As the top-rated music show in Huaxia, “Sound of Music” has maintained a remarkably simple format for decades. Its main process involves inviting each guest to perform their classic signature song, with the host chatting with the guests in between. Additionally, if a guest has a new song, they naturally perform it on stage; if a guest is preparing to release a new song, “Sound of Music” can even serve as the stage to unveil their track.

Rong Xu was scheduled to perform last.

At 8:00 PM Huaxia time, the show began. Fifteen minutes later, the first singer performed her classic song on stage. This singer was a well-known Huaxia diva, forty-five years old this year, from the same era as Chu Qi. When her powerful voice, transmitted through high-quality microphones, reached the ears of every audience member, it was so beautiful it sent shivers down their spines, delivering a truly impactful effect.

After the song, Rong Xu applauded earnestly. The host then smiled and chatted with the diva for a while, helping to promote her global tour next month. Then it was a boy group’s turn to perform.

“Sound of Music”‘s sound equipment was absolutely top-notch. In Rong Xu’s opinion, this boy group’s skill was quite average, but as they sang, they also performed neat and cool dance moves. The combination of audio and visual created a complete and fluid charm.

After the group finished their performance, they walked off stage and sat next to Rong Xu. The host began to chat with the group’s leader, while one of the members quietly started talking to Rong Xu.

“Hello, my name is Ye Tian. I really like ‘Lost Wings’…”

A faint, almost inaudible voice suddenly sounded. After a moment, Rong Xu turned to look at the young singer beside him. This group had only debuted a month ago. The person speaking to Rong Xu was the youngest member of the group, seemingly not even sixteen years old.

Looking at the big boy’s cautious and expectant expression, Rong Xu slightly curved his lips and said calmly, “Hello, I am Rong Xu.”

As soon as he spoke, the young boy nodded excitedly repeatedly, suppressing his voice and saying, “I especially like ‘Silence’ and ‘Zhuang Hua Luo’… Oh, I mean, among the songs you’ve sung, I also really like ‘Lost Wings’. I listen to that song every day…”

The sunny and handsome big boy kept talking. Rong Xu was initially a little surprised but maintained a gentle smile throughout. It wasn’t until two more guests had performed on stage that the big boy hesitantly stated his intention: “Can I… can I have a signed album of ‘Rong Yan’? I mean, after I buy the album, I’d like to ask you to sign one for me. I’m also an artist under Huaxia Entertainment, so if there’s a chance, we… we might meet again.”

“No need to use honorifics with me,” a clear, soft voice slowly sounded. The young singer looked at his idol in surprise, only to see Rong Xu curling his lips, his beautiful eyes slightly curved, and earnestly saying, “Later, I’ll have my assistant send a signed album to your group’s dressing room.”

Upon receiving this promise, the young singer’s ears turned red with excitement, making Rong Xu not know whether to laugh or cry.

Time flies. 

The current Rong Xu has only been debuted for two years and is only twenty years old, yet he has reached heights many celebrities never achieve in their lifetime. 

This wasn’t Rong Xu’s first time encountering his fans in the entertainment industry, but it was his first time encountering someone who expressed themselves so clearly and directly. 

Perhaps it was because this young singer had just debuted and was young, but it was understandable for him to lose his composure upon meeting someone he admired and looked up to.

In his previous life, Rong Xu had a girl group that was immensely popular. But when they met their beloved goddess at an awards ceremony, they were so excited they could only scream, as if forgetting their celebrity status, and even got teary-eyed sharing the same frame with their goddess.

The “Sound of Music” live broadcast continued. 

This show wouldn’t keep chatting with a diva just because of her high status in the industry, nor would it keep focusing the camera on Rong Xu just because he was currently popular. 

The show was very fair. 

Only when it was time for Rong Xu to perform did the camera gradually focus more on him.

At the same time, on the live streaming website, bullet comments were almost overwhelming the screen.

【We want to hear ‘Rong Yan’! Rong Yan Rong Yan Rong Yan!!!】

【I like whatever Rong Rong sings, Rong Rong sing! Sing sing ahhhhhh!】

【Finally it’s Rong Rong’s turn to sing QAQ touched by heaven and earth】

Whether it was Rong Xu’s fans watching the live broadcast on their computers or watching the show on their TVs, they were all incredibly excited, waiting for the final performance. On the live broadcast screen of “Sound of Music,” it was already flooded with messages from Rong Xu’s fans. Only when the slow and melodious music finally began did these bullet comments finally lessen.

In the end, Rong Xu didn’t sing his signature song “Rong Yan,” but another English song titled “Moonlight.” 

This song was adapted from the famous symphony “The Twilight in the Moonlight.” 

Old Yang drew inspiration from this piece, wrote the lyrics and arranged the music, creating one of the most important English songs in the “Rong Yan” album.

In the music industry, such adaptations are not uncommon. For example, Mozart’s “Symphony No. 40” has been borrowed by multiple songs on many occasions. In such songs, composers cannot directly copy the classical music; they only borrow a portion of the melody, similar to quoting allusions in classical Chinese poetry, and they explicitly disclose the fact of the citation.

