He was in college, but his songs were at the Grammys.

In Lin Wei's studio, the curtains were half-drawn.

She sat cross-legged on the sofa, holding a tablet computer in her hands, with the real-time sales data for the album "Wei" displayed on the screen.

The numbers are jumping: 107, 278.

One hundred and seven thousand two hundred and seventy-eight.

The album achieved Silver status in two hours and seventeen minutes.

Lin Wei stared at the string of numbers for a long time.

My eyes started to sting from staying up so long.

Then, she slowly put down the tablet, leaned back into the soft sofa, and looked up at the ceiling.

Out of nowhere, someone said, "Wow, impressive, junior."

Her heart was already pounding wildly.

But I really can't think of any actions to express my emotions.

Since the album's release, the song data has been steadily increasing. She has thanked Chen Ming and congratulated him more than ten times.

But Chen Ming always told her to calm down.

I'm much calmer now.

Who would have thought that just half a month ago, Chen Ming, a junior student, needed Anya to use her manager, Sister Li's, connections to get a backing vocal spot for her song?

In just half a month, not only did she take the top spot on the newcomer chart with her self-written and self-sung songs, but she also led a first-tier singer to counterattack against the attacks of a top songwriter and another first-tier singer. She didn't even need to lift a finger; Chen Ming's self-written and self-sung songs suppressed her opponents.

At that moment, the studio door was gently pushed open.

Agent Sister Li walked in, holding a mobile phone in her hand, with an undisguised smile on her face.

She walked to the sofa, looked at Lin Wei who was staring blankly at the ceiling, and smiled.

"What's wrong, are you so happy you're speechless?" Sister Li sat down next to her.

Lin Wei turned her head to look at Sister Li, her eyes bright: "No, but it's pretty much the same."

She then added, "Do you remember when Anya introduced a junior to me for backing vocals at the end of April?"

Sister Li remembered.

That happened at the end of April.

Anya called and said that there was a new singer from Jiangyi with good singing skills. She asked if I could have a chance to record harmonies in Lin Wei's new song and make an appearance.

She felt that it was rare for Anya to speak up, and since she was paving the way for Lin Wei, her junior, she told Lin Wei.

"I remember," Sister Li said. "You even told me to do Anya a favor and give your junior from our alma mater a chance."

"Yes." Lin Wei nodded, then smiled, her smile carrying an almost absurd sentimentality. "Then that 'junior who needed an opportunity' spent half a month writing a song called 'Big City, Small Love' that took first place on the newcomer chart, then wrote this song for me called 'Listen to the Sea,' and finally released his own song called 'Special Person'... putting Qiu Xuan and Lin Peikun down."

She spoke slowly, each word as if she were savoring something.

Sister Li listened and smiled.

Lin Wei sat up straight again, picked up her tablet, and opened the music platform.

The number of views for "Listen to the Sea" is still rising.

"Special People" followed closely behind.

The gap between "The One Who Loves You" and the other two is widening.

Even more remarkably, Lin Wei noticed a phenomenon.

In the comments section of "Listen to the Sea," she saw many messages like these:

"I came from 'Special Person'! What kind of god is Chen Ming?! The two songs are so different in style, yet both are so good!"

"I cried like a baby after listening to 'Listen to the Sea,' and I need 'Special Person' to heal me..."

"Sister Wei sang so well! Chen Ming wrote so well too! What an amazing combination!"

Similar comments can be found in the comments section of "Special People":

"I just finished crying at 'Listen to the Sea,' and came here for comfort..."

"Chen Ming's voice is so gentle! It's completely different from the heart-wrenching feeling in 'Listen to the Sea'!"

"I recommend listening to these two songs together to experience an emotional rollercoaster."

The two songs, released on the same day and supposedly in competition, have surprisingly complemented each other because they were written by the same person.

After hearing the pain in "Listen to the Sea," one might want to find warmth in "Special Person."

After listening to the sweetness of "Special Person", I want to experience the profoundness of "Listen to the Sea".

"Oh, right," Sister Li suddenly remembered something and handed her phone to Lin Wei, "Look, everyone online is calling you a 'lying down and winning dog' now."

Lin Wei took the phone. On the screen was a trending post on a music forum, titled: "Rational discussion: Is Lin Wei the pinnacle of effortless success this time?"

The main post was quite humorous:

"Sisters, let's analyze Lin Wei's experience this time. She wanted to release an album, but after waiting for half a year, she couldn't find a satisfactory title track. Then, a junior student handed her a song called 'Listen to the Sea,' and she immediately approved it. The album was released, but it was immediately challenged by the golden songwriter Qiu Xuan and the top singer Lin Peikun. Just when she was worried, the junior student released his own song and completely crushed the other side. After crushing them, he didn't even steal their thunder; the two songs complemented each other, resulting in a win-win situation. Tell me, what level of effortless victory is this?"

The replies below were also quite amusing:

"A textbook example of winning by doing nothing."

"Others win by default because of good luck, but Lin Wei wins by default because her teammates are too strong."

Chen Ming: Senior, don't worry about releasing the song, I'll handle the other side.

