Chapter 104: "Keep Listening"

As the conversation deepened, the fans’ last lingering doubts about Hu San gradually faded away. She was a girl neither flashy nor theatrical, simple and gentle. She might not be the best, but she understood Zhou Miao better than anyone else. She knew every glance he gave, was familiar with his quirky little habits, sympathized with his busy schedule, and never forgot to remind him to eat.

Their relationship had no dramatic or convoluted love story; it was plain and unadorned, just like that of ordinary people, yet remarkably genuine.

With that, the storm surrounding Zhou Miao’s romance finally dissipated without a trace. Apart from losing some die-hard fans, there was no other damage. In fact, going public made him feel freer—at least he no longer had to dodge around XC.

By April, Zhou Miao’s new album plans were underway. He intended to release it in early July, right in the middle of summer vacation, so the album launch would seamlessly lead into his concert tour.

Three months was definitely not enough time for most singers to produce a full-fledged album. Sometimes, not even all the songs would be ready after that long.

But for Zhou Miao, three months was more than enough. His only dilemma was deciding which songs to include.

After a week of careful selection, Zhou Miao composed all ten songs for the new album. What followed was the more tedious part.

Many of the original arrangements and sound techniques were outdated, so he had to completely re-optimize the arrangements. This was a substantial workload.

Fortunately, Rainbow’s sound library was quite rich, saving Zhou Miao a lot of time.

For an entire month, except for attending classes, Zhou Miao and Ziran practically lived in the office, arranging instruments, selecting sounds, and experimenting with new arrangements.

After finishing the demos for all the songs, Zhou Miao listened to them repeatedly for several days. Once he was satisfied, he handed over the task of recording the official arranged accompaniments to Ziran.

Every instrument was recorded by top industry professionals at premium rates, aiming for the best possible audio experience.

Once the album entered the recording stage, progress accelerated. Rainbow had already begun the album’s pre-release promotion.

While fine-tuning the post-production, Ziran asked, “What’s the album’s title?”

Zhou Miao rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “How about ‘Keep Listening’? Or maybe ‘Hurry Up and Listen’?”

Ziran was stunned. “Are you serious?”

Zhou Miao laughed lightly and patted Ziran’s shoulder. “You actually believe that?”

“I’ve already decided—‘Temporal Intertwine.’”

“Temporal Intertwine?” Ziran pondered the name carefully. It actually suited the album quite well; many songs were related to time, truly reflecting a weaving of eras.

Rainbow’s entire team placed great importance on Zhou Miao’s new album, working overtime to devise various marketing strategies.

Zuo Qiu’s expectation for the album was to surpass the 7 million copies sold record previously held by Zhou Miao himself!

Rainbow’s publicity department launched a campaign on Weibo: every user had one chance to click a link to urge the album’s release. Once the clicks reached 5 million, the first track would be unlocked early.

The moment the campaign started, fan enthusiasm surged instantly.

Not only did they click themselves, but they also shared the link with friends, making many think a new event from Kanduoduo had begun.

Fans’ passion far exceeded Rainbow’s expectations. What was supposed to take two or three days was completed in less than one day—the 5 million click goal was reached!

Zhou Miao’s tremendous influence and the appeal of his new songs were undeniable, built step by step by his string of high-quality hits.

At present, the name Zhou Miao shone like a golden brand in the music world, a guarantee of quality.

True to their word, Rainbow immediately released the first lead single from Zhou Miao’s album: “Cao Cao!”

This song was also the theme for the online game Zhou Miao endorsed, “True Three Kingdoms Warriors: Blood Booster Edition.”

When Zhou Miao had accepted the endorsement for this low-quality game, many netizens assumed he was about to become the next web game plague—a plastic-armored hero wielding a dragon-slaying sword, daring fans to come at him.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Miao didn’t film any distasteful ads but instead wrote an original promotional song for the game.

This was the proper way to represent a web game endorsement! Compared to those veteran actors who lost their minds after getting paid, this was a breath of fresh air.

With eager anticipation, fans clicked to listen to Zhou Miao’s first lead single from the new album.

Majestic piano solos rang out, immediately followed by explosive drums and guitars. The dynamic rhythm instantly confirmed the song’s rock roots.

Then Zhou Miao’s voice finally emerged:

“Heroes don’t read the Three Kingdoms,
If you’re a hero,
How can you not understand loneliness!
Walking alone down Changban Slope,
Moonlight so gentle,
Cao Cao doesn’t fuss,
His heart set on Jingzhou!
Using schemes and plots,
Open and covert, seizing with ease!”

A few lines instantly transported the audience back to that tumultuous, passionate era of war; the image of the formidable Cao Cao became vivid and intense.

“The late Eastern Han split into three kingdoms!
The flames of war never cease,
Love and loyalty twisted by chaos,
Who will share wine?
Deception and betrayal mark the Three Kingdoms,
Right and wrong unclear,
After centuries of turmoil,
Everything starts anew!”

Ordinary fans might not grasp all the twists and turns, but simply felt this song was incredibly good.

The fusion of Western rock and Chinese elements sparked dazzling fireworks, producing a refreshing and eye-catching style.

After nearly half a year, Zhou Miao once again dominated the music charts. “Cao Cao” rapidly became a nationwide hit, even children who couldn’t read hummed along to the melody.

In history class, when the teacher mentioned the late Eastern Han, students would spontaneously chime in, “Split into three kingdoms!”

This was enough to exasperate teachers.

After the song’s release, Zhou Miao closely monitored comments on various music platforms and was relieved to find no one criticizing the lyrics.

The original “Cao Cao” was classic, but its lyrics had one fatal flaw that had drawn complaints from fans for over a decade.

One line went: “Cao Cao doesn’t fuss, his heart set on Jingzhou, using schemes and plots, open and covert, seizing the mo~”

Countless listeners were baffled—what exactly was Cao Cao “seizing”? Whose young wife was he after?

How much fake wine had the lyricist Qiu Li consumed while writing that?

Zhou Miao guessed that if he had copied the original lyrics, fans would have torn him apart. So he decided to slightly revise the biggest point of ridicule.

Aside from that “mo,” the lyrics of “Cao Cao” were mediocre at best, just barely passing muster. Fortunately, the melody was top-notch, ear-catching and unforgettable, growing on listeners the more they heard it.

Having such a blockbuster song as the album’s opener whetted countless fans’ appetites for the rest of the tracks. Could this be another all-hits album like “Listen”?