Chapter Sixty-One: As for the first place, whoever wants it can have it!

This day was October 18.

CCTV had chosen to air the documentary "The Forbidden City" in the latter half of October because this month held special significance; broadcasting it on such a date would resonate even more deeply with the public’s patriotic sentiments.

Thus, “Dragon Scales of Heaven and Earth” could only be released in mid-October.

“Forget about topping the charts.”

Liu Zhengwen immediately found Wang Mo and gave him a heads-up: “Although ‘Dragon Scales of Heaven and Earth’ is an excellent song, it’s already late October. There are only twelve days left in the month—even the best song can’t climb into the top three at this point. If we’re lucky, maybe it’ll break into the top ten.”

Wang Mo nodded.

He was already well aware of this.

So he hadn’t expected “Dragon Scales of Heaven and Earth” to reach number one on the new song chart like his previous two works.

“Let’s just go with the flow,” Wang Mo said with a smile.

What mattered to him was the impact the song could create after its release, not its ranking.

Although the new song chart could reflect a song’s quality to some extent, it was not the only measure. There were also the hot song chart, the golden hits chart... Any of these carried more weight than the new song chart.

Liu Zhengwen was about to say more when the phone rang.

He answered, and his face darkened instantly, his voice cold as frost: “I see—I thought they’d grown more civil, but it turns out they were just biding their time. So now they want to wipe us out in one swoop?”

A moment later, Liu Zhengwen hung up with a sharp click.

Wang Mo asked in surprise, “Mr. Liu, what happened?”

Liu Zhengwen’s expression was grave: “Qiming Entertainment and Canstar Culture have joined forces again.”

Wang Mo asked, “Why?”

“Because we’ve drawn too much attention lately.” Liu Zhengwen frowned. “As the saying goes: ‘The tallest tree catches the wind.’ Yunhai Media took first place on both the newcomer and new song charts in August and September. Your ‘Invisible Wings’ swept the new song chart back then. The results were real, but it also made other entertainment companies unhappy.

Ordinary outfits don’t dare provoke us, but Qiming and Canstar are different.

I’ve just received word that the top dozen or so singers from this month’s charts have suddenly launched aggressive promotional campaigns.

Originally, we had three songs in the top ten of the new song and newcomer charts this month, and even had a second-tier singer solidly holding third place. But now, with those two companies collaborating, our three songs have been yanked down the rankings in an instant.

Especially the singer who was at number three—he’s now slipped all the way to eighth, and is about to drop out of the top ten entirely.”

Wang Mo didn’t reply.

This was a company matter.

But the next second, Liu Zhengwen looked at him: “Don’t think this has nothing to do with you. Besides wanting to suppress Yunhai’s momentum, they’re also coming for you. Why do you think they chose to launch their campaign today? They want to hijack your buzz.”

“Why?” Wang Mo was baffled.

He was just a songwriter, after all.

Besides, “Dragon Scales of Heaven and Earth” was being released mid-month—surely that didn’t warrant targeting by Qiming and Canstar?

Liu Zhengwen said, “Have you forgotten? The two chart-topping songs in August and September were both written by you. That alone makes you a thorn in the side of many singers. This time, even before your third song has been released, it’s already stirred up a storm of discussion online. They absolutely can’t let you steal the spotlight again.

No matter how good your third song is, their goal is to kill it in the cradle.”

Such was the rivalry between top-tier companies.

Quality was irrelevant; they’d crush it regardless.

As long as “Dragon Scales of Heaven and Earth” failed to make a splash, the silent miracle would end, Yunhai Media’s momentum would be stifled, and the debate over the composer’s status would quietly fade away.

A win on multiple fronts.

Why wouldn’t they do it?

Of course, it wasn’t that Yunhai Media was particularly detestable or uniquely targeted by the other two giants.

This kind of alliance happened frequently among the three titans.

If Qiming were in trouble, Canstar would just as likely team up with Yunhai.

If Canstar ran into trouble, Yunhai would cooperate with Qiming.

None of them could stand to see the others succeed.

