Chapter 58: Promoted to Silver-tier Composer

August 24.

The cumulative downloads of "I Believe" have reached 3.58 million.

Successfully surpassing "Children Gazing at the Sky," it has soared to claim 10th place on the August Newcomer Chart!

Wow!

The internet instantly erupted like a boiling pot!

"Tang Guo really means what she says! That's true strength!"

"When the media called Tang Guo the Rookie King a while back, I thought it was an exaggeration, but now it seems she truly deserves it!"

"This is the fourth song, right? I'm looking forward to the fifth hitting the charts!"

"'Clouds Become Rain' still has some catching up to do. Go, 'Clouds Become Rain'!"

"I'm off to promote 'Clouds Become Rain.' You guys have fun!"

"Wait for me, I'm coming too!"

"Count me in—I can't wait to see Old Mu's face when he loses."

". . ."

Human beings are such curious creatures.

There are things that have nothing to do with oneself.

As bystanders, people could simply watch from the sidelines.

Yet, the more they watch, the more likely they are to jump in and become part of the action.

Perhaps it's because no one wants the show to end too soon.

Perhaps it's to witness history in the making.

More and more people began promoting or downloading "Clouds Become Rain."

Rather than hoping for a coronation, it's more accurate to say they're longing for a miracle!

Under such an atmosphere, the downloads for "Clouds Become Rain" began to rebound!

-------------------------------------

In a rather dramatic twist,

One hour after "I Believe" climbed the charts,

Wu Qihua suddenly posted something new on his Weibo.

No caption.

Just a photo of a car rear-ending another.

At first, everyone was baffled.

But soon enough, some sharp-eyed netizens caught the implication.

It was a jab at Xu Ji!

Once people put the two events together, laughter broke out across the web.

"Wu Qihua is ruthless! That tongue of his is lethal!"

"Right? Who mocks someone like that?"

"You don't know the half of it—these two have always been rivals, taking jabs at each other! Just scroll through their old Weibo posts!"

"Xu Ji must be fuming right now. Will he go after Wu Qihua with a knife?"

". . ."

And the netizens weren't wrong.

Xu Ji really was about to explode!

Already furious from getting pushed off the chart, harboring a grudge against Tang Guo at heart.

Why couldn't she release her songs at another time, why choose August of all months?

And to drop four at once.

You're showing off, but you've utterly ruined me!

But before he could even finish fuming, he saw Wu Qihua's post.

Unlike the other netizens, he understood its meaning the moment he saw it.

He went ballistic!

That guy! How infuriating! How despicable!

No professional ethics whatsoever.

He doesn't even carry himself like a singer!

Pure hooligan!

Imagining Wu Qihua popping open a bottle of wine in celebration, wearing that smug look,

Xu Ji's fist clenched, his knuckles turning white.

-------------------------------------

One cannot deny the immense power of the masses.

When one person chases a goal, their light may be faint as fireflies.

But when many people hope for the same outcome, they shine as bright as day.

In the last week of August, downloads for "Clouds Become Rain" suddenly soared.

The daily decline in downloads was yanked upward, as if pulled by some unseen force.

Some who hadn't listened to the song before finally sat down and gave it a try, only to discover it was genuinely moving.

“How I long to see you again,
Even if just a fleeting glance before we part . . .
How I long to see you again,
At least to share a joke or two . . .”

The melody is gentle, warm and healing at first listen.

But with each repeat, a tinge of melancholy seeps in.

Everyone has their own story.

And everyone feels as if the song is singing about their own life.

“Belated realization and apologies always come too late. Let parting teach me to cherish and repent.
Goodbye, my dearest. How I regret falling for you at an age when I knew nothing of love!”

“She must have grown taller, her hair longer, more poised.
She’s probably forgotten me by now—I haven’t seen her in so long.”

“Life—aren’t we all carrying our past as we melt into the vast crowd, seeking a place to rest our hearts?”

“Stop scrolling. You have your own story too, just haven’t told it yet!”

". . ."

Of course, there were always cynics in the comments.

"Online, everyone’s a hopeless romantic; in real life, all are heartless cads!"

At 10 p.m. on August 31, with two hours to go,

"Clouds Become Rain" had 4.6 million downloads.

"Fleeting Years" had 4.62 million.

A razor-thin gap.

"No... no..."

Wu Qihua clutched his phone tightly, staring at the screen as it refreshed, eyes unblinking.

Yet the gap continued to narrow, little by little.

Finally, in the last hour before the end,

"Clouds Become Rain" surpassed "Fleeting Years" in downloads,

Seizing the 10th spot on the Newcomer Chart.

"Hahahahahahahaha!"

At 11 p.m., hearty laughter rang out from an office tower somewhere in the city.

Xu Ji was utterly vindicated!

At this moment, he no longer cared whether he had made the list.

Wu Qihua had just mocked him.

And in no time, he too was knocked off the chart.

Could anything be more satisfying?

Without hesitation, he logged onto the Weilang platform and reposted Wu Qihua’s Weibo,

Adding a picture of a multiple-car pileup.

"Pfft!"

"Hahaha, are these two doing a comedy sketch? Why are they so hilarious?"

"Thank you, you’ve made my week!"

"Switch careers, you two—stand-up suits you better!"

". . ."

At midnight on September 1, the August stats were finalized.

"Father’s Prose Poem" had 9.92 million downloads, ranked 1st.

"Boundless Sky" had 8.51 million, ranked 2nd.

"I Believe" had 5.23 million, ranked 9th.

"Clouds Become Rain" had 4.9 million, ranked 10th.

All four songs made the chart!

Unbelievable!

No one thought he could really pull it off!

Su Chen received a message from Tang Jiayi the very moment the news broke.

"Brother Su Chen, congratulations!"

Su Chen shook his head, amused. So late and this girl was still awake.

Still keeping tabs on him?

He scolded her:

“It’s so late—go to bed! Hurry and get some sleep!”

He quickly received a reply.

“I tried sleeping for five minutes, but my phone got jealous!”

“So, I had to coax it for two hours!”

Su Chen was speechless. What kind of logic was that?

On the afternoon of September 1, the Weilang platform updated its artist ranking data.

Under the composer category,

Su Chen’s name had already appeared on the Silver Composer list.