Starting from a Bar to Sign Internet Celebrities

Chapter 366 - 217: A New Type of Throwing Herself at Him! Opening Champagne at Halftime

"Happiness begins with a sign, fate brings us slowly closer..." Little Maru had practiced this song for a long time, and she joined in perfectly when her part came up.

The admiring way she looked at her boss, amplified by what felt like a +100% sweetness attribute, made the song feel even sweeter to Sister Hong and the others—a sweetness that warmed their hearts.

Just like with "Can’t Help Falling in Love," watching the two of them gaze at each other while they sang was enough to make anyone break into a fond, knowing smile.

From this alone, Sister Hong was certain the song would be every bit as good as "Can’t Help Falling in Love."

’And with the foundation they’d already built, the sales figures for "Little Dimples" could be even better than those for "Can’t Help Falling in Love."’

’Her earlier thought that two million sales would be good now seemed like a gross underestimation of her boss.’

Throughout the entire bar, as everyone watched the saccharine duet, only Wang Qiqi was pouting, her eyes filled with envy for Little Maru.

You could tell just from listening that this song was going to be a massive hit.

Truly, her regret deepened.

’Why was I so reserved before?’

’If I had just been a bit more forward after we shot that first video, maybe the boss would have written a song for me, too.’

Finally, the music stopped.

Lao Chen and the others burst into applause.

They might not have been music experts, but they knew a good song when they heard one.

This song was just too good.

"Lao Chen, play the track back," Chen Jincheng ordered.

"Right away, Boss!" Lao Chen did as he was told, and a moment later, the music began to play:

"I’m still searching for someone to lean on, and an embrace..."

"Happiness begins with a sign, fate brings us slowly closer..."

Even without post-production, the track sounded incredible. Chen Jincheng already possessed a professional-grade mastery of the song, and Little Maru’s own vocal skills were quite good as well. It was clear the song’s quality, skill, and complexity were leagues above the typical influencer-level production.

"Let’s record a few more takes. We’ll compare them and pick the best one," Chen Jincheng instructed.

He was currently very satisfied with both Little Maru’s and Wang Qiqi’s singing abilities.

At the very least, they could get through a recording session smoothly. They weren’t the type to make a mountain of mistakes in a single take, becoming impossible to coach and requiring tons of autotune.

They had the talent to perform live.

After all, back in his original world, many influencers and even pop stars were incapable of singing live without heavy electronic effects or lip-syncing.

Once the recording session wrapped up, Sister Hong announced a team-building dinner for that evening, bringing smiles to the faces of all the staff who had come along for the shoot.

The celebratory team dinner at the end of a project was always their favorite part.

However, it was still early, so the group headed back to the office.

Chen Jincheng went to the editing department himself to oversee the final touches on Wang Qiqi’s cover of "Crescent Bay" and Little Maru’s "Little Dimples."

Wang Qiqi’s cover of "Crescent Bay" could be uploaded that evening.

With the overnight promotional boost from the Internet Celebrity Debut Card, followed by another day of explosive growth, it should easily rack up several million likes.

As for "Little Dimples," he planned to release it during the livestream tomorrow night, simultaneously launching it on music streaming platforms.

’But I’ll have to think carefully about how to promote this new song to make its numbers skyrocket even faster.’

Of course, before any of that, they first had to decide which music platform to release "Little Dimples" on.

After returning to her office, Sister Hong immediately began contacting various music platforms, including Penguin Music, Net Suppression Cloud, Ali Music, Taihe Music, and Kuqian Music.

’For their previous release, "Can’t Help Falling in Love," the song had sold over ten million copies, generating over 33 million yuan in total revenue. But Penguin Music had taken a 55% cut, meaning 18.15 million yuan went straight into their pockets. It felt like we were just working for the platform.’

’But back then, my boss was a newcomer, so we had no choice but to accept that kind of revenue split.’

’But now, with the proven success of "Can’t Help Falling in Love" under his belt, things are different. Being someone else’s workhorse is out of the question.’

Thanks to the track record of "Can’t Help Falling in Love," Sister Hong had no trouble scheduling meetings with key people from all the major music platforms. She inquired about their terms, and based on the sales performance of "Can’t Help Falling in Love," most platforms offered a revenue split between 50% and 60%.

This was the standard split for A-list artists.

But Sister Hong wasn’t satisfied, not even with 60%.

’The sales figures for "Little Dimples" clearly have the potential to surpass "Can’t Help Falling in Love."’

So, she took a bold step: she created a group chat with the representatives from all the platforms. Then, she dropped in a short clip of "Little Dimples," including a snippet of the music video showing Little Maru and her boss singing the duet.

Even from that short segment, it was obvious the song was a hit. The clip from the music video, showing the sweet duet between Chen Jincheng and the new female artist, was paired perfectly with the music. It was so infectious you couldn’t help but smile.

"70%. We at Penguin Music are willing to offer a 70% revenue split," the representative from Penguin Music messaged back almost instantly.

The short clip gave him the exact same feeling he’d had when he first heard "Can’t Help Falling in Love."

This was a song on the same level.

’That Chen Jincheng fellow is a true prodigy. If he ever gives up being an influencer, he could definitely make it big as a singer.’

Once the 70% figure was on the table, none of the other platform representatives made a counteroffer. The offer stood.

And so, in the end, "Little Dimples" would be released on Penguin Music.

Sister Hong signed the corresponding contract with Penguin.

’Besides, if "Little Dimples" surpasses "Can’t Help Falling in Love," it would conservatively sell at least 10 million copies. At 30 million yuan in revenue, Penguin’s 30% cut would still be 9 million yuan.’

’A single selling over three million copies is considered a huge success for an A-list artist, generating a little over nine million yuan in revenue. The total revenue from a typical A-lister’s hit single is barely more than what Penguin stands to make from their 30% cut alone. Penguin is still making a massive profit, so there’s no need to worry about them withholding promotional resources or featured placements.’