Huayu 2002, I'm going to dominate the music scene!

The group entered the office together, and the moment the door opened, a burst of applause erupted from inside.

All the employees of Ocean Butterflies Music, from the receptionist to the finance department to the planning department, stood there, smiling and clapping. Someone was holding a confetti cane, which was pulled open with a bang, sending colorful confetti flying all over Song Mo's head.

Song Mo paused for a moment, then laughed: "What's going on?"

"Let's celebrate!" Bi Xiaoshi patted him on the shoulder from behind, his eyes crinkling into slits with a smile. "Our big project is back, so of course we have to celebrate."

Xu Yuan stood at the back of the crowd, arms crossed, a wide smile on his face.

He still vividly remembers the night he first heard Song Mo sing at Hard Rock Cafe.

Who would have thought that this kid living in a basement would sell millions of copies of his first album?

Surrounded by the crowd, Song Mo walked to the conference table, where a large cake was placed, with the words "Brush, Ink, Paper and Inkstone - Best Seller" written on it in cream.

Everyone celebrated for a while, especially after Bi Xiaoshi promised to give everyone extra bonuses, which made everyone even happier. Even Song Mo, the lucky star, got his face smeared with cake by everyone.

After Song Mo dried his face, Bi Xiaoshi pulled him into his office. "Xiao Song, your celebration banquet will have to be postponed this time. During this period, the media reporters are waiting to interview you, and you also have to make a round of calls to various radio stations."

Song Mo nodded; he had expected this all along—there was no escaping it. "Alright, let's start tomorrow."

The next morning, Song Mo sat in Ocean Butterflies' reception room.

The interviews were packed, from morning till night, one after another, with only half an hour for lunch in between.

The media outlets that came were diverse, including newspapers, magazines, and television stations.

Bi Xiaoshi paid a generous amount for the travel expenses, and the reporters were generally nice at first, asking relatively polite questions.

"Song Mo, do you consider yourself a genius?"

"No," Song Mo shook his head, "I'm just more hardworking and luckier."

"You're only nineteen years old, and you haven't even finished college, yet you've written so many songs. Where do you get your creative inspiration?"

Song Mo already had a standard answer to this kind of question, and said directly, "It comes from life. I've lived in basements, sung in bars, and met all sorts of people. Life is my material."

At this moment, a reporter suddenly spoke up: "Song Mo, did you know? Some people say that your debut trajectory is very similar to Jay Chou's. Your first album achieved amazing success, and many people online call you the 'Little Jay Chou of Beijing.' Do you like this nickname?"

After asking the question, the reporter stared intently at Song Mo, observing his reaction.

Journalists these days are far more powerful than those in later generations. The title of "uncrowned king" is no joke. If you offend a journalist these days, you're as good as dead. Although there is the internet now, most people still access information from the outside world through traditional media.

Song Mo naturally knew how formidable these reporters were. Upon hearing this slightly provocative question, Song Mo quickly glanced at them. It turned out to be Southern Metropolis Entertainment. No wonder they were stirring up trouble as always.

He then calmly replied, "Jay Chou is my senior, and I've always loved his music, but I am who I am. I believe that in the near future, everyone will remember my name as Song Mo."

Hearing Song Mo's composed and confident answer, many reporters present had a very good impression of him.

These days, most newcomers don't perform well in interviews, so Song Mo's performance has far exceeded their expectations.

If it weren't for the information stating that Song Mo hadn't even finished university, they would have really thought he graduated from a prestigious university.

After the interview, he returned to his office, where Bi Xiaoshi was already waiting for him.

"How are you feeling today?" Bi Xiaoshi handed him a cup of tea.

"It's alright. Apart from Nandu, the others were quite polite." Song Mo took the drink and sipped it.

"We've already paid enough for the travel expenses, of course we're being polite. As for Nandu and the others, they've always been like this. As the saying goes, it's better to offend a gentleman than a petty person, so it's best not to argue with them," Bi Xiaoshi said helplessly.

Song Mo naturally understood this principle and nodded in agreement.

Bi Xiaoshi continued, "There's something I need to tell you. Your nickname 'Little Jay Chou of Yanjing' has already spread in the media. I know you don't like it, but that's not something we can resolve right now. However, I can guarantee that Teacher Xu and I will never promote it in that direction."

Song Mo naturally disliked this nickname, believing that in the long run, it would do more harm than good. However, he also knew that this was a stage many newcomers had to go through.

When Jolin Tsai first debuted, she was called "Little Hsu Huai-yu," and Miriam Yeung was called "Little Sammi Cheng"...

Although he understood, he was still a little annoyed, since Jay Chou and Stefanie Sun didn't have these so-called labels when they debuted.

From the moment they debuted, they were considered the future kings and queens of the music scene, destined to end the old era and usher in the new millennium. It can be said that they debuted with a winning script.

There's no reason why I should become a mini-Jay Chou right from my debut.

Ultimately, to paraphrase a certain female star from a talent show, it's because I'm not standing high enough right now.

Nicknames are given by others, but status is earned by oneself. Song Mo knows that although his first album was a huge hit, many people still think it's a coincidence.

Some even thought he was just taking advantage of his single status, and everyone felt that anyone else would have done the same.

In short, this newcomer who became an overnight sensation has long been the object of envy, jealousy, and hatred for many people.

Just then, Xu Yuan suddenly walked in. Seeing Song Mo behind him, he said, "Song Mo, are you done with your interview? That's perfect. Take a look at this newspaper."

Xu Yuan slammed the copy of the *Shenjiang Entertainment News* on the table, pointed to the headline, and said with a hint of annoyance, "Look at this! These people are behaving terribly!"

Song Mo took the newspaper and saw a headline in bold black font on the front page: "A 'Little Jay Chou of the North and South' Appears in the Music Scene: Nan Bin and Bei Mo, Who Will Prevail?"

The article, which is over a thousand words long, is accompanied by two half-body photos: on the left is a photo of Hu Yanbin wearing a baseball cap and looking cool, and on the right is a candid shot of Song Mo holding a guitar during a roadshow.

Xu Yuan pointed to the article and said, "Look here! The article says how popular Hu Yanbin's 'Wenwu Shuangquan' was in the South last year, how authentic its R&B style was, and even implies that he's the real Jay Chou. This is clearly using you as a stepping stone to elevate Hu Yanbin!"

Bi Xiaoshi frowned, picked up another newspaper and glanced at it, then snorted coldly: "EMI is determined to create hype this time. Last year they hyped Hu Yanbin as the mainland Jay Chou, but fans didn't buy it at all. Now that you're popular, they're going to take advantage of the situation and create the title of 'Little Jay Chou of the North and South'."

Song Mo quickly skimmed through the article and couldn't help but secretly give it a thumbs up.

This kind of marketing tactic of "蹭热度" (蹭热度 means to piggyback on someone else's success) became commonplace in later generations, but in 2003, this blatant attempt at piggybacking and hype still felt somewhat novel to him.

Hu Yanbin is indeed talented, and his later works such as "Red Beauty" and "Farewell Poem" became hits all over the country. However, his management company is obviously not to be underestimated. EMI, as one of the five major international record companies, is already very adept at these kinds of tricks.