Mysterious Assistant of the Washed-Up Queen-Chapter 497 - 324: Full Force, Blossoming of a Hundred Flowers_2

Of course, it might also have been because she was the oldest one present—Chen Feng aside, as he generally played mute on such occasions.

"After the New Year, the company released the two songs they gave us. Besides recording, we’ve been mostly out doing commercial performances," Yang Lin explained.

"These commercial performances have been getting larger in scale. At first, they were primarily for store openings, but later they became corporate and business association events. Now, we’ve started to reduce the proportion of commercial gigs and increase the number of music-related business engagements."

"Sister Hua previously mentioned that April to June is the peak period for music festivals, so she wanted us to focus more in this area, but it seems the results haven’t been very good..."

As she spoke, Yang Lin’s gaze involuntarily shifted toward Chu Tian. It couldn’t be helped; Chu Tian had given them all their new songs. After the New Year this year, he had provided Yang Lin and her group with two songs, "Fly Freely" and "Above the Moon." It seemed he intended for them to persist on the square dance music path indefinitely.

"Mhm, I’m aware of your situation, and I roughly understand what you’re thinking," Chu Tian said. He glanced at Xu Qingqiu. Seeing she had nothing to add, he continued with his own ideas.

Xu Qingqiu simply watched with a smile, embodying a serene goddess.

"The key for you now isn’t to become some high-and-mighty star singers. Instead, focus on building your reputation and securing a solid fan base first. Only then should you think about becoming well-known singers, understand?"

"If you trust me, don’t rush things for now. Try to win over this group of ’old babies’ this year. Later, if you want to become popular singers, there will be plenty of opportunities, got it?"

"Also, regarding your commercial gigs, it’s a bit too early for music festivals. I’ll talk to Sister Hua about it later. For now, just focus on deeply cultivating the commercial market. Don’t look down on these older fans—you’ll see in the future, they are all an incredibly lovable group of ’old babies’!"

Their way of thinking was perfectly normal. After all, as singers, who wouldn’t want to stand on a bigger stage? Who wouldn’t want to be glamorous and the center of attention? Yet, they now faced audiences of mostly older people daily, a situation not everyone could grasp. But not understanding didn’t diminish its importance; they would understand later.

Regarding the plan for Phoenix Legend, Chu Tian had his own ideas. In his previous life, their songs had become explosively popular and were loved by young people—not just a few, but many. But the key question was: were those songs suitable for them right now? That needed careful consideration. First, Yang Lin and Chen Feng hadn’t reached their peak yet; even the best song is wasted if you can’t perform it well. There was also another reason: livelihood. Chu Tian was not the kind of out-of-touch person who, upon hearing people were starving, would ask, ’Why not eat meat porridge?’ He understood their reality. He not only needed Yang Lin and their group to develop gradually by performing extensively, but he also had to consider their practical situation.

First, regarding their development: starting with square dance anthems and gradually progressing would not only build a broad and loyal fanbase but also easily generate word-of-mouth buzz. The most crucial point was that many older people were currently taking care of their grandchildren. Just imagine: a generation of children growing up listening to their songs. When Phoenix Legend expanded their reach later, they wouldn’t just have older fans; a new wave of young followers might emerge too.

The other reason was even more pragmatic: to be a star, you first need to make a living. Not long ago, Yang Lin and the others were struggling to make ends meet, as poor as church mice. Their most urgent need was obviously to earn money. How? Apart from song royalties, it came down to commercial performances—that was the key. Without money, forget about dreams. You can’t even sleep soundly. True happiness comes only when the money is securely in your hands.

Li Guang’s situation was somewhat similar. However, he wasn’t short of money for living expenses, at least not currently, so he primarily followed the path of a traditional singer.

After the New Year, Chu Tian had also written two songs for him: "Forget Sorrows When Flowers Bloom" and "Rolling Up the Beaded Curtain."

