Mysterious Assistant of the Washed-Up Queen-Chapter 443 - 298: Aiming Beyond First-tier? Can’t Understand It At All_2
It was like students learning new material simultaneously, only to be tested immediately after. While everyone else was struggling, huffing and puffing as they guessed their way through, suddenly someone would emerge, acing every question, missing none.
It’s a completely one-sided crushing defeat, isn’t it? Utterly unreasonable!
"I don’t know who Youmeng is, but their works seem to have a unique quality, perhaps a bit old-fashioned?"
"You can’t call it old-fashioned; it’s more like the style of the songs is closer to a previous era!"
"That’s true. Many melodies are very classic, but there’s rarely any use of new elements, especially the kinds of melodies and rhythms popular with young people today."
"So, you’re saying Youmeng might be an older person, and these are all works they wrote some time ago?"
"Impossible. Who would write so many great songs and not release them, only to suddenly give them all to Xu Qingqiu after a decade or more? That’s just not logical!"
"Could it be because they felt Xu Qingqiu was the right person? Don’t some people really believe in finding that destined connection?"
"But that’s not right either. I’ve listened to all the songs. It’s not that only Xu Qingqiu can sing them; others could too."
"Then I don’t know. We have no idea what they’re thinking."
"Stop the nonsense. Some of the songs were obviously released after Xu Qingqiu started her relationship. There’s no such thing as a stockpile of old drafts. I feel it’s more likely that the author simply prefers or excels in this particular style."
"Right! Xu Qingqiu announced her relationship at the end of the year, and the songs she released were perfectly fitting. If they were written in advance, that would be too coincidental. Could they really have been written recently?"
"No, I can’t take it; my brain is going to explode. I can’t make sense of it, not one bit!"
People behind the scenes were racking their brains, almost to the point of obsession, completely unable to grasp the logic. It felt as if someone had suddenly appeared, pointed at them, and declared, "You’re all trash." Then, with a flurry of combo moves, they were all left completely stunned.
It wasn’t just the ordinary behind-the-scenes staff; even those old-timers, famous for years, were rendered speechless.
Take, for instance, the gold-medal composers and veteran lyricists from several big companies, who usually lazed around, working erratically.
Yet, the companies couldn’t say a thing and had to cater to them, negotiating for any work that needed doing.
But ever since the name Youmeng appeared, they suddenly felt a sense of crisis and even started visiting the company more frequently.
They thought they were already paying enough attention, but before even half a year had passed, bam—another album entirely composed of hits was thrown in their faces.
It was clear this was shaping up to be another legendary album.
This Youmeng was something else. Forget slacking off; now, those composers couldn’t even skip work with a clear conscience. They all sat grim-faced and dutifully in the company, teacups in hand, looking as if in deep meditation.
You might ask why they weren’t out seeking inspiration that day.
Seek inspiration my ass! With a mere flick of the wrist, Youmeng had produced a legendary album, while they spent day after day searching for inspiration, traveling for ideas, only to barely squeeze out one quality song after six months—not even a fraction of what Youmeng produced.
With this kind of efficiency and output, the company might not say anything overtly, but that didn’t stop people within the company from gossiping behind their backs.
How could anyone endure being badmouthed like that?
And as for producing works to shut those people up?
Easy to say, but are good works something you can just conjure up on demand? If they could, would they still be sitting there?
As for Youmeng? That person isn’t human!
Since they couldn’t produce the works, they could only tone down their behavior.
Therefore, the previously common practice of going on "inspirational trips" was no longer mentioned. Instances of arriving late or leaving early also ceased.
Those bigwigs who rarely showed their faces before were now all seated at their company desks like well-behaved children, living a regular nine-to-five life.
Although they were a bit unaccustomed to the regular lifestyle, it was still quite good for them.
Right now, the ones suffering the most were undoubtedly the singers, big and small.
"Damn it, what’s going on? I just attended an event, and why do I feel like I’ve lost all my buzz?"
"Sister Ling, quickly buy me some trending spots! Right now, Xu Qingqiu has all the buzz; how is that acceptable?!"
"I want to hype a CP; hurry and arrange it!"
