Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

Tencent Music and major video platforms prominently feature Xinghui Entertainment's new girl group's single "Under the Starlight" on their homepages around the clock.

The choreography was done by a South Korean team, and the music video is filled with sports cars and yachts.

Six girls wearing miniskirts energetically showcased their singing and dancing skills in front of the camera, occasionally revealing their safety shorts underneath to attract attention.

Within an hour of its release, it garnered over five million views.

The comment section was quickly taken over by fans and online trolls.

"The pinnacle of girl groups in the Chinese entertainment industry."

"Much better than that Star Girl from Universal Music."

"Starshine has won big."

Star Shine Entertainment Headquarters, Top Floor Office Area.

Old Li, holding a half-full glass of champagne, clinked glasses with several executives.

"Tang Yingxue is still too young." Old Li took a sip of wine and put the wine glass on the table. "She thinks she can secure her position by firing a few people. Without any work to show for it, what does she have to compete with me?"

An executive standing nearby chimed in, "President Li took the music library with him, so Universal is just an empty shell now. Those few young girls can't even put together a single listenable song."

The group was enjoying their drinks when the assistant knocked on the door and came in with a tablet.

"Mr. Li, Universal Entertainment's official account just posted an update. Star Girls' new single 'Calorie' has been released simultaneously across all online platforms."

Old Li took the tablet computer.

"A desperate struggle. I'd like to see what kind of lousy song she comes up with."

He opened Penguin Music and clicked play.

A dynamic electronic synthesizer intro begins.

Old Li frowned.

What kind of prelude is this?

The vocals come in, with Lin Yue singing straightforward lyrics.

"The first thing I do every morning is to give myself a pep talk..."

Old Li chuckled.

"You call this a song? Tang Yingxue has gone mad. She's making a fool of herself by releasing this kind of trashy pop song."

The progress bar has reached one minute and ten seconds.

After a very short transition, a shout on the verge of cracking burst out of the speaker.

"Burn my calories!"

The champagne glass in Old Li's hand wobbled, and the liquor spilled out, dripping down the back of his hand.

This is followed by an extremely catchy chorus on repeat.

"Goodbye donuts, bubble tea, instant noodles..."

Old Li stared at the tablet, his mind filled with that melody.

He suddenly realized that his right foot was tapping along to the rhythm.

He abruptly pulled his foot back and stomped firmly on the ground.

"What garbage!" Old Li said with a dark face.

He pressed the pause button, and the mesmerizing rhythm in the office came to an abrupt halt.

"This kind of song is simply not good enough for mainstream audiences." Old Li wiped his hands with a tissue. "The general public won't buy it."

The data from the first day was released the following morning.

Star Shine Entertainment's "Under the Stars" has surpassed 15 million views.

Universal Entertainment's "Calorie" only garnered a paltry 1.8 million views.

However, Universal Music did not buy trending searches or promote the song, and it is nowhere to be found on the charts of major music platforms.

The following morning, Universal Entertainment held its regular meeting.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was oppressive.

Several executives looked at the data reports in their hands and whispered among themselves.

"Chairman Tang, the data for this song 'Calories' is terrible." A long-time shareholder slammed the report on the table.

"Star Girls originally had a fan base, but the company won't give them any promotional slots. Isn't that just giving up on themselves?"

"Exactly," another person chimed in. "Star Shine has invested 50 million, pushing it across all channels. We haven't even made a splash yet, how are we supposed to compete?"

Tang Yingxue sat in the main seat, tapping her fingers on the table.

She wasn't sure herself. Jiang Fan had given her the song, and she trusted him, but the data before her was truly appalling.

"Tell the PR department to hold back." Tang Yingxue looked at everyone. "Don't buy trending topics, don't push it. Wait two more days."

"If we wait two more days, the daylily will be too cold." The elder slammed his pen on the table. "Chairman Tang, you're playing with the company's future."

Tang Yingxue stood up.

