11: Chapter 11 Middle-aged people support you

The night after the "Blooming Summer" music festival ended, the internet went crazy.

Fan-recorded videos of "the former you" from various angles and resolutions swept across all social media platforms.

"At the moment the guitar was smashed, I, a thirty-year-old grown man, cried like a fool in front of the screen."

"I didn't understand rock music before, but now I do—only my youth is gone."

"The lyrics and composition are by Lu Zhixian! I declare that from today on, Lu Zhixian is my daddy! Please, release the studio version quickly. I have over a dozen fan-recorded versions saved on my phone, and the sound quality is almost worn out!"

Comments urging for an official release flooded the newly registered official account of Xian Dong Wo Xin Studio.

Inside Xian Dong Wo Xin Studio, Jiangcheng and Su Qing were clutching their phones, scrolling through the comments, unable to stop grinning.

"Teacher Lu! It's blown up! It's really blown up!" Jiangcheng's face was flushed with excitement.

"Let's strike while the iron is hot and release the song immediately! I've already contacted Penguin Music, and they can open a fast-track channel at any time!"

Lu Zhixian leaned back on the sofa, sipping tea slowly, turning a deaf ear to the clamor outside the window.

"What's the rush?" He put down his teacup.

"Let them let it ferment a little longer."

By the next morning, when the anticipation across the entire internet had been hyped to its peak, the official Weibo account of Xian Dong Wo Xin Studio finally posted an update.

[Xiangyang Band, "the former you", officially released.]

No warm-up, no promotion, no buying any trending topics.

It was just like throwing a stone into a calm lake.

Within an hour of release, there were over 999+ comments.

It debuted at ninth place on the Penguin Music new song chart.

For a band without any publicity, this result could be called terrifying.

But before Jiangcheng could even be happy, a bucket of cold water was poured over him by the name at the top of the chart.

Li Zhian, "Play".

Li Zhian, the country's top traffic idol, backed by the deep-pocketed Xinghuang Entertainment.

His new song "Play" was an electronic dance track produced with heavy investment, released at midnight on the same day as "the former you".

From the moment it went live, the data for "Play" skyrocketed at an unbelievable speed.

Overwhelming splash screen ads, featured recommendations on major apps, coordinated reposts by dozens of entertainment influencers on Weibo, plus the crazy chart-topping efforts organized by fan clubs...

The power of capital and fan culture was on full display.

"Damn, how are we supposed to compete with this?" Jiangcheng felt his heart go cold as he looked at the data for "Play", which was leading by a wide margin.

"the former you" relied on astonishing word-of-mouth and the general public.

It climbed steadily on the chart, from ninth to eighth, then to seventh... but every step upward was incredibly difficult. And "Play" was like an insurmountable mountain, firmly pressing down on the top spot.

The comment sections of the two songs also formed a stark contrast.

Under "Play", there were uniform, controlled comments.

[Brother's electronic music is too explosive! I can't stop looping this single!]

[Support Li Zhian! The new song "Play" is super good! Everyone go listen to it!]

[Call for An'an! Let's push the sales of the new song!]

Meanwhile, the comment section for "the former you" was like a large-scale story-telling session.

[After listening to this song, I made a call to my college roommate whom I hadn't contacted in ten years. We agreed to visit our alma mater together next month.]

[My dad, an old-fashioned man who never listens to pop songs, looped this in the car all afternoon today. After listening, he just sat in the car smoking for a long time without going upstairs.]

[28 years old, business failed, a million in debt, girlfriend broke up with me too. When I listened to this song, I didn't cry. I just went to the kitchen and made myself a bowl of noodles, adding two eggs.]

These completely different styles represented two completely different forces.

In the afternoon, at the studio.

Jiangcheng and Su Qing were like two headless flies, circling the computer screen, constantly refreshing the chart data, muttering to themselves.

"The gap has widened again!"

"This won't work, their fans are too good at fighting. We're just relying on the general public; our stamina can't keep up!"

"Teacher Lu, think of something!"

Lu Zhixian was wearing headphones, tinkering with something at the mixing console.

He ignored their wailing. It wasn't until Jiangcheng was about to wear a hole in the floor that he took off his headphones and looked at them with a puzzled expression.

"Are you two constipated?"

"..." Jiangcheng almost choked.

"The fire is burning our eyebrows! How are you not worried at all?"

"Does worrying help?" Lu Zhixian stood up and stretched his neck.

"The charts are manipulated by machines, but human hearts are not."

He walked to the computer and dragged a video file he had just edited into a folder.

"Post this."

Jiangcheng leaned over to look; the video file was named "Old Boys Never Die".

He clicked on the video.

No flashy special effects, no exquisite makeup.

The camera was shaky, and the footage was even a bit rough.

