Chapter 51: Dominating the Screens

"Why are you so serious today? Were you frightened by all those onlookers? Hehe~" The young nurse leaned against Ren Qian’s shoulder, her breath sweet as she whispered in his ear. Her body was so soft, it seemed to lack bones altogether.

Yan Yu’s incisive analysis had weighed heavily on Ren Qian’s heart, but the nurse’s gentle touch brought him a sense of ease and comfort. Damn, do I have a hidden tendency for S&M? Ren Qian was startled by this sudden thought.

He forcibly suppressed his wandering thoughts and sighed, "It’s the troublesome matter of the album… I was muddleheaded when I made that bet. Now I’m stuck riding a tiger and can’t get off."

It truly was a headache. With his current reputation on Weibo, the maximum sales he could drive would be three or four million at most. Compared to the legendary sales of ten million, he couldn’t even come close.

A singer’s ‘name’ and the album’s sales—this old saying in the industry held true. Ren Qian’s fame and influence were far too limited to pull off sales in the tens of millions.

"True, right now you only have a little recognition on Weibo. With that level of fame, it’s tough to reach ten million sales.

My dad had to record several TV programs back then. Later, he even appeared on the two highest-rated variety shows on Jiangnan TV before he reached his current status.

A genius singer returns, the diva’s fiancé, half the entertainment industry shaken—only then did he barely reach twenty million in sales. That kind of model is hard to replicate.

But you can learn from it. You need to go on variety shows so the audience remembers you. If possible, it’d be best to land a role in a successful film—even as a supporting actor.

Do you want to appear on shows? I can call my dad and ask him to connect you…" The nurse sister waved her phone, knowing that Ren Qian’s connections in the entertainment industry were thin and his foundation weak.

But isn’t the diva a great resource?

"Let me handle it myself. No matter how valuable the diva’s favor is, it’s still asking for help and depends on the TV station’s attitude. I don’t want to make things difficult for her. I’ll find a solution on my own."

Ren Qian waved off the nurse sister’s kind offer.

A web singer who isn’t signed with Rolling Poetry, someone who can’t directly bring profits to Rolling Poetry Entertainment, but who tries to snatch exposure resources through backdoor connections—he’d be cursed day and night not only by first- and second-tier stars and their agents, but even the company’s veterans would scowl at him.

"Don’t focus only on your shortcomings.

Come—let me analyze things for you.

First, we have an absolute advantage! That’s your talent, your creative ability—

Father’s latest album initially sold fifteen million copies. After a week-long slump, it shot up by another five million! Everyone at Rolling Poetry thought fifteen million was the limit, but unexpectedly it surged another five million.

Why was that?

Because two songs in the album had exceptional acclaim! Good reputation drove a reversal in sales. This is well known at Rolling Poetry, but you seem to have overlooked it.

Second, you’ve only debuted for three months and already reached this stage—that’s remarkable.

Many rookie idols heavily promoted by big companies don’t even have a third of your Weibo followers.

That’s another advantage. Over the next two years, your task is to convert them into diehard fans as much as possible.

Isn’t that exciting to think about?

Furthermore, you’re not without connections.

The diva, my father, and the contract manager at Wang Yi Music—if you ask him for an exclusive interview on the platform, he surely won’t refuse. That’s a great chance for exposure.

Don’t forget the director of ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’. You composed the soundtrack for him without compensation, and now that ‘Red Chamber’ is a hit, he owes you a share.

Plus, since the ‘Red Chamber’ crew started airing, ratings have soared but they haven’t appeared on TV shows yet… Aren’t you qualified to join them on a program?"

The nurse sister laid out Ren Qian’s advantages one by one.

Ren Qian was suddenly distracted.

‘So, in the eyes of the nurse sister, I’m a mature man who doesn’t chase after trivial gains, who doesn’t exhaust himself chasing fame and fortune.’

"Why are you daydreaming!? Wasn’t my analysis spot on?"

The nurse sister’s face darkened. She pinched Ren Qian’s cheeks, and their eyes met.

"When there’s trouble, you seek Lady Zhong; when there’s none, you turn to Miss Xia. But I’m even luckier—I can always rely on my nurse sister. You’re my wise helpmeet!"

Ren Qian laughed heartily. In truth, he’d wanted to say, ‘When there’s work, the secretary does it; when there’s none, do the secretary,’ but immediately thought better of it—such words didn’t suit his upright character.

Besides, it was too embarrassing.

"Listen to me! Though you have advantages, there are plenty of disadvantages too. Keep working hard, I’ll always support you."

"Mm-mm~"

…………

Just a week later, in late March.

Music-loving netizens discovered a ‘niche’ singer had suddenly appeared on the monthly chart of Hit Songs.

And did so in an audacious fashion: dominating the list!

After integrating backend data from dozens of music streaming platforms, the Hit Songs chart, which was supposed to be a fierce battleground for popular singers, unexpectedly turned into a one-man show—

The top ten songs all bore the same name: Ren Qian.

"Did the server crash [nose-picking emoji]? Damn, I’ve never heard of this person, and he’s got ten songs on the chart? Even superstars don’t pull this off!"

"[shocked emoji] Are the fake accounts getting out of hand? How did he get boosted like this? Please, enlighten me!"

"I thought this chart was supposed to be so credible, but it turns out to be just another tool for entertainment companies to manufacture stars. I really thought it would carve out a pure space for original music. Ah, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment."

"The cheating is so crude. To those behind the scenes, with such a slapdash IQ, does your father know?"

"I’m so shocked I had to take a break."

"Sorry, my pet just ran up here, apologies, I’ll drag it back now."

"Don’t rush to criticize—go listen to those songs first, you’ll end up kneeling through your own floor."

"This guy is a true, talented powerhouse. Let me count for you—Lin Ruowan’s most famous two songs in her album were all written and composed by him. He single-handedly did the score for the hit drama ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’! With such skill, does he need to fake numbers?"

Ren Qian was following the events closely. Seeing the comments and the soaring download numbers, his heart fluttered slightly. To monopolize the top ten spots of the monthly charts across dozens of music platforms with ten songs so brazenly—this must be an unprecedented feat.

Even if the Song God were resurrected, he couldn’t achieve this, because no matter how talented, he couldn’t produce so many great songs at once!

This honor belonged to him alone.