Chapter 13: Ten Days of Terror

The wheel of history advances, driven by the force of time, and the rising tide of popularity for "Xiaochou" defies expectations.

Three Days! In just three days, Lao Li, the director of the 11th Department of Mythical Music, profoundly understood the significance of this statement.

August 24: "Xiaochou" ranked ninth.

August 25: "Xiaochou" rose to eighth.

August 26: "Xiaochou" moved to seventh.

The seemingly stable sixth position on the seasonal rankings was now precarious. Lao Li, frantic as an ant on a hot stove, wanted to yell at "Xiaochou," which had surged past three positions:

"Slow down!"

Yet "Xiaochou" climbed to sixth, leaving Lao Li's eleven films in disarray.

Despite its massive success, with downloads leaping from 1.5 million to 4 million, Lao Li feared it was not the end. The gap in subsequent rankings exceeded a million downloads, but "Xiaochou" showed no signs of slowing down.

August 27: "Xiaochou" claimed fifth place.

Shinhwa Music panicked, seeing "Xiaochou" relentlessly advancing daily.

This month's seasonal chart saw:

A song from Tianguang at the top.

Nathan's song in second.

A song from Shinhwa Entertainment Music Part 1 in third, reflecting the hierarchy of Qinzhou's three major music companies.

As "Xiaochou" approached the fourth position, Shinhwa Music felt the pressure.

"Lao Si, hold on!"

The directors of Shinhwa Music Department 1 began to pray. Who would have thought the third place would root for the fourth?

August 28: "Xiaochou" overtook the fourth place, eyeing the third from Shinhwa.

"Sister Lin, spare us!"

The head of the First Mythology Department noted the narrowing gap. That night, Ai Trinxi joked in the group:

"One of our own! Let's not kill each other!"

The directors laughed. Even Lao Liu and Lao Li, who had lost their rankings, joined in, feeling a bit vindicated.

"Get ready for the Thirteenth Department's big stick!""One department down, another to go. Will Bai Di dethrone Nathan?"

The standings were as follows:

Tianguang: 19 million downloads.

Nathan: 10 million downloads.

Shinhwa: 8 million downloads.

"Xiaochou": 7 million downloads.

Overtaking Tianguang's singer was unlikely, given his massive fanbase of their singers.

However, Nathan's second spot held by a popular but not unbeatable singer, seemed vulnerable.

The head of the music department suggested:

"Let's allow the Thirteenth Department to challenge Nathan."

Laughter erupted. Company leaders cared more about overall performance than departmental pride. The Thirteenth Department's success delighted them, even if Nathan couldn't be toppled, at least they could be Threatened.

The head of Shinhwa Music Division 1 accepted the situation, knowing Division 1's overall strong performance. Next month would bring new opportunities.

August 28: "Xiaochou" claimed third place. The head of Shinhwa Music Department 1 congratulated the group, and other departments sent good wishes.

"Little flying stick" became a popular meme.

Nathan noticed "Xiaochou" and held a meeting, worried:

"Why did such a song appear now?"

"Bai Di? Seems Shinhwa has acquired a monstrous Talent"

On August 29, Nathan launched an emergency plan to defend their second place, while the Qinzhou media extensively covered "Xiaochou," lauding its rapid rise.

Industry voices noted Nathan's anxiety and the exceptional nature of "Xiaochou."

August 30-31: In the final days, Shinhwa and Nathan escalated their promotional efforts, pouring money into marketing.

Real-time data on the seasonal charts reflected growing public interest in "Xiaochou." The song's audience conversion rate exceeded its competitors, narrowing the gap.

11:48 pm, August 31: The final standings were:

"Rain" - 22,034,565 downloads.

"Xiaochou" - 15,134,564 downloads.

"Sultry Night" - 15,132,398 downloads.

The list locked at midnight. A gold-medal songwriter shared the results on social media, captioning them with "Ten days of terror," a sentiment echoed by peers.

"This is the most thrilling chart in a long time."

The atmosphere at home varied:

Lin Xi, finally relaxed and texted her brother Lin Zhibai "Good night" with a screenshot of the second place, then fell into a deep sleep dreaming of promotions.

Lin Shouzhuo, in the company dormitory, celebrated with his roommates, amazed at their song's achievement.

Meanwhile, industry reactions were mixed:

Tianguang's Zhou Hanjin, unaffected by the competition, discussed the result with his agent, feeling uneasy about the rapid rise of "Xiaochou." His agent reminded him of the industry's volatile nature.

Bai Di's future remained uncertain. Would he be a " One time Wonder " or an evergreen talent? Only time would tell.