Chapter 58: The Sensational Success of "Ghost Blows Out the Light"!
The office was incredibly quiet.
Liu Xiayu hesitated, thinking for a moment before turning to Li Ronghao. “Send the song to my email. Remember to encrypt the file on your end and store it securely. Tomorrow after work starts, let’s have a meeting together!”
She then addressed Galen, “After all, this is your album. Which song should be the lead single, and what should the album be called? Give us your input!”
Galen pondered for a moment and replied, “Why don’t we settle on the album title for now? ‘Positive Energy’ sounds good! As for the lead single, let’s wait until the rest of the songs are finished before deciding.”
“Alright! And don’t push yourself too hard. Good work takes time and repeated revision—rushing things never produces quality,” Liu Xiayu said.
“I understand,” Galen nodded.
Liu Xiayu glanced at her watch and said to the two of them, “Alright, I’ll head out first. You two can continue talking.”
After she left, Galen finally breathed a sigh of relief; her presence always seemed to exert a subtle pressure.
Seeing his reaction, Li Ronghao laughed, “What’s wrong, are you still nervous?”
“It’s quite stressful, honestly!” Galen chuckled. “By the way, Mr. Li, thank you for helping with Yingying’s matter!”
“It was nothing! Just lending a hand,” Li Ronghao smiled.
They chatted a while longer before Galen stood up to take his leave.
Once outside, he headed upstairs to find Wu Chaoyang. Instead of taking the elevator from the front desk, he went straight up the back stairs.
Wu Chaoyang’s department had recently been spun off into its own management company. There was no need for renovation, since they’d always operated separately.
As Galen passed through the assistants’ open office area, he immediately spotted Maile, who stood out like a crane among chickens—he was the biggest and tallest among the group.
At that moment, Maile was hiding behind his computer, engrossed in his phone, oblivious to the world.
Galen walked over and suddenly clapped him on the shoulder, his voice low and deep. “Maile!”
“Good grief!” Maile jumped, his phone slipping onto the desk, and let out a shrill yelp.
The rest of the office was startled by the sudden outcry. When they turned and saw who it was, everyone exclaimed in excitement, “Look, it’s Galen!”
“What? Galen’s at the office?”
“Let’s go get an autograph!”
“You go first!”
“What’s there to be afraid of? We’re all from the same company!”
“He’s actually a shareholder over at Rainy Days!”
“Why don’t you go first, then...”
“I’ll go! Everyone, let’s go together!” An older female assistant grabbed a notebook and rushed over to Galen. “Hello, Galen! Could you sign this for me? My daughter adores you—every night before bed, she insists on hearing you sing ‘Those Flowers’!”
Galen glanced back and chuckled, “Sure!”
Soon, the rest crowded around as well.
“Galen, could you sign one for me too?”
“My mom is such a fan of yours!”
...
Seeing the sudden crowd, Galen only smiled lightly. There were only seven or eight assistants in the office after all—it wouldn’t take long to sign for everyone. He accepted the pens and papers they handed over and quickly signed his name.
After everyone left, delighted with their autographs, Galen picked up Maile’s phone and teased, “Hey, what’s got you so hooked? Don’t tell me you’re reading something risqué?”
The earlier commotion had helped Maile recover from his shock. Scratching his head, he grinned sheepishly. “It’s nothing special, just an online novel.”
“An online novel?” Galen glanced at the screen and his eyes widened in surprise—the title was none other than “Ghost Blows Out the Light”!
If not for today’s coincidence, Galen would have forgotten all about that book. Who would have thought someone in real life—especially someone as close as Maile—would be reading it?
Oblivious to Galen’s expression, Maile began enthusiastically recommending, “Yeah! It’s called ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light.’ It’s amazing—the scarier it gets, the more fascinating it is, and the more you want to read. It’s the number one online novel right now, the hottest hit of the year. You have no idea! Just the view count on its launch site has already passed a hundred million!”
Maile went on and on, gesticulating wildly. Meanwhile, Galen used Maile’s phone to search for “Ghost Blows Out the Light.”
“Online Novel Breaks 100 Million Hits: ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light’ Leads the Paranormal Trend!”
“Is the Book Unfinished? Who Is the Author of ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light’?”
“OpenWindow Site: Author Missing, No Royalties Paid to ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light’ Yet!”
“The Many Mysteries Surrounding ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light’!”
“Potential for Film and TV Adaptations of ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light’!”
“Shocking News: ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light’ Penned by a University Professor!”
