Chapter 115: Backed by Satellite TV, "Painted Heart" Tops the Charts (A Thousand Updates, Please Vote)

The promotional campaign by Bluebird Media was exceedingly intense. After all, with over a hundred million spent on publicity, "Painted Heart" quickly spread to every corner of the city. From major satellite TV stations to local radio channels, the song was everywhere. Before playing the theme song, local radio stations would always mention "Strange Tales: Painted Skin," then follow with the song itself.

Moreover, the quality of "Painted Heart" was undeniably high. Li Caiwei's dolphin-like E6 whistle during the interlude impressed ordinary listeners immensely. Coupled with Bluebird Media’s powerful promotional backing, the song became an overnight street anthem.

The soaring popularity of "Painted Heart" soon reflected on the Music Billboard. Its sales and play indices skyrocketed exponentially, steadily closing in on SPK’s new single, "Sexy." SPK’s fans, noticing the narrowing gap in popularity, grew anxious and began crowdfunding efforts to support their favorite. However, the fans’ efforts paled in comparison to the billion-yuan promotional budgets of the major film companies. Despite giving their all, SPK’s fans saw only minimal results, and the two songs’ popularity scores continued to converge.

...

It was Saturday.

Ning Xiaoyun hurried over to Lu Xianger’s house again. The moment she stepped inside, she eagerly demanded, "Where’s the autograph photo? Didn’t you say you already got it?"

Lu Xianger had no choice but to take out Fang Xing’s signed photo. "Here you go."

Ning Xiaoyun took the photo, leaning in to inspect it carefully. "Is it real? You didn’t sign it yourself, did you?"

Lu Xianger rolled her eyes, speechless. "Do I even need to?"

"But this signature looks a bit different from the ones I found online," Ning Xiaoyun said, as if expecting an answer.

"He said this was his first autograph. How would there be any online samples?" Lu Xianger frowned in confusion.

"Just one photo?" Ning Xiaoyun’s expression betrayed her greed.

"Hm? One isn’t enough?" Lu Xianger pretended to be offended first.

"Lu Xiangxiang, why aren’t you a bit smarter? Fang Xing’s signed photos can sell for money. You should ask for more to sell," Ning Xiaoyun said, clearly scheming.

"You’re not short on cash," Lu Xianger glanced at her sideways.

"Who said I’m not? I’m definitely lacking," Ning Xiaoyun said solemnly, though she was clearly joking.

"Cut it out," Lu Xianger didn’t buy her nonsense.

"Enough of that. I heard Fang Xing is on ‘Weekend Laughter’ tonight. Let’s watch it together."

Ning Xiaoyun didn’t wait for Lu Xianger’s answer and switched on the TV by herself.

"That ‘let’s’ sounds so insincere—you never asked me," Lu Xianger said, sitting down and preparing to watch.

"Then don’t watch," Ning Xiaoyun grabbed an orange from the coffee table, peeling and popping slices into her mouth.

Just then, Lu’s mother returned home.

Ning Xiaoyun sweetly stood up and greeted, "Auntie, you’re back! You’re looking better than ever."

"Xiaoyun’s here. Sit down, no need for formalities," Lu’s mother said, accustomed to Ning Xiaoyun’s honeyed words, though it always made her happy.

Lu Xianger muttered from the side, "When have you ever seen her be polite?"

Ning Xiaoyun continued, "We’re watching TV, Auntie. Do you want to join us?"

"No need. You two enjoy. Weekends are for relaxation," Lu’s mother waved them off and went upstairs.

Ning Xiaoyun quickly won over Lu’s mother with a few sweet words, then boldly sat back down to watch TV.

On the screen, ‘Weekend Laughter’ was just starting. The opening preview flashed several scenes, including Fang Xing and Li Caiwei.

"There really is Fang Xing, already on ‘Weekend Laughter’ so soon. I just don’t understand how he rose to fame so fast," Ning Xiaoyun shook her head in disbelief.

She recalled that just a few months ago, Fang Xing was just an ordinary student at Dongyin, indistinguishable from the rest. Yet in mere months, he had exploded into stardom.

