody Awards, the Chinese music scene would undergo a major reshuffle.

But more importantly, they knew there was still hope for Chinese music...