Chapter 134: The Wandering Singer

What kind of song is “My Heart for China”?

Netizens eagerly clicked on “My Heart for China,” and the opening line, “The rivers and mountains linger only in dreams,” immediately stunned them!

“Wow! So beautiful!”

“Beautiful +1”

“Beautiful +10086”

“The harmonies in this song are simply genius!”

“Is the person above kidding? The song is inherently high-quality! The lyrics are well-crafted, like poetry.”

Comments poured in beneath the music, almost sparking a heated debate.

At dawn, another post from Jiang Yun swept across the internet.

The official account of China’s Diplomatic Image Ambassadors announced: “Mr. Jiang Yun has been selected as a ‘China Diplomatic Image Ambassador.’ Joining Mr. Jiang Yun are Ms. Wang Fengwan, Ms. Li Mengya, and Mr. Zheng Fei! Everyone can watch the promotional video! [Video]”

This post, accompanied by a video, instantly went viral.

The video showed Jiang Yun dressed in a suit, singing atop the Great Wall.

“Wow! So inspiring! I’m fired up, what should I do?”

“The rhythm is lyrical, yet I feel my blood burning—what’s going on?!”

“Wow! Coupled with Jiang Yun singing on the Great Wall, it’s truly exhilarating!”

“A divine tune!”

“Highly praised! This is exactly how an ‘Image Ambassador’ should be!”

“Looking forward to the other ambassadors’ promotional videos!”

“+1”

“+10086”

The post about the “China Diplomatic Image Ambassadors” completely ignited netizens’ enthusiasm, and Jiang Yun unsurprisingly trended on the hot search list.

However, negative comments soon followed.

“Why did Jiang Yun get the ambassador position? I could understand Li Mengya and Wang Fengwan, but Jiang Yun? He’s only been active for a short time and had scandals! Why him?”

“Exactly! Forget the short career length. Just the scandals alone make his position untenable!”

Jiang Yun happened to see this comment.

“Hmph!” Jiang Yun scoffed. This was clearly dodging the real issue. Just as he was about to take action, the official diplomatic ambassador account cracked down decisively.

“After investigation, Jiang Yun demonstrated exemplary conduct during university. After signing with a company, his ex-girlfriend broke up and falsely accused him. The so-called scandals stem from this. Jiang Yun terminated his contract, paid the penalty, and ended up in a rented apartment struggling to pay rent...”

Once this statement was released, the trolls and black PR armies fell silent, afraid to speak further lest they bring bad luck upon themselves.

Obviously, with the official account personally clearing his name, who dared to provoke or deny it?

Faced with this, Jiang Yun could only smile wryly.

At dawn, Jiang Yun was making breakfast in Li Mengya’s room.

After a week’s busy schedule, only today was a day off. Jiang Yun decided to be completely lazy and stay in.

“Ring ring!”

Jiang Yun glanced at his phone: a call from He Yong.

He answered, “What’s up, Editor He?”

He Yong’s excited voice came through, as if he hadn’t slept all night: “Mr. Jiang Yun, all four of your songs have entered the Hot Songs Chart—first, second, third, and fourth place—all yours!”

“Hey, I thought something serious happened,” Jiang Yun said, tilting his head, chopping vegetables while holding the phone. “You probably haven’t been following the online trends.”

“What’s going on, Mr. Jiang Yun?”

“The online atmosphere has completely shifted! Netizens are focused on other things now,” Jiang Yun explained.

“I’ll check it out!”

“Okay!”

Jiang Yun hung up and continued cooking.

...

Lin Jie sat on the sofa, dark circles under his eyes showing he hadn’t slept all night.

“Sigh… the netizens’ attention has shifted to the Image Ambassadors. I still have a chance; I’ve spent all the money. The Hot Songs Chart should be mine!”

...

All this was irrelevant to Jiang Yun, who was now enjoying breakfast with Li Mengya.

“Jiang Yun, since you have a rare day off, where do you want to go later?” Li Mengya asked.

Jiang Yun rolled his eyes; Li Mengya was being sly—she asked where he wanted to go but wore an expectant expression.

He gave in: “Wherever you say, we’ll go.”

“Really? That’s so embarrassing! After all, it’s your day off, not mine!”

“Cut it out!” Jiang Yun flicked her smooth forehead with a playful tap.

Li Mengya covered her forehead, shooting him a mock glare.

“Hehe!” Jiang Yun smiled, then opened his phone to check for new updates.

Surprise! They were the Image Ambassadors!

Jiang Yun had already seen this trending topic.

He moved on to the next one.

Surprise! All four of Jiang Yun’s songs topped the Hot Songs Chart, and many other singers flopped!

Jiang Yun clicked on this trending post, which compared his new song’s play counts to those of other singers.

“Heh heh heh!”

Jiang Yun grinned mischievously—he had conquered the Hot Songs Chart, while other artists who released music that day had failed miserably.

He put down his phone and continued eating.

After breakfast, Li Mengya dressed elegantly.

She wore a deep blue dress, white flats, and a maroon coat.

Holding a set of clothes, she tossed them to Jiang Yun: “I bought these for you. See if they fit.”

Jiang Yun was still wearing his own shirt and suit.

He caught the clothes: “Alright.”

Jiang Yun went to a guest room to change—a pair of black pants and a mustard-colored sweater.

He stepped out.

“How is it?” Li Mengya asked.

“Not bad.”

“Hm!” Li Mengya nodded.

She slung a small purse over her shoulder, put on sunglasses and a mask, then took Jiang Yun’s hand as they left the room.

They went to the underground garage. Li Mengya handed Jiang Yun the car keys. Jiang Yun opened the door, and they both got in.

The yellow Beetle started and slowly drove out.

“Where are we going?”

“Of course, to the mall!” Li Mengya said.

“Isn’t your clothes provided by the endorsement sponsor?” Jiang Yun asked.

“You don’t understand. Going to the mall doesn’t always mean shopping!” Li Mengya replied.

Jiang Yun rolled his eyes. “What’s the fun if you’re not buying anything?”

“You don’t get it! Just focus on driving!”

Jiang Yun drove the yellow Beetle to the largest mall in the city, Wanda Mall.

He parked, wearing a mask and sunglasses. Li Mengya and Jiang Yun got out.

Jiang Yun put his hands in his pockets; Li Mengya linked arms with him.

Entering the mall, Li Mengya immediately became lively—hopping and skipping like a little girl.

Passing a music store, they saw a street singer holding a guitar, performing at the entrance.

“One wave hasn’t subsided before another strikes! Amidst the vast crowd, the storm rages!”

“Jiang Yun, he’s covering your ‘Heartbroken Pacific,’ and it sounds so good!”

“Hm,” Jiang Yun nodded, “It has a beauty that strikes the soul.”

They approached the street singer.

“Do you have any cash?” Jiang Yun asked.

“Yes!” Li Mengya took out two hundred yuan.

Jiang Yun took the cash and placed it in the singer’s guitar case.

“Thank you!” the street singer nodded gratefully. “To show my thanks, I’ll sing an original song for both of you!”

“An original?” Jiang Yun was momentarily surprised, then deeply curious. He wanted to see what this person’s original work was like.

So, Jiang Yun stopped to listen, awaiting the street singer’s original composition.