‘Weekend Laughter’ was the highest-rated weekly variety show on national satellite TV. Its host was He Hao.

Many films and dramas hoped to appear on the show for promotion, as the exposure was incredibly effective.

But getting on ‘Weekend Laughter’ wasn’t easy. Apart from the hottest stars and true celebrities, it was hard to secure a spot without connections.

The show officially began.

He Hao and his hosting team greeted the audience with broad smiles. "Welcome to Weekend Laughter. Let’s have some laughs this weekend."

After the opening, He Hao said, "Today we have some old friends and some new ones.

"First, let me introduce our new guests from the ‘Strange Tales: Painted Skin’ crew.

"First up is Director Xue Tao. I’ve known Director Xue for a long time, but this is his first time on ‘Weekend Laughter,’ right?"

Xue Tao took the microphone handed by the co-host and answered modestly, "Yes, my first time. Actually, I rarely appear on variety shows."

He Hao replied, "So having Director Xue here really brightens our program."

"Not at all," Xue Tao waved his hands.

He Hao then greeted the rest of the film crew behind them. "Welcome to the rest of the ‘Painted Skin’ team."

Next, the scene shifted as He Hao introduced another guest. "We also have an old friend of mine, but a new friend to the show, who just came from another program. Let’s welcome him out."

A man walked out from backstage.

He Hao stepped forward with a smile. "Welcome, Fang Xing. We just parted from the other show—how long has it been?"

"One month and seven days," Fang Xing replied.

"Remember that clearly?" He Hao looked surprised.

"No, that line was arranged by the directors," Fang Xing revealed the script.

He Hao feigned stumbling, "You just exposed all the directors’ secrets! But it’s okay—we can cut that part later and pretend we’ve been apart for ages."

"I don’t think the directors will cut it," Fang Xing shrugged.

At that moment, a post-production emoji appeared on screen: "You guessed it right!"

Ning Xiaoyun laughed uproariously, pointing at the TV. "I knew it! This guy always gets these things fully included in the final cut."

Lu Xianger, resting her chin in her hands and seemingly lost in thought, was annoyed by Ning Xiaoyun’s laughter and shot her a sideways glare.

The show continued.

He Hao asked, "Fang Xing, this is your first time on ‘Weekend Laughter,’ right? How does it feel?"

"Hmm..." Fang Xing pondered, then replied, "Since the host hasn’t changed, I almost thought this was the overtime of ‘Tomorrow’s Star.’"

He Hao stumbled again. "Alright, now that we’ve introduced our new friends, let’s bring out the old one: Li Caiwei."

Li Caiwei appeared, wearing a long black dress and high heels, walking confidently onto the stage.

"Welcome back, Caiwei. It’s been a long time since you were last here, hasn’t it?" He Hao asked.

"Yes, it’s been five years, three months, and seven days. That data was also given to me by the directors," Li Caiwei smiled, following Fang Xing’s lead in revealing the script.

He Hao glanced at the film crew and then at Fang Xing and Li Caiwei. "Did you come together? The crew is here for the film—are you acting in it as well?"

Li Caiwei smiled. "Yes, I’m providing voice acting."

"Voice acting? How so?" He Hao pressed.

"Actually, I sang the movie’s theme song," Li Caiwei answered.

"And you, Fang Xing?" He Hao turned to him.

"I produced the movie’s theme song," Fang Xing said.

"I see. Then please tell our viewers the name of the theme song together," He Hao handed the microphone to both.

Fang Xing and Li Caiwei exchanged smiles and answered in unison, "Painted Heart."

He Hao continued, "Thank you, Fang Xing and Caiwei, for joining us. Don’t go anywhere—later you’ll give us a wonderful performance."

After that, He Hao and the hosting team played several games with the ‘Painted Skin’ crew.

Following the mid-show commercial break, it was time for Fang Xing and Li Caiwei to perform the theme song "Painted Heart."

Fang Xing began with his richly textured voice, singing the verses:

"Unable to see through, your lost soul.

Unfathomable, the color of your pupils.

