Chapter 18

"What the hell was that?"

"...Because the host's Fan Value exceeded seventy thousand overnight, the system automatically rewarded the host with one Landmine, one Grenade, one Rocket Launcher, one Depth Charge, and one Deepwater Torpedo. While allowing the host to feel the fans' love, they also completely restored the mental energy and stamina depleted by the host's consecutive stays in the space... The host's overall condition has now returned to its peak. There is no longer any need to worry about collapsing from exhaustion or suffering a mental breakdown. Caring for the host's physical and mental health is the duty of every system administrator. Please don't be too grateful to me~"

Hearing this, Chen Mo fell into a strange silence before asking flatly, "What exactly are this Fan Value and all those Landmines and bombs you mentioned?"

The system patiently explained, "Because this system is the Entertainment Circle Male God System of the Jinjiang Literature Repository. Fan Value can be accumulated based on the host's performance. Fan Value can restore the host's mental energy. Furthermore, every fan's love for the host has five levels: Landmine, Grenade, Rocket Launcher, Depth Charge, and Deepwater Torpedo. At the same time, one hundred Fan Value can be exchanged for one Landmine; five hundred Fan Value for one Grenade; one thousand Fan Value for one Rocket Launcher; five thousand Fan Value for one Depth Charge; and ten thousand Fan Value for one Deepwater Torpedo. The purpose of these five items is to restore mental energy, though their effectiveness differs... Previously, through the host's performance on the set of Emperor Wu of Han: The Young Emperor, as well as a series of later outstanding performances, the host gained one hundred fans. Therefore, the system had already exchanged a Landmine for the host once before, helping the host restore mental energy..."

Chen Mo gradually understood. But there was still something he did not understand. "So why didn't I know before that Fan Value and Landmines could restore mental energy?"

The system replied as though it were obvious, "Because the host never asked me!"

Chen Mo: "..." Fine. That answer was very logical!

Screw you!

Shouldn't you have told me something like this on your own!!!!

After his outburst, Chen Mo remembered Yuan Haobin asking him to introduce himself. He had no time to keep questioning the system about why staying in the space too long depleted his mental energy, much less ask about the consequences of that depletion.

Instead, he returned to reality, took the microphone, and said, "Hello, everyone. I'm Chen Mo, a newcomer from Huaxia Entertainment. I'm very happy to have the honor of being Yuan, the Heavenly King's partner this time... I hope everyone will support the television drama Emperor Wu of Han: The Young Emperor. Thank you."

After all, he was young and inexperienced, and the system's arbitrary antics had thrown him off balance. Still affected by the strange experience inside his body just now, Chen Mo had no mood to introduce himself. As a result, his introduction was far from impressive.

Yuan Haobin gave Chen Mo a speechless glance and could only take the microphone himself. "Don't be fooled by this handsome little guy beside me being a man of few words. He's actually a super genius. You must have seen the reports from some time ago, right? You should know that I lost a bet to Xiao Mo, so I had no choice but to invite him as a guest performer at my concert... You know, your idol has never lost a bet in all these years. The first loss went to him."

The fans below burst into laughter. Yuan Haobin lightened the mood, then went on to tell the fans about his "ill-fated connection" with Chen Mo. Along the way, he did not forget to promote Young Emperor, before pulling Chen Mo over to sing the ending theme of Emperor Wu of Han: The Young Emperor.

Chen Mo's talent naturally could not compare to Yuan Haobin's. However, he had just endured the fans' bombardment, from Landmines to Deepwater Torpedoes, and some of their Wish Power still lingered in his body. Under its influence, Chen Mo's voice became even clearer and more textured, and it resonated with listeners more deeply.

Thus, when the song ended, everyone who had heard Chen Mo sing was stunned to realize that they seemed to like the young man even more...

Although Chen Mo had been invited by Yuan Haobin, and both Yuan Haobin and the company intended to strongly promote him at the concert, promoting him did not mean letting him steal the spotlight. Therefore, Chen Mo's stage time was quite limited.

