Chapter 110: The Remote Village

The next morning.

The nation’s largest portal websites and homepage navigators all placed the same headline in the most prominent spot:

“Jiang Lun Makes a Surprise Appearance in Guangzhou for a Signing Event, Engages Closely with the Yiting Music Fan Support Club!”

Fan support club?

What does this have to do with Yiting Music?

Everyone who saw the news was momentarily stunned.

Fan support clubs aren’t uncommon; in democratic countries, political parties form them during elections to rally votes and sponsorship. Celebrities also have fan clubs, mostly grassroots groups evolving from fan associations for singers or actors.

But many were puzzled—what did it mean for an official music player like Yiting Music to be linked with a fan support club? The curiosity compelled them to click on the article.

At first, it covered Jiang Lun’s signing event in Guangzhou, complete with photos—him signing autographs, interacting warmly with fans. But then the tone shifted.

It explained that Yiting Music had launched “Star Tribes,” with Jiang Lun and his fan support club as the first invitees.

Already, the fan club had grown rapidly—within days, 36,000 registered and following members, including over 4,000 paid Yiting Music subscribers. These members gained priority access to all Jiang Lun’s events, among other privileges.

The article concluded by stating that Yiting Music would continue to open Star Tribes for other celebrities, teasing the imminent launch for a dozen stars including Liu Xiayu, Wang Chengyang, Lian Qing, Huang Bin, and others.

Many of these stars weren’t originally singers but had dabbled in music. For instance, Wang Chengyang, a rising young actor famed for his looks and acting rather than singing, had only released one song. Yet, this didn’t matter—he too was welcomed into the Star Tribe program.

As soon as this news broke and Wang Chengyang confirmed it on Weibo, his entire fanbase went into a frenzy, rushing to download Yiting Music, eagerly anticipating their idol’s Star Tribe to go live.

There were many similar fan groups, each devoted to their own stars.

Among the announced celebrities, the largest fanbase belonged to Liu Xiayu. Her fans spanned a wide age range; some older admirers, upon hearing the news, also downloaded Yiting Music. Those unfamiliar with the app asked their children for help—after all, it only took up a little storage and caused no inconvenience.

There was no news about Jiang Lun officially taking the role of Chief Content Officer at Yiting Music—not because of modesty, but likely to avoid embarrassment if things went awry. He preferred to wait until success was certain.

Following Jiang Lun’s strategic blueprint, Yiting Music’s momentum was becoming apparent. While rival music players scrambled to secure licenses and remove songs, Yiting was playing a different game entirely, stunning the entire industry.

Companies with keen learning abilities immediately rushed to imitate; others less alert fell behind and suffered losses.

Everything was brewing. A week later, just as the hype around the Star Tribes subsided, another wave of news about Yiting Music appeared online.

The earliest was a post titled: “Is Yiting Shifting Gears? What Can These New Features Do?”

The post began by noting that a new version of Yiting had been released that morning, with the update number ****. After updating, the poster discovered that users could now send live comments—“bullet comments”—while listening to songs.

He then shared several screenshots of the new Yiting Music version: mobile app, PC version, and tablet HD edition, all marked with red circles highlighting key features.

“More importantly, I found another feature! Members who join the Star Tribes and become subscribers get exclusive skins when sending bullet comments, different from ordinary users. For example, I’m using the Jiang Lun Tribe skin…”

The post perfectly explained Yiting Music’s innovative new features.

It first circulated in a music forum, then spread to IT forums, eventually stirring up considerable discussion across Baidu Tieba and Weibo.

Coupled with the earlier Star Tribe launch, Yiting’s flurry of bold moves left many music player companies reeling.

What could they do?

Copy, of course! What other choice did they have?

Hadn’t Yiting’s download numbers already soared to the top of the industry?

Previously, daily downloads hovered just above a thousand, sometimes less, amid many competing music apps.

Now, since the day “Star Tribe” became associated with Yiting Music, downloads surged into the tens of thousands, with peak days surpassing 300,000 downloads.

Such staggering figures!

Yet what troubled competitors most wasn’t just the downloads—it was a statement Yiting Music posted on their official Weibo:

“Our company holds the patent licenses for embedded Star Tribe features, membership skins, and bullet comments within our music player. Other companies must not infringe on these rights; violators will face legal action!”

Below the announcement were images of patent certificates.

The patent owner’s name was pixelated, but the licensor was clearly stated as Jingcheng Yida Yutian Music Co., Ltd.

At this revelation, netizens and casual onlookers exploded in excitement:

“Wow! Yiting really pulled off a masterstroke!”

“Are they crazy? Why not wait for infringement before issuing such a notice? That way, they could sue and get compensation!”

“Ha! I bet even with this notice, others will still infringe!”

“What’s going on with Yiting recently? Is there some insider guiding them?”

“Who exactly is the licensor? I really want to know!”

“Looks like a comeback is underway!”

“IT peers, do you know who at Yida Yutian is behind this?”

“Isn’t Yida Yutian a music production and distribution company?”

“Yeah, isn’t Jiang Lun from Yida Yutian...?”

“The pixelated name—could it be Jiang Lun?”

“He’s good at music, but app development? I doubt it!”

“Exactly...”

“I heard a former vice president from Wanshi joined Yutian Music. Maybe it’s her team?”

“Possible…”

The buzz around Yiting Music grew louder online. Envious competitors multiplied. It was no wonder—while other music players retreated due to licensing troubles, Yiting pressed forward boldly, sparking widespread jealousy.

Not only outsiders but even Yida Network quietly regretted and marveled at what Jiang Lun was doing.

“Sigh! No wonder Director Liu hired Jiang Lun as Chief Content Officer. His ideas are something else—users equal money! Looks like Yiting is finally turning a profit!”

“Maybe, but let’s wait and see. After all, Yiting’s team is mostly musicians. They’ll probably hit technical roadblocks and come begging us eventually. Then we can just smile.”

“Heh…”

While almost everyone was engrossed in discussing Yiting, Jiang Lun himself paid no attention.

At that moment, he was in a small town in Guangxi Province, visiting a group of impoverished left-behind children.

He was accompanied not only by Master Wang’s charity team but also by the city’s Party Secretary and various local officials.

After a group photo and a few brief speeches, the officials left.

Only Jiang Lun, his staff, and Master Wang’s charity group remained.

Jiang Lun’s visit was not about handing out his albums and books but delivering much-needed supplies—clothes, shoes, books, stationery. Though most donations came from Master Wang’s company, Jiang Lun did not lag behind; he personally donated 200,000 yuan on-site to help renovate the school building and improve the children’s living conditions.

To show their gratitude, the children, guided by their teachers, performed several programs.

Surprisingly, one was a group chorus of “I Am a Little Bird.” The children’s tender, earnest voices striving to sing loudly stirred deep compassion.

This stop was not in Jiang Lun’s original itinerary. He had planned to rest that day before heading to Sichuan Province to meet Master Wang’s herbal tea staff. But upon learning about their charity efforts, he insisted on joining.

What surprised him most was that “Little Bird” had already reached this remote village. Staff explained that the public service announcement featuring the song had been airing on national television for some time, and it was also the anthem of the charity team.

As Jiang Lun left, the principal grasped his hand sincerely.

“Thank you, thank you for coming. The charity team has visited several times, but you are the first celebrity to come along. It’s not easy for our little place.”

“It’s my duty. I will come often and encourage more people to lend a hand,” Jiang Lun promised.