Chapter 530: Wen Ming 20
Wen Ming was as calm as ever; she had already learned the results from Tan You. So compared to the others, she appeared composed and unfazed, carrying herself with the air of a seasoned veteran.
Perhaps because he saw how composed Wen Ming was, the chief director suddenly asked, "Ms. Wen Ming, can you predict your ranking?"
Wen Ming hadn’t expected the director to call on her while she was just sitting there quietly. She lifted her gaze slightly. "I’m not sure. I’d even accept last place. That would just mean I have a lot of room for improvement."
She never had an arrogant personality to begin with, and the more she honed her craft, the more humble she became.
The director was a little disappointed he couldn’t get a rise out of Wen Ming, but he was also aware of her status in the industry and didn’t dare to actually stir up drama. "Ms. Wen Ming, you’re being too modest. You did very well in this performance, placing second."
Instead of celebrating, Wen Ming first turned to Sui Yu beside her to congratulate him. "Congratulations on taking first place, Mr. Sui. Truly, congratulations."
Sui Yu stood up as well, and he and Wen Ming shared a brief hug. "My competitors were all very gracious. Thank you, everyone."
No matter what anyone was truly thinking, on the surface, they were all smiles.
After the performance rankings were announced, it was time for the rules of the second episode. The director took out a cue card. "The theme for the second episode is love songs..."
Wen Ming glanced over and saw smiles appearing on the faces of several of the female singers. She couldn’t help but lower her eyes. ’If this were Tan You, she’d be freaking out right now. But me, singing a love song?’
A shiver of dread ran down Wen Ming’s spine.
Thinking of the love song album she had released before, Wen Ming felt a pang of bitterness. A singer has to move people with emotion. When she was in the recording studio, she had practically ripped open her old wounds, laying bare all her grievances, frustrations, and resentment for all to see.
Although the album sold well, it took her a long time to heal and bury those heartaches again. ’Are they going to be dug up once more?’
The director’s shenanigans weren’t over yet. He had someone bring out a large prize wheel. "Next, you will all draw your performance pieces for the next round. These are all top-charting love songs. Each person will have three chances to draw."
Sui Yu took one look and laughed, nudging Wen Ming with his elbow. "The songs from your album are all on there."
Wen Ming put her recently learned lesson to use. "Everyone is just too kind."
Sui Yu roared with laughter. "Speaking of which, you only ever released that one love song album. You never sang a love song yourself again after that."
Wen Ming shook her head. "It’s too painful. Singing love songs is like displaying your own pain to the public over and over again. The reason I released that album back then was to make a clean break with the past."
"By the time the album was finished, I felt like I’d lost half my life. It was just too draining."
Sui Yu said, "That’s just you. If you don’t want to endure this hardship, plenty of people would be willing to."
Wen Ming shook her head. "I’ve rarely written love songs in recent years, either. I basically can’t touch the genre. It’s impossible not to be reminded of the past, and the past doesn’t hold many fond memories for me."
It was public knowledge that Wen Ming had a rocky love life. But since it was a private matter, no one was tactless enough to bring it up on camera.
The two of them chatted quietly, and soon it was Wen Ming’s turn to draw. She gave the wheel a casual spin, and the pointer landed squarely on "Hidden Heart." Everyone froze, and the room suddenly fell completely silent.
Wen Ming’s expression, however, remained unchanged. "I still have two more chances, right? I’ll spin again."
She spun two more times in a row, and each time, the pointer landed unfailingly on "Hidden Heart." Wen Ming smiled. "It must be fate. I’ll sing this one, then. It’s an excellent song, and it’s my honor to be able to perform it."
Zhou Rong quickly interjected, "The honor is all mine, to have Ms. Wen Ming cover this song."
Wen Ming gave a faint acknowledgment. The source of the argument between her and Qi Ying back then was this very song. She had accidentally seen it after Qi Ying composed it and had fallen in love with it.
But Qi Ying felt that Zhou Rong, who was quite famous at the time, singing the song would bring him greater fame as well. She couldn’t accept that, and her fights with Qi Ying grew more and more intense...
Pushing those thoughts aside, Wen Ming looked at Sui Yu. "Which songs did you draw, Mr. Sui?"
Sui Yu grinned. "I drew your songs as well."
Huang Li laughed. "I think we could call the second round the ’Wen Ming Special.’ So many people drew your songs."
"Don’t say that, don’t say that," Wen Ming said, waving her hands dismissively. "There are many excellent songs on there."
Listening to everyone exchange compliments, Zhou Rong’s emotions were the most complicated. When she was in her prime, Wen Ming hadn’t even debuted yet. But now, the gap in their status was immense.
As the industry’s "Queen of Love Songs," Zhou Rong had always believed that if her love songs were ranked second, no one could claim first. But then, four years ago, Wen Ming released her first and only love song album.
The moment that album dropped, Wen Ming, who was already revered, saw her status climb even higher. Before, she didn’t sing love songs, so everyone assumed she wasn’t good at them. But after hearing those songs, who wasn’t moved to tears?
And after that one album, Wen Ming never released another love song. She had never even performed any of the songs from that album in public.
But it had to be said that now, whenever love songs were mentioned, one could not avoid talking about Wen Ming’s album.
After having hotpot with everyone the previous night, Wen Ming arrived at the station at eight the next morning, accompanied by Shen Tan, to continue filming the second episode. Once the second episode was done, she would have a short two-day break before filming the third and fourth episodes back-to-back.
Shen Tan held Wen Ming’s water bottle. "Sister Ming, how did you sleep last night?"
"Not bad," Wen Ming lied through her teeth. In reality, the thought of having to sing this song today had kept her up most of the night. Her face was now a little haggard, giving her the unsolicited look of a fragile beauty.
Shen Tan said, "Sister Ming, starting today, everyone can move around the station freely. Oh, right, you have a solo interview before the performance and another one after."
Wen Ming knew the routine. "Got it. The production team is just trying every trick in the book to create buzz."
"Hehe," Shen Tan chuckled. "Everyone’s curious about you. They’re curious about your talent, curious how you can write such heart-wrenching lyrics, and curious about your life."
"You’re so low-key. Being low-key makes you seem mysterious, so it’s only natural for people to be curious."
Wen Ming shook her head. "My life isn’t really that mysterious. Outside of work, I’m mostly at home. I’ll occasionally watch some shows, but I spend most of my time reading. There’s just so much I need to learn."
"The more I learn, the more I realize my own shortcomings. And socializing... it undoubtedly drains too much of my energy. Compared to making friends, I prefer staying home by myself."
"I’m just a very ordinary person, living an ordinary life."
Shen Tan pulled out a cue card. "Knowing you were coming on the show, I took the liberty of compiling comments from your personal social media page. Everyone is urging you to hold a concert. Do you have any plans for that in the near future?"