"I am the chairman. I will take responsibility if any problems arise. Meeting adjourned."

come back to the office.

Tang Yingxue picked up her phone and dialed Jiang Fan's number.

"The data is out." Tang Yingxue leaned back in her chair, tapping her fingers on the table. "The viewership is barely a fraction of Xinghui's. Those old guys on the board are starting to make trouble. The PR department asked me if I wanted to buy some trending topics to boost the buzz."

"No need to buy it," Jiang Fan's voice came through the receiver. "Save your money."

"Just leave it like this?"

"This song's main focus isn't on music platforms. Let's wait a couple of days and see how it performs on short video platforms."

The phone hangs up.

Tang Yingxue put down her phone. Since Jiang Fan said to wait, then she would wait.

The next day, a dance cover video appeared on the Douyin platform.

A fitness blogger with a million followers, wearing tight yoga clothes, played the chorus of "Calories" and did a fat-burning workout.

The video received over a million likes within two hours.

The background music completely drew the attention of netizens.

"What's the name of this song?"

"It's so catchy, after listening to it once, all I feel is burning calories in my head."

"Go search for the full version of Star Girls' new song, that off-key line is absolutely amazing."

On the third day, the popularity exploded exponentially.

Top internet celebrities and dance influencers jumped on the bandwagon overnight, using "Calorie" as background music for every dance they performed.

Various derivative videos are flooding the internet.

Some people edited the lyrics into funny clips, while others imitated the off-key shout.

This catchy pop song, which Lao Li considers beneath its surface, demonstrates a terrifying penetrating power in the lower-tier market.

In the evening, even the square dancing aunties on the street changed their music.

A large speaker was playing a dynamic 4/4 drumbeat, and a group of middle-aged women were stomping along to the rhythm in unison.

"Goodbye donuts, bubble tea, instant noodles..."

The music resounded throughout the squares of various residential areas.

"Calories" has become a massive hit across the internet.

Data from major music platforms has begun to reverse its downward trend.

Search volume surged, and views jumped from over two million to thirty million, completely crushing Star Shine Entertainment's "Under the Stars".

The five girls from Star Girls have opened an official account on Douyin and released original practice room dance videos.

Two million followers were gained overnight.

The tone of the comments section suddenly changed.

"Sorry, I yelled too loudly on the first day. Now I've run ten kilometers on the treadmill."

"This is the real masterpiece. As for Star Shine's song that cost 50 million, you forget it after listening to it."

"Global Times' move is so well-established that they don't even need to buy trending topics; the entire internet is giving them free publicity."

Universal Entertainment held another regular meeting.

No one was whispering in the meeting room.

The executives who had previously launched the attack lowered their heads, staring intently at the new data reports in their hands.

The song "Calorie" has garnered over 100 million views across the internet, and the performance fees for Star Girls have increased tenfold.

Tang Yingxue sat in the main seat, looking at the elder who had thrown his pen earlier.

"Chairman Wang, are you still going to buy trending topics?"

Chairman Wang held the report in his hand, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

He raised his hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Chairman Tang is truly brilliant. We old folks really don't understand this kind of marketing tactic."

Tang Yingxue leaned back in her chair.

"From today onwards, all company projects will be handled according to my rules. Anyone who has any further objections should go to the finance department to settle their accounts."

The audience was silent.

Star Shine Entertainment Headquarters Office.

President Zhou slammed a data report onto the table.

Old Li stood in front of his desk, head down.

"This is the garbage you were talking about?" He pointed to the numbers on the report, "Number one on Douyin's Hot Song Chart, with over 100 million plays across the entire network."

"Fifty million in marketing budget, utterly wasted on a single, cheesy pop song. Old Li, did you take this music library with you just to make a fool of yourself?"

Old Li's face flushed red and then turned pale.

"Mr. Zhou, this song... it doesn't make sense. It's opportunistic, it's not music at all."