Chapter Twenty-Six: Liu Zhengwen Stands Tall and Proud

September 20th.

Amid a whirlwind of external attention, "Invisible Wings" soared to the top of the New Songs Chart. It was, without question, the most astonishing event the music world had witnessed in the past three years.

"God-slayer!"
"Stunning."
"Incredible."
"A bloody massacre."
"The biggest dark horse in recent years."
"A single song crowned a legend."

All kinds of remarks flooded the internet.

Previously, people speculated that "Invisible Wings" might shake up the charts, perhaps breaking into the top ten and ousting one or two artists—a feat in itself. Who could have predicted what happened today? This song started at rank five hundred and swept through every single artist in the top five hundred, leaving none behind.

It wasn't just god-slaying—it was annihilation.

The frenzy outside was enormous. Within Yunhai Media, pandemonium reigned.

As the singer of the song, Su Xueyao felt as if she were dreaming every day. When the song was first released—on the 5th—she believed she had no hope of fighting for the chart. Despair gnawed at her, for if her new song failed to achieve good results, the company would likely continue to sideline her, and her debut would remain out of reach.

Yet, she witnessed a miracle: Within just over ten days, Wang Mo’s "Invisible Wings" carried her from the depths to the pinnacle of the New Songs Chart.

"Congratulations, Sister Yao!"
"Sister Yao, congrats, congrats!"
"Sister Yao, treat us!"
"Sister Yao, you’ve defied the odds—you even beat Ye Yuanhang!"

Everyone offered their congratulations, and their gazes toward her had utterly changed—admiration, reverence, fervor. She was no longer simply Su Xueyao or Little Su; now, everyone called her Sister Yao. Even Qian Lun, upon seeing her, looked at her with newfound warmth and friendliness.

A newcomer who could sweep the New Songs Chart, defeat a quasi-king, two top-tier stars, and a host of second- and third-tier artists, was almost assured a limitless future.

But only she knew in her heart: it was not she who had soared, but Wang Mo who had carried her aloft.

Suddenly, she recalled a rumor circulating in the company: after Hao Mingxing’s performance of "Whatever" became a hit, he personally brought gifts to the composition department, supposedly for Wang Mo.

This caused quite a stir in the vocal department. After all, a singer gifting a composer was unheard of. Composers writing for singers was natural; why should the singers be the ones to give gifts? It was almost offensive.

So, many colleagues discussed the matter in less than friendly terms behind closed doors.

Su Xueyao chose to ignore their negativity, but an idea sprang to mind: Should she buy gifts, too?

What would be appropriate?

...

In the company, Liu Zhengwen, who had always been cautious, now strode with confidence, head held high, glancing left and right. He greeted everyone he passed:

"Hey, President Zhao, have you had lunch?"
"Not yet, a bit busy."
"Oh? Did you know our composition department's song 'Invisible Wings' just took first place on the New Songs Chart?"

He moved on to another.

"Hey, President Sun, where are you off to?"
"To a meeting!"
"Hahaha, you’re right—number one! 'Invisible Wings' just claimed first place! On the New Songs Chart!"

Quickly, he caught a third person.

"President Zhou, don’t walk so fast."
"I know what you're going to say. You’ve repeated it to me eight hundred times; my ears are about to sprout calluses."
"Really? Did I mention 'Invisible Wings' hitting number one on the New Songs Chart?"

Even last month, when "Whatever" topped the Newcomer Chart, Liu Zhengwen had not been so brimming with pride. The New Songs Chart carried far more weight—ten times more, at least. And September was a battleground of giants; for a newcomer to defeat a host of stars and seize the crown was harder than any other month.

Thus, Liu Zhengwen had every reason to be proud.

But soon, he spotted Wang Mo sitting in the office, eating a meat bun. If it had been anyone else eating breakfast at this hour, Liu Zhengwen might have kicked them out. But since it was Wang Mo, his arrogance melted into a dazzling smile.

"Wang Mo, having breakfast? You’re here so early, are you trying to kill yourself?"

