Chapter 167: A Sudden Surge: The Rise of Tiger Leopard Band

“Ah! Back to A-list in just three days?”

At the boss’s confident declaration, the office fell into an instant, profound silence.

According to the strict ranking rules, only stars with a fan index of ten million can be deemed A-list. Right now, Tiger Leopard Band’s fan index had barely crossed three million. To gain an extra seven million in just three days sounded utterly impossible.

Remember, the fan index isn’t just the number of fans!

“We have no choice. Our Haofang Agency doesn’t even have one star with real clout right now. It might be unrealistic to push for a mega-star or a concert king on short notice, but we can definitely aim for a genuine A-lister!”

“And opportunities like today come once in a blue moon.”

Xu Xin added.

Not long ago, a certain celebrity had stirred up trouble by badmouthing her. Although Old Six told her not to pay it any mind and that Mingsha Tourism would handle it, she wasn’t one to let her boss’s reputation be tarnished.

“So, just trust my plan!”

After a brief pause, Xu Xin fixed her gaze on the computer screen once more.

“Boss Xu, we’re all set to follow your instructions!”

Several employees nodded immediately.

Seeing their boss exude such authority and unwavering confidence, they couldn’t help but feel motivated to tackle this seemingly impossible challenge.

“Alright. We expect the short video platform to contact us about the rights to these three songs by tomorrow. Xiao Zhang, when you speak with them, skip discussing fees—just say we’re swapping for KuaiDou platform advertising! At the same time, we’ll upload some footage showing Tiger Leopard Band at their peak to trigger nostalgic memories among the viewers.”

“Also, scour the internet for self-media reports that once belittled Tiger Leopard Band.”

“Got it!”

Time flew by and, before long, it was the next day. It seemed that on New Year’s Eve, audiences had only remembered four pop icons and Tiger Leopard Band’s three songs. Especially after some viewers discovered on Long Kingdom Music Network that these songs were free only for three days—after which fees would apply. Not only did downloads skyrocket after day three, but online buzz surged as well.

Some netizens even began tagging Tiger Leopard Band as the “Conscientious Band”.

By midday,

the three songs had vaulted into the website’s top three daily downloads, and Tiger Leopard Band’s popularity surged once more. With Xu Xin and her team driving the buzz on websites, forums, and short-video platforms, it seemed the band’s name was everywhere in the entertainment news circuit.

And so,

Tiger Leopard Band suddenly exploded into overnight fame!

But that wasn’t all.

Their skyrocketing popularity even started affecting wedding events at Mingsha.

After the dinner at Vermilion Bird Building, some guests went out of their way to find the Mingsha Tourism manager in charge of the venue, inquiring first about when Tiger Leopard Band would return to Mingsha.

The second question was whether Tiger Leopard Band would hold a concert in Mingsha later.

The manager, utterly baffled, eventually had to call a superior.

Thus,

both online and offline, Tiger Leopard Band’s fan index enjoyed another massive surge.

At five in the afternoon,

Xu Hao had just seen Feng Wancheng off and was on his way to meet Luo Peng. Earlier, while accompanying Feng during an inspection of the traditional wedding at Mingsha, he had identified several issues that needed addressing.

Although the Ancient Pavilion Hotel on both sides of Vermilion Bird’s Qing Brick Avenue had been built with overtime efforts, the interior renovations were sluggish, and the ground-floor commercial spaces weren’t leased up. This made the procession along Qing Brick Avenue during the wedding feel less lively.

The wedding wasn’t spoiled, but perfection was missing.

The Ancient Pavilion Hotels constructed along Qing Brick Avenue, built in the traditional three-on-the-outside and nine-on-the-inside style, could accommodate far more guests than the guesthouses.

Once finished, Mingsha Tourism would suddenly have nearly two thousand extra rooms and an 800-meter-long commercial street.

Of course,

since the two thousand rooms were part of a hotel, their rates couldn’t compete with guesthouses—each would be priced between 200 and 300. Ring, ring… However, before Xu Hao could dial Luo Peng’s number, a call came in instead.

Glancing at the caller ID, he saw it was Yan City TV’s Han Lijun.

“Uncle Han, hello!”

“Xiao Xu, are you busy? This isn’t interfering with your work, is it?”

In the next moment, Han Lijun’s voice came through the phone.

“I’m not busy. What’s up?”

Xu Hao glanced toward the distant entrance of the Vermilion Bird’s Qing Brick Avenue. Soon, he would personally oversee the construction of Oasis 3 and the filming of the Langya List, and occasionally he’d even guide the shooting of Dragon Gate Inn.

Though it sounded hectic, it was actually much easier than building the Duhufu.

“Xiao Xu, we really owe you for making this New Year’s Eve show a hit.”

Han Lijun continued.

“Thank me?”

“If Haofang Agency hadn’t stepped in to support us, our show would have been a total disaster.”

“You mean it was Tiger Leopard Band, right?”

Only then did Xu Hao realize.

From yesterday through today, he had been busy with Feng Wancheng’s inspections for the Duhufu and the traditional wedding. He hadn’t paid much attention to Tiger Leopard Band’s performance, aside from glancing at a few related headlines the previous night before sleep.