After singing the ending theme of Young Emperor, Chen Mo briefly promoted Director Zhang's television drama, thanked Yuan, the Heavenly King for being willing to support a newcomer, and thanked the enthusiastic fans at the concert once more. Then he gave the audience a dashing wave and strode off the stage.

However, as everyone expected, Chen Mo's performance at the concert might have ended, but his path in the entertainment industry under the media spotlight had only just begun.

Chapter 18

Thanks to Yuan, the Heavenly King's immense influence in the Chinese music scene, as well as Chen Mo's almost miraculous performance at the concert, the next day, the front-page entertainment headlines of every newspaper and online media outlet in China were filled with stories such as "Young Piano Genius Lights Cigarettes with a Piano" and "Miraculous Youth Appears at Yuan, the Heavenly King's Concert, Perfectly Presenting the Piano Prince's The King's Arrival."

As Chen Mo's management company and agent, Huaxia Entertainment and Yang Qindong had already leveraged numerous media connections to prepare promotional articles for Chen Mo. They had also hired online trolls to build hype for him. In addition, Yang Qindong had instructed Chen Mo's assistant to record the video of Chen Mo lighting a cigarette with a piano from below the stage and upload it online, then pose as a fan of Yuan, the Heavenly King and promote the video with the caption, "Oh my God, come out and meet God already!" After that came the online trolls' endless likes and reposts, along with all sorts of eye-catching headlines designed to lure netizens and ordinary passersby into watching it.

Because Chen Mo's technique of Lighting Cigarettes with a Piano was simply unbelievably impressive, the video drew countless netizens' attention as soon as it was uploaded. After watching the clip, which was less than ten minutes long, people flooded the comments with likes, declaring, "Male god, you're so handsome!" and "I want to have Monkey's babies!"

Of course, some people questioned whether the video was real. At such times, the prepared online trolls began guiding the discussion, posing as fact-checking experts and claiming that the video was scientifically impossible, before digging up all sorts of theories to prove that it could not have happened.

It all sounded perfectly serious and impressively convincing. But it was complete nonsense. Chen Mo had performed Lighting Cigarettes with a Piano live at Yuan Haobin's concert. Therefore, aside from the PR assistants and online trolls hired by Yang Qindong, many fans of Yuan, the Heavenly King who had attended the concert also uploaded videos online during and after the event. Though those videos were not as clear as professional footage and carried plenty of noisy background sound from the phones, there were simply too many of them. They had been filmed live at the concert, without any post-production, and captured from every angle the moment Chen Mo rose after finishing the piece, bowed, and finally held his cigarette against the heated piano strings to light it. They perfectly answered the fact-checkers' doubts.

With the online trolls and Yuan, the Heavenly King's fans forcefully controlling the pace of the discussion, the video received even more views, likes, and reposts. Less than twenty hours after it was uploaded, Lighting Cigarettes with a Piano had been pushed by all sides into Weibo's hottest topic. Yuan Haobin, the concert, Lighting Cigarettes with a Piano, and even names such as Director Zhang Qingzhong and Emperor Wu of Han: The Young Emperor became some of the hottest search terms.

Chen Mo, the Piano Little Prince, had become famous overnight. The television drama Emperor Wu of Han: The Young Emperor, in which he starred and which had been promoted at Yuan Haobin's concert, also became popular before it had even aired.

Director Zhang and Huaxia Entertainment's operations department seized the opportunity to arrange meetings with the acquisition departments of all the major television stations, intending to sell the first broadcast rights for Young Emperor at the highest possible price while the iron was hot.

Chen Mo became famous overnight, and his phone nearly exploded with calls overnight as well. Artists who had worked with Chen Mo on the same set called one after another to congratulate him. Since Emperor Wu of Han: The Young Emperor had only just wrapped filming, most of the cast had not yet accepted new projects. In order to promote the new drama, Director Zhang intended to gather everyone together again. They could also release a promotional piece with the hook, "Chen Mo Became Famous Overnight, Young Emperor Cast Reunites After Filming Wraps."