The beginning of the video.

It showed Shi Lei running all over Jingzhou, finding the bassist Old Li who was working as a designated driver on the roadside late at night, finding the drummer Qiangzi at a smoky barbecue stall, and finding the guitarist Afei who was teaching children to play the guitar in a music store.

He shoved headphones into their ears and asked only one question.

"Do you still want to be badass with me one more time?"

The camera cut to a brand-new recording studio.

During the first rehearsal, the drums and bass clashed, and the guitar played the wrong chords.

Qiangzi threw down his drumsticks in frustration and cursed, "Damn, I'm rusty."

Old Li's fingertips were rubbed raw and bleeding by the bass strings; he just wiped them with a paper towel and continued.

Afei practiced the detail of a string bend dozens of times, his back soaked with sweat.

Shi Lei's throat was hoarse from yelling, so he gulped down some water, then faced the microphone and did it again.

The end of the video showed the four men, whose average age was over forty, rehearsing over and over again in the recording studio for the sake of a perfect note.

On their faces, there was fatigue, there was sweat, but in those eyes, there was a light that only twenty-year-olds should have.

The background music of the video was none other than "the former you".

When the last line, "Believe that you will return here again, full of glory," was sung, the screen froze on the moment the four men smiled at each other.

A line of text appeared on the screen:

"To our youth, which will eventually pass."

Jiangcheng finished watching, his eyes a little red. He didn't say anything; with trembling hands, he posted this video to the studio's official account.

In less than half an hour, the video was reposted by an emotional blogger with ten million followers.

"This is the kind of star we should be chasing at our age."

One stone stirred up a thousand waves.

This video, like a precision bomb, instantly ignited another demographic.

Those "middle-aged people" who had long since said goodbye to chasing stars and whose time was entirely occupied by work and family, frantically reposted this video in their WeChat Moments, class groups, and family groups.

"Holy crap, isn't this what I looked like when I was young?"

"I'm teary-eyed watching this. I've forgotten when the last time was that I gave my all for something I loved."

"Enough talking, the song is called "the former you", right? How do I vote? Can someone teach me?"

Thus, a peculiar scene emerged.

Countless "Zhang Weis" and "Li Jings" began to study the chart-topping rules of Penguin Music under the guidance of their children.

"Daughter, does sharing this give extra points?"

"Son, help me check, did my vote go through?"

"What? Members can cast more votes? Open it! Get me an annual membership!"

That night, a brand-new entry quietly climbed onto the hot search list.

#Middle-Aged People Rally to Top the Charts for You#

Li Zhian's fans were stunned.

They realized that just when they thought victory was in their grasp, the data for "the former you" suddenly started to rise crazily in an unreasonable way.

The growth curve didn't look like fans boosting the charts; it looked like... the stock market opening.

At midnight, the new song chart refreshed.

First place: "the former you" - Xiangyang Band.

Second place: "Play" - Li Zhian.

A counter-attack, reaching the top!

Inside Xian Dong Wo Xin Studio, Jiangcheng and Su Qing hugged and jumped up, incoherent with excitement.

Lu Zhixian looked at the chart, a smile appearing on his face.

He had used the most "clumsy" method to win the most modern traffic war.

...

Magic City, Lin Shiya's apartment.

Manager Sister Chen held the tablet, her expression complex.

"Shiya, I found it. That Xian Dong Wo Xin Studio is just a recording studio in the Jingzhou Cultural and Creative Park, just rented."

"What about information on Lu Zhixian himself?" Lin Shiya was stretching, her slender legs tensed into a straight line.

"Can't find anything." Sister Chen shook her head.

"Other than knowing he is the lyricist and composer of "dispelling sorrow", "bubble", and "the former you", and that he worked at a company before, everything else is blank. He has no roots in the industry at all."

Sister Chen was a bit worried.

"Shiya, this kind of person is either a peerless genius, or... just a freak. If you rush to find him, what if..."

"It's fine, Sister Chen."

Just then, Penguin Music pushed a notification.

[Music Diva Lin Shiya, new single "Star Language", officially released.]

As a true national-level little diva, Lin Shiya's songs didn't need any flashy marketing.

Ten minutes after release, it debuted at third place on the new song chart.

Just right in the middle of "the former you" and "Play".

This was the first time the works of Lu Zhixian and Lin Shiya "met" on the charts.

Sister Chen looked at the chart, frowning: "This Lu Zhixian, really..."

Lin Shiya wiped her sweat, picked up her phone, and opened the chart.

Her gaze swept past her own name and landed on the name at the very top.

Lu Zhixian.

He was pressing down on top of her.

Lin Shiya looked at the name, not only was she not displeased, but she started to smile instead.

The teardrop mole at the corner of her left eye danced gently with her smile.