Chapter 455: Bilibili Netizen Meetup

Chapter 455: A Gathering of Two Bilibili Netizens

"Have you really never studied vocal music before?"

As rehearsal drew to a close, Tan Jing could not help but ask once more. Seeing Meng Fan nod, she found herself utterly at a loss for words. Yet, reflecting upon it, he truly did seem to lack any formal conservatory training; the musical intuition he displayed during rehearsal was extraordinarily high, but it was visibly devoid of systemic structure. By comparison, his pitch was not preternaturally flawless, but the sheer emotional power conveyed by his voice was something even she felt a touch of envy toward.

This kaleidoscope of impressions suggested he had indeed never taken a formal lesson, yet his insights in certain areas allowed him to converse with her on equal footing. This—well, it could only be described as genius!

The crux of the matter, however, was that Meng Fan’s genius was not confined to music alone. He had swept Olympic gold medals across weightlifting, wrestling, and judo, and was currently the best-selling manga artist in the country. To whom could anyone complain about such unfairness?

Tan Jing had encountered and heard of countless geniuses in her time, and her own household boasted one of the very highest caliber—her husband was the youngest academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, colloquially known as the "Father of the Chinese Chip"—yet a polymath spanning so many disparate fields as Meng Fan was something she was witnessing for the very first time.

She had long known he was a fine singer, but this rehearsal revealed that "fine" was a severe understatement; he was spectacular!

"Then we shall call it a day for rehearsal." Tan Jing rose to see Meng Fan to the door of the rehearsal room, adding, "I will see you at the dress rehearsal tomorrow. Oh, right, you probably still need to drop by the production team's office; they need to fit you for your costume."

Different songs required different attire, and his outfit had to complement Tan Jing’s, so his wardrobe remained undecided.

Originally, Tan Jing had intended to invite Meng Fan to dinner.

By the time Meng Fan finished his costume fitting and returned to Meng Caiju's residence, it was already well past nine in the evening. He had missed his chance for dinner along the way, and his stomach was rumbling aggressively.

The twenty-eighth of the month marked the final dress rehearsal for the 2020 CCTV National Day Gala, *The Chinese Dream, An Ode to the Motherland*. Running from ten in the morning until five in the afternoon, a broadcast that would last a mere two hours required nearly seven hours of rehearsal. Every celebrity and guest participating in the recording had arrived; no matter how grand their stature or how haughty they might be elsewhere, before the paternal authority of CCTV, everyone was perfectly behaved and unfailingly polite.

This particular gala was the most heavyweight event of the National Day period. With guests invited according to the rigorous standards of the Spring Festival Gala, and because of its shorter duration, the number of acts was naturally even fewer than that of its Lunar New Year counterpart. In terms of the difficulty of being selected, it was, in truth, several degrees more demanding than the Spring Festival Gala. One could well imagine the immense star power of those in attendance; it featured CCTV’s premier hosts, veteran artists, powerhouse vocalists, and massive idol celebrities alike.

"Iron God, hello! Um, could I bother you for an autograph?"

The moment Meng Fan arrived at the rehearsal site, he drew the gaze of the entire room. Soon after, a clean-cut, sunny young man came running over, a brilliant smile adorning his face and a single volume of a manga series clutched in his hands.

"Wang Tianlong" had learned of Meng Fan’s arrival that day through certain channels and had prepared the manga volume well in advance. After securing the autograph and a custom cartoon sketch, he excitedly snapped photos, took a picture with Meng Fan, and posted it to Weibo—*Celebrity encounter achieved for today!* √

The Weibo post had barely gone live before it garnered a hundred thousand reposts in less than ten minutes. Setting aside any questions of artificial engagement, as one of the three members of the TFBoys, his web traffic was an absolute deluge.

Few people knew Meng Fan would be participating in the recording of this gala, so his appearance caught most by surprise. Following Wang Tianlong's lead, everyone else stepped forward with great enthusiasm to greet him. Whether they knew him or shared any mutual connections, a five-time Olympic gold medalist like Meng Fan commanded the respect of all, and everyone wished to familiarize themselves with his face.

