Superstars of Tomorrow

This time, Fang Zhao saw another side of Qiao Tingzhen.

At today’s performance, Wensha had sung three songs. Every time a song ended, Qiao Tingzhen was especially excited, but whenever it was another’s turn to sing, he returned to his cool demeanor.

That afternoon, the performers were veterans of the music circles, and they each had their own style. Fang Zhao noticed someone else, not one of the performers on stage but a member of the audience seated right at the edge of the front row. If not for the fact that after every singer completed their song, they faced this person and bowed lightly, it would have been rather difficult to notice this person.

Mo Lang, a composing and arrangement great master, was 150-plus years old and an old senior. In the music industry, he was known as "Divine Hand Mo Lang" and was a genius from the same period as Xu Jong. He had even achieved the Galaxy World Award that Xue Jong had yet to achieve. In terms of artistic accomplishments, works, and contributions, he was a person standing at the apex, someone few people could compare to.

At the same time, Mo Lang was the chief appraiser of the music team and had significant authority.

Mo Lang wasn’t as amiable as Xue Jing; he seemed sterner. He did not speak or laugh much. There was only the arts in the eyes of this old man. When this old mister was looking at people, it seemed like his mind was full of musical notes.

After the performance ended in the afternoon, people in the venue started to leave in succession. Venerable Mo did stay behind, instead making his way to the exit. Naturally, everyone made a path for him. The old mister was advanced in age, so bumping into him would not be good. Furthermore, because of Venerable Mo’s superior status, actors that frequently came here to watch performances recognized him and treated him with respect.

In the entire cast and crew, there were not many people over a hundred years of age. Those over 150 could be counted with the fingers on one hand. Fortunately, he could still be considered rather healthy for his age. Venerable Mo spent all his time in the music center and did not have to bother about anything but composing. This was the special privilege he had.

As Fang Zhao headed to the exit, a few actors from other continents called out greetings. Now that filming was at season seven, some of the characters in different chapters had seen the paths gradually intertwine.

Sometimes characters from other continents appeared in the Yanzhou chapter, and sometimes Yanzhou characters appeared in the chapters of other continent’s. As the series progressed, there would also be the plotline where the various leaders of all the continents convened.

Fang Zhao returned the greetings. When he saw Mo Lang approaching, Fang Zhao stepped aside. Qiao Tingzheng did the same as well, letting Mr. Mo pass.

"That is Great Master Mo Lang, you should probably know him too. From time to time, the old mister visits each music hall and listens to performances, but he rarely smiles. Recently, it is even rarer to see him smile. I have seen him thrice, and he was frowning all three times and did not acknowledge anyone. I have no idea what is going through his mind, but I have heard others say that the old mister is plotting a big move." After watching the performances, Qiao Tingzhen was much more energetic, and he was speaking a lot more.

Fang Zhao knew what Qiao Tingzheng was talking about. He had heard that Venerable Mo had received an important task to compose a tune that was over 10 minutes long. This tune was supposed to be the ending theme of the "Founding Era" series.

Creating a tune over 10 minutes was not hard, but to compose an exceptional piece was no easy task. The tune had to ensure that listeners did not find it tiring or lengthy. It was no wonder the production team had passed this task to this renowned music master.

Looking at Venerable Mo’s demeanor, he was most likely mulling over this piece.

"In the short space of 10 days, I have appeared in front of the old master three times, but believe me, even if I’m standing right in front of him, he still doesn’t recognize me." In front of Venerable Mo, that villainous face of Qiao Tingzheng’s had no effect.

Fang Zhao nodded. "I heard that there are no people in the old mister’s eyes, only musical notes."

The two spoke softly and decided to wait for Mo Lang to pass before heading out. Unexpectedly, Mo Lang abruptly stopped as he was passing them.

Mo Lang looked over, his gaze scanning from top to bottom as he asked Fang Zhao skeptically, "You are?"

"Hello, Venerable Mo, I am Fang Zhao, a graduate of the Yanzhou Academy of Music. I am also part of the music team," Fang Zhao replied.

Mo Lang’s two eyebrows rose up. "The little fella that composed the four-movement ’100-Year Period of Destruction’ series?"

