CHAPTER 125: CHAPTER 118: SETTLING DUST? OR THE RISING STORM!

"The new song is out!"

"Just finished listening, I’m completely stunned."

"I used to always curse the Chinese music industry for being so terrible, complaining that you couldn’t find a single listenable song. But now, it’s fantastic! I can’t keep up; I literally can’t keep up, there are too many!"

"BOO HOO HOO HOO, why did this album come out now? If only it were a bit earlier. This song is perfect for graduation."

"Tell me about it! Right after I graduated, all I did every day was either drink or sing; it felt like the last hurrah. I always thought I wasn’t that sentimental, but after listening to this song, I cried like an idiot."

"It’s not just you. Today, I was packing up to go to my new job, and after listening to this song, I suddenly thought of my high school classroom from not long ago. Only then did I realize I’ve said goodbye to that part of my life forever."

"Ah, to be young and in your prime, you have to chase your dreams while you still can. I can’t go back, but after listening to this album, I’m going to give it another shot!"

People who had finished listening to the songs passionately discussed them, sharing their feelings as if they saw reflections of their current selves or traces of their past within the music.

Comments kept accumulating, and the songs’ popularity surged.

These were just the aftereffects of the album. Compared to the fans’ fervent enthusiasm, the singers within the industry collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

"It’s finally over..."

"Where the hell did this Youmeng even come from? If only she could write a song for me."

"What did Xu Qingqiu do to deserve this? How did she get so lucky to catch the eye of the great Youmeng?"

"The key is, her singing skills improved way too quickly, right? Could it be the work of the sound engineer?"

"Now she’s going to rake in the dough. An album with twelve top-quality songs—that kind of boldness is beyond compare."

"BOO HOO HOO, it’s too much! She has an album with twelve top-quality songs, and I can’t even scrape together ten songs for an album, with only one or two being listenable. Is this the gap between us?"

"Alright, wrap it up, wrap it up. This phase is over. All that’s left is to see how many copies it sells. I estimate it definitely won’t be a low number."

"There are two or three songs in this album that I feel have the potential to become massive hits. It just depends on whether the market buys into it."

"The market? Haven’t you figured it out yet? Look at the sales figures! For the past two days, short video platforms have been flooded with her songs. You don’t think those are all just her fans, do you?"

"..."

Regardless, the album was finally released, and the sword that had been hanging over everyone’s heads had finally fallen.

Fear stems from the unknown. Once you see your opponent clearly, the pressure in your heart drops considerably.

That was precisely how those in the industry felt at that moment. They hadn’t dared to relax without seeing the full picture of the entire album. But once it was over, regardless of the outcome, the weight in their hearts had finally lifted.

Apart from their envy of Xu Qingqiu, most people only discussed it briefly in their group chats.

In their view, the dust had settled. All that remained was to let time do its work and wait for the results.

However, reality did not unfold as they imagined.

With the release of the final song, the crowds waiting on various music platforms seemed to awaken, swarming into every corner of the internet.

The entire network instantly erupted, like a pot of boiling oil when cold water is suddenly poured into it.

"This is so awesome! So many new songs out all at once! My ears are saved! Finally, I don’t have to listen to old songs anymore!"

"No matter how good old songs are, you get tired of them. Nowadays, the music scene is full of nothing but dog barks and cat meows—all animal sounds, nothing fit for human ears. Now, finally, we have an album sung by a human!"

"Damn, bro, your words are quite venomous, huh?"

"You’re damn right! They call that chaotic mess ’high art,’ huh? We’re common folk; some popular music is good for us. Thanks for Xu Qingqiu’s gift!"

"Hahaha, grateful for the gift! My playlist, treasured for ten years, can finally be updated."

"Xu Qingqiu, from now on, you are my goddess!"

"Not just your goddess, this album itself is god-tier! Do you understand what a god-tier album means? *This* is what you call a god-tier album! It’s been so many years since we’ve had one!"

"Chinese music is rising—can’t you see?! Who still dares say Chinese music is in decline? My Xu Qingqiu won’t stand for it!"

Unconsciously, the prevailing sentiment online began to shift, moving from discussing the album to focusing on Xu Qingqiu herself.

"A god-tier album reappears! Chinese music is saved!"

"Why listen to foreign songs? Chinese pop is the best!"

"Fortunately, we have Youmeng, and we have Xu Qingqiu. The only pity was that there is only one Youmeng, and only one Xu Qingqiu."

No matter who they were, at this juncture, with the hype at its peak, very few people dared to voice a contrary opinion.

Of course, those merely trying to ride the wave of popularity were an exception.

This kind of situation had occurred countless times. There’s a term for it: ’blind personal idolatry,’ which can arise in any industry or field.

The initial intentions are always good, but the outcomes are almost always a complete mess.

There’s also a term called ’killing with praise.’ Once the fervor subsides, very few can remain standing in the wake of such a massive tide.

It could be described as a double-edged sword; everything depended on whether the person at the center of the storm could withstand the pressure.

Of course, though it seemed to be over, some people still felt an unfulfilled desire, as if it wasn’t quite enough to truly satisfy them.

In their view, how could these few songs possibly be enough for anyone? Shouldn’t there be dozens of them, at least?

"That’s it? That’s the last song? Do you guys think there’ll be more new songs?"

"What are you dreaming about? An album with twelve songs, each a masterpiece. What more could you want? Are you trying to stop others from making a living?!"

"Only twelve songs? How is that enough? Didn’t So-and-so’s album have sixteen songs?"

"Usually, it’s ten songs. Don’t overthink it. Instead of dwelling on that, why not urge President Xu to quickly release the next album?"