Huayu: From the Era of Ringtones to Becoming a Legend

The praise given to "Blue and White Porcelain" by CCTV's music channel continues to resonate across the internet.

The good news that Lingyun MP3 sales exceeded 200,000 units also immersed everyone at Qianxing Entertainment in the ecstasy of a turnaround.

But Lu Jiuge was never one to rest on her laurels.

He knew very well that if he wanted to gain a firm foothold and truly establish Qianxing Entertainment in the music scene, one song, "Blue and White Porcelain," was far from enough.

He also needs a trump card that can continuously generate buzz, ignite emotions, and attract a large number of collectors.

And this trump card is the vast network of singers from Qianxing Entertainment.

As long as a company has enough singers and enough hit songs to dominate the entire Chinese music scene, its ability to withstand risks can increase exponentially.

Having figured this out, Lu Jiuge sat back down, glanced at the group, and announced the next steps:

"Next, Qianxing Entertainment will launch a star-making program. Lao Zuo, I'll give you a list of potential candidates later. Do your background checks and wait for my notification!"

After speaking, Lu Jiuge took out two musical scores, one for Li Huizhen and the other for Liu Sixi.

"Sister Huizhen, this is a new song I tailored just for you. Hurry up and record it so it can be released before the album 'Searching for Li Huizhen'!"

"Teacher Liu, put your current work aside and prioritize recording this song!"

Lu Jiuge hadn't mentioned this before, but now that he'd prioritized it so much, everyone looked curiously at the sheet music in their hands.

"The Ex-Tenants?"

Li Huizhen picked up the sheet music, her gaze slowly falling.

She caught her breath after reading just the first sentence.

"I've been lied to by you so many times, yet you stubbornly refuse to listen to advice. My heart is slowly cooling down; feelings are a difficult disease to cure..."

Simple, yet incredibly real.

Without any embellishment, it's like a blunt knife, slowly cutting open the most vulnerable part of people's hearts.

She had been out of the music scene for more than a decade, experiencing ups and downs, love and hate, separation and resentment. All her grievances, regrets and resentment seemed to be accurately hit by these few lyrics in this instant.

"Mr. Lu... this is..."

Li Huizhen's voice trembled uncontrollably.

Lu Jiuge raised her eyes, her tone domineering:

"This is your lucky break."

"What the music industry owes you, I'll take back for you. This song will not only give you a new life, but also make your album 'Searching for Li Huizhen' a hit even before its release!"

Liu Sixi frowned and couldn't help but voice his concerns:

"Xiao Lu, 'Blue and White Porcelain' is the pinnacle of traditional Chinese style poetry, while this song leans towards everyday, sentimental ballads. The difference is too great. If you release it now, won't people say you've lost your touch and are lowering your standards?"

Lu Jiuge smiled faintly:

Some songs are meant to be admired! Some songs are meant to be lived!

"Blue and White Porcelain helped us gain a foothold, and Ex-Tenants will allow Sister Hui-zhen to enter the hearts of every ordinary person."

"Her voice tells a story, carries the weight of time and bears the scars of life. The moment she opens her mouth, the soul of the song comes alive."

After Lu Jiuge's explanation, Liu Sixi didn't say anything more.

Li Huizhen had absolutely no objections.

She genuinely liked the lyrics of the song "Ex-Tenant".

"Alright, let's go to the recording studio to record the song. Lao Zuo, Lao Chen, Lao Zheng, the three of you keep an eye on the online public opinion and coordinate the MP3 sales and the addition of the new brand!"

Seeing that Li Huizhen and Liu Sixi did not raise any further objections, Lu Jiuge gave a few instructions, got up and left the conference room, heading towards the recording studio.

The arrangement of the song "Ex-Tenant" is not complicated. With the addition of a dedicated band member to the recording studio, the accompaniment was quickly recorded, and the lyrics recording began.

The lights dimmed, Li Huizhen put on her headphones, and the accompaniment slowly began to play.

As the familiar melody flowed out, Li Huizhen closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

The next second, she spoke.

There are no fancy techniques, no deliberate attempts to evoke emotion.

Only the hoarseness and gentleness that come with the passage of time carry a hint of weariness, a touch of relief, and a hint of unconcealed pain.

I've been lied to by you many times.

Still stubborn and won't listen to advice.

My heart slowly cooled down

Love is a difficult disease to cure.

