The first group to explode was the late-night enthusiasts.
For most people, the reason for cultivating isn’t actually to stay up late. It’s just that they aren’t very tired, and their phones are too entertaining. They play and play until it’s past bedtime, and the more they play, the more energetic they become, so they end up pulling an all-nighter.
When they stumbled upon the audio released by Zhao Xiaokui, most people casually clicked on it. As the sound played, they were captivated by the clear and bright female voice, and then… well, there was no “and then.”
The first song Zhao Xiaokui posted on Weibo was “Deep Sea.”
People who clicked into it had a hard time escaping its charm. Most of them, listening late at night, gradually closed their eyes and fell into a dreamland.
The next day, they woke up feeling refreshed, as if they had undergone a full-body SPA or a massage for the brain. The world seemed clearer than ever today.
Normally, the working-class individuals rushed out of bed with a drooping head to go to work. However, today, they unusually walked out with abundant energy. Passing by the street-side glass, they were surprised by the reflection in the mirror —
“Do I look so vibrant today?”
Xiao Su was an ordinary office worker, 24 years old this year. Two years after graduation, she worked in a studio and engaged in media-related work.
Compared to people of the same age, her salary was high, and the work wasn’t too tiring, but it was brain-intensive. For the sake of a topic’s writing, she often spent nights without sleep. Dark circles under her eyes were a common sight, and even concealer couldn’t hide them.
When she arrived at work today, her colleagues were astonished by her good complexion, exclaiming, “Did you do a beauty treatment yesterday? Your complexion is so good.”
Xiao Su put her bag on the desk, speaking cheerfully, “Where do I have time for a beauty treatment? You know, yesterday I worked overtime in the office until 10 p.m. I got home around 11:30 p.m. I just had a good night’s sleep. Did you listen to the new song released by Xiaokui, ‘Deep Sea’? It’s hypnotic. I was scrolling through Weibo yesterday, clicked to listen for a while, and didn’t even notice when my phone fell to the ground. I haven’t even charged it yet, so I rushed here to charge it.”
“So magical?” Colleagues were half-skeptical and half-believing, starting to search for this newly released song in the early morning.
After listening for just five minutes, they began to yawn, telling Xiao Su, “I’ll take a nap. If the boss comes, wake me up. I’m too tired.”
The second wave of explosions was among the daily downtrodden.
The hysterical female voice in “Dawn” easily stirred the deep nerves in their hearts, awakening their languid souls. Suddenly, life seemed full of hope.
Walking out of the house, one could feel that the sky was an unprecedented shade of azure, the flowers exuded an unprecedented fragrance, and even the stern-faced boss seemed unusually amiable…
The last wave of explosions was among the artistic youth.
For the artistic youth, the melody of “Long Night” and the ultimate loneliness touched their hearts deeply, as if a traveler who had been journeying alone for a long time had finally found a confidant who understood them.
With three different songs, everyone could find their favorite.
But no matter which song one liked, for this three-song EP, everyone had only one evaluation—extraordinary.
Apart from “extraordinary,” there were no other words to describe it.
Countless people online exclaimed and questioned what kind of fairy sister Zhao Xiaokui was and how she could compose such melodies.
Zhao Xiaokui herself was surprised by such reactions.
While the instruments of the Night Walkers confirmed that the songs she wrote indeed had extraordinary effects, nothing compared to the overwhelming praise and admiration on the internet.
Her Weibo gained nearly ten million new followers overnight, and the retweet count for her latest post soared to eight digits. Half of the top ten trending topics were hers, all filled with nonsensical content. Even before the studio could make a move, she surged through like a force to be reckoned with, unstoppable. She even pushed a scandal involving a popular actress’s divorce and an idol’s fan breakup to the background.
Even the Night Walkers didn’t expect the EP to have such a sensational impact.
They had adjusted and modified the crucial parts inside, at least to prevent the original effects where even machine-generated performances could produce extraordinary results. However, with Zhao Xiaokui’s vocal influence, the residual effects of these songs inevitably came into play.
Shi Ning, observing the overwhelming comments online, chuckled and said, “What we should have done is not change the songs but get a different singer. Zhao Xiaokui’s voice is too unique.”
Unique to the point that even if the songs were altered beyond recognition, the true essence was effortlessly expressed through her voice.
There are indeed hypnotic masterpieces and healing music on the internet, but in front of the mermaid’s vocal cords, these melodies became insignificant.
All day long, Zhao Xiaokui sat at home, using a combination of her phone, tablet, and computer to browse the internet. She checked comments while monitoring the ranking situation on various platforms. This was her first time releasing her compositions, as she didn’t count the ones released under Zhao Zijin’s name or the songs she created before the age of eighteen. She felt both nervous and excited, watching the rankings steadily climb. Her heart thumped relentlessly, feeling more thrilling than facing an evil god.
