Chapter 10 The Number Has Been Mastered

“…Fengshang Media? The one under Hunan Broadcasting?” Han Jiangxue repeated, her expression tinged with bemusement.

Su Chen replied, “Yes, but I haven’t spoken with them yet. They reached out to me through Zhang Fuyu.”

“But I don’t think I’ll sign with Fengshang,” he added.

Han Jiangxue raised her eyebrows. “Fengshang Media is a major company, wholly owned by Hunan Broadcasting. Their background and resources are top-tier. Why wouldn’t you sign with them?”

“Money’s precious, but freedom is priceless,” Su Chen leaned back in his chair, hands tucked behind his head, exuding a languid ease.

“Besides, who says you have to sign with a company to make it in showbiz? If your talent outshines the capital, you’ll always find a way to shine.”

Han Jiangxue stared at Su Chen across the table, momentarily caught off guard by the youthful vigor he radiated. In that instant, she truly believed Su Chen was destined to be a rising star.

“By the way, you keep asking about me—why not talk about yourself for a change?” Su Chen shifted the conversation, looking at Han Jiangxue.

“…Me?” Han Jiangxue slurped up a mouthful of noodles, a strand still dangling from the corner of her mouth.

“Yeah! It’s a workday. Aren’t you supposed to be at your job?” Su Chen asked, curious.

Han Jiangxue curled her tongue to scoop up the remaining noodle. “I wish I could work! I just graduated, staying home is boring, but my mom won’t let me.”

“…Your mom doesn’t let you?”

“She thinks it’s too dangerous out there and wants me to intern at her own company.”

“She owns a few companies. I picked one, but when I got there, they wouldn’t let me do anything—just treated me with kid gloves all day. I got fed up and stopped going.” Han Jiangxue shrugged, helpless.

“Then we had a falling out, so I bought my own place and moved out.”

“……”

Su Chen was at a loss for words.

All roads may lead to Rome, but some people are simply born there.

After finishing her noodles and tidying up the table, Han Jiangxue finally looked at Su Chen, who was still lost in thought.

“So if you’re not signing with a company, what’s your plan?”

Su Chen had already made up his mind. “I’ll keep singing and releasing songs, wait for music variety shows to invite me. I’m thinking of starting my own studio, carving out a path with my own strength.”

“That won’t be easy. Without capital backing you early on, your buzz will dwindle fast—unless every song you release is on the level of ‘Queen’.”

Su Chen smiled. “Is that so difficult?”

“Narcissist… Just focus on the present! While you’re still trending, hurry up and register your Weibo and TikTok accounts, or the internet will sweep you away in no time!” Han Jiangxue rolled her eyes.

“Besides, you’ve already recorded ‘Queen’. Before you upload it, you could boost your profile a bit more.”

Su Chen nodded. He had to seize this wave of attention, or it would be a waste.

But… he’d never filmed a TikTok before!

He decided to see how other musicians did it.

Opening TikTok, the first thing that popped up was a local streamer skirting the edge of decency.

Feeling Han Jiangxue’s sidelong glance, Su Chen gave an awkward chuckle and quickly scrolled past.

Next up was a petite, cutesy maid striking provocative poses.

Then a sultry nun teasingly showing off her long legs…

Han Jiangxue: ???

“Ahem, today’s recommendations are weird. I never see this stuff usually,” Su Chen said, trying to sound serious and composed.

Damn! Why did this have to happen now?

Finally, after a dozen swipes, Su Chen started seeing videos of people singing.

Some were covering last night’s snippet of “Queen,” and a few talented musicians had even tried to finish the whole song themselves!

The lyrics varied, but none of the versions could match the original “Queen” musically.

“I didn’t expect covers to pop up online so fast,” Su Chen mused.

Han Jiangxue pursed her lips. “These days, traffic is king. The moment there’s a trending topic, they swarm like sharks at the scent of blood.”

“So… should I just do what they’re doing and post a video of ‘Queen’?”

“Record a clip, but don’t do the whole song.” Han Jiangxue shot him a look. “Most people are curious because they haven’t heard the full version yet. If you release it now, your official upload later will lose its impact.”

Su Chen looked at her, amused. “You have sharp instincts for online buzz.”

“I may not have eaten pork, but I’ve seen pigs run,” Han Jiangxue replied offhandedly. “As the hot topic, you just need to post a video to verify your identity. The traffic will come to you.”

“Plus, you’re not bad-looking. I bet your little fangirls won’t be disappointed.”

Su Chen thought for a moment, then said, “Why don’t you film it for me?”

He handed her the phone.

But Han Jiangxue didn’t take it; instead, she pulled out her latest model iPhone.

“With the resolution on your antique phone, the video would look like it’s been aged in storage,” she quipped, taking charge. “Just follow my lead from here.”

After a brief discussion, Han Jiangxue quickly took on the role of a ‘qualified’ camera director and started filming Su Chen.

She had him sit on the sofa, sunlight streaming through the window to light up his face softly and gently. Even Han Jiangxue, used to all the overly groomed pretty boys on the internet, was momentarily taken aback.

Recording began—Su Chen was poised and articulate.

“Hello everyone, I’m Su Chen, the lucky audience member who sang ‘Queen’ at Zhang Fuyu’s concert last night.”

“First, thank you all for your attention. I never imagined this song would be liked by so many.”

“For those of you who didn’t get to hear the full version of ‘Queen’ live, I recorded it at the studio this afternoon. It should be up on Penguin Music in a day or two.”

“And besides ‘Queen’, I also recorded my new song, ‘Actor’. Hope you’ll look forward to it~”

When the recording ended, Han Jiangxue didn’t rush to post it; instead, her eyes lit up as she looked at Su Chen.

“You have a new song? Why didn’t you tell me first!” she exclaimed in mock outrage. “Sing it for me! I want to be your first listener!”

With such a request from Boss Han, Su Chen was happy to oblige.

But…

“Do you have any instruments at home?”

“Emmm… no,” Han Jiangxue replied, crestfallen, but she quickly perked up.

“No worries, let’s find someplace with instruments! And it’s almost dinner time anyway!”

“I’ll buy you dinner, you sing for me—deal?” Han Jiangxue’s eyes sparkled.

Su Chen hesitated. “Didn’t you just eat noodles?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it! I’m still hungry!”

Still hungry? She’d eaten at least half a pound of noodles!

This woman… is downright terrifying!