Mysterious Assistant of the Washed-Up Queen-Chapter 432 - 293: Encounter, Love at First Sight_2
One more thing: the internet era has changed everything.
Thirty years ago, entertainment was scarce. With no TV and no internet, the only source of news might have been the old transistor radio in the village.
Under such conditions, if people heard even one song, it was bound to become a nationwide hit. That was because, apart from that one song, they simply didn’t know of, or have access to, anything else.
But now? The internet is an unfathomably vast ocean of content. What interesting things *can’t* you find? People’s attention has been massively diluted.
To put it bluntly, it’s now impossible for anything to be universally known. Capturing the largest share of the audience is already a remarkable achievement.
And that’s exactly what Chu Tian was aiming to do right now.
"Does anyone know the address? Can some big shot give me directions?"
"What directions? The album is released on all networks. Just pick any music platform. Do you even have to ask?"
"Haha, Chidori Music doesn’t have it. That’s hilarious."
"TickTock doesn’t have it either... I just listened on GuGu."
"Me too. I just downloaded it there. Now my smart speaker is playing it on a loop. Then I pick up my phone to scroll through short videos, and I hear it again!"
"But I feel like the song sounds even better with a video."
"It’s not the video; this song just gets more addictive the more you listen. I wasn’t very impressed after the first listen, but after hearing it a few more times, I suddenly found myself completely drawn in."
With so many netizens liking and commenting, the song "Encounter" quickly made it to the trending topics list.
And since Xu Qingqiu’s last album was a huge success, those shrewd individuals had been watching her and joined the feast at the earliest opportunity.
Besides the marketing accounts that always chase the latest trends, various internet celebrities and prominent industry figures did the same.
For example, now, just after the first song of the new album was released, music critics had already started to weigh in.
[I have to say, Youmeng’s talent is as stunning as ever, and Xu Qingqiu’s singing skills seem to have improved again.]
["Encounter" might not seem very impressive at first, but the more you listen, the more it finds its way into your heart. The melody and lyrics appear simple, yet they all demand exceptional skill.]
[The straightforward lyrics, far from being bland, reveal profound depth within their everyday themes. Familiar phrases vividly portray the yearning for love.]
[A stunning song! I really like it and I’m looking forward to the whole album. But isn’t releasing one song at a time too slow? Teacher Xu, can’t you work some overtime?]
Initially, the comments were quite normal, with everyone seriously discussing their reviews. But when that last music review appeared, the netizens couldn’t hold back.
"Hahaha, @MusicLovingBigMouth, you’re one of us!"
"If you know how to talk, then say more! Enough with the official jargon from the others. Big Mouth is the best! So, clamoring for more releases online is acceptable now, right?"
"Why are you @ing Big Mouth? @Xu Qingqiu! President Xu, can you speed things up?"
"Exactly, exactly! The previous album was also released one song at a time—not satisfying at all. You finish one song, absolutely love it, and then another one immediately comes out. You just can’t keep up!"
"I still prefer it when you release all the songs at once so I can choose. This is like waiting outside a delivery room—so anxious and expectant!!"
"Dude upstairs, you wouldn’t have come up with such a vivid analogy if you hadn’t had three kids yourself, right?"
"President Xu, @XuQingqiuStudio, come and see! These are the voices of the people!"
Heh, more releases? Release everything at once? Impossible, absolutely impossible!
The songs weren’t even fully recorded yet; what was there to release?
The studio had seen the netizens’ pleas long ago. But with no songs to release, they couldn’t act even if they wanted to. For now, their only option was to play dead and pretend they hadn’t seen anything.
However, aside from these minor issues, everything else was going quite well.
Comment after comment, one review after another, all indicated that the newly released album was gradually capturing more public attention.
Naturally, sales figures were skyrocketing.
"President Chu, pre-orders for the new album have already surpassed 300,000 units. The first song has over one million purchases, and downloads have exceeded 1.8 million."
Nearly fourteen hours had passed since the song’s release that morning. The twelve-hour statistics were already out, and the results were an incredibly pleasant surprise.
Chu Tian glanced at the chart he had just received, a trace of joy flashing across his face.
"Good. Let’s adjust the upcoming plans. Speed up the pace: release two songs tomorrow. The rest of the plan remains unchanged for now."
"Understood, President Chu."
He had just finished arranging the new album’s rollout when Sister Hua rushed over.
"Chu Tian, how many songs have we recorded so far?"
"Including the one released this morning, a total of four. What’s up, Sister Hua?"
Li Chunhua frowned and said, "Can we speed it up a bit? Lemon TV just informed us that rehearsals are starting in the next couple of days. I’m worried Qingqiu will be too swamped to manage."
"Rehearsals? Oh! Now I remember!"
Chu Tian had been momentarily puzzled when he first heard about rehearsals, but he quickly remembered what they were for.
"Is it the New Year’s Gala? Have rehearsals started already?"
When the first album was released, Sister Hua had already received several invitations, including some for TV stations’ New Year’s Galas.
However, apart from Lemon TV, no other top-tier satellite stations had extended invitations; the rest were mostly from third or fourth-tier networks.
In the past, Xu Qingqiu wouldn’t have been picky and would have gladly appeared on any show. But now, with a better option available, she naturally chose Lemon TV.
Moreover, receiving the invitation from Lemon TV wasn’t solely due to her performance on ’King of Mask Singer’; it was also thanks to the groundwork laid by the cooperative relationship between Unlimited Entertainment and Lemon TV.
"Yes, they notified us once before. They mentioned it last time, and today was the second notice. We need to start preparing on our end."
Chu Tian knew this matter was very important and naturally had nothing more to say.
"Alright, I understand. I’ll make arrangements in a bit. Has the song choice for Lemon TV been finalized?"
"It has. They initially said it was up to us. After discussing it with Qingqiu, I submitted three songs, and they chose ’Blooming All The Way.’ Do you think that’s alright? We can still change it if it’s not suitable."
"There’s nothing unsuitable about it; it’s a good choice."
Chu Tian was telling the truth. ’Blooming All The Way’ is an inspirational song, very fitting for a gala performance.
"Then it’s settled. You should also make arrangements. The New Year’s Gala will likely take up two to three days. It’s hard to say for sure right now, so it’s best to be prepared in advance."
"I understand. Don’t worry, there are no problems on this end."
Saying there were no problems was a bit of a stretch. He had just arranged for two songs to be released tomorrow, which would leave only one in reserve.
Fortunately, Teacher Guo had three more songs in production. Expecting Xu Qingqiu to record them all in a short time was impossible, so for now, his only option was to try and hurry Guo Jingtao along.
After Sister Hua left, Chu Tian found Xu Qingqiu, who had just finished a recording session. He tenderly wiped the sweat from her brow, handed her a bottle of water, and said, "You’ve worked hard. Sister Hua just came by. She said rehearsals for the gala are starting and might take two to three days, so you should head home early tonight and get some rest."
Xu Qingqiu drank the water and then shook her head.
"No, I haven’t recorded enough songs for the album yet. I’m feeling good today, so I plan to record more. It’ll make things easier for you."
Seeing Chu Tian’s worried expression, she smiled, gently touched his face, and said reassuringly, "Don’t worry. Sister Hua told me about the gala a while ago, so I’m already prepared. Yiyi just went to pick up the costume. I’ll try it on when she gets back. And as for my singing, you trust me, don’t you?"
She then pouted, a hint of regret in her voice.
"It’s just a shame we can’t spend New Year’s Eve together. I was really looking forward to us finding a lively spot to watch the fireworks and welcome the New Year."