A gust of wind, a fleeting dream, love as unpredictable as life.

What exactly has bewitched your heart..."

Originally a female solo, the song’s high pitch was unsuitable for male voices.

Fang Xing sang it an octave lower, his voice deep and resonant, filled with storytelling charm, giving the piece a unique flavor.

Then Li Caiwei took over, singing the high octave parts in a clear, ethereal tone that seemed to lift the listeners’ senses into the air.

They alternated and harmonized, transforming the female solo into a male-female duet.

Both possessed solid vocal skills, delivering a performance that rivaled studio recordings.

Ning Xiaoyun, who had been giggling before, quieted down, tilting her head to listen carefully. "Not bad at all. Their duet version sounds great. This might be one of the few professional performances on ‘Weekend Laughter.’"

The show was usually focused on humor; guests didn’t need to sing well—in fact, off-key or funny mistakes were more entertaining.

Lu Xianger hugged a pillow, resting her chin in her hands as she watched Fang Xing and Li Caiwei sing. For some reason, she suddenly felt a bit envious.

"Xiangxiang, Xiangxiang..." Ning Xiaoyun lay on the sofa and nudged Lu Xianger twice with her foot. Seeing no response, she started tickling her.

"What are you doing?" Lu Xianger turned and glared.

Ning Xiaoyun giggled, "What were you daydreaming about just now? You already have Fang Xing’s autograph photo. Tell me, have you two hooked up?"

Lu Xianger frowned and snorted. "Don’t talk nonsense."

Ning Xiaoyun wrapped her arm around Lu Xianger’s neck, sighing, "Ah! Xiangxiang has someone else in her heart now. She’s not just mine anymore."

Lu Xianger, at a loss with her childhood friend, flopped back on the sofa. "You really have an overactive imagination."

"I do? It’s clearly you who’s fallen for someone else," Ning Xiaoyun pouted, pretending to be on the verge of tears.

"You’d be great at acting," Lu Xianger said, covering her forehead.

Ning Xiaoyun’s expression suddenly turned cold and sharp. "Tell me! How far along are you two?"

Lu Xianger could no longer stand it. Suddenly, she called out, "Mom, why are you downstairs?"

Ning Xiaoyun jolted upright and said toward the stairs, "Auntie, do you want some fruit?"

But no one came down the stairs.

Realizing she’d been tricked by her friend, Ning Xiaoyun pounced on Lu Xianger.

The two began tussling on the sofa.

"Lu Xiangxiang, today I’m going to settle this once and for all," Ning Xiaoyun declared, half-angry, half-embarrassed.

"Mom!" Lu Xianger shouted suddenly, then slapped Ning Xiaoyun hard, reminding, "Get up! This time it’s for real."

"I don’t believe you!" Ning Xiaoyun refused to give up and kept fighting.

Until a figure appeared beside the sofa.

Ning Xiaoyun froze instantly, quickly putting on a smile and sitting properly.

Lu’s mother, accustomed to their antics, was unfazed. "You need to sleep by ten. Don’t stay up too late."

Lu Xianger and Ning Xiaoyun nodded their heads like little chicks pecking grain. "Got it."

"Xiaoyun, if it gets too late, don’t go home. Stay with Xiangxiang and just call your family," Lu’s mother reminded again.

"Okay, thank you, Auntie," Ning Xiaoyun switched to a well-behaved, polite mode and nodded obediently.

...

After Fang Xing and Li Caiwei’s performance of "Painted Heart" aired on Xiangjiang Satellite TV, the song went viral that very night.

Because the satellite TV audience differed greatly from online users, "Painted Heart" reached a much wider demographic, far surpassing "Sexy."

With the boost from ‘Weekend Laughter,’ the song’s popularity soared again, topping the hot song charts the next day.

"Sexy" lasted only half a week on the chart before being supplanted by "Painted Heart."

The internet never forgets.

Memes and sharp-witted netizens began digging up all previous press releases across platforms.

Not long ago, Chaoyin Culture had bought out coverage to promote "Sexy" as having defeated "Nocturne" to reach number one.

