Chapter 54: Zhou Wan's New Song

This week, Wang Tianqi became famous not just for one song, "My Good Brother," but for several: "Brothers, Give Me a Hug," "Men's Song," "Friend's Wine," and "Remembering Youth." This wave thoroughly captivated men who were either approaching or had already entered middle age. On major music platforms, there was even a special column dedicated to "Songs Middle-Aged Men Should Listen To."

At the same time, Peach Baby, a blogger with ninety million followers, finally released the monthly Golden Songs Chart.

"Hello, everyone! I'm Peach Baby, and it's time for our monthly Golden Song Review. Let's take a look at the ten hottest hits of September."

"Number one is, without a doubt, 'Wait a Minute,' written and composed by Courier. When I first listened to this song, I was genuinely stunned. It's clearly a new song, yet it carries a profound sense of nostalgia that brought back memories of my youth. It's gone viral across the internet—in just over ten days, its total play count has reached an astonishing one billion!"

"In second place is Wang Tianqi's 'You Are My Eyes.' Wang Tianqi's voice is steady, grand, with a breath that lingers long, perfectly suited to this song. This one is also written and composed by Courier and was tailor-made for Wang Tianqi."

"The third song is still Wang Tianqi's, 'Not That Simple.' I don't need to say much about it—it's a phenomenal hit. If not for 'Wait a Minute,' it would easily top the chart!"

...

By the time she finished, Liu Ruyun's new song hadn't made it onto the list.

Peach Baby concluded, "This has been both the most exhausting and the easiest video I've ever made in my career. Exhausting because I kept diving into Courier's style, discovering his incredible talent for melancholic and realistic love songs; easy because the popularity of these tracks is so overwhelming that they overshadow everything else. There's no need for comparison."

"All in all, I have a feeling that Courier is destined to become the leading figure in the Chinese music scene—perhaps even the one to resist the invasion of Korean and Western pop!"

Currently, there are only three bloggers with fan counts nearing one hundred million. The first is the central media, the second an old-school film and television king, and the third is Peach Baby. With her endorsement, these songs remained explosively popular.

For a time, Wang Tianqi became a household name. Even elementary school students could be heard humming, "You are my eyes..." during recess.

Liu Ruyun wasn't surprised that she'd been squeezed out of the top ten on the monthly chart, but she still felt a little hurt and unwilling to accept it.

Chen Feng's father, Chen Guangzong, told her, "If you lose this battlefield, don't dwell on how you lost, and don't regret it. You should immediately change battlegrounds and enter the next war. Looking ahead and planning early is the mindset a true musician should have."

So she began preparing for three things.

First, the "Voice of Huaxia" concert. If she could make a splash there, everything she lost could be won back.

Because if she stood out on "Voice of Huaxia," she could be recommended to perform at a provincial TV Spring Festival Gala.

Second, she planned to enter the Cantonese music arena. Chen Feng was a true native of Eastern Guangdong and deeply versed in Cantonese songs. Since the late 1990s to the early 2000s, Cantonese pop had been in decline for nearly two decades, with no memorable hits. Chen Feng, who majored in Cantonese music as a child, was confident he could make a mark. He was not only going to sing Cantonese songs himself but intended for Liu Ruyun to do so as well. He also contacted more than a dozen of their top musicians, asking them to write a duet.

This was her third plan.

The son of Binzhou's richest man was getting married, and Chen Feng and Liu Ruyun planned to perform a male-female duet at the wedding as a gift.

"I refuse to believe that, with all the resources of Red Queen Entertainment, I can't beat one Courier!" Chen Feng's handsome face twisted with frustration.

It wasn't just Chen Feng; the other three entertainment giants were also making moves. Things couldn't go on like this. Last month, one person—Courier—dominated eight out of ten hot spots in the music world. If this kept up, wouldn't that make them look incompetent?

So they, too, mobilized their resources, aiming to create dazzling songs that would overshadow Courier's spotlight.

All three battlefields were about to open. They simply didn't believe Courier could fight on three fronts at once!

Moreover, they realized that Courier seemed only adept at writing popular love songs. So they all temporarily abandoned that genre, choosing not to compete with him for now.

No matter how talented you are, there comes a day when your inspiration runs dry, doesn't there? When that day comes, it will be their turn to reclaim the charts.

They had also considered joining forces to block Courier from the industry. But the key problem was, they didn't know who Courier was—how could they block someone they couldn't find?

You need a legitimate reason to blacklist someone: a scandal, bad character, or some heinous, illegal act. Like how they blacklisted Shen Xian for plagiarizing Chen Feng's song, making sure Shen Xian could never appear on screen again.

Unable to get commercial gigs or endorsements, Shen Xian's path was cut off.

As for the moves of the four entertainment giants, Shen Xian was unfazed. He walked into the recording studio and recorded a song perfectly suited for Zhou Wan, then sent it over: "Take a listen, Queen Zhou. If you don't like it, let me know. Also, pay attention—the chorus must be sung with real emotion."

"Let me listen, Teacher Courier. One moment," Zhou Wan replied after receiving the audio file.

She was instantly blown away, goosebumps rising all over. Especially at the climax, she could vividly picture heroic figures fighting fiercely on the battlefield.

She tried singing it herself, sending a voice message to Shen Xian. Shen Xian typed back: "The breath in the third verse is a bit weak, bring it up. The seventh verse is pitched too high, lower it a bit."

A while later, Zhou Wan sent another voice message, excitement in her voice: "Teacher Courier, this song suits me perfectly! It's exactly right for the theme of this concert—I love it so much! You're incredibly talented!"

Shen Xian replied with just one word: "You're welcome."

Zhou Wan continued, "Teacher Courier, give me an account so I can transfer your payment."

Shen Xian was short on cash, so he gave her an account—not his own, but Xiao Yang's, whose bank card he happened to have.

As for Xiao Yang, no one in the industry knew him—not even Liu Ruyun.

"So your name is Xiao Yang?" Zhou Wan mused to herself, then transferred two million yuan to Shen Xian and messaged, "Teacher Courier, I know your habits. I'll send you your royalty share later."

Shen Xian didn't mind this, simply replying with a casual "Okay."

After receiving the song, Zhou Wan rushed to Ning Cai's house in the middle of the night, dragging her out: "Come on, let's go to the company's recording studio. Call the band—I'm going to record this song tonight! Trust me, it's going to blow your mind!"

Ning Cai, ever diligent, immediately called the company's band and studio staff, and they worked through the night to record.

Meanwhile, Shen Xian was browsing the major music platforms. Even though he had awakened the memories of someone from Earth, he still needed to study.

He scanned the charts and listened to the music of this world. As he listened, he suddenly straightened up, exclaiming, "Holy crap!"