Mysterious Assistant of the Washed-Up Queen-Chapter 449 - 301: Shocking Netizens for a Whole Year
"One, two, three... five songs? Five? Is this the surprise you were talking about?!"
"I thought adding one extra song would have been pretty good. After all, these days, artists dare to call three songs an album. Four songs? That’s considered generous. Ten songs were the standard of a bygone era, and twelve was already way beyond my expectations. Adding one more on top of that would have been icing on the cake. But then you hit me with five at once?"
"Awesome! Xu Qingqiu is awesome! Boss Youmeng is awesome!"
"This is the first time I’ve seen someone release great songs as if they were free. Totally ruthless! How can others in the industry even compete?"
"It’s a complete slaughter, a dimensional strike! With this hit, I guess those other singers will be dazed for a good half year."
"And not just the singers! I’m just an ordinary passerby, but this move has totally blown me away for a whole year!"
Netizens’ eyeballs practically fell out, bounced back up, and then dropped again.
Mother of God! Twelve songs already constituted a full, substantial album. But you suddenly whipped out seventeen? What gives? Are you trying to go out of business or something?
But on second thought, there were two main figures involved. One is Xu Qingqiu, who does nothing but sing, as if she were born for it.
The other is Youmeng. Before this year, that guy was completely unknown, leaving no trace. But ever since he met Xu Qingqiu, it’s like his creative floodgates had burst open—good songs came one after another. Anyone who didn’t know better would think he’d upgraded his production process and started mass-producing them on an assembly line.
To be honest, when these two got together, fans were initially overjoyed. After all, who wouldn’t be happy to have more songs to listen to? But now, they were feeling a bit overwhelmed by the sheer generosity, almost as if they were being spoiled.
With them going all out like this, it always makes us feel a bit uneasy. Is this some kind of final burst of brilliance before it all fades away? There’s this persistent, unsettling feeling.
Never mind the crowd of netizens standing by, stunned into numbness; the quick-fingered ones had already clicked to listen, eager to be among the first.
"Like You"? Just from the title, it sounds like one of those cheesy love songs. Hmph, let me give it a listen and see what all the fuss is about.~
This song was originally performed by BEYOND and was outrageously popular at the time. It later exploded in popularity again after being covered by Deng Ziqi. Calling it a classic is no overstatement.
So, Chu Tian had specifically picked it for Xu Qingqiu to spearhead her expansion into the Cantonese market.
"Fine rain, carried by the wind, drenches the dusky street,"
"Wiping away the raindrops, my eyes gaze up, unbidden,"
"Towards the lonely evening lamp, I gaze," 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
"It’s that sorrowful memory."
The moment her voice rang out, the netizens were completely dumbfounded.
"Damn, Cantonese!"
"It really is Cantonese, huh? President Xu rocks! [voice crack~]"
"Wait, Xu Qingqiu isn’t from the South, is she? Her..."
"This accent is so authentic! I’m from Guangdong, and I don’t hear any issues at all."
"Just yesterday, I saw someone mention they’d spotted a Cantonese teacher at the studio. Turns out it was true?"
"I’m crying! Xu Qingqiu actually learned Cantonese just to sing Cantonese songs!"
"You’re overthinking it. She just wants to sing Cantonese songs to make money, that’s all."
"Even if it’s for making money, at least there’s sincerity, right? It’s not like some celebrities who come to the mainland to cash in but can’t even be bothered to learn Chinese. And then there are those who hold concerts in the mainland, speak only Cantonese throughout, and completely ignore you if you greet them."
Indeed, as China’s economy has grown over the years, it has become an undeniable market, attracting more and more people looking to strike it rich.
No one would prevent this; after all, the market is open. If you can earn money, that’s your ability.
But some people genuinely care. When they come over, they not only learn Chinese but also go out of their way to prepare Chinese songs.
Fans aren’t fools; they can feel this kind of respect and effort.
If you just show up, perhaps wearing nothing but sunglasses, wander around with the same indifferent attitude you display elsewhere, it’s clear you’re just here to harvest the "leeks."
As for the local culture, or what the fans here like? Who cares? As long as it makes money, right? They’re all just a bunch of leeks to be harvested, anyway!
With these two strikingly different attitudes, everyone has a clear sense of who is genuine and who is not.
Fans themselves know very well whether they’re being treated like actual human beings.
Without a doubt, Xu Qingqiu’s actions sent a clear message to everyone: I’m eyeing the Cantonese market. Not only am I eyeing it, but I’ve also specifically learned Cantonese, and I’ve learned it well. This is the sincerity I’m offering. If you like what you hear, then I’m officially entering this market.
To be honest, this move of hers wouldn’t offend anyone, regardless of their region. On the contrary, it felt particularly heartwarming.
Fans in the Cantonese-speaking regions, in particular, were overjoyed to their very core.
Those who hadn’t been particularly active in sharing or promoting music before now found themselves wanting to use every means at their disposal, desperate to recommend Xu Qingqiu’s music.
They felt compelled to let more people know that there was a Singer who valued the Cantonese market so much that she had specifically learned the language and released Cantonese songs.
The reason these fans were so eager to promote her, aside from being deeply moved, was also due to another factor: Cantonese music had indeed been in decline in recent years.
It had reached a point where there hadn’t been any breakout hits for several consecutive years. If this trend continued, the Cantonese language in music would soon be marginalized, and the once-glorious Cantonese music scene would become a thing of the past.
Xu Qingqiu’s emergence now was undeniably a shot in the arm. How could they not be ecstatic?
Moreover, she hadn’t sung just one Cantonese song, but a whole five!
"All five of these are Cantonese songs? This is too awesome, right?!"
"Didn’t they say Cantonese music was in decline? And here she releases five songs in one go, with lyrics and music still by Youmeng? Who on earth is this Youmeng?"
"That song "Like You"—I absolutely love it! It sounds fantastic. The Cantonese flavor is so strong and authentic; it even has a bit of that classic Hong Kong Island vibe!"
