Have you ever been a celebrity? Why are you writing about entertainment?

"Three minutes left..."

At 7:57, Liao Ling opened the album page on the music platform.

Against a deep blue background, there is only a blurry silhouette of Yu Wei's profile, seemingly submerged in water, with a countdown below: 00:2:54.

Social media was already buzzing, with a deep red "explosive" following #YuWei'sReadingVoice#, and the real-time feed was refreshing at a speed she couldn't keep up with.

"I tested the internet speed eight times, and I even got the Wi-Fi password for my neighbor!"

"100% battery, phone volume turned up to 70%, the ritual is complete."

"Overseas Party members are in sync, I didn't dare sleep all night!"

This is Yu Wei's first full-length album, featuring eleven songs, all of which are original compositions.

The three songs are still not released, but they have already whetted the appetites of netizens in the novel. This extreme scarcity marketing precisely targets the most unbearable spot for everyone, and she is no exception.

Liao Ling thought of herself as an ordinary fan, but as the countdown drew closer, she found herself inexplicably nervous.

Everyone can have a digital album, but at times like this, there still needs to be some sense of ritual.

If I had just openly admitted that I was a fan, maybe we could have added each other as friends and collected some stamps. We do have some connection, so it's not impossible that I could have given them a special number.

Garlic Bird, it's fine to be a regular fan secretly. Yu Wei has been going in and out of the CCTV building a lot lately, it would be awkward if we met.

At 58 minutes past the hour, Liao Ling shut down all unnecessary programs, leaving only the music platform and payment software.

With each tick of the countdown, her heart skipped a beat. She remembered the concert last year, when she was sitting there watching that figure shine on stage.

From that day on, she began to pay close attention to Yu Wei, giving him tips whenever she found something interesting, and then inexplicably she rose to third place on the leaderboard...

At 59 minutes, the world seemed to be muted. She hovered her index finger above the screen, trembling slightly, as the countdown ticked away.

00:00:10、9、8……

She held her breath, and the gray button instantly turned into a dark blue "Buy Now" message.

Click!

The page rotated, loaded... That second felt like an eternity, her heart pounding in her chest.

Then, the page smoothly redirects, the quantity is "1", fingerprint verification is required, the screen changes again, and a checkmark appears: "Congratulations, purchase successful!"

Before Liao Ling could even catch her breath, she was stunned by what she saw: the list contained not 11 songs, but 22.

what happened?

If it weren't for the eye-catching "Seven Mile Fragrance" logo, she would have doubted that she had bought the wrong item.

Liao Ling scrolled down and found another song, "Seven Mile Fragrance." If it wasn't a bug, then there was only one possibility.

Every song on this album has two versions: one is sung by Yu Wei herself, and the other is sung by the indigenous singer who appeared in the novel competition.

Yu Wei had thought about this issue when he was making the album. These songs were originally meant to be sung by the "people" who were most suitable for them in his novels.

This is one of the song's distinctive features; if a rough version is available, a formal version is definitely a must.

However, if the album is full of processed voices from indigenous singers, Yu Wei's personal characteristics will be diluted.

Furthermore, even the most sophisticated sound processing can have flaws. Using a song with altered voice as the album's title track is not only of poor quality but also unreasonable and easily invites criticism.

So Yu Wei simply decided to include both versions: those who prefer the original sound can listen to the native version, while those who demand higher overall sound quality can listen to his version, allowing everyone to choose what they need.

For my first album, I can't make things difficult for anyone but my fans. I need to be comprehensive so that they feel they've gotten more than their money's worth.

It's more than just great value for money.
After figuring out the situation, the fans felt like they had hit the jackpot. They got the songs from two albums for the price of one album. They could laugh in their sleep.

Although the number of songs has remained the same, music is a very different thing. Different versions by different singers can vary greatly. Many singers would love to release a new version of a song every year and sell it for a lifetime.

Even if Yu Wei released a separate album with a drastic change in timbre, people would still be willing to buy it, but he didn't do that.

One album, 22 songs all at once, how can you describe such a generous offer?
Almost by muscle memory, Liao Ling's thumb fell again, pressing the first play button.

"Click."

A very faint sound, mimicking the sound of a vinyl record needle falling, resonated deep within her ear canal through the top-of-the-line headphone unit.

Then, the musical notes flowed out.

Although both are "Seven Mile Fragrance", Yu Wei's own version is completely different in style from Zhou Mulun's version in the novel.

This wasn't just a change in timbre; it was a complete re-singing, done in a way different from the character in the novel...

Having mastered the songs perfectly, Yu Wei's interpretation of these works is second to none, thus providing listeners with two completely different and ultimate listening experiences.

The same song, but with two different interpretations, achieved a perfect score. Who wouldn't say that this is a masterpiece?
This is no ordinary act of conscience; it's genuinely benefiting fans. Those who bought it immediately felt they made a huge profit, and those who were initially hesitant had no reason to argue anymore.

"I've been stingy my whole life, but I never thought I'd break down like this today. I couldn't hold back anymore."

"One song, two completely different experiences, what a steal."

"Keep my first time safe, Yu Wei!"

"Not only are the singing styles of the two versions different, but the novel version of the song is also of better quality than the one in the competition, with much more refined tuning."

This album is such a great deal, I'd feel like I'm missing out if I didn't buy it. It's only 20 yuan, which isn't even enough to top up your phone credit these days, but it gives you 22 songs that Yu Wei has meticulously prepared. I just can't resist; even the stingiest person would have to pluck a couple of feathers before leaving...

