Chapter 105: The World's Finest Gathering [Midnight]

By April, the second episode of the first season of "I Am a Singer" aired as scheduled.

Netizens widely agreed that the overall quality of the songs had declined this time. Only Murong Xue’s rendition of "When You Are Old" managed to captivate the audience and stand out. Many urged Ren Qian to stop appearing in public so frequently and to stay home writing songs instead, claiming that was the true path to success.

But would Ren Qian heed such advice? Absolutely not. The drop in song quality was part of his strategy all along. If he laid all his best songs on the table at once, spoiling the audience’s taste, who would he have to blame then?

His album hadn’t even been released yet; he couldn’t afford to squander all the good songs.

Moreover, "I Am a Singer" had already established a solid reputation; a few minor flaws wouldn’t do any real harm.

Throughout, Ren Qian remained calm and composed, but the staff at Jiangnan Television were deeply worried about a potential plunge in ratings.

A decline in viewership would surely invite ridicule and scorn from industry insiders—Jiangnan Satellite TV simply couldn’t afford to lose face.

As the program aired, they closely monitored the ratings. To their surprise, despite the weaker song quality, the viewership of "I Am a Singer" actually rose slightly.

This news filled them with joy, finally allowing their anxieties to subside.

Early April.

The hottest news wasn’t the new viewership records for "I Am a Singer," nor was it Ren Qian’s latest song release, "Misty Rain and Melancholy."

The headline belonged to hundreds of millions of netizens.

The Empire’s highest-circulation newspaper, the Jinghua Times, dedicated a tenth of its pages to reporting on a nationwide public welfare movement.

“In recent years, the entertainment industry has been plagued by countless scandals and faced relentless criticism, but now it has finally earned everyone’s respect.

The incident began when unscrupulous media manipulated paparazzi footage to create the false impression that Ren Qian had run over a construction worker with his car, misleading the public into condemning him.

However, the truth was soon revealed, showing Ren Qian had once again been exploited by the media.

As the farce came to an end, most netizens drifted away.

Only Ren Qian saw the plight of the migrant workers and spoke up, urging everyone to pay attention to those still owed wages.

The author must express admiration for Ren Qian—despite facing such severe backlash, he calmly stood up for justice. Truly a noble gentleman!

Inspired by Ren Qian’s example, renowned CCTV host Song Yanbai and anti-fraud activist Fangbianfu were the first to share and praise his spirit, joining him in advocating care for vulnerable groups and helping migrant workers reclaim their unpaid wages.

Over time, Ren Qian’s Weibo posts were increasingly shared and commented on by influential users. Caring for the vulnerable and fighting for migrant workers’ wages became a rallying cry known across the internet.”

Netizens began putting this slogan into action…

Within just five days, they reported 1,668 cases of unscrupulous employers withholding wages, helping over 30,000 migrant workers recover more than 33 million yuan!

During this period, Ren Qian posted a thank-you on Weibo, writing, “I didn’t expect netizens to be so powerful; it feels like positive energy is flooding the entire Empire!”

For a time, “positive energy” and “powerful” became internet buzzwords, inspiring netizens to carry this movement forward.

The campaign to save migrant workers continued to spread, reaching ever-wider areas, with many regional TV stations reporting on local rescue efforts.

The author is honored to have participated in the “Fight for Migrant Workers’ Wages” movement. Upon seeing those calloused hands trembling as they held hard-earned money, and the weathered, darkened faces streaming with tears, I too couldn’t help but weep.

I finally understood that even for a single coin, they must rise early and toil late, endure scorching sun, or even risk their lives to earn it.

Ten days—both a transformation and a testament, proving that even in this money-driven age, our hearts still hold a sliver of conscience and compassion.

Where benevolence exists, so does the nation.

As an entertainment star, Ren Qian’s sense of responsibility is truly admirable.

It is my humble opinion that having such a figure as the idol of millions, even tens of millions of young people, greatly benefits the youth in establishing correct views on life, values, morality, and social responsibility.”

The article was lengthy and heartfelt, detailing the entire process and outcomes of the event. Many media outlets reprinted it, and netizens marveled, declaring, “This is the true spirit of a great nation.”

“Ten military drills don’t compare to one nationwide charity.”

“Spending billions to aid foreign countries isn’t as impactful as helping migrant workers reclaim their wages in just a few days.”

“A nation’s strength is measured by how its people care for the vulnerable.”

Such remarks echoed loudly.

Thanks to the media’s positive coverage, Ren Qian rode this wave to become the embodiment of a “talented, socially responsible, and humorous public figure,” earning widespread praise.

His Weibo followers surged to 40 million: not just ordinary fans, but many influential Weibo users, public intellectuals, moral guardians, and even numerous celebrities and artists followed him, exchanging cute greetings.

Ren Qian’s popularity and influence were unmatched.

Most astonishingly, the Jiangnan city government awarded him a glittering medal and presented a flowing red banner inscribed with the words “Chivalrous spirit, warm-heartedness, glory to the nation, pride of ancestors.”

Then a parade of officials began visiting his home one after another.

Tea was served, conversations exchanged, smiles and handshakes posed for photographers, who expertly captured the moments.

The next day, the front page of the Xiaoxiang Morning Post featured headlines such as “Respected officials warmly visit Ren Qian, discuss plans to further promote positive energy in various sectors over the next three years, aiming to build a harmonious and compassionate Jiangnan…”

Since others were coming, the provincial governor couldn’t stay idle.

“Caring for vulnerable groups and helping migrant workers reclaim wages” had stirred widespread social response; even the governor had to say a few words of encouragement.

Visits, handshakes, staged smiles, photographers snapping pictures, other officials standing in the background as decor—all these made Ren Qian feel as though state leaders were conducting a provincial inspection.

The next morning, Ren Qian rose early and picked up a newspaper outside. Opening it, his eyes landed on the headline about his “meeting” with the governor—

“Wang Hanlin, Governor of Jiangnan Province, and Ren Qian, Deputy Director of the Jiangnan Provincial Department of Culture, held enthusiastic discussions, planning to invest one billion yuan over three years to build Jiangnan into a cultural powerhouse, focusing on film, music, and more.

They intend to use the unique charm of Jiangnan culture and hire the region’s most innovative talents to create an entertainment capital in Jiangnan.

Governor Wang outlined five key goals: First, to let the entire Empire experience the cultural allure of Jiangnan Province; second, to unswervingly follow the socialist path; third, to be pragmatic and cultivate top directors and musicians; fourth, to bring Chinese culture to the world and promote it globally; and fifth, to make our culture stand proudly among the nations.”

Ren Qian: “...”

As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.