I was exposed for adding my female boss to my group of female friends.

The remaining 5 sets, scattered across various cities and record stores, will likely leave each store with only a few copies.

This situation is called having a price but no market.

Even Chen Ya thought that 100 million sets was a conservative estimate.

It's not impossible for them to eventually sell 200 million units.

It's also because there was no Weibo in this era. If there were, they would have seen countless cries of despair from people who couldn't buy the albums on Weibo.

In the secondhand market, used copies of the album "Encounter" are being sold for more than three times the original price.

Some people even drove dozens of kilometers to buy the album "Encounter" after hearing that it was available in a certain city.

Some even went to more than a dozen stores but couldn't buy the "Encounter" album, and sat at the store entrance cursing.

In this era, there are no fan rankings, no messy marketing, only word-of-mouth reputation.

Whenever someone hums a bit of "Aurora," someone will inevitably ask curiously, "What song is that?"

Then you'll get the answer: "Haven't you heard Jiang Xinhai's new song?"

"Jiang Xinhai sings?"

"Hmm! You sing really well! Here, take your headphones, listen to this..."

While customers were frustrated by their inability to buy the album, some astute merchants simply played the "Encounter" album on repeat in their stores, specifically to attract these unlucky customers.

The saleswoman standing in the store listens to "Encounter" eight hundred times a day, and she's almost sick of it. She's completely brainwashed. When she goes home to cook for her child, she hums a few lines of it.

Because his mother sang "Listen to the Sea" every day, the child secretly downloaded a pirated copy of Jiang Xinhai's complete works online and listened to it with headphones during class every day.

After being swept away by the tide of Jiangxinhai, the students started an endless competition, and some even stole their parents' album covers and ran to school to show off to their classmates.

The homeroom teacher who confiscated the album cover placed it in the faculty office, sparking a group discussion among the teachers.

The men who pursue the teachers would secretly practice a couple of songs from "Encounter" at home, hoping to make a splash at the karaoke bar.

At a karaoke bar, a waiter was verbally abused because customers couldn't find Jiang Xinhai's new song, and he went to the owner to complain.

Because they acquired the copyright to Jiang Xinhai's new song, the shop owners would even display a scrolling message on the electronic signboard at the entrance: "Our shop has the copyright to the complete set of songs from 'Encounter'..."

This is what a hit song is.

You may not know the name of this song, or who sings it.

But when the melody starts, you'll recognize it immediately and realize: I've heard it before!

The last time such a spectacle occurred in the Chinese music scene after many years was during the era of Teresa Teng.

Chen Ya took out his phone and said, "I want to see what Yingzi has been up to during our seven days of seclusion."

He quickly found Yingzi's recent interview and clicked on it.

"...Your Excellency, what is your opinion on Jiang Xinhai's recent album 'Encounter'?"

Yingzi sat in front of the camera, looking arrogant: "I've heard a few of them, and all I can say is that it's like being in a completely different world. That's all I can say."

Could you please elaborate?

“Her vocal range is too narrow,” Yingzi gestured with her hand, “and her singing lacks power; it’s too fragile, like she’s about to run out of breath at any moment.”

The reporter asked, "Is it possible that this is also a style? Perhaps the audience likes this style..."

“That just shows that the audience has no taste,” Yingzi scratched her ear. “A few catchy pop songs are considered good just because they are easy to sing and anyone can sing them. That’s wrong. They are easy to sing, not good to listen to. You have to be clear about that.”

"Could you tell me about your favorite songs on this album?" the reporter asked.

“I like it? No.” Yingzi said decisively, “I like more technical music, the kind that can bring fresh blood to the music scene.”

The reporter, seemingly familiar with the album "Encounter," couldn't help but ask, "Haven't you heard many of these songs? Actually, there are many technically demanding tracks on this album..."

Yingzi immediately interrupted, "Are you in the music department?"

"No, I'm a journalism major."

Yingzi spread her hands and shrugged, and the people around her laughed.

"As the saying goes, 'a trade is like a mountain,' and I'll pass that on to you as well," Yingzi said. "I haven't heard many songs, but if an egg is rotten, do you have to eat it to find out it's rotten?"

"..."

Chapter 146 I Won't Confess to You

The interview ended there. Chen Ya scrolled down, and both he and Jiang Xinhai had smiles on their faces.

The oil depot's page is poorly designed, filled with ads, and has few comments, but this one video has been bombarded with tens of thousands of comments from irritable netizens.

"What is Yingzi talking about? Has she even heard of it? She's just spouting nonsense."

"Yingzi has never heard of it. I even suspect she's talking about a different album. Doesn't 'Listen to the Sea' have enough power? Aren't 'Because of Love' and 'Legend' wide enough? She probably only listened to 'Red Bean' and 'Courage' and then came here spouting nonsense!"

"I strongly recommend that you don't fall for this scam, and go listen to 'Encounter,' it's really good!"

"I object! Jiang Xinhai's new song is great and easy to sing! It's a million times better than that idiot Yingzi who only knows how to hit high notes! She's the one with no taste!"

"I really doubt the professionalism of this so-called diva. Does she really understand music?"

"She even said before that only farmers listen to Dao Lang's songs. My dad is a business owner, and he likes Dao Lang too. I really want to shut her up with a baseball cap!"

"Yingzi is a disciple of the famous composer Gu Jianfen, and was also personally trained by Gu. Gu's evaluation of this disciple is as follows: 'She has a good voice, but a dog's brain.'"

……

Chen Ya and Jiang Xinhai kept scrolling through the comments, getting happier and happier with each one.

