Volume One, Chapter 58: The Song He Sings Is of Our Mountains and Rivers

“With a sweeping brush, I paint my land and rivers; with a blade as sharp as a thousand swords, I draw these majestic peaks.”
“Let the roaring river become the strokes of a dragon and snake; I fear my brush and ink may not do justice to my beloved homeland!”
These lyrics were invigorating, stirring a sense of pride.
Guo Qiang’s face was alight with excitement. “Wow, I’m getting goosebumps all over!”
Song Changying nodded enthusiastically, just as moved.
This scene was captured by the staff, ready to be edited into the highlight reel.
But in the next instant, the staff’s attention shifted back to Jiang Yu’s singing.
“Let my heart hold the Qin and Han dynasties, let me dream of the Tang and paint peonies.”
“Let the fireflies sketch blossoms that never fade, while I outline this magnificent land!”
“Mount Emei, Kunlun, heroes gather at Mount Hua.”
“Changbai, Taihang, Mount Tai stands at the edge of the sea that I survey!”
It began—every breathtaking mountain and river of the nation found its way into Jiang Yu’s song.
At first, everyone was stirred; then curiosity mingled in, eager to hear which place he would sing of next.
“I long to return to the grasslands and play my lute beneath the moon.”
“I hide in the vast desert of Dunhuang, dancing with my golden plumes.”
“I perch in the mysterious forests of Dali, Yunnan!”
“Watch as the phoenix finally soars to create a legend!”
...
The judges below the stage could not help but marvel at Jiang Yu’s brilliance.
He was already remarkable for writing only about the land, but now he had woven history into his lyrics as well.
What manner of genius was this?
“Tang Yin, Boju, Gongwang, Hermit Ximeng, all unroll a long scroll.”
“Qu Yuan, Li Bai, Du Fu, Su Shi, Lu You—hundreds of poems.”
“See these mighty rivers flowing ceaselessly through the ages.”
“See these towering green mountains, their noble spirit filling all creation!”
...
“These mountains, these rivers, this painting—let the ink flow!”
...
At last, the song came to its end.
The audience remained immersed in Jiang Yu’s performance.
After a long pause, applause finally erupted.
The judges could not wait to cast their votes.
Guo Qiang spoke first: “Nothing more needs to be said. Jiang Yu has my full support!”
Song Changying: “I gladly cast my vote!”
Su Muyu said nothing, but simply revealed her card.
All eyes turned to Xu Kun, the pressure now on him.

Xu Kun gritted his teeth. The humiliation Jiang Yu had dealt him in the previous round was still fresh in his mind. Truth be told, he truly did not want to cast his vote for Jiang Yu.
But Jiang Yu’s performance this time was simply too overwhelming. If he withheld his vote, who knew what the internet would say about him?
Jiang Yu!
Xu Kun had never imagined that one day, someone he disliked could, by sheer talent, force him to vote in his favor.
Jiang Yu passed with unanimous support!
The contestants seated in the waiting area wore complicated expressions. In the video, Jiang Yu had always seemed lazy and unhurried, never racking his brains like the rest of them—now it was clear it was because he was always so thoroughly prepared.
And not just prepared, but devastatingly so.
Thus, the recording of the third episode was complete.
Two days later.
At exactly eight o’clock in the evening, “Idol: Two and a Half Years” was broadcast simultaneously on major platforms.
Thanks to Jiang Yu’s recent popularity,
a crowd was waiting in anticipation to see how he would perform this round.
“Did you hear? This time, the singing format is rap.”
“Huh? Does Jiang Yu even know how to rap? Since his debut, I’ve never heard him sing anything even remotely close to rap.”
“Exactly! What is the production team thinking, using this style? Are they targeting Jiang Yu?”
“I hope Jiang Yu doesn’t get eliminated. I still want to hear more of his songs.”
The audience’s expectations for Jiang Yu remained high—his previous songs had touched them deeply.
But as for his rap skills, they were skeptical; after all, Jiang Yu had never ventured into rap since his debut.
To them, this episode posed a real danger for him.
Yet what followed utterly shattered their expectations!
They were floored.
“Holy—this is insane! Every single one of Jiang Yu’s songs is a masterpiece!”
“I’ve got goosebumps all over!”
“Magnificent, sweeping, grand—he sang the spirit of our entire country’s mountains and rivers!”
“Incredible! Is this really Jiang Yu?”
“He captured the grandeur of our great land—now this is what rap should be! The rest of you rappers, take notes!”
“Exactly! This is rap at its finest! This is our glorious land—you can always believe in Jiang Yu!”
“That’s right. When he sang the word ‘China,’ I got chills all over!”
...
Watching the barrage of live comments on the screen,
Jiang Yu pondered for a moment,
then logged into his alternate account once more.
Spicy Turkey Chips.
“In my opinion, this is exactly what a song with Chinese characteristics should be. Jiang Yu is the best—everyone else, just fast-forward!”
This account now boasted over a million followers as well.
Using his own account to praise himself—wasn’t that perfectly reasonable?
Riding his own wave of popularity—absolutely justified.
Jiang Yu grinned mischievously.

