Entertainment: A whirlwind marriage with a fairy-like mother at the start!

"This isn't called having a heavy taste; this is called being human."

He pointed at Bai Xiuzhu on the TV screen, who had bright red lipstick and an aura of dominance, his tone carrying a hint of languor as if he had seen through everything.

"Everyone's had enough of being a submissive wife, who doesn't want to be a queen who tramples scumbags underfoot? That's what makes it satisfying, you know?"

Liu Qianqian nodded as if she understood, her eyes revealing a clear sense of "I don't understand, but I think it's amazing".

……

Beijing, Xinghai Entertainment Headquarters.

The air here smells completely different from the earthy smell of the mountain valleys of Xinchang; it's filled with the aroma of expensive coffee and the scent of money.

Tang Hui sat on the Italian-imported genuine leather sofa, a Cuban cigar between his fingers, his expression quite smug amidst the swirling smoke.

On the coffee table in front of him was a sample print that had just been pressed.

On the cover, a woman in a deep V sequined dress strikes a seductive pose, with the words "Rebirth from the Ashes: Xu Wei" in large gold lettering next to her.

This is Xinghai Entertainment's S-level project this year.

Xu Wei, a female singer who has been hovering in the second tier for three years, has good singing skills and a very hot appearance, but she lacks breath control.

Tang Hui really went all out this time, and those who know, know why.

He hired top-notch songwriters from Hong Kong and Taiwan, spent three million on production, and had a promotion budget of five million.

His goal was clear: to make Xu Wei the queen of pop this year, and incidentally demonstrate Xinghai Entertainment's ability to "turn stones into gold" to the industry.

"Mr. Tang, the distribution channels are all set up."

The assistant, carrying a stack of documents, reported respectfully.

"We secured poster space in 2,000 audio-visual stores nationwide, radio charts in 20 cities, and prime time slots on CCTV-3."

Tang Hui flicked the ash from his cigarette with satisfaction.

"very good."

This is the power of capital.

In this era where people still rely on buying CDs to listen to music, whoever controls the distribution channels controls the discourse.

As long as the money is right, even a pig can be praised to the skies.

"By the way, Mr. Tang."

The assistant hesitated for a moment, then pulled a thin flyer from the pile of documents.

"It seems like Wheatfield is making some moves too. They're saying they're going to release a new EP, and it seems to be Liu Qianqian, who was quite popular online before."

Upon hearing the name "Liu Qianqian," Tang Hui paused slightly, his fingers holding the cigar.

That ungrateful young girl who rejected his 200,000 yuan contract?

In truth, he had reviewed the situation late at night, realizing that if he had spent more money, they might have signed the deal. But inside the Xinghai Building, he would never admit that he had misjudged the company.

He was too lazy to target a young girl anymore, after all, in the eyes of a big shot, time is money.

But who knew this girl would actually cause such a stir?

However, this splash is nothing compared to his five million dollar marketing blizzard.

Since we've already run into each other, let's just run them over while we're at it.

Tang Hui took the flyer and glanced at it.

The cover was very simple, just a photo of Liu Qianqian wearing a white shirt and holding a guitar, with blue sky and white clouds in the background. The design was quite refreshing, but in Tang Hui's opinion, it was shabby.

"Oh."

Tang Hui let out a disdainful sneer and casually threw the flyer into the trash can.

"Wheatfield is getting more and more outdated. Treating my unwanted junk as treasure?"

Tang Hui stood up, walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at the bustling traffic below.

"Pass it on, give Xu Wei all your support. I want her to be the only name on this week's chart."

……

April 1st is April Fool's Day.

It seems like God really enjoys playing tricks on people on this day.

On this day, Xu Wei's new album "Rebirth from the Ashes" from Xinghai Entertainment and Liu Qianqian's debut EP "Liu Yifei" distributed by Wheatfield Music were released on the same day.

At the entrances of major music and video stores, huge posters of Xu Wei were hung higher than buildings, and her energetic hit song was playing on a loop in the speakers.

Xu Wei's name was everywhere on television and radio.

On the other side...

Liu Qianqian's EP received far fewer promotional resources.

Apart from the original channels of Wheatfield, most of the other channels have been bought out by Xinghai. Li Ming also had to go to great lengths to secure some small channels.

Liu Qianqian also posted an update on her account, which has already reached 300,000 followers:

Hi everyone, I'm Liu Yifei. On this special day, my first EP, self-titled album "Liu Yifei," is released! It's full of my favorite songs, and I hope you'll like them too. PS: Although it's April Fool's Day, my love for you all is real! (｡♥‿♥｡)

The comment section was instantly flooded with this "sweet attack".

[Is it really a new song?! I thought Sisi was joking with us!]

[I bought it! I have to buy one just for that face and worship it!]

[The person upstairs is so shallow! Do you think I'm the kind of person who judges by looks? ...Okay, the cover is too ethereal, my wallet is already dead.]

[I've already bought it and just finished listening to "Warm," oh my god, it's so sweet! It feels like my first love has been rekindled!]

[During these SARS-induced days of utter confinement, this sound is like a mental vaccine!]

[Where did you buy this? I can't find it!!]

........

One week later at noon.

Yang Nuo held a sales report in her hand, still warm from the printer, her expression serious.

She walked up to Yu Le and handed him the report.

"Boss, the album's first-week sales figures are in."

Yu Le slowly opened her eyes and glanced around.

First place: Xu Wei's "Rebirth from the Ashes", sales: 82,000 copies.

Second place: Yang Kun's "It Doesn't Matter", sales: 35,000 copies.

Third place: Shui Mu Nian Hua's Graduation Yearbook, sales: 31,000 copies.

……

Ninth place: Liu Yifei's "Liu Yifei", sales: 13,800 copies.

Yu Le frowned slightly.

In this era, the first week's sales are basically the peak of an album; afterwards, with the proliferation of pirated copies, the sales of legitimate copies will plummet.

Xu Wei was able to outshine Yang Kun purely because Yang Kun's album was an older, long-selling release, while Xu Wei's was a newly released product.

At this rate, Liu Qianqian's EP will barely break 100,000 copies at best.

It's not bad for a newcomer, but it's still quite far from Yu Le's expectations.

"This data..."

Liu Qianqian, who had been peeking from the side, caught Yu Le's frowning micro-expression.

She leaned closer for a glance, and her once proud little head instantly drooped like a soaked quail, her voice muffled: "Did you... faint?"

"Bullshit."

Yu Le folded the report into a paper airplane, tossed it aside, and comforted Liu Qianqian.

"A new artist releasing an album, breaking 10,000 copies in its first week—any record company would be incredibly grateful for that. Who do you think you are? Michael Jackson?"

"Oh, that's good." Liu Qianqian is the type to brighten up at the slightest encouragement, and after being coaxed by Yu Le, she immediately perked up again.

Yu Le looked at her silly grin and chuckled inwardly.

There's one thing he didn't say: This is just the beginning. The real competition isn't just about promotion, but also about word-of-mouth. These days, good songs can't be hidden.

The phone on the table suddenly vibrated.

Caller ID: Maitian Liming.

Yu Le pressed the answer button and turned on speakerphone.

"Mr. Yu... Mr. Yu." Li Ming's voice sounded as if he had just swallowed two pounds of bitter melon, filled with a deep sense of guilt.

"You saw the data, right? I'm so sorry!"

"Xinghai is so unethical! They've bought up all the prime retail spaces in major cities, leaving our CDs in a corner. The radio stations are the same; they're bombarding us with Xu Wei's songs, and there's no way to get any of Qianqian's songs in..."