Chapter 26: The Rules of the Music Industry

Chen Nian had just gone to bed when Zhou Lu, He Wei, Na Ying, and more than a dozen singers from the music industry, riding the wave of popularity from "The Voice of New Songs" and "Who Is the Singer," simultaneously released a slew of new tracks. They were determined to storm the new song charts on every major music platform.

Early the next morning, as soon as Chen Nian climbed out of bed, he received a call from Zhou Lu.

"Hello, Sister Zhou Lu? What brings you to call so early?" Chen Nian yawned as he spoke.

"Chen Nian, I have to thank you!" Zhou Lu said, her voice brimming with excitement.

Hearing this, Chen Nian was utterly bewildered.

"You don't know yet? Our song 'Under the Sea' has reached number three on the charts. I haven't had a song chart in two and a half years—I'm truly grateful this time!"

"Are you free tonight? I’d like to treat you to dinner."

Another dinner invitation.

Chen Nian covered his stern face with his hand, his whole body radiating exhaustion.

He had come to this world intending to be a contented slacker, yet somehow he’d ended up doing so many unexpected things. Looking back, his life really was a string of failures.

"Let’s not. I have plans tonight." Chen Nian, after a moment’s thought, found an excuse to decline Zhou Lu's invitation.

"If that's all, I’ll hang up now."

"Wait—"

Without giving Zhou Lu a chance to speak, Chen Nian ended the call.

I was rejected?

Zhou Lu stared incredulously at her reflection on the phone screen.

What was this supposed to mean?

Zhou Lu, the nation's goddess, had just invited a man to dinner and had been turned down?

She felt as if she’d just suffered the greatest humiliation of her life.

Bang!

She slammed her hand down on the table.

"Xia!"

"What’s wrong? What happened?" Zhou Lu's shout sent her agent, Xia, running in immediately.

Zhou Lu was now the cash cow of Tianxing Entertainment—her agent dared not be careless.

"Find out Chen Nian’s address for me, right now! Immediately! This instant!"

"Uh? Oh!" Xia’s face was filled with confusion at the order.

"What? My new song didn’t chart?" He Wei could hardly believe it!

His song had been out for nearly eight hours and still hadn’t made the charts? Usually, he’d debut at number one on all the major platforms—though the songs would quickly drop off, with so many people helping to promote him, how could he still not chart?

"This is impossible, absolutely impossible!"

He Wei refused to believe his manager and opened the major music charts himself, only to be greeted by a list of new songs:

"Rose," "Under the Sea," "Cinderella," "Elopement," "Love Never Lost," "Period"...

Other than Zhou Lu’s "Under the Sea" and Xing Fei’s "Love Never Lost," nearly all of the top ten songs belonged to Chen Nian.

Moreover, the numbers for Chen Nian’s "Rose" were still soaring, as if it might soon overtake the number one spot.

Bear in mind, it had only been seven or eight hours since Chen Nian released his songs, while the current chart-topper had been out for two months.

"Does nobody like my music anymore?" He Wei was dazed.

Unable to accept it, he pondered for a moment before opening the comment section for "Rose" to see for himself what listeners thought.

Even though he’d steeled himself, the moment he clicked in, his mind practically exploded.

Thirty thousand plus comments, and not a single negative one!

"This song is amazing. This is real folk music—music that sings straight to my soul!"

"It’s four in the morning. I’m a college student working a summer job away from home. I’m sitting at the store entrance, smoking, just went through a breakup, feeling a bit lost in life, often weighed down by a sense of helplessness. Maybe no one will ever notice me among these 29,744 comments, but I want to share how I feel right now. Chen Nian, I love you."

"Hey, what are you doing, man? If I’m not mistaken, you’re a guy, right?"

"Wow! This song has elevated my appreciation for folk music. He Wei, were you just feeding me garbage before? I hope this guy releases more folk songs."

Seeing this comment, He Wei nearly went insane with rage—his blood pressure spiked, and he almost coughed up blood.

He couldn’t take it anymore and switched over to the comment section for his own new song, determined to see what people had to say.

But that only made things worse. The comments nearly knocked the wind out of him.

"This is terrible. What is this even supposed to be?"

"It can’t compare to 'Rose'—this is just noise!"

"And you dare call yourself the King of Folk? He Wei, while you still can, you might want to consider a career change!"

Staring at the comments, He Wei was so furious he nearly smashed his computer.

His manager, seeing this, hurried to intervene.

"Those positive reviews must be fake. And I bet the negative comments on our side are just his people trying to sabotage us!"

"These youngsters nowadays—no real talent, just playing dirty tricks!"

"Brother Wei, we have to do something!" the manager insisted.

If the new album got a bad reputation, it wouldn’t just hurt sales—it could cause irreparable damage to He Wei’s career.

To prevent that, they had to take action.

"Brother Wei, let’s do it. I’ve already spoken to the higher-ups—they’ll back you all the way," the manager pressed.

"Alright." He Wei gritted his teeth and nodded. "Go to the PR department right now. I’ll get in touch with Brother Nan. Once this blows up, we’ll strike immediately!"

It was one thing to be thrashed by Chen Nian on "Over the Sea," but if even the new album was crushed by him, how could he ever show his face in the music industry again?

After his manager left, He Wei wasted no time in picking up his phone and dialing a number.

"Hello, Master, I’ve run into a bit of trouble and might need your help," He Wei said through clenched teeth, his tone humble.

"It’s about that newcomer, isn’t it? He’s getting a little too cocky lately. As it happens, I’m going to appear on the next episode of 'The Voice of New Songs.' I’ll give him a little welcome gift. Do as you see fit—I’ll have your back. Nothing will happen."

"With your assurance, Master, I can rest easy." He Wei’s lips curled into a sinister grin.

"You little brat, Chen—you’re about to learn just how deep the waters run in the entertainment industry!"

After hanging up, He Wei sent a message in a group chat of folk singers.

"That Chen Nian is getting way too full of himself lately."

"I think we need to help him recognize his place."

"Yeah, I just released a song too, and my comment section is full of negative reviews. This newcomer has no respect for his seniors! You can stand out, but you can’t disrespect us!"

"I can’t stand it either. So he wrote a few mediocre songs—what’s he so arrogant about?"

"He needs to be taught a lesson, so he understands how things work around here!"

With the industry veterans speaking up, many others quickly joined in agreement.