It was the end of the year, the busiest time for artists—occupied with various events and focused on making money.
And just great, it had been rumored that Xu Qingqiu was going to release a new album.
But at that time, everyone was either attending New Year’s Eve events, or all online attention was concentrated on the New Year festivities.
So, nobody really paid much attention. Even those who initially did, stopped following when they saw it didn’t make much of a splash.
But now, wouldn’t you know it, once the New Year and New Year’s Day buzz died down, Xu Qingqiu’s new album, which had been keeping a low profile, suddenly shot to prominence.
It rapidly seized the headlines on all major platforms. On the trending search lists, aside from current events and international news, Xu Qingqiu’s new album boasted the most entries.
Now, those singers shuttling between various event venues couldn’t sit still anymore.
Hype generation, sharing daily life snippets, sparking discussions, trend-jacking—every trick in the book was deployed.
It was all for a sliver of the limelight; no one was about to let Xu Qingqiu monopolize all the traffic.
Disregard the common sight in the industry of people flaunting their seniority, constantly invoking their veteran status, or those with lofty titles and positions pulling strings left and right. There was no denying they held high positions and had illustrious careers; their resources and connections were indeed powerful—they could blacklist you or pressure you if they wanted.
But it was undeniable that their popularity was low.
No matter how high one’s status, these days, what people paid for was traffic and buzz. If you had high visibility and a fanbase, you could make money.
What good was mere status if it didn’t translate into cash? Without popularity, one couldn’t earn money. Besides seething with envy, you couldn’t just lean on status and seniority to make people hand over their money, could you?
Previously, Xu Qingqiu had been quiet and unnoticed. But now, it looked like another star was on the rise. There was only so much meat to go around; if one more person took a share, everyone else would inevitably get less. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
Who wouldn’t be anxious in this situation? They were practically dying of anxiety!
"Find a way to cause her some trouble. Also, push Teacher Jin about my new song—when will it be ready?"
"Get in touch with Director Chen as soon as possible, firm up the collaboration, then release a notice to stir some buzz!"
"Any news from the Spring Festival Gala? Can we make it this year? Go and check again. If push comes to shove, I’m not against doing a duet—just make sure to negotiate the terms properly!"
"Discuss buying some traffic with the company. Don’t let them think that just because I’m older, I’ve lost my appeal. Make it clear to them: this old gal might be aging, but I can still rake in the cash. They’d better get that straight!"
"What’s the word from above? Is my post-New Year tour not confirmed yet? If we don’t confirm it soon, we won’t have enough time to prepare!"
One after another, both veteran and new singers sprang into action.
As the New Year approached, everyone showcased their unique talents, and the internet instantly buzzed with activity.
「The next day.」
Three new songs appeared on the album’s page.
"Hello, dear fans and music-loving friends! Today’s new songs have been released. Everyone is welcome to download and listen~ [Link]"
Once the official account posted the message, quick-acting netizens flocked to check them out.
"Damn, there really are new songs! I have to see what this final title track is, the one that needed a separate, delayed release!"
"The grand finale’s title track? Just the thought is making me excited."
"Hello hello hello, it’s time to listen to new songs again! President Xu is awesome!~"
Since it was morning and the announcement had just been posted, there weren’t many comments yet.
But it didn’t take long for those people to come rushing back.
"Damn, what’s going on? Three new songs? And they’re all collaborations?"
"They sound good, though! Three collaboration songs that sound so amazing? I feel like I’m falling in love~"
"I just listened. One was performed at the concert, and the other two I hadn’t heard before—they’re new."
"To be precise, there’s one new song; two of them have been performed before."
"Two? Where were they performed? Wasn’t only the song ’Rooftop’ performed at the concert?"
"No, there’s also ’I Want to Sing to You.’ It was actually sung by President Xu’s boyfriend for her in private; it just wasn’t circulated publicly."
"How do you know?"
"I’m President Xu’s assistant. We have a small group, and she once shared a clip there. However, she deleted it later, and I didn’t manage to save it. I didn’t know the song’s name until I heard it just now and remembered."
"Damn, just how many good songs does Xu Qingqiu have tucked away in private? And we had no clue?"
