Starting from a Bar to Sign Internet Celebrities

Chapter 365 - 216: Shameless! Whose Heart Is It

This showed that the boss was indeed putting his heart into picking a song for her.

At this thought, she took the initiative and gave the boss a peck on the cheek.

Chen Jincheng felt her forwardness. A half-smile played on his lips as he looked directly at her.

His gaze made Wang Qiqi blush.

However, she didn’t regret her bold move.

’The boss is so popular lately; so many girls like him.’

She even regretted not making a move sooner. Otherwise, she might have gotten an original song from the boss herself.

Chen Jincheng smiled as he stood. He figured he should arrange for this girl to practice some songs when he had time. With her being so forward, it would be a bit boorish of him not to show some kind of response.

After that, he called over to Lao Chen to have someone find the instrumental track for "Crescent Bay." He also had Sister Hong go and pay the online cover rights fee for the song.

In another world, Wang Qiqi had many viral cover songs, and "Crescent Bay" was one of them.

Of course, her most popular one was "Ode to Solitude."

However, setting aside whether "Ode to Solitude" even existed in this world, it hadn’t been released at this point in time in the other world, either.

"Crescent Bay" was different. It had once been a hit, but because it was an old song, it had since been forgotten. The younger generation didn’t even know it.

Therefore, after "Crescent Bay" was covered, the line "Oh your heart, left all alone" went viral across the entire internet.

Not only did Wang Qiqi’s cover blow up, but when the song became popular again, countless cover artists across the web covered it. Every one of them gained a lot of traffic, and the very first cover even reached three million likes.

Later on, the song’s line "Whose heart is it?" even spread to every street and alley, carried by street performers.

After that, it even mutated into the explosive internet meme "Whose heart is it? Mine!"

It involved influencers filming various chicken hearts, duck hearts, and so on... singing the line "Whose heart is it?", and then suddenly a chicken head or duck head would pop out and shout a very catchy "Mine!"

So, having Wang Qiqi be the first to cover this song now was a smart move. Because of the Internet Celebrity Debut Card, she already possessed the popularity she had in the other world. On top of that, with the promotion from Yijin’s clipping teams, easily surpassing the previous world’s peak of three million likes was a sure thing.

Once her cover went viral, they could even play around with the "Whose heart is it? Mine!" internet meme.

While Lao Chen was having someone find the instrumental, Chen Jincheng downloaded the lyrics and sheet music for "Crescent Bay" for Wang Qiqi and handed it to her. "Go on up and give it a try."

"Okay!" Wang Qiqi nodded. Holding the music, she went on stage. As the instrumental for "Crescent Bay" played from the DJ booth, she began her attempt at the cover.

As her voice rang out, everyone around was clearly captivated, including Little Maru, who was in the middle of getting her makeup done. She, too, looked over.

It had to be admitted that Wang Qiqi did have singing talent. With her unique voice, as long as she chose the right song, the results were excellent.

"Hmph. I have an original from the boss, anyway," Little Maru snorted softly.

However, this attitude clearly showed that she acknowledged Wang Qiqi’s skill.

"Boss, even though you’re a scumbag, your eye for talent is excellent," Sister Hong said in a low voice, sidling up to Chen Jincheng.

"Sister Hong, don’t just accuse people. How am I a scumbag?" Chen Jincheng hurriedly retorted.

"Heh!" Sister Hong didn’t want to continue the conversation.

She knew full well how stubborn the boss could be.

When the song ended, Wang Qiqi came before Chen Jincheng, full of anticipation. "Boss, how did I do?"

"Mm, not bad. Now try recording it for real," Chen Jincheng affirmed, simultaneously signaling to Lao Chen to get ready to film.

Wang Qiqi was already back on stage.

This time, as the instrumental began, Wang Qiqi sang even more earnestly. The result was excellent. From the looks of it, they would probably get a good take in one go.

’To be honest, when running an MCN, this is the kind of artist you like the most. Filming is simple and doesn’t take much effort.’

"Great, that was excellent! Qiqi, you’re really amazing at this," Lao Chen couldn’t help but give her a thumbs-up.

"Thank you, Teacher Chen." After thanking him, Wang Qiqi beamed and returned to Chen Jincheng. "Boss, how did I do?"

"Let’s see how it turned out first," Chen Jincheng said, walking over to Lao Chen.

