Chapter 56: Did You Sell Me Out Again?

On Weibo, Yu Zhile used his wife’s account to repost the Mengniu Yogurt commercial, and soon, a flood of amusing comments appeared below.

“Haha, this silly ad is hilarious!”

“This yogurt jingle is unexpectedly catchy! I’ve got a new song to put on repeat now!”

“Heh! This ad is so misleading! I just drank Mengniu Yogurt, thought it’d make my singing better, but as soon as I opened my mouth, my roommates couldn’t help but give me a beating! If you have any conscience, you should cover my medical bills and emotional damages!”

“I’m doomed, this goofy ad has brainwashed me! Now my head is echoing with that off-key singing!”

...

Aside from these, Yu Zhile noticed that there were plenty of trolls as well, leaving comments accusing his wife of pretending to be young and calling her disgusting.

In short, every possible point of criticism was targeted, but the vast majority of netizens were rational and well-mannered, so as people discussed the silly ad and the song, the trolls’ comments were quickly drowned out.

At that moment, on all the major music platforms, “Sweet and Sour, That’s Me” was skyrocketing in popularity.

Ever since “A Little Happiness,” “Sakura Grass,” and “Later” became viral hits, Qin Haiyu had climbed the popularity charts on every music platform, and just a few days ago had shot to the top at an astonishing speed.

So with her new song, even without any promotion, many listeners could discover the release simply by visiting her artist homepage and would then listen and download it.

Just ten minutes later, on the Kuge platform, “Sweet and Sour, That’s Me” was taking off; in just ten minutes, the comments had already exceeded ten thousand.

Though it wasn’t as explosive as “Later” a few days ago, nor quite as hot as “Sakura Grass” or “A Little Happiness,” compared to other singers’ new releases, the level of engagement meant this was another song set to storm the charts!

After all, aside from a Weibo announcement, the song had seen no other promotion.

Unlike “A Little Happiness,” “Sakura Grass,” and “Later,” which were propelled by the hit show “I’m a Star Singer,” this track had to make its way on its own merit.

Browsing the comment section beneath the song, Yu Zhile indeed found a mix of praise and criticism.

Some said the song was great; others said it was terrible and unlistenable.

There were even those who insulted Qin Haiyu, saying she was already in her twenties, married, and a mother, yet still singing these girlish tunes.

Beneath such comments, however, plenty of fans shot back, asking who had decided that mothers couldn’t sing girlish songs? Who said a mother couldn’t have the heart of a young girl?

Seeing so many fans defending his wife against trolls, Yu Zhile felt deeply gratified.

He left his study, went downstairs toward his wife and daughter, and said, “Honey, the song’s doing well! It should break into the top ten of this week’s new releases by tomorrow!”

“Are people trolling me?” Qin Haiyu was sitting on a cushion, playing with a puzzle alongside their baby.

Yu Zhile sat down, picked up the baby, and said, “Of course there are trolls, but your fans have already put them in their place! I haven’t even needed to step in myself!”

“Ha, that’s what you call true fans!” Qin Haiyu stretched lazily in satisfaction, then stood up and said, “Hubby, watch the baby for a bit. I’m going to take a shower!”

“Go ahead!” Yu Zhile held the baby, set her upright to stand before him, and then touched his forehead to hers, gently scolding, “Little rascal, always sleeping during the day and partying at night—now your mom and dad can’t even shower together!”

“...”

Qin Haiyu called out, exasperated, “Don’t say such nonsense, you’ll corrupt the baby!”

Yu Zhile pressed a kiss to their daughter’s soft, chubby cheek and smiled, “It’s fine, she doesn’t even know what ‘mommy’ and ‘daddy’ mean yet, let alone anything about showering together.”

“Isn’t that right, you little dummy? Can’t even call us mom or dad yet!”

He teased the now steadily standing baby, then set her down to play with the puzzle on the floor.

When Qin Haiyu finished her shower and returned, the couple switched shifts, and Yu Zhile took his own shower. He wondered just how much Mengniu Yogurt’s sales would surge starting tomorrow, with the song and the ad working together.

At nine o’clock, Yang Bing sent a message.

“Director Zhang just messaged me, asked me to refine the proposal for ‘I’m a Singer.’ Looks like they’re agreeing to let ‘I’m a Singer’ replace ‘I’m a Star Singer’!”

For Yang Bing, this was excellent news!

So long as the show he’d planned, “I’m a Singer,” achieved good ratings, even if he didn’t become the station’s top producer overnight, he would surely gain recognition and promotion from the channel’s leadership!

Thus, the moment he received Director Zhang’s message, he shared the good news with Yu Zhile, since it was Yu Zhile’s ideas and advice that had helped him rise so quickly.

Yu Zhile replied, “Congratulations, Old Yang! This is your chance to soar. Pull it off and you’ll be the station’s star producer—soon you’ll be able to create your own show and earn a share of the profits!”

“Eh, you can’t get fat in one bite—I’ll keep my feet on the ground for now. By the way, the station seems interested in inviting your wife to the New Year’s Gala. You should expect an invitation soon.”

Yu Zhile typed back, “That’s great! After the New Year’s Gala there’s always the Spring Festival Gala, but that one’s busier—my wife likely won’t attend. Still, we can pick up some milk money at the New Year’s Gala.”

Yang Bing replied, “Once I refine the proposal for ‘I’m a Singer,’ I’ll send it to you for feedback.”

Yu Zhile asked, “Aren’t you worried I’ll steal your show proposal?”

Yang Bing shot back, “A lot of the best ideas in the proposal came from you anyway. If anyone’s stealing, it’s me stealing from you first!”

“Well, can’t argue with that!” Yu Zhile typed. “I’ll go feed the baby now. Send it over whenever you’re ready.”

“Alright, I’ll let you get back to it.”

Yang Bing didn’t pester him any further.

In the living room, their daughter was full of energy after sleeping all day; if left unwatched, there was no telling where she might crawl off to!

Qin Haiyu was shaking a rattle to coax the baby back toward her, but the little one, once she started crawling away, had no intention of returning. Yu Zhile scooped her up, turned her around, and watched her crawl back toward her mother as he said, “Honey, reliable sources say Dragon TV wants to invite you to the New Year’s Gala. What do you think?”

Qin Haiyu replied, “I’m not going! I want to spend New Year’s Eve with you two. Besides, this is our daughter’s very first New Year’s Eve!”

Yu Zhile said, “Don’t worry, it’s most likely pre-recorded anyway.”

Qin Haiyu eyed him suspiciously and asked, “Hubby, did you sell me out again behind my back?”