CHAPTER 120: CHAPTER 115: ILLUSIONARY TACTICS, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?_2

Only utter shock remained on their faces.

"What the fuck, what’s going on? Is this another classic song?"

"Am I hearing this right? Counting the two old songs, that makes five—five classic songs! Which one is the main promotional track? Or are all of them main promotional tracks?"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Five songs, five main promotional tracks? This is insane!"

"Logically, it’s understandable for the first and second waves of releases to be the main promotional tracks. But this album has twelve songs. Even excluding the two old ones, that’s already three new ones, right?"

"HISS... I really can’t make sense of this strategy. Could there be even more main promotional tracks among the remaining songs? Or perhaps..."

They dared not imagine; they truly dared not imagine any further.

These people were all professionals: composers, lyricists, arrangers, recording engineers, sound engineers, singers, and music directors. Every single one of them was among the most active behind-the-scenes figures in the industry.

The top tier among them had all received notices from certain influential people, prohibiting them from writing songs for Xu Qingqiu or assisting her in any way.

The others either hadn’t been contacted or weren’t qualified enough, but everyone was part of the same industry.

They all understood, more or less, the conflicts involved, so they naturally paid extra attention to Qingqiu’s moves.

Among them were those eager to see her fail, onlookers hoping for drama, the merely curious, and those who wanted to help but lacked the qualifications.

In short, a diverse crowd, but all their attention was fixed on this new album.

Many could already be considered industry veterans, familiar with certain procedures like the back of their hands.

Yet, regardless of who they were, upon seeing the strategy behind this album, they were all collectively speechless.

Wild speculation erupted, with countless messages flying around in numerous industry chat groups, both large and small, fueling extremely heated discussions.

However, the few who were in the know all kept their mouths shut, quietly hiding on the sidelines and playing dead.

Only Guo Jingtao couldn’t contain himself and discreetly posted a cryptic message on his personal Weibo:

"[Listen on, watch on, there are surprises ahead~!] "

If anyone had known about his mischievous act, they would surely have cursed him to high heaven, especially his old friends.

Fortunately, Guo Jingtao, however reckless he might seem at times, wouldn’t joke about such matters. He had posted it using his obscure alternate account, which had fewer than a hundred followers.

At most, it was a way to vent the pent-up excitement he couldn’t suppress, with no expectation of anyone noticing.

After all, the album cover prominently featured "Guo Jingtao" as the producer.

When the album was released, they had a tacit understanding to turn off their phones and vanish completely. Why would they willingly expose themselves?

Who knew how many people were eagerly searching for them right now.

Of course, this had all been planned beforehand—all for the sake of the album’s marketing. Things would settle down after the full release. The whole charade wouldn’t last long, leaving them plenty of time to capitalize on the ensuing buzz to find new projects and earn money.

The clamorous day passed quietly. Everyone waited anxiously, but there wasn’t even a whisper of the second song.

「The next day.」

Early in the morning, again at 8:00 a.m. sharp, countless people were already eagerly waiting in front of their computers for that day’s new song release.

Time to see if it’s a thoroughbred or just a nag; today should reveal the truth, right?

Then, at eight o’clock, as the page refreshed, a DING! seemed to echo in everyone’s ears as a single, solitary song appeared before their eyes:

"Hello Tomorrow"

The sixth song of the album had arrived, and countless people clicked on it immediately.

Whether it was due to slow internet speeds or simply the sheer number of people tuning in after days of intense anticipation, some even felt the page stutter slightly. Considering the song was released simultaneously on six major music platforms, if even that caused lag, one could only imagine how many people were paying attention.

"Watching our yesterday selves recede into the distance,"

"Waiting in the center of Destiny’s Square,"

"That indistinct shoulder,"

"The farther I run, the smaller they become."

"..."

"After growing up, all I can do is run,"

"How I fear falling in the darkness."

"Hello Tomorrow, smiling through tears,"

"The more beautiful it is, the more I fear to obtain it."

After they finished listening to the song, for some reason, everyone collectively sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness. This song is definitely excellent, though calling it a classic might be a stretch. It seems this is the album’s trajectory; the quality is declining, just as we suspected."

"Yeah, it looks like their inexperience is showing. All the good songs were front-loaded. The quality of the subsequent ones will likely just get worse. It’s a pity. This album could have been outstanding... but this strategy, sigh..."

"If nothing unexpected happens, there’s probably no need to listen to the rest. They’re likely just fillers. But I have to say, this Youmeng is incredibly impressive! He alone is worth an entire team!"

"You can say that again! Have any of you found out? Who on earth is this Youmeng, this master?"

"No idea. The company has been searching for ages. Some people even went to Xu Qingqiu’s studio, but they found nothing, absolutely no leads. I heard even Qingqiu herself doesn’t know who it is."

"Xu Qingqiu doesn’t know? Bullshit! If she doesn’t know, I’ll eat my hat! Who else would know if not her? They’re obviously just trying to keep him a secret!"

"Hey, if it were me, I’d keep such a genius hidden too. Would you willingly reveal such a trump card?"

"Nonsense! Can they really keep him hidden? Do you think those executives are just sitting on their hands? Haven’t they realized Youmeng’s value yet? He alone is worth a second-tier entertainment company! Who would pass up on that? Just you wait, someone’s going to make a move soon."

"Is he really that amazing?"

"Heh, let me put it this way: if Youmeng is willing, the title of Song Daddy would be his instantly, and companies would dare to offer an annual salary in the tens of millions. Believe it or not?"