He explained this to Chen Mo over the phone. Afterward, Lin Xia, Huang Lixin, Fei Yuchen, and a few others who were relatively close to Chen Mo all expressed the same thought, saying indignantly, "You missed the wrap party anyway, so let's use this promotion opportunity to get together."

In his previous life, Chen Mo had been a rich second-generation heir. Although he had not held a proper job for many days, he had made many friends, and when trouble came, he had a few disreputable friends willing to help him out of loyalty. Of course, when there was nothing to do, they mostly gathered together to waste their lives away. In outsiders' eyes, they were probably just idle wastrels squandering their family fortunes.

That was a bit off topic. Still, whether it was a group of shady friends or a wastrel alliance, Chen Mo had been someone who liked hanging out with crowds in his previous life. Since crossing over, he had spent every day either filming or studying and had barely gone out to have fun. Now that someone was inviting him out to sing karaoke and hit the bars, he was naturally willing.

After Yang Qindong learned of Chen Mo's plans, he strongly approved. No matter what circle one lived in, people with good relationships always had better prospects than those who were isolated and difficult. Especially in a "workplace" like the entertainment industry, emotional intelligence and connections were sometimes even more important than professional skills.

However, building relationships was one thing, while Yang Qindong did not trust these young people's character or self-control. Before Chen Mo left, he repeatedly reminded him not to drink too much, much less touch anything he should not.

Chen Mo knew all of that without Yang Qindong needing to tell him. Since he did not yet have a driver's license and could not drive, he had his young assistant act as the driver and take him to the gathering place.

Whale Shark Nightclub was located on the busiest bar street in Huajing's Three Seas District. It was said to have been named Whale Shark Nightclub because, during renovations, the club had specifically installed a large aquarium containing a shark. Several ultra-VIP private rooms had then been built around the aquarium. Once guests entered those rooms, they could see the shark constantly swimming above, below, or behind the reinforced glass walls. The visual impact was extremely striking and particularly suited customers who liked seeking thrills at nightclubs. Whale Shark Nightclub became famous in one stroke, establishing its own distinctive style amid Huajing's dazzling array of nightclubs and bars.

However, these ultra-VIP private rooms were extremely expensive, and those who could reserve them were either rich or powerful. In any case, it was basically impossible for minor actors like Chen Mo and Lin Xia to book one. If Lin Xia's patron, Young Master Gu, stepped in, it might have been possible.

Fortunately, everyone simply wanted to get together and had no plans to flaunt their wealth or throw money around. Thus, they had only booked a medium-sized private room.

Following the room number, Chen Mo found the private room. When he pushed open the door, a wave of howling and shrieking assaulted his ears. Taking a closer look, he saw that Lin Xia had monopolized the microphone and was singing a recently popular love song.

She was so off-key that even the original singer's mother probably would not recognize it.

Chen Mo secretly eyed Lin Xia. He had never expected her to be that kind of idol! Then he quietly waved at Director Zhang, Huang Lixin, Sun Yun, and the others sitting on the sofa, eating, playing with their phones, or chatting. He pulled his phone from his pocket...

Lin "Karaoke Tyrant" Xia was singing with complete devotion when she turned around and caught sight of Chen Mo recording her with his phone from the corner of her eye. The people on the sofa beside her were all secretly watching too, yet no one had warned her.

Lin Xia jumped in fright and hurried over to snatch the phone, demanding as she did so, "Chen Mo, what are you trying to use against me this time?"

Because of their height difference, Chen Mo easily lifted his arm out of reach. Looking at Lin Xia bouncing around in front of him, he said with a smile, "I'm going to preserve this embarrassing piece of your history and use it to blackmail you into serving me like an ox and horse. If I'm not satisfied with what you do, I'll upload this video online, ruin your image, and make you lose fans."