Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Third Generation of Foxfolk and the Silent One

Many times, people are just like this. In the moment, they pay no mind to fleeting things, but deep in their minds, the memory of them remains. If one day in the future they encounter the same thing again, that memory will resurface from the depths of their consciousness.

That was exactly what was happening to Zhou Peng now.

He was willing to bet that he had definitely seen “Silent” before. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall where.

Until, at last, a song played through his headphones:

“It doesn’t matter, who will fall in love with whom…”

Zhou Peng jolted in shock.

He remembered!

“‘It Doesn’t Matter’!”

A few lines of memory flashed through his mind. He quickly logged onto CloudNet and opened the details page for “It Doesn’t Matter.”

Lyrics: Silent.

Composer: Silent.

Arrangement: Silent.

Zhou Peng rubbed his eyes several times before confirming that he wasn’t mistaken.

Then, his heart began to stir.

“Is this for real?”

A look of disbelief flashed in his eyes. Both “It Doesn’t Matter” and “Invisible Wings” were written by the same person—lyrics and music both.

All along, Zhou Peng had always focused on the singers themselves when judging a great song. For example: a singer with a unique voice, a singer with impressive high notes…

As for the lyricist-composer? Like most people on Blue Star, he thought of them as mere tools. Perhaps some star composers could write good songs that added a finishing touch, but they could never have a decisive impact on the singer.

But now.

A wild and absurd thought suddenly sprang up in Zhou Peng’s mind, and once it did, he couldn’t suppress it.

He had already researched Hao Mingxing, the singer of “It Doesn’t Matter,” and Su Xueyao, the singer of “Invisible Wings.” He knew both of them were debuting newcomers who became instantly popular with one song.

He’d assumed it was their extraordinary talent.

After all, singers who become famous from a single song aren’t common in the entertainment industry, but they’re not unheard of either.

But seeing that both songs had been written and composed by “Silent,” this was strange.

Because this songwriter seemed to have written just two songs, gave them to these two singers, and both of them became overnight sensations.

Once might be coincidence.

But twice?

Zhou Peng pondered and opened Zhihu.

For national issues, ask Zhihu.

For celebrity gossip, ask Zhihu.

For secrets in the boudoir, ask Zhihu.

No matter what you don’t know, post it on Zhihu, and even the most unbelievable questions will get thorough, well-reasoned answers.

Zhou Peng didn’t post a question; he was searching for answers.

He searched for “Hao Mingxing” and “Su Xueyao,” and sure enough, many people had already analyzed these two new stars in detail.

As he read, Zhou Peng’s pupils gradually widened.

From the answers on Zhihu, he learned: neither Hao Mingxing nor Su Xueyao were particularly gifted singers.

Su Xueyao had actually debuted over a year ago, and had released two songs, but both performed abysmally. It was said that before releasing “Invisible Wings,” she’d been performing at small venues just to get by, struggling to make ends meet.

As for Hao Mingxing, his story shocked Zhou Peng even more.

Before singing “It Doesn’t Matter,” Hao Mingxing was widely regarded as a lost cause!

In other words, before they became famous, not only did these two lack talent, they were even less promising than most new recruits at entertainment companies.

“Doesn’t this mean it was Silent’s two songs that made them famous?”

As this thought took root, Zhou Peng’s heart blazed with excitement.

The more he thought, the more incredible it seemed.

He had originally wanted to share this idea with the “Discoverer No. 1” group, but in the end, he held back.

He stood there, pondering for a moment.

Then he took out his phone and made several calls.

About an hour later, Zhou Peng opened Bilibili.

After all, what young person isn’t a Bilibili fan these days? You might not check Weibo, you might not have Douyin, but you absolutely have to be on Bilibili, living freely among a crowd of passionate young people.

Not only was Zhou Peng registered on Bilibili, he was an uploader.

As a music enthusiast, he often shared his favorite songs on Bilibili, along with his own reviews. After several years, his followers had grown from zero to over thirty thousand.

Of course, in the vast sea of Bilibili, this number barely made a ripple; his channel had always been lukewarm.

Zhou Peng never harbored ambitions of making his account big or influential—it was just a hobby.

His username was: Third Generation Fox.

He glanced at his last video—it had been updated a month ago. Recently, he’d actually wanted to share and review “Invisible Wings,” but the song was so popular that there were already hundreds, if not thousands, of reviews online. To add another would be redundant, so he decided not to follow the crowd.

The comment section was full of people urging him to update.

“Has the uploader stopped updating?”

“Any good songs this month, uploader?”

“It’s been over a month, did you get arrested at a massage parlor?”

“Dead eunuch!”

“The uploader is dead, light a candle if you have news.”

“…”

Deleting the last comment, Zhou Peng pondered for a moment, then uploaded a brand new short video.

The title was: [Are lyricists and composers really just tools?]

In the video, Zhou Peng spoke eloquently: “Dear friends and family, good morning, good afternoon, and good evening. Today, we’re not talking about songs themselves, but something related to them.

Before we begin, I want to stress: everything I say next comes from a neutral standpoint, with no bias. I ask everyone to think rationally.”

Then Zhou Peng displayed several pieces of information from Zhihu about Hao Mingxing and Su Xueyao.

Hao Mingxing: 31, artist with Yunhai Media, lost his voice after vocal cord surgery, and was semi-shelved before singing “It Doesn’t Matter.”

Su Xueyao: 23, artist with Yunhai Media, had previously released two songs with under ten thousand plays. Before “Invisible Wings,” she was basically abandoned by her company and had been hustling outside for gigs.

Zhou Peng continued, “You’ve seen their profiles, right? Now for the main point of this video:

‘Silent’—when you hear this name, I bet 99.9999% of you have no idea what it means. But soon, you’ll remember it.

Because Silent is the creator behind ‘It Doesn’t Matter’ and ‘Invisible Wings’!

That’s right, you didn’t mishear.

The two biggest hits of the past two months were both written, composed, and arranged by this mysterious songwriter, Silent.

I’ve heard some inside news: after writing these two songs, Silent specifically sought out Hao Mingxing and Su Xueyao to give them the songs. I even heard that a famous singer at Yunhai Media wanted ‘Invisible Wings,’ but Silent refused and insisted on giving it to Su Xueyao.

And then, you all know what happened next.

‘It Doesn’t Matter’ topped the Newcomer Chart in August.

‘Invisible Wings’ topped the New Songs Chart in September.

Silent’s two songs were sung by two artists who’d basically been abandoned by their company. Yet they achieved a miracle that’s hard for anyone to believe—landing results on the monthly song charts that many famous singers can’t achieve in a lifetime.

Was it the singers’ extraordinary talent?

Or did the lyricist-composer play a decisive role?

In the past, we always thought songwriters were just tools. Whether a song could become famous or be loved by the audience ultimately depended on the singer’s ability. Like cooking: a dish’s taste depends on the chef’s skill—no matter how good the ingredients, they’re just materials in the chef’s hands.

But after this, I can’t help but wonder: are lyricists and composers really just tools?”

After recording, Zhou Peng reviewed his video several times, then uploaded it to Bilibili.