Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

Su Yuyan's new album "Longing" was released online at midnight.

It will be released simultaneously on three platforms: Tencent Music, NetEase Cloud Music, and Kuwo Music.

Times Media bought the splash screen ad for all platforms, so that the first thing you see when you open any music app is Su Yuyan's ink-wash style promotional photo.

A beauty mark at the corner of her eye, delicate hands playing the zither, accompanied by four words—"A Song of Longing."

Within an hour, the title track "Longing" surged to the top of the Penguin Music Real-Time Hot Songs Chart.

Within two hours, the Weibo hashtag #SuYuyanLonging# garnered over 20 million views.

Fans' comments were unanimously in agreement: "Sister Yu Yan's traditional Chinese style is absolutely amazing!"

"This is what you call the pinnacle of the Chinese music scene!"

Planning Department of Times Media.

Wang Hao stared at the backend data, unable to suppress the smile on his face.

He sent Chen Weiyang a message: "The first day's data exceeded expectations by 40%. As for Xu Qingya, there has been no response so far."

Chen Weiyang replied with a smiling emoji instantly.

He's destined to win this game.

-

At 10 a.m. on the same day.

Xu Qingya's studio and Tianyu's official Weibo account posted an update on time.

The accompanying image is a concept photo for Hsu Ching-ya's new album.

It is also in the style of traditional Chinese ink painting.

Wearing a plain cheongsam, her hair slightly tied up, she turned her head to the side and looked back.

The composition of the image almost completely overlaps with Su Yuyan's promotional photos.

The moment this Weibo post was published, the comment section exploded.

"Holy crap? This style is exactly the same as Su Yuyan's!"

"Seriously, Ya-jie? Isn't this just jumping on the bandwagon?"

The doubts from haters and bystanders were overwhelming.

But these voices were surprisingly quickly overshadowed by another topic.

Most people's attention was drawn to the photo itself.

"Wait a minute, don't you guys think there's something off about Ya-jie's photo?"

"Wow, I zoomed in, and her skin... she must be thirty this year, right? I'd believe you if you said she was twenty."

"Look at her eyes, ladies! She used to have faint fine lines, but now they're completely gone!"

"Please, please, what skincare products does Xu Qingya use?! I'm begging for recommendations!"

The hashtag #XuQingyaReversesAging# unexpectedly surged to the seventeenth spot on the trending searches.

And it's still climbing up.

By noon, this topic appeared on the trending search list alongside #SuYuyanLonging#.

One is in third place, and the other is in ninth.

"I originally came to watch the gods fight, but I was lured away by Sister Ya's face."

"I don't care that the two divas have similar styles, I just want to know where Hsu Ching-ya had her cosmetic procedures done."

"This isn't cosmetic surgery at all! Look at her neck and hands, her whole body is glowing! She's aging in reverse!"

-

Times Media.

Wang Hao slammed his phone on the table, his face grim.

Why didn't they hide?

According to his prediction, Xu Qingya's team would likely adjust their promotional plan immediately after seeing "Xiangsi" launched ahead of schedule.

Change the theme, change the style, or even postpone.

This is the normal reaction a person should have.

But Xu Qingya's team not only didn't avoid it, but instead met it head-on with almost the same style.

This is either stupid, or it's—

Wang Hao thought of a possibility and felt a chill run down his spine.

He dialed Chen Weiyang's number.

"Wei Yang, Xu Qingya hasn't changed her plan. Her style and tone are completely different from ours."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

"Impossible." Chen Weiyang's voice was filled with confusion. "Their 'Red Bean' hasn't been released yet. If they go head-to-head now, they'll just be labeled as 'copycats'."

Chen Weiyang opened Xu Qingya Studio's Weibo homepage, zoomed in on the concept photo, and looked at it three times over.

There is a line of small text below the photo.

"Two main tracks, one from Mandarin and one from Guangdong, stay tuned."

A dual-main lineup of China and Guangdong?

