lcionline Chapter 38 Sales Explosion
Chapter 38 Sales Explosion
The promotional event at the Shanghai record store was a cacophony of noise and shoulder-to-shoulder crowd, packing the entire square to capacity. Xie Anran led Qianqian toward the stage, looking at the sweltering crowd below, and couldn't help but marvel at how the "God of Songs" truly lived up to his reputation.
Of the Four Heavenly Kings of Hong Kong and Taiwan, three gained popularity through their good looks, while only Jacky Cheung truly established himself through his singing prowess, widely recognized as a pinnacle of talent. Xie Anran vaguely remembers that "Goodbye Kiss," including pirated copies, had an astonishing cumulative sales volume, reaching over 20 million copies—and that was the total number up to 2002. Now, in 1994, the song was just released last year, right at its peak, with official sales alone exceeding five million copies. In the Asian music scene of the 1990s, five million sales were extremely prestigious, a truly impressive five-platinum achievement overseas.
Even though Zhang Xueyou had already finished his performance and left early, the audience still didn't disperse. Entertainment was scarce in this era, and people flocked to any exciting event. Therefore, when Xie Anran and Qianqian went on stage to perform, the crowd not only didn't shrink, but actually grew larger, reaching a fever pitch.
"Wow, so many people!" Sisi had never seen such a scene before. Looking up, she saw nothing but a sea of heads, as dense as the Spring Festival travel rush. She couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice.
Even Xie Anran felt a strange sense of unease. Crowds could easily breed chaos, and the consequences of a stampede would be unimaginable. He quickly scanned the scene and saw police officers on duty at the edge of the area, orderly guiding the crowd and maintaining order. Only then did the weight lift from his heart. Having experienced that era firsthand, he was familiar with the security situation of those years and couldn't help but feel more cautious and apprehensive.
The upbeat accompaniment started right on time, and Xie Anran and Qianqian instantly focused, quickly getting into performance mode. Xie Anran had carefully considered her choice of "Learn to Meow" and "The Pig Song" as her main tracks, as they fit the genre of children's songs for families, with simple, catchy, and widely singable melodies suitable for all ages. After just the first verse, the noise from the audience gradually subsided, and all the audience members were completely captivated by the stage, listening attentively throughout.
Offstage, Liu Xiaoli and Zhang Yun watched their two children performing energetically, their eyes filled with gratified smiles. Zhang Yun made no secret of her favoritism towards Qianqian, her tone particularly joyful: "Qianqian is becoming more and more confident and outstanding in her performances."
Liu Xiaoli smiled and politely replied, "An Ran performed very well too, she wasn't nervous at all."
"Why are you being so polite with me? Anran and Qianqian are both wonderful children," Zhang Yun said earnestly and sincerely.
Upon hearing this, Liu Xiaoli was momentarily speechless and remained silent. She also felt sorry for her own child, but Xie Anran had always been frail, her health fluctuating, and no one could predict what the future held. A sense of unease lingered in her heart. However, on such a joyous occasion, she didn't want to spoil the mood, so she simply nodded in agreement without saying anything more.
The performance concluded successfully, and Xie Anran and Qianqian hurriedly left the stage without lingering. Several more tour performances followed, making their schedule extremely packed. Considering Xie Anran's physical condition, the organizers had thoughtfully allocated ample rest time between performances to allow him to recover his energy, although this extended the overall tour duration. The group traveled extensively, finally returning to their hotel at 9 PM.
The hotel room was a spacious suite with three bedrooms. Originally, it was arranged for Xixi to share a room with Liu Xiaoli, while Xie Anran and Zhang Yun would each have their own room. However, the arrangement was changed at the last minute, so Xie Anran and Xixi shared a room, Liu Xiaoli shared a room with Zhang Yun, and the remaining bedroom was simply left vacant.
Lying in bed, Xie Anran was so tired his eyelids were drooping, and he was about to fall asleep. Qianqian, however, was full of energy, her big, round eyes wide open, her little hand tightly holding his, chattering incessantly: "Anran, today was so exciting! So many people cheered for us, our album is sure to sell incredibly well, right?"
"Probably," Xie Anran replied languidly and listlessly.
"I'm so excited!" Sisi said with anticipation. Turning her head, she saw that Xie Anran was already breathing evenly and had fallen into a deep sleep. She blinked, grinned, and quietly moved closer to Xie Anran, closing the distance between them before obediently closing her eyes and falling asleep as well.
Over the next few days, the two finished their performances in Shanghai and then rushed to Hangzhou, Changsha, Chengdu, Chang'an, and other cities, with one tour show after another, keeping them busy non-stop. In the blink of an eye, it was June 1st. Xie Anran was still on tour when the system scroll in her mind suddenly popped up with an anomaly. The sales figures jumped rapidly, from tens to hundreds, and in just a few hours, they broke through the 10,000 mark.
"So strong?" Xie Anran was secretly shocked, she really didn't expect the sales growth to be so rapid.
At this moment, Liu Xiaoli hung up the landline phone, turned to look at the two children resting on the sofa with a beaming smile, and shouted loudly, "Anran, Qianqian, fantastic news!"
Sisi tilted her head, her eyes full of curiosity, and asked, "Mom, what's the good news?"
"Your album was officially released today, and within an hour and a half, it sold over 10,000 copies!" Liu Xiaoli said, holding up her finger, unable to hide her excitement.
"Wow! It only went on sale today, and it's already sold 10,000 copies?" Sisi's mouth gaped open in surprise as she counted on her little hands, her face full of disbelief. 10,000 copies was an enormous number in her mind.
"That's right, the first batch of goods definitely won't be enough, and the record company has already expedited production to replenish the stock." Liu Xiaoli said with great satisfaction. The album's explosive sales were due to both the high quality of the work and Crystal Records' generous promotional efforts.
In addition to Zhang Xueyou personally supporting the event, several big-name celebrities were invited to join in. The Hangzhou show featured Aaron Kwok warming up the crowd, while the Chengdu show invited Dou Wei to lend his support, making the promotional campaign a resounding success.
With such top-tier resources, coupled with Xie Anran's catchy songs like "The Pig Song," "Learn to Meow," and "Little Frog," and the addictive hit "Little Chicken Beep Beep," it's hard to imagine it not becoming a sensation.
After days of touring and performing, the group was so busy that they completely forgot about the album's release date. The sudden news of its explosive popularity surprised and delighted everyone.
"Xixi, Anran, you two are really amazing!" Zhang Yun looked at the two little ones, beaming with joy.
Xie Anran smiled too, a warm feeling welling up inside her. Her long-cherished second wish was about to be fulfilled.
As for the reward for his second wish, it's just icing on the cake for him; he just doesn't know what his third wish will be.
"I hope it won't be too difficult," Xie Anran thought to herself.