In the fiery red era of the heavens, refrigerators are refreshed daily.

The August sun was bright, the persimmon tree leaves were lush and green, and small green fruits had already begun to appear.

In the days that followed, the album's popularity continued to rise.

As the album became a bestseller across Asia, an interesting phenomenon began to emerge—many ordinary people who almost never buy albums from singers joined the rush to buy them after hearing these songs.

Among these people were workers, teachers, government officials, and retired seniors. They don't usually follow celebrities or pay attention to entertainment news, but when they heard Yang Guangming's songs, they were attracted by his unique voice and couldn't help but want to buy an album to listen to at home.

Yan Pingsheng would call Yang Guangming every day to report on the latest market developments.

"Young Master Ming, there's another new development today." His voice was excited on the other end of the phone. "Our people discovered during market research that there are many new faces in the record market among those buying albums now. In the past, it was mostly young people buying records, but now there are more middle-aged and elderly people as well."

Yang Guangming leaned back in his chair, listening.

"Today at a music and video store on Hong Kong Island, our researchers met a woman in her fifties. She said she doesn't usually listen to pop songs, but she heard 'At Least I Still Have You' in her daughter's car and thought it was so good that she asked her daughter to bring her to buy it. She also said that Yang Guangming's voice warms people's hearts."

Yang Guangming smiled and said, "Auntie is quite cute."

“That’s right,” Yan Pingsheng continued. “There’s an even funnier one. There was an old gentleman in his seventies from Taiwan who came to buy an album. The clerk asked him who he was buying it for, and he said he was buying it for himself. The clerk was surprised and said, ‘You’re so old, and you still listen to pop songs?’ The old gentleman said, ‘What does it matter if it’s pop or not, as long as it sounds good.’ He heard someone playing ‘Wild Geese’ in the park, and he liked it immediately. He insisted on buying a copy to listen to slowly at home.”

Zuo Xiaoqing, who was listening nearby, couldn't help but laugh: "Brother Guangming, even the old man likes your songs."

Yang Guangming put his arm around her shoulder: "Good songs know no age."

Stories like this happen every day.

In a music store in Beijing, a man in his forties walked in and asked directly, "Do you have Yang Guangming's new album?"

The clerk nodded: "Yes, we have cassette tapes, CDs, and vinyl records."

"Give me a CD," the man said. "My daughter plays it at home every day. At first, I thought it was too noisy, but after listening to it for a while, I started to like it myself. Especially the song 'My Deskmate,' it reminds me of my youth."

The shop assistant smiled and handed him the CD, adding, "These days, many people your age come to buy it."

The man smiled: "That means the song is well-written and well-sung."

An elderly couple walked out of a music and video store in Shanghai, hand in hand, with the old lady holding a cassette tape in her hand.

"Old man, let's play this when we get back."

“Okay, you’re in charge,” the old man said with a smile. “But you have to tell me the lyrics, I can’t hear them very well.”

"What are you talking about? Just listen to it yourself. With that voice, you can make people cry without even looking at the lyrics."

In a music and audio store in Guangzhou, a young girl brought her mother to buy albums.

"Mom, this is the one."

Mom took the cassette tape, looked at the cover, and asked, "Is this the Yang Guangming you were talking about?"

"Yes, it's him. Mom, you'll know once you hear him sing, he's really good."

The mother was skeptical: "Can it really be as miraculous as you say?"

A middle-aged woman who was picking out cassette tapes nearby chimed in, "Sister, your daughter is right, it really does sound good. I came here specifically to buy it after hearing it played by a colleague."

Mom laughed: "Then I really have to listen carefully."

After these ordinary people joined the rush to buy, album sales not only did not slow down, but instead showed a continuous upward trend.

Yan Pingsheng originally predicted that sales would gradually decline after the initial surge in the first week. But it now seems that the album's popularity has only just begun.

Every day, new people are attracted, and new orders fly in from all over the world.

Yan Pingsheng's daily reports of good news were getting larger and larger.

"Young Master Ming, that's seven and a half million!"

"Young Master Ming, it's eight million!"

"Young Master Ming, that's eight and a half million!"

Every time Yang Guangming hears these numbers, he feels calm, but also a sense of satisfaction.

This album is a gift to my mother and a memento of my eighteenth birthday. The fact that so many people like it shows that these songs truly touch people's hearts.

August 25th, Beijing.

Yang Guangming was chatting with Zuo Xiaoqing in the yard when the phone rang.

He answered the phone, and Yan Pingsheng's voice came through the receiver, trembling with excitement: "Young Master Ming! It's out! The first month's sales figures are in!"

