Huayu: Starting with living with a girl from Taiwan

Chapter 119 Three thousand it is, I need to see your student ID.

The Garden Elf duo, who were busy at HIM International Music, also noticed something was wrong.

The two girls are named Wu Ailun, nicknamed the "Avril Lavigne of Taipei." She just turned eighteen and also participated in this season of "Super Star Avenue," but was eliminated relatively early.

One of them is named Lin Jia'an, who is known as the "Little Shu Qi of Taipei". She is not yet seventeen years old and even participated in "Produce 101" in 2018.

It's the same year as Yang Chaoyue, the "lucky koi girl".

The two debuted as a duo in 06.

She sang the theme song "Gu Ling Jing Guai" for the TV series "Tian Wai Fei Xian".

Later, she also participated in the recording of the soundtrack for the TV series "Tokyo Juliet".

This is considered their second album.

They didn't know why they released the album ahead of schedule for no apparent reason.

However, according to the data their manager told them, the album sold 40,000 copies across Asia on its first day, which is actually quite impressive.

They had no idea they were so amazing.

So the two of them have gotten a bit cocky these past few days.

At first, I looked down on Pets Tseng.

What EP are you talking about? What album am I talking about?

Four thousand to one thousand, the advantage is in my hands!

But the result doesn't seem to be like that!

Indeed, one must not become complacent too early.

At first, Wu Ailun was thinking, "Why do you have the same number of people as us? Did you buy the powder?"

Why do I feel like I'm the one who bought the powder?

Sure enough, when the tide goes out, you see who's been swimming naked.

So, the clown was actually myself!

The number of attendees at their autograph session officially reached a critical point within an hour and a half.

Of the 3,000 new albums prepared specifically for the autograph session, only a little over 800 were signed.

Finally, seeing that things weren't going well, the operations team arranged for over a hundred actors to freeload there.

We worked until 12:30 before clearing the area and leaving.

Meanwhile, Zeng Peici has already begun emergency restocking!

Originally, only 1,500 EPs were prepared, but the number of people queuing up at the scene kept increasing.

Zeng Peici signed over 2,000 copies of her new EP from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.!

She finally understood the exhilarating feeling of Lin Mo's three-pointer rain; she was utterly exhausted.

On the way back, Wu Ailun whispered to their manager, "Sister Chen, how many records did we sell yesterday?"

Sister Chen: "Forty thousand."

Wu Ailun continued, "That's 40,000 across Asia, what about Taiwan itself?"

Sister Chen: "...Three thousand."

Wu Ailun:

'

""

So this is the true gold standard of all of Asia?

"What about Zeng Peici?" Lin Jia'an glanced at the crowd of people through the car window.

After thinking for a moment, Sister Chen decided to tell the truth: "15,000 in Asia, and 7,800 in Taiwan."

hiss...

The two women then exchanged a glance.

Now I finally understand how much of their data is inflated.

Zeng Peici's side is the real deal!

When Wu Laoba got back, he was furious and yelled at his assistant, "Why didn't you tell me that over seven thousand copies were sold in Taiwan?"

assistant:

'

""

You didn't even ask about sales figures in Taiwan.

And wasn't this how it was reported before?

The assistant was suffering in silence, but dared not speak out.

On Wednesday, a light drizzle fell in Taipei.

In the HIM International Music office, Wu Laoba's face was as gloomy as the weather outside the window.

"So, how many pieces of porcelain did Zeng Peici sell the following day?"

His voice sounded like it was being squeezed out from between his teeth.

The assistant swallowed hard and said cautiously, "According to the data synchronized with Sony Music, the EP 'I Am Zeng Peici' sold 19,000 copies across Asia on its second day. The cumulative sales have already exceeded 34,000."

"What about the local Taiwanese market?"

"In Taiwan...9,300 were sold on the second day, bringing the total to over 17,000."

"6

""

Wu Laoba remained silent for a few seconds.

It's worth noting that after a period of pre-sales, the first day of release is usually the most exciting for a new album.

The trend began to decline on the second day.

But Pei Ci's sales are still rising!

This is true not only in Taiwan, but also in Southeast Asia and mainland China.

"And what about us?"

The assistant flipped back to a page of the report, his voice even lower: "Our sales across Asia on the second day... 8,000 copies, bringing the total to 48,000."

"Treasure Island?"

"Treasure Island... 1200 on the second day, 4200 in total."

""

"6

""

The office fell into a deathly silence.

Wu Laoba closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, his eyes were bloodshot.

"So, the next day, they sold eight times as much as we did in Taiwan?"

"Yes...yes, Mr. Wu."

The assistant answered with a forced smile.

Wu Laoba slammed his hand on the table, forgetting it was solid wood, and the impact made his hand hurt: "Useless! All useless! We spent so much money on advertising and buying advertising space, and this is what we get? We can't even beat a newcomer?"

The assistant shrank back, not daring to reply.

He knew that Mr. Wu was in a fit of anger and anything he said would be wrong.

Wu Laoba stood up and walked to the window. Looking at the gray rain outside, he suddenly remembered what happened yesterday.

The humiliation of being publicly humiliated surged up again at this moment.

