Chapter 54: The Soundtrack of "The Year of Graduation" Released!

Those who supported Yu Changjian were stunned! The celebrities who had followed the trend before were dumbfounded! Their fans were speechless! What on earth was this? With insults so sharp yet devoid of vulgarity, how could they happily reply? Everyone was still reeling from Galen’s earlier microblog post, when another was released.

This time, it was aimed at Wang Dongsheng. Although Galen referred to him as "Mr. Wang," rather than naming him outright, everyone knew precisely who he meant—this was directed at Wang Dongsheng!

Wang Dongsheng glanced at it, and rage rushed through him, his vision blurred, and he collapsed to the floor, unable to get up.

The microblog post insulted him in this way:

"Allow me to praise Mr. Wang! Ah, Mr. Wang, you are truly a marvel! Some people talk behind your back, saying: ‘The Empress’s palace cradles a rabbit, looks inhuman; the lamp won’t light, the food won’t taste good—bad oil; sowing barley in a millet field, a mongrel; frog vine trailing after the turtle, acting as a bastard; a goat among Pekingese dogs, a—dog—born—wretch... No! No! I won’t listen. How can I tolerate them saying such things about Mr. Wang? Do you know how much Mr. Wang has contributed to the history of China? Do you know his heroic deeds, sacrificing himself for others? If not for Mr. Wang’s departure, we wouldn’t have Zhao Gao, Wei Zhongxian, An Dehai! Let us praise Mr. Wang! Let us pour the first cup of wine for him at every meal!"

Netizens saw it and immediately spread the insult far and wide.

Wang Dongsheng’s allies saw it, hopping mad but powerless! Employees at Starstone looked at each other, wanting to laugh but afraid, angry yet unable to speak! Shi Li, furious, called Zhuo Wei, ordering him to release Galen’s video at once and ruin his reputation!

Liu Pengfei grew anxious. He refreshed Galen’s microblog again and again, afraid he would be next.

And indeed, he was.

Another post, combining false praise and hidden scorn. Liu Pengfei gritted his teeth, endured the pain, read it through, then smashed his phone and drank himself into oblivion.

This one was even nastier, targeting Pengfei’s looks:

"I searched for another photo of Teacher Pengfei and studied it closely. A singer, a true musician, a saint of virtue and art! I studied Pengfei’s face—it’s a face with enormous friction, transporting me to a distant era. The whole face is jubilant, as if he’s drunk on sugar. Strange, how could a human face be so remarkable? On closer look, it resembles a pelvis—nature is wondrous. Those eyes, so spirited, like chestnuts, bottoms up, touching the bladder, tips down, front attached to the pubic symphysis, back aligned to the rectum. Pengfei’s mouth, generous and open, laughing so wide you can see the pattern on his underwear. Those two big teeth, truly a marvel! That face would drive a painter mad and a carpenter to despair, strings drawn on all sides, but not a single circle emerges."

All the fans who saw this post burst out laughing.

They commented one after another:

"Talent! Galen, let me call you ‘Teacher!’ Can you teach me a bit of your insulting craft?"

"Does Liu Pengfei really look like this?"

"I bet Liu Pengfei is already crying in the bathroom!"

"Haha, divine wordsmith! Looking forward to the attack on Huang Daming!"

"The one above must be crazy! I fully support Master Huang!"

"Does he dare insult Master Huang? We have millions of followers!"

"Galen, please, spare Teacher Huang Daming! Don’t insult him, and we’ll do anything you ask..."

"Hey, stop acting so effeminate!"

No matter if they were true fans of Huang Daming or not, they unwittingly attracted more negativity to him, though he was already notorious, and Galen was planning to go after him anyway.

Ten minutes later, a fresh microblog post appeared. Everyone guessed it would target Huang Daming, and that it would be another astonishing piece of invective, but they still eagerly looked, hoping to learn how to insult with such skill.

It was another lengthy post, saying:

"Compared to Pengfei, his brother Daming falls short. Daming, why didn’t you take better care of Pengfei? I know you have habitual colitis and pulled your tonsils out, but is your heart still there? Why do you mock Pengfei? The director of the Blueberry Music Festival personally said he saw you buying rubber goods at an adult store to wear on your head, claiming it was for a new act, and you were playing Pengfei. What does that mean? I am outraged, I must defend Pengfei. If I don’t insult you until you pass green stool, you haven’t tasted chives. A frog turns into a snake and births a turtle, three generations without eyebrows. You speak indistinctly, always as if chewing dog food. A toad with feathers—are you bird or beast? Frankly, because of you, endless worries, and your uncle besides. Confucius said: ‘Pengfei and Daming are hardest to nurture.’"

