Chapter 142: Soaring Prestige, The Lucky Draw!!!

Even Wang Mo had not expected it.

Due to the emotional resonance of "Nostalgia" beforehand, the official release of the second poem triggered such a massive wave of public reaction.

Aside from ordinary netizens, numerous celebrities even reshared the official media's articles.

Looking across the entire internet, an otherwise peaceful day was forcefully transformed into a national patriotism day by Wang Mo’s two poems.

Seeing this spectacle, Wang Mo clicked his tongue and muttered, "Am I being a bit too high-profile?"

Yuan Xiong retorted ungratefully, "You're only just realizing that?"

However, he immediately added, "Still, this kind of high-profile behavior cannot be encouraged enough."

Indeed!

The more high-profile moments like this, the better!

This was the first time Yuan Xiong had ever witnessed official media outlets posting four consecutive times to promote a single person or their work.

In the past, it was no easy feat for a celebrity to be featured by official media.

Aside from disgraced public figures, generally speaking, only those who had made extraordinary contributions to China or maintained an impeccably positive public image would be singled out and praised by official media.

Yet, in the span of less than two days, Wang Mo had been featured four times in a row!

First: Because of "Poem of Encouragement".
Second: Because of "Nostalgia".
Third: The fifth stanza of "Nostalgia", the Future Chapter.
Fourth: Because of "I Love This Land".

Four times.

Every single one of them brimming with positive energy.

Yuan Xiong was left dumbfounded. After a moment of stunned silence, he sighed with emotion, "What a pity... What a terrible pity. If your reputation hadn't been ruined, just based on the miracle of being featured by official media four times in two days, you could completely walk sideways across the entertainment industry unchecked. But right now, because Xilou cannot show his face, you can only watch all these benefits slip through your fingers, unable to grasp them."

Wang Mo smiled. "Contentment brings lasting happiness."

Yuan Xiong gave him a thumbs-up. "Your mindset is getting better and better."

Wang Mo replied, "That's thanks to Brother Xiong's 'careful' cultivation!"

When he uttered the word "careful," he deliberately emphasized his tone.

Acting as if he hadn't heard the sarcasm, Yuan Xiong lifted his chin and said, "Flattery will get you nowhere, but thank you nonetheless."

...

The waves on the internet continued to surge.

The follower count on Xilou's Douyin account, which stood at a little over six million yesterday, had skyrocketed like a rocket. Following the official media's two consecutive posts this morning, it quickly shattered the ten-million mark!

In other words, Xilou had now become a major Douyin streamer with over ten million followers!

The genuine, authentic kind!

Yet, Wang Mo had no heart to dwell on these achievements. At noon, after hastily finishing his lunch, he hurried straight back to the composition department.

Just as he sat down at his desk—

Ding~~~

A system chime sounded in his mind: [Congratulations to the host for winning first place in the "Shanyin Cup" Poetry Exchange Meeting and acquiring over one million prestige points, successfully completing the mission.]

[Rewards: Silver Treasure Chest * 1, Bronze Treasure Chest * 2]

"Awesome!"

Wang Mo clenched his fist inwardly.

All the painstaking effort he had poured into the past few days was entirely for this very moment's reward.

Instead of opening the chests immediately, he chanted silently in his heart, "System, open the attribute panel."

The next second, a translucent blue panel materialized before his eyes.

[Name: Wang Mo]
[Age: 22]
[Height: 180cm (Per the host's vehement demand, actual height is 179cm)]
[Appearance: 90]
[Prestige: -15,321,149]
[Items: None]
[Lottery: None]
[Mall: Not yet unlocked]
[Missions: One mission in progress... (Click here to view)]

Examining the contents of the panel, a surge of warmth washed over Wang Mo.

His negative prestige had dwindled down to just over minus fifteen million.

He clearly remembered that before the "Shanyin Cup" commenced, his prestige was sitting at over minus eighteen million.

In other words, this participation in the "Shanyin Cup" had netted him more than three million prestige points!

Three days!
Over three million points!

Excitement flashed in Wang Mo's eyes. "As expected, Brother Xiong was right. You can conduct yourself in a low-profile manner, but you must execute your work with high profile. Only by acting with high profile can I reap more prestige."

