Chapter 40: First! Double Kill!

Hangcheng.

Inside a certain apartment.

Standing in the empty room, Bai Xiaonan took a deep breath.

Half an hour ago, her boyfriend left with his suitcase, abandoning their shared home of three years.

This relationship lasted five years; the first two were long-distance, then her boyfriend came to Hangcheng for her.

She had believed they would make it to the end, but in the end, they went their separate ways.

There was no cheating, no dramatic plot—just one desperately wanting to marry, while the other wanted to wait a little longer.

They couldn't agree on this critical issue, and just then, they had a minor argument over something trivial.

The small argument escalated into a breakup!

Perhaps both were waiting for the other to give in at the crucial moment, but neither was willing to back down first.

A relationship ended like this.

Bai Xiaonan turned on the speaker and began browsing today's New Song Chart.

She is a music blogger with the nickname "Muttering to Myself."

Her daily work consists of hunting for songs, dissecting songs, and singing!

A graduate of the music academy, she has professional knowledge, decent vocal skills, and above-average looks, earning her 2.65 million followers on Douyin.

Broken up? Then focus on my career!

Today's hottest event in the music circle is that Xu Yao, Sun Jiaren, and Chu Yourong all released new songs simultaneously.

Three days ago, she received a contract offer from Rongshu Entertainment to produce a biased comparison video, analyzing the three songs from a professional standpoint.

They offered a price higher than her usual sponsorship rate, but Bai Xiaonan declined—the deal. She has her principles: when reviewing a song or a musician, she strives to remain objective.

Of course, if a singer releases a new song and asks her to promote it, she occasionally accepts—after all, she needs to eat.

But she won't lift one up while tearing down another.

It doesn't just offend people—it also damages her reputation!

Xu Yao's "That Year, That Day" ranked number one on the New Song Chart, so she naturally opened it first, only to discover it was a song about a breakup, leaving her feeling uneasy.

Yet, listening to the whole song felt like scratching through clothing without reaching the itch.

Two words describe it: pretentious!

Bai Xiaonan shook her head and opened the second-ranked song on the New Song Chart: "Half a Sugar."

As a seasoned music blogger, she immediately saw this song had been artificially boosted to second place.

Although the singer, Sun Jiaren, has considerable popularity, she has no musical achievements and mediocre vocal skills—her newly released song reaching second place is definitely abnormal.

The reality matched Bai Xiaonan's expectations: "Half a Sugar" was merely a mindless pop song fitting Sun Jiaren's style, with no highlights.

Next was Chu Yourong's new song, ranked ninth on the New Song Chart.

Knowing Chu Yourong's style, Bai Xiaonan had no real expectations for this new song.

It was likely on the same level as Sun Jiaren's.

But as the intro began.

Bai Xiaonan's expression grew increasingly serious.

The main instrument in the accompaniment was likely piano—the melody slow, the silences between notes perfectly placed, no hurried momentum, only a gently flowing rhythm, as if laying the emotional foundation for the story about to unfold.

It was a complex mix of reluctance, acceptance, and melancholy.

Then came the verse, and Chu Yourong's opening voice stunned Bai Xiaonan, who knew her well.

This—this was really sung by Chu Yourong??

In Bai Xiaonan's mind, Chu Yourong's vocal ability should have been on the same level as Sun Jiaren's.

But now, Chu Yourong's performance completely crushed Sun Jiaren's—especially after Bai Xiaonan had just listened to Sun Jiaren's "Half a Sugar," making the contrast even sharper.

At this point, Bai Xiaonan hadn't yet realized the gravity of the situation; she merely thought the quality of "Decent" and Chu Yourong's vocals had exceeded her expectations.

But when the first chorus ended, she fell silent.

Another song about a breakup!

Yet this one was far deeper than Xu Yao's "That Year, That Day," with far more emotional weight.

Breakups should be decent

No one needs to say sorry

Who owes whom?

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

Leaving is also decent

So I don't waste these years

These lyrics—could they possibly have been written just for her?

Bai Xiaonan felt each lyric was a bullet striking her heart.

But she wasn't killed by the bullet.

The bullet exploded inside her, transforming into a cascade of past memories.

In an instant, the empty room was filled with images of her and her boyfriend laughing and playing together...

【Baby, today is our one-thousandth day together】

【Baby, hungry? I made your favorite braised pork】

【Baby, I just took a huge dump—come see!】

【Baby, happy Valentine's Day, this bracelet matches you perfectly】

【Baby, baby...】

The song reached its final chorus, and Bai Xiaonan was already in tears.

The final note fell.

The room fell silent.

Bai Xiaonan first sniffled softly, then burst into loud sobs!

She didn't know how long she cried, but after wiping her nose, she replayed "Decent" and set it to loop.

She washed her face, then sat back at her computer, listening to the song while writing copy.

An hour later, a video titled 【Chu Yourong's New Song — Kill the Me After the Breakup】 was posted on Bai Xiaonan's Douyin account.

But Bai Xiaonan didn't know that before she posted her video, many paid influencers had already released videos belittling "Decent."

Rongshu Entertainment's official Weibo also posted two consecutive Weibo updates, both with huge "Good News" headlines.

Congratulations to Yao Yao on her new song "That Year, That Day" reaching #1 on the New Song Chart across all platforms!

Congratulations to Jiaren on her new song "Half a Sugar" securing #2 on the New Song Chart across all platforms!

In the comment sections of both posts, fans of the two singers celebrated wildly — and of course, they couldn't resist bashing Chu Yourong.

"Releasing on the same day, some married woman barely scraped into the top ten by cheating the charts!"

"Hahaha, the married woman got crushed to dust — how presumptuous of her!"

"They came from the same group — how did the gap grow so wide?"

"Congratulations to Sister Yao and Jiaren for sweeping #1 and #2 on the New Song Chart! Also congratulations to that former member for sneaking into the top ten!"

"Don't you know your own level? How dare you release on the same day as Sister Yao? You're asking for humiliation!"

"......"

Before Bai Xiaonan posted her video, public opinion was indeed unfavorable toward Chu Yourong — it seemed criticizing her new song was "politically correct."

But Bai Xiaonan's video went against the tide, analyzing "Decent" from both professional and emotional angles; at the end, it boldly displayed the words "STRONGLY RECOMMENDED."

As a music blogger with over two million followers, Bai Xiaonan had significant influence — after the video was posted, it quickly received positive feedback from fans.

"Just finished listening — already looping it!"

"Thanks, Nannan, for the recommendation — it's truly amazing."

"This song really killed the me who just got broken up with!"

"I can't believe the original singer is Chu Yourong."

"Everyone online was trashing it — I almost missed a great song."

"Wait, are the people trashing Chu Yourong in the comments deaf?"

"Clearly shills are down there stirring the pot — everyone, help promote it! Don't let this great song get buried!"

"......"

With Bai Xiaonan's major recommendation and organic sharing by users,

the reputation of "Decent," which had been trampled by shills, began a strong rebound.

It was like a spring — the lower it had been pressed, the higher it now bounced.

On the New Song Chart, it bloomed upward!

#9!

#7!

#4!

#2...

Rongshu Entertainment.

Du Yue sat on her office chair, restless — another half hour had passed.

In those thirty minutes, she directed the shills to frantically inflate the data for Xu Yao's new song "That Year, That Day."

Sun Jiaren could lose, but Xu Yao couldn't!

If Xu Yao lost too, they'd be double-killed!

They couldn't afford to lose face.

But what had to come, came.

When she reopened the New Song Chart, the #1 spot had changed hands!

#1: "Decent"

#2: "That Year, That Day"