—Subheading: “Why Do Literature Professors Favor Online Novels? Why Refuse to Contact OpenWindow?”
The last article even fabricated a story: the author, a university professor, had tried submitting the manuscript to print publishers over ten times, only to be rejected each time. Out of frustration, he published it online, but was too embarrassed to reveal his identity to friends for fear of losing standing in literary circles. After releasing three volumes, he vanished from the internet.
Reading this, Galen couldn’t help but laugh and cry. He grabbed Maile and said, “Come on, let’s go see Brother Wu!”
All the way, Maile kept recounting the highlights of “Ghost Blows Out the Light,” even earnestly advising Galen, “You really should give it a try. I’m not just recommending it for nothing—trust me, you won’t regret it!”
As they reached the office door, Galen asked with a smile, “So what got you hooked on it in the first place?”
Maile grinned bashfully. “I was just browsing online and stumbled onto it. The author’s pen name was the same as your real name, so I got curious and started reading. I couldn’t put it down!”
Galen shot him a meaningful look. “Have you ever considered another possibility?”
“What possibility?” Maile was puzzled.
Galen smiled mysteriously. “You’ll find out in a minute.”
Maile frowned, a strong premonition dawning on him—could it be...
Just then, they entered Wu Chaoyang’s office.
“Brother Wu! Are you busy?” Galen entered with a grin.
Wu Chaoyang was looking at something on his computer. When he saw them come in, he stood up smiling. “Have a seat! What brings you here at this hour? I’m almost off work!”
“Just dropping off the demo. Thought I’d stop by to see you.”
“The demo’s done?” Wu Chaoyang was a bit surprised.
Galen nodded. Then he changed the topic. “By the way, Brother Wu, I actually came to talk about something else!”
He turned to Maile. “Why don’t you tell Brother Wu about how popular ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light’ is online right now?”
Maile was still in a daze, studying Galen and mulling over his suspicion. Hearing this, he snapped back to reality. “Oh, right, here’s the thing...”
He proceeded to repeat everything he’d just told Galen, adding even more details.
When he finished, Wu Chaoyang nodded. “If this book’s really that hot, with the right operation, it could become a major IP.”
He looked at Galen. “So? You have an idea?”
“Of course!” Galen smiled. “Because I wrote it.”
“Pfft—”
Wu Chaoyang and Maile nearly spat out their drinks in unison.
Maile stared at Galen in a mix of shock, disbelief, and excitement—his guess had been right? This Galen was really that Galen?
Wu Chaoyang was even more astonished. Hearing Maile’s earlier description, he’d already begun imagining the book in his mind—a hundred million clicks, a new paranormal genre. He could envision the possibilities if the book were handled strategically.
But he’d never guessed that Galen was the author.
This wasn’t just a song—it was a whole book!
“You... you wrote it?” Wu Chaoyang looked at Galen in disbelief. “You’re joking, right? When did you write it?”
“Before I signed with the company. There’s still a volume I haven’t uploaded yet. I’ve just been too busy lately and forgot all about it,” Galen replied calmly.
In truth, he was more delighted than anyone. A book he’d long forgotten had suddenly become a quiet sensation.
And he hadn’t done any promotion or marketing—not even mentioned it on his microblog.
Wu Chaoyang eyed him uncertainly, then stood up. “I’m going to check on the computer!”
Maile hurried over to join him. The two began fiddling with the machine.
Galen, on the other hand, took his time, pouring himself a cup of tea and settling onto the sofa to watch them.
Now that Maile knew Galen was the real author of “Ghost Blows Out the Light,” he was visibly thrilled, pointing at the screen and talking animatedly with Wu Chaoyang.
Wu Chaoyang, by contrast, was much calmer. To him, this book was a work of art, a commodity, and—most importantly—a trump card. As Galen’s manager, he had to think from Galen’s perspective: how to leverage this book to win more fame, fortune, and status for him.
Although Maile had described the book as explosively popular, in truth, compared to typical online novels, it really was a hit. And the anonymity surrounding the author had only added to its mystique.
Some claimed the author was a real tomb raider who’d been arrested. Others spread rumors that he was a professor—of Chinese literature, history, archaeology—each story more fantastic than the last.
A few even speculated that the author was named Galen. Could that be the same Galen as the rising singer?
But almost no one believed it.
Though Galen was an unusual name, after all, one was a singer, the other an erudite writer with a literary touch—worlds apart, with no logical connection. How could they possibly be the same person?
Everyone was convinced Galen was just a pen name, nothing more.