The online carnival continued until the next morning.

Li Zhian's fans had completely retreated. They couldn't understand how their professional industrialized process of voting, fundraising, and comment control had lost to a group of "middle-aged uncles" who didn't even know how to sign in to a Super Topic.

It was unscientific.

It wasn't how the fandom circle worked.

In Xian Dong Wo Xin Studio, the atmosphere was as festive as New Year's.

"Teacher Lu! We won! We won big!" Jiang Cheng held his phone, pacing excitedly around the room, the smile on his face impossible to hide.

"You haven't seen the internet; those idol fans are stunned. They're saying we launched a 'sunset raid' and didn't play fair!"

Su Qing also held her laptop, her eyes shining brightly.

"Our official account gained 500,000 followers overnight, and our private messages are exploding. Everyone is asking when Xiangyang Band will go on tour. Many are also asking if the 'Old Boys Never Die' documentary can have an extended version."

This was the first truly significant victory since they founded the studio.

It wasn't just the brilliance of a single song, but a perfect campaign where planning, operations, content, and sentiment were all perfectly linked.

Jiang Cheng and Su Qing looked at Lu Zhixian with more than just admiration; there was a newfound sense of awe.

This man not only could write timeless works but also knew exactly how to pull at people's heartstrings.

However, as the eye of the storm, Lu Zhixian remained unusually calm.

He was curled up on the sofa with a laptop on his lap, his fingers idly sliding across the touchpad as he scrolled through the most popular short-video app.

On the screen, various dances with exaggerated effects, screaming sales streamers, and pretentious life insights flickered by in a bizarre display.

"Teacher Lu, aren't you going to give us some kind of reaction?" Jiang Cheng leaned in, unable to contain himself.

"Over at Xiangyang Band, Big Brother Shi Lei's phone is ringing off the hook with invitations from major music festivals and satellite TV stations. What's our next move? Strike while the iron is hot and start a tour?"

"No rush," Lu Zhixian said without looking up, his eyes still fixed on the screen.

Jiang Cheng and Su Qing exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.

The emperor isn't worried, but his eunuchs are—this saying was practically tailor-made for Teacher Lu.

Just then, Lu Zhixian's finger stopped.

On the screen was a video of a street performance.

The footage was shaky, and the audio quality was poor, with noisy voices and traffic sounds mixed together.

In the center of the frame, a girl who looked no older than eighteen or nineteen was working hard at singing and dancing.

The girl wore a simple white T-shirt and a pleated skirt, her hair in a high ponytail. She had a bit of baby fat on her face and a very sweet smile, like an orange soda in summer.

But to be honest, her performance was very mediocre.

Her singing was immature, her breathing was unstable, and her dance moves were somewhat stiff; it was clearly an amateur level.

The bullet comments and reviews on the video were few and far between, mostly encouragements like "The girl is so cute" or "Keep it up," occasionally mixed with a few mocks like "What kind of singing is this?"

Jiang Cheng glanced at it and instinctively wanted to swipe away. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of street performers of this level in Jingzhou every day.

But Lu Zhixian was watching with great interest.

He repeatedly dragged the video progress bar back to a close-up of the girl smiling as she turned.

The girl's eyes were large and bright, as if filled with stars.

It wasn't a fake, commercial smile, but a heartfelt, pure love and longing for the stage.

Even if there were only three or five people in the audience, and even if she didn't sing well, she was still shining.

It was an unpolished, raw vitality.

"Interesting," Lu Zhixian said softly.

At that very moment, a long-lost voice sounded in his mind.

[Ding! Slacking detected. Side mission triggered: Discover the sweetheart leader!]

[Mission Objective: Tailor-make a hit single for the newcomer 'Tang Tang' to successfully occupy the youth market and make her the new generation's 'sweetheart leader'.]

[Mission Items: Temporary Skill 'God-level Choreography Ability (Trial Card)' ×1, 'love you' has been issued.]

God-level Choreography Ability?

Lu Zhixian's eyebrow twitched.

Almost at the same time, a melody and a complete set of dance moves surfaced clearly in his mind, as if they had been etched there long ago.

"If you suddenly sneeze, it must be because I'm thinking of you..."

A light rhythm, playful lyrics, and that iconic dance move of making a heart with both hands against the cheeks.

"love you".

A terrifying existence that could make countless middle-aged men drop their fishing rods and start dancing along in their living rooms.

The corners of Lu Zhixian's mouth slowly curled up.

Rock is the final youth elegy dedicated to the middle-aged.

But a sweet song is a lethal weapon that harvests all age groups.

He closed the video and sat up straight on the sofa, his entire aura changing instantly.

"Jiang Cheng."

"Ah? Yes, Teacher Lu!" Jiang Cheng snapped to attention.

Lu Zhixian turned the laptop toward him, the screen frozen on the girl's smiling face.

"Go to the back street of Jingzhou Arts Academy and find this girl named Tang Tang for me."

Jiang Cheng leaned in to take a closer look, a look of confusion on his face.

"Find her? For what, Teacher Lu? This... with this level, any trainee we find downstairs at the studio would be better than her, right?"

"I want to release a song for her," Lu Zhixian said nonchalantly.

"Say what?" Jiang Cheng doubted his ears. "Release a song... for her? A whole song?"

Jiang Cheng was completely stunned. He opened his mouth, feeling like his CPU was about to burn out.

"Teacher Lu, you're not joking, are you? We just used 'the former you' to establish a deep, sentimental brand image, and now... we're going to do a... sweet little girl?"

This change in style was too fast; it was like flooring the gas pedal from the Siberian tundra straight onto the beach in Sanya.

"Rock is a dream for the middle-aged," Lu Zhixian leaned back on the sofa and spoke slowly.

"Dreams always have an end, but young people are the eternal leeks... ahem, the eternal market."

"..." Jiang Cheng was momentarily unable to refute him.

"Go now," Lu Zhixian waved his hand.

"Tell her that a producer named Lu thinks she can be a star."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

With a head full of questions, Jiang Cheng dizzily headed out the door.

He felt like he understood Teacher Lu less and less.

In the studio, only Lu Zhixian and Su Qing remained.

Su Qing asked in a small voice.

"Teacher Lu, do you really think that girl... can do it?"

"Whether she can or not is for me to decide." Lu Zhixian skillfully opened a bottle of Coke.

"In this circle, skill is important, but sometimes, a face with enough public appeal is more important than anything."

Su Qing nodded, only half-understanding.

Lu Zhixian opened his Weibo.

This account had only posted a few song promotions and was usually dormant; fans jokingly called him a "missing person."

He found the edit box, thought for a moment, and typed a line.

"After rock, how about something sweet?"

Then, he found a high-definition picture of a rainbow-colored lollipop online and attached it.

Click, send.

After doing all this, he turned off his phone, put on his headphones again, and began to get busy in front of the mixing console.

But his Weibo post caused a massive stir within just a few minutes.

Netizens who were just celebrating 'the former you' hitting the top spot flocked in immediately.

[??? Did I see that right? God Lu has come back to life?]

[Something sweet? What does that mean? Bro, is your next song a sweet song?]

[Don't! Teacher Lu! Rock never dies! Hurry up with Xiangyang Band's new song! My middle-aged fan group's funds are ready!]

[The picture is a lollipop... I have a bold guess. Lu Zhixian isn't going to write a nursery rhyme, is he? A rock version of 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'?]

Lu Zhixian looked at his phone and burst out laughing.

What the hell is a rock version of 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'?