Yang Guangming smiled and said, "President Yan, please speak slowly."

"Ten million and five hundred thousand copies!" Yan Pingsheng's voice rose eight octaves. "Young Master Ming, a full ten million and five hundred thousand copies! In the first month of its release, sales across Asia exceeded ten million copies! This is a miracle! This is a legend!"

Yang Guangming was stunned for a moment.

He knew the album would be a hit, and he knew his voice had a natural appeal, but the fact that it sold over ten million copies in the first month was still beyond his expectations.

"Mr. Yan, have the numbers been confirmed?"

"I've checked it countless times!" Yan Pingsheng exclaimed excitedly. "I had my staff double-check it, and I personally checked it three times myself. It's absolutely correct! Young Master Ming, we've made history! The Chinese music scene has never achieved anything like this before!"

Yang Guangming was silent for a few seconds, then smiled: "Mr. Yan, you've worked hard."

"It's not hard work at all!" Yan Pingsheng said repeatedly. "Young Master Ming, do you know what this means? It means that your album has sold more in a month than most singers sell in a lifetime! What does that mean? It's phenomenal!"

The two chatted for a few more minutes, and Yan Pingsheng calmed himself down before getting down to business.

"Young Master Ming, with first-month sales exceeding ten million, we need to adjust our targets. I previously said we'd aim for twenty million within a year, but now it seems that was too conservative. At the current pace, we could easily reach twenty million within six months!"

Yang Guangming thought for a moment: "President Yan, do you have a plan?"

"Yes!" Yan Pingsheng said confidently. "I plan to increase the publicity efforts and launch another round of advertising on the existing basis. In addition, I plan to apply for the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry's diamond record certification."

"Diamond Record Certification?"

“That’s right!” Yan Pingsheng explained, “This is a certification issued by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). A diamond record is equivalent to ten million copies sold. Some domestic singers have claimed to have sold over ten million copies, but none of them have received international certification. It’s all just hype, and there’s a lot of exaggeration involved. Our album has a solid ten million copies sold. Once it gets certified, it will be a breakthrough for Chinese singers, a truly prestigious honor!”

Yang Guangming nodded: "That's a good idea. Mr. Yan, you can make the arrangements."

“There’s one more thing,” Yan Pingsheng continued. “Young Master Ming, I plan to increase our global promotion efforts.”

Yang Guangming was somewhat surprised: "Globally? Is that necessary?"

“It’s absolutely necessary!” Yan Pingsheng’s voice was filled with excitement. “Young Master Ming, do you know that we recently conducted a survey and discovered a particularly interesting phenomenon—this album also has a great appeal to non-Chinese speaking audiences.”

The sunlight is bright.

Yan Pingsheng continued, "Our album is primarily promoted throughout Asia, but we've also done some promotion within Chinese communities outside of Asia, such as the Chinese community in the United States. We didn't originally expect non-Chinese people to buy it, but recently we've discovered that many foreigners have also bought the album. We conducted a small-scale survey and found that although these people don't understand the lyrics, they are all attracted by your voice. They think the singer's voice is particularly beautiful, and once they start listening, they want to keep listening, even if they don't understand the lyrics, they still enjoy listening, so they decided to buy the album."

Yang Guangming laughed: "Is that so?"

“Absolutely true!” Yan Pingsheng said. “Young Master Ming, I have an idea. Let’s try it out in some parts of the United States first and see how it goes. If it works well, then we can consider the next step.”

Yang Guangming thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay. Let's try a few cities first and see the reaction."

"Okay! I'll arrange it right away!"

After hanging up the phone, Yang Guangming leaned back in his chair and looked out at the persimmon tree.

Zuo Xiaoqing leaned closer and asked curiously, "Brother Guangming, what did President Yan say?"

Yang Guangming put his arm around her shoulder and said, "They said the album sold over ten million copies in its first month, and they're going to apply for diamond record certification and promote it in the United States."

Zuo Xiaoqing's eyes widened: "Ten million sheets? Brother Guangming, you're amazing!"

Yang Guangming smiled and said, "It's alright."

"What do you mean 'not bad'!" Zuo Xiaoqing said seriously. "Selling ten million copies a month, and you call that 'not bad'? Brother Guangming, your standards are too high!"

Seeing her serious expression, Yang Guangming couldn't help but smile.

In the days that followed, Yan Pingsheng began to push forward the two plans in full swing.

The first step is the application for diamond record certification.

The certification process of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is very rigorous, requiring detailed sales data, release records, and third-party audit reports. Asia Records set up a special team, personally led by Yan Pingsheng, who worked overtime to compile the materials.

