I Heard That I Am Poor

Chapter 59: The President Wouldn’t Blush

Early the next morning, Meng Yuan dutifully called to remind, “The text to be posted on Weibo has been sent to you. Remember to post on time. I have already arranged everything on my end. Also, I will pick you up at 10 o’clock. The interview with the video website has been scheduled, and I’ve reviewed the questions. There’s nothing sensitive, but take a look and think about how you want to answer.”

Yu Nian put down the brass flower shears, wiped the dirt off his hands with a wet tissue, tilted his head, and clipped the phone between his neck and shoulder. He replied, “Alright, Brother Meng, don’t worry. I won’t forget.”

Meng Yuan chuckled, “Of course, I trust you!” Then he remembered, “By the way, how are things with 186?”

Yu Nian’s tone naturally softened, “I’ve noticed that the more we interact, the more I like him.”

“Tsk, such a sweet tone. It’s giving me goosebumps!” Meng Yuan said with a hint of disgust, then continued, “But it’s good this way. There won’t be a situation where the image of the other person in your heart instantly collapses after getting closer.”

“Brother Meng, you don’t mind me dating?”

“Why would I mind? Based on my years of experience, even if I tightly prohibit my artists from dating, they’ll still manage to have a secret underground romance, and I’ll probably find out from various paparazzi photos. Oh, it turns out my artist is actually dating! At that time, I’ll be busy and flustered. It’s better to know about the progress of your relationship from the beginning. That’s called being well-prepared and calm!” Meng Yuan stopped himself, “Alright, enough talking. Keep an eye on the time and go post on Weibo!”

After ending the call, Yu Nian thought about Xie You being discharged from the hospital. Seeing that there was enough time, he messaged Xie You before logging into Weibo and posting on time.

“Thank you for waiting. This is my first album, ‘Elegant.’ May everyone encounter elegance in the world and not miss the beautiful scenery along the way. [Image]”

The comment section exploded within seconds.

[Aaahhhhh, the cover of Yu Nian’s album! Aaaaahhh, look at what I’ve brushed out!]

[Sold out!! The way Yu Nian looks back on the cover, I’m fainting! Black and white behind, colorful ahead, what a divine cover!]

[So excited! The album title and cover are out, will the new songs be far behind? I’ve been waiting for so long! Crying with excitement!]

[Yu Nian x Si Ning, a powerful collaboration that will shake your senses! Hahaha, this meme won’t go away! I recommend Yu Nian! Looking forward to the new album! Sold out!]

Soon, Yu Qing, Xia Mingxi, He Qiubai, and Xue Yalin all reposted it. Even the director Xu Xianglan, who had been silent for a while, reposted and commented, “Looking forward to your music works!”

The skyrocketing discussion heat made Meng Yuan’s already good mood even brighter.

Fastening his seatbelt, Yu Nian couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Meng, you’ve been smiling since we got in the car. Doesn’t your face hurt?”

“Not at all!” Meng Yuan replied firmly, still smiling. Then he said, “I’m really in a good mood! By the way, Bai Yan sent a big red envelope.”

“Bai Yan?” Yu Nian recalled, “The female singer who sang ‘Floating Flowers,’ right?”

“That’s her. She used to be a megastar in her prime, and she’s still very talented. But in the entertainment industry, it’s difficult to stay popular for long. This time, she invested heavily in planning a new album and bought two of your songs as the first and second singles. The album was released a few days ago, and both songs topped the charts. She even signed up for a singing competition program, and it seems like she’s gaining momentum. So she sent you a big red envelope as a token of gratitude.”

Although Yu Nian was happy about the success of his works, he couldn’t help but feel a bit apprehensive, “I wonder how the new album will perform.”

Meng Yuan laughed and reassured him, “Why worry? In my opinion, there’s no suspense about that. Zuo Ming is the producer, and he’s very discerning. He said this is the best quality album he has worked on in recent years. With his endorsement, you can rest assured.”

During the interview with the video website, Yu Nian was asked the same question.

“After all, this is your first official EP since your debut. Are you worried about the performance of this album?”