Both songs were intended to stabilize his popularity, but unexpectedly, "Rolling Up the Beaded Curtain" suddenly became a hit. It wasn’t entirely inexplicable. This song had also been quite popular in his previous world. Moreover, in this world, concepts like "Chinese style," "national style," or "ancient style" music didn’t really exist yet. So, when "Rolling Up the Beaded Curtain" was released, it attracted a great number of fans. Countless people were amazed by the song’s novel vocal style and melody. Thus, Li Guang’s name gradually became known to more people.

"Mhm, what you’re doing now is very good," Chu Tian said to Li Guang. "Remember to guard against arrogance and impatience. As long as you continue to proceed step by step, things will definitely get better and better."

Then, addressing everyone, he continued, "I came this time to give you all a heads-up: don’t get carried away just because you’ve become popular."

"The law and company policies are very clear. Do as you’re told, work diligently, and be an honest person. There aren’t many shortcuts in this industry."

"And you’d better not even think about taking shortcuts. Those who do usually don’t end up well, understand?"

After this stern warning, Chu Tian knew it was time to offer a carrot.

"As for what’s next, don’t worry. Phoenix Legend, I’ll give you two more songs later. You’ll need to practice them. Just make sure to coordinate the release times to avoid internal competition."

"Li Guang, you’ll also get two more songs. Additionally, regarding your boss’s two albums, if you like any of the songs, you can try covering them."

"There are no other issues for now. Is there anything you want to say?" Chu Tian finished, then looked towards Xu Qingqiu.

After all, as the real boss, it would have been remiss of her not to say a few words, having come all this way.

"Alright, I’ll say a few things then," Xu Qingqiu began. "You’ve all witnessed Chu Tian’s capabilities."

"I believe our studio is quite relaxed. So, I don’t usually meddle in your daily affairs. If you were truly problematic, you wouldn’t have gotten in. And even if you did, I can fire you at any time. I can certainly do that."

"Although Teacher Chu Tian is young, he’s very capable. If you don’t understand something, listen to him; you won’t go wrong."

After Chu Tian finished giving the employees this motivational talk filled with grand prospects, he and Xu Qingqiu perfectly concluded the meeting.

"Oh, right," Chu Tian added, "I forgot to mention earlier: when you’re ready to release your new songs, make sure to coordinate with each other and also notify us."

Having said this, and sensing that their presence might be making the others feel constrained, they promptly departed.

On the way back, Chu Tian was pondering. Currently, Li Guang and Phoenix Legend had both established a stable footing. Wu Ya was even further ahead; with his existing fan base, he had already started holding concerts.

As for Sun Jian? Who knew where he was? It had been a long time since he went traveling, and there had been no news from him. If not for the occasional photos Sun Jian posted, Chu Tian might have considered reporting him missing. It was unclear whether he would return. Regardless of the outcome, it wouldn’t significantly impact the studio either way.

Now, with Chu Tian’s efforts, the studio’s three active groups of singers each had their own distinct characteristics. And they had all achieved considerable success. It was, one might say, a case of ’a hundred flowers blooming,’ even if there were only three distinct blossoms for now. But as long as they progressed steadily, there would be more and more in the future. This year, he had already heard Sister Hua mention wanting to recruit new talent several times.

"Hey? Sister Qiu, you’re trending!" Yiyi, who had been looking at her phone from the back seat, suddenly blurted out.

"Hm? What trending topic? Is it positive or negative?" Upon hearing that Xu Qingqiu was trending, Chu Tian quickly racked his brain, but he couldn’t figure out what might have caused it. He couldn’t help but feel a knot in his stomach, suspecting it might be some negative news.

"Uh... it should be positive... right?" Yiyi said hesitantly. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"What do you mean, ’should be positive... right?’ Isn’t it obvious whether it is or not?" Chu Tian pressed.

"Maybe you should take a look yourself," Yiyi said, handing her phone over.

Chu Tian took it and stared at the screen for a long moment. "Hey? No, this isn’t right. This trending topic is a bit delayed, isn’t it? Is there a mistake?"

Hearing his strange comment, even Xu Qingqiu, who had initially been unconcerned, leaned over curiously. "What’s it about? Let me see."

But when she saw the trending topic, she too paused for a moment. "This... seems to have been trending before... right?"

Great, another uncertain one, Chu Tian thought.