Chapter 11: The New Song Chart

In the afternoon, Xu Ze arrived at Xu Yan’s recording studio, finding that she was already waiting inside. Today, she was dressed nothing like the revealing outfit she’d worn at the bar the previous night. Instead, she wore an off-white blazer, exuding a professional air—though the buttons of the blazer seemed to be struggling, on the verge of popping off under pressure.

After Xu Ze had messaged her, Xu Yan had set aside the studio’s best recording room just for him. She’d also instructed the staff that from now on, this room would no longer be available to others—it was to be reserved for Xu Ze alone, who could come and use it at any time.

“You’re here,” Xu Yan greeted him warmly, stepping forward and handing him a key. “This is the key to your exclusive recording studio. Whenever you want to use it, it’s yours.”

“Thank you, boss,” Xu Ze replied, slightly surprised. He was well aware that Xu Yan would lose a fair amount of money by doing this, but he didn’t stand on ceremony—having a studio of his own would make things much more convenient. After all, everyone had their own preferences for the equipment, and if he was the only one using it, he wouldn’t have to adjust everything each time.

At worst, he’d just go to the bar a few more times in the future to make it up to Xu Yan.

Leaning against his shoulder, Xu Yan teased him, “Why call me boss? Just call me Sister Xu.”

Feeling the softness of her arm, Xu Ze turned slightly and said, “Alright, Sister Xu. I’ll go record now.”

Watching Xu Ze’s almost hasty retreat, Xu Yan crossed her arms and grew even more intrigued by him. Any other man would have leapt at the chance to get closer to her, but this young man’s gaze remained clear and pure.

Talented, good-looking, and upright—he was the perfect boyfriend.

Xu Yan couldn’t help but sigh, “If only I were ten years younger, I’d definitely win him over.”

“Boss, I think you could win him over even now,” the receptionist teased.

“Oh, you! Get back to work!” Xu Yan laughed, flicking the girl’s forehead. “How dare you gossip about your boss.”

Once inside the recording studio, Xu Ze immediately started working on arrangements. After he’d finished the accompaniment for several songs, he took his vocal enhancer and began recording.

By the time Xu Ze emerged from the studio, it was already nine o’clock at night. The entire place was empty now, except for the receptionist, who sat idly playing on her phone.

He walked over and asked, “Where’s your boss?”

The receptionist, seeing him finally come out, replied with a hint of grievance, “She went to the bar. She told me not to disturb you and that we couldn’t close up until you were done.”

“Sorry for keeping you late,” Xu Ze apologized.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Just remember to keep your key safe. We open at nine every morning, so as long as you come after nine, we’ll be here,” she reminded him kindly.

……

Meanwhile, on the second floor of the Sacred Emperor Entertainment building, many people were still working overtime. At midnight, Wang Yihan’s new song was scheduled for release on all music platforms, aiming for the top spot on November’s new release chart.

Rumor had it that the company had spared no expense to ensure Wang Yihan would clinch first place in November’s rankings—even persuading several top-tier artists to postpone their releases until next month.

Promotions for the new song had already begun sweeping every platform.

Meanwhile, in the office of the General Manager on the fourth floor, the young idol Wang Yihan stood dutifully before the desk. Seated opposite him was a middle-aged man bearing a striking resemblance to Shi Wenjie, with a tall, poised secretary in a professional black outfit standing behind him.

At that moment, the secretary pressed her chest against the back of the man’s head, massaging his shoulders.

This man was Shi Guoqiang, the big boss of Sacred Emperor Entertainment—and Shi Wenjie’s father.

His deep voice rumbled from his throat: “Wang Yihan, tomorrow is November. The company has gone to great lengths to make sure you take first on the new song chart.”

“Even making you a judge on ‘I Am a Singer-Songwriter’ was to generate buzz for your November release.”

“You’d better be on your best behavior on the show. Understood?”

Wang Yihan hurriedly bowed his head. “Yes, boss, I understand. I’ll do my best.”

“And when it comes to our company’s contestants on the show, make sure you don’t show obvious favoritism,” Shi Guoqiang added, leaning back with a stern tone.

“Don’t worry, boss, my acting is top-notch,” Wang Yihan boasted, patting his chest.

“Top-notch, my foot,” Shi Guoqiang retorted bluntly, then, patting the leg behind him, said, “You can go now.”

“Alright.” Wang Yihan reluctantly tore his gaze from the secretary and left the office. That secretary alone was enough to make anyone’s blood run hot—if she worked for anyone else, he would have made a move long ago, but as Shi Guoqiang’s assistant, he wouldn’t dare, not for anything.

After the office door closed, Shi Guoqiang shut his eyes and murmured softly, “Kneel.”

……

When Xu Ze returned to his dorm, it was already ten o’clock. He opened the Huaxia Music Platform website—the nation’s only official music platform. All major record companies and independent online singers released their music here.

Listeners could sample each song once for free; after that, every subsequent play cost one yuan, with the platform and the artist splitting the revenue evenly.

The platform also curated various authoritative music charts, and as the official source, vote manipulation was virtually impossible. The most watched chart was the monthly New Songs Overall Chart, which was updated every month and divided into two sub-charts: the Online Singer New Songs Chart and the Huayu New Songs Chart.

The Online Singer New Songs Chart featured tracks by independent, unsigned artists—often self-produced. Though it was displayed on the homepage, few people paid attention to it.

The Huayu New Songs Chart, on the other hand, was for professional singers. Each artist’s entertainment company was listed beside their name.

Currently, the top four entertainment companies in Huaxia were Sacred Emperor Entertainment, Tidal Entertainment, Fire and Ice Entertainment, and Starry Sky Entertainment.

The final New Songs Overall Chart combined the two sub-charts, ranking all songs together. The primary criterion was total downloads.

In practice, the top one hundred of the Huayu New Songs Chart were also the top one hundred of the overall chart—rarely did a song by an online singer make it into the overall top one hundred.

As a result, many had suggested the platform stop counting online singers in the overall chart, but the officials insisted on keeping the rule to encourage independent creativity.

……

Xu Ze decided to upload his song “Who Will You Think of When You’re Lonely.” As for “Broken East Wind,” that would have to wait until after the show aired.

He created an account, choosing a random username: “Salted Fish.”

He uploaded the song, and after two minutes, the upload was successful. Xu Ze scheduled the release for midnight.

Stretching, he shut down his computer and went straight to bed. Ever since he’d arrived in this world, he’d made it a rule to never stay up late—after all, in his last life, it was staying up all night that led to his untimely end.