"What exactly gives them the right to do this?"

Wu Laoba turned around, his tone full of confusion, "A newcomer who just debuted, with an EP of only five songs, including two unreleased new songs, it's not even a proper album, how can it sell like this?"

The assistant whispered a reminder: "Mr. Wu, four of the songs on that EP were written by Lin Mo, and 'Little Dimples' is a duet between him and Zeng Peici... Lin Mo is very popular, and many of his fans have bought the EP to support him."

"Lin Mo...it's Lin Mo again!"

Wu Laoba gritted his teeth.

"How can a contestant who hasn't even officially debuted yet have such a huge influence?"

After thinking for a moment, the assistant decided to tell the truth: "Mr. Wu, I checked a few music forums and online communities last night... Zeng Peici's EP has received rave reviews."

"Especially 'Little Dimples' has spread very quickly among young people, and it has already entered the top ten on Baidu MP3 New Song Chart."

"Moreover... Lin Mo's fans are very organized, and many of them are spontaneously promoting this EP."

2

After listening, Wu Laoba sat back down in his chair, looking somewhat dejected.

He suddenly realized that he might have made a fatal mistake—

He was too reliant on traditional methods and channels of promotion, but underestimated the speed and power of word-of-mouth communication in the internet age.

No matter how much money HIM International Music spends on buying Google Ads and hiring online trolls, it can't compare to the viral promotion by real listeners on forums, blogs, and instant messaging software.

"besides..

'

The assistant hesitated for a moment, but continued reporting.

"This morning, several radio stations started playing 'Little Dimples' on their music programs, saying that it was requested by listeners so often."

Wu Laoba waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to say anything more.

He could already foresee that in the next few days, Zeng Peici's EP would likely become the biggest dark horse of this summer.

Thursday.

Zeng Peici was lying on the sofa in the living room, swinging her fair legs while browsing forum pages on her laptop.

Lin Mo walked over with a cup of hot milk and placed it in front of her: "Finally dared to go online?"

"Look, Amo!"

Zeng Peici sat up excitedly and turned the computer screen towards him, "So many people are praising 'Little Dimples'! Some even said they confessed their feelings after listening to it!"

Lin Mo glanced at it; the forum title was:

Is "Little Dimples" the sweetest duet love song of the year? It'll make you want to fall in love immediately after listening!

"Lin Mo and Zeng Peici's voices are such a perfect match! The music video is incredibly sweet!"

"I declare I'm shipping this couple!"

"I've already ordered the EP to support you! Go, Pei Ci!"

Zeng Peici beamed with joy, her dimples deepening: "Amo, it seems we're really famous!"

Lin Mo sat down beside her and ruffled her hair: "This is nothing. How were the sales yesterday? Did Sister Youhui tell you?"

"Yes, yes! Sister Youhui said that Taiwan had 9,300 cases the day before yesterday, and over 7,000 yesterday! Now the total for Taiwan has reached 20,000!"

Lin Mo nodded: "It's normal for the data to decline. Taiwan is a small place with a small population. The peak period of the first two days has passed, so it's bound to drop."

"The record industry is most active in the first week; how many records you sell basically depends on that week."

Zeng Peici was clearly very satisfied, and couldn't help but press her face against Lin Mo's, saying, "It's already super good, A-Mo. If it weren't for the songs you wrote, I definitely wouldn't have sold so many."

Lin Mo smiled but didn't say anything.

He certainly knew that this EP would sell very well, not only because of the high quality of the songs, but also because of the unique communication environment of this era.

In 2007, digital music was not yet fully popular, and physical records were still the mainstream.

But word-of-mouth marketing on the internet has begun to show astonishing power.

"Little Dimples," with its catchy melody, straightforward emotions, and sweet music video, is practically a "blockbuster catalyst" tailor-made for young people of this era.

It's worth noting that even in an Olympic year, this song quickly topped the music charts on major radio and television stations after its release, winning numerous awards.

Even before Lin Mo's rebirth, "Little Dimples" would frequently top the charts on some music apps.

"Oh, right."

Zeng Peici suddenly remembered something, looked up and asked, "Sister Youhui also said that the sales of HIM International Music's 'Garden Fairy' album have been dropping these past few days, is that true?"

"Um."

Lin Mo nodded, "Their data from the first day was too inflated, and their true colors were revealed on the second day."

Zeng Peici said "Oh," and blinked, "So, do we win?"

"What's so great about winning against a small group?" Lin Mo looked at her. "Pei Ci, you have to remember, sales are only temporary. What truly allows a singer to go the distance is good work and a good reputation."

"Um!"

Zeng Peici nodded vigorously, "I will continue to work hard!"

Lin Mo gave him a "you're teachable" look: "That's right, your goal is to beat Zhang Shaohan, Cai Elin, Wang Fei, and the others to become a superstar!"

"..." Zeng Peici's face immediately fell. "Alright, Amo, stop talking."

"You'd better hurry up and record the show. Good luck in the semi-finals!"

"Sister Youhui is going to take me to promote her new song later."

"Okay, good luck to you too." After saying that, Lin Mo packed up and headed to CTV.