I became a music industry godfather by writing confidantes.

Chapter 084 is all bubbles.

Amidst a chorus of doubts and pessimism that nearly shook the roof off, Jinshi Music continues to do as it pleases.

On August 18, the same day that "Painting Heart" regained its number one spot and continued its winning streak, achieving its third weekly number one, Jinshi's official website and Weibo simultaneously released the single cover for Tao Cheng's second album's first title track.

The scene is simple: a lone, colorful bubble floats upward in the deep, dark ocean.

Below the poster is the title of the single – "Bubble".

The moment the single's title was mentioned, the already heated online debate was reignited by a new wave of ridicule.

[This is hilarious! Has Jin Shi given up entirely? The single is called "Bubble," which shows a remarkable level of self-awareness.]

I don't understand, does being efficient mean being ridiculed by everyone?

Poor Orange, their reputation is going to be ruined by Yang Du.

[Are you guys forgetful? Didn't you get slapped in the face enough with 'Flammable and Explosive' that it suddenly appeared online in just 72 hours? Now you want to do it again?]

"—Hilarious, how can those be the same?"

"It's been a lot of work for you guys to control the comments after catching a wild orange."

[Support Tao Cheng and Yang Du; let's wait and see.]

The faint light from the screen reflected on my face, and the mouse made a soft clicking sound as I scrolled through the comments. At least seven out of ten comments were mocking Jinshi Music, Tao Cheng, and Yang Du, while the remaining three were basically Chengzi trying to control the comments and save face.

"Let's hope so, and that we can replicate the miracle of 'Flammable and Explosive'."

Qianli'er, a veteran music critic, is in reality a middle-aged man who is quite burly but has heavy eye bags and looks somewhat frail.

He sat in front of his computer in his study, looking at the chaotic Weibo comment section.

With a sigh, Qianli'er took out a cigarette from the cigarette case and lit it.

He exhaled a smoke ring and subconsciously glanced at the time displayed in the lower right corner of the computer screen:

2026年8月30日，23点59分。

With just one minute left, Tao Cheng's "Bubble" will be officially released.

Qianli'er took a deep drag on his cigarette, then stubbed it out in the ashtray with a hint of frustration.

From officially announcing the album's producer to quickly releasing the first single, Jinshi Music's actions are truly baffling.

In his view, capital is so short-sighted and profit-driven that Yang Du was clearly forced to grow too quickly, and he had seen far too many tragedies like this in the industry.

A young producer is hastily pushed to the forefront, his remaining value squeezed dry, and then capital wields its sickle to harvest the next one.

"Why."

Time flies, and August 31st arrives.

At the very top of Tao Cheng's singer homepage, a brand new single with a red NEW logo has appeared—"Bubble"!

As a professional music critic and music enthusiast, Qianlier naturally had already activated a premium membership on NetEase Cloud Music, allowing him to listen to all singles on the platform without downloading, including the newly released "Bubble".

Click to play.

Without a lengthy intro, a few minimalist, clean, yet lonely piano solos came through the headphones.

Almost simultaneously with the flow of piano music, Tao Cheng's voice also came in.

"The bubbles in the sunlight are colorful..."

"Like me, being deceived, I'm happy..."

Qianli'er, who had been leaning back in his chair, suddenly sat up straight!

This...this is completely different from the song he had envisioned.

It wasn't that he was surprised that the melody of "Bubble" was unexpectedly good, but rather that he immediately recognized the song's extraordinary quality. It was clearly the kind of effect that could only be achieved by meticulously crafting countless details in the recording studio, something that crude and poorly made pop songs could not compare to!

"Beautiful bubbles, though fleeting sparks..."

"All your promises, though so fragile..."

Tao Cheng's voice was very soft in the verses, with a noticeable breathy quality, and she sang with great restraint.

This delicate emotional processing and minimalist arrangement style are by no means a hastily produced assembly line product.

"It seems... I underestimated Yang Du and Tao Cheng!" Qianli'er muttered to himself, his heart starting to race.

Of course, his professional instincts made Qianli'er realize that this restrained and suppressed behavior was not only to express sadness, but also to build up strength for the outburst that followed.

Sure enough, the mood rose as the song entered its chorus.

"It was all just bubbles, a fleeting spark..."

Qianli'er keenly noticed that the key had shifted, but to his surprise, even in the chorus, the accompaniment was not very full, consisting only of simple piano and drum beats.

That's counterintuitive.

It's important to know that the chorus, also known as the climax, is the most exciting and catchy part of a song. From the accompaniment to the melody, it's usually the part that deserves the most attention and effort.

However, the arrangement of the chorus of "Bubble" is still extremely restrained, relying entirely on Tao Cheng's amazing lung capacity, explosive power, and heart-wrenching emotions to carry it.

Qianli'er listened with his eyes closed, analyzing Yang Du's intention in arranging the music from a professional perspective.

"That's it!" he thought. "Yang Du must be deliberately creating an extreme sense of loneliness, like an abandoned woman screaming in an empty room."

"The more spacious the arrangement, the more powerless and melancholic Tao Cheng's incredibly penetrating high notes sound. While piling up various instruments in the arrangement is certainly effective, this well-placed use of space is clearly far more skillful!"

As I pondered, the second verse began, the strings slowly unfolded, and the arrangement and accompaniment transformed from an empty room into a surging ocean.

Tao Cheng's singing voice also underwent a transformation.

Her enunciation became firm and powerful, and all the sadness poured out with the music.

"Why are you sad? What's there to be sad about...?"

When the bridge section arrives, the continuous high-pitched enunciation comes like a sudden storm, and the melody rises higher and higher.

The keen-eyed observer was on high alert; this approach...

He knew that the climax of "The Bubble" was about to arrive.

really!

"It was all just bubbles, a fleeting spark..."

boom!

When emotions reach their peak, they finally burst forth.

At that moment, various musical instruments roared, and Tao Cheng's voice stood out among the instruments, soaring another octave.

Qianli'er felt his heart race and felt an exhilarating sensation.

In all his years of music criticism, he never imagined that Tao Cheng, who started out singing urban love songs, could perform high notes so well, so amazingly, and so powerfully!

No, it's not just high notes.

Qianli'er snapped out of his daze, realizing that the beginning of the song was clearly in the low register!

"Absolutely amazing!"

However, just when the emotions of the climax reached their peak, and everyone's heart was about to jump out of their throat, all the drumbeats, bass, and strings suddenly disappeared completely in an instant.

In my headphones, that solitary, minimalist piano accompaniment from the beginning came back again.

Everything seems to have returned to the lonely starting point.

The progress bar is reaching its end.

Qianli'er remained in the same forward-leaning posture, his whole body covered in goosebumps.

He sat there in a daze, the sound in his headphones gone, but he could still feel the shock.

After a long silence, he finally uttered two words: "Awesome!"