"Gifts don't have to be the most expensive~
Just a fallen leaf from the Champs-Élysées~"
"A romantic date, without fear of messing it all up~
With you, I have the whole world~"
The song came to an end.
The group fell briefly silent.
After listening once, some people couldn't get enough and clicked on "Love Confession Balloon" again to listen to it a second time.
Lin Chuan sent a message:
"I just wrote a new song. I'd be grateful for any feedback, everyone."
Li Ming replied first. "No, don't call me an expert. You're the real expert, orz. The melody of this song is incredible!"
The other musicians chimed in one after another:
"Those lyrics, that melody—every beat hits me right in the heart!"
"Even the title sounds so romantic: 'Love Confession Balloon.'"
"At first glance, it seems like a light, sweet love song, but it actually showcases the composer's deep expertise. I can hear six different rhythmic variations alone."
"I've never heard rap this soothing!"
"With this song out, it's practically guaranteed to take first place on this month's new releases chart."
"Good thing I wasn't planning to release a song this month!"
"Honestly, this song does have one flaw: the original composer isn't me. (dog)"
"It could use a little more polish in places, but it still completely blows me away!"
As soon as "Love Confession Balloon" was posted, it caused an immediate sensation in the group.
Everyone there was a professional music producer, with first-rate taste and ears.
An ordinary listener might think a song had a nice melody and interesting lyrics that resonated with them.
But to these professionals, every change in the beat and every rise and fall in the melody was crystal clear.
Put simply, two songs with similar results might sound much the same to an ordinary listener.
But a professional could tell which one was better within three seconds.
And Lin Chuan's "Love Confession Balloon" was at an exceptionally high level, even by these professionals' standards.
Quite a few members who usually lurked in the group began to speak up:
"This is incredible. The music is great, and it paints such a vivid picture. It makes me want to fall madly in love right this second."
"How do I put it? If a girl sang this to me before bed, I'd have sweet dreams all night."
"Hey, you up there—don't ever tell people you work in music again. You're embarrassing us."
"Guaranteed to be the year's hit song."
"What a terrifying newcomer!"
The last to speak was Brother Seven, the group's owner and a famous music producer in the industry.
He wasn't just a music producer; he had also produced quite a few films and television dramas.
In recent years, though, he had focused on music.
"Little bro, would you consider joining Diehai Records after you graduate? We can offer you the treatment of a top-tier musician!"
"Come compose music for Hongtang Company instead. We're currently shooting an idol drama.
"There aren't any balloon-related scenes for now, but I can add some!"
"Our company's movie is about to come out, too. It's a youthful romance!"
As he watched the group compete to recruit Lin Bai, Old Zhou could barely keep the corners of his mouth from turning up.
He was genuinely happy for Lin Bai.
Old Zhou owned a recording studio, but when it came to music, he couldn't match the professionals in the group.
Now that "Love Confession Balloon" had won their approval, Old Zhou was once again certain his judgment had been right!
Music was a matter of taste.
You might think a song was wonderful, while I thought it fell short and sounded a little dated.
A song that one group of people considered a masterpiece could sound like trash to another.
But now, seeing so many musicians praise Lin Bai filled Old Zhou with pride, too.
I'm the one who brought this kid into the group!
Go on, doubt me now!
Lin Chuan was pretty happy as he watched the group compete to recruit him.
No one could turn down sincere praise.
Of course, Lin Chuan had no intention of joining any of them.
He hadn't forgotten why he'd joined the group in the first place.
He tapped the screen, typed out a message, and sent it to the group:
"Actually, this is the promotional song for a movie.
"The movie's director is my cousin. This is his first time making a film, and all the money went into production. He has no budget for promotion and is worried the box office won't cover the costs.
"I'm begging you, everyone—please help promote the movie. A repost on Weibo would be enough!"
Brother Seven: "Sure, posting on Weibo is no big deal. What's the movie called, and who's the director?"
Lin Chuan: "Balloon. The director's name is Lin Chuan.
"Spoon Killer Demon was his first short film."
"Spoon Killer Demon? That name sounds kind of familiar..."
A moment later, the group erupted.
Wasn't Spoon Killer Demon that short film that had gotten so popular on Bika Net?
Quite a few musicians in the group were already in their forties and rarely visited Bika Net, but they'd still heard about Spoon Killer Demon from people around them.
"I've seen Spoon Killer Demon. It was a really creative horror short."
"I used to be the sort of person who didn't like horror movies, but after watching Spoon Killer Demon, I wasn't nearly as scared of them anymore."
"I actually thought Spoon Killer Demon was pretty terrifying. I had nightmares for several nights."
The musicians had all kinds of opinions about Spoon Killer Demon, though most of them were positive.
At the same time, they were puzzled:
"Spoon Killer Demon was so popular. You'd think Director Lin Chuan wouldn't have trouble finding investors."
Someone explained:
"Bika Net's video incentives don't pay much. The creator didn't have any sponsors, so the earnings were limited."
"New directors can be proud. Some investors start interfering and making random changes to the plot once they put money in. It's perfectly understandable not to want their investment."
"I recommend not watching Director Lin Chuan's new short film. It's only about a minute long, but it's pretty scary."
"Now I have to watch it!"
Soon, someone raised another question.
"Spoon Killer Demon was a horror short, right? But 'Love Confession Balloon' is clearly a sweet little love song. Did the director change styles?"
Someone thought it was a pity. "I really liked the style of Spoon Killer Demon. Switching genres on a whim doesn't guarantee success."
The truth was, the principles behind all creative work were much the same.
Some musicians were only good at a certain kind of music. In other words, they had a particular style.
And when they tried something new, they often failed spectacularly.
Then they meekly went back to making the same kind of music as before.
Old Zhou's mouth twitched slightly as he read the messages.
You're all so naive, he thought.
Director Lin Chuan hadn't abandoned horror at all.
He'd taken it to a whole new level!
If it weren't for Lin Bai's song, Old Zhou would've paid two thousand yuan to hire an exorcist for the recording studio!
Unfortunately, Old Zhou had signed a confidentiality agreement. He couldn't reveal a single word about Head Balloon.
He felt a little bad. Lin Bai was just too honest.
Even now, he was still helping promote his cousin.
Old Zhou was absolutely certain that "Love Confession Balloon" would still be a hit even without Balloon.
The reverse, however, wasn't necessarily true.
These days, a movie could earn rave reviews without drawing a crowd. A film could be high-quality and still bore some viewers.
But a good song would always find listeners.
A song lasted five minutes at most, while a movie ran for an hour and a half—a difference of eighteen times!
At the same time, Old Zhou felt rather comforted. It showed that Lin Chuan was a grateful kid who remembered those who had helped him.
In the entertainment industry, where everyone chased fame and fortune, it wasn't easy to find someone you could trust.
"All right, I'll post on Weibo and promote it for you."
Old Seven, the music group's owner, sent an unusually long message—more than ten characters in one go.
In his forties or fifties, he wasn't a fast typist; he usually posted only single characters in the group.
The others joined in, too.
"I'll do it!"
"Count me in!"
"I haven't seen the movie, but I like this song. I'll repost it right now!"
"I support all bold, original work. The world needs explorers!"
"I don't have Weibo, but I'll promote it on a short-video platform instead."
Before you continue