Chapter 59: Reaching the Summit! Potential to Challenge the Queen of Pop?

On the Hot Song Chart, those ranked in the top ten were all exceptionally nervous. Upon noticing the explosive popularity of Bai Ling’s new song, they could only hope she wouldn’t surpass them. After all, Bai Ling was just a newcomer with only two songs to her name. Although both had become hits, clearly indicating her remarkable talent, still—!

They were, after all, veterans of the industry. If they were easily overtaken by a rookie, wouldn’t that be a blow to their reputation? At the very least, they hoped to save some face.

But they were overthinking it.

With no one manipulating the numbers or suppressing Bai Ling’s momentum, it was only a matter of time before “Invisible Wings” overtook their works.

Two hours after the song’s release, it ranked tenth on the Hot Song Chart!
By the third hour, it had climbed from tenth to fifth!

That alone had been the previous peak for “Undersea.” “Undersea” had shone brilliantly for a moment, but hadn’t lasted long. Yet now, this was only the third hour.

In the fourth hour, “Invisible Wings” had already reached third place!

By this time, most of the veteran singers could only give a wry smile.

“This young lady is incredible, simply unstoppable!”

“It’s hard to imagine that one day we’d be so thoroughly outdone by a newcomer.”

“Every age has its prodigies, each reigning for a time!”

“Is it possible we’re just getting old?”

“Old Zhang, stop kidding yourself. Even in your youth you never achieved results like this. If I recall, your current song ‘Longing’ is your best performance yet, and it only reached sixth place!”

“Damn you, Old Sun, must you expose me? That’s too much!”

“Let’s not argue. Having fresh blood—especially a genius—join our circle can only be a good thing, can’t it?”

“Exactly! Haven’t you watched the show? She really is a promising talent. I wonder how she’ll turn out in the future.”

“To be fair, I’ve listened to her songs carefully. There’s a raw, genuine spirit in them—a level I may never reach in my lifetime.”

“Yes, what we artists lack most is that very spirit.”

Within the top singers’ group chat, though it was the middle of the night, the discussion was lively. There was but one topic: Bai Ling and her new song!

While these singers bantered back and forth, “Invisible Wings” climbed yet another notch—now second on the Hot Song Chart!

This time, it edged out a song by a pop king.

This king had dominated the previous decade, his work “Distant Homeland” an emblem of an era. For ten years, his song had never left the chart’s top three.

Yet now, it too had been surpassed.

It was clear that, among works of equal caliber, “Invisible Wings” was simply hotter.

Having overtaken “Distant Homeland,” it was only a matter of time before Bai Ling’s song would challenge the reigning queen’s representative piece, “Unexpected.”

Finally!

Six o’clock in the morning!

As the first rays of sunlight touched the mountains and fields, and the dawn’s gentle glow reflected in countless excited eyes, “Invisible Wings” soared to the very top!

And it exceeded “Unexpected” by a full ten percent in trending index!

In the days to follow, this gap would only widen. It might not become several times greater, and eventually, as the song’s popularity waned, it would settle in the top five. Even so, that was still astonishing.

It would not be an exaggeration to say the entire music industry was shaken.

After all, in recent years, for various reasons, opportunities for newcomers had become increasingly rare. It was almost impossible to encounter such a spirited new generation.

Bai Ling was one of the precious few who remained.

One could only imagine the mental state of the Spring and Autumn Company’s upper management and Ge Fenfen and the others. If Bai Ling were present, they might have dragged her out that very night to pop open champagne in celebration.

After all, whether for Spring and Autumn Entertainment or for Bai Ling herself, this was an extraordinary piece of good fortune.

With this one song alone, Bai Ling’s future was already secure.

Early in the morning, the Zhou couple began waking the show’s guests.

Normally, most people wouldn’t rise so early. After all, none needed to attend school or clock in at work. But this episode was special, so the production team advised all guests heading out for inspiration to get up early.

There was no need to mention the older generation. Figures like Wen Huaiyu and Wen Haiquan were always up with the dawn, already jogging and exercising. When it came to health, they were never careless.

In contrast, Bai Ling, Lin Yubai, and the others were different. All showed some reluctance to leave their beds. But even so, they managed to get up within half an hour.

During breakfast, Wen Huaiyu and Wen Haiquan’s expressions were rather peculiar. Their eyes remained fixed on Bai Ling as if she were a priceless treasure, unable to look away.

This, in turn, puzzled Bai Ling and the others.

“Aunt Wen, Teacher Wen, is something the matter?”

After washing up, Bai Ling sat down at the table and asked.

“Bai Ling, you still don’t know?”

“Didn’t your manager send you any messages?”

Bai Ling paused, surprised. She hadn’t paid attention to such things. Taking out her phone, she found a string of messages from Ge Fenfen.

Reading them, Bai Ling’s eyes widened.

“Haha, seems you’ve figured it out. Congratulations!” Wen Huaiyu smiled and placed a peeled hard-boiled egg into Bai Ling’s bowl, just like an elder rewarding a beloved junior.

She’d always been fond of Bai Ling—now, she liked her even more.

She was even tempted to introduce the promising young men in her family to Bai Ling, so that perhaps Bai Ling could join the Wen family too.

But then she reconsidered. Those rascals hardly deserved someone like Bai Ling.

Forget it!

The others, watching the exchange between Bai Ling and Wen Huaiyu, sensed something was up. They pulled out their phones to check—some looking at the show’s live feed, others at social media.

After understanding the situation, even the most composed among them couldn’t keep a straight face.

Lin Yubai was no exception. Since joining the show, he’d always worn a nonchalant expression, but now it finally changed.

“Topped the Hot Song Chart!”

“Strongest new female singer?”

“The newcomer most likely to challenge for queen status?”

“Whoa!”

Bai Ling had no idea how the entertainment news was portraying her, but hearing Ouyang Ruofeng read out those headlines, she realized just how much the world had changed overnight.

She began to check for herself.

And sure enough, the system had given her a push as well.

The godly singing voice was one thing—but while she slept soundly, the system had sent her several rewards!