Chapter 7: The Aftermath

The music department's group chat is just the tip of an iceberg.

Compared to their small class group chat, the Qin Prefecture Art Academy' campus forum is currently much more lively——

"The Newcomer Season is officially underway. Everyone, go and support Senior Sun Yaohuo's new song, titled 'Life Like Summer Flowers.' Post and share the song links from various music streaming platforms below."

[]: "This song is unexpectedly good."

[]: "I'm majoring in music composition, and I have to say, our senior is quite lucky. The composition of this song is quite profound."

[]: "Both composition and lyrics are by someone named 'Xianyu.' This guy can truly be called a 'Music Dad.'"

[]: "The Composition Department is downloading to support Senior Sun Yaohuo. PS: I'm not trying to flatter our Composition Department, but this song was elevated by 'Music Dad.'"

[]: "Looking forward to the rankings that will be announced tomorrow at noon, I wonder how high 'Life Like Summer Flowers' will rank."

[]: "Don't worry, with the quality of this song, it won't be far from the top."

[]: "Who is this 'Xianyu'? I've never heard of him before."

[]: "Management: What are the requirements for the singer? Music Dad: As long as they can sing."

[]: "As a fellow student in the Vocal Department, I don't mind being a workhorse. I just want to passionately contribute under Music Dad's guidance."

[]: "A bunch of night owls, why aren't you sleeping at this hour?"

[]: "The eternal night's near, and I'm all set for my watch, even if it takes me to the end. Tonight's like any other, and every night's a replica of the last."

[]: "You night owl, if you don't sleep, then be prepared to drop dead."

...

Every November, the Newcomer Season is a feast for music department students.

If there happen to be senior students from their university at this feast, it's even more perfect.

For this reason, many alumni didn't even bother to listen to the song; they dared to blindly download 'Life Like Summer Flowers' solely because Sun Yaohuo is a graduate of their respected Qin Prefecture Art Academy.

...

The next day at 7:30 am.

After Lin Yuan got up and washed up, he had breakfast in the cafeteria and then calmly walked to the classroom.

The first class had not started yet.

Lin Yuan had already started reading.

However, the atmosphere this morning seemed different from usual. The classmates around him were not quietly playing with their phones as they usually did. Instead, they were chatting animatedly about something.

Lin Yuan furrowed his brow slightly.

Because these discussions were directly affecting his reading efficiency.

Of course, as the students delved deeper into their conversations, their discussion topics inevitably entered Lin Yuan's ears.

"Have you listened to 'Life Like Summer Flowers'?"

The person asking this question was seated behind Lin Yuan.

"Of course, I did. For this Newcomer Season, I stayed up until two in the morning last night, and after listening to the song, I downloaded and added it to my favorites. This song is now trending on the university forum." A girl with dark circles under her eyes lamented.

"This song is really good, and the composition level is quite high. He lives up to the title 'Music Dad' that people outside our field use."

A bespectacled guy spoke proudly.

"Snap out of it. Not every composer deserves the title 'Music Dad.' With your skills, even if you offer your songs for free to newcomer singers, they wouldn't accept them."

"The style of this song doesn't suit my taste, but I admit that the composition is excellent."

"No need for the small talk. How can an electronic music enthusiast like you appreciate folk songs?"

"..."

So, they were discussing "Life Like Summer Flowers."

Judging from their discussions, it seemed like the song was receiving a positive response.

Lin Yuan's furrowed brow gradually relaxed, and he forgave the interruptions to his reading.

The girl who mentioned that she had downloaded the song made him realize something. One song was worth a yuan, the company took 80 cents, the 'workhorse' took 50 cents, and in the end, he would receive 15 cents.

Lin Yuan suddenly found that the girl who had contributed 15 cents to him, despite her noticeable panda eyes, was pleasing to the eyes.

...

As the first day of the Newcomer Season, November 1st, had begun, it was destined to be a special day.

On this day, in Qin Prefecture, all entertainment companies participating in the Newcomer Season would not be at ease until the Newcomer Rankings was officially unveiled at 12 o'clock.

Even after the Newcomer Rankings was unveiled, if the performance of the newcomers introduced by the company fell short of the major entertainment companies' expectations, the tense atmosphere could linger for an entire month, extending until the conclusion of the Newcomer Season.

This anxious and apprehensive atmosphere was even more pronounced at Starlight Entertainment, which had been dissatisfied with its newcomers' rankings for the past few years.

The big boss had thrown fits more than once.

As a result of this dissatisfaction, several departments saw a cut in their quarterly bonuses. Therefore, to improve everyone's situation, both the upper and lower levels of the company sincerely hoped that Starlight Entertainment would make a strong comeback this year.

There was even a rumor within the company:

Zhao Jue, the chief talent manager, had made a pledge in front of the higher-ups that the company would secure a spot in the top three of the Newcomer Rankings this year, or she would voluntarily demote herself.

This was not a trivial matter.

In the event that she couldn't uphold her pledge, Zhao Jue would certainly face a demotion from the higher-ups. At Starlight Entertainment, such an occurrence would be regarded as a notable shift in personnel.

After all, Zhao Jue wielded significant power.

