Chapter 44: Why Hasn’t This Bastard Sawed Through Yet!
At the beginning of the year, the Empire’s three major entertainment companies joined forces with several top music streaming platforms to launch the “Dynamic Hits Chart,” aiming to expand their market, promote new artists, and create golden tracks.
The chart includes every singer’s latest singles released that year. In other words, as long as a singer’s new song makes it onto the chart, they’ll enjoy a burst of popularity.
Moreover, the three entertainment companies and the streaming platforms guarantee the fairness, justice, and transparency of the chart with their reputations.
Once this initiative was announced, music critics flocked to lavish praise upon it.
They hailed the Dynamic Hits Chart as an innovative milestone in the music industry. On one hand, the chart follows the principle of “only after the wild sand is blown away does the gold emerge,” allowing great songs to stand out through rankings; on the other, it restores equality to music, giving talented but overlooked musicians a chance to turn their fortunes around...
All in all, the praise was endless.
Ren Qian simply smiled and let it go.
Without the promotional resources of entertainment companies, even top-tier singers with mediocre songs would find entering the chart nothing short of wishful thinking.
Meanwhile, artists who should have made it onto the chart might miss out due to insufficient promotion.
Ultimately, the chart is just another net for the industry to reap profits, and only a couple of lucky fish slip through to make a breakthrough.
Since the Dynamic Hits Chart had caught his attention, Ren Qian decided to follow it for a while.
The homepage of the Wangyi music player featured the “2016 Dynamic Hits Chart.”
The most prominent was the annual chart, but it hadn’t opened yet. According to the rules, it only opens in the last two months of the year, and rankings are determined by user votes.
Below the annual chart were the monthly and weekly charts.
The monthly chart collects all songs released by singers that month, then ranks them based on play counts and download numbers.
Next to the “2016 Dynamic Hits Monthly Chart” was a line of equal-sized text: “Past Monthly Hits.”
Clicking in, you could see the top ten hits from previous months, ranked by download and play data.
It was March 12th, so the chart displayed the top ten hits from January and February.
Professional elements like arrangements, vocal performance, and lyricism are boiled down to a simple, direct ranking.
This approach is more effective than promotion by a single music platform.
After all, ordinary listeners don’t analyze the technicalities—like counting the number of bass chords in the first movement or measuring the speed of the guitar in the second section.
They listen for pleasure; as long as the song is catchy and easy to sing along to, that’s enough.
Thus, the chart is the most straightforward method.
If a company wants to boost an artist, they simply use their resources to get the singer into the top ten of the monthly chart. Once a song breaks into the top ten, even if the singer doesn’t become wildly popular, they’ll at least gain some recognition.
In summary, the chart created by the three major companies is just another way to manufacture stars.
Yet, with the launch of the chart, the biggest beneficiary turned out to be his father-in-law.
His songs “Rogue” and “Voice of the Vagabond” had just been added, and they shot up the chart with lightning speed, occupying the first and second spots.
However, Ren Qian had never heard his father-in-law’s version of these songs.
He clicked on “Voice of the Vagabond.”
The guitar intro played, and Ren Qian began to sway along; he had been obsessed with this classic for a time—
The lively rhythm, philosophical lyrics, and the clear, ringing voice of the legendary singer Andy Sam added the feeling of wisdom from someone who had walked the path themselves, making you feel as if spring had arrived.
His father-in-law’s voice was naturally clear and melodious, and his effortless interpretation brought something extra to the song.
“This song is so beautiful.”
The nurse girl wrapped her arms around Ren Qian’s neck, her whole body draped over him. Their faces were pressed together, intimately close.
“Of course! Just look at who wrote it. That’s the extraordinary, pure, and brilliant young Ren Qian…”
“You’re so full of yourself!”
They bantered and played, and before they knew it, the music reached the whistling part. Ren Qian whistled along with the rhythm. The nurse girl, unable to whistle like a rascal, simply followed along with soft hushing sounds, like a little girl.
“I suddenly remembered something funny, haha.
Back when I was learning violin, time was tight and I didn’t want to disturb the neighbors. So I’d spend half an hour at night practicing near the construction site.
One night, a few migrant workers came and squatted by the roadside, watching me play for the whole evening. It was around midnight.
Eventually, they couldn’t take the monotonous melody anymore. They left angrily, cursing as they did.
Guess what they yelled?”
Ren Qian still felt a bit bitter recalling it. He’d spent his days hustling for small gigs to earn money and practiced late at night to chase his musical dream. But it was in that environment that he learned so much, gaining both knowledge and skill.
“What did they say?”
“They said: ‘What the hell! Boring! This guy’s been sawing for so long and still hasn’t cut through!’”
The nurse girl paused for a moment, and three seconds later… she burst out laughing, rolling off Ren Qian’s back and crouching on the floor, clutching her stomach.
…
The next day, the nurse girl slept in, since her classes were few.
Ren Qian, on the other hand, had to attend a lecture in a large classroom where everyone sat wherever they liked. He picked and chose, finally settling in the middle.
He hadn’t expected the spot to be so conspicuous—as a campus celebrity at Jiangnan University, Ren Qian was instantly recognized by the female students. Yes, the same girls who’d gone wild at the New Year’s Eve party.
Heh.
The girls descended upon him like prospectors striking gold, their eyes sparkling as they scrambled to sit around him, accompanied by a buzz of chatter.
“Look at him, so handsome! I want to hold him tight and give him a big kiss~”
The seductive student, her face thickly made up, spoke in a sweet voice just loud enough for Ren Qian to hear, but not enough to draw attention from others. Indeed, girls have their own ways of attracting boys. Ren Qian was seeing it firsthand.
For example, the girl beside him leaned softly against her seat, openly signaling to Ren Qian that she was a young woman with notable curves.
“So handsome! If only I had a boyfriend like that~ Kiss him during the day, have fun at night, just thinking about it makes me excited.”
Another girl joined the conversation.
She wore a pungent, cheap perfume that filled the area with the scent of a third-rate motel.
Ren Qian was so overwhelmed by the smell that he wanted to leave, but the way out was blocked.
“Such shallow people! So vulgar! Can’t you think bigger? If it were me, I’d have him father lots of handsome sons, raise them well, and bring happiness to even more women, hahaha!”
Ren Qian: “…”
The girls on either side seemed to be moving closer. Damn, what should he do? Is he about to be assaulted?
Ren Qian stood up quickly, smiling politely as he addressed the girl next to him: “Excuse me, could you please let me out? I need to go wash my hands.”
The “young lady” lifted her chin and gazed at him with a lovestruck, dreamy look, utterly unwilling to move aside.
She’d fantasized countless times about meeting Brother Qian. Where would it happen?
On the cherry blossom avenue of the campus?
She would be at her most beautiful age, the afternoon sun dazzling, cherry blossoms in full bloom.
She would hold her books to her chest, look up under the flowers, and see his handsome face smiling gently at her.
Man and cherry blossoms, both glowing, creating a scene overflowing with love.
Hehehe…
Lost in her own imagination, she couldn’t help but break into a wide smile.
Ren Qian was speechless.
Her expression looked just like Fei Yuqing.