The noodle shop owner at the intersection is pretty good.

Tell me not to drink too much

But he didn't know

When I want to forget you

How difficult

……

Each sentence, though seemingly simple, strikes the heart with every word.

Liu Sixi, who was behind the mixing console, gradually froze, his originally calm expression.

In his 30 years in the industry, he has listened to countless singers' recordings, but very few people can sing such a straightforward song with such penetrating power.

Li Huizhen's voice holds the weight of her ups and downs over the past decade, the loneliness of being misunderstood, and the stubbornness of making a comeback.

The staff member in charge of recording the sound unknowingly had tears in their eyes.

One recording session completed.

The entire recording studio was so quiet that only the sound of breathing could be heard.

Lee Hye-jung took off her headphones, her eyes already red-rimmed.

She herself did not expect that this song would make her lose control so much, as if she was singing not the lyrics, but her own life.

"No need for audio editing, no need for adjustments."

At 8 p.m., when Lu Jiuge, Li Huizhen, and Liu Sixi returned to the conference room and listened to the conversation with Zuo Wei, Chen Bin, and Zheng Lin, their opinions were surprisingly in agreement.

Lu Jiuge made the decision directly, her tone crisp and decisive:

"That's it, original audio released."

"The Lingyun Player will be exclusively launched tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM, with ringback tones going online simultaneously, and online promotional channels will be fully rolled out."

The group accepted the order, knowing better than anyone that once the song was released, it would definitely go viral online.

Nine o'clock the next morning.

"The Ex-Tenant" was officially released on Lingyun Player.

Within just ten minutes, the comment section exploded.

"She completely broke through my defenses the moment she opened her mouth! Lee Hye-jung brought 'Ex-Tenant' to life!"

"It has a more compelling story than the original! This is what a truly talented actor should be like!"

"The lyrics are so true! They remind me of the days when I was searching for a place to live and saving up to buy a ring..."

"Two years after the breakup, I cried at my desk, too afraid to make a sound!"

"Just what kind of amazing company is Qianxing? Their hit 'Blue and White Porcelain' has become legendary, and now they've delivered another tearjerker!"

……

The popularity of "Ex-Tenants" spread at an alarming rate.

Within an hour, the number of comments exceeded 10,000.

Within three hours, the number of ringback tone downloads exceeded 200,000.

Six hours!

#Li Huizhen's ex-tenant# stormed to the 3rd spot on the blog's trending topics!

Zhao Mingliang also publicly addressed this issue on his blog:

"Where is the bottom line in the music industry? Can a cover of a viral song really make someone famous again? Li Huizhen's reputation is ruined. What else can Qianxing Entertainment do besides chasing after trending topics?"

As soon as the article was published, twelve record companies reposted it.

Veteran music critics followed suit, launching a fierce attack.

"Li Huizhen has fallen from grace; now she only sings mindless pop songs with no artistic value!"

"Lu Jiuge has run out of ideas; after the national style trend, he'll only be rehashing old ideas. Qianxing Entertainment is destined to go nowhere!"

"Resist these cheesy cover songs and let's restore a clean and healthy music scene!"

……

A torrent of insults came crashing down on us.

Zuo Wei was so angry that his face turned blue.

"President Lu! These people have gone too far! We must fight back!"

Zheng Lin also frowned:

"Let me contact a few media outlets to help us clarify this!"

Instead of getting angry, Lu Jiuge smiled knowingly.

He didn't answer immediately, but instead focused his consciousness on the system interface in his mind, looking at the accumulated faith value.

[Negative Faith Value +746000]

[Positive Faith Value +1942000]

After confirming that she possessed over a million Negative Faith Points, enough to exchange for hundreds of hit songs, Lu Jiuge finally snapped out of her thoughts and said calmly:

"Ignore them! The louder they shout, the more it proves we've hit a nerve."

"By the time they realize what's happening, Qianxing is no longer a place they can easily extort money from."

Liu Sixi, who knew Lu Jiuge best, knew that he already had ideas and plans, and asked:

"Xiao Lu, stop keeping me in suspense and tell me quickly, what are we going to do next?"

Lu Jiuge's gaze sharpened as she looked out the window, her voice rising slightly:

"Next, I'm going to the 2005 Super Girl competition!"

"Sign three of them; they'll be the queens of the Chinese music scene for the next decade!"