CHAPTER 430: CHAPTER 292: ALBUM RELEASE, FIRST SONG_2

Singers face similar situations. Sometimes, when a new album is about to be launched, the contract for its title song is breached the night before release. Then, it can’t be performed and instead falls into the hands of a rival company. Such things have happened before.

Even when competition isn’t that fierce, more routine occurrences, like releasing an album to directly compete with another’s new release, are even more common.

Although Guo Jingtao was here to help, he was, after all, an outsider. One party didn’t ask questions without reason, and the other naturally wouldn’t spill their own secrets.

But now that Guo Jingtao had asked, there must have been a good reason for his inquiry.

Chu Tian shifted his gaze from Xu Qingqiu’s face, his expression turning serious.

"Teacher Guo, the plan is to start online promotions tomorrow and release the first song," he said.

"Based on the new album’s situation, we might release a total of seven songs within the following week. We plan to fully kick off offline promotion in half a month," he continued.

Guo Jingtao interrupted Chu Tian before he could finish.

"Alright, that’s enough. We’ll talk about the rest later. I just need a rough timeline. Tomorrow, right? The first three songs are definitely no problem; they’re ready to go online anytime. But for the others, we need to hurry up," Guo Jingtao said urgently.

This time, Xu Qingqiu knew he was speaking for her benefit.

"I understand, Teacher Guo. Let’s get started now and strive to finish recording this song today," she said.

Chu Tian looked at Xu Qingqiu’s determined expression. Though he felt for her, he didn’t say anything.

This was her job, after all. Whose job isn’t tough? It’s tough for the poor, and the wealthy have their own difficulties too.

Otherwise, how did they earn their money? It wasn’t by sheer luck but by accumulating efforts step by step, reaching where they are now.

Wanting to pick up money in a storm was just a dream; one couldn’t count on such good fortune in reality.

「...」

In the artists’ common lounge at the studio, Yang Lin and the others had a rare reunion.

"Hey, Guang, long time no see! I heard you’ve landed a big deal?"

Yang Lin playfully teased Li Guang as soon as he walked in.

"Sister Lin, don’t be like that. It’s kind of scary," Li Guang replied.

"HAHAHA! You’ve learned to make jokes after just a few days apart. Not bad," Yang Lin laughed.

As time went on, each of them debuted and gradually found their footing in their respective fields. Subsequent business operations naturally began to unfold, and everything was evolving positively.

This progress meant less frequent gatherings. Everyone had their own tasks, so the daily face-to-face meetings of the past were no more.

The reason they could gather today was naturally because the "big boss" was about to release an album.

On this important day, the studio’s focus shifted. Everything revolved around Xu Qingqiu’s new album.

Consequently, everyone else’s commercial performances prioritized stability, with earnings secondary. In short, the main goal was to avoid any issues and not cause trouble for Sister Hua.

This was also beneficial for the newcomers, as they could take a brief break and have some time to adjust.

More importantly, they were all singers. It was impossible for them not to care about their boss’s new songs.

So, without any formal arrangement, they all gathered at the company, hoping to get the latest information about the new album as soon as possible.

"Have a seat. We haven’t seen each other in a long time. Tell me, how have you been recently?"

According to the company, Sun Jian had gone traveling for inspiration. Others might not know the truth, but Yang Lin and the rest were aware.

At the very least, the photos on Sun Jian’s social media weren’t fake. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

Wu Ya had held a small fan meeting just yesterday. His new song "Dusk" was well-received and had a significant influence among his fans.

The company planned to initiate a series of campaigns around his "comeback" theme for the next phase, aiming to hold a comeback concert next spring.

He was expected to arrive today as well, though later than the others.

So now, only Chen Feng, Yang Lin, Li Guang, and their respective agents were in the lounge.

As for assistants? They didn’t yet have the status or the need for one.

"Sister Lin, what do you think President Xu’s new song will be like?"

After chatting idly for a while, the topic naturally drifted back to Xu Qingqiu’s new album.

"How would I know? But it’s definitely written by the great Youmeng, so it’s bound to be good," Yang Lin replied.

