Chapter Sixty-Eight: Mao Yi’s Debut Album
The program played on to the storytelling segment, and Zheng Ling, frightened by Jiang Yun’s sudden outburst, couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Netizens were bewildered—who laughs when they’re scared?
Next, the story of He Ling talking about penguin meat was broadcast.
“Why?”
“Yeah, why did he commit suicide?”
“Zheng Ling’s confused expression is exactly how I feel.”
“I didn’t expect Jiang Yun’s answer to be so close—he really is the logical one!”
When He Ling finally revealed the answer, netizens flooded the comments.
“So that’s the real answer!”
“Shocking! The answer is so twisted!”
After the storytelling segment ended, everyone took a break, returning to their usual selves under the cameras.
The next morning, the six said their goodbyes.
Jiang Yun asked the crew for a guitar.
Viewers wondered, “Huh? What is Jiang Yun up to? Is he going to sing?”
Jiang Yun began strumming the guitar and singing.
The fourth episode of “Yearning for Life” ended with Jiang Yun’s song.
Netizens took to Weibo to discuss:
“I have to say, the stories about penguin meat and the train jumper—those answers are really twisted.”
“I have to say, Jiang Yun’s guitar playing is terrible—even a layman like me can tell.”
“But Jiang Yun’s rendition of ‘Goodbye’ was so beautiful. The style of this song is truly innovative! It’s just the guitar playing that’s so awful!”
Soon, a post titled “Just How Bad Is Jiang Yun’s Guitar Playing” shot to the trending topics.
The buzz around the fourth episode of “Yearning for Life” ended there.
Li An was a senior in college, about to graduate, and had recently been in a cold war with his girlfriend. He felt lost, not knowing what to do.
It was already autumn. Both he and his girlfriend would soon graduate, and perhaps then, they’d go their separate ways.
Li An didn’t know what to say.
They’d been together for three years, and now with graduation looming, it felt as if their relationship had reached its end.
Unable to find words to make her stay, Li An could only let her go.
He walked across the campus.
Suddenly, music began to play over the school’s broadcast system.
...
“I’ll always remember your face, I’ll treasure the longing you left behind. These days will never be erased from my heart.”
...
“What song is this?” Li An was moved by the melody.
Hurriedly, Li An made his way to the broadcast room. “What’s the name of this song?”
“‘Goodbye’!”
“Who sings it?”
“Jiang Yun. Haven’t you watched ‘Yearning for Life’?”
Li An forced a bitter smile and shook his head.
Footsteps sounded, loud and hurried. Li An looked toward the door, puzzled.
Before the person arrived, a voice called out.
“Hey, classmate!”
A girl, panting, stopped at the entrance. “Excuse me, what’s the name of this song?”
The broadcaster replied, “This song is called—”
“Li An?” The girl was taken aback.
“Wang Pei!”
Li An stammered, “How are you?”
“I’m fine!” Wang Pei replied.
The two people who had once been so close now felt like strangers.
Li An managed a smile. “You came to ask about the song too?”
“Yeah.” Wang Pei nodded.
“It’s called ‘Goodbye’,” Li An said with a smile.
“Mm.”
Silence fell between them.
The broadcaster watched them blankly. Am I a third wheel?
“How about we take a walk together?”
“How about we take a walk together?”
They spoke in unison.
“Pfft—”
Wang Pei covered her mouth and laughed.
Li An’s face lit up with a sunny smile.
Hand in hand, they left the broadcast room.
“Damn! I just got a mouthful of dog food!” The broadcaster’s snacks suddenly lost their flavor.
At Yaxing Shengshi Residence.
Jiang Yun checked the time—already half-past nine.
He took a shower, changed his bedsheets and covers, and finally, after typing out thirty thousand words, divided them into ten chapters and uploaded them.
The phone rang just as Jiang Yun was about to sleep.
“Hello? Who is this?”
“Hello, are you ‘Hope for Permanent Login’?”
Jiang Yun was puzzled by the long username. Who could this be?
“Where is this?”
“This is Qingjian Publishing!”
“Oh—I see now.” Jiang Yun realized, Hope for Permanent Login was his pen name.
“That’s me. What’s this about?”
“Well, ‘Hope,’ your work has reached the requirements for a contract application, but we haven’t been able to reach you, so I called.”
“Sorry, I only log in to upload chapters.”
“So, do you want to sign a contract?”
“Yes, of course!”
“After our evaluation, your book qualifies for an A-level contract,” said the person on the other end.
“By the way, may I ask your name?” Jiang Yun inquired.
“I’m your editor, Zheng He.”
“All right, so do we sign now?”
“Yes, just log in to your account and follow the process.”
“Okay!”
After the call, Jiang Yun followed the steps to sign the digital contract, which was very convenient.
There was one thing Jiang Yun only realized after signing: if a book isn’t contracted, it doesn’t appear in the library; only after signing does it show up.
“No wonder there were no comments!”
Once the contract was done, Jiang Yun went straight to bed and fell into a deep sleep.
The next day, Jiang Yun got up early and went to the company.
“Mao Yi, today is your first real test. Give it your best!”
“I will, Teacher!”
At noon, Mao Yi’s digital album “Dispel Sorrow” was released right on time on NetEase.
Because the company was small, Li Lulu’s promotional efforts had been limited.
No one knew if Mao Yi’s debut would make an impact.
They had originally planned to release a physical album, but after consideration, decided to test the waters with a digital release.
At twelve o’clock sharp, the digital album “Dispel Sorrow” went live.
Everyone watched the backend data.
“One thousand copies sold!”
“Eleven hundred!”
“Twelve hundred…”
As time passed, the numbers kept rising.
One hour later…
“Five thousand copies in the first hour. Not a great result, but at least people are buying!” Jiang Yun said.
Mao Yi looked a bit dejected.
Jiang Yun patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry, it’s only been a few hours.”
“Mm.”
They stopped watching the numbers.
What they didn’t know was that a wave was brewing.
On Weibo, a certain influencer posted: “Dear fans, today I want to recommend a hidden gem of an album—‘Dispel Sorrow.’ There are ten songs in total, and two of them were written and composed by Mr. Jiang Yun! Absolutely worth a listen [link].”
Those who had bought the album began posting about it on their feed, recommending it to friends.
“Check out this album by the talented singer Mao Yi. Two of the title tracks are by Jiang Yun.”
Soon, more people started buying the album.
The album featured ten songs and was only 29.9 yuan. Listeners could also buy individual songs.
This drove the sales up rapidly.
Twenty-four hours later…