Chapter 20: Liu Ruyun's New Song Release

“If you hadn’t suddenly appeared, I could have found the Postman tonight!”
“I really owe you!”

Returning to the doorstep, she quietly opened the door, slipped off her high heels, and tiptoed inside.

No sooner had she entered than the living room light flicked on.

She saw Ning Cai sitting on the sofa, wearing pajamas, gazing at her with indifference.

“Cai Cai, why aren’t you asleep yet?” Zhou Wan forced a smile.

Ning Cai glanced at her phone to check the time. “You’ve been out for an hour and forty minutes.”

“I was hungry, so I went out for a late-night snack.” Zhou Wan, though filled with guilt, tried to sound relaxed.

Ning Cai’s face remained expressionless. “You never go out for late-night snacks. For you to head out in the middle of the night, the person you’re meeting must be important. As far as I know, you’ve never gone out at night wearing such meticulous makeup, not even for me. Also, you put on perfume—this particular scent is subtle, one that many men like. So, the person you met in the past hour and a half is most likely a man.”

Ning Cai analyzed like an emotionless artificial intelligence.

“Who did you meet?”

Zhou Wan knew there was no point in lying to Ning Cai; she would see through it effortlessly. So she answered, “The Postman.”

Ning Cai’s almond-shaped eyes narrowed. “How did the conversation go?”

Zhou Wan blinked several times. “Pretty embarrassing. I accidentally bumped right into his arms.”

What is the most convincing lie?

It is one that is half true, half false.

Ning Cai made a soft sound. “Alright, go to sleep. I believe nothing happened between you two.”

Zhou Wan breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay.”

She walked into Qing Qing’s room. The child was sleeping soundly, her little face plump and sweet. Zhou Wan couldn’t resist kissing her cheek. “Your eyes and brows really resemble your father.”

Lying in bed, Zhou Wan reviewed her actions that evening.

It hadn’t been entirely fruitless.

At the very least, she now knew the Postman was handsome, young, and on the verge of death.

She wondered if the barbecue stall owner’s words were true or not. Perhaps she should find time to ask again.

After returning home, Shen Xian showered again, then began to question his own life.

He had always thought Xiao Yang was someone deeply romantic, a believer in true love.

Indeed, Xiao Yang’s behavior had always suggested so.

At least, when he saw Zhang Doudou throw herself into Chen Dabao’s arms, his anger, despair, and heartbreak were all genuine.

But how to explain what happened later?

In the end, everyone was just playing a part; he was the clown.

There is no true love in this world, only the exchange of needs.

But the feelings between Wang Tianqi and Li Xiurong truly seemed to be genuine love.

Yet Shen Xian couldn’t be sure if Wang Tianqi would change once he became successful.

As he pondered, Shen Xian drifted off to sleep, slipping into another strange dream.

In the dream, he was locked in a small white room. Suddenly, a fire broke out. Helpless, he screamed.

...

Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was the day Liu Ruyun released her new song.

Weibo, short video platforms, and all major music apps began giving Liu Ruyun’s new song the best cover recommendations.

#LiuRuyun’s new song is finally released, a heartbreaking love ballad#
#LiuRuyun’s new song “I Really, Really Love You” is online#
#Lyrics and composition by Chen Feng, truly a genius#

Soon, Liu Ruyun’s new song topped trending searches everywhere. Within a single morning, it climbed into the top ten of the Hot Songs chart on Cool Cat Music, Fat Goose Music, and NetCloud Music, and showed signs of climbing even higher.

Six hours after the song’s release, comments on Cool Cat Music had already surpassed the 999+ mark.

Shen Xian paid a little attention and couldn’t help but admire Red Queen Entertainment’s prowess.

Although the song was decent, it certainly wasn’t Hot Songs chart material.

It was even less likely to get cover recommendations from music apps.

“Wow, it’s so good! Yun Yun is the most beautiful!”
“I really love Yun Yun’s voice. This song is amazing, worthy of Chen Feng’s name!”
“It’s always our Yun Yun, bringing us new songs. I just can’t listen to today’s music anymore!”

Beneath the song, the comments were overwhelmingly positive.

Inside Red Queen Entertainment, Liu Ruyun and Chen Feng watched the numbers. The song had already entered ninth place on the weekly chart. With a bit more promotion, they could aim for first.

“First on the weekly Hot Songs chart shouldn’t be a problem,” Chen Feng said, quite satisfied with his own abilities.

Under his direction, the popularity of “After I Leave” and “Surrender” was gradually waning.

Both songs were internet hits with a certain degree of popularity, but most critics agreed they lacked depth.

Relying on organic traffic, without intervention and promotion from entertainment companies, it was difficult for these songs to maintain the top two spots on the Hot Songs chart for long.

On the second day after Liu Ruyun’s release, her song was third on the Hot Songs chart and still climbing.

Seeing the data, Liu Ruyun was elated.

Even at her peak three years ago, she hadn’t achieved such results.

She couldn’t help but feel grateful for her choices.

Chen Feng truly had talent; when he acted, he achieved third place on the weekly Hot Songs chart—and this was only day two.

Looking at the New Song chart: first place!

If this popularity held for a week, she would be guaranteed a spot on the show!

Listening habits have inertia.

Many songs don’t sound good at first, but listeners have a herd mentality. Seeing a song on the charts, they habitually listen.

Once they get used to it, it becomes pleasant and catchy.

Xu Song’s lyrics in “Illusion of Hearing” say—what was once considered pretentious now sounds vivid; perhaps time has made our ears more tolerant.

That’s exactly the truth.

Many songs that seem unremarkable at first eventually become classics over time.

Which highlights the importance of the charts.

“This is solid. In seven days, you can sing this song on ‘I Am a Singer.’ With popularity and an audience base, getting first place is a sure thing.” Seeing the numbers, Chen Feng finally relaxed.

Liu Ruyun answered, “That Shen Xian is truly detestable. If I hadn’t wasted three years because of him, I’d probably be a diva by now.”

Just look at Zhou Wan—she’s nothing short of a miracle.

From a small internet streamer to a superstar diva in just a few years, her popularity is unmatched.

Liu Ruyun longed for the same.

“Don’t worry, you’ll surpass Zhou Wan sooner or later. She only has a good man behind her,” Chen Feng said with disdain.

Liu Ruyun’s curiosity was instantly piqued. “Zhou Wan has a man?”

Chen Feng nodded. “Yes, the eldest young master of the Qi family—a man of such power he could hide the sky with one hand. Even the legendary musician Lin Daoan only listens to Qi Zhengqing. Zhou Wan’s success is inseparable from the support of the Qi family’s eldest son. Lin Daoan has written at least ten songs for her.”

Liu Ruyun gasped.

She knew just how difficult it was to get a song from Lin Daoan.

Yet Zhou Wan had received ten from him. That was terrifying.

“I used to worry about the Postman, but now it seems he’s nothing special.” Chen Feng sneered, “A mere musician—if he wants to challenge me, he should see if he has the strength.”

The data for Liu Ruyun’s new song “I Really, Really Love You” continued to climb, and it was gaining traction on short video platforms as well.

Although it couldn’t catch up with “Wait a Minute,” it was already outpacing other songs released at the same time.

By the fourth day, the song topped both the weekly Hot Songs chart and the New Song chart.

Double chart topper!

The outlook was brilliant.