Chapter 94

In any world, in any time and space, there does not exist a work of art that can conquer everyone.

Beethoven, Mozart, Chaplin, Mei Lanfang, Van Gogh, Xu Beihong, Tagore, Lan Ling Xiaoxiaosheng... they are all masters, but even their most famous masterpieces have plenty of people who dislike them, or even hate them.

So, no matter how good "Farewell" is, there are still plenty of people who don't like it.

Especially... young people.

Although more people will still like it, and even those who don't particularly like it will at least think the song is of high quality, it must be said that, except for a very small number of professionals, this "Farewell" is not the kind of work that will make people fall in love with it at first listen.

Facing the masses, especially a large number of young people, it needs some time to slowly ferment.

In contrast, it is very clear that as the singers invited by the production team take the stage one after another, this New Year's Eve concert truly begins to win the hearts of a large number of young viewers, and the ratings of the program start to soar.

But for this, Tang Xiao, the director of the New Year's Eve concert, who received the ratings report, was not worried at all, because he knew that although this song did not add much color as the opening act, it at least did not make young viewers impatient, and with the passage of time, he believed that this song would definitely gradually receive its due high praise, and at that time, he, as the first promoter, would naturally receive the recognition he deserved.

Around 9:00 PM, the national ratings for the New Year's Eve concert had already reached 6.8%!

Although there was still a gap compared to the highest rating of 7.43% at around 10:00 PM in 1993-1994, there was still an hour left, and Tang Xiao was not worried at all.

When the time came to around 9:30 PM, the real-time monitoring signal, which had been steadily rising, suddenly jumped by more than 0.1%!

In the monitoring room, Tang Xiao glanced at the muted large TV to his side and saw the five girls singing and dancing on the screen. He couldn't help but smile and nod slightly.

He grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down the real-time data, then patiently watched the curve continue to rise slowly. However, suddenly, the curve jumped again!

At this moment, in thousands of households across the country, during this special time of the New Year's Eve concert, countless young boys and girls who had grabbed the TV remote controls were enjoying their New Year's Eve party. When the song "Sisters and Brothers Stand Up" appeared, it almost immediately captured the ears of most young people, and subsequently, with the exchange of cell phone signals, one by one, evaluations were passed through text messages and phone calls.

Thus, the feedback eventually formed the rising and jumping ratings on the large screen in the monitoring room of Oriental Star TV.

When the second song of Wu Xing Wu Su, "The Alliance of Heartbroken People," started, Tang Xiao wrote down another number on the paper.

Then, with a sudden jump, the ratings suddenly rose sharply, and before Tang Xiao could even react to see what the number was, the curve jumped again.

Tang Xiao's eyes narrowed slightly.

"It seems they are really going to become famous!" he couldn't help but think.

This was, of course, a good thing!

In fact, for any gala, the so-called strength is not only about competing for ratings but also about who can launch hit songs. A gala, especially a large-scale one for a national audience, must have a strong ability to promote new things to be considered qualified. Only by continuously promoting new artists and new songs can you gain higher recognition from the audience, and the next year, people will subconsciously think that the gala is good and will turn on the TV to wait for new and good works.

So far, although Oriental Star TV's New Year's Eve concert has done well in this aspect, it still falls short compared to the Spring Festival Gala, which is a behemoth. The time points are too close, and with good works, whether it's the singer personally or the company they belong to, they would of course try their best to get on the Spring Festival Gala. Therefore, over the years, the New Year's Eve concert could only pick up the leftovers or the works that the Spring Festival Gala couldn't accommodate.

However, at least there have been gains every year, like this year's Wu Xing Wu Su!

Looking at the ratings curve, from the second half of their first song, it began to show a nearly straight upward trend, jumping sharply almost every half minute!

Tang Xiao turned his head to look at the TV screen beside him, noticing that they seemed to have finished and were leaving the stage, so he decisively wrote down the current real-time ratings.

The first data point, shortly after Wu Xing Wu Su took the stage and before the first jump, was 6.91%;

The second data point, when Wu Xing Wu Su's second song started, was already 7.32%;

The third data point, when Wu Xing Wu Su left the stage, was already 7.58%!

Tang Xiao subconsciously clenched his fist. It was not yet the peak at 10:00 PM, but this data had already exceeded the historical record of 7.43%!

There was no doubt that the gala was a success, and he, as the director, deserved a lot of credit!

Although... that guy might continue to be the director next year?