Considering the reaction from netizens, Xu Hao wasn’t too surprised.

Previously, even if Haofang Culture’s collection of over a hundred classic hits from around the globe was released, no one doubted that, given Tiger Leopard Band’s inherent talent, even the Mingsha County Troupe could spark immense buzz.

“Mm.”

“Uncle Han, you’re too kind. Honestly, this isn’t even helping,”

Xu Hao replied.

While he sounded modest, in truth he was speaking the truth. If Mingsha Tourism wasn’t so overwhelmed, Yan City TV wouldn’t have seen more than just Tiger Leopard Band performing at the New Year’s show.

“Enough, Xiao Xu. When are you coming to Yan City? I’ll treat you to a meal, and invite Xiaoqing along too. She’s been mentioning you non-stop, especially after your launch of the Wan Gong Sedan Chair traditional wedding. It’s a pity her Grandfather has recently assigned her a really important task, so you haven’t been in touch much lately.”

Soon, Han Lijun’s voice returned.

“Xiaoqing?”

“Yes! She had a strict upbringing as a child, so she isn’t very experienced in matters of the heart. If she ever slips up, don’t mind it—being together is all about understanding and tolerance.”

“Uncle, we—actually…”

Xu Hao was momentarily stunned.

“Don’t worry, our elders won’t meddle in your affairs. I’ve already spoken with my older brother and sister-in-law—they agreed that kids should make their own choices, no interference!”

Han Lijun laughed.

“Ah!”

In that moment, Xu Hao was completely flummoxed.

What he didn’t know was that at the very moment he was utterly stunned by Han Lijun’s call, a staff member at Haofang Agency, having just opened the ranking page, was also left dumbfounded.

“What…”

Snapping back to reality, she immediately pulled a colleague over to the computer.

“Xiao Wang, am I seeing things? Can you check this again?”

“Seeing things?”

Her colleague was just as puzzled before glancing at the screen.

But the look on his face soon turned to sheer disbelief.

On the ranking page, Tiger Leopard Band’s fan index had somehow soared to over nine million—just one million shy of the ten-million mark required for an A-list star.

At the current pace, it meant that by tomorrow morning, Haofang Agency would officially be managing an A-list band.

“In just overnight, their fan index shot up by six million! This is insanely impressive. It seems Boss Xu’s estimates yesterday were far too conservative. I have a feeling she isn’t aiming for an A-list star, but an A-list mega-star!”

After a long silence,

the two glanced unconsciously toward Xu Xin’s office.

“Based solely on their best works, Tiger Leopard Band already has enough hits. Add in these three songs and they’re only a fan index away from being a mega-star.

And now, Boss Xu has taken their popularity promotion to a whole new level—

We were being too cautious all along!”

“It’s not that we were too cautious; it’s that Boss Xu is just wild. I heard this afternoon that she’s already reached a preliminary agreement with the KuaiDou platform. The day after tomorrow, they’ll start channeling traffic to Tiger Leopard Band’s three new songs. Their popularity will likely soar even higher by then.”

“I’m convinced! Absolutely convinced!”

Night fell, and by 10:30 in the evening,

New Year’s Day, unlike the traditional Spring Festival back in Long Kingdom, felt no different from any regular evening.

In Ning’an, at the Ning An Cultural Tourism office, Qi Haoyong leaned back in his chair, massaging his furrowed brow. Opposite him, a staff member stood nervously.

“Boss Qi, do you think this will affect next year’s film festival? I just checked—the fan index of Tiger Leopard Band on the ranking page has now exceeded ten million.”

After a long pause,

the staff member whispered.

When Tiger Leopard Band and Haofang Agency began making entertainment headlines, Ning An Cultural Tourism couldn’t help but be uneasy. Everyone knows how closely Haofang Agency is intertwined with Mingsha Tourism.

Now, here comes an A-list band out of the blue. “Do you think so? Tell me, do you?”

Qi Haoyong glared sharply at the staff member.

At that moment, a single thought ran through his mind: he wanted to hurl every filthy word from every dialect in Long Kingdom at Mingsha Tourism.

A month ago, he had coordinated with several traditional building companies, a director, and a handful of actors to become an investor. His aim was to boost Mingsha Tourism’s capital and secure next year’s Long Kingdom Film Festival.

Soon after, Ning An Cultural Tourism began splashing cash everywhere—accelerating projects and hunting for scripts. Just when the traditional fantasy film was starting to take shape, Haofang Culture unexpectedly launched Tiger Leopard Band.

How could he ever accept that?

Even a fool would agree—it was a massive bonus.

“So…”

The staff member was momentarily speechless, uncertain how to answer.

No matter how hard Ning An Cultural Tourism tried, they couldn’t create an A-list star overnight. Not in their domain, and certainly not any professional agency’s.

“I’m furious. I want to know if Mingsha Tourism’s rascals have any other tricks up their sleeves. Just as we’ve finalized our film project, they go and stir up more trouble!” Qi Haoyong muttered, massaging his brow incessantly.