Zhang Yichen and his team were fully focused in the recording studio, pouring their complete attention into every note.
They had no idea that, with Chen Xiaoxi's help, Zhang Yichen and Li Yue were already on the verge of exploding in popularity.
By the time they finished lunch, the six songs they had uploaded had already surged onto the Chinese Music Charts.
This platform was none other than the official website of the Chinese Music Association—the most authoritative platform in the entire national music industry.
The rankings were divided into three categories:New Song Chart, Annual Chart, and Overall Chart.
These rankings were based solely on cumulative download data from all major music platforms.
Getting onto any one of these charts was nearly as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
Yet Zhang Yichen and Li Yue's songs had already stormed into the Top 50 of the New Song Chart.
Especially "Little Apple" and "Mice Love Rice"—both were charging straight toward the Top 10.
Of course, breaking into the Top 10 wasn't easy.The tenth spot was a clear dividing line.
Moving from No.11 to No.10 wasn't impossible, but it was close.
As of now:
No.1: 800,000+ downloads
No.10: 200,000+
No.11: barely 100,000
The gap was painfully obvious.
Currently, Zhang Yichen's "Mice Love Rice" sat at No.15 with 70,000 downloads."Little Apple" followed closely at No.16 with 60,000.The remaining songs were ranked beyond the top twenty—but judging from their rising download rates, momentum was clearly on their side.
Meanwhile, the other artists on the chart had already released their songs at the start of the month; their download growth had stagnated.
Zhang Yichen and Li Yue's songs, however, had been out for only a few hours.They hadn't even reached their peak momentum yet.
Of course, Zhang Yichen knew none of this.Even if he did, he wouldn't have cared.He preferred letting things grow naturally—forcing the harvest only ruins it.
At this moment, Chen Xiaoxi had just finished recording her second song.
Her body still hadn't fully recovered, and after two back-to-back recordings, she was clearly exhausted.
"Take a break. I'll record a few more myself," Zhang Yichen said quickly, noticing her fatigue.
He had originally planned for her to record only one or two songs per day, worried her body wouldn't handle more.But she refused—she'd rested for too long and wanted to release her digital album as soon as possible.
"Alright then, Yue and I will help you record," Chen Xiaoxi nodded, not pushing herself further.
She understood her limits.Continuing like this would only harm her in the long run.
"Good," Zhang Yichen replied and stepped into the recording booth.
This time, he was the one recording.
Starting tomorrow, he planned to release one song per day online, shaking up the entire music industry.
As for physical album sales—he wasn't in a rush.He wanted to wait until November.
He had no intention of competing with Chen Xiaoxi's release.
Within just one hour, Zhang Yichen recorded twelve songs—five minutes each, all in one take.
Not a single retake was needed.
Chen Xiaoxi and Li Yue were completely stunned.
They had known Zhang Yichen was talented since the morning session—but this level was beyond comprehension.
Recording twelve songs in a row without stopping?Each one flawless?
Was that even humanly possible?
Calling him a monster wouldn't have been an exaggeration.
Afterward, Chen Xiaoxi managed to record three more songs before they wrapped up for the day.
It was already 4:30 in the afternoon.At 5:00, she was scheduled to release a single.
She had recorded a total of five songs that afternoon—and she loved every single one of them.Each one, she wanted to share with her beloved "Snowflakes."
But that was just wishful thinking.
She had promised Zhang Yichen she would only release one song for now,on a different music platform, to funnel traffic toward "Joy."Only after that could she release on other sites.
The only problem—she couldn't decide which song to release.
Of the five, three were written by Zhang Yichen.
And since he was also releasing songs today, she wanted to choose one of his works—to help build his reputation.
Truthfully, she already had a song in mind.But another track seemed more fitting for her grand comeback.
So she hesitated.She debated.She wavered.
Eventually, she sighed and opened her laptop.
First, she checked her social media—after all, that was where her most loyal fans gathered.
But the moment she opened it—
Ding! Ding! Ding!Notifications exploded.
She glanced at her earlier post from noon—it had already racked up tens of thousands of comments.
Even her posts promoting Zhang Yichen and Li Yue's songs had nearly ten thousand comments each.
"Oh my god, that many comments? Xiaoxi, am I going viral!?"Li Yue squealed excitedly, practically jumping in place.
Then, without hesitation, she snatched the mouse from Chen Xiaoxi and opened a music platform.
Ding ding ding…
More notification sounds popped nonstop.Moments later, a system alert appeared.
Li Yue clicked—
And froze.Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Xiaoxi! I'm famous! I'm actually famous! Quick—check the Chinese New Song Chart!"
She switched to the New Song Chart at once.
"Look! The Vast Sky is No.8 with over 300,000 downloads!""And The Most Familiar Stranger is No.9—280,000 downloads!"
Her voice trembled with excitement,as if she herself had set the numbers on fire.
But suddenly, she screamed even louder.
"Wha—Zhang Yichen, you're not human!"
"What happened?" Chen Xiaoxi leaned in, curious."His songs? Don't tell me—he's in the top twenty too!?"
Chen Xiaoxi's eyes widened.
The entire Top 20 of the New Song Chartwas dominated by Zhang Yichen's songs.
And the download counters were still rising in real time.
Clearly, his songs had enormous momentum.
Chen Xiaoxi was stunned beyond words.
To be honest, she had appeared many times on the New Song Chart herself—but usually, her songs climbed gradually after release.This kind of instant surge? She had rarely witnessed it.
Until today.
"How… how is this even possible?"She twisted her fingers nervously, muttering under her breath.
Sure, she expected Zhang Yichen and Li Yue's songs to chart—but not this fast.
They'd released them too late in the cycle!Even for her own single today, she expected it to take at least a day or two—maybe longer—before climbing the charts.
But their speed…it shattered all expectations.
It had to be Zhang Yichen's songwriting—his songs were simply too powerful.
"Why are you so surprised?"Zhang Yichen said calmly, hands in his pockets, as if everything was within his expectations."It's just the New Song Chart."
"Yeah, right! Keep pretending!" Li Yue rolled her eyes with a smirk."Admit it—you're smiling on the inside!"
"I'm really not. You'll get used to it soon enough."He shrugged and pulled out his phone to check the time.
Ten minutes until five.
"Xiaoxi, it's time to release your song."
"Alright," Chen Xiaoxi nodded, determination shining in her eyes.She had finally made her choice.
In the end—emotion triumphed over reason.