After breakfast, Zhang Yichen first uploaded the daily online song to "Joy."
Then he scheduled the remaining tracks for timed release before starting to record Chen Xiaoxi's songs.
After a full morning of work, all of her remaining songs were finally recorded.
By this time, the online hype had already exploded. The pro and anti factions were tearing each other apart across the internet.
This kind of heated argument was exactly what Zhang Yichen wanted—the fiercer the conflict, the better the effect.
Comments scrolled endlessly, like a silent war filled with thick, invisible smoke.
Anti-fans argued: Zhang Yichen was lazy and living off a woman.
Supporters countered: If you can live off someone, only a fool wouldn't!
Anti-fans said: Zhang Yichen was wasting time dabbling in music.
Supporters replied: Music brings joy—why complain?
Anti-fans mocked: Chen Xiaoxi was a cougar seducing younger men.
Supporters retorted: That's called the cutest age gap!
Anti-fans sneered: Chen Xiaoxi was washed up.
Supporters shot back: Her song just topped the new song chart!
Anti-fans said…
Supporters said…
The back-and-forth was lively and relentless.
But the terrifying reversal that Li Yue feared never happened.
The anti-faction simply wasn't strong enough—they were crushed without a chance to turn things around.
Still, plenty of netizens called for the "parties involved" to step forward and calm the storm.
But how could they?
After a whole morning of recording, they were busy eating lunch!
By midday, the top ten spots on the trending list were completely dominated by Zhang Yichen and Chen Xiaoxi.
The eight songs from the three of them—even including Li Yue's—successfully broke into the annual music charts.
And the rankings were still soaring.
Even "Joy" got dragged into the spotlight, climbing to the No. 11 spot on the trending list.
Downloads for "Joy" had surpassed 100 million.
The world's first global karaoke app, the first global livestream app, the first global short-video app, the first app that actually let users earn money…
Yes—Joy had K-song functions, earning functions, and so many "firsts" that its valuation skyrocketed to over 1 billion.
Li Yue had an excellent eye. Her 1-billion investment had paid for itself in less than a week.
Of course, none of them knew this good news yet.
After recording, Zhang Yichen was afraid they'd lose their appetite from reading comments, so he banned everyone from touching their phones or computers.
Though Chen Xiaoxi and Li Yue grumbled, they still listened.
Without even noticing it, Zhang Yichen had become the one with the most authority in this house.
Not that it helped him escape his destiny—
He still had to wash the dishes.
"Go do whatever you need to do! I'm washing the dishes."
After shooing them away, Zhang Yichen cleaned the kitchen, then went straight to the study.
He needed to check whether the hype had truly achieved what he wanted after a morning of explosive growth.
He turned on the computer, opened the biggest portal site, and clicked into the trending tab.
"Nice!"
With just one glance, Zhang Yichen bounced excitedly in his seat.
(He's still young—having too much energy is normal.)
"Good! Good! Very good! You all really didn't let me down!"
He scrolled through the trending topics while nodding with satisfaction. It took him a while before he finally stopped.
He didn't expect Joy to pick up such a massive windfall.
He didn't expect the downloads to break 100 million this fast.
He especially didn't expect the valuation to jump past 1 billion.
"These people are really giving it their all."
He murmured, the corner of his lips lifting slightly, a crafty glint in his eyes.
"What are you looking at?"
Chen Xiaoxi's soft voice drifted from behind him, like a gentle breeze.
She had just put the baby to sleep. Her face was a bit tired, but her bright eyes were still shining like stars.
"Come look."
Zhang Yichen shifted slightly, motioning for her to sit beside him. "Our goal has already been achieved."
Xiaoxi walked closer and leaned forward to look at the screen. Her long hair slid down, carrying a faint fragrance that drifted right under Zhang Yichen's nose.
It made him stir restlessly.
But now was obviously not the time.
And Xiaoxi would never let him act rashly—not when Li Yue would definitely walk in soon.
Xiaoxi frowned slightly as she scrolled through the intense comments.
"These people… why are they so extreme?" she whispered, sounding uneasy.
"Extreme is good."
Zhang Yichen chuckled and took her hand, tracing her palm with a fingertip.
"The more extreme they are, the more attention the issue gets. That's exactly what we want."
She lifted her head and looked at him, conflicted.
"Isn't this… going a little too far?"
"Too far?"
He raised an eyebrow, amusement flickering in his gaze.
"In this industry, there's no such thing as 'too far.'"
"Do you know what we gained from this round of hype?" Zhang Yichen asked.
"What?" She was genuinely curious.
"First: The eight songs from the three of us made it onto the annual charts."
"Second: The song I released this morning reached No. 1 on the new song chart."
"Third: Downloads for Joy passed 100 million. Its market valuation shot past 1 billion."
"Fourth—"
"What did you just say!?"
Li Yue walked into the study, cutting him off.
Did she just hear—
Joy is valued at 1 billion?
Impossible.
Completely impossible.
Joy was only launched a few days ago!
She must've misheard.
"See for yourself."
Zhang Yichen got up from the chair.
He needed a cold shower anyway. His earlier restlessness hadn't quite gone away.
No way was he going to embarrass himself in front of Li Yue.
"Ahhhh!!"
He had just stepped out when Li Yue's scream exploded behind him.
"Xiaoxi—is this real?"
She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"Hurry, Xiaoxi, pinch me!"
She genuinely thought she was dreaming.
"Ai! Can you calm down a bit? Learn from my A-Chen."
Chen Xiaoxi laughed helplessly.
Of course she understood Li Yue's excitement—who wouldn't be thrilled if a 1-billion investment returned in just a week?
But surprisingly, Chen Xiaoxi herself didn't feel excited.
Because—
20% of the shares were given to her by Zhang Yichen, just like that.
At the time, she didn't think much of it. How valuable could shares of a brand-new company be?
She figured she'd just compensate him more in the future.
But now?
With Joy valued at over 1 billion, her 20% was worth at least 200 million.
She couldn't take it.
Holding onto it felt burning hot.
"You look at the computer for a bit—I need to talk to A-Chen."
Throwing that sentence over her shoulder, Xiaoxi rushed toward the bedroom.
As her best friend, there was no way Li Yue didn't know what she was thinking.
But this was something she couldn't meddle in.
So she said nothing.