Holding the doll from the video website, Yu Nian absentmindedly tugged at its ear and nodded, saying, “Of course, I’m very worried. This album has required a lot of effort, including repeating the recording process over and over again to achieve perfection. It really made me doubt my singing abilities at times.
There are still design plans and the shooting of the music video, which involved constantly overturning and starting over again. The team and crew had worked very hard. Therefore, I hope for good results and that more people will listen to my songs.”

The reporter then asked, “It has been reported that Ji Chaode not only had his awards revoked by the Photographers Association due to the ‘award-gate’ scandal but also ended up on the association’s blacklist. What are your thoughts on this matter?”

Yu Nian shook his head. “I don’t have any specific thoughts, but I believe that everyone should be responsible for their own words and actions.”

“Understood. It is known that this new EP contains a total of five songs, and four of them were written, composed, and arranged by yourself. Among these four, which one is your favorite?”

“The company chose ‘Elegant’ as the lead single for marketing reasons, as it has a wider appeal. Personally, I’m very satisfied with that song. However, to be honest, my personal favorite is ‘Mountain Snow.'”

Leaning back in his chair, Yu Nian smiled. “I remember when I just finished recording this song, my production teacher, Zuo Ming, congratulated me and said that I had completed a great song that would exhaust me and that no one would dare to cover in the future. He also expressed concern that I might experience voice cracks and die from breathlessness while singing ‘Mountain Snow’ live.”

The journalist chuckled and asked, “Is it really that challenging?”

Yu Nian nodded. “Yes, ‘Mountain Snow’ is a work I’m particularly proud of. The lyrics and musical style are grand, but accordingly, it’s challenging to sing. I’ve sold several songs before, but ‘Mountain Snow’ belongs to the category that nobody wants to buy to perform, so I decided to write and sing it myself. I guess when you write a song, you have to sing it to the end, even if it takes your last breath.”

On April 9th, Yu Nian’s first album, “Elegant,” was released simultaneously in physical and digital formats.

In the office, Yu Nian was holding a cup of freshly squeezed fruit juice. Seeing Meng Yuan and Shi Rou constantly walking back and forth without taking a break, he smiled and said, “Brother Meng, Sister Rou Rou, aren’t you going to sit down and take a rest? You’ve been on your feet for quite a while.”

“Mmm.” Shi Rou stared at the clock, completely ignoring Yu Nian’s words, absentmindedly responding. Soon, she nervously counted down, “5, 4, 3, 2—1, it’s 8 o’clock! It’s released!”

Meng Yuan sat in front of the computer, clenched his fingers, and patiently waited for the data feedback. The team’s group chat was exploding with messages, and the information was coming in quickly.

Unable to sit still, Shi Rou bit her nails and muttered to herself, “When Yu Nian’s album cover was revealed, it trended as the third most popular topic on the same day. So, the album’s buzz is definitely not a problem. Then, a short melody clip was released, and the feedback was also very positive. The promotion has been on point, and there haven’t been any hiccups. Everything has gone smoothly!” After saying this, she suddenly exclaimed, “Ah! Brother Meng, it should be fine, right?”

Meng Yuan was feeling dizzy from Shi Rou’s constant movement. “Shi Rou, please sit down. Do you know that you’re creating a tense atmosphere?”

Shi Rou retorted, “But Brother Meng, you’re even more nervous than I am. You couldn’t sleep last night!”

As they exchanged words, Yu Nian listened while occasionally sending a couple of messages to Xie You. Xie You had been busy since being discharged from the hospital and had even traveled abroad twice. However, fortunately, the wound on his hand had healed well without leaving any complications.

Yu Nian recalled the panicked expression on Xie You’s face when he woke up from his coma and discovered the injury to his right hand. Xie You must really love playing the piano.

At 8:10, the sound of notification tones filled the room, making Shi Rou even more nervous. She almost held her breath and anxiously asked, “Brother Meng, how is it? How is it?”

Staring at the computer screen, Meng Yuan opened his mouth and gestured, “Shi Rou, come over and take a look. Am I seeing things?”

Shi Rou hurriedly approached and counted three times, “It should… not be my imagination!”

Meng Yuan burst into laughter. “Damn, we’ve sold 300,000 digital copies in just ten minutes!”

Yu Nian looked up, surprised by this achievement. “300,000?”

“Yes, that’s right, 300,000!”

Shi Rou quickly asked, “What about physical copies?”