This was Rong Xu’s first time singing an English song, and fans were initially a little worried, wondering if their idol could handle an English song. After all, Chinese pronunciation and English are different, and even the vocalizations are not entirely consistent. Many singers who can sing Chinese songs well might be slightly inferior in English songs, and similarly, many singers who excel in English songs might be relatively mediocre in Chinese songs.

However, all doubts ceased the moment that voice sounded. The clear and serene singing voice was like a mountain stream, flowing gently. The air was fresh, carrying a faint coolness of morning, everything seemed very transparent. The world was so clean that one could smell the earthy scent of the soil. Such beautiful scenery, along with the youth’s elegant and quiet singing, entered the ears of everyone present, little by little, and then entered their hearts.

The top-notch sound equipment made the voice reverberate in the studio for a long time, creating a resonance. As the music gradually approached its climax, the voice gained a penetrating power that echoed and touched the deepest part of everyone’s heart.

He said, he caught the moonlight and gave this beauty to his beloved. Many in the audience might not immediately understand the meaning of the English lyrics, but when the handsome young man gently extended his hand to them, they already understood the love contained within the song.

Meanwhile, in the -7 degree Celsius snowy mountains of Canada, a cold and aloof man intently watched the scene on the video. After a long moment, he, too, extended his finger and gently pressed it against the phone screen. The spot his fingertip rested on was precisely where Rong Xu had extended his hand. Separated by thousands of miles, “you are night, I am day, yet that love is still conveyed.”

After singing the last line of the lyrics, Rong Xu gently closed his eyes, and the studio immediately erupted in thunderous applause. 

The live audience couldn’t help but express their appreciation for the song with applause. Being at the venue, they could hear the more authentic singing and have a more genuine experience; while the audience in front of their televisions and computers, perhaps without top-tier audio equipment, heard music that was slightly inferior to that of the live audience. 

However, at this moment, they also couldn’t ignore that the song still echoed in their ears, giving them goosebumps.

That night, the ratings of this episode of “Sound of Music” reached the highest of the year. No one claimed that the show’s ratings were related to Rong Xu, but it was undeniable that the English song titled “Moonlight” became a trending topic online that night.

The next day, Rong Xu gave a magazine interview and then participated in the recording of a game show. “Rong Yan,” even before its official release, had already captured the attention of every music fan and follower with its fierce promotional campaign.

At 10:00 AM on July 14, 2045, “Rong Yan” was released simultaneously nationwide!

Long queues had already formed in front of major record stores across the country. Rong Xu’s fans, who had been eagerly anticipating this album, even arrived at the record store doors before dawn, lining up early, just waiting to purchase “Rong Yan.”

On the other hand, “Rong Yan” was not pre-sold online. At 10:00 AM sharp, fans could purchase the album online. However, with an initial stock of only 300,000 copies, many fans were fully prepared, setting alarms, just waiting to snatch up an album.

Regarding this matter, before the album’s official release, Luo Xi was a bit surprised: “300,000 copies in stock is actually quite sufficient, I think it’s a lot. After all, it’s just the first day of sales, so all fans should be able to buy it.”

Luo Xi was primarily responsible for managing and communicating with fans. She had long learned from several major fan leaders that many Rong Xu fans were very worried this time about not being able to get an album, which greatly puzzled her. 

As an artist assistant formally trained by Huaxia Entertainment, Luo Xi naturally knew that in the Huaxia music industry, a sales volume of 300,000 was already very high. 

Albums with sales reaching 500,000 were considered bestsellers; albums reaching 800,000 sales could be called the biggest hit songs of the year. As for something like “Lost Wings” with sales exceeding one million, that was already a phenomenon.

Even with “Lost Wings,” the reason it surpassed a million sales was due to the late Ling Xiao’s reputation and the movie “Black Clouds,” and also because Rong Xu later established a foundation, stating that all proceeds would be donated. If it were just an ordinary song, it would absolutely not have achieved such terrifying sales.

And now, for Rong Xu’s first album, how could 300,000 copies not be enough on the first day?

Listening to Luo Xi, Luo Zhentao shook his head, turned to Rong Xu, and said, “Xiao Xu, do you have confidence?”

Bright and dazzling sunlight shone through the glass, illuminating the youth’s light-colored hair, reflecting a faint golden sheen. Hearing this, Rong Xu shifted his gaze from a magazine. 

His eyes were gentle as he looked at Luo Zhentao and Luo Xi. After a moment, he smiled, “I don’t like to talk about confidence, but I think the answer might already be revealed now.”

Luo Xi was stunned. She quickly looked at the clock, seeing the second hand had just barely passed the “12” mark. In that brief moment of distraction, it was already ten o’clock and twelve seconds!

Luo Xi immediately opened her phone to check the sales status of the “Rong Yan” album. Her movements were quick, but by the time she picked up her phone, turned it on, and opened the app, another thirty seconds had passed.

As the second hand was about to point to “12” again, Luo Xi had already seen the online sales figures for the album. Her gaze didn’t focus on the specific sales numbers; instead, she first saw a WeChat notification message that popped up at the top of her phone screen.

【Jun Jun Jiang: QAQ Sister Xiao Xi! Help help help! Woo woo woo woo, I already set my alarm, but I entered the wrong password during payment, and I was just one step late, just one step! I actually didn’t get the album!!! I should have gone to queue offline to buy it, at least I should have been able to get one, help, I really want Rong Rong’s album woo woo woo woo…】