Shen Zhifei was also working from home today, just to accompany her.
When she looked up, she saw Zhao Xiaokui’s face flushed, her skin red as if it had been burned in a fire.
Feeling that something was off, she asked hesitantly, “Why is your face so red?”
“Huh? Is it? Maybe I’m just too excited. Ah, ah, ah—21st place now, let’s go, I’m aiming for the top!”
Shen Zhifei stood up, put the computer aside, walked over to Zhao Xiaokui, and opened the front camera on her phone, placing it in front of her.
Seeing her actions from the corner of her eye, Zhao Xiaokui glanced at the phone screen and was instantly shocked.
“Wow, so red.”
She looked at her phone, touched her skin with the back of her hand, and subconsciously took a sharp breath at the high temperature.
“Are you sick? Where does it feel uncomfortable? Should I call Captain Zhang?”
“No, no, no,” Zhao Xiaokui hurriedly stopped her, looking at the continuously rising comment count on Weibo. Standing up, she said, “I’m going to the bathroom.”
In the bathroom, there was already cold water prepared. Since releasing the new song, Zhao Xiaokui had been restless, and after soaking in cold water for a while, she calmed down considerably before coming out to check the situation.
She entered the bathroom without saying a word and immediately immersed herself in the cold water. As the cold water touched her skin, it instantly boiled. The moment she entered the water, the entire bathroom was filled with white steam.
Shen Zhifei, holding her phone, stood at the bathroom door, furrowing her brows as she looked for a while before belatedly saying, “Power of faith?”
In the water, Zhao Xiaokui extended a finger, making a nodding gesture.
Shen Zhifei: “…” This was truly unexpected.
She frowned with concern and asked, “Can you absorb it?”
She knew that beings in the supernatural world, especially those beyond the tenth tier, could create their realms, establish their goddoms, attract believers, and gain power from the faith.
But someone like Zhao Xiaokui, who had just reached the first tier, receiving the power of faith, was something she had never heard of before.
After a while, Zhao Xiaokui emerged from the bubbly water, her face bright red, panting, and said, “Since it’s here, might as well absorb it, whether I can or not.”
“Since it’s here.”
This phrase made Shen Zhifei chuckle for a moment, but soon her heart was filled with worry again.
Supernatural powers were scarce in modern society. If Zhao Xiaokui could absorb the power of faith, it would undoubtedly be a great source of strength for her. This way, she wouldn’t have to devour the souls of other creatures or worry about the contamination of her spiritual body by the consciousness of other beings. However, the power of faith was a legendary and advanced force, exclusive to supernaturals beyond the tenth tier. Whether Zhao Xiaokui could absorb it or not was uncertain, and both Shen Zhifei and Zhao Xiaokui were unsure.
But Zhao Xiaokui seemed quite relaxed about it.
As she had said, since it was here, what else could she do?
In the supernatural world, she hadn’t heard of supernaturals below the tenth tier being able to gather the power of faith.
Even the term “power of faith” was something she had only come across in travel journals. Whether it existed or not was uncertain. Supernatural beings who wrote travel journals only said that it was likely a form of power that was more advanced than supernatural energy. Creatures with insufficient life levels might not be able to perceive it. Only after reaching the tenth tier or even a higher level could one utilize it.
She had shared this information with Shen Zhifei as a piece of interesting trivia, never expecting to encounter it herself.
However, when the power of faith surged, she immediately realized the essence of this phenomenon.
It was love, gratitude, worship, admiration…
Countless positive emotions converged, ultimately forming a powerful force.
She immersed herself in her consciousness.
Her consciousness had a sky, whether it was a clear sky for thousands of miles or a brilliant starry night, it was a construct of her imagination.
But today, her entire consciousness seemed to be enveloped in starlight. Whether it was the night sky above or the sea below, every part shimmered with radiant brilliance.
In the depths, it was as if a voice was asking her if she wanted to make a decision.
What decision?
Zhao Xiaokui didn’t know, but she reached out and touched a point of radiant light.
“Xiaokui is the best!”
She wasn’t quite sure what the choice she made today meant, but when the light entered her body and the joyful cheers of the girl echoed in her ears, she had no regrets.
They love her so much.
Zhao Xiaokui thought, “I am loved too.”
Loved by so many people.
After a long time, she opened her eyes. Her skin was still red, but it was a rosy and radiant red, looking particularly moist and charming.
She looked at Shen Zhifei, who had been waiting for her at the door, and said with sparkling eyes, “So many people like me.”
Shen Zhifei tucked her hair behind her ear and said, “I like you too.”