"Little fella..." Fang Zhao paused, then nodded. "That’s me."

"I remember you! I listened to the ’100-Year Period of Destruction’ series and have seen your information. I just didn’t get the chance to meet you here before. "

At the side, Qiao Tingzhen stared in disbelief at Mo Lang, then glanced at Fang Zhao. He knew that Fang Zhao had had more success in the music circles than the showbiz circles, but he had never expected Venerable Mo, a person who did not remember faces or care about worldly affairs, to actually know Fang Zhao. He had never heard of the old man following the serial.

Qiao Tingzheng did not understand the Yanzhou music circles and wasn’t sure what Venerable Mo meant by the "100-Year Period of Destruction" series. He only had a faint recollection that he had heard that name somewhere before.

Mo Lang did not continue asking why Fang Zhao rarely appeared at the music center. He instead asked, "The four movements of the ’100-Year Period of Destruction’ series are really decent. Those are some mature techniques. Do you have any works this time around?"

"Yes, I am preparing a piece for one episode in season nine," Fang Zhao replied.

Mo Lang frowned. Just one episode?

However, when he remembered Fang Zhao’s age and experience, the frown vanished. "Send it directly to me when it is complete."

When he finished, Mo Lang’s gaze turned to Qiao Tingzheng at Fang Zhao’s side and asked, "And who are you?"

"Venerable Mo, I am Qiao Tingzheng. My wife is Wensha," Qiao Tingzheng answered respectfully.

"Mhmm." Mo Lang nodded his head solemnly and turned to leave.

Qiao Tingzhen shed a tear in his heart. It wasn’t easy, but at least Venerable Mo had remembered him because of his wife and had even added a half-hearted "Mmhm."

Mo Lang did not talk to anyone else, nor did he even give anyone else a look. As he left, he once again immersed himself in his own world.

Regarding this, everyone was already used to it. When one achieved the status that Mo Lang had, there was no need to bother about anything else.

However, the many people in the venue gave Fang Zhao curious looks.

"Fang Zhao, what relationship do you have with Venerable Mo?" someone asked.

"No relationship whatsoever. This is my first time speaking to him," Fang Zhao replied.

However, many people did not believe him.

Who was he trying to kid? If they had no relationship, why had Mo Lang asked Fang Zhao to send his completed piece straight to the old master?

There were some people who inwardly decided to speak about this matter to their friends in the music circles to see if they were able to get any information. After all, it was too difficult to get Mo Lang to remember a person. Without sufficient artistic accomplishments, there was simply no way to leave a lasting impression on Mo Lang.

After exiting the music hall, Fang Zhao parted ways with Qiao Tingzhen. Fang Zhao was going to call on a few seniors, and Qiao Tingzheng was headed to look for his wife.

By the time Fang Zhao left the music center, it was already night. He had his dinner in the small dining hall in the music hall and returned back to continue working on his piece.

Afterward, during his free time in between filming, Fang Zhao spent the majority of it composing.

Actually, Fang Zhao did not know why Mo Lang wanted him to send his work straight to the old master after their first encounter either. According to normal procedures, it would probably go through one or two audits before the piece would appear on Mo Lang’s desk.

But hearing Mo Lang mention the four movements of "100-Year Period of Destruction," Fang Zhao guessed that Mo Lang had probably given him a shortcut on account of the series. Perhaps he thought highly of Fang Zhao’s composing abilities, or maybe he wanted to seek inspiration from Fang Zhao’s piece.

However, all that was secondary. Mo Lang would not accommodate someone’s work just because of a good relationship. Furthermore, he had no relationship whatsoever with Fang Zhao and had only asked Fang Zhao to send his completed work straight to him. He had never promised to select Fang Zhao’s piece. What Fang Zhao needed to do now was compose.

As the days passed, season five was completed and season six started to air.

In the series, the dark days had still not passed. On the contrary, because of the infighting between humans, the show had taken on a darker turn, and the list of names of those that perished in battle was increasing.

During the closing theme, audiences were used to seeing the rolling words and the list of the names of fallen martyrs and said martyrs’ grave numbers. After that, they would notice the composer and performer of the closing theme.

