"Ding-dong!"

A notification sound rang out. Lu Zheng looked down and saw the notification on his phone.

[Si Huang, who you follow, has uploaded the video "Flowers Blooming." Come watch it now!]

Lu Zheng's eyes sparkled as he immediately clicked it open, then navigated to the small video platform and entered the video page.

The screen was black, and after a two-second pause, the sound of a zither began, exactly the zither piece "Flowers Blooming" recorded by Si Lingxi in the studio.

Previously, Si Lingxi had critiqued several renowned folk musicians and professors on the website, with rather sharp words, mostly critical, which upset folk music enthusiasts, eventually sparking a small-scale feud between the folk music department and the Western music department.

This was something even Si Lingxi had not expected.

It's important to know that the performances she critiqued were those she found somewhat noteworthy and listenable, and her comments were fairly objective, intended to provide guidance, hoping the performers could improve.

But the results were...

Did it turn into criticism of traditional music? Turned into glorifying Western music?

Is it that incomplete recognition equates to complete non-recognition?

The many binary thinking internet users on Blue Star left even Si Lingxi amazed.

"Using information cocoon chambers to brainwash the masses on a large scale has a cost-effectiveness higher than hypnotic suggestions."

"Letting those without discernment go online, without someone alongside reminding them from time to time, their cognitive abilities may degenerate within three months."

This was Si Lingxi's evaluation, and Lu Zheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

...

Si Lingxi didn't care about the trolls. She wouldn't even look at pure trolling. However, there were some comments that were serious discussions, though expressed with some defiance.

Saying this and that, why don't you perform a piece for us to hear?

Of course, Si Lingxi wouldn't go out of her way to record and upload just because of some strangers' comments. They weren't qualified for that. However, since she had a ready-made audio recording in hand, she didn't mind uploading a piece to share with everyone.

Just one piece, and that's it. Being able to hear a Phoenix perform even once is a blessing accumulated over several generations.

Lu Zheng clicked on the video, or rather, there wasn't really a video. Si Lingxi hadn't even bothered to add any visuals, leaving the screen black throughout.

However, the absence of video only highlighted the beauty of the music.

Having spent a few months on Blue Star, Si Lingxi had familiarized herself with the prevalent music culture and tastes, so she made a few modifications to "Flowers Blooming," balancing fast and slow tempos, weaving crisp and lively sounds with subtle and cheerful moods, elegance, and enthusiasm intertwined.

Even while staring at a black screen, Lu Zheng could feel the scene of flowers blooming and life rejoicing, where the largest, most beautiful flower blossoms passionately amidst the spring breeze, flowers, and the anticipation of birds and insects.

Even as the music faded, this feeling didn't disappear immediately but lingered like an afterimage on the black screen, until...

"Yo yo yo!"

The video switched to the next, abruptly disrupting the lingering resonance.

"Damn!"

Lu Zheng put down his phone and then left a laughing comment in the comment section.

"Sounds good (thumbs_up.jpg)"

After commenting and refreshing, to his surprise, he wasn't the only one there in the comment section.

So fast? Didn't expect there to be quite a number of people following Si Lingxi? 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"What the heck, always babbling, yet doesn't even know how to make a video? Poor rating!"

"Fell asleep listening to it"

"Haha, with this level? How dare you criticize Professor Ye, who gave you the courage?"

"Tsk! Sounds terrible!"

Lu Zheng, "..."

He was the fastest to get in and listen to the music, and there were fewer comments than his. The only ones faster had to be those who didn't even listen.

Are there really so many anti-fans of Si Lingxi?

Lu Zheng scratched his head, worried that Si Lingxi might trace them through the internet line.

Then, Liu Qingyan, Shen Ying, and Lin Wan all left comments under "Flowers Blooming."

Lin Wan was fine, but both Liu Qingyan and Shen Ying were well-versed in music, their comments insightful and praise filled with substance, quickly getting upvoted.

Finally, others listened to the music as well.

"Ahhhhh, what kind of immortal zither piece is this, how come I've never heard it before?"

"Sounds good, sounds good, sounds good! Important things are said thrice!"

"Si Huang really has substance, a very pleasant zither piece."

"It's my first time truly appreciating domestic traditional music, I must say, if all traditional music sounded this good, I'd apply to the folk music department next year."

"I'm sorry, I spoke too loudly before, I apologize to Si Huang."

"The moment 'Flowers Blooming' came out, it overshadowed all flowers, when Si Huang plays, even the thousand birds fall silent!"

Si Lingxi's zither piece overshadowed all other performers on the small platform. Any music-loving netizen who listened couldn't help but express their emotions.

So even though "Flowers Blooming's" real views weren't much compared to similar content, the comment area was quite lively.

Nearly two-thirds of the netizens upvoted after listening to the music, and almost one-third left comments afterward.

This is quite astonishing, equivalent to an author with ten thousand subscribers receiving over three thousand comments on a new chapter.

The hype is incredible!

A mere piece of instrumental music started to exude astounding heat on a video-focused platform, climbing in rankings.

"Who is this big shot?"

"Can anyone tell me, is this piece just called 'Flowers Blooming'? How come I can't find it on Penguin Music?"

"Same here, I want to set it on repeat but couldn't find it."

"Pure zither, yet it sounds so good. Is it a new background music for a song by Zhou Dong?"

"I bet you can't find it anywhere, it's probably Si Huang's way to make a point."

Some netizens who knew the background dug up Si Huang's previous comments and emphasized the situation Si Huang faced before.

Meanwhile, some people merely pretending to appreciate elegance or being biased towards the West appeared in the comments section.

"Nowhere near Professor Ye and Master Fang, doesn't even dare show face, how much was the sound edited?"

"Not daring to record live, obviously fake."

"Clearly not skilled, probably looks ugly too."

"Listened to it, so monotonous, dry, lacks the beautiful tone of a pipe organ."

"The uploader plagiarized, I've heard the original tune, it's a rural motif from Gaul, played on the piano, greatly lacking flavor when switched to zither."

And so the comment section turned into a heated debate once again.

But this time, there were more neutral netizens, and these neutral folks clearly leaned towards one side, resulting in the anti-fans facing severe backlash.

"To edit sound to this degree, the uploader could easily earn millions annually, the influencers would throw money to blind the uploader—jealous much, anti-fans?"

"I'm majoring in violin here in Gaul, never heard of any similar motifs, can the anti-fan above clarify a bit?"

...

Seeing these comments, Si Lingxi smiled and nodded, "Still, more people know the real value."