“The physical copies are also impressive. At this rate, we’ll sell 10,000 copies per hour without a doubt.” Meng Yuan slapped the table, unable to contain his excitement. “Damn, Father Meng can finally have a good night’s sleep!”

Shi Rou covered her mouth and chuckled, “Brother Meng, I’m sure you’ll be too excited to sleep!”

Yu Nian let out a sigh of relief.

Meng Yuan grinned, propping his feet up. “Looking at the trend, breaking 400,000 copies within an hour is a sure thing! The physical album market hasn’t been doing well this year, but with these numbers, Yu Nian is stable.”

The team had prepared in advance to hype the album by buying trending topics, but unexpectedly, the hashtag #YuNianMountainSnow# directly shot up to the top with the help of fans and casual viewers.

[#YuNianMountainSnow# Aaahhhhh, still listening to it on repeat! Who is this godly being singing? It’s amazing the first time, amazing the second time, and still amazing the third time! So artistic, Yu Nian’s voice really makes me think of the year-round undissolved snow on the mountain top!]

[#YuNianMountainSnow# ‘Elegant’ is good. My mom passed by my room and asked what song was playing because it sounded so good! But ‘Mountain Snow’ is truly exceptional, it captured my heart! It’s explosively beautiful!]

[#YuNianMountainSnow# New fan reporting! I had a fight with my roommate. She likes ‘Elegant’ and I like ‘Mountain Snow.’ We decided to break up for ten seconds! Once again, I want to confess that this album is truly amazing. Especially ‘Twilight,’ whenever I listen to it, tears start flowing! Nian Nian pay for my tears!]

[#YuNianMountainSnow# I’ve been looking forward to this album for so long! I knew that with Yu Nian’s singing skills and Si Ning’s lyrics and composition, they wouldn’t disappoint me! Now the question is, which song should I listen to first, ‘Mountain Snow’ or ‘Elegant’? And then there’s ‘Twilight’ and ‘Sparkling.’ Oh no, why don’t I have a few more ears!]

Soon, accompanied by the rising buzz, the previously conducted interviews were released, and the hashtag #SingItEvenIfYouLoseYourBreath# quickly made its way to the trending topics.

[Hahaha, from now on, anyone who dares to say I lip-sync with closed eyes, I’ll just throw ‘Mountain Snow’ and ‘Sparkling’ at them, let them listen and see what top-notch vocal skills are! Then I’ll throw the whole EP at them and let them see what it means to be a top-level songwriter!]

[Hahaha, this statement is so accurate. I can’t wait for Yu Nian’s live performance to take my breath away and cause a car crash! A devilish wish!]

[I tried singing along myself, ‘Elegant’ is alright, the melody is so beautiful! But ‘Mountain Snow’ really took my breath away! How can your vocal cords and lungs be so exceptional!]

For several days in a row, Meng Yuan was in an extremely good mood. He would deliberately bring his phone close to Yu Nian and feign surprise. “Oh, Nian Nian, you’re trending again! The tag is #YuNianSongs#. They say that on the top new song charts of the three major music platforms, the top seven spots are either songs sung by you or songs written by you. You’re dominating the charts!”

Yu Nian helplessly replied, “Brother Meng, you said that exact same thing this morning. The tone, the emphasis, everything is exactly the same.”

Meng Yuan cleared his throat and chuckled twice. “Really? I already said that? Oops!”

Seeing Yu Nian wearing a mask and a peaked cap, Meng Yuan became alert. “Where are you going?”

Yu Nian confessed, “Xie You invited me to meet today to celebrate the success of my album.”

“So, it’s to meet Xie You,” Meng Yuan looked Yu Nian up and down, “You’re all dressed up, and I thought you were going on a date with 186. Go on then, pay attention to your safety!”

In the elevator, Yu Nian immediately spotted Xie You’s black SUV. He walked briskly over, opened the door, and sat in the back seat with a smile. “Long time no see!”

The car was warm, and Yu Nian took off his coat effortlessly. He wore a loose V-neck white sweater that revealed porcelain-like skin and delicate collarbones.

Xie You’s gaze lingered for a moment before quickly shifting away, his face slightly flushed.

He thought to himself, it must be the heat from the air conditioning. After all, the president wouldn’t blush!