Chapter 139: A Blockbuster Joining

At 7:00 PM on Saturday, the first episode of Dialects and Melodies officially aired. The dazzling array of wonderful performances left viewers exclaiming in pure satisfaction, as it had been a long time since The Pinnacle to witness such a high-quality music variety show.

The first round of competition featured plenty of highlights, particularly the two heavyweights Gu Xi and Zhang Tuo. One made a joke about a woman's physique by calling someone a tigress, while the other brazenly used his bed-time affairs with northern women as capital for boasting.

Before the show had even finished broadcasting, both of their Weibo accounts had been swamped and demolished by angry female netizens. Gu Xi, having seen all sorts of storms throughout his many years in showbiz, simply turned off his Weibo account, choosing out of sight, out of mind.

Zhang Tuo, on the other hand, made use of the materials right in front of him, observing word for word how these netizens were scolding him. He judged and analyzed from their tone whether they were southerners or northerners, reading thousands of comments in half an hour. Instantly, he had his material ready for the next round themed Arguments.

The biggest pleasant surprise to the audience in the premiere of Dialects and Melodies was undoubtedly Zhou Miao taking another solid step in exploring new musical directions. A track imbued with the nostalgic charm of old Shanghai, Rosemary, left the audience completely mesmerized.

In particular, Zhou Miao's casual delivery of "I can't take it~" made the viewers frantically rub their arms—it was simply too seductive!

Jazz has always been an extreme niche within the domestic music scene; those who love it are utterly obsessed, while those who don't care for it feel absolutely nothing.

The primary reason lies in cultural differences across nations, which leads most domestic listeners to miss the essence of jazz originating from the United States and the historical charm hidden beneath its surface.

This is the exact same reason why foreigners fail to appreciate the beauty of traditional Chinese-style songs.

To create jazz music that resonated with domestic aesthetic sensibilities, Zhou Miao incorporated a large number of brisk, cheerful tunes reminiscent of old Shanghai dance halls into the arrangement of Rosemary. As soon as the audience heard that retro melody, the vibe instantly clicked.

It is fair to say that the song Rosemary pointed out a bright path for the vast community of domestic jazz creators: it isn't that audiences cannot appreciate jazz, it's just that your approach hasn't been right!

As soon as the live audio tracks from the first episode of Dialects and Melodies were released online, they instantly swept across major music charts. The last music variety show to wield such massive influence was I Am a Singer.

With just the premiere episode of the first season of Dialects and Melodies having concluded, the explosive popularity attracted the attention of numerous artists. Many had already reached out to self-recommend themselves for the second season, with some even declaring they would waive their appearance fees.

For faded celebrities in the entertainment industry who had been silent for years, as long as they could appear on such a massive hit variety show, let alone working for free, they would even consider paying out of their own pockets.

Once they achieved their second wave of stardom, the money spent could be recouped in a matter of minutes!

...

In a spacious and bright office, the current top mainstream traffic star of the entertainment industry, the state-certified producer, and the dream lover of nine hundred million girls—Zhou Miao—was slumped over his desk like a primary school student doing homework.

One has to admit that the composition department is truly a magical major. It made Zhou Miao rediscover the terror of being submerged in mountains of test papers back in high school. Having taken a few days off, the backlog of unfinished homework had piled up like a small hill.

Although homework was plentiful during his freshman year, Zhou Miao had managed it with relative ease, but he never expected the first year to merely be an appetizer, while the second year...

Zhou Miao recalled the sweeping promises he made when asking teachers for leave last year: "Don't worry, teachers, I will make up for all the assignments."

He gently slapped himself across the face. Why was he showing off back then!

A knock sounded on the door, and Gu Zhiyin walked in. She placed a USB flash drive on Zhou Miao's desk, saying, "I ran into Ziran downstairs, and he asked me to bring this up to you, saying it's the recorded arrangement."

Zhou Miao nodded. "Weren't you on set with Lin Ke'er for Legend of the Sword and Fairy? How do you have time to run over here?"

Gu Zhiyin sighed. "Don't even mention it. The municipal committee of your hometown called my office, hoping you can promote hometown culture more on Dialects and Melodies. They said Suzhou is holding the Gusu Cultural Festival this year and is badly in need of a cultural promotional song."

Hearing this, Zhou Miao felt a slight headache. He had already recorded the arrangement, and now it was too late to change it.

However, being approached by his hometown was a good thing. It showed that his influence and capabilities were being recognized by more and more people; a city cultural promotional song wasn't something just any random singer was qualified to write.

Putting this matter aside for a moment, Zhou Miao said, "You came at the right time. There's something I need your help with. My music-related activities are increasing, and I constantly need someone to help me handle certain tasks, such as finding people to record arrangements."

"Ziran is, after all, our company's gold-medal producer, and I shouldn't keep bothering him. Help me scout an assistant specifically responsible for handling these odd jobs."

"What are the requirements?" Gu Zhiyin asked.

Zhou Miao thought for a moment and said, "It's best if they are graduates from the Central Conservatory of Music, interns are fine too. Solfege and ear training, orchestration, and piano majors take top priority."

While the two were discussing the details of hiring an assistant, someone knocked on the door again. Zhou Miao called out to come in, and immediately after, an unexpected person walked in.

"Hello~" An Qi, dressed in a white T-shirt and hot pants, walked in with a beaming smile.

Zhou Miao was somewhat surprised. An Qi? Why would she be here?

Ever since The Pinnacle, the two had rarely been in contact. Coupled with the fact that An Qi had no activities for the past half year, Zhou Miao had almost forgotten about such a person.

"What a rare guest! How do you have time to come hang out at Rainbow?" Zhou Miao smiled.

At that moment, Zuo Qiu emerged from behind An Qi and said, "An Qi isn't just here to hang out. From now on, she's a member of Rainbow."

Holy crap! Both Zhou Miao and Gu Zhiyin were stunned by this blockbuster piece of news.

Who was An Qi? The leading female singer of Gray Sky and currently the only top female traffic star in the entertainment industry. Even Zhao Li, whose momentum had been rising fiercely in recent years, lagged far behind her in popularity!

"My contract with Gray Sky has expired, so please take care of me from now on, Brother Miao~" An Qi smiled.

Zhou Miao found it hard to understand. Why would An Qi choose Rainbow after her contract expired? He knew An Qi was a fan of his, but he wasn't narcissistic enough to think she came specifically for him.

At noon, Zhou Miao, Zuo Qiu, and An Qi had a meal together and chatted for a long time.

There were many reasons why An Qi did not renew her contract with Gray Sky. First and foremost, external capital was dissatisfied with the company's development and had been vying with founder Liu Qingyuan for control of the company.

In terms of maneuvering, Liu Qingyuan was no match for capital at all and was quickly sidelined. Disillusioned, he wanted to take the artists and leave to set up a new camp.

However, what he didn't expect was that his usual frantic exploitation of the artists had long since harbored resentment among them. After rounds of communication, not a single person was willing to follow him.

An Qi, whose contract had expired, became Liu Qingyuan's last straw, while the capital was simultaneously striving to renew her contract.

Yet, to their utter astonishment, An Qi had long since grown tired of the chaotic disputes and management within the company. She chose neither of them, opting instead among dozens of entertainment agencies for Rainbow, which possessed the fiercest upward momentum and the most relaxed atmosphere.

Hearing this, Zhou Miao finally understood why Zuo Qiu had been in such a good mood lately. How could anyone not be in a good mood after picking up an An Qi for free?

And during this small three-person lunch gathering, Zuo Qiu also revealed her grand ambition for the first time.