...

Canstar Culture.

Ye Yuanhang was sprawled on the sofa, popping sun-kissed grapes into his mouth.

After a while, he glanced at his agent. “Are we going too hard this time?”

This time, with Canstar and Qiming’s leading artists working together, they’d blitzed the entire chart, sending Yunhai’s singers crashing down in defeat.

Yunhai had originally boasted three singers in the top ten!

Now, they were nearly wiped out.

As a near-superstar, Ye Yuanhang was one of the executioners.

Last month, his new song had been crushed to smithereens by “Invisible Wings.” For someone of his stature, that was utterly humiliating.

So in October, Ye Yuanhang returned with a vengeance, releasing another new song and vowing to reclaim everything he’d lost.

And he had done it.

Upon release, his new song instantly seized the top spot on the new song chart.

Currently, his track “The Returning Fine Rain” was sitting firmly at number one, and he’d been actively interacting with other charting singers, leaving Yunhai’s artists with no hope of a comeback.

His agent chuckled. “Too hard? Did you forget how you were ganged up on by the singers ranked two through ten?”

Ye Yuanhang shivered.

That had been a nightmare.

He clenched his fist. “In that case, let’s go even harder!”

After a pause,

Ye Yuanhang asked, “Has the theme song for ‘The Forbidden City’ been released yet?”

His agent nodded. “Yes, the official account has announced it. The theme song, ‘Dragon Scales of Heaven and Earth,’ along with its music video, is now out on all major music platforms.”

“Heh.” Ye Yuanhang grinned. “Wuyan really does have guts—working with the official documentary on the theme song is one thing, but releasing it this late in October? Has he given up on the charts?”

The agent replied matter-of-factly, “Even if he released the song at the start of the month, he wouldn’t stand a chance. How can a documentary’s theme song compete for chart rankings? I’d wager he’s already planned his retreat: by releasing now, even if the song doesn’t make waves in the music scene, no one can accuse him of making a bad song.”

Ye Yuanhang sneered. “Whatever the case, Wuyan is still afraid. Did the company roll out all our publicity?”

The agent nodded. “The campaign is in full swing—not just for your song, but for all our company’s artists and Qiming’s as well. The two companies are cooperating and supporting each other. The exposure for Wuyan’s third song has already been suppressed to its lowest possible point.”

Ye Yuanhang said, “Good.”

The two giants were closing in on Yunhai.

After a month of pent-up frustration, Ye Yuanhang finally felt some relief.

He hated it!

He hated the way he himself had been swarmed last month.

Now, he wanted Wuyan to endure that pain as well.

The agent continued, “Yunhai Media is no longer a threat. What you should focus on is the second place on the new song chart. That’s Cheng Yun, a first-tier artist from Qiming. His song, ‘Latticed Window,’ isn’t far behind yours in numbers. Even though our companies are working together now, we can’t let him overtake you.”

Ye Yuanhang replied, “I’m keeping an eye on the chart.”

He tossed a few more sun-kissed grapes into his mouth, chewing as he mumbled, “Cheng Yun’s song is still a ways behind mine. It won’t be easy for him to surpass me. What I am curious about is what Wuyan’s third song is really like.”

With that,

He turned on his computer and quickly found “Dragon Scales of Heaven and Earth.”

He put on his headphones.

Clicked play.

At first, he listened absentmindedly. But soon, a jolt ran through him, and he sat utterly still for several minutes.

Suddenly,

Ye Yuanhang ripped off his headphones and turned to his agent. “You said Cheng Yun’s numbers are close to mine?”

The agent replied, “Yes.”

Ye Yuanhang said, “Tell the company right now—immediately! Stop all promotion for my new song! Cheng Yun wants first place on the new song chart? Give it to him! Give it to him right now!”

The agent asked in confusion, “What’s gotten into you?”

Ye Yuanhang suddenly let out a laugh, looking somewhat dazed.

After a moment, his face twisted with a snarl. “Let anyone have the top spot—I don’t want it anymore! I’m not going through that pain again!”