Four posts in a row—classic insults, destined for the history books tonight.

Many people rushed to complain, but the microblog’s officials didn’t care.

They said any objections should be brought by the parties involved, they had no right to remove posts from public figures!

Some even went to the cyber police, but they simply ignored such trivial matters!

Yu Changjian, after all, was a professor, full of learning, but even after much deliberation, he couldn’t come up with a retort. Insulting is an art, and Galen’s style was classic; even without vulgarity, Yu fell behind and would only invite ridicule from netizens. Vulgar insults wouldn’t suit him either—a university professor simply couldn’t say such things. If he did, the school would surely discipline him tomorrow.

He had no choice but to swallow his anger and endure it!

Sooner or later, he would reclaim the dignity lost today!

Liu Pengfei and Huang Daming did likewise, pretending not to know, and ignored Galen.

Seeing none of them replied, Galen smiled and posted again: "Haha, today has been too joyful! I’m waiting to see who dares talk back—I’m looking forward to it…"

After sending it, Galen closed his microblog.

Netizens watched Galen challenge so many people alone and ultimately win, and were amazed. Even the angriest detractors were mere keyboard warriors, with no real fight.

One, calling himself "Senior Cordyceps," cursed Galen a few times and was immediately bombarded by netizens, who waged war right in Galen’s comments section. Of course, this little episode lasted only a moment—not two seconds before "Senior Cordyceps" retreated, crying for mercy.

Suddenly, Galen’s fans stood tall. Whoever insulted was insulted back, and whoever got insulted left. His fan count surged once again.

Many passersby became fans—not because they liked Galen’s music, but simply for his insults!

What kind of affair was this?

Meanwhile, at YiDa Rainy Music.

The microblog battle was being watched by everyone at the company.

Li Ronghao, after leaving the dinner table earlier, returned straight to the office.

Now, with Rainy Music lacking a president, he was the highest authority. From recruitment to departmental coordination, everything was handled by him.

He came back so late solely because of the microblog war.

He wasn’t opposed to Galen’s battle; rather, he saw it as an opportunity.

Upon returning, Li Ronghao issued an order to several departments: at midnight, release the soundtrack of "Graduation Year."

Each drama’s soundtrack is released at different times—some before the premiere, some after it airs, sometimes not at all if the show’s market effect is poor.

This soundtrack for "Graduation Year" was already prepared. Besides Galen’s three songs—the original and accompaniment for "Gardenia Blossoms," "Those Flowers," and "What I Miss"—there were several background scores from the drama.

Previously, due to Galen’s new EP plans, the company decided to delay the soundtrack’s release.

But now, with the EP plan scrapped and replaced by a full album, releasing the soundtrack was natural.

Li Ronghao had been waiting for the right moment, and tonight’s microblog war was perfect.

The two parties in today’s battle, Galen and Huang Daming, were both tied to "Graduation Year." The timing could generate buzz, boost the soundtrack’s streams, and hopefully push the drama’s ratings higher.

At ten o’clock, YiDa contacted dozens of music websites and software companies—Five Star Music, KuYun Music, CC Music, SongStream, Music Fan Search, and more—sending them the digital soundtrack and authorization.

This release would be purely online, no physical sales, with each site providing prominent recommendations.

At ten-thirty, all staff at Rainy Music were working overtime. Everyone was busy, even borrowing people from YiDa Film and the finance side.

This was Galen’s first official music release, different from the homemade tracks on Five Star Music—new arrangements, proper mastering, professional mixing, offering a fresh listening experience.

Though not Galen’s personal album, just a drama soundtrack, whether his three songs could top the charts was crucial for his future career.

By eleven, all partner sites advertised the release, and their official microblogs posted messages. Instantly, netizens, still caught up in the insult war, were left bewildered!

"What does this mean? Is all this drama just hype?"

"Galen and Huang Daming did it on purpose? Then what about Liu Pengfei?"

"I’ll never trust the internet again!"

"..."

Midnight!

The "Graduation Year" soundtrack officially launched!

Galen’s three songs were immediately selected for listening by countless people!

Even those who had heard them before wanted to compare the official versions.

In less than an hour, Galen firmly held the top three spots on the major partner sites’ charts.