Chapter 43: A Bloody Cleansing of the Leaderboards, Net Worth Skyrockets!

There are many musicians like Chen Zeyu.

When facing Chen Meijing, who had a "questionable record," most people maintained a critical attitude.

Quite a few were even waiting to watch her make a fool of herself.

However, as soon as the new album dropped, those who had intended to sneer and mock fell collectively silent.

As time passed, music reviews appearing beneath Chen Meijing's new album grew increasingly numerous.

The most liked and striking review of all came from "Little Chen Talks Music."

["The hourglass of memories" boasts exquisitely polished details, offering a wealth of interpretable elements even in its intro alone.

Progressing from the sixth chord down to the fourth and second, it presents a descending state.

Yet shortly after, it shifts to the triad, as if the situation has taken a slight turn for the better.

Employing a major triad rather than a minor one grants it a magnificent texture, evoking the experience of parting the clouds to witness the brilliance of the sun.]

["The chords hint at the primary underlying tone of emerging from inner gloom.

However, amidst the piano's right-hand melody of 1671—a pattern of 'sinking from a high position followed by consecutive climbs'—the introduction of the note 3 forms the sequence 13637313.

The sharp interval gap and the continuous contrast between high and low registers cause one's emotions to fluctuate wildly.

It seems to hint at turbulent ripples of emotion, or perhaps the desperate struggle to crawl out of an abyss, only to be pulled and dragged by some unknown force."]

[...]

The review laid bare the musical language encapsulated within "The Hourglass of Memories."

Its intricate details possessed a plain yet profound elegance.

The application of technique was so masterfully executed that it transcended mere artifice.

Even subtleties such as strong accents, dynamic shifts, and tonal landscaping were rendered with utmost precision.

It was reminiscent of a grandmaster of martial arts executing even the most basic Taizu Long Fist in a manner that left onlookers awestruck.

Every movement was executed with effortless mastery, packed entirely with profound internal strength.

As the album continued to ferment across the internet, a growing number of music aficionados began turning their attention to the album's other tracks.

Among the nine songs comprising the album, every single track crafted by Li Can was of top-tier quality.

Not only was the quality supreme, but most importantly... the musical content perfectly showcased Chen Meijing's vocal range, fully highlighting her formidable foundational technique in high-register mixed voice.

This was the kind of tailor-made perfection that would make any singer's mouth water.

A song's greatness does not lie in how flashy it is, but in how well-suited it is to the artist.

The new songs had just been released, and while the charts were still on a continuous upward trajectory, industry evaluations had already completely exploded.

Li Can's immense value continued to rise.

["Having had such terrible luck for all these years, Chen Meijing's fortune has finally turned around."]

["Whether Li Can goes crazy or not, I don't know, but he is simply too powerful. He actually managed to rescue someone like Chen Meijing."]

["Urgent! Urgent! How does one commission a song from Brother Can? I want to get famous too..."]

["Does anyone know the contact information for Li Can's studio?"]

["It feels like Chen Meijing's new album is going to sweep all the charts."]

And facts proved the forum netizens right.

Eight days of promotion were all it took for Chen Meijing's new album to completely dominate the charts.

Tracks such as "The Hourglass of Memories," "The Devil from Heaven," and "A.I.N.Y. I Love You" went on a complete rampage across major music platform charts, their blades flashing so fiercely they rolled their edges.

Their actions could only be described as "merciless."

Under such a trend, it was no longer just the industry insiders paying attention.

Gao Jun, the founder of Red Leaf Venture Capital, had also been keeping an eye on Chen Meijing's recent movements.

Toward the end of the executive meeting, Gao Jun lightly tapped the table and brought up the matter.

"Regarding Chen Meijing's new album, I presume everyone has been following it recently."

The executives nodded.

"How do our investment management and risk control departments analyze this incident? Let's hear your thoughts."

Hearing the boss ask this, the investment manager and the risk control manager exchanged glances, and the investment manager spoke first.

"Chen Meijing's rise to fame is no accident. The hype strategy employed by Li Can behind her is extremely simple and crude, though such an example would be difficult to replicate with anyone else."

The investment manager paused briefly before delivering his conclusion.

"Once detached from rock-solid, legitimate works and strong substantive backing, it simply becomes a laughingstock."

"During Chen Meijing's marketing process, Li Can exerted a tremendous influence—not through the works themselves, nor through the hype tactics, but through his acute perception and his ability to shape an artist's distinctive persona."

Gao Jun nodded, signaling for the investment manager to continue.

The investment manager flipped through his documents, opened his computer, and connected to the projection screen.

As everyone looked toward the screen, what was projected was precisely a comparative data analysis of Chen Meijing, Lin Feng, and Han Jiayin.

"The underlying logic of their two models is completely different. If Chen's approach relied on novelty and contrast with a short-term focus, Han Jiayin and Lin Feng are pursuing long-term channels."

"The eye-catching cold humor of tautological nonsense wasn't so much for generating buzz as it was laying the groundwork for the artists' personas, preparing for subsequent promotions."

"Chen Meijing maximized her buzz in a short period and immediately capitalized on the traffic with a new album."

"Conversely, Lin Feng and Han Jiayin are taking a steady, enduring approach, accumulating momentum alongside the promotional cycle of 'Immortal Heroes.' Once the hype cycle for 'Immortal Heroes' completely concludes, the future for both of them will be exceptionally stable."

The investment manager turned to face the room.

"Based on my analysis, Li Can as an individual is well worth investing in. We can bring him on board through project-based partnerships."

Hearing this, Gao Jun fell into contemplation and asked the investment manager,

"Oh? Then in which area do you think a producer like Li Can is best suited to participate?"

After a brief moment of thought to organize his words, the investment manager replied,

"From a professional standpoint, he is exceptionally suited for film scoring, as he can capture the intricate details of a work with extreme precision. However, such projects are not viewed favorably in the capital market."

"As for cultivating artists, that would be equivalent to snatching talent away from Starlight Beauty."

"Therefore, rather than that, we should utilize Li Can's star-making ability and the resources at his disposal to persuade him to develop related industries, such as trendy streetwear brands, and inject capital into them."

"Streetwear brands? That's a good idea."

Hearing this, Gao Jun's eyes lit up.

The streetwear brand model was on the rise, and the purchasing power of the younger generation was climbing. With the development of the idol industry, ventures like streetwear held immense growth prospects, and making a fortune there was entirely feasible.

At this point, the risk control manager also nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I share that view."

"According to the risk assessment report, the Li Can model is not something just anyone can pull off. Trying to study him or copy him is a death sentence; the prerequisite for playing the fool is that you aren't actually ugly to begin with."

"The lowest-risk approach is to let him play his own game and invest in his brand. He will cultivate stars on his own in the future, and that translates entirely to promotional resources."

"Alright... then let's go inquire."

Just as Gao Jun was about to speak, he heard the marketing manager not far away suddenly pipe up.

"President Gao, I believe we need to re-examine the details..."

"Hmm?"

The crowd turned their gazes toward the marketing manager in surprise.

The marketing manager shook his phone, wearing a bitter expression.

"Just received an emergency message. Haifeng Industry has beaten us to the punch. They sent people to approach them in person for a partnership talk."

"And the result?"

"It fell through. They got kicked out."

"What?!"