Chapter Twenty-Nine: "Under the Sea" Tops the Charts and Continues Its Rise

Next, Bai Ling received a flurry of phone calls. Whether it was Ge Fenfen, Miao Miao, or Xiangzi, all of them called or sent messages at this moment to offer their congratulations.

Originally, Bai Ling had signed a contract with the Spring and Autumn Prosperity Agency. According to the agreement, she had to achieve a certain increase in followers within the contract period. Only then would she be considered valuable to the company and able to generate profit. But now, judging by the current trajectory, fulfilling the contract terms seemed effortless.

It was hard to describe how excited Bai Ling felt. Even Ge Fenfen could barely contain herself.

"I knew it, I just knew you could do it, Bai Ling. You didn't let me down."

"Keep up the good work. Next, I'll make sure to arrange everything for you so you can soar to the very top and become a true superstar!"

Listening to Ge Fenfen's voice on the phone, Bai Ling imagined this woman, already in her forties or perhaps just over that age, a career powerhouse, suddenly rejuvenated and planning to work overtime to map out Bai Ling's future.

Bai Ling immediately grew anxious. "Sister Ge, please, don't!"

"As the saying goes, haste makes waste. If you rush things, it might backfire. In my opinion, it's better to let the dust settle a bit."

Ge Fenfen was persuaded. "You're right. At least for now, your popularity is sky-high, and there's no risk of fading away. I was just too eager."

Only then did Bai Ling breathe a sigh of relief. She had finally found a couple of days to relax and had no desire to be swept back into the whirlwind of work. She couldn't handle it.

However, though Ge Fenfen refrained from immediately drafting the next work plan, she quickly logged into Bai Ling's social media accounts and posted two updates.

"Thank you all for your love and support!"

"The song 'Under the Sea' will be available soon on all major music platforms. Please stay tuned!"

As soon as these updates appeared, a flood of comments poured in. None of this was generated by bots—this was Bai Ling's genuine popularity.

The extent of Bai Ling's current fame was evident. Within ten minutes, the comment section had surpassed ten thousand threads, almost all filled with messages of support.

Seeing this, Bai Ling felt a touch of helplessness.

"It seems Sister Ge won't be idle anytime soon. Well, let her handle these things, as long as she doesn't pile more work on me—everything else is negotiable."

Feeling much more relaxed, Bai Ling turned over in bed and, after playing with her phone for a bit, fell asleep.

Therefore, she had no idea that, after the premiere of "Girl Group Assembly," a system prompt appeared in her mind.

"Congratulations, host! Your performance has officially aired, earning you a surge in popularity. You have gained +20 in vocal skill and +20 in musical sense!"

Given Bai Ling's laid-back nature, it might be a long time before she even noticed these rewards.

Neither she nor Ge Fenfen could have foreseen just how much one night would change everything.

That night, all major music platforms released Bai Ling's "Under the Sea" as scheduled.

A host of night owls rushed to the comment sections as soon as the song went live, eager to secure their spots and start listening.

Since it was the studio version, the sound quality was much clearer than during the live broadcast. If Bai Ling had retained her previous level of singing, any flaws would have been exposed—unless a million-dollar sound engineer intervened.

Yet, there are some artists whose vocals are so bad that even the best sound engineer would despair.

However, having used a performance boost card, Bai Ling clearly had nothing to worry about. The recorded version was nearly flawless; while it might not have quite the same emotional impact as the previous live show, it was still more than enough.

With solid vocals and rich emotional delivery, "Under the Sea" was bound to go viral once more.

Even in the middle of the night, the view counts skyrocketed at a terrifying pace—far faster than Bai Ling's follower numbers had increased.

The next morning, Bai Ling was still lost in a pleasant dream when her phone began to ring incessantly.

She tried to smother herself with a pillow and ignore it, but the relentless calls proved impossible to block out.

With some annoyance, she finally answered, "Who is it? What do you want? If it's nothing important, I'm hanging up!"

As soon as she finished, she was about to end the call. To her, sleep was everything.

Fortunately, Bai Ling was in this state and not aiming for top-tier status in the entertainment industry. Otherwise, her attitude alone would have earned her a public scolding.

Ge Fenfen sighed, "Hang up? Why would you hang up?"

"I'm calling to bring you good news. Get up!"

Having come to understand Bai Ling's personality, Ge Fenfen spoke more casually now than when they had first negotiated the contract.

"Good news? What good news?" Bai Ling mumbled, sprawled lazily across the bed, wishing she could merge with it.

"'Under the Sea' broke into the top fifteen of Goose Music's Original Chart overnight and entered the top ten of the new song charts on several other platforms!"

"Moreover, all the metrics—popularity, plays, downloads, comments—are soaring. In short, Bai Ling, you're about to make a fortune!"

In a split second, Bai Ling shot out of bed.

"Say that again?"

Ge Fenfen repeated, "'Under the Sea' broke into the—"

"No, the last part!"

"You're about to make a fortune?"

Bai Ling immediately broke into a wide grin. "If you'd said that earlier, I would have gotten up right away to celebrate with you! How much money are we talking about? Hehe!"

Sister Ge rolled her eyes. "Look at you. Right now, you're still a newcomer. You think earning a few million means you've hit the jackpot?"

"You'll understand in time..."

Bai Ling muttered to herself. Of course, she knew the upper limits of earnings in the entertainment world, but that was a slippery slope best avoided. Chasing quick thrills every day was not for her.

Content with modest wealth, earning a few million from a single song already felt like an unimaginable blessing.

At this moment, Bai Ling's desire to retire from the industry had never been stronger. But it was just a fleeting thought. If she tried to cash out and run now, contract law would certainly have something to say about it.

"Sister Ge, did you call just to share this good news?"

Based on her understanding of Ge Fenfen, Bai Ling knew she wouldn't call at this hour unless there was more to it.

With a soft laugh, Ge Fenfen replied, "Clever girl. Come to the office—it's time to pick your next gigs."

Bai Ling's face fell. "We're back to work already?"

"Don't complain. Now that you're a rising star, plenty of offers are coming your way. This is your chance to choose for yourself."

"Besides, it's not as if you have to appear on a show right this minute."

Hearing this, Bai Ling's resistance softened considerably.