Wang Mo glanced at the clock. It was already nine-thirty—hardly early.

Liu Zhengwen spoke earnestly: "You need to balance work and rest, you know? For composers, inspiration is everything. If you don’t rest well, where will the inspiration come from? In the future, don’t let me see you at work before ten, or you’ll face my stern criticism."

Nearby, a colleague’s eyes lit up. "President Liu, does that mean we start work at ten from now on?"

Liu Zhengwen replied with a curt, "Scram!"

"Got it."

The colleague shrank back, lowering his head and pretending to work. Liu Zhengwen snorted internally. What level are you, daring to compare yourself to Wang Mo? If you could write a song for a newcomer, release it days late, and still sweep the New Songs Chart, you could come to work at ten—or I’d even serve you breakfast in bed!

He looked at Wang Mo, beaming again. "Wang Mo, it’s already the twentieth. Lately, I’ve gotten calls from several vocal department singers, all asking if you have any other songs. If you do, they’re willing to audition. Most of these singers are well-established, including several first- and second-tier stars."

"Oh?" Wang Mo was a little surprised. "Those singers are willing to audition?"

Liu Zhengwen nodded. "You might not realize what it means to have brought Su Xueyao to the top of the New Songs Chart. Those singers are indeed prideful, and our composition department’s status is admittedly low. But your two songs have proven your absolute strength. No matter how much they appreciate themselves, they must admit Su Xueyao didn’t win on her own merit—if she had such talent, she wouldn’t have been relegated to performing at outside venues. She was elevated by your song. Because of that, those vocal department folks are willing to bow their heads and audition. Compared to the immense honor of topping the New Songs Chart, what does a bit of pride matter?"

Though Liu Zhengwen spoke calmly, his inner excitement was palpable.

To have those singers willing to audition, rather than sitting high and mighty, choosing songs at their leisure—this was a milestone breakthrough for the composition department. At the very least, they would no longer be as humble as before.

"So, what do you think?" Liu Zhengwen asked Wang Mo.

Wang Mo shook his head. "I haven’t written any songs lately, nor do I have inspiration. Let them wait."

He didn’t believe those singers had fundamentally changed their view of composers. Such ingrained attitudes wouldn’t shift in a day or two. They were willing to audition because of the huge potential benefits—a simple audition costs nothing, and if his third song became a hit, it would be a windfall.

But those singers were unaware of another matter: his profit-sharing arrangement with Hao Mingxing and Su Xueyao was two to one—he received nearly seventy percent, singers thirty percent. Which established singer would agree to such terms?

Of course, most crucially, he really had no new songs. His task was still unfinished.

After Liu Zhengwen left, Wang Mo summoned the system panel.

[Name: Wang Mo]
[Age: 22]
[Height: 179cm]
[Appearance: 90]
[Reputation: -25,956,960]
[Items: None]
[Lottery: None]
[Shop: Not yet open]
[Task: In September, get "Invisible Wings" into the top three of the New Songs Chart and earn over 100,000 reputation points (in progress)]

He glanced at his reputation—it had increased by tens of thousands; now, his reputation had gone from negative twenty-six million to negative twenty-five million.

"System, how much do I have left until I complete the task?"

The system displayed: [Host's new song has entered the top three of the New Songs Chart—objective achieved. This song has currently brought the host 38,000 reputation points; you are 62,000 short of 100,000. Please continue working hard.]

Wang Mo frowned. Too little.

"Invisible Wings" had surpassed ten million plays on Yunnet, and its total plays across the web were incalculable. By rights, a hundred thousand reputation points should have been easy to gather. Yet the reality was this song had brought him only 38,000.

There was no helping it. Few fans paid attention to the lyricist and composer.

"I need to find a way to draw the public's attention to the creators," Wang Mo mused silently.

But after thinking for some time, he found no solution. He could only rely on luck.

He asked inwardly, "System, are there any items to boost luck—like Luck Aura, Lucky Shards, Fortune Fruit, and so on?"

System: [Yes.]

Wang Mo: "Give me one!"

System: […]