Mysterious Assistant of the Washed-Up Queen-Chapter 441 - 297: The Whole Album? Conclusion Came Too Early_2
After figuring things out, he promptly agreed, but Xu Qingqiu’s attention had already been diverted.
"That’s not right. I just heard you mention ’Rooftop,’ and fans have been eagerly waiting for the official versions of these songs. Why don’t we record them together and include them in this album?"
Seeing the gleam in Xu Qingqiu’s eyes, Chu Tian felt truly overwhelmed.
"Isn’t that unnecessary? Your album is already huge. Adding a few more songs, that would..."
"Exactly, you said it yourself. It’s already huge, so what difference will a couple more songs make? Besides, weren’t you the one who decided to make such a big album in the first place?"
"Ah?"
How did the blame shift back to him again?
But upon thinking it over, he realized it was indeed his fault. Xu Qingqiu’s album wasn’t just big—it was exceptionally large.
Once it was all released, he reckoned the entire internet would explode.
"Alright then, if we’re going to record, let’s record."
Singing one song was the same as singing three. One or two more wouldn’t make a difference.
Great. Chu Tian, still rather bewildered after just two days of relaxation, was promptly dragged into the recording studio by Xu Qingqiu.
「...」
"No good, you’re off-pitch! Let’s do it again!"
"You cracked on that note, Director Chu! You’re so good at explaining the theory, so why do you keep making these kinds of mistakes when it’s your turn?"
Listening to Guo Jingtao’s blunt criticism, Chu Tian’s face burned with embarrassment.
He didn’t want this either. His throat was genuinely uncomfortable, and his control over it felt foreign, a lingering consequence of the injury.
Initially, Xu Qingqiu had been on the sidelines, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. After all, Chu Tian had lectured her so meticulously before; now it felt like a bit of payback, and she was relishing it with a touch of schadenfreude.
But when Guo Jingtao’s words became harsh, she started to feel a pang of sympathy.
"Teacher Guo, Chu Tian’s throat hasn’t fully healed yet. I’m sorry for the trouble; please bear with him."
Hearing this, Guo Jingtao, who had gotten a bit carried away, immediately calmed down.
"Sorry, sorry, I got a bit agitated just now. It’s my fault. Sigh... but Chu, it’s such a pity. You have such a great voice..."
Seeing his glum expression and look of regret, Chu Tian was quite philosophical and didn’t dwell on it; he considered himself fortunate just to be alive.
"It’s fine, Teacher Guo. It’s my problem. I’ve troubled everyone. Let’s try again. Afterwards, I’ll treat everyone to a meal and give out red envelopes too!"
"Well..."
Guo Jingtao was about to refuse, but glancing at the tired faces of the staff members around him, he ultimately remained silent.
A meal was no big deal, as no one was short of one. Red envelopes, however, were different. After all, everyone was working tirelessly, day and night, to earn money.
Since Chu Tian was being so generous, there was no need for him to stand in the way of their good fortune.
Indeed, everyone had gotten to know Chu Tian quite well over this period. They knew his red envelopes wouldn’t be small, so their underlying resentment quickly dissipated.
"Come on, come on, let’s go again!"
With renewed motivation, the subsequent collaboration went much more smoothly. Chu Tian also tried his best to minimize problems. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
After working hard for just over two days, they managed to record all three songs. The quality wasn’t exceptionally high, and there was a noticeable increase in post-production modifications.
As expected, all this effort made Chu Tian’s voice hoarse.
"Alright, everyone, head back and rest early. Let’s hurry and finish producing the songs tomorrow, then release them as soon as possible."
Hearing his raspy voice, Xu Qingqiu suddenly felt a wave of regret. She quickly began to usher Chu Tian out, saying, "That’s enough, don’t talk anymore. Drink some water quickly. Sister Hua will handle the rest."
Watching the tearful Xu Qingqiu, Chu Tian smiled and gently wiped her eyes.
"Why are you crying? It’s nothing, just a hoarse voice. It’ll be fine in a couple of days."
Her response, naturally, was a big eye-roll, though an undeniable look of concern still shone in the depths of her gaze.
"I’m sorry, I was too willful..."
"It’s alright..."
"Hey, you stop talking! Just listen to me, okay?"
"..."
Fine. Chu Tian stopped talking. Xu Qingqiu was clearly letting her emotions get the better of her reason at that moment. He knew she would calm down in a couple of days, so there was no need to say more.
