raknovel Chapter 35 Sweeping Jiangcheng
Chapter 35 Sweeping Jiangcheng
On May 20th, the music video, filmed intermittently for several days, finally wrapped up. The subsequent editing, color grading, music composition, and other post-production work were all handled by the filming team. Once finalized, it will be released online. After completing all the outdoor scenes and camera work, Xie Anran and Qianqian were finally able to rest, returning to their long-missed elementary school campus after a long absence.
Standing at the entrance of the primary school, looking at the familiar school gate and the students coming and going, Xixi couldn't help but sigh from the bottom of her heart: "It feels like it's been such a long time since I've been to school."
Xie Anran chuckled helplessly and casually corrected, "No need to feel it, it's been a long time since I've been here."
Sisi slapped her forehead, suddenly realizing, "Oh right!"
In total, the two of them spent more than a month rehearsing, interviewing, recording programs, and shooting music videos, and they hadn't been to school for classes.
"Let's go, let's go in." Xie Anran yawned lazily. He had been running around for days, rushing to catch up on schedules and busy with recordings. He was exhausted and had no energy at all.
Sisi quickly followed, and the two entered the classroom of Class 1, Grade 1, one after the other, and went to the third row to take their seats. Xie Anran sat against the wall on the inside, while Sisi sat on the outside, in the same old spot. Just as she sat down and tidied her schoolbag and desk, Sisi glanced up and noticed that several pairs of eyes were secretly glancing in their direction from the classroom corridor window.
She deliberately turned her head to look at them, and the figures outside the window instantly looked away guiltily, pretending to be just passing by and walking away quickly. Qianqian frowned slightly, quietly tugged at Xie Anran's sleeve, and whispered, "Anran, there are so many strange people outside staring at us."
Xie Anran, who was lost in thought, was brought back to her senses by the sound and turned to look out the window. Their seats were right next to the aisle, and when they looked up, they met the gaze of several older students. Caught red-handed, the older students immediately turned away guiltily and disappeared in a flash.
"What's going on?" Xie Anran wondered to himself. In just a short while, students from other classes pretended to pass by the corridor, but in reality, they all secretly peeked into the classroom at the two of them, their intention to watch was extremely obvious.
"Anran, what's going on?" Xixi felt a little flustered. Although she liked being praised and admired, she was not used to being stared at and scrutinized like this, and felt very uncomfortable.
As Xie Anran pondered the reason, cheerful music suddenly blared from the school's morning loudspeaker. From the speakers in the corner of the classroom came their hit song, "Learn to Meow."
Sisi was taken aback and looked up at the speaker with a puzzled expression.
Xie Anran instantly understood the whole story. Crystal Records had previously announced a full-scale promotional campaign for the songs, with cassette tapes already being mass-produced and distributed to various public institutions. He had initially assumed the promotional channels would be limited to radio, shopping malls, and television stations, but the record company had unexpectedly included schools and government agencies in the promotional scope.
He suddenly realized that while not all students had color TVs at home, everyone could hear the school radio. The entire school had been listening to their songs on repeat every day for some time, and they were already very familiar with them; naturally, the two had become minor celebrities at school.
Even Sisi realized what was happening and was momentarily at a loss. She had been overjoyed, hoping everyone would like her, but suddenly becoming a sensation at school and the center of attention left her feeling bewildered and helpless.
"Calm down, don't panic." Xie Anran was unusually calm. He was certain that the school would step in to maintain order. Even if the school's arrangements were inadequate, his parents and Liu Xiaoli had already considered these situations and given prior notice.
Sure enough, before the song was even finished, the head of the grade rushed over and dispersed all the students who had gathered in the corridor to watch, sending them back to their classrooms. He also specifically forbade any students from approaching the door of Class 1, Grade 1 to watch and make noise. Xie Anran and Qianqian were finally able to have some peace and quiet for the time being.
Unfortunately, this peace and quiet didn't last long. As soon as the teacher left the classroom during the morning self-study session, the classmates couldn't hold back any longer and swarmed around them, completely surrounding their desks.
"Anran, Anran, you're on TV! Your rendition of 'Learn to Meow' was so beautiful!"
"Anfeng, you looked so beautiful on TV, like a little princess!"
"The school plays your songs every day, you guys are amazing!"
Surrounded by students, Xie Anran could only awkwardly respond to each one, feeling both helpless and amused by the enthusiastic adulation of the group of elementary school students. Qianqian, on the other hand, was beaming with joy, clearly delighted. While she might feel awkward being surrounded by strangers, she wasn't at all shy around her familiar classmates, her heart filled with the joy of sudden fame.
"It's alright, I didn't even use my full strength!" Despite her young age, Sisi was quite smug, and she thoughtfully included Xie Anran, "Anran is much better than me, he wrote all the songs!"
She chattered excitedly to her classmates, "Going on stage is no fun at all! You have to do makeup and practice every day, it's so troublesome! Oh, and Anran and I are releasing our album soon!"
This enthusiastic adoration lasted all day, until school ended in the afternoon, with classmates still surrounding the two, reluctant to say goodbye. Their lively classmates had become little stars, a source of novelty, curiosity, and envy for everyone.
At the school gate, as soon as Qianqian saw Liu Xiaoli who had come to pick her up, she immediately rushed into her arms and chattered incessantly about the exciting and interesting things that happened at school that day.
"Wow, our Xixi is so popular with her classmates today!" Liu Xiaoli teased her with a smile.
"Of course! I'm a big star now!" Sisi smiled proudly.
"You mustn't be arrogant. You should learn from Anran. Look how composed he is, not showing off at all." Liu Xiaoli pointed to Xie Anran, who was calm and composed to the side, and whispered her advice.
Sisi turned her head and saw that Xie Anran had remained calm throughout. She immediately put away her arrogant expression and nodded vigorously, "Yes, I know!"
Zhang Yun, watching from the side, felt a sense of helplessness. Qianqian's excitement and joy were exactly how a child should behave, while her own son, at seven years old, was prematurely mature and composed, unlike a child. However, her son had been like this for over half a year, and she had long since gotten used to it.
The group chatted and laughed as they got into the car to go home. "The Pig Song" was playing on a loop in a roadside record store. Zhang Yun noticed Xie Anran's thoughts and proactively explained, "Crystal Records has set a release date; it'll officially launch on June 1st, Children's Day. After you finish your classes for a while, you'll be going on a promotional tour to cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Changsha."
"Do we have to run around everywhere? That's so troublesome!" Xie Anran's eyes widened instantly upon hearing this, filled with helplessness.
"There's no other way. The first batch of albums will have 100,000 copies shipped, and if sales are good, we'll have to print more." Although Zhang Yun also felt that the schedule was hectic, she had to fulfill the contract once she signed it, so she was mentally prepared.
Xie Anran sighed inwardly. Being a singer was exhausting, with endless schedules and promotions. Fortunately, a weight was lifted from her heart; her second last wish since her rebirth was finally nearing completion.
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