As the central character of the rumors, Zhao Jue had locked herself in her office since the morning, lying on her chair with her eyes closed. She was in a state of self-imposed isolation, afraid to check her phone and even more afraid to look at her computer because she lacked confidence in the new artists this year.

"Ding, ding, ding..."

Noon finally arrived.

The alarm sounded especially piercing, pulling Zhao Jue out of her self-imposed seclusion.

"The moment has come."

Zhao Jue sighed, took a deep breath, and then opened her computer.

But it wasn't just Zhao Jue. The entire Starlight Entertainment and even the entire music industry had their eyes fixed on the newly updated official Rankings:

The Newcomer Rankings.

However, when they saw the first name on the Newcomer Rankings, everyone let out a collective, almost synchronized sigh, expressing a strange mixture of emotions.

First place on the Newcomer Rankings:

"It's Love," performed by Qian Xingyu, composed by Li Ran, and from Sahara Entertainment.

Downloads: 88,500.

In previous years, the first place on the Newcomer Rankings was typically the cause of fierce competition and conflicts among major companies. But this year was different.

Qian Xingyu was a "newcomer" like no other.

She had made her debut in her first television drama just a month before the Newcomer Season began and had become extremely popular, bringing her own fan base.

Who could compete with such a "newcomer"?

All they could do was acknowledge, "With Qian Xingyu as their trump card, Sahara Entertainment is probably going to secure the first position on the Rankings until the end of the month."

Zhao Jue felt a mixture of admiration and jealousy.

She arrived at a choice: she'd begin reading from the bottom and ascend through the rankings. After all, the Newcomer Rankings showcased only the top 100 names, and skimming through a list of 100 wouldn't consume much of her time.

As for the company's newcomers who didn't make it to the top 100? Well, what a joke! Starlight Entertainment was one of the top entertainment companies in Qin Prefecture, with a significant advantage in early resources. If a newcomer endorsed by the company couldn't break into the top 100 with access to these resources, then they'd better pack their bags and leave.

Zhao Jue's standards were not that low.

In the 73rd spot, Zhao Jue caught sight of a newcomer from their company, a faint furrow forming on her brow.

By the 55th position, another newcomer from their company appeared, deepening the crease in her brow.

As she reached the 12th position, she had already encountered the names of eight newcomers from their company.

The 11th position did not belong to anyone from their company.

So, only two names remained.

This meant that Starlight Entertainment had secured two spots in the top ten this year?

Biting her lip, Zhao Jue began to read the names of the top 10. By the time she reached the ninth position, she saw the name of the ninth newcomer from the company.

Now, there was only one left.

Eighth place... seventh place... sixth place... fifth place...

Finally.

Zhao Jue found the name of the tenth newcomer.

Third place on the Newcomer Rankings:

"Life Like Summer Flowers," by singer Sun Yaohuo, composed by Xianyu, from Starlight Entertainment.

Downloads: 33,000.

Zhao Jue's eyes widened suddenly, and she stared at the third place ranking on the Newcomer Rankings. Her breath quickened, and in that moment, she felt a sense of relief, as if she had survived a calamity:

Top three!

We're in the top three!

As the Chief Talent Manager, Zhao Jue knew that Xianyu was the stage name used by Lin Yuan, the boy who had saved her from the cliff's edge, the same Lin Yuan who had almost caused her to fall off the cliff.

Fate can be truly amazing.

Without worrying about the rankings of other newcomers, Zhao Jue's smile regained its confidence. "Now, no one can pull me down. As long as I secure Lin Yuan's third place, I won't have to demote myself!"

The consequences of the demotion were indeed severe.

There was still a large standalone villa at home and a mortgage she have to pay.

Suddenly standing up from her seat, Zhao Jue quickly made a phone call. "Contact the heads of several music streaming platforms immediately. I want them to give 'Life Like Summer Flowers' the highest-level homepage promotion. Starlight Entertainment needs the best visibility!"

"Alright... Congratulations, Sister Zhao."

The person on the other end of the phone seemed to know what had happened.

Zhao Jue smiled and replied, "Thank you. The resource department should also lend more support, as this is just the first day of rankings."

The first-day ranking didn't represent the final ranking. There were still a full 29 days of competition ahead.

Still, when you're dealing with a big company like Starlight, as long as they focused on securing their top-three spots on the first day, there was hardly any chance of things going south. And just in case things didn't go as planned, they had a handy backup plan known as the "Nine Protect One" strategy.

But what's the deal with "Nine Protect One"?

Well, it's a clever tactic where they divert resources from the other nine songs to give "Life Like Summer Flowers" more attention. This tactic is typically used by smaller companies when they have a standout song. Generally, Starlight Entertainment doesn't need to rely on such tactics since they're a well-established company.

After the first call, it seemed that Zhao Jue thought of something and dialed another number. "Old Zhou, does your composition department still need people?"

"Don't mess around, Xiao Zhao."

The voice on the other end of the phone was stern. "For the Newcomer Rankings, the company forced me to recruit a bunch of new composers. Can you imagine trying to use human wave tactics for this? So don't give me any trouble. My department is already overcrowded."

Zhao Jue smiled. "What about Xianyu?"

The attitude on the other end of the phone instantly made a U-turn. "Sister Zhao, where is Xianyu? I can personally sign a contract with him. Our composition department is really short-handed right now!"