Actually, Chu Tian had been a bit too optimistic.
Even though he drank the medicinal concoction provided by the system again, it only offered temporary relief. This time, his hoarseness lasted for over half a month.
But that’s a story for another time.
Meanwhile, Guo Jingtao’s team worked around the clock, finally finishing production on all the songs around the first weekend after New Year’s Day.
However, the day before, six songs had appeared simultaneously on the album’s promotional page, causing a massive uproar.
"Damn, did they just release all the songs at once?"
"Oh my god, after New Year’s Day, I almost forgot Xu Qingqiu hadn’t released all the songs from her new album yet."
"You might have forgotten, but I haven’t. You don’t know, these days when I go out with my girlfriend, we hear her songs everywhere. The main thing is, my girlfriend keeps asking when the rest will be released."
"Commenter above is flexing."
"Finally! I’ve been waiting these past few days. Who knew it would suddenly stop updating? I even asked on Weibo because I thought something went wrong."
"What could go wrong? It was the New Year transition a few days ago. With all that excitement, releasing an album then would have been suicide for its popularity. Now is the smartest time."
"Ah, Mr. Know-it-all has arrived. Does Mr. Know-it-all have any idea how popular Xu Qingqiu’s songs have been these past few days?"
"Exactly, exactly! Her timing for the album release was perfect. Most importantly, the songs are about love. Her songs are played everywhere you go, and you’re surrounded by couples making out. I’m seriously impressed!"
"Round them up, round them all up, execute them by firing squad!"
"Hahaha, the commenter above is freaking out. They must be one of the ’Single audiences’, right?"
"Wasn’t before, but became one over the New Year."
"Damn, a story? Spill the beans!"
"Listen, listen? Listen to what nonsense! Listen to the music!"
"I want to hear the story..."
"I’m off to listen to the music."
"Hehehe, I’ve been listening already. Downloaded it the moment it came out. No hesitation needed; you definitely won’t regret buying it, it’s a sure thing! Listening to music while reading the comments, feels great!"
"You’re terrible!"
"My God, six songs at once? Have they released the entire album now?"
The album’s comment section became even more lively. Some people came and went, while others were just joining in, keeping the popularity within a stable range.
Soon, someone in the comment section started a poll.
[Which song from the new album do you like the most?]
The comments section for the poll initially featured serious discussions about which song was their favorite.
"My favorite is ’Encounter.’ It’s just so beautiful; you could say it best depicts a mortal’s journey through love."
"I still prefer the one released today, ’Growing fond of you.’ It has a simple and warm feeling."
"Of course, it’s ’love across the sea’! Isn’t this song amazing? I’m an international student, and you have no idea how romantic it is when your childhood sweetheart crosses mountains and seas to appear before you?!"
"It’s ’Crazy for Love’!"
"Does ’Green Light’ not even deserve a mention?"
"’I’m Willing’ is so lovely. I’m planning to sing this at my wedding this year; it’s just perfect."
"’At Least I Have You’ is also good. It has such a passionate feeling, like even if it’s the end of the world, at least you still love me."
Very quickly, the discussion in the comments section grew intense, as if each song had its own dedicated fanbase, and the emotions of each song resonated deeply with someone.
But then, someone noticed a problem.
"Hang on, you guys have started picking favorites already? Didn’t anyone notice something off about this album?"
"Off? What’s off about it?"
"The number of songs! Who releases an album with only nine songs? Isn’t there one more missing?"
"Hmm?"
After this person’s reminder, it seemed everyone finally realized that there were indeed only nine songs.
Logically, an album should have between ten to twelve songs. Failing that, it should at least be an even number. After all, people here generally like to seek auspiciousness, and ’good things come in pairs’ is a fundamental concept.
"Eh? I didn’t miscount; there are indeed nine. Why is that?"
"Could it be they’re holding back a trump card?"
"No way! You don’t think that besides the opening ’Encounter,’ there’s another title track still to come?"
"What title track? Which song here isn’t a title track?"
"...That’s true. It feels like every single one is a hit. So, what gives?"
Why? That was, of course, because the final ones had been delayed a bit, so their production wasn’t finished yet.
And it wasn’t just one song; it was three.
The outcome that followed, though, seemed to be something nobody had anticipated.
