Chapter 173: The Japanese Fangirl and the Simeida

On the morning of August 2nd.

Outside music stores across the nation, crowds lined up.

Due to prior hype, many had queued early, believing that buying meant profit.

The facts proved that every new album Cheng Chen released carried exceptional collectible value.

Even if not collected, buying the new album and reselling it to others could recover the cost and even yield a profit.

This was also why bootleggers and scalpers targeted Cheng Chen.

At 8:30 a. m., all major audio stores opened on time.

The moment they opened, people surged inside with a roar.

"Boss, I want Cheng Chen's 'Starfire'!"

"Five copies of the 'Starfire' album!"

"Sorry, but we limit 'Starfire' purchases to three per customer—here's your change."

"Ah, still doing quantity limits? That's such a buzzkill. Fine, give me three then."

To curb scalpers, Wang Tianxiao had implemented a purchase limit.

The limit was also meant to let more people buy the album, benefiting the market.

All channels partnering with Tianhai Records must follow this purchase limit.

Unwilling? Sorry, we'll just switch to another distributor.

Based on Cheng Chen's outstanding performance over these years, Tianhai Music has risen to become a top-tier record company.

Naturally, their tone had grown much more confident.

"I thought 'Time Where Did Time Go' was already heartbreaking enough.

I didn't expect Cheng Chen had prepared another song, 'Father's Prose Poem'—this is even more tear-jerking!"

"Cheng Chen and Liu Tianxian's 'Chasing Light' was so beautiful—I just watched Liu Tianxian's movie last month.

Cheng Chen even attended the premiere; I wonder if there's something between them.

Hehe, they look perfect together!"

"To be honest, the song I most anticipated on this album was 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival.'

As the wave of China-style music sparked by Cheng Chen, opera-style songs have become the defining hallmark of this series.

Though this might sound narrow-minded, I must admit 'Ten Thousand Frontiers' and 'Red Actor' left an unforgettable impression.

This time, 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival' didn't disappoint—Cheng Chen is still Cheng Chen, the undisputed king of China-style music!"

The 'Starfire' album immediately demonstrated its terrifying dominance upon release.

August was dominated by TV drama soundtracks, while stars typically released albums in the first half of the year.

For example: Cai Yiling's 'Castle.'

Her 'Fantasy Journey.'

In the first half of this year, in March, Wang Xinling—the Sweetheart Queen—released her album 'Love You,' which later exploded on short-video platforms.

And the popular group 5566 also released their album 'Forbidden Peak,' among others.

Zhou Dong was also expected, but due to some "obscure" reasons, he did not release a new album as planned.

Before 2010 was the era when gods clashed in the Chinese-language music scene; veteran singers from Gang Sheng remained active.

Younger singers from Tai Sheng emerged like mushrooms after rain.

Although the Mainland had no absolute advantage, it was slowly rising—and now it had produced Cheng Chen!

Against the backdrop of the Mainland music industry having been crushed for years by Gang Sheng and Tai Sheng, Cheng Chen's arrival was like a daytime meteor—a beacon of hope.

On the charts, within just three days of release, three songs from the 'Starfire' album dominated the top spots.

Number one: Cheng Chen, 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival.'

Number two: Cheng Chen, 'The Wind Has Blown.'

Number three: Cheng Chen, 'Worry Relief.'

Behind them came 'Boy,' 'Father's Prose Poem,' 'Confession Balloon,' and others.

It could be said that once Cheng Chen released a new song, dominating the charts was inevitable.

Many fans happily waited for this day.

You have to know that the charts weren't controlled by any single company or region.

They were achieved only through genuine, hard-earned fan support.

In the past, stars from Tai Sheng and Gang Sheng always topped the charts, holding the number one position for years.

But with Cheng Chen's rise and popularity, this trend was gradually changing.

So extreme was the shift that it even happened: ten Mainland songs all charted simultaneously, dominating the entire list.

People would never forget that day—no other singer had ever been this extraordinary.

Now that Cheng Chen's new album had been released again, everyone wondered if last year's "chart domination" event would repeat.

For Cheng Chen's fans, chart domination had become a mandatory ritual.

While fans of other singers hoped their idols' songs would just make the charts, Cheng Chen's fans were already discussing how to dominate them entirely.