However, upon seeing the height entry, Wang Mo made his customary internal complaint: "Please, can you just delete the text inside the parentheses? It's a real eyesore."

System: [Understood.]

The next second, the height entry changed to: [Height: 179cm]

"..."

Wang Mo's mouth twitched. Drawing upon his title as a model student, he barely managed to suppress the urge to let loose a string of curses.

His attention then shifted to the mission section.

Wang Mo paused in surprise. "I still have an unfinished mission? What mission is it?"

He quickly tapped the air in front of him, entering the mission space.

[Unfinished Mission: Help Hao Mingxing break into the top three overall rankings in "Singer's Style", and ensure that after securing his placement, he secures at least one brand advertising endorsement worth ten million or more.]
[Mission Rewards: Silver Treasure Chest * 1, Bronze Treasure Chest * 2]

"Oh, my, it's actually this mission!"

Wang Mo slapped his forehead. He had been so snowed under recently that he completely forgot Hao Mingxing was still competing in "Singer's Style".

He hurriedly pulled out his phone to check for relevant news.

Soon, news articles concerning "Singer's Style" appeared before his eyes.

After such a prolonged period of competition, "Singer's Style" had now whittled down the contestants to the final four, leaving only the championship showdown and the third-place playoff yet to begin.

And the grand finale was imminent.

As for the final four of "Singer's Style", they were: Luo Ning, Jiang Shihan, Fu Zichen, and Hao Mingxing.

Both Luo Ning and Jiang Shihan were top-tier first-line singers, so their entry into the final four came as no surprise.

As a popular second-line singer, Fu Zichen's advance to the final four was equally normal.

Yet the fourth person was none other than Hao Mingxing.

"No way?"

Wang Mo's eyes widened.

He wasn't the only one in shock; in reality, every fan watching the show "Singer's Style" was equally stunned by Hao Mingxing's performance.

Why?

Because ever since Hao Mingxing successfully advanced past the second round relying on Wuyan's "Empty City", everyone assumed he would continue singing Wuyan's songs for the subsequent quarter-finals and semi-finals.

Yet, Hao Mingxing did no such thing.

Throughout these matches, the songs Hao Mingxing performed were entirely adapted covers.

Amidst the astonished gazes of the audience, Hao Mingxing rode those two adapted songs all the way into the quarter-finals and semi-finals, cutting down numerous third-line and second-line singers in his wake.

Seeing this, Wang Mo raised an eyebrow. He immediately logged onto Cloud Music and quickly located the two adapted tracks performed by Hao Mingxing.

Putting on his headphones, he listened through them once.

A look of profound surprise crossed Wang Mo's face.

Truth be told, the arrangements of these two songs were quite average.

Yet, under Hao Mingxing's unique vocal delivery, they took on an extraordinary charm, elevating otherwise ordinary tunes into near-classics. This was precisely the reason Hao Mingxing managed to fight his way into the final four.

To put it simply, Hao Mingxing's vocal prowess had completely masked the flaws within the songs.

"Could it be?"

Wang Mo immediately dialed Hao Mingxing's number.

The call connected almost instantly, and Hao Mingxing's voice came through: "Brother Mo."

Cutting straight to the point, Wang Mo asked, "Brother Xing, you made it into the final four?"

Hao Mingxing chuckled. "Yes, I did."

Wang Mo continued, "I just listened to your two adapted songs. Did your vocal skills have a breakthrough?"

Hao Mingxing sounded quite happy. "It seems so. In the past, aside from the songs Brother Mo gave me, I always felt a lack of punch whenever I sang anything else. But recently, I've noticed that I can handle other tracks with ease. Even the trashiest song feels completely transparent and effortless when I sing it. Because of this realization, I decided to take a gamble and use adapted songs in the quarter and semi-finals. As for the ultimate finale, I'll be singing the song Brother Mo gave me."

Just as he suspected!

Wang Mo confirmed his inner hypothesis.

An ordinary singer can only perform songs that fit their own style.

A top-tier singer, however, can command a vast array of styles, and shine even brighter within their favored domains.

