Chapter 45: This Man Needed Only Eight Glasses of Wine! (Please Follow)

The whirlwind of promotional work had finally come to a successful close. The broadcast date was set for a month later, and the hype would continue until then.

Meanwhile, Su Mu had managed to go viral during a livestream, thanks to his performance of "Ease My Sorrows." Not only was his singing clip being frantically shared on the Douyin platform, but by that very night, he had shot straight to the top of the Weibo hot search.

His follower counts on both platforms began to soar at a pace visible to the naked eye.

[Weibo Trending Topics:
#1: Su Mu’s “Ease My Sorrows”! hot
#2: “The Whirlwind” coming next month
#3: This man only toasted eight cups!
#4: JDG defeats T1!
#5: Why are Su Mu’s original songs so addictive!
#…
#…
Su Mu once again dominated several trending keywords.

Perhaps no one could have predicted that during that very livestream, the screen had been filled with ridicule and insults. Yet, with just one song, the tides turned completely.

And all it took for that man was "eight cups of wine."

[Netizens' Comments:
Oh my god, Su Mu is incredible. I’d call “Ease My Sorrows” the strongest urban folk song of the year!
I’ll never forget those eight cups!
Honestly, I never realized Su Mu had such talent. He just turned me into a fan!
I love that final line, “Lonely people are the most absurd.” It gave me goosebumps. I wonder if this song is Su Mu talking about himself. Is he a lonely person?
Su Mu really doesn’t understand the music industry. He should have released this earlier and entered the “Huaxia Original Song Chart” vote!
Now I’m even more excited to see his performance in “The Whirlwind”!
If his acting is as good as his singing, I might become a diehard fan!
Brother Su Mu, keep it up!!!]

The online comments now stood in stark contrast to what had come before. Though there were still sarcastic remarks, many had clearly been moved by the song.

Even some leading figures in the music industry, upon hearing “Ease My Sorrows” by chance, took the initiative to share it and joined the chorus of interpretations:

[Luo Xiaoyou V:
Su Mu’s “Ease My Sorrows” seems to speak of himself, yet not just himself.
“When you walk into this hall of joy, bearing all your dreams and hopes, faces of every hue wear makeup of every shade, and no one remembers what you look like.”
Just these two lines capture the essence of the entertainment world—a vast dye vat.
Everyone wears a mask, living in pretense.
...

Liu Huan V:
Thank you, Su Mu, for breathing new vitality and poetry into original music.
These eight cups of wine—he’s describing a lifetime!
A toast to the dawn and the moonlight, that’s a day’s journey.
A toast to home and to faraway places, that’s a lifetime’s wandering.
A toast to tomorrow and to the past, that’s a monologue to what’s gone and a longing for what’s ahead.
A toast to freedom and to death, that’s the acceptance of life itself.

To live is just like this—there will always be times of fullness and emptiness.
Drowning sorrows in wine is but a fleeting escape, a humble acceptance of ordinariness.
The sober are the most absurd.
Su Mu’s writing is superb!
...]

Interpretations poured in from all sides. And the more people explored the song, the more Su Mu’s remarkable talent came to light.

...

The night slipped away in haste, as if the leading lady in a dream insisted on taking center stage.

Bang!

Su Mu was jolted awake by a knocking at the door.

Honestly, damn it all!

He opened the door.

“Break~fast~.”

“Traditional Beijing-style tofu pudding, savory flavor.”

Qian Jida and Fan Little Tangerine walked in with breakfast in hand.

Su Mu suddenly felt an urge to go eat fish with Old Mo.

"The promotional work is done—can’t we just sleep in for once?"

Qian Jida stroked his meticulously groomed mustache and glanced at Su Mu’s pitched army tent. “I was just worried something might happen to you in your dreams. I’m here to pull you back, help you return to reality sooner.”

Damn it...

Su Mu was speechless.

After washing up, he sat down to breakfast with Qian Jida and Little Tangerine.

Just then, the Male Artist Panel in his mind flashed a prompt.

[Notification: Task Complete!
Weibo followers: 21 million (Achieved)
Douyin followers: 13 million (Achieved)
Task Rewards:
[Item Mystery Box *1]
[Skill Points +5]]

In a single night, Su Mu’s followers had surpassed the task requirements.

Douyin saw the greatest surge—several million new fans. After all, during the livestream, the viewership almost hit ten million. Su Mu’s song had instantly won him fans and was being pushed as a short video everywhere.

The only slight disappointment was that the task rewards this time were rather modest.

Still, something was better than nothing.

After breakfast, Su Mu prepared to organize the panel parameters and open a few mystery boxes, hoping for something new and useful. With “The Whirlwind” promotional campaign essentially wrapped up, all that remained was to wait for the premiere to ignite the internet. It was time to prepare for new work.

[Male Artist Panel]

Strength: 6.1
Speed: 6.1
Vocal Range: 5.1
Stamina: 11.1
Mental Agility: 16.1
Skill Points: 10.3

[Speech Proficiency lv3: 56/5000 (Artisan)]
[Script Proficiency lv3: 111/5000 (Artisan)]
[Emotional Control Proficiency lv3: 123/5000 (Artisan)]
[Facial Expression Control Proficiency lv4: 120/10000 (Master)]
[Line Delivery Proficiency lv3: 600/5000 (Artisan)]
[Behavioral Mimicry Proficiency lv3: 150/5000 (Artisan)]
[Kissing Technique Proficiency lv1: 2/30 (Novice)]
[Breathy Voice Proficiency lv2: 49/50 (Adept)]
[Baritone Proficiency lv2: 49/50 (Adept)]
[High Note Proficiency lv2: 40/50 (Adept)]
[Fish Cleaning Proficiency lv2: 2/50 (Adept)]

Mission Mystery Box: 0
Works Mystery Box: 0 ("Salvation," "Ease My Sorrows")
Talent Mystery Box: 0
Skill Mystery Box: 0
Item Mystery Box: 1 (Kissing Chewing Gum *2)
Attribute Mystery Box: 0

Over the past few days, Su Mu’s acting-related proficiencies hadn’t progressed much. But his singing skills were about to break into the LV3 Excellent Artisan tier.

Su Mu knew that if “Ease My Sorrows” hadn’t required many technical skills, he probably wouldn’t have mastered it so quickly. If he wanted to try more diverse genres in the future, he’d have to unlock more advanced proficiencies.

After all, in his past life’s memories, there were countless classics waiting to be explored.

Su Mu: “Open the item mystery box.”

[Notification: Opening mystery box...]
[Congratulations! You have received: Throat Lozenge *1.]

(Note: Throat Lozenge enhances singing proficiency, relaxing the vocal cords and doubling proficiency gain.)

Su Mu looked at this new item in surprise.

Previously, he’d gotten the Kissing Chewing Gum, and now there was a throat lozenge. According to the description, consuming this lozenge would double the rate at which he could advance his singing skills for a short period.

Not a bad item at all.

However, the effect would likely only last about fifteen minutes—a brief window for rapid advancement.

Su Mu: “Redeem 2 talent mystery boxes, 2 attribute mystery boxes, and 2 mission mystery boxes.”

[Notification: Deducting 6 skill points; remaining: 4.3]

[Redemption successful. Would you like to open your mystery boxes now?]

Su Mu: “Open them.”

[Notification: Opening boxes in sequence… Talent 2… Attribute 2… Mission 2…]