Tang Xiao sighed, collected himself, and continued to watch the ratings curve on the large screen. But soon he found that although the curve was still rising steadily, showing that the ratings had not yet reached their peak, the rate of increase had slowed down significantly. Looking back, he realized that in the past five to six minutes, the curve had indeed been almost a straight line.

On the slowly rising curve, this segment was so noticeable and striking!

There was no doubt that nothing was more convincing than data!

They were definitely going to become famous!

Tang Xiao put down the paper and pen, took a deep breath, and slowly smiled.

...

The night was deep.

Zhou Mo had been in the same position, half-shrunk into the sofa, for a long time, motionless.

Even as the wind outside gradually picked up, she remained sitting there, unmoving and indifferent.

With a crack, a branch seemed to be broken by the strong wind.

She finally blinked, glanced outside with an empty gaze, then took a deep breath, gradually coming to life. Looking at the sky, she knew it was time to go to bed.

But she wasn't really sleepy.

After some thought, she retreated back into the sofa.

Casually, her eyes glanced over the coffee table in the shadow and saw the large cardboard box.

She sighed, suddenly remembering the words Zou Wenhui had said before he left. Bored and aimless, she picked up the remote control and turned on the TV. The TV was usually watched by Aunt Wu while she worked, so the volume was quite loud!

As soon as she turned it on, the sudden sound startled her in the quiet night, but Zhou Mo just frowned slightly and then muted it.

She changed channels slowly and found Oriental Star TV. She sat in the sofa, silently watching the New Year's Eve concert.

One performer went off, another came on, all familiar faces. They opened their mouths, smiled, waved, and even danced... Zhou Mo watched their quiet performances with a calm and indifferent expression.

Then, another group came on... this time, five people, all young and pretty girls.

This time, the jump was even more significant.

It seemed to be a specially choreographed dance, looking pure yet not lacking in sex appeal.

This was probably the group that the little genius Zou Wenhui had been promoting?

As a singer with over ten years of experience, just by looking at their dance movements and the speed of their lip movements, Zhou Mo knew they were definitely singing a fast song... In recent years, there haven't been no fast songs in China, and there are plenty of dance tracks, but how many have become hits?

She suddenly felt how boring she was, actually turning on the TV just because Zou Wenhui had given her a little information... Did she really have an addiction to singing, as he said?

To hell with singing!

To hell with the addiction to singing!

She turned off the power and buried herself back into the darkness.

But the wind outside seemed to be getting stronger.

...

It was clear that Father Li was indeed very happy tonight. He drank nearly half a bottle of aged Fenjiu, while Li Qian and Mother Li each drank less than an ounce. This wine, with a relatively low alcohol content and a smooth, mellow taste, had a strong aftereffect!

It was evident that although Mother Li was being restrained from talking, she was actually very pleased that the parents of Wang Jinglu from next door had come over with gifts and showed goodwill, all because of their son.

After drinking half a bottle of aged wine, Father Li's face was rosy, looking a bit silly but not drunk. After eating dumplings, Mother Li brewed a pot of tea, and the family sat on the sofa, watching the gala on TV and chatting.

By this point, Li Qian had written so many works in just half a year and earned so much money, as Mother Li said, not much less than what they had earned in their entire lives, clearly proving his financial independence. And financial independence often means personal independence.

Although Father Li still hoped Li Qian would study hard and try to get into a good university, it was just talk, and he no longer intended to force Li Qian to do anything.

So, at this moment, the father and son sitting together chatting had a feeling of equality and freedom, which made Father Li feel more comfortable.

When the gala started, the three of them huddled on the sofa to watch. After about twenty to thirty minutes, Father Li already had a dazed, drunk look. Mother Li and Li Qian exchanged glances, smiled, and didn't bother him. Soon, Father Li leaned back and started snoring softly.

The wind outside gradually picked up, howling fiercely.

Li Qian walked to the window and looked outside, then came back and whispered to Mother Li, "It looks like it's really going to snow tonight!"

Before Mother Li could respond, his phone suddenly rang. Father Li "hmm"ed, blinked his eyes, and woke up. Li Qian smiled, gave Mother Li an apologetic look, and took out his phone.

Seeing the screen, he was slightly surprised but quickly smiled. He answered the call and said, "Hello, Sister Liao, why are you calling me now?"

On the other end, Liao Liao said, "I don't know where you live. After getting off the plane, I took the airport bus, and it dropped me off at a hotel... Can you come and pick me up?"

Li Qian was taken aback, "You're in Jinan?"

Liao Liao said, "Yes!"

Blinking, Li Qian said, "Okay, tell me the name of the hotel. I'll come and pick you up!"