Yan Pingsheng calls Yang Guangming every day to report on his progress. Although Yang Guangming has given him more autonomy and allowed him to make his own decisions, he still insists on reporting to his boss daily.

"Young Master Ming, the sales data is ready!"

"Young Master Ming, the audit report is out!"

"Young Master Ming, the materials have been submitted and are awaiting their review!"

Yang Guangming would calmly say "Thank you for your hard work, President Yan" each time, but he was also looking forward to it.

After all, it's the first internationally certified diamond record by a Chinese singer, so this honor is indeed very significant.

Meanwhile, trial promotions are also underway in the US market.

Yan Pingsheng chose Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco as pilot cities. These cities have large Chinese populations, but also many non-Chinese, and have well-developed media networks, making them suitable for conducting the test.

The promotion method was simple: play songs from the album on several mainstream radio stations, broadcast music videos on TV music channels, and display advertisements in some music stores.

Yan Pingsheng specifically instructed: "Don't make a big fuss about it yet. Just try it on a small scale and see the reaction."

The team responsible for the US market is proceeding step by step.

In early September, the results of the Diamond Record certification were released.

When Yan Pingsheng called, he couldn't hide the excitement in his voice: "Young Master Ming! It's approved! The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry has officially certified that the album '18' has sold over ten million copies and has been awarded Diamond Record certification!"

Yang Guangming smiled: "President Yan, your efficiency is quite high."

Yan Pingsheng exclaimed excitedly, "This is the first internationally certified diamond record by a Chinese singer! A breakthrough from zero! Do you know what this means? It means that the Chinese music scene finally has a sales record that is truly recognized internationally!"

Yang Guangming nodded: "President Yan, thank you for your hard work."

"No trouble at all!" Yan Pingsheng said repeatedly. "Young Master Ming, I'm planning to hold a press conference to officially announce this news. Would you be able to come?"

Yang Guangming thought for a moment and said, "Okay. When?"

"The sooner the better! Within the next few days!"

On September 12th, Yang Guangming arrived in Hong Kong Island.

The following afternoon, Asia Records held a press conference at the most luxurious hotel on Hong Kong Island.

Over a hundred media outlets were present, with reporters from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia crowding the hall. Several rows of cameras and video cameras were set up, and flashes were going off constantly.

Yang Guangming, dressed in a dark blue suit, walked onto the stage.

The applause of the audience was thunderous.

Yan Pingsheng spoke first, announcing the news of the diamond record certification.

"After rigorous review by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), Mr. Yang Guangming's debut solo album, '18,' sold over ten million copies across Asia in its first month of release, officially earning diamond record certification! This is the first time a Chinese singer has received this international certification, marking a historic moment for the Chinese music scene!"

Another round of applause and flashes of light erupted from the audience.

Yang Guangming took the microphone and smiled, saying, "Thank you everyone. This honor belongs to everyone who loves these songs. Thank you for your support and encouragement. I will continue to work hard, make good movies, and write more good songs."

The reporters began asking questions.

"Director Yang, what are your thoughts on receiving the Diamond Record certification?"

Yang Guangming thought for a moment: "My feelings? I'm quite happy. But I don't think it's anything special. I'm just grateful that people like these songs and are willing to spend money to buy them."

"Director Yang, why do you think this album is so popular?"

Yang Guangming laughed: "It's probably because I have a good voice. My mother taught me vocal music since I was little, and she said that my voice is a gift from God. Now it seems that she was right."

A burst of laughter erupted from the audience.

"Director Yang, what are your plans for the future? Will you be holding a concert?"

Yang Guangming shook his head: "Not for now. My main focus is still on movies, and music is just a hobby. I write songs and record albums when I'm interested, but my main focus is still on movies."

When the reporters wanted to ask more questions, Yan Pingsheng took the opportunity to announce the next steps in the global promotion plan.

The press conference lasted for more than an hour, and it was already evening when it ended.

That evening, Yang Guangming returned to his villa in the Mid-Levels of Hong Kong Island, where Chen Zhiyun and Yang Hongwen were waiting for him.

Chen Zhiyun walked over and hugged her son tightly: "Mingming, Mom is so proud of you."

Yang Guangming patted his mother on the back: "Mom, it's all thanks to you."

Chen Zhiyun shook her head: "Mom is just a guide; you have to walk the path yourself."

Yang Hongwen also came over and patted his son on the shoulder: "Well done."

A family of three gathered together in the Hong Kong night. (End of Chapter)