Chapter 8

The students of music-related institutions were also paying close attention to the changes in the rankings.

Qian'an Music Academy.

The six-year program at New Century University, with this year's fifth-year students about to enter their sixth year, regardless of whether they were in composition or vocal performance, were all watching this ranking. They would also use this ranking to evaluate the strengths of various entertainment companies, to see which company was more capable.

Among the three major entertainment companies in Benzhou, Yinyi Media was the weakest. Even if it had once been glorious, it was now a thing of the past. Students with conditions would prioritize Neiguang Culture and Tongshan Shihua, especially Tongshan Shihua, which had become even more powerful in recent years. The development of virtual idols was also good, and there was a high demand for talent in composition and arrangement, making it a place where they could excel.

"This year, Yinyi is also doing well, with three in the top ten," one student said.

"The top ten are all dominated by the three major companies."

"This is the kind of dominance the old three should have!" For the students, since these were the three largest entertainment companies in Yanzhou, they should naturally have the momentum to dominate the rankings, and they found it quite natural.

"Hey! Five of the top ten composers are from our school! Three from Yinyi, one from Tongshan Shihua, and one from Neiguang," a student said excitedly.

"Huh? Three from Yinyi? What about the fourth? I heard Yinyi signed four people from our school's sixth-year composition department, and three of them made it to the top ten. Where's the fourth? I checked the top hundred, and I didn't see him."

"Is that so? Let me check... The composition department has Rong Zheng, Chu Guang, Sha Andu, no, Sha Andu signed with Tongshan Shihua, and... Press?"

"Press signed with Neiguang, and he's on the list."

"Oh, not him, then who... Right, Fang Zhao! I didn't see Fang Zhao!"

"Neither did I."

"Didn't they say Fang Zhao was the first to be signed? Our mentor was quite optimistic about Fang Zhao, saying he had the potential to make it to the top ten in the rookie season."

The students searched carefully but still didn't find Fang Zhao.

What happened?

It's almost the end of the season, and he hasn't even entered the competition?

Not only the students from the same school, but also his childhood friends, like Zeng Huang, were anxious, feeling extremely frustrated. Seeing Fang Sheng comfortably sitting in the top ten, they felt a block in their chests, wishing they could tell the world that Fang Sheng's song was stolen! Stolen from Fang Zhao!

But without evidence, if they went out and shouted, they would be accused of defamation. The law was very strict about defamation, and Neiguang would definitely protect Fang Sheng. Offending Neiguang Culture would not be good for them.

"What's Fang Zhao's decision? Is he really going to enter? It's already the tenth day," Zeng Huang's fiancée, Wan Yue, who was also a childhood friend of Fang Zhao, was also paying attention to Fang Zhao's movements, but they had been waiting day by day without any news.

As they were talking, Zeng Huang heard a clear "ding" from his wristband.

Seeing the person who sent the short message on the screen, both of their eyes lit up, "It's here!"

---

Fang Sheng had been in high spirits recently. Since entering the rookie competition, he hadn't slept well, initially due to nervousness about his performance, and later due to excitement.

Looking at the download numbers on the screen, he saw the money pouring into his account.

The download fee was one yuan per song. If there were no other contracts, the revenue was generally split 3:2:5, with the composers getting 30%, the singers 20%, and the company 50%. With the rise of virtual idols, the status of creators had increased, while that of singers had decreased. In terms of status, a low-level singer was not as valuable as a composer, and their share of the revenue was naturally smaller.

This season, Fang Sheng had released all three of the songs he had stolen, putting all his bets on this season. The company had agreed, so according to the contract, the three songs had a combined download count of three million, and Fang Sheng had earned one million yuan. If he developed well in the future and signed a higher-level contract, the revenue split could be even more favorable, earning him even more.

Because of these three songs, he had directly escaped poverty! How long had it been?

Looking at the performance of these three songs, Fang Sheng felt no guilt or remorse, only relief that he had chosen this method. Stealing these three songs had been incredibly worth it!

When he first joined the company, the employees who welcomed the new recruits were quite cold, but now they all smiled at him, a change in attitude that reflected his rising status. In the future, he would receive more resources at Neiguang and collaborate with more outstanding singers. The words "boundless prospects" flashed in his mind every day.

As for Fang Zhao?

Fang Sheng chuckled softly, opened the light screen on his wristband, and flipped through the rankings, which hadn't changed much.

"Fang Zhao has no hope."

At that moment.

"ding!"

A notification sound rang out.

Fang Sheng had set up many notifications, and this sound could be a message from someone else or other information he wanted to follow, but for some reason, when he heard this sound, his heart tightened.

Looking at the time display, it was exactly 8:00 AM.

8:00 AM was the time when new songs were uploaded to the platform and officially released after review.

Fang Sheng suddenly felt hesitant to check the notification.

Taking a few deep breaths, he finally tapped the screen. Maybe it was something else, he thought.

But when he opened it and saw the display on the screen, Fang Sheng's face turned pale.

