Leveling Up the Game

"Write a few ancient-style songs for Xing Wei's next album—at least two Chinese-style tracks," said Director Shi from the artist department at FrogFrog Entertainment, inspiration clearly striking. He turned to Marketing Director Mao.

Mao thought for a moment. "Including Chinese-style songs is necessary. But replicating Chu Zhi's 'Three Old, Three New' concept—or creating something with the impact of 'Chrysanthemum Terrace'—will be extremely difficult."

Rank shapes perspective. Inside the company, stars and producers were chiming in.

Mao and Shi focused on how many fans Chu Zhi netted—true enough, they both even checked out Orange Home, his fan app.

Chu Zhi's fan strategies surpassed typical entertainment industry standards, so major label execs were paying attention, hoping to learn.

Two truths stand out: "Atmosphere shapes personality" and "Habits are powerful." Mao started clocking into the app just to observe. Soon he was checking in at midnight on the dot every night.

Meanwhile, Chu Zhi was thinking over two things:

First: "Stray Birds" sold just 134 copies in its first month in the U.S. and 298 in Europe. They didn't even clear the initial print of 1,000 books.

Holding the sales report from Abbott Publishing, he shook his head. "I expected it'd be bad—but this bad?"

He shielded his eyes with his hand. With numbers like that, forget awards. Without attention from a well-known poetry critic or author, the chance of being discovered was near zero.

"At least I have system backup... but luck's obviously lacking."

He understood the situation. Once he finishes the English translation of The Great Enigma, things might improve.

It was actually a two-in-one edition: The Great Enigma and The Sorrow of the Phoenix Boat. One book alone wouldn't have been enough. He praised the system for that combo.

On China Poetry Network, Huainan hadn't updated in ages. Chu Zhi realized that without joining an association in China, nothing would happen—even with hype.

But he didn't want to reveal himself yet. His plan was to use poetry to win the Nobel Prize first, before lifting the veil.

If not the Nobel, then the Pulitzer or Goncourt poetry prize would do. He was ready to spend seven or eight years—or more. Good crops take time.

"Wait, did I forget something?" he thought, noticing his memory wasn't as sharp as before—probably due to depression affecting his focus.

Right... he needed to thank Dabai.

In his study, he took a photo playing his keyboard, with the Dabai gummy candies tucked casually into the corner.

After reviewing the photo for anything awkward, he posted it.

@EatingABigOrange_ChuZhi: Writing my next song for I Am a Singer-Songwriter. [Photo]

"Why is the net so slow... did it post?" he worried. He reopened the app and saw it had gone through.

In under a minute, hundreds of comments poured in. He stared in disbelief: did Weibo buy firewall upgrades?

"Chrysanthemum Terrace is super super super beautiful. Jiu-zai is the best. Next song: more Chinese style?"

"I dream of seeing my name on the karaoke board—one day!"

"Hey, did anyone notice Dabai gummy candy in the photo? Jiu-ye really loves that brand. Third appearance so far!"

...and more.

"Mission accomplished," Chu Zhi smiled. As China's top-tier star, influencing candy sales was effortless now.

Earlier, Dabai gummies sold under 300 packs monthly online. Now? 49,654 packs in one week. Sometimes he wondered: if he started livestreaming sales, what would be left for anyone else?

Before midnight, he finished washing up. He'd been disciplined lately—currently reading Explaining Characters.

Honestly, he wasn't a bookworm. But to appear cultured, he forced himself to read daily.

He had two reminders in his notes:

[June 9 Liao Da-chong 0-]

[Wang Jie sore throat]

"0-" was his secret code for "birthday." He'd sent a birthday voice message on WeChat. If she didn't reply, she was probably asleep. That was okay—thought counts more than words.

Just before bed, one question still bugged him: would Zhao Quan dare challenge him again? Under the competition rules, losing twice in the lower bracket means elimination.

"Honestly, Zhao Quan won't chicken out, right? For my next song, which one should I pick?" He decided on "Nocturne Chapter VII." Chinese style is great, but he didn't want to be predictable.

He planned to go from "shooting mosquitos with a cannon" to "nuking mice." Massive upgrade.

"Xiao Zhao, don't you dare chicken out. I love your rebellious, never-back-down spirit." With that thought, he drifted off, dreaming alongside his Meiliexia chocolate. Lucky nights made it hard to wake up.

The next morning, Chu Zhi got up early. He ate frozen dumplings for breakfast, then prepared his scheduled delivery order in the kitchen, following a recipe. Finally, he took a company car to the office.

The Shanghai branch had built a studio specifically for him, so most indoor shots could be done there.

They also upgraded a massage room around his schedule. The equipment was built for him, though he rarely had time to use it.

Chu Zhi spent little time at the office anyway. Tomorrow he'd fly to Beijing to record Episode 8 of I Am a Singer-Songwriter.

Niu Jiangxue proposed a plan that got the team talking for hours: a fan meetup. The fanbase wanted in-person events. The management had to take it seriously.

Fei-ge said two more albums and a tour would be better. Niu Jiangxue agreed that ignoring the fans wasn't an option. A fan club event seemed the only way.

Qian suggested: "What if we just do a birthday party? Livestream it, invite fans to share a birthday banquet."

That was interesting.

Chu Zhi yawned slightly, pretending to be tired. "Since we gave fans an app, let's go bigger. Forget birthdays. Pick a date and call it 'Fruit Festival.' Fairly choose a hundred fans on Orange Home. Livestream with them."

"Jiu-ye, your vision is bigger than mine. A Fruit Festival could work! It boosts app usage and deepens fan bond," Qian praised, impressed. "They're already so active—let's build on that."

"We could plan it seriously. Hundred's too few. Let's pick two hundred," Niu Jiangxue added carefully.