In other words, the current Hao Mingxing had finally earned the qualification to become a top-tier singer.

Wang Mo said sincerely, "Brother Xing, congratulations!"

Hao Mingxing gave a hearty laugh. "Honestly, it was the song 'Empty City' that Brother Mo gave me which allowed me to see through many things and achieve this modest breakthrough. So when all is said and out, I'm the one who should be thanking you, Brother Mo."

Accustomed to Hao Mingxing's attitude by now, Wang Mo asked, "When is the final?"

Hao Mingxing replied, "This Saturday, and it's a live broadcast."

Wang Mo: "Do you feel confident?"

Hao Mingxing: "I'm fully confident about the top three, but not the championship. Even though my vocal skills have broken through, both Luo Ning and Jiang Shihan are first-line artists whose baseline vocal abilities are stronger than mine. Plus, I've heard rumors that they are very likely to debut brand-new songs written by ace composers in the industry for the finale. Synthesizing all of that, my probability of beating the two of them is less than thirty percent."

Wang Mo nodded in approval.

Hao Mingxing's analysis was remarkably rational; he hadn't let a single song from Wang Mo inflate his ego into thinking he was invincible.

Wang Mo smiled. "Making the top three is plenty. Oh, and one more thing—after 'Singer's Style' wraps up, your industry recognition should reach the peak of the second-line tier, and your popularity could even rival the first-line. By then, see if you can have the company secure an advertising endorsement for you as soon as possible, and make sure the endorsement fee is for a brand worth at least ten million."

"Huh?"

Hao Mingxing hadn't expected Wang Mo's train of thought to pivot so abruptly toward commercial endorsements, demanding a brand deal worth upwards of ten million at that.

Though he didn't understand why Wang Mo wanted him to do this, Hao Mingxing earnestly replied, "Got it. I'll have my manager arrange this right away. The moment it succeeds, I'll let Brother Mo know first."

Whatever concerned Brother Mo always took top priority.

Whether he fully understood the reasoning or not, just doing it was enough!

This was the rule Hao Mingxing had set for himself.

"Mhm."

Wang Mo acknowledged softly.

After hanging up the phone, he pulled his thoughts back and looked once more at the system interface.

This time, having completed the "Shanyin Cup" mission, he had been awarded one silver treasure chest and two bronze treasure chests.

"Come on, let's roll the gacha!"

Wang Mo loved drawing prizes above all else.

The thrill of gacha pulls was addictive, and pulling continuously was sheer bliss.

"System, open the silver treasure chest."

The system's voice chimed in: [Silver treasure chest has been opened.]
[Congratulations to the host, height increased by 1cm, successfully graduating from 179cm to become a strapping 1.8-meter-tall man.]

???
!!!

Seeing the contents extracted from this chest, Wang Mo felt his brain nearly short-circuit.

This...
Should he be happy? Or should he be depressed?

In his wildest dreams, he never expected a treasure chest to drop something like this.

On second thought, though, every item dropped by the system tended to be what he needed or craved the most. Perhaps because he constantly complained in his mind about not being a full 1.8 meters, the system finally granted him this reward.

Well, at least from now on, he was genuinely a 1.8-meter-tall man.

This chest was worth it!

Yet immediately afterward, a mischievous thought stirred within Wang Mo: Since the system could increase his height by a centimeter, could it also lengthen a certain other part of his body by a centimeter?

It definitely could!
Well... don't let your minds wander; Wang Mo was talking about his fingers.

Because longer fingers would make him even better suited for playing the piano.

Struggling to calm the turbulent thoughts racing through his mind, Wang Mo commanded, "Open the remaining two bronze chests."

[Congratulations to the host, obtained the song "Legend".]
[Congratulations to the host, obtained a manual on parenting psychology.]

The first reward was a song.

That reward still felt relatively normal.

Wang Mo was more than familiar with the song "Legend." As the familiar melody echoed in his mind, he nodded inwardly.

The version the system gave him was the female vocal rendition.

After reviewing it, Wang Mo felt an infinite wave of emotion: "This song is truly wonderful."

Setting the song aside for the moment, Wang Mo's gaze lingered for a long time on the prize yielded by the final chest, his mind temporarily buffering.