Chapter 39: I Miss My Great-Grandma

As a former "teammate," Sun Jiaren naturally understood Chu Yourong well; their vocal skills were evenly matched, unlike Xu Yao, the team's main vocalist, who truly had the potential to become a singing powerhouse.

Therefore, both of them approached solo releases the same way—almost entirely as "fan-exclusive" content.

In fact, many idol-style stars operate this way: their albums constantly break sales records, yet not a single song crosses over beyond their fanbase; they can fill sports arenas with tens of thousands of fans, charging exorbitant ticket prices, but outside their fandom, almost no one has heard their songs.

So Sun Jiaren didn't take Chu Yourong's new song seriously at all, and after hearing Xiao Ke say the comment section was flooded with criticism, she listened to it purely out of curiosity.

Yet, after hearing only the A-section of the song, she was completely stunned.

Not only was the song's quality far beyond her expectations, but Chu Yourong's vocal ability also seemed to have improved dramatically.

What's going on? How did she get stronger after leaving Rongshu Entertainment?

Assistant Xiao Ke was just as shocked; earlier, when she browsed the comment section, it had been full of insults, yet this song clearly wasn't as bad as those people claimed.

Clearly, Xiao Ke had been misled by her own company's water army.

After the interlude ended, the song continued.

Xiao Ke grew increasingly absorbed as she listened; she had just broken up with her boyfriend last week, the same one she'd been with since school, and the lyrics of this song felt tailor-made for her.

Breakups should be dignified.

No one needs to say sorry.

What's there to feel guilty about?

I dared to give, so I dare to have my heart broken.

Chu Yourong's slightly melancholic voice slowly eroded her memories; scenes from the past began to surface in her mind like slides.

Unconsciously, she began to whisper-sob, tears slowly sliding from the corners of her eyes.

"Xiao Ke, you..."

Seeing her assistant actually crying from listening to the song, Sun Jiaren was momentarily speechless; she admitted Chu Yourong's song had indeed exceeded her expectations.

But to cry outright from listening to a song—wasn't that overdoing it?

"I... I miss my great-grandma."

Aware she had lost composure, Xiao Ke wiped the tears from her eyes and quickly invented an excuse.

Sun Jiaren rolled her eyes but said nothing more.

She opened the copyright information for the song "Ti Mian."

Composer: Sixth Sense

Lyricist: Sixth Sense

Yes, both lyrics and composition were credited to someone named "Sixth Sense."

And under his name was another song: "Apple Fragrance."

Where did this "master" suddenly come from, able to write two songs so stylistically different?

Beijing Satellite TV.

Rest room for the program "Light Song, Graceful Dance."

Xu Yao, having finished her styling, was waiting to begin filming.

She followed a neutral aesthetic: short hair dyed gray like an elder's, a diamond-studded earring on her left ear, giving her a cool, edgy vibe.

"Sister Yao, your new song is number one on both charts."

Assistant Xiao Ying said happily.

"Mm."

Xu Yao leaned back on the sofa, eyes closed, seemingly uninterested in the news.

"Sister Yao, Chu Yourong's new song was completely crushed by yours. Still, the company's ridiculous—they could've just sent Sun Jiaren. Why did they make you step in? Totally unnecessary!"

Xiao Ying added, flattery dripping from her words.

"Those people love to make a mountain out of a molehill!"

Xu Yao opened her eyes and asked: "What's the name of Chu Yourong's new song again?"

"'Ti Mian.'"

"Play it."

"Okay, I'll find it—none of the top songs on the New Song Chart are..."

"Huh!"

Xiao Ying had intended to further belittle Chu Yourong, indirectly pleasing her boss, but when she opened the New Song Chart, it happened to refresh—Chu Yourong's "Ti Mian" had surged straight to ninth place.

She distinctly remembered that just moments ago, when she searched for Chu Yourong's new song, it was around thirty-something.

"What's wrong?"

Xu Yao glanced at Xiao Ying.

"Chu Yourong's new song jumped to ninth place."

"This is definitely a water army botting the chart!"

Xiao Ying was checking Ku Mao Music's New Song Chart, where only songs released within the past week appeared; because the data pool was small, manipulation was easy, and many paid to boost exposure through chart manipulation.

"With Chu Yourong's popularity, ninth place on the New Song Chart doesn't require botting."

Xu Yao and Chu Yourong had completely different styles, no competition between them; before Moonlight Girls went solo, they'd even gotten along well, with no grudges.

But now the company had positioned Xu Yao's new song to directly target Chu Yourong, creating rivalry; even if Xu Yao held no personal bias against Chu Yourong, she didn't want to lose in this competition.

Her own song, "That Year, That Day," was number one on the New Song Chart; if Chu Yourong was ninth, it was still acceptable.

"It was just thirty-something a moment ago, now it's ninth—hard to say. Probably felt embarrassed by the low ranking!"

Xiao Ying spoke as she opened "Ti Mian."

The intro began: a single note, cold and restrained, like raindrops gently tapping the windowsill, or fingertips brushing against old objects—evoking emotion, tinged with quiet sorrow.

Xu Yao softly murmured, "Huh?"—this was nothing like Chu Yourong's usual style; until now, she'd always been a sweet-girl image, her previous singles all upbeat and cheerful.

And this song was completely different from her previous ones; she could hear echoes of her own song, "That Year, That Day," even in the intro.

Could it be the same genre?

Xu Yao, who had been lounging carelessly, sat up straight, took Xiao Ying's phone, and opened the lyrics page.

Don't pile up nostalgia to make the plot melodramatic.

Having loved for years, why destroy the classic?

Sure enough, Chu Yourong's song shared the exact same style as her new song, and even the core theme was identical.

Say goodbye to your ex!

Accept the end of the relationship, face the breakup with maturity and reason.

Of course, there were faint traces of longing for the romance.

But Chu Yourong's "Face" was clearly a tier above her own song—in lyrics, melody, and overall atmosphere, everything was better.

Xiao Ying's original plan was to criticize the song after listening, to please her mistress.

But after the song ended, she couldn't bring herself to say a single word of criticism; she was even moved by it.

The immersion was too strong—she clearly felt her own emotions shifting.

"Who wrote this song?"

After listening, Xu Yao remained silent for a long while before speaking.

"Someone called Sixth Sense."

Xiao Ying quickly checked the copyright information for "Face."

"Sixth Sense?"

Xu Yao's lips twitched slightly: "Such an unserious name, and yet he wrote such a profound song?"

"Wait—he's also the lyricist and composer of 'Apple Fragrance'!"

Xiao Ying exclaimed in surprise.

Since Xu Yao hadn't taken seriously the fact that Chu Yourong released her song on the same day, neither she nor her assistant Xiao Ying had paid any special attention to Chu Yourong's new release.

When Xiao Ying realized that Chu Yourong's new song's writer was the same person as the writer of "Apple Fragrance," she was stunned speechless.

"Apple Fragrance?"

"Is that the one with the bayan music still playing in Liu Xing Jie??"

Xu Yao remembered the song—she'd seen it constantly on TikTok a few days ago.

"Yes, yes—that's the one!" Xiao Ying nodded vigorously.

Xu Yao muttered curses: "After writing 'Apple Fragrance,' he writes 'Face'—is this guy schizophrenic?!"