Three months, three great songs.
Is it common for new composers to be this prolific nowadays?
Some even started to wonder if Xianyu was some fellow composer in disguise, amusing himself at the expense of his colleagues.
After all, there's never been any industry prohibition against composers donning disguises to join the fray. And given the eccentric personalities of some music daddies, such antics were not unprecedented.
The next day, Starlight had an internal response:
Xianyu was not a disguised music dad. He was indeed a newcomer.
Many within the company who had encountered Xianyu confirmed this, adding some details: Xianyu is a male, not too old, having recently joined the composition department this year.
[]: "That explains it."
[]: "Exactly, it's not necessarily that he's extraordinarily prolific. It's just that Xianyu accumulated some great songs before officially entering the industry, and now he's releasing them in quick succession, which gives the impression of high productivity."
[]: "Still, this also speaks to his talent."
If it's not a composer's prank, then this is the only explanation left.
Some journalists attempted to interview Xianyu, hoping to catch a glimpse of the true face of this newcomer. However, they were met with Starlight's refusal, citing the reason as: "Xianyu doesn't like to be disturbed."
This was not Starlight's decision but Lin Yuan's, and for this, Old Zhou even sought Lin Yuan's opinion.
This wasn't surprising to anyone. In the industry, there are many composers with personalities similar to Xianyu's. They never grant interviews, almost entirely rejecting any form of exposure, except for their credits after their works—
Not to mention Lin Yuan.
Even some top-tier figures in the industry are so enigmatic that they're known only by name.
As a famous saying in the world of composition goes: "The farther I am from the audience, the greater the blank canvas of imagination I leave in my works."
The author of this quote is hard to ascertain, but it truly speaks to the sentiments of many composers.
People have different personalities. Some want the whole world to know them. But those who actively choose to remain in the shadows generally have no interest in the limelight.
One can't find the master in the Jianghu, but legends about the master abound everywhere. Isn't that a form of allure?
...
In the following days, "Flammable and Explosive" continued to gain momentum, with its data consistently rising and the gap with the top two narrowing.
And when the seventh day arrived, in the resting room of Sahara Entertainment, top-tier singer Zheng Liang urged his assistant, "Quick, call the PR department. I want more advertising resources. The gap with the first place isn't very large!"
"Sure!"
The assistant was also excited, feeling that the dawn of victory had already appeared. But as he was about to leave, Zheng Liang's manager suddenly stopped him. "No need."
Zheng Liang frowned. "What do you mean, 'no need'?"
The manager said, "The rankings have already changed."
Zheng Liang was in disbelief. "Am I first now?"
The manager shook his head. "You're third."
Zheng Liang suspected he had misheard. "Aren't I second?"
The manager sighed. "We miscalculated."
After a few seconds of silence, Zheng Liang sighed as if resigning himself. "I've been caught up with again, huh?"
The manager looked at him. "Didn't you anticipate this a while ago?"
Zheng Liang nodded. "But I didn't expect to be caught up so quickly, I was hoping to occupy the first place for a bit before 'Flammable and Explosive' could top it."
Indeed.
Zheng Liang was well aware that "Flammable and Explosive" would undoubtedly become the top track of the month; he simply wished to briefly claim the top spot one more time.
"It's so humbling," he thought with a hint of helplessness.
His manager consoled him, "Anyway, tomorrow, the first place will change hands, so not getting first, second, or third—what's the difference?"
"Yeah," Zheng Liang smiled, "Now, there's probably no one in the world who understands Chen Zhiyu's feelings better than I do."
...
In fact, it didn't wait for the next day.
Because that evening at 8 o'clock, the first place was already changing hands.
Everyone who checked the new music chart would see that the first place had turned into "Flammable and Explosive."
Lyrics/Composition: Xianyu
Downloads: 335,100
You have to admit that this download count is much higher than the first-week data for the top ten on the new music chart.
But that's the appeal of famous singers.
Even Zhao Yingge's popularity is not comparable to that of pure newcomers, after all, he was the champion of "Rising Star."
Moreover, Xianyu is no longer a pure newcomer like back then; he already has two signature pieces under his belt.
However, the industry's astonishment was still not in short supply.
Although the first-day performance of "Flammable and Explosive" had already foreshadowed this outcome—
"Comeback."
"Upset."
"Dark horse."
"Two-stage reversal."
Almost these exact words appeared in the minds of countless people.
"No one had anticipated that the collaboration between Dazzling Silverfire and Sahara, meant to seal their victory, would inadvertently make them stepping stones for Zhao Yingge!
On this day, the headlines in the media in Qin Prefecture unanimously changed to: "Zhao Yingge's debut single, surpassing two A-list singers!"
What was initially a competition among A-list singers turned Zheng Liang and Chen Zhiyu into supporting acts. The combined efforts of Dazzling Silverfire and Sahara seemed less like a strike against the star, Zhao Yingge, and more like willingly providing two high-quality assists.
Zhao Jue couldn't stop laughing. When she first learned that Dazzling Silverfire and Sahara were teaming up to target Starlight, she almost thought Zhao Yingge had no hope.
Little did she know, "Flammable and Explosive" forcefully overshadowed the fame of the other singers and propelled Zhao Yingge to the top.
The assessments from some in the industry were spot on. This was a textbook case of how a hit song could lift an artist's career.
Zhao Jue was one to repay favors. As soon as her song reached the top, she immediately called her competitor to thank her for her assistance, Ximei. Her first words were, "I must thank Dazzling Silverfire for the assist."
"Heh," Ximei couldn't possibly miss the sarcasm in Zhao Jue's tone. After all, they had torn into each other more than once.
Ximei retaliated immediately, using the same tone, "Xianyu raised Zhao Yingge to a level that doesn't belong to her."
"Don't bother."
In this industry, 80% of successful singers owe their success to hit songs. Zhao Jue hung up with a cheerful demeanor.
Next, she called her old rival from Sahara. The chief of Sahara's tone was even more acrid, directly uttering a curse, "The higher you climb, the harder you fall."
"But you have to climb high in the first place," Zhao Jue burst into laughter.
This level of retaliation hardly disturbed her, but it did help release her earlier frustration.
At this moment, as she watched her song climb to the top, Zhao Yingge's emotions were like a rollercoaster. Just like Zhao Jue, she believed that with two A-list appearances in a month, winning was impossible.
But at her most despairing moment, Xianyu staged a miracle in the form of a hit song, "Flammable and Explosive," taking only a week to become the top track of the month.
In a more straightforward manner, it could be said that when confronted with an outstanding song, all schemes and tricks are in vain; a great song can break through any obstacle!
Just as the song title suggests, it's both fiery and... explosive!"