Shortly after the album's release, total sales, including pre-orders, surpassed nine million. However, amidst the escalating online frenzy, the platform's servers crashed.

They simulated hundreds of thousands or millions, but didn't calculate the tens of millions. Who would have thought that Yu Wei was so good at business that he would directly hold a clearance sale?

Fortunately, the engineers monitored the status of each microservice and switched to the backup solution in an emergency when a bottleneck occurred; otherwise, they would have been heavily criticized by netizens.

Nevertheless, the hashtag "platform crashed" still trended on social media, with netizens using it to describe the immense popularity of Yu Wei's album.

Longtime fans have no time for gossip; their priority now is to uncover the true nature of those three mysterious works…

In order to recreate the novel's plot, everyone unanimously chose the indigenous version, listening to the outdated "Heaven and Earth Dragon Scales" first.

The cover features the roof ridge of the Forbidden City in a dark gold tone, with a ridge beast standing quietly on the eaves, as if watching over a thousand years of time.

The theme of the competition for these three songs was history, so it seems that Yu Wei hasn't forgotten the setting of his novel.

Liao Ling unconsciously sat up straight, took a deep breath, and pressed play.

At first, there were extremely light, almost inaudible breaths, like someone gently brushing away the dust from the scroll of history in the silence before dawn.

Then, a deep, resonant bell, like the sound of a great bell, came from afar, "Dong."

The sound didn't seem to come from the headphones; rather, it seemed to flow slowly into her ears from the depths of time, along the long river of history.

The prelude gradually becomes richer, incorporating deep and powerful drumbeats, with the mournful sound of the xiao (vertical flute) weaving through it.

The string ensemble quietly joined in, washing over us like a tide, solemn and magnificent, yet subtly conveying an indescribable sense of tragic grandeur.

The grandeur of the prelude exceeded their expectations. Just then, the voice of Wang Er, an indigenous singer, rang out. It was a voice that had been tempered by time, yet remained warm and gentle.

"I started writing this country

The national bloodline is tens of thousands of miles away

for centuries and six hundred years

The descendants of the dragon have weathered many storms.

His pronunciation of each word was as clear as if carved in stone, yet it was full of emotion. The two words "starting to write" were pronounced particularly clearly, carrying a sense of unwavering strength.

As he sang the second half of the line, his voice carried a sense of narrative vicissitude.

His distinctive voice quickly attracted everyone's attention. This native's voice seemed quite good, very captivating.

Unfortunately, it's already obsolete...

They felt a little embarrassed when they thought about it. It was a blind pitch back then, and who knew that this person would have such an excellent style?

"This dragon scale was once

Falling to the ground like broken ice
A single scale, an inch of heart
The story is so turbulent I can't bear to listen.

The singing suddenly dropped, and the line was sung almost as a sigh.

Dragon scales are a symbol of supreme power, yet when they land, they are "like shattered ice"—crisp, fragile, and melting away in an instant.

This isn't about scales; it's about the glory and fragility of dynasties throughout history, about the helplessness of seemingly indestructible things in the face of history.

This song perfectly captures the theme of the final match in the third round. It is not only grand and majestic but also carries the helplessness of having read through countless historical records. It is practically a perfect essay.

They actually eliminated this song?

The singer choked up for a moment here, as if the weight of the lyrics had moved the singer himself.

Netizens already regretted it after hearing this. No, this native's strength was a bit too overwhelming. Did he just go offline like that?
They cast their votes themselves, and now that the fourth round of the competition has begun, there's no room for maneuver.

Wang Er no longer has a chance to perform; this song is his swan song in the competition...

Before the chorus begins, the music builds up energy, with the strings and drums becoming denser, and you can clearly feel that the climax is coming.

Just as the audience was still appreciating the characteristics of Wang Er's voice, all the instruments suddenly exploded, the sound pressure like a giant dragon soaring into the sky.

"People observe etiquette and keep their hearts calm."

The melodious guqin plays the heart of a gentleman.
I waited for a response while remaining calm.
The vast and profound Chinese civilization.

His voice was like molten gold shining in the sun, and his high notes lasted for six beats, with the resonance in his chest cavity making the listeners' eardrums go numb.

Although the song was sung by Yu Wei, his voice was truly captivating. Throughout the entire chorus, his voice maintained a high level of energy and quality, making it a very enjoyable listening experience, truly giving the feeling of a "dragon's roar."

This exciting singing style, coupled with these powerful and meaningful lyrics... what exactly did they eliminate?
Is it too late to regret now?
If the competition proceeded normally, "Heaven and Earth Dragon Scales" would actually be the song that best fits the "historical" theme among the three.

The problem is that this competition is a blind vote, so everyone knows nothing and will naturally tend to vote for song titles that are already popular.

"Cao Cao" and "Disliking Dream of the Red Chamber" have unique advantages in this regard...

You can't blame them for being blind; blame Yu Wei for being rotten to the core. If he hadn't used blind voting to sell albums, would Wang Er have been eliminated?

The unscrupulous businessman has already come forward; it's this guy who caused us to lose such a valuable asset!
From a conscientious seller to a ruthless profiteer, it only takes the time it takes to sing a song…

When they voted, they were blind to the great man and called him Wang Er. Now that they've heard the song, what should they call him?
"Rise, my second brother!" (End of Chapter)