Chapter 98: Zhao Li’s New Album

After spending a few days at home with his parents, Zhou Miao returned to Beijing ahead of schedule. Hu San’s holiday still had quite a few days left, so she didn’t travel with him.

Gu Zhiyin had arrived even earlier than he did—she came back on the third day of the new year. Today, the two of them were meeting to coordinate the main schedule for this year.

“Happy New Year!” Gu Zhiyin said as she rubbed her hands together and walked in, snowflakes dusting her hair and coat. There hadn’t been any snow before the holiday, but now, after the new year, it had started falling.

Zhou Miao poured her a cup of hot water. “Why didn’t you rest a little longer at home? Is there urgent business?”

“Those clients we coordinated with at the end of last year have been pestering me to death. Spring’s almost here and they’re ready to launch their new products. But since you were busy with exams and the Spring Festival Gala, I postponed everything until after the holiday.”

She pulled a file out of her bag. “These are all the endorsements we confirmed before the new year. Now we’re just waiting for you to shoot the promotional materials. It’d be best if you could start tomorrow—there are quite a few, and the schedule’s tight.”

Zhou Miao nodded. “All right, let’s start tomorrow. The sooner we get it done, the better.”

“When are you planning to release your album this year?” Gu Zhiyin asked.

Zhou Miao thought for a moment about his new album. “June or July, probably. So don’t schedule any business events for me in May. I’ll be busy recording then.”

Gu Zhiyin understood. Speaking of the album, she remembered something else. “After the second album drops, do you want to hold a concert? You’ve got enough songs now for a two-to-three-hour show.”

Zhou Miao’s eyes lit up at her words. To hold a concert was a dream of countless singers, but he hesitated. “Even with my second album out, plus a few unreleased tracks, I’d only have about twenty songs. Is that enough for two or three hours?”

Gu Zhiyin smiled. “More than enough. There’ll be interactions with the audience and costume changes in between. If you pace it well, twenty songs are more than sufficient.”

Zhou Miao’s heart settled. “Then I’ll leave it to you. Let’s hold it during the summer break. As for the locations, anywhere is fine for other cities, but in Beijing, let’s do the Bird’s Nest.”

“Got it.”

After finalizing the rest of the schedule, Gu Zhiyin hurried off. Zhou Miao pulled out his phone and opened a group chat called “Countdown Band.”

“Hey everyone, any interest in a summer job? Just a one-day gig. Venue: the Bird’s Nest. No pay.”

“I’m in!”

“+1!”

“Bring your little brother along!”

Zhou Miao laughed at his phone and kept typing, “You’d better practice hard during this time, or you’ll embarrass yourselves.”

“Don’t worry!”

...

After the holiday, Zhou Miao plunged into a new wave of busyness. But compared to the generous rewards, this amount of work was barely worth mentioning.

As for Rainbow, their top priority after the new year was Zhao Li’s album. Whether her popularity—which had plummeted after the group disbanded—could recover depended entirely on this record.

By mid-March, Zhao Li’s debut solo album, “Chaser of Light,” was officially released. The album contained six songs: “Chaser of Light,” “The Thief of Years,” “Waves in the Wind,” “Grey,” “Daylight Fireworks,” and “Remember.”

The first three songs were all written by Zhou Miao, while the last three were select masterpieces he picked from Ziran’s catalog. Although it was just a mini album, the quality of every track was outstanding. With Rainbow’s heavy promotion, sales surpassed half a million copies on the very day of release.

Although this figure couldn’t compare to some of the current top male singers, it was already extremely high for a female artist!

The three songs Zhou Miao wrote for the album shot straight to the top of all the major charts, battling fiercely against each other.

In a quiet room, Li Qin curled up under her blanket. She had deliberately stayed up until midnight just to be the first to hear Zhao Li’s new album.

Her feelings at that moment were complicated—she wanted Zhao Li’s album to do well, but not too well. After all, they were both releasing albums at the same time, direct competitors.

She purchased the album, clicked on the first track—the title song, “Chaser of Light.”

“If you are the fireworks over the sea,
I am the foam on the waves,
For a moment, your light illuminated me.
If you are the distant river of stars,
So dazzling it makes one want to cry,
I am the gaze that chases after you,
Always staring at the night sky in loneliness,
I can follow behind you,
Like a shadow chasing light in a dream...”

Without warning, the lyrics pierced her heart like a sharp blade, and tears fell instantly.

Once upon a time, Zhao Li had been just like the song described, trailing behind her every day like a shadow.

Zhao Li was always a bit silly, often bullied by other trainees in Rainbow, and would frequently end up hugging Li Qin and crying. Li Qin had once stood up for her, getting into a fierce fight with another female trainee and ending up with a swollen eye. She hadn’t thought much of it, but Zhao Li cried as though she herself had been hurt.

From that day on, Zhao Li followed her everywhere—they were inseparable, as close as if they were one person.

If Zhou Miao’s name hadn’t been listed as the lyricist, Li Qin might truly have believed Zhao Li wrote this song herself.

She wiped away her tears and played the second track, “The Thief of Years.” She turned off the lights and listened quietly in the dark.

“Time is that which catches you off guard,
Sunny days with wind, cloudy days with rain,
We chase the present but miss the past,
It steals our youthful hair, but leaves you behind,
Life is a journey with no return,
Both the good and the bad are scenery,
Don’t blame me for being greedy—I just don’t want to wake,
Because for you, only you, I am willing to stay.”

This was a song that could withstand the test of time—just a few lines captured all the youth and regret of life. Zhao Li’s delicate, emotive voice added even more color to the music. Each listen brought new feelings.

Zhou Miao was just as merciless as ever, leaving no room for other singers to compete.

After hearing this song, Li Qin gave up any thoughts of competing with Zhao Li. There wasn’t a single track on her own album that could compare to “Chaser of Light” or “The Thief of Years,” let alone the viral hit “Waves in the Wind.”

Li Qin opened her phone and stared at Zhao Li’s profile picture for a long time. She wanted to congratulate her on the album’s success, wanted to say the songs were beautiful, but in the end, she just locked her phone.

...

Zhao Li’s “Chaser of Light” exploded in both reviews and sales, her popularity soaring beyond what it had been before. Zhou Miao’s songwriting talent was once again proven.

Even some veteran singers couldn’t sit still—this kid was truly something. Every song he wrote was a hit; there had never been anyone like this in the history of Chinese pop music.

In just a few days, Gu Zhiyin received dozens of invitations, all seeking songs from Zhou Miao.

Some with stronger connections called directly, like Huang Chengxi, who was also releasing an album this year and just needed one more title track.

Another call came from a somewhat surprising person: Zhang Han.

Zhou Miao answered, “Hello, Brother Han. Are you planning to switch careers and become a singer too?”