But only a few days later, "Painted Heart" surged ahead, pushing "Sexy" down.

One savvy netizen, Watson, immediately spotted the blind spot:

["‘Painted Heart’s producer is Fang Xing. This was clearly aimed at taking down SPK, wasn’t it?"]

["It’s also Chaoyin Culture’s own fault for hyping ‘Sexy’s victory over ‘Nocturne.’ ‘Nocturne’ had dominated the charts for four weeks and was due to fall anyway. They just wanted a stunt. Now look what happened."]

["Serves them right!"]

["They’re ruthless—first they took down GLA, now they’re going after Chaoyin’s own SPK."]

["That’s brutal!"]

["Brutal indeed +1"]

...

Meanwhile, in Chaoyin Culture’s GLA Iceberg Boys dormitory,

The members saw SPK’s new song "Sexy" lose the top spot to "Painted Heart," and rather than feeling upset, they felt a sense of relief.

Human nature is strange.

Previously, these eleven members had been trounced by Fang Xing time and again, losing every contest and being firmly suppressed on the Music Billboard.

Theoretically, they should have aligned with SPK against Fang Xing.

And at first, they did want to see Fang Xing lose.

But after SPK was also knocked down by Fang Xing’s new song, they didn’t feel sad—instead, they felt much lighter.

Because they realized they weren’t the only ones getting crushed; even Chaoyin’s own favored son SPK was down for the count.

That made losing to Fang Xing less about their weakness.

Wu Junchen, Liu Yichen, and others shared the same thought: "Look, even SPK lost. We’re just a temporary group put together anyway; losing to Fang Xing isn’t so strange."

Once a person finds a reason to forgive themselves, their mood naturally improves.

Now it was SPK’s turn to suffer.

Especially their captain, the top domestic star and broken-tier celebrity Li Siqi.

Li Siqi was filming a high-profile commercial when he learned that "Sexy" had been dethroned by "Painted Heart."

Before finishing the shoot, he rushed back to Chaoyin Culture’s headquarters and confronted Liu Rongxuan. "Why isn’t there any chart-pushing? The company didn’t put in any effort this time."

Li Siqi was Chaoyin Culture’s highest-earning artist—more than all the others combined.

Thus, he had privileges within the company.

Liu Rongxuan explained, "The quality of ‘Painted Heart’ is indeed very high."

Li Siqi cut him off, "I don’t care about that. Last month, when the company pushed Wu Junchen and the others’ charts, they spent a fortune. Did you think I didn’t notice? Now it’s my group’s new song, and the company isn’t doing anything."

Liu Rongxuan tried to soothe him, "Don’t be anxious. The company has its plans."

"What plans? All I see is my new song being pushed down by some unknown newcomer from who knows where. The company hasn’t responded at all. I’m starting to doubt their management abilities," Li Siqi pressed.

Liu Rongxuan clarified, "Actually, the company is negotiating a major film project with Bluebird Media and Penguin Pictures. If it goes smoothly, you might land a role."

"Lead male?" Li Siqi asked.

Liu Rongxuan shook his head, "No, the lead is a hundred-billion-yuan box office emperor level actor. Your role would be third lead. But the rank doesn’t matter. Participating in such a big production will greatly help your future career."

Li Siqi knew well how hard it was to break into the big screen.

Top-tier celebrities all wanted to enter film.

Once they succeeded, their status and prestige would leap several levels.

However, most top-tier stars failed when transitioning to film.

The big screen proved that traffic stars couldn’t carry box office numbers.

Hence, many stars took another route—joining a big production in a minor role requiring little acting skill.

Usually, such cooperation meant these stars earned little pay.

Essentially, they traded their traffic for a chance to appear on the big screen.

Film producers welcomed such deals—though traffic stars couldn’t guarantee box office success, they still brought exposure.

"So, we can’t afford to fall out with Bluebird Media now. ‘Painted Heart’ is indeed popular. Forcing chart-pushing would cost a lot," Liu Rongxuan added.

Li Siqi thought it over and decided that appearing on the big screen was more important, so he chose to swallow his pride for now.