The difference in vision and scale was instantly clear.

Media outlets across the board ran extensive reports on the release of Cheng Chen's new album.

Some reporters even camped outside music stores, conducting random interviews.

Reporter: Are you a fan of Cheng Chen?

Fan: Obviously—I've been a ten-year fan, came on my own!

Reporter: Many say Cheng Chen's new album is a major event in Chinese entertainment—what's your opinion?

Fan: I cannot agree with that; I believe piglet postpartum care must begin before birth.

Four or five days before farrowing, gradually reduce the feed amount…

Reporter: …

The reporter's interview was posted online and immediately sparked widespread attention, becoming a laughingstock.

Whether it's the uproar caused by the new album release or the fans' "conspiracy" to dominate the charts.

Cheng Chen had no time to care about any of it—he was busy holding a signing event…

Jingcheng, library signing event venue.

As the signing began, the entire hall was packed with people.

The lines on both sides stretched endlessly, and to Cheng Chen's utter surprise, many children had also shown up.

They looked like fourth or fifth graders, no adults with them, holding Cheng Chen's albums and waiting in line.

"Little friend, what's your name? What grade are you in?"

Cheng Chen smiled as he looked at the child in school uniform.

"Brother, just call me Xiao Gang. I'm in fourth grade this year. Can you sign my album?"

Cheng Chen took the album and signed it swiftly, then wrote on it:

"Study hard, make progress every day."

"There you go, little friend—be good in class, don't run off."

Cheng Chen patted his head and smiled.

"I understand, brother. Can you fulfill one wish for me?"

The boy asked with hopeful eyes.

"What wish?"

"Can I sing 'The Lone Brave' with you? I love this song—it's even our class anthem."

Seeing the boy's eager expression, Cheng Chen paused briefly—after all, he was a fan, big or small, and he supported his fans…

Cheng Chen nodded and said:

"Sure. You start singing, and I'll follow along."

"Thank you, brother."

The boy nodded happily.

Immediately, the boy closed his eyes, his small face filled with seriousness, as if facing something profoundly solemn:

"All, are brave, your forehead's wound, your, different, your mistakes."

As the boy finished, Cheng Chen immediately took the next line:

"All, need not hide, your worn-out doll, your mask, your self…"

As Cheng Chen sang along with the little boy, he felt something strangely moving within him.

"The Lone Brave" was, in strict terms, a game theme song in the future.

But because of the power embedded in its lyrics, many official media outlets had promoted it as a positive-energy song.

In this timeline, when Cheng Chen released it, there was no game context—and it became even more acceptable.

Especially when parents heard their children singing it, they felt no resistance at all.

"I love how you walk alone through dark alleys, I love how you refuse to kneel.

I love how you face despair and refuse to shed a tear.

I love your tattered clothes, yet daring to block the gun of fate.

I love how you're so much like me, with the same gaps…"

By this point, it had become the boy's solo performance.

He clenched his fists, swaying his arms rhythmically, his expression growing resolute, brimming with intense emotion, passionate and stirring.

Then, all the children in the mall, as if hearing a battle hymn and summoned by it, stood up.

They raised their arms, swaying in unison, eyes firm, singing loudly with indignation.

Shoppers in the mall stopped and turned toward them.

Shop owners stepped out of their stores to look.

Couples engaged in playful affection paused their intimacy, drawn by the commotion, hurrying over…

Standing at the center, Cheng Chen watched the scene before him—moved, but mostly his scalp prickling with dread.

He felt so embarrassed he could've dug out a three-bedroom apartment with his toes.

Social death!

"Uh… this…"

But he couldn't dampen the children's enthusiasm, so he stood there, smiling as he watched the little ones proudly singing their nursery rhyme.

He nodded and smiled at them occasionally, matching their gestures to encourage them.

"Who says only those standing in the light can be heroes…"

Finally, as the last lyric ended, the song concluded.

The crowd erupted in thunderous applause—adults and children alike felt their blood boil.

Hmm, except Cheng Chen.

For the children, it was thrilling; for Cheng Chen, it was excruciatingly awkward.

The signing continued, and every subsequent child in school uniform hoped to sing "The Lone Brave" with Cheng Chen.