A distant sounding voice combined seamlessly with stunning and aesthetic electronic tones. An epic symphony laid the foundation alongside a harmonic background choir. Some skillful singing reaching high notes brought about an intense sentiment.

A certain film forum in Yanzhou.

"That voice sounds a little familiar."

"I don’t even need to look at the words. I can tell right away that it is Wensha just from listening to it!"

"If I had such a voice, I wouldn’t even need to go to school! There wouldn’t be any need for exams! Or homework!"

"Students nowadays might not know Wensha well. Let me tell everyone more..."

The topics on the forum went from discussing season six’s plotline to focusing on Qiao Tingzhen, who played the big baddie Zong Qian, his wife, the singing goddess Wensha, and their gossip.

"I just went to check out Qiao Tingzhen’s social platform. Indeed, out of nine photographs he posted, eight of them are photographs of Wensha, and the remaining one is a shot of the two together."

"Qiao Tingzhen? Hahaha, that crazy wife flaunter has started to flaunt his wife again? Season six’s ending theme was sung by Wensha, so he will surely boast a bunch."

"According to the course of history, season six is where Zong Qian gets crushed by Fang Zhao and his part in history ends. Surely Qiao Tingzhen has finished filming all his scenes in the series already. That guy has been very active recently. He updates quite a few statuses every time he has internet access."

A certain adorer of Zong Qian’s said, "What? Wait a minute! Zong Qian gets crushed by Fang Zhao? He receives a bento box this season? How can that be! He is such an awesome person! I really love this character!"

"One look at the person above me and I know right away that he isn’t from Yanzhou."

Zong Qian’s adorer justified himself. "Zong Qian had so much strength. If he had been given another five years—no, three years would have been enough. By that time if he had come up against Fang Zhao, it’s uncertain who the victor would have been."

"That was why Old Fang crushed him in advance and did not give him the opportunity to continue developing!" This was a die-hard Fang Zhao fan.

"Objectively speaking, if it had been Zong Qian that had crushed Fang Zhao all those years ago, he might really have become Yanzhou’s savior. During that time, Wu Yan had still not been capable of standing up to him. If he had really won, he would have probably reclaimed the entirety of Yanzhou. However, Yanzhou would not be named Yanzhou but, rather, Qianzhou, and the entire continent’s style would be different. Probably colder and merciless, and more likely to find problems. And there would have been many more sacrifices. Under those tough, bloody, and cold methods, survivors would have been just like slaves, becoming the unfeeling knives in his hands, or they could only stand up and revolt."

"Whoa, history is just so complicated."

"Qiao Tingzhen just updated a new status. He actually said that Zong Qian was a savior!"

This bunch that were currently stirred up all rushed over to check it out.

——

Actor Qiao Tingzheng: "Zong Qian, a savior that took the wrong path [Image]."

——

The accompanying image was a still taken from the series. In the distance, Zong Qian’s could be seen from behind, and behind Zong Qian’s back, one side was filled with corpses of all sorts of mutated beasts and the other was packed with countless human bodies.

Anyone that had watched the Yanzhou chapter of "Founding Era" knew that in Zong Qian’s eyes, anyone that went against him was no different from those mutated beasts, that he would kill all enemies indiscriminately.

"There is such a saying?"

"Zong Qian was an extreme and unfeeling lunatic."

"Savior? Zong Qian? Far from it!"

"Actually it isn’t far. Only Fang Zhao stood between the two."

"So the question returns, or maybe just a hypothesis. If there was no Fang Zhao, Zong Qian might really have become the overlord of Yanzhou. No, I should say the overlord of Qianzhou!"

"Still impossible. The leaders of the other 10 continents would not have let such a dangerous person like Zong Qian exist."

"How is it impossible? Wasn’t Great General Lu Xi of Xizhou renowned for being cold and strict? Perhaps he and Zong Qian could understand each other and join hands to take on the others."

"Hahaha! Make sure you study your history well before coming over to discuss historical questions! You people should go read up on which of the historical leaders during that time had the best relationship with Xizhou’s big boss!"

"Cough, butting in, I’m from Xizhou and my specialty is history. Us people that studied the Period of Destruction history all know that Great General Lu Xi and Yanzhou’s Fang Zhao shared a secret."

