CHAPTER 431: CHAPTER 293: ENCOUNTER, LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

"Hearing the Departure of Winter"

"I woke up in some year, some month"

"I think, I wait, I anticipate"

"Yet the future cannot be arranged just so"

The first batch of people to arrive, aside from those rushing to the comments section to claim their spots, mostly hit the play button for the music straight away.

As the music slowly flowed, Xu Qingqiu’s somewhat tranquil voice poured out like a voice-over.

Many longtime fans’ eyes widened at once.

As the first song of the new album, it was bound to be the lead single.

And the name ’Encounter’ was a perfect match for the album’s theme, ’Fortunate, Encounter.’

This undoubtedly declared that the first song was the core of the entire album.

Even though the fans already had high expectations for this song, they were still surprised after actually listening to it.

In a word, it was stunning at first listen!

"Whom I encounter, what kind of dialogue will we have"

"The one I’m waiting for, how far in the future is he"

"I hear the wind from the subway and the sea of people"

"I’m in line holding the number for love"

...

An innocent girl, filled with anticipation for love, trepidatiously walked the journey of life, longing to encounter a love that would leave a lifelong mark.

A few short lines of the lyrics, like a magical paintbrush, vividly depicted that scene.

"My encounter stayed in the year I turned twenty. I thought I’d forgotten, but a song has once again awakened the memories,"

"I still remember that year on the subway, just because of a glance we chatted a bit more, but I had no idea it was those few words that would entangle me in emotions for the next seven years,"

"You all have such stories, but why do I only taste sweetness? Shouldn’t love be beautiful?"

"Heh, you’ll know once you’ve experienced it. What’s beautiful remains beautiful, and what’s sorrowful remains sorrowful."

"Don’t scare the kids. Love is still a beautiful thing. Look at President Xu and Chu Tian, aren’t they doing well?"

"SOB SOB SOB, who exactly is Chu Tian? President Xu is actually singing a love song for him, I’m so jealous!"

"Ah? Isn’t this CP good to ship? What are you jealous about?"

"’I hear the wind from the subway and the sea of people,’ aren’t these lyrics written so well? It sounds like it’s about the wind, but it’s not just the wind, it’s your messages."

"Though I’ve reached middle age, I can still be moved by a song. I wonder, when will the wind carrying your message blow by my ear again."

"Who doesn’t have regrets in life? The people who passed by during our youthful and bold years, we could never predict that their fleeting shadows would be our last glimpse in this lifetime."

After people finished listening to the song, the comment section gradually livened up.

The netizens were certainly all emo individuals—it seemed everyone had their own story, and everyone’s life was filled with endless regrets.

A group of lonely souls, because of one song, seemed to have found their own haven, suddenly opening up their hearts, seeking a bit of solace to heal their wounds in this place.

Of course, not everyone had the time to indulge in melancholy here, like those who earned their livelihood from it, who were busily working at the moment.

Fan leaders, marketing accounts, short video creators, popular uploaders, and various other groups had long set their sights on Xu Qingqiu’s new album.

The moment the first song was released, they downloaded it and then began to listen to it leisurely.

Admittedly, this song didn’t have too many emotional ups and downs, nor did it have many intense beats.

But the straightforward lyrics and the calm, soothing tone seemed to touch hearts all the more.

Even the seasoned marketing account creators were momentarily lost in thought upon their first listen.

HUH, this song is quite good.

After listening, they hesitated for a moment and then added it to their playlists.

Seeing the rapidly growing number of comments, some people directly clicked in to look for inspiration.

Meanwhile, others had an idea the moment they heard the new song. To avoid distractions that might break their flow of inspiration, they resisted their curiosity and opened their editing software to start making videos.

Not even ten minutes had passed since the song’s release, and the first short video using "Encounter" as BGM was already online.

Half an hour later, the first wave of virality hit.

Short video platform algorithms work this way: if a song or original music gets used many times quickly, it signals an emerging trend.

Based on this conclusion, the algorithms automatically promote such music by increasing its exposure.

So, when "Encounter" was used over a hundred times in just half an hour, it quickly entered a larger traffic pool.

Those videos that used the song as BGM received a boost in traffic, which led to even more attention.

"EH? What song is this? It’s quite good,"

"Holy shit, Xu Qingqiu’s new song? When did she release a song?"

"I think I saw a promotion this morning saying her new album was about to be released. Is it out already? No way, I have to go check it out,"

"Xu Qingqiu’s new song? A new album? When did this happen?"

Although the studio was doing its utmost to market and promote the album, the internet is vast. Publicity doesn’t guarantee visibility.

Generally speaking, no matter how big the hype, there are always more people who haven’t seen it.

Behind the seemingly bustling viral events on the internet, only a small fraction of people are actually paying attention.

Just like now, even top-tier celebrities can’t claim to be known by everyone, let alone Xu Qingqiu, who has talent but whose fame is still growing.