"Hilarious! Now 'Listen to the Sea' and 'Special Man' are fighting side by side on the charts, it's like brothers working together."

Lin Wei: Thank you for the invitation. It's better to be here than to have someone come from heaven.

Lin Wei looked at these comments and, instead of getting angry, burst out laughing.

"A 'couch potato' who wins without lifting a finger?" She repeated the phrase, then nodded, saying very seriously, "What's wrong with being a 'couch potato'? Others want to win without lifting a finger, but they don't even have the opportunity!"

Sister Li laughed too: "You're quite open-minded."

"Why are you so upset?" Lin Wei retorted, her eyes sparkling. "Having such a talented junior help me write songs and even take care of my competitors while I'm at it, I'm overjoyed! Do I have to work myself to death to win? That's too tiring!"

She said this with a childlike sense of self-righteousness.

Looking at Lin Wei and seeing the undisguised happiness on her face, Sister Li felt relieved.

Lin Wei has been under immense pressure these past two years working on this album.

It's wonderful that we've achieved this result.

Just then, Lin Wei's phone vibrated.

She picked it up and saw it was a WeChat message from a singer friend in the industry with whom she had a good relationship:

"Sister Wei!!! 'Listen to the Sea' is amazing!!! Congratulations!!! Um... could you please ask Mr. Chen Ming if he has any songwriting plans recently? I'm also thinking of releasing an album in the second half of the year..."

Look!

This is what it means to want to win without effort.

But we don't have any connections yet.

Lin Wei smiled and replied, "I just asked for you, and he said he needs to focus on his studies and won't be accepting song requests for the time being."

This is not a perfunctory response.

She actually asked.

Just an hour ago, she messaged Chen Ming, saying that many friends wanted to commission songs through her and asked if he was interested.

Chen Ming then asked one question: "Can I get the same share as my senior?"

Lin Wei also spoke with other singers about the matter.

But the other party's response was that they needed to consider it.

Lin Wei could only tell Chen Ming tactfully that it was highly unlikely.

After all, although Chen Ming wrote several hit songs, he was not good at sharing profits when it came to this kind of thing.

Those singers are unlikely to back down, and even if they do, it will be a long and drawn-out negotiation.

She previously collaborated with Chen Ming, and the reason why Chen Ming's share was higher than hers was because she really liked that song and genuinely cared for this junior.

It would be difficult for others to do what she did.

Chen Ming didn't want the hassle, so he asked Lin Wei to decline the singers who had approached him, citing his studies as the reason.

Lin Wei really felt that her colleagues were a bit short-sighted, unwilling to give up immediate benefits.

Judging from the junior's current performance, getting him to write songs for them in the future will likely require an even greater price than what they paid today.

She believes that with Chen Ming's talent, countless people will be lining up to have him write songs for them in the future.

There's no need to rush.

After putting down her phone, Lin Wei suddenly remembered something and her eyes darted around.

"Sister Li," she said, "take a picture for me."

"Take a picture? Now?"

"Yes." Lin Wei slid off the sofa and lay down on the carpet, striking a lazy, reclining pose. Then she winked at Sister Li, "Take a good picture."

Sister Li was stunned for a moment, then understood what she meant and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

She picked up her phone, found the right angle, and pressed the shutter.

In the photo, Lin Wei is lying on a light gray carpet, with sunlight streaming down from the side, casting a soft, warm glow on her.

She had a relaxed smile on her face, her eyes curved into crescents, and she looked comfortable and content.

Lin Wei took the phone and looked at it, and was very satisfied.

Then, she opened Weibo, uploaded a photo, and captioned it:

"Thanks for the invitation, I'm lying here very comfortably. [doge emoji]"

Click send.

A few seconds later, the comment section exploded.

"Hahahaha, Sister Wei, you are amazing!"

"So you really did lie down!"

"I give this response a perfect score!"

"The Self-Cultivation of a 'Winning Without Lifting a Bottom'.jpg"

"Sister Wei: You're right, I'm lying down, so what?"

Chen Ming: Senior, lie down, I'll take over.

"What an amazing sibling relationship! I'm totally shipping them!"

The fans burst into laughter, and even passersby found it amusing.

What might have been a slightly sarcastic "easy win" joke was transformed into a joyful feast of memes for everyone by Lin Wei's humorous and generous response.

Meanwhile, in another corner of the city, in Chen Ming's new home, Chen Ming's phone vibrated.

He casually took out his phone and glanced at it.

It was a push notification from Weibo that he had specifically followed; he had followed Lin Wei.

Clicking on it reveals the "lying flat" photo and its caption.

Chen Ming paused for a moment, then a slight smile appeared on his lips.

He didn't think Lin Wei was a pushover who won without effort.

There are many factors that contribute to a song's success. A high-quality song can propel an ordinary singer to new heights, and a talented singer can also make an ordinary song take off.

The success of "Listen to the Sea" is largely due to the perfect match between Lin Wei and the song.

Such achievements are the result of mutual support.

If he were to sing "Listen to the Sea," he probably wouldn't achieve the same effect.

......

When Chen Ming went to school again on Monday...

The way his classmates looked at him changed again.

They looked at it as if it were some kind of monster.