Yet, when they learned that Meng Fan would be partnering with Tan Jing to duet on *Long Live the Motherland*, the entire assembly petrified. Jaws dropped and eyes nearly popped out of their sockets; what sort of miraculous, surreal combination was this? It baffled the imagination!

Ordinarily, these massive stars would depart almost immediately after their own rehearsals concluded, as they were all intensely busy; some did not even reside in the capital, and a trip to record a gala was usually paired with at least one other commercial engagement. This time, however, the vast majority chose to stay behind, eager to witness the kind of chemical reaction this bizarre pairing would produce.

The result, naturally, was exactly as one might expect!

With the dress rehearsal successfully concluded, CCTV released its prepared lineup posters and official announcements, alongside the program schedule.

The moment the schedule went public, the internet erupted into a frenzy of activity.

In recent years, public acclaim for the *Chinese Dream, An Ode to the Motherland* National Day Gala had been remarkably high—significantly higher than that of the Spring Festival Gala, perhaps out of a habit of cynicism toward the latter—and public expectation grew grander with each passing year. This year’s lineup undoubtedly continued the luxurious, top-tier standards of yesteryear, featuring premier representatives from the older, middle, and younger generations. Yet the most eye-catching element remained Meng Fan’s participation and his duet with Tan Jing.

Tan Jing’s status within official circles required no elaboration; she was a perennial fixture at state-level galas, usually appearing as the grand finale. Her vocal prowess was even more indisputable; indeed, a saying circulated online that "even if Han Hong and Mama Huang were tied together, they would still be utterly outclassed"—an opinion Meng Fan found entirely justified after witnessing the two women lose all sense of melodic beauty during a high-note duel at a certain gala. She was a true member of the "National Team."

The collaboration between a "National Team vocalist" of her caliber and a National Team athlete like Meng Fan struck netizens as nothing short of incredibly surreal!

Before long, the hashtag #MengFanTanJingDuet soared to the number one spot on the trending charts.

Among the masses, none were more ecstatic than the denizens of Bilibili. Meng Fan was a Bilibili streamer, and Tan Jing was affectionately known as the "Bilibili Husband." In their eyes, this pairing was nothing less than a "gathering of two Bilibili netizens!"

Very quickly, the master creators on Bilibili edited and spliced Meng Fan and Tan Jing’s past singing videos together. Soon after, someone else edited Meng Fan’s infectious, demonic laughter alongside Tan Jing’s signature "hahahaha," rendering it even more delightfully chaotic.

Long before the gala was officially recorded, Bilibili was already flooded with collaborative videos featuring the duo.

On the evening of the twenty-eighth, shortly after the dress rehearsal concluded, CCTV broadcasted the latest episode of *Voice*. A great number of netizens, already aware that tonight’s guest was Meng Fan, had settled before their television screens to watch. They wanted to see how Meng Fan, who was always so "modest" in front of the camera, would deliver his speech on this particular program—whether he would continue to be "modest" or show genuine humility.

Well, the moment the title of the episode appeared, everyone knew Meng Fan was continuing his brand of "modesty"—*My Life is a Cheat Code!*

"Hello everyone, this is China’s first youth public lecture on television, *Voice*. I am your host, Sa Beining. Welcome, everyone!"

As the show commenced, the host made his entrance.

"Starting today, we will begin a brand-new series, *The Power of China*. I would like to ask everyone here: in your hearts, what is it that represents the power of China?"

The host posed the question, and the audience responded with a vast tapestry of answers; some pertained to culture, some to history, some to technology, and so forth.

"The first speaker we have invited today is, of course, intimately connected to the power of China. In the Olympics that just concluded, he represented the mightiest strength of China! Please join me in welcoming today's speaker with a round of applause—the first champion athlete in Chinese history to win five gold medals in a single Olympic Games, Meng Fan!"

(End of Chapter)