Chapter Twenty-Five: Well, Now Everyone’s Comfortable, Aren’t They?
In September, Yunhai Media released a phenomenal song!
In less than four days, it shot up from the depths of the New Songs Chart, outside the top five hundred, all the way into the top ten, as if unstoppable. The entire music industry was stirred, and nearly half of the singing world was abuzz with the news.
Had the singer been an established veteran, perhaps the impact wouldn’t have been so great. But the key point was that the performer, Su Xueyao, was a newcomer with almost no prior fame!
A rookie!
Yet she launched an all-out assault on the New Songs Chart, waging a battle against the titans. That was what truly shocked everyone.
Of course, it was still a bit early to talk about dethroning the gods. The real heavyweights on the chart occupied the top ten spots. So, after "Invisible Wings" broke into the tenth position, nearly every industry insider began to watch with anticipation for this unprecedented showdown.
Some analysts remarked, “Su Xueyao is already famous now. Even if she holds onto tenth place, she’ll make a name for herself in the music scene. But if she dethrones one or two giants in the top ten, her fame will skyrocket!”
Yunhai Media, naturally, recognized this as Su Xueyao’s chance to make her mark. Almost all their promotional resources were poured into this song.
On every major music platform!
On Douyin!
On Weibo!
Even Bilibili was flooded with promotions for the song.
But the artists in the top ten weren’t easy to beat. Each was a popular singer in their own right. Losing to another established singer was understandable, but being toppled by a newcomer would be humiliating.
On the day "Invisible Wings" entered the top ten, except for the chart-topping quasi-superstar Ye Yuanhang, who remained silent, all the other singers ramped up their advertising campaigns.
Everyone had one thought: not seeking to stand out, but determined not to falter—they had to keep Su Xueyao beneath them!
Ha!
A newcomer can’t overturn the heavens!
...
Hu Xuan, ranked ninth, was equally unperturbed.
Her song already had a sizable lead over the tenth place, with over 200,000 more plays. With her company boosting promotion, Hu Xuan believed the gap would only widen.
Catch up to her, and surpass her?
“In your dreams!”
Hu Xuan was confident she could guard the gates of the gods.
That day, she and her agent were sipping coffee in an upscale restaurant, relaxed.
Her agent watched the numbers for both songs closely.
But as he watched, his expression changed. “Xuan, something’s off—the gap is shrinking.”
Hu Xuan’s lips parted slightly, “The gap between us and the eighth place is shrinking? That’s expected.”
“No, it’s the tenth place catching up.”
“How can that be?”
Hu Xuan snatched the phone, her eyes glued to the screen. Her face changed instantly. The gap that had been 200,000 plays was now barely over 100,000, shrinking rapidly with every refresh.
Each time she updated the chart, the difference narrowed.
“Is she on some kind of stimulant? How is she catching up so fast?!”
Hu Xuan was dumbfounded.
Her agent quickly found the reason. “'Invisible Wings' was already gaining momentum, but the real surge happened a few minutes ago—Liu Lei posted a Weibo raving about the song, urging his fans to support it.”
Hu Xuan was stunned. “How could he do that?”
She and Liu Lei had always been neck-and-neck. Now, with Liu Lei directing his fans to "Invisible Wings," she felt doomed.
“He, he, how could he do this?”
“How could he do this?”
Hu Xuan repeated the question over and over, unable to fathom it.
She could only watch helplessly as her song was overtaken by "Invisible Wings" half a day later, powerless to resist.
On the other side.
Liu Lei saw Hu Xuan drop to tenth place and patted his chest. “Long, you were right. Now, I really do feel better…”
“Right?” Zhao Long grinned with satisfaction.
But soon, Liu Lei frowned. “Now that we’ve done this, I feel better, but will Hu Xuan think we’re targeting her and resent us? What should we do?”
“Resent us? Then we’ll make her feel better too, won’t we?” Zhao Long declared confidently. He pulled out his phone, found Hu Xuan’s number, and sent her a message: “Sis, are you in pain?”
...
Perhaps no one in the entire music industry or entertainment circle expected what would happen next.
What everyone had assumed would be a difficult, nearly impossible battle against the gods, turned into an overwhelming, one-sided slaughter in the days that followed.
The scene was brutal.
And utterly baffling to everyone.
On the first day, after "Invisible Wings" broke into the top ten, Liu Lei, who had been tenth, posted on Weibo: “I concede wholeheartedly. 'Invisible Wings' is excellent. I hope my fans will love it too.”
His words incited his fans like sharks smelling blood, rushing to support "Invisible Wings." Some genuinely loved the song, others simply followed their idol.
And so—
On the second day, "Invisible Wings" climbed to ninth!
Something strange happened.
Hu Xuan, who had held ninth, also posted on Weibo: “I concede. Someday, I hope to have a pair of invisible wings to carry me, too.”
Her fans went wild.
On the third day, "Invisible Wings" surged into eighth place, unstoppable.
The singer who had been eighth promptly posted: “I felt a resilient life force from this song. I love 'Invisible Wings.'”
His fans erupted like a volcano.
On the fourth day, "Invisible Wings" reached seventh.
On the fifth day.
On the sixth day.
...
On the eighth day, "Invisible Wings" pulled down a top-tier celebrity from third place, breaking into the top three.
On the ninth day, it surpassed another leading singer and soared to second place.
The entire entertainment industry was stunned into silence.
Everyone’s eyes nearly popped out.
What baffled everyone even more: every singer who was overtaken showed no regret, no resentment, and no retaliation. Each posted on Weibo, conceding defeat with grace, praising "Invisible Wings" as deserving, admitting their own inferiority.
Their humility was extraordinary.
Many industry insiders felt as though they were dreaming.
After all these years of cutthroat competition, when did the entertainment world become a loving family?
In a certain company.
Zhao Long looked at the New Songs Chart and laughed heartily at the contented Liu Lei. “Now, isn’t everyone feeling good?”
Liu Lei suddenly said, “But what about Ye Yuanhang? What now?”
Zhao Long recalled something Zheng Xiao once said. He growled, “He shouldn’t have taken first place!”
Liu Lei was speechless.
Of course, this led to a terrifying situation:
After "Invisible Wings" climbed to second place, Ye Yuanhang, the quasi-superstar currently at the top, felt his throat parched.
He looked at the chart and realized that from the eleventh to the second spot, all the singers’ fans had united, cheering for "Invisible Wings."
In other words, half the music industry was now ganging up on him.
He wasn’t even a superstar yet.
Even a superstar couldn’t withstand such pressure.
Ye Yuanhang swallowed hard, close to tears. “Is this really necessary?”