Chapter 110: "Old Boys" VS "Never Full"

After long deliberation, a final decision was reached.

It was agreed that using the studio was permissible, but the fee absolutely could not be something as cheap as nine-point-nine yuan.

At the very least, it had to be the cheapest professional recording studio available.

However, since Lin Ze’s artists were with their two companies, recording there wasn’t quite appropriate. So Ji Chen called Lin Ze.

After hearing him out, Lin Ze sighed.

“These two… Just bring the people and finish recording. Then who can say anything? What’s there to haggle about with Director Zhang?”

But there was no problem with that plan.

After some discussion, they decided to record on Monday.

They would finish the recording and processing quickly, aiming to release the song by midnight that same night.

Once the song was released early, Ji Chen would also have good momentum.

The past few days of filming had dealt a severe blow to Chang Zheng’s confidence.

Especially when facing off against Zhao Funing and Lin Ze, the other two usually got things right on the first try, while all the problems cropped up on his end. Over time, it was unbearable.

The pressure was immense!

Hearing that recording was possible, he regained much of the lost confidence.

Time came swiftly, and naturally, Chang Zheng had no problem singing. The post-production required no major edits.

At midnight, everyone from the romance variety show sat together, waiting for the release of this song.

When the song finally dropped, Zhao Funing refreshed the page and saw the singer Chang Zheng. Beneath his name appeared a song—the only one he had at the moment.

“Hmm… ‘Old Boy’?”

…

“All right, I’m going to sleep now.”

Wu Qian rested punctually, not even looking at his own work.

This was confidence in his own fans.

The manager saw the call ended and gritted his teeth angrily.

Fine, be pretentious and go to sleep. Let me handle the work here.

Managers don’t need sleep, right?

Who has a boss that wakes employees up at 11:50 p.m.?

The manager opened the music platform and, with a quick refresh, spotted a familiar figure.

“Huh? Chang Zheng… Oh right, isn’t he one of the artists Lin Ze’s show is currently promoting?”

“‘Old Boy’? Interesting.”

He clicked on the song. The rhythm of the guitar instantly caught the manager’s ear.

“That’s the person I think about day and night, the one I deeply love.”

“How exactly should I express it? Will she accept me?”

“Maybe I’ll never say those words to her.”

“Destined to wander the world, how can I have attachments?”

That hoarse voice seemed to hook his ears, making it impossible to look away.

---

This melody… it’s practically perfect!

“Dreams are always out of reach; maybe it’s time to give up.”

“Flowers bloom and fall; another season passes. Spring, where are you?”

Listening to the song, the manager felt a twinge of bitterness.

After graduation, most classmates had left the industry.

Only he had broken into entertainment, but unfortunately, he had neither singing nor dancing talent.

He started as a small-time manager and gradually climbed to work with a top-tier artist.

But…

This isn’t the life I wanted.

What I wanted was to struggle and strive alongside an artist, to reach the pinnacle together.

Not to be stuck following some foreign playboy every day.

Even handling those influencer appointments was on me…

“Have my original wishes been fulfilled?”

“At this point, must I just mourn them?”

“Let the years dry up my ideals; I can no longer find my true self.”

“Looking up at the starry sky, the one that once accompanied me…”

“Do you still remember the stories here?”

The manager looked up at the ceiling, letting tears silently roll down his cheeks.

“Damn it… I wish I could go back to that year, confess to that person, and maybe kick Wu Qian’s ass…”

…

“Life is like a ruthless blade, carving away at who we are.”

“Damn right!”

Jiang Dasheng sat before his computer, a bottle of beer in hand.

“This song sure drinks up the booze!”

A merciless carving knife, shaping me into this mess.

Jiang Dasheng wrote a music review. His alternate account had now surpassed his main one in followers.

He had become a qualified fan of Lin Ze.

“These lyrics are also a carving knife, etching this song deeply into my mind.”

“You can always trust Lin Ze. His songs will never disappoint you…”

…

Tonight, countless people couldn’t sleep.

Many who’d lived most of their lives without problems suddenly found their troubles voiced in this song.

Just like that toad.

Already dead, yet still kicking on the plate, only realizing its fate when it was about to be cooked.

‘So, I’ve been dead for so long.’

As for the other new song—

---

“‘I Can’t Get Enough,’” had been online for quite a while, but apart from Wu Qian’s own fans, hardly anyone listened to it.

What kind of nonsense is this? You’re hungry but still write a song about it?

The night passed quickly, and Chang Zheng couldn’t sleep either.

Not because his own singing made him emo, but because his song was rapidly climbing the new releases chart. He was too excited to rest.

On fire… catching fire?

I’m going to be famous, right?

Opposite him was Wu Qian.

Wu Qian woke up just after eight in the morning and stretched.

He had set his alarm last night specifically to see his song on the new release chart.

“Oh, wow, this song is awesome. Makes you want to dance!”

Wu Qian spoke with an odd emphasis and then opened the monthly new releases chart.

“Hmm…”

“Hmm…”

“Damn, where’s my song?”

His track wasn’t anywhere in the top ten.

Wu Qian scrolled down and finally found his song in sixteenth place.

“That’s strange. What’s going on? Could it be that I uploaded it without autotune?”

Thinking this, Wu Qian clicked on his track.

“I’m always hungry! Always hungry!”

“Why are you always hungry? Always hungry!”

“Always hungry…”

No problem, right?

I feel like I’m shouting pretty passionately.

“Exactly! The electronic beats are added, it even tingles your ears just listening—this is enjoyment!”

Wu Qian opened the comments section.

“What kind of idiotic song is this? Singing about being hungry? What a dumbass.”

And this comment had the most likes.

Wu Qian immediately got annoyed and started arguing back with a fake account.

Unbeknownst to him, some savvy internet bloggers who tracked trends had already begun making videos.

Two songs released yesterday.

“What kind of song makes someone smoke five packs in one night?”

“What kind of song makes someone order five takeout meals overnight?”

One pig-raising blogger posted a chubby pig munching in a trough, with the song playing alongside.

“I’m always hungry…”