After the fifth episode of the Ace City Competition concluded, the buzz reached its peak.
Ting Yu's songs were distributed across all platforms. The major music platforms seemed to have found their traffic code. Without Xing Hui needing to spend money on negotiations, or the program group needing to pull strings, as soon as Ting Yu's new song was released, banners were immediately put up on their homepages.
"Popular producer Ting Yu, along with his artist group, the Slippers Brothers, brings their latest song 'Old Boy,' a tearjerker once again. A man forever remains a boy at heart!"
Among them, Net Cloud Music was particularly aggressive, popping up a dialog box when users entered the software: "Popular producer Ting Yu's new song, click to listen."
This kind of approach was undoubtedly something all producers envied. It had to be said that Net Cloud Music was giving Ting Yu maximum deference. This kind of treatment was usually reserved only for when a Music God released a new song. And Net Cloud Music had done this more than once.
With the heat from the competition and such hardcore promotion from music platforms, "Old Boy" rapidly climbed the charts. Netizens were used to it by now.
"Ting Yu truly is the fastest man!"
"The one before, please add 'fastest on the charts,' thanks!"
"No one can compete."
"Ting Yu is the face of the current C-pop music scene. Among the younger generation, he has no rivals, and the older generation can't beat him either."
"Don't jinx it. Hu Yang next episode is no joke."
"Any news? Is next episode Yue Yu?"
"Let's wait for Xing Hui or Ting Yu's official Weibo."
While listening to the song, netizens were very curious about the genre of Ting Yu's next song. However, since they couldn't guess the keywords and Ting Yu hadn't posted on Weibo, they could only wait with curiosity.
…
Meanwhile, at Xing Hui. Chen Yong and Zhao Yuan were in Xing Hui's publicity and planning department. The two were stunned as they looked at the documents in their hands.
"Data evaluation, no publicity fees required?" Chen Yong almost dropped the document.
"Unbelievable…" Zhao Yuan uttered two words. After being in the entertainment industry for so many years, this was the first time she had encountered such a situation. After all, even the most formidable singers or producers needed the company's operations team to contact various platforms and influential internet personalities for promotional cooperation to achieve the best promotional effect. This was because it was the rule of the entertainment industry and the ecosystem of this industry. Platforms earned money through promotion, and major influencers earned money by accepting promotions. Entertainment companies spent money on promoting songs or artists. This was almost the standard procedure for releasing new songs.
But now, after receiving this evaluation report from the planning department, they found that the company couldn't spend money on promotion even if they wanted to. This was because those platforms and influencers were already voluntarily promoting Ting Yu. To be precise, it should be said that these platforms and influencers were voluntarily riding Ting Yu's wave of popularity!
"This phenomenon was already present in previous songs, but as Ting Yu's popularity grew, it completely eliminated the need for spending money…" the head of the publicity department said with a smile.
Now, Ting Yu was the face of Xing Hui Entertainment. He, the department head, was directly responsible for following up on Ting Yu's promotional plans. However, as Ting Yu's popularity increased, his work decreased, and now, he didn't have to do anything at all. Promotions that previously required payment were now being offered for free by major platforms, and they were competing to do them. Ting Yu's songs were distributed on all platforms. Whichever platform seized the promotion of new songs first would possess the popularity. These platforms were competing with each other, gradually becoming more insular.
"I think we should discuss with the headquarters, not only to waive Ting Yu's share but also to pay him a salary," Chen Yong suddenly said.
Zhao Yuan looked at him in astonishment.
"What are you looking at? The company isn't paying my salary now," Chen Yong said with a smile, feeling Zhao Yuan's gaze.
"That's right, your awareness is getting higher and higher," Zhao Yuan nodded and patted his head.
However, whether to pay a salary or not was up to Lin Chaoyang. After all, Ting Yu was Lin Chaoyang's future son-in-law, and now that he was so popular, special treatment was understandable. The publicity department head, seeing the two acting so intimately, was already used to it. These two had been secretive at first. Now, they often showed affection in the company. After falling in love, Zhao Yuan was no longer as cold and aloof. Sometimes, when she was happy, she would even treat everyone to milk tea. The people in the composition department all agreed that love was the best way to melt an ice mountain. Everyone was happy, as no one wanted a cold leader.
Xing Hui was now arguably the dream company for all entertainment industry professionals in Shuangqing City. Especially for singers, they all wanted to join Xing Hui as newcomers, hoping to be lucky enough to be chosen by Ting Yu and take off with just one song. However, Xing Hui's recruitment process was now very strict, unlike the past where they accepted anyone. This made the artists already employed by Xing Hui feel extremely fortunate and their sense of belonging exploded.
…
With the explosion of "Old Boy," most of the trending videos on major short video platforms used this song as background music.
"#Ting Yu's latest song 'Old Boy' once again ignites a wave of middle-aged men reminiscing about their dreams!#"
A video blogger named "Xiao Rou Niang" compiled some popular videos focusing on men and set them to the background music of "Old Boy." In the videos, men were sweating profusely on construction sites under the scorching sun, delivering food in wind and rain, their hands black but holding a bouquet of flowers, presenting them to their girlfriends with smiles, and eating steamed buns alone on the street in the early morning… These videos, paired with the background music of "Old Boy," immediately moved netizens to tears.
This blogger, "Xiao Rou Niang," who originally had only a few thousand followers, gained hundreds of thousands of followers due to the video's immense popularity. Below the video, there were all sorts of heart-wrenching comments.
"Tearful! Watching these people strive to live, I suddenly feel I need to buckle down."
"This is what it means to be a man. This is life."
"This is the most realistic portrayal of men. Most people live like this, so don't be fooled by those on the internet flaunting luxury cars and houses. Wake up."
"Seeing the man giving flowers, I burst into tears. In reality, most men receive their first bouquet of flowers at their funeral."
"I don't think I'll even receive flowers at my funeral. Perhaps a few wildflowers will grow on my grave…"
Besides netizens expressing their emotions, many also shared their own experiences. It seemed everyone had shed their pretense and was pouring out their hearts online. However, someone dug up the real identity of this video blogger. It turned out to be Qin Xiaorou, a popular young actress in the film and television industry. She also reposted her video on Weibo, with the caption: "Many boys have their own dreams, wanting to be players or gamers, but after the age of 18, their dreams mostly become buying a house or a car. I think we should give the boys we love some understanding and tolerance." It was at this moment that everyone realized Qin Xiaorou had been following Ting Yu for a long time and was a fan of his.