Thus, the direction of the forum changed once more, and discussions began on the exact nature of the unspeakable secret the big boss of Xizhou and Old Fang of Yanzhou had shared.

Elsewhere, a battle was also raging on Qiao Tingzheng’s social platform profile.

Many people were displeased with the "savior" used in Qiao Tingzheng’s status and felt that Qiao Tingzheng was trying to make enemies with the people of Yanzhou.

"Perhaps you are so addicted to portraying villains that you have started being a traitor to society and humankind?"

"I just knew it. One look and I could tell he wasn’t a good person!"

"If Zong Qian is a savior, then what is Fang Zhao? And what sort of status would Wu Yan have had!?"

"We don’t have to waste our breath, Qiao Tingzheng stopped being a Yanzhou citizen a long time ago."

"Teacher Qiao, have you asked Fang Zhao about this?!"

...

Far away in one of planet Wai’s music hall, Qiao Tingzheng received an urgent long-distance call from his manager.

"Brother Qiao, have you seen the opinions online?" his manager asked.

"I have seen them, but my words aren’t wrong. If Zong Qian had not walked the wrong path, he would have had much greater achievements. Furthermore, over 10 city districts in Yanzhou’s west region were reclaimed by Zong Qian. Without Zong Qian, during the Period of Destruction, the survivors of those 10-some districts in western Yanzhou would have suffered at least 60% losses! All of this is according to history! Since we are talking about actual history, Zong Qian did play a part and his accomplishments cannot go unnoticed. Besides, these words were said by Fang Zhao himself!"

"Don’t get emotional! Calm down, I didn’t say that you are wrong, I’m just saying that the timing of your status was inappropriate. It just so happens that your old rivals have hired people to flame you. The matter will be settled, don’t worry. I just want to remind you that you have not completely shed the character. Before you head online to update a status, remember to stay calm. Weren’t you rather refined in the past? Those entertainment media outlets were just lying in wait to cause trouble."

"All right. I didn’t consider it thoroughly beforehand. Let me post another status to explain.

After the call, Qiao Tingzhen prepared to justify himself and keyed in "I asked, these words were said by Fang Zhao himself!"

When he had typed it in, he clicked post... Posting failed.

Looking at the time, the two hours of internet access were up and the entire area lost its internet connection.

Qiao Tingzheng: "..."

Luckily, he had already explained to his manager. His manager would surely settle it. Qiao Tingzheng relaxed and tossed his communications device aside and went to accompany his wife for a meal.

Indeed, everything went according to what Qiao Tingzheng had expected. His manager guessed that the internet connection had been cut off for the cast and crew, so he logged into Qiao Tingzheng’s account and composed a similar status and sent it, telling everyone that those words had been said by Fang Zhao himself. He also got some stuff to search for some historical records, proving that Zong Qian had indeed saved many people in the past, just that his merits had been overshadowed by his much greater misdeeds.

Battlefields were everywhere. There were just too many in the entertainment circles. Many people loved to stir things up out of nothing. Those in this industry were already used to it. Besides, after this matter was settled, it would benefit Qiao Tingzheng more. As long as historical evidence was laid out to direct the audience’s thoughts, that would be enough. This could still be used as a pretext to let Qiao Tingzheng leave a deeper impression and make a little counter attack.

Qiao Tingzheng’s manager rolled up his sleeves to do battle. Leading the staff of the studio, he got them to strike back at those making shady moves on the sly.

However, very quickly, a new problem arose.

"Fang Zhao really said those words?" a netizen asked.

"When I see them talking about it, why do I get even more muddled? Exactly which Fang Zhao are you people talking about? Which Fang Zhao is Qiao Tingzheng talking about? Which Fang Zhao actually said this?"

"Yeah, which Fang Zhao? I wanted to ask the same question. Is it the Fang Zhao in the show or the Fang Zhao outside the show?"

Which Fang Zhao?

Qiao Tingzheng’s manager’s face was blank.

How would I know which Fang Zhao said it!

The cast and crew on planet Wai had no internet access, so he had no way of asking.

Oh my, how problematic! Being a manager is really not easy!