After searching for so long, all I've seen are angry guys; not a single one has stood up to speak up for Yingzi!

Now, the two of them are united against a common enemy. After Yingzi's repeated rude and oppressive attacks, they can't wait to see Yingzi get thoroughly criticized.

So, the two of them just grinned foolishly without a shred of sympathy.

Just as Chen Ya was getting into a great page, his finger moved, and the page suddenly crashed.

"Tsk."

They both made impatient sounds at the same time.

Jiang Xinhai patted his shoulder with her cute sleeve and said, "Refresh the page, I want to see more!"

"They're here, they're here."

Chen Ya refreshed his phone, and what appeared before them was a sentence:

"The video you are trying to watch has been deleted by the publisher."

"puff--"

Both of them couldn't hold back anymore.

"Hahahahahaha..."

Chen Ya and Jiang Xinhai were rolling around on the sofa laughing. Jiang Xinhai was clutching his stomach with one hand and patting Chen Ya's back with the other, laughing without a care in the world. Chen Ya, on the other hand, dropped his phone and was laughing so hard that his stomach cramped up. He was grinning from ear to ear and braying like a donkey.

"She finally... realized she was scared and contradicted herself, hahaha..."

The two laughed for a full ten minutes before slowly stopping. After resting for a while, they couldn't help but laugh again when they saw each other's faces.

If the other person laughs, I'll laugh along too.

I'm in such a good mood that I feel like laughing at everything I see, even the other person's ugly face.

Jiang Xinhai stared intently at Chen Ya's face, so intently that he seemed to be trying to see something out of him.

Chen Ya had gotten used to her gaze and initially let her stare at him, but after being stared at for a while, he felt a little disadvantaged and began to stare back at her defiantly.

But she kept staring at him, just staring, until finally, Chen Ya started to feel uneasy.

"What are you looking at...?"

As soon as Chen Ya asked the question, Jiang Xinhai suddenly cupped his face in her hands.

Then I pressed my lips against it.

Four lips intertwined, a fleeting touch, a light sip, like a dragonfly skimming the water.

But the other person's warmth and gentleness were etched into my mind like lightning.

Chen Ya was shocked. Utterly shocked, staring at Jiang Xinhai, too afraid to move.

"What's wrong with rewarding you?" Jiang Xinhai pursed his lips, trying to harden his tone. "We finally accomplished something this big, is it not okay to celebrate? Don't you like it? Or what?"

"no……"

Jiang Xinhai held out his finger in front of him, his slender, white fingers waving gently, and said:

"If you don't like it, you need to make it clear first, whether you don't like me or you don't like kissing."

“No,” Chen Ya grabbed her fingers, “I lost my first kiss.”

Jiang Xinhai's face turned red at a visible speed.

"You didn't have your first kiss, did you?" Chen Ya frowned. "To be honest, I'm a bit of a germaphobe."

Jiang Xinhai's face was flushed, but her eyes widened in shock:

"No way, it's me! It's Jiang Xinhai! Jiang Xinhai kissed you! Is that the first thing you thought of?"

“It has nothing to do with who you are. This is my principle. Even if you are Cui Dayou, I will definitely ask you if it was your first kiss.”

"Cui Dayou went too far." Jiang Xinhai's face turned so red it was almost bleeding, feeling extremely humiliated.

"So, was it your first kiss?"

Chen Ya approached her, his masculine scent hitting her face.

Jiang Xinhai lowered his eyes slightly and whispered, "Yes, yes..."

"say what?"

"It was... my first kiss."

Jiang Xinhai's voice was already barely audible.

Chen Ya continued to hold her fingers, showing no intention of letting go.

"You lost your first kiss just like that?"

Jiang Xinhai raised his eyes, his bright eyes shining like stars.

"I wasn't very good at it to begin with, so what... what do you want?" she said obediently, enunciating each word clearly, "In the future... if it happens more often..."

"Years later, when you think back to today and talk about your first kiss, you'll think, 'Sigh, I was just so confused back then, I just lightly touched it, I didn't feel anything, I didn't even taste it, I didn't have any deep impression, so I've forgotten it all...' If you think like that in the future, will you feel good about it?"

Jiang Xinhai's face turned even redder: "Then what else can I do..."

Chen Ya's hand slid to the back of her head: "Want to try again, following up with the last one? That would count as your first kiss."

"Can it be connected?"

“Yes, while it’s still fresh,” Chen Ya said. “I feel pretty confident that we can get it done.”

"Can this be considered a celebration?"

"Consider it a celebration."

"Then there's nothing I can do. You'll have to do it this time."

Chen Ya moved toward her.

Their lips met once more.

The wind blows across the lush green grass, playing with the grass shoots as if playing with hair, revealing the tough yet delicate hair roots and white scalp.

The pebble drew a dozen or so light ripples on the lake's surface before suddenly sinking to the bottom, like the unconscious trajectory drawn by a toe in the air.

Brown vines and trees intertwine, leaving indelible marks on each other;

The babbling mountain spring, seemingly without end, flows slowly down the mountainside;

The summer sea breeze lifts the curtain of the ice cream stall, making the white cloth puff up and full, light and airy like a dream.

In this sweltering autumn heat, the two kissed passionately, but neither felt any stickiness, only the joy of a long-awaited reunion with an old friend.

It was as if they had been waiting for each other for hundreds of years, longing for each other's lips and the bodies they wanted to press tightly together at this moment.

After finally separating, the two sat there quietly, forehead to forehead, letting time rush by.