Lao Chen said with a smile, "Boss, the sound recording and pickup on this new equipment is fantastic. Once the editing department cleans it up, we can have Qiqi upload it directly."

"Mm, send it to Xiaoliao and the others for editing," Chen Jincheng nodded.

By the time Wang Qiqi finished recording her cover, Little Maru’s makeup was long done. She approached him with a hint of displeasure. "Boss, you said you were here to help me record my song, but instead, you and that Wang Qiqi were over there hugging and cuddling, rubbing it in my face. That’s just too much!"

"Stop messing around. Get ready to record," Chen Jincheng said, exasperated. At the same time, he looked at the information for "Little Dimples" on the holographic screen in his mind.

[*Little Dimples*. This is a special sweet song. The accompaniment and melody have already been registered and filed on the National Music Network! When the host sings this duet with the designated girl, it can stir her emotions, increasing the sweet and affectionate effect on the listener by +100%.]

This attribute alone was enough to elevate this sweet song to the same level as "Can’t Help Falling in Love."

’With the same quality, the same attribute, and the foundation of popularity I’ve already built, the final sales for "Little Dimples" will definitely surpass "Can’t Help Falling in Love."’

Although Little Maru complained, she obediently walked toward the stage.

This made everyone, including Wang Qiqi and Lao Chen, look toward her.

The boss had now written "Trajectory," "Girl," and "Can’t Help Falling in Love."

"Can’t Help Falling in Love," in particular, had sold over ten million copies, breaking this year’s sales record. This achievement had made the jaws of other singers drop; it was the first time an internet celebrity had stood before a host of professional singers with an original song.

So, many people were now waiting for his next song.

If his next song flopped, those singers would probably attack him en masse. Believers in "orthodox music," they were unwilling to admit defeat to an internet celebrity. This was especially true for that "eternal god of the Mandopop scene," who had repeatedly stated that one hit song was just an accident and a stroke of luck, not a sign of true skill.

This was obviously a jab at the boss.

Of course, if the boss’s second song also became a massive hit, it would completely solidify the status of his music, and the "talented" label attached to him would carry even more weight.

Most importantly, the boss’s song, "Little Dimples," was clearly in the same sweet-song style as "Can’t Help Falling in Love." If this one also became a hit, the value of the boss’s mastery in the sweet-song genre would be self-evident.

Sister Hong had even made a prediction: "Little Dimples" didn’t need to be as big a hit as "Can’t Help Falling in Love." As long as it could reach over two million in sales, that would be enough, because that would also surpass Master Yu’s current sales record.

But clearly, she had underestimated "Little Dimples."

Chen Jincheng also walked onto the stage and had Lao Chen start playing the accompaniment for "Little Dimples."

This was a male-female duet, with the male part starting first. As the music began, Chen Jincheng picked up the microphone. Because he had received all the relevant information and professional singing techniques when he got the song, it was as if he had performed it countless times before.

So, right on cue, he began to sing with perfect timing, "I’m still searching, for a shoulder to lean on..."

This instantly captivated everyone. Sister Hong and Lao Chen didn’t know much about the technical aspects of music, but they could still tell that the boss sang beautifully.

Wang Qiqi, however, knew even better. ’The boss’s singing technique is absolutely master-level. So amazing!’

But just a moment later, everyone’s attention was drawn to Little Maru. After the music started, Little Maru’s gaze had been fixed on the boss. But in that instant, the way she looked at him seemed to change. Her eyes seemed to come alive, revealing a sense of adoration, admiration, and love...

In that moment, Little Maru’s gaze seemed to be overflowing with emotion. And the way she looked at the boss gave people a very sweet feeling.

That’s right, it was very sweet. The sight alone made you want to ship them.

"This scene looks familiar," Lao Chen muttered to himself. Then, he immediately remembered: it was the same way when Xiaobai sang a duet with the boss.

Everyone knew about the relationship between Xiaobai and the boss, so they all assumed her feelings were genuine.

Now that Little Maru was acting the same way, the implication was obvious.

"Heh!" Sister Hong shook her head. ’A person’s eyes can’t lie. For a girl to look at him like that, it goes without saying what the boss has done to her.’

’This scumbag boss talks a big game about not fishing in the company pond, but that’s all he ever does.’