I became a music industry godfather by writing confidantes.

Chapter 054 A Radiant Smile

That evening, a user named "Did you eat hot pot today?" uploaded a video on the Douyin platform.

A few hours earlier, she and some close friends had arranged to have hot pot at Lao Yi Lao, intending to treat themselves.

Who would have thought that halfway through the hotpot meal, an epic, socially awkward birthday celebration would unfold at the next table?

The handsome guy singing was good-looking, and his singing voice was surprisingly good, but what made her and her best friend laugh so hard they couldn't stand up straight was the birthday boy.

That expression of utter despair, as if their souls had left their bodies, made the three of them laugh like screaming geese.

The situation was so funny that, adhering to the internet spirit of sharing joy rather than keeping it to herself, she uploaded the video while laughing.

[I was having hot pot with friends at Lao Yi Lao when something incredibly funny happened. It was hilarious the whole time. PS: The guy singing was handsome, but the birthday boy looked like he was about to break apart, hahaha!]

In this era where everyone is glued to their phones and surfing the internet intensively, any novel or funny material can quickly go viral with the help of algorithms.

Soon, comments flooded the comments section below the video.

Help! I'm laughing so hard I'm rolling around on the bed, and my mom almost thought I was having an epileptic seizure.

My tendency to feel embarrassed for others has flared up again, and I feel terrible all over.

Wow, really! His face is beaming with joy, hahaha!

[Hahaha, this friend looks like he's almost dead.]

Is this really a birthday celebration and not a public execution? He looks like he's about to cry.

[Did you have hot pot today?] Xue Yuanchun, whose real name is Xue Yuanchun, was stunned to see 999+ unread messages popping up in the background.

She replied to a popular comment: "It really was a birthday celebration! Before that handsome guy sang, another handsome young man shouted 'Everyone, look at me!' Hundreds of people were watching; the whole scene was incredibly exciting."

As the number of likes on the video continued to climb, the video began to enter a larger traffic pool, and more and more netizens flocked to the comment section.

[I captured a screenshot of the birthday person staring at a hot pot with two broths in each broth. It conveys a mix of despair, blankness, bewilderment, and a deep weariness of this cold and unreasonable world. New meme, GET!]

[So much fun! — Except for the friend whose birthday it is.]

The immersion is so strong, I feel like I'm suffocating.

If it were me, and I were to die on the spot, I would pass away peacefully. (Lying down)

As the video gained popularity, someone finally noticed the key point.

Does anyone know the name of this song? My friend's birthday is next week, and I'd like to get it played for him.

[Yes, yes, I was just about to say it! This melody is so upbeat and catchy, you can sing along after just one listen. Right now, all I can think of is—say goodbye to all your troubles! Goodbye! Goodbye!]

—Say HI! HI! to all happiness!

—Happy birthday, my dearest!

[Same question. I tried using Tencent's and NetEase Cloud Music's song recognition features, but I couldn't find this song.]

Just when everyone was completely confused, a netizen commented:

[If I'm not mistaken, the handsome guy you're talking about celebrating his friend's birthday is Yang Du! This must be his new song, I guess.]

"Holy crap, the video is so funny, I didn't even recognize Yang Du!"

—By the way, who is Yang Du?

"—Does the village even have internet access? Yang Du didn't even know that. He's the producer of the currently popular shows 'Painting Heart' and 'Flammable and Explosive,' he's incredibly talented!"

At that very moment, Xue Yuanchun, a Douyin (TikTok) creator who was frantically reading comments on his phone, was struck dumb when he saw this comment.

She quickly pinned a comment below her video:

【Ah ...

You might not believe it, but I took photos of Yang Du and Tao Cheng in the underground parking garage last time, and it caused quite a stir when I posted them on Weibo.

I never expected to see Yang Du for the second time today. I love his song "Painting Heart".

Today's hot pot meal was so worthwhile!

— "What kind of lucky charm does this Douyin user have? He's run into Yang Du twice in a row. Let me absorb some of his good luck."

"But you didn't recognize Yang Du!"

A gentle knife, yet it pierces the heart!

The video's popularity continued to soar, and some netizens, always eager for drama, started frantically tagging the official "LaoYiLao" account in the comments section.

[@LaoYiLao, Coach, I want a birthday like this too! Make the arrangements, understand?]

[@LaoYiLao, whether we can handle this surge in traffic depends on you guys.]

[@LaoYiLao, next time I patronize your store, I hope you'll take the initiative to send me this birthday greeting (winking)]

This wave of tagging quickly triggered a chain reaction of netizens, with tens of thousands of tagging notifications, which directly prompted the official account of "Lao Yi Lao" (a popular online shopping platform) to respond.

The editor in charge of Douyin operations reacted extremely quickly, replying immediately in the comments section after consulting with their supervisor:

We've received your requests!

However, we really don't have Yang's new song in our store (crying in frustration).

However, we have already been urging the operations officer to negotiate the licensing agreement.

For those of you celebrating your birthday and need something, remember to follow me! You might get a surprise soon!

The official account's interaction not only maximized the program's impact but also propelled the video's popularity to an unprecedented peak.

In just two hours, the video #EncounteringYangDu'sHardcoreBirthdayCelebration# on Douyin received over 500 million likes and was shared 6 times.

Meanwhile, back in his apartment, Yang Du opened Weibo, where the account "[Yang Dudu]" had nearly 80 followers.

Yang Du uploaded the video he asked the waiter to film to Weibo in its entirety, of course, with Zhou Feng's consent.

He edited:

"Today is my good friend and brother @KingofJungleZhou's birthday. I specially sang 'Birthday Wishing Song' for him. He was so happy that he couldn't say a word. (cake) (cake) (cake)"

When he blew out the candles, he said his biggest wish was that netizens would support his articles and help him cultivate his mind.

I hope everyone won't let him down!

So touching! (Hugs) (Hugs) (Hugs)

Click to send!

[Governor Yang, have some decency! Your friends are about to break up.]

Redefining "Very Happy"

[Yang Du: Hehe! Friend: No hehe! Passerby: Hehehe!]

Help! If it were me, I'd hide under the table.

[Haha, you can tell this little boy will definitely grow up to be a successful businessman.]

[Friend: I've saved up my reputation for 22 years, and you've made me lose it all tonight.]

[@捞一捞, seriously, I suggest your chairs be height-adjustable, so the birthday person can enjoy all the attention like a prince and princess. I hope you will seriously consider my suggestion.]

"What a vicious scheme!"

"Brother, are you serious?"

Am I the only one who thinks this song is addictive? My brain is already automatically looping "say goodbye to all your troubles."