Chen Weiyang stared at those five words, his finger hovering above the screen, not moving for a long time.

Cantonese songs? Where did these Cantonese songs come from?

He had never heard of any plans to include Cantonese songs in Hsu Ching-ya's new album.

Previously, when we were discussing publicity and promotion with Tianyu Media, no one ever mentioned it.

This was outside his intelligence purview.

This means—this is a new song.

It was a song that appeared after he left EE-Media.

Chen Weiyang's hand holding the phone was a little unsteady.

He pinched the web of his hand to force himself to calm down.

Don't panic.

Cantonese songs are a niche market in mainland China and don't make much of a splash.

Xu Qingya is not a Cantonese singer, and her hasty foray into this genre will only expose her shortcomings.

"Director Wang, don't be nervous. The dual focus on Guoyue is just a gimmick. The more she stirs things up, the less confident she seems. Let's stay put and wait for her to make her move."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Weiyang leaned back in his chair and looked out at the skyline.

He told himself that Xu Qingya was definitely bluffing.

-

2 PM. Tianyu Media, Recording Studio No. 1.

Xu Qingya changed into a black dress, tied her hair in a low ponytail, and went makeup-free.

Even without makeup, she still drew frequent glances from staff members as she walked down the corridor.

Jiang Fan walked beside her, carrying a brown paper bag containing the sheet music for "Easily Hurt Woman," which he had just finished that morning.

Chen Lan was already waiting in the recording studio.

The door opened, and two people walked in one after the other. Xu Qingya naturally took the paper bag from Jiang Fan and unfolded it on the mixing console.

Jiang Fan walked to the equipment, sat down, and began adjusting the parameters.

Xu Qingya stood behind him, one hand on the back of the chair, looking down at him as he operated the machine.

The distance between the two people should not exceed 20 centimeters.

Chen Lan opened her mouth as she watched this scene, but swallowed the words that were about to come out.

Her gaze fell on Xu Qingya's bare face.

Having been in the industry for over a decade, the high-intensity schedules, late nights, and pressure have all left their mark.

But in the past month, these traces have been disappearing at a rate visible to the naked eye.

When did the changes begin?

Chen Lan thought about it carefully.

It started after Jiang Fan appeared.

What exactly did this man feed her...?

The red light in the recording studio came on.

Xu Qingya put on her headphones and stood in front of the microphone.

Jiang Fan's voice came through the in-ear monitor: "Go through it once completely the first time. Don't strive for perfection, just get a feel for it."

Xu Qingya closed her eyes.

The intro flowed from the headphones, low and mournful.

She opened her mouth, and the first line of a Cantonese song lyric came out.

"As people grow drunk, the night deepens—"

The sound passed through the microphone, was amplified by the preamplifier, and filled the entire control room.

Chen Lan stood in the corner, forgetting to drink her coffee.

This song is completely different from "Red Bean".

Two extreme states of mind for women, both written by the same man.

Chen Lan turned to look at Jiang Fan in front of the mixing console.

His right hand rested on the pusher, his eyes fixed on the fluctuating audio waveform on the screen, his expression focused and calm.

Jiang Fan pressed the intercom button.

"Qingya, the third line of the chorus, let your breath sink a little deeper."

Xu Qingya's voice rang out again.

This time, even Chen Lan could hear the difference.

That feeling of resentment, of knowing you'll get hurt but still rushing headlong into the fire, all came out.

Jiang Fan stopped the recording, brought up the waveform from before, dragged the timeline, and precisely located the third measure of the chorus.

"Here." He tapped the screen. "More breathiness, a downward drop at the end, don't stop. Let it dissipate."

Xu Qingya nodded in the recording studio.

Begin the third time.

As the last note of the lyrics slowly faded away in the control room.

Chen Lan flicked her wrist.

She was completely unaware that coffee had splashed onto the back of her hand.

That kind of lingering sorrow and carefree spirit.

She has even more charm than the diva who swept the Cantonese music scene ten years ago.