The screen showed a notification for a new song by a composer he was following on this season's rookie chart: "Hehe, Dear You," sung by Bei Zhi, composed by Fang Zhao, produced by Yinyi Media.

Composer... Fang Zhao!

Fang Zhao!

Not paying attention to the song title, the name "Fang Zhao" stung his eyes, but he stared at it for a full minute, as if punishing himself. Then, with stiff fingers, he tapped the trial listening option. After that, Fang Sheng didn't leave his room. Inside, it was deathly silent.

When Fang Sheng was called to the company in the afternoon, someone tried to approach him to get closer, but found that his face was ghostly pale, terrifying.

"What happened to him?" the employees whispered.

"I don't know, his performance in the rookie competition was pretty good. His three songs all made it to the top hundred, and one even made it to the top ten."

"I thought he might lose his tenth place, but it seems pretty stable," a Neiguang employee said, looking at the rankings.

No one knew Fang Sheng's current state of mind. Although he didn't have much talent in composition, he could listen. He could tell which songs would be popular and which wouldn't, as his tastes aligned with the masses. Because of this, he knew what kind of impact Fang Zhao's song could have. If Fang Zhao were alone, it wouldn't be a threat, but behind Fang Zhao was Yinyi Media, one of the old three!

As long as Yinyi opened the promotional channels for new talent, Fang Zhao would definitely rise!

Twenty days, not long, but not short either.

How could it be!

How could it be!

It had only been a few days, how could Fang Zhao have something to submit?!

He must have prepared it long ago and hidden it, definitely!

So Fang Zhao was guarding against him!

Fang Sheng remembered the look in Fang Zhao's eyes when he moved to the Black Street. At the time, that look felt like a hidden threat from the depths of the sea, and now, the threat was right in front of him, glaringly obvious!

It was already June, and the temperature in Yanzhou was not low, but Fang Sheng felt icy cold, as if he had been dragged out of an ice cellar.

As one of the three major entertainment companies in Yanzhou, even though Yinyi had weakened in recent years, its promotional channels were still unmatched by many smaller companies. After the new song was uploaded, it was promoted through all the special channels available to new talent.

Qian'an Music Academy, on the school's internal communication platform.

"It's here! A new song uploaded by Yinyi, composed by Fang Zhao!"

"Quick, download it. We're from the same school, let's support him."

"Composition department students, go support Senior Fang Zhao!"

"Downloaded and supported!"

"Downloaded +1!"

"Even though I study instruments, I'll contribute my share."

Many people didn't listen to songs but still supported their senior students, a treatment not exclusive to Fang Zhao but enjoyed by every excellent graduate.

Some people didn't intend to support Fang Zhao; they didn't know him and supported other new talent, but they were curious about him. What kind of result did this person, who entered the competition so late, submit?

Yinyi wouldn't dare to put Fang Zhao in the competition at this point unless it was a high-quality work. Otherwise, even if Fang Zhao wanted to, Yinyi couldn't afford to lose face.

In a higher education institution in Qian'an City, a third-year student, who had no classes in the morning, woke up late, yawned, and turned on the internet to check the news.

Following his usual habit, he opened a music app called "Dongni Music" and clicked on the automatically recommended playlist for the day.

These recommendations were based on his past listening preferences, and if he liked a song, he would first save it, and if he really liked it, he would pay to download it.

Wearing headphones, he listened to music while browsing the entertainment news.

There was nothing particularly interesting, and the music in his ears didn't leave much of an impression. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't particularly appealing. Maybe one or two songs sounded nice, but after listening, he forgot about them. If you asked him what he remembered about the songs he heard that day, he couldn't say anything.

This was often the case, so people outside the music industry mostly listened to their own saved and downloaded songs, occasionally checking out the recommended new or old songs.

While he was yawning and casually browsing the news, a strange laugh suddenly came from his headphones, turning his yawn into a sneeze. His body jolted, and the drowsiness vanished, leaving him sitting there in shock.

After about twenty seconds, the student finally moved, raised his finger, and switched the entertainment news page to the music app to see the name of the song he was listening to.

When he saw the song title, his eyes paused.

"Hehe, Dear You? What a weird name..."

The student looked at the song title, which stood out among the other titles, and while he complained, he didn't stop his actions. After listening once, he decisively clicked to listen again.

After listening again, he listened again.

And again.

And again...

"ding!"

"You have reached your daily trial listening limit." A notification popped up on the screen.

Trial listening limit?!

He had already listened five times?

So quickly?!

He suddenly realized that he had listened to the song five times without doing anything else, just listening. He had actually listened to a song five times in a row!

Download!

It was only one yuan, and he felt he could listen to this song on repeat all afternoon, especially during the two particularly sleep-inducing classes. Maybe he would be woken up by the "hehe" in his headphones when he was about to fall asleep.

After downloading, the student rushed to the school's online forum to recommend the song.

[Handsome Guy's Handsome Song]: "Woke up to a cool song today! Check out the link below for the trial listening page."

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