But Cheng Chen declined them all with other excuses.

One embarrassing moment was enough—no need for a second!

He didn't expect that the youngest Golden Melody Award winner, who broke the album sales record, would write a children's song…

After the signing event ended, Cheng Chen immediately headed to Modu.

This signing tour consisted of five events across five cities nationwide.

Although the travel was exhausting, the results were clearly evident.

The album "Starfire" broke another record: within just two weeks of release, Cheng Chen had swept the charts.

From first to tenth place, every single song was by Cheng Chen.

"Along the River During the Qingming Festival" ranked first, followed by "Chasing Light" and "The Wind Has Blown" at second and third.

Tenth place was his song "Time Where Did Time Go."

As the song debuted on the Spring Festival Gala, it had already become widely known during the nationwide discussion after the New Year.

Thus, as the gatekeeper holding the tenth spot, it blocked all other songs from entering the top ten.

When people saw these results, they all gasped in shock.

This… this is too outrageous!

Last time, it took a full month for his album to sweep the charts.

This time, it took less than two weeks—barely half a month.

Such terrifying chart domination isn't just unheard of for new-generation singers.

Even veteran artists might not manage to place all ten songs from a single album on the chart in such a short time.

There were many reasons for this rapid chart domination.

First, Cheng Chen's status in the music industry had become increasingly solid.

The "Starfire" album was Cheng Chen's effort to secure his position in the industry; defending territory is clearly harder than conquering it.

Therefore, every song on this album was carefully selected by Cheng Chen, with style and popularity meticulously evaluated.

With Cheng Chen's current fame as backing, these ten songs were no less impressive than those on his previous album.

Second, his fans were experts at chart manipulation.

After listening to "Starfire," Cheng Chen's fans saw chart domination as easy as reaching into a pocket to grab something.

With experience from the last chart campaign, the "Cheng Family Army" fans were now far more familiar with online coordination, command, and organization.

Which fan region was responsible for promoting which song, and when to unite in a coordinated push—all were centrally directed.

Naturally, this saved considerable time, though the key factor remained the solid quality of Cheng Chen's new album…

Moreover, in August, no other singer had an album capable of competing.

The influence of chart domination manifested in every aspect, most directly in sales figures.

One month after "Starfire"'s release, its sales reached over two million copies.

Sales within the Mainland alone could not support a two-million figure.

Most sales came from Gang Sheng, Tai Sheng, and other Asian regions.

Especially in Japan and South Korea, Cheng Chen had become an idol among the youth.

In particular, "The Wind Has Blown" went viral across Japanese entertainment publications.

The song features a warm melody and an ethereal, beautiful atmosphere.

Especially Cheng Chen's vocal performance, which rendered the surge of youth with pure, untainted clarity, untouched by worldly dust.

Many Japanese media outlets took notice, and even the traditionally proud Japanese music industry gave high praise to Cheng Chen's song.

It was also hailed as a divine work by Japanese high school students, and some Japanese singers even contacted Cheng Chen to purchase the rights to "The Wind Has Blown" for a Japanese-language version.

Wow, this move truly felt like bringing glory to the nation!

Cheng Chen of course did not agree, since he planned to use the Japanese version of "The Wind Has Blown" when he entered the Japanese market.

The singer who wanted the rights was deeply discouraged but still insisted he would come to China to meet Cheng Chen in person and begged him not to refuse…

On another front, the song "Chasing Light" also caused a major stir in South Korea.

Especially the pairing of Cheng Chen and Liu Tianxian, the handsome man and beautiful woman.

In fact, Cheng Chen first became popular in South Korea thanks to his handsome face.

South Koreans adore good-looking men and women, pursuing beauty almost to an obsessive degree.

"Chasing Light" is a school-themed MV expressing unspoken love, and South Koreans eat this up.

Under the beautifully melancholy melody, the pure, innocent school romance left them utterly captivated.

Who said we like car crashes and terminal illnesses? We prefer this fresh, light style.

This Cheng Chen isn't just handsome—he's incredibly talented, able to write songs, compose lyrics, and perform them at an elite level.

Could such an all-around talent really be Chinese?

Does our great Korean nation have anyone like Cheng Chen?

That's right—he must be our Seemida!

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