Chapter Twenty-Three: The Birth of Fragrant Rice-Don't Call Me a Superstar(Night after night, the brilliance endures.)

The night was tranquil as three teenagers sat side by side on the riverbank. Moonlight caressed their shoulders, the breeze stirred gentle ripples across the water, and cicadas and frogs sang the unique songs of summer. In the scene, one of the boys lightly plucked the strings of his guitar, a fresh and lively melody filling the air, inviting an involuntary relaxation of body and mind.

With a touch of shyness from his first performance, Zhou Miao began to sing:

If you have too many complaints about this world
When you fall, you're afraid to go on
Why are people so fragile and prone to despair?
Please turn on the television and see
How many struggle bravely for life
Shouldn't we be content
Cherish everything, even if we don’t possess it

I still remember you said home is the only castle
Running along the fragrant rice river
Smiling, I know the childhood dream
Don’t cry, let the fireflies carry you away
The country songs are our eternal refuge
Let’s go home, return to the original beauty

As the clear and gentle voice of the boy sounded, the audience, who had been watching lazily with smiles, was suddenly stunned. The infectious timbre and captivating melody took them by surprise, prompting them to turn up the volume and listen intently, afraid to miss any detail.

Don’t give up so easily
Just as I said
If you can’t reach the dream,
Just choose another
Color your life brightly
Paint your love with your favorite shade

At this point, the music abruptly stopped, and the audience was jolted awake as if from a dream, bewildered by the sudden silence.

But then, Zhou Miao leaned close to Li Feifei’s ear and sang, “Give me a smile!” The girl was both amused and exasperated, while Zhou Miao, as if his mischief had succeeded, smiled triumphantly, gazed back at the water, and continued singing.

He had no idea how impactful that moment was for the viewers. What was meant as a playful interruption was seamlessly woven into the rhythm of the song, as if it had always been designed that way. Coupled with the boy’s mischievous smile, it tugged at the heartstrings in a way that was irresistibly charming.

Success and fame are not the goal
Making yourself happy—that is meaning
The paper airplanes of childhood
Have finally flown back to my hands

So-called happiness
Running barefoot in the fields chasing dragonflies until exhaustion
Picking fruit and getting scared by bees
Who’s laughing in secret?
Leaning against the scarecrow, singing, sleeping in the wind

Oh, the guitar is clearer in the afternoon amidst the insects’ chorus
Oh, sunlight on the road, no fear of heartbreak
Cherish everything, even if we don’t possess it
...

As the song faded, the audience remained immersed in the atmosphere it had created, unable to extricate themselves for a long time. The song conjured memories of countless childhood summers—golden rice fields, cicadas and frogs, paper airplanes, fireflies...

It was the most beautiful scene in dreams, and a summer that could never return.

Dragging the progress bar back, they listened again and again and again. No one could recall the last time a song so stunning and resonant had moved them so deeply; many thought it was because they had grown up, and were no longer easily touched.

But now, it seemed it wasn’t that they had changed, but that there were fewer and fewer songs that could reach the depths of their hearts.

After hearing the song, when the viewers looked at Zhou Miao again, he seemed to radiate a special glow.

Especially the female audience, who couldn’t help but imagine how wonderful it would be if they were Li Feifei, how much they wished Zhou Miao would sing “Give me a smile” into their ear.

Just imagining that scene was dizzying, and Li Feifei, having experienced it firsthand, must have felt something even more extraordinary.

“My God... I’ve been thinking for ages but can’t find the right words to describe this song. All I can say is, it’s beautiful!”

“I’m so jealous. For the first time in my life, I desperately wish to join Transformation!”

“Handsome, can play instruments, and writes songs—what a wonderful boy. Who knows which lucky girl will win him in the end…”

“When he sang ‘Give me a smile,’ I actually smiled along. This silly boy is so good at flirting!”

“Did you notice Li Feifei’s expression? I’m sure she was absolutely moved in that moment!”

“Of course. Which girl could resist that kind of charm?”

...

Hu San stared at her phone screen in a daze, headphones on. She pressed pause, and the image froze on Li Feifei gazing at Zhou Miao, her face flushed.

“Fragrant Rice” was so beautiful it made her realize just how distant she was from Zhou Miao.

In the future, there would surely be countless people who liked him; would he still remember her then?

“Ding~” A new message popped up on WeChat. Hu San opened it casually, and her mood instantly brightened.

Zhou Sanshui: Did you watch Transformation? Isn’t it awesome?

Hu Han San: The song was just so-so, but you sure know how to flirt with girls, huh?

Zhou Sanshui: Flirt? No, it’s mainly because I’m too handsome. Whatever I do, people think I’m flirting.

“Shameless!” she muttered, but her face was all smiles, twisting around on the bed like a worm.

In the backstage ratings monitoring room, the results were out: peak ratings of 4.8! It broke this year’s record, and Transformation reached the top! The whole production team was instantly thrown into celebration. Zhao Weiming was so excited he slid across the office floor on his knees!

Meanwhile, “Fragrant Rice” was spreading across the internet at an astonishing pace, with countless Transformation viewers fervently recommending the song to those around them.

Many people opened Weibo only to see “Fragrant Rice” topping the trending chart, accompanied by a blazing red “Hot” tag!

In the era of the internet, how fast can a song go from unknown to viral? Today, Zhou Miao gave the answer: from the broadcast of Transformation to the number one trending topic, it took only three hours! And it was still spreading rapidly to an even wider audience!

Such popularity usually only appeared among the main contestants of top talent shows, yet Zhou Miao achieved it with a heartfelt original song on an aging variety show.

Zhou Miao’s meteoric rise was a breath of fresh air for netizens tired of shallow idols. Immediately, someone made a humorous comparison chart.

On one side were the main contestants of various talent shows, labeled: “Fake music youth, poor singing, clueless about music theory, can’t play instruments, but perfect at acting cute.”

On the other side was a photo of Zhou Miao chased up a tree by a dog, labeled: “Real music youth, singing on point, creative genius, master of every instrument, stunning looks, and can climb trees.”

“Tree Climbing Master—Zhou Miao”

“Come on, out of all Zhou Miao’s handsome moments, you chose the funniest one.”

“No lie. Those pretty boys talk nonstop about musical dreams, but don’t know a thing. Forget instruments, they can’t even whistle. The fact that they’re popular just shows how many idiots there are.”

“After watching Zhou Miao, looking at those guys makes me want to puke. Ugly and fake.”