164: Chapter 164: The carefree life in the martial arts world at the "Red Dust Inn"

After Lu Li finished reading, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

"Good grief, the song hasn't even been released yet, and they've already started dragging us down."

Shen Qingxue took back her phone, lowered her head to glance at the trending search again, and furrowed her brows slightly.

"I feel like someone is deliberately manipulating public opinion."

Lu Li was stunned for a moment.

"You mean… Starlight Entertainment has already started making moves?"

"Mm."

Shen Qingxue nodded, her expression turning serious.

"Look at these comments. On the surface, it looks like ordinary netizens discussing it, but several accounts have very consistent writing styles: they praise first, then drag you down, and finally lead to the conclusion that your singing skills are poor."

She paused and handed over the phone.

"Besides, the registration dates of these accounts are very recent, and they have few followers. They are most likely internet trolls."

Lu Li took the phone and glanced at it, and it turned out to be true. His brows immediately furrowed.

"They started laying out their plans this early?"

"It's not early."

Shen Qingxue thought for a moment and continued,

"After the teaser is released, the peak period for popularity is from tonight until tomorrow. They want to implant the impression that your singing skills are poor into netizens' minds during this time."

"By tomorrow night when the song is released, regardless of its actual quality, the netizens will already be carrying biases."

After listening, Lu Li was silent for two seconds, then let out a scoff.

"Just this?"

Shen Qingxue glanced at him and helplessly supported her forehead with her hand.

"Aren't you worried?"

"What is there to worry about?"

Lu Li tossed the phone onto the coffee table, put his hands behind his head, and crossed his legs.

"The quality of the song is right there. No matter how they try to manipulate the narrative, netizens aren't fools. If it sounds good, it sounds good; if it sounds bad, it sounds bad."

He paused, turning his head to look at Shen Qingxue.

"Besides, didn't you say you have confidence in me?"

Shen Qingxue stared at him for two seconds, and the corners of her mouth curved up slightly.

"I do have confidence in you."

"Then that settles it."

Lu Li grinned broadly, stood up from the sofa, and stretched.

"All right, don't think too much about it. Get some rest early. Tomorrow we still have to finish the official version of the song, so don't flake out by then."

Shen Qingxue nodded and also stood up.

Before long, the two of them returned to their respective rooms.

…

The night was already deep.

Lying on the bed in his bedroom, Lu Li stared at the ceiling, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

It wasn't because he was nervous, but rather because one thing kept replaying in his mind.

Starlight Entertainment had already started manipulating public opinion. After "red dust inn" was released tomorrow, what awaited them?

Praise? Criticism? Or overwhelming smear campaigns?

This was actually quite concerning.

Then he rolled over, buried his face in the pillow, and muttered a curse in a muffled voice.

"Starlight Entertainment is truly a bunch of bastards."

After cursing, he found it funny again.

Since when did he start caring about these things?

Clearly, when he first transmigrated here, his mind was only filled with thoughts of slacking off, lying flat, and living out the rest of his life comfortably.

Yet now, instead of sleeping in the middle of the night, he was here pondering how to fight back against others.

After thinking for a long time, he finally muttered in a low voice:

"It's all Shen Qingxue's fault!"

Meanwhile, somewhere else…

"Achoo!"

Shen Qingxue rubbed her nose and couldn't help muttering.

"Did I catch a cold?"

…

The next day, at 7:30 in the morning.

Lu Li was awakened by the vibration of his phone.

Groping for it and taking a look, it was a message from Shen Qingxue.

"Get up, eat breakfast, and get to work at eight."

Lu Li stared at those words for two seconds, tossed the phone next to his pillow, and couldn't help admiring Shen Qingxue's rock-solid routine.

She was simply Superman.

After lingering in bed for another five minutes, he reluctantly climbed out.

After all, he couldn't flake out again today; he still knew which was more important.

By the time he finished washing up, Shen Qingxue was already sitting at the dining table with breakfast laid out in front of her.

"How come you woke up so early?"

Lu Li flopped down into a chair and picked up some breakfast to make do with a couple of bites.

"I didn't sleep well."

Lu Li glanced at her and noticed the faint dark circles under her eyes.

"Insomnia? What time did you go to sleep last night?"

"Past two o'clock."

"What were you doing?"

"Reading comments."

Lu Li was stunned for a moment, and his expression couldn't help turning a bit odd.

Are you sure that wasn't staying up late rather than just not sleeping well?

Shen Qingxue didn't say much more. Seeing this, Lu Li didn't ask any further.

…

At eight sharp, the two of them sat in the equipment area on time.

Lu Li brought up the accompaniment for "red dust inn" and adjusted the parameters slightly.

Shen Qingxue sat beside him, holding the lyric sheet and waiting quietly.

"I'll go through it once first, and you can listen to the feel of it."

Lu Li put on his headphones, stood in front of the microphone, and took a deep breath.

The prelude began to play.

Piano, guzheng… the sounds of several instruments intertwined, instantly pulling one into a martial arts world of chivalrous vengeance and untamed freedom.

Lu Li closed his eyes, waited for the prelude to advance to the appropriate node, and slowly began to sing.

"The end of the horizon is sandstorms."

"The tales of the mortal world are called lingering attachments."

His voice was also subconsciously a bit deeper than usual, carrying a hint of vicissitudes and unrestrained ease.

Shen Qingxue sat to the side, listening quietly, her gaze falling on his profile.

She had listened to this segment many times and had heard the demo too, but every time she listened, she felt a different vibe.

Lu Li's singing skills really couldn't be considered top-tier; his breath control occasionally drifted, and the handling of his ending notes wasn't delicate enough.

But there was something very special in his voice.

Shen Qingxue didn't know how to describe it either.

She could only call it a vibe.

"Sealing the blade, hiding away in an ordinary household, beneath the eastern fence."

"Carefree like a wild crane, an ancient temple."

When Lu Li sang this part, his voice gained a trace of laziness and leisure.

It was like sitting on a bamboo chair on some afternoon, brewing a pot of tea, looking at the distant mountains, and leisurely reminiscing about the past.

If this kind of imagery were made into a music video, it was simply unimaginable how stunning it would be.

Unfortunately, funds were insufficient, so a music video wasn't something they could consider at the moment.

"Riding swift horses to fight and kill in the Jianghu."

"It is nothing more than being unable to let go of fame and fortune."

"How can someone with the world in their heart ever be carefree and unconstrained?"

"I only ask to grow old with gray hair together with you."

Shen Qingxue's fingers tapped lightly to the beat on her knees.

She really liked this part.

It wasn't that kind of grand, sweeping emotional vent, but rather a steady, enduring accumulation like a gentle stream.

A carefree Jianghu—this was the true red dust inn.

Using steady, enduring emotions to directly write out the chivalrous tenderness and the love, hate, parting, and sorrow of the mortal world.

It was hard to imagine just how exquisite and peerless this kind of design was.

Unfortunately, Lu Li couldn't hear the emotional sighs in Shen Qingxue's heart right now, otherwise he definitely would have proactively teased her with a remark.

"Are you kidding me with eight thousand per word?"

Before long, Lu Li had gone through the entire song completely.

Until after he finished singing, Shen Qingxue still didn't react at all, propping up her small head and staring unblinkingly at him.

"Hey, are you swooning over me?"

Lu Li couldn't help teasing her with a cheeky grin.

Shen Qingxue snapped back to her senses, her face instantly flushing red. She subconsciously turned her head away and spoke hesitantly,

"Who, who is swooning? Why are you so narcissistic!"