It wasn’t clear if Yang Lin truly felt that way or was just flattering, but her praise was so over-the-top, almost reverent, that it nearly made Chen Feng roll his eyes.

"Listen to yourself. Isn’t that obvious?"

"And you’re not stating the obvious? If you’re not, go on, tell us. What do you know? You don’t know squat. You can’t even make an obvious comment," Yang Lin shot back.

"Alright, you’re right."

Chen Feng looked utterly speechless and pursed his lips. Why did I even open my mouth? He still couldn’t figure out why he had put his foot in it.

Li Guang, watching from the sidelines, almost burst out laughing. He hadn’t seen them for several days, but Sister Lin and Brother Feng’s relationship was still as awkwardly harmonious as ever.

Every time they meet, it feels like watching a comedy duo. It’s hilarious.

"Guang, look! The new song has been released!"

As the group was chatting, Keke, who had been scrolling through her phone, suddenly exclaimed.

Suddenly, no one was in the mood for small talk. They all uniformly picked up their phones to check it out.

「At the same time, the internet erupted with excitement.」

[Xu Qingqiu’s New Century Project, Second Album Officially Released!]

All of Xu Qingqiu’s official accounts posted the same message simultaneously, followed by six completely different links.

[Love Melody Station: hxhl://zx.aiyue.cn]

[Bubble Music: hxhl://zx.paopaomusic.cn]

「...」

When this information was posted, the first to react were, naturally, the fans who had been notified in advance.

"Sisters, charge!"

"It’s finally released! I’ve waited so long, the flowers have all wilted."

"President Xu’s new album, go, go, go!"

"I’m here! Checking in first. Let’s meet in Green Orange Music’s comment section!"

"SOB, SOB! New song! New album! President Xu is such a model worker! There’s new music to listen to! President Xu is awesome! I’m going to listen to the song now. I’ll come back and kowtow to President Xu after I’m done!"

In less than ten minutes, more than nine thousand comments appeared beneath the new post on the official Weibo account.

If everything went as expected, this already essentially guaranteed over five thousand downloads.

And as time went on, this pace would only increase.

By this time, the first batch of fans who arrived "on the scene" had already started listening.

"Is this ’Encounter’?"

Yes, the first song of the new album was indeed a classic track from a popular singer of a past era.

"AAAH! My ’sofa’ is gone! Person on the ’first floor,’ how are you so fast? What did you sacrifice to achieve that? Don’t you know the new album is called ’Fortunate, to Encounter’? It’s clearly about love!"

"Love? With whom? Chu Tian?"

"Chu Tian really deserves to die! Can’t it be me instead?"

"President Xu is just too good, picking someone with no fame and even releasing an album to sing for him."

"Sisters, we’re here to listen to music. I don’t know much about Chu Tian, but let’s trust President Xu’s judgment and not say anything negative."

What nobody expected was that Chu Tian, who had been completely inconspicuous throughout all this, would be the first to spark a heated discussion in the comments section.

This outcome made everyone’s expression a bit odd, especially Sister Hua, who almost had a look of schadenfreude written all over her face.

"Why are you looking at me? Look at the data. These fans are good quality, though. Who’s managing them? Give them a bonus later."

As Chu Tian unabashedly made this statement, Xu Qingqiu, who had finally found a moment to pay attention to her own album, couldn’t help but be amused and annoyed.

Seeing his shamelessness, she couldn’t resist playfully hitting him and then pretending to scold fiercely,

"PFFT! You’re talking nonsense!"

But after she spoke, she seemed to suddenly remember something and quickly clarified,

"However, what he said about the bonus still stands. I’ll personally hand it out later."

The people around were completely caught off guard by her sudden statement. Unable to hold back, they all burst into laughter.

"Our President Xu pretends to be disgusted, but deep down, she actually listens to President Chu so much."

"Yeah, yeah! This is too sweet to ship!"

Listening to the hushed whispers nearby, Xu Qingqiu’s blush became even more evident.

Just as the studio was filled with joy, the focus on the music platforms finally shifted to the song itself.