As soon as the post went up, comments began to flood in.
“Damn, didn’t expect you to be watching ‘Idol: Two and a Half Years’ too!”
“Turkey Chips, that’s not really appropriate. You have no idea how scary some fans can get. Take my advice—delete this post.”
“Xu Kun’s fans are disappointed in the author. Used to be a fan, now a hater. Jiang Yu doesn’t respect his seniors and sings songs like ‘Don’t Bite Me’—clearly a character issue.”
“In response to the comment above, this is the author of ‘Zhu Xian.’ If you want to read it, stay. If not, get lost!”
...
As the show aired,
Jiang Yu’s name once again soared to the top of the trending charts.
#“Landscape Scroll,” a sweeping epic, glorifies our land#
#“Landscape Scroll”—another masterpiece from Jiang Yu!#
After hearing this song,
Jiang Yu’s fans were ecstatic.
Even those who usually loved rap found that the songs they’d once enjoyed now felt strangely hollow by comparison.
And the top influencers and media accounts, after Jiang Yu performed “Don’t Bite You,” quickly found more material in his new song.
Some even proclaimed this as the new pinnacle of Chinese rap.
Countless music critics, eager to ride the wave, heaped on the praise.
Of course, there were plenty of detractors as well—some were Xu Kun’s fans, others were keyboard warriors, and some were hired trolls.
Yet the positive reviews still outnumbered the negative ones by a wide margin.
Among them, a renowned gold-label music critic named Shen Li posted a long essay:
“To be honest, I’ve been following Jiang Yu for a long time. The first time I heard him, I knew this boy was extraordinary, though I worried he might be a flash in the pan, that he still needed to work hard before becoming a top singer in China.
But when I heard ‘You’ and then ‘Borrowing Five Hundred Years from Heaven,’ I was stunned by his talent—these songs were written by someone just in his early twenties!
When the director announced that this episode would be a rap competition, I thought the show was setting Jiang Yu up for failure, given that none of his previous songs used this style. But after hearing ‘Landscape Scroll,’ I’m grateful to the director!
‘Landscape Scroll’ is now my favorite rap song of all time!”
Thanks to this gold-label critic’s essay, the song spread even faster.
As soon as it was uploaded to the major music platforms, it shot to the top of the new releases, hot songs, and other charts.
Meanwhile, Yan Ming, the director of “Idol: Two and a Half Years,” could not stop grinning.
The ratings he held in his hand were clear: three percent.
For a variety show to reach a three percent audience rating meant it was a runaway success—the number one show in the country!
Much of that credit belonged to Jiang Yu.
“Now, that girl group show next door is no match for me!”
Just then, the phone rang.
Who else could it be but Li Gang?
Yan Ming sneered, then pressed the answer button.