After a pause, Liao Liao gave the name of a hotel, which was unfamiliar to Li Qian. He turned to ask Mother Li, but before she could speak, Father Li, rubbing his eyes, sat up and told Li Qian where the hotel was, then asked, "What's going on?"

Li Qian said, "Liao Liao is here, and she wants me to pick her up."

Father Li said, "Then drive there, I hear the wind is strong outside!"

Li Qian smiled and shook his head. While telling Liao Liao to wait, he took his down jacket and headed for the door. Hanging up, he said, "I drank a bit too, so I won't drive. I'll take a taxi there and back! Uh... don't wait for me, go to bed early. I'll stay at the other place tonight!"

After saying that, he put on his clothes, took his keys, and went downstairs.

The wind outside was indeed strong, and by the time he walked out of the neighborhood, snowflakes were already falling from the sky.

The transparent snowflakes were blown around by the fierce wind, but strangely, as Li Qian walked out of the neighborhood, the wind gradually subsided. By the time he waited for a taxi on the roadside, the snow started to fall more heavily.

The driver skillfully drove through a few intersections and stopped in front of the hotel Liao Liao had mentioned, which was already past 10:00 PM. The street was almost deserted due to the strong wind, with only a few neon lights still flashing. Outside the hotel lobby, a girl with long hair stood alone, and not far from her feet was a suitcase.

Despite being dressed warmly, she was still shivering and rubbing her hands.

Li Qian paid the driver, asked him to wait a moment, and then got out of the car.

At this moment, Liao Liao had already turned around and seen Li Qian. To Li Qian's surprise, when she saw him, she smiled and suddenly opened her arms.

After half a year, she had developed an indescribable charm, confident, calm, and the unique composure and equanimity of a successful person.

The bulky down jacket couldn't hide her tall figure. Her long, straight black hair and her beautiful, graceful smile were the same, but now she had the air of a top star.

Li Qian smiled and walked over. When he reached her, they looked at each other for a moment, and Li Qian, without a word, reached out to pick up her suitcase. But at this moment, Liao Liao still stood with her arms open, looking at him calmly.

Li Qian was taken aback, then smiled and also opened his arms.

The two slowly embraced.

A hug between friends, especially in the cold winter, when both are dressed like bears, doesn't have to mean anything else.

In fact, over the past half year, although they had only met a few times when buying songs, with the frequent phone calls, they were definitely more than just acquaintances.

So when Li Qian hugged her, he patted her back lightly and asked with a smile, "Why didn't you wait in the hotel? It's so cold outside, and the wind was so strong!"

To Li Qian's surprise, Liao Liao hugged him very tightly.

Li Qian was taken aback, and his breathing instantly became lighter.

But Li Qian didn't know that at this moment, not only were her arms hugging tightly, but her eyes had also quietly closed.

The dim light from the street lamps, the bright light from the hotel lobby, and the light reflected by the snowflakes falling from the sky, all mixed into a strange light enveloping the two of them.

Snowflakes occasionally drifted over, gently and slowly landing on their heads, shoulders, and bodies.

In the taxi, the driver lit a cigarette and watched the young couple hugging with half-closed eyes.

At this moment, time seemed to have stopped.

The surroundings were extremely quiet, and their breathing could be heard.

After a moment, Liao Liao opened her eyes, exhaled a long breath of warm air, and said in Li Qian's ear, "After this hug, I suddenly feel more at ease."

Li Qian smiled, patted her back lightly again, and accidentally touched her long, flowing hair, saying with a smile, "What have you done wrong? So guilty?"

"Ha!" Liao Liao laughed, took a deep breath, and finally let go of him, "Although I'm a bit late, I did come, so don't tell others that I disrespected my teacher in the future!"

After a pause, she added, "I came to pay my respects to you, the great master!"

Li Qian shook his head, smiled silently, and subconsciously brushed the snowflakes off her shoulders, saying, "Didn't you tell Teacher Qi before coming?"

Liao Liao shook her head and then nodded, "She already told me, aren't you living next door? After paying my respects to you, I'll go to her place to freeload on food and bed!"

At this moment, the taxi driver took a deep puff of his cigarette, threw it out the window, and shouted, "Hey, can you take it home and hug there?"

Li Qian smiled, picked up her suitcase, and said, "Let's go!"

Liao Liao nodded slowly.

At this moment, the snow was falling heavily, and the snowflakes were getting larger and larger.

***

On the fourth day, 9,000 words! Together, in the first four days of this month, I've already updated more than 40,000 words!

If you still have monthly votes, please support me! Thank you all! (To be continued...)