"This time, we're not just dominating film and TV trends, We're going to crush them across the board!"
"Big star Robin! We'll make her live up to that title!"
-----------------------------------
"Eh?"
"Are we really going to release Robin's album just like that?"
Silver Wolf was taken aback.
After all, the music was going out with no promotion at all—it did feel a bit abrupt.
"Sometimes, being sudden is a form of publicity."
Xia Wen said with a smile.
At his instruction, Silver Wolf still nodded and used her phone to operate the backend, posting everything that needed to be released.
Because the gap between Episode 2 and Episode 3 was too tight, many PVs and Myriad Celestia Trailers hadn't been released in time, so they simply decided to release everything now.
Sparkle, plus Acheron and Firefly's outfits.
And so, on the official MiHoYo website, almost simultaneously, a huge wave of videos went live.
Along with them— was a brand new original album:
Robin's "Sway to My Beat in Cosmos."
Just seconds after Silver Wolf sent it out, the traffic on MiHoYo's website started surging rapidly.
"Boss!"
"It's not even 6 a.m., how's the response this strong already?"
Even Silver Wolf was surprised.
"Huh... do these people not sleep in on Sundays?"
Xia Wen was also a little shocked.
He had expected the buzz to build around noon and then generate discussion, but traffic started spiking right after release.
That was a bit absurd.
Actually, both Silver Wolf and Xia Wen were falling victim to "under-the-lamp darkness."
Because Penacony's Episode 3 had triggered enormous buzz, and the production quality was top-tier.
After it aired yesterday, not only on MiHoYo's official site, but on all major platforms, fans were heavily discussing it, from plot, to character design, to music.
The content in the Penacony arc was just too dense to digest all at once.
Reaction videos, analysis videos, this was the peak of traffic.
Many people hadn't even slept, watching "Live Reactions and Dissection's" straight through the night.
And fans stayed in contact via social platforms, one person discovered something, posted in a group chat, and it would instantly pull in dozens of others to flood MiHoYo's site.
That's how this phenomenon happened.
At the end of the day, it all stemmed from the massive anticipation built up by Xia Wen and the Penacony arc.
As the two were still in surprise, Silver Wolf's phone started flooding with push notifications.
As a MiHoYo developer lead, she always had access to various channel alerts, able to instantly catch all breaking info.
...
#Breaking! MiHoYo suddenly drops massive intel#
#Robin really has an album?!#
#Morning Surprise! MiHoYo fans are in for a treat#
#Releasing intel at this time, is MiHoYo hinting at something?#
...
Almost every platform started pushing emergency notifications right after Silver Wolf dropped the PVs and Myriad Celestia Trailers.
Clicking on any of them, you'd see netizen reactions like:
...
: What the hell? MiHoYo's going all out this early in the morning?!
: Dropped so much high-level content at once; Sparkle, Acheron, and Firefly costumes and trailers!
: Where are the PVs for Boothill and Aventurine?! We want to see them too!
: Has anyone seen Robin's album? Damn! I thought her superstar status was just part of the story. Didn't expect a real album!
: Is MiHoYo and Director Wen really going to do something unprecedented, turning an in-universe celebrity into a real-world one?
: So good! The album sounds amazing! Go listen! The boss fight track is included too!
: No way, then I've gotta hear it!
: OMG go listen now! That MV—it feels like Penacony is singing to you!
: The immersion! Absolutely incredible!
: I'm going to her concert!
...
As the buzz continued to grow, the PVs became secondary—since every MiHoYo PV is a hit anyway.
But this was the first time they'd dropped a music album, so the audience response was especially enthusiastic.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the hall, Robin and the Sunday, who were being congratulated by others, had no idea that their album had just been released.
"After Episode 3, everyone's opinion of you skyrocketed," Furina sat next to Robin, holding her blue jellyfish-shell phone, scrolling away.
"Look at this review, 'Miss Robin's performance wasn't acting anymore. She fully immersed herself in the world of Honkai: Star Rail.'"
"'She has achieved a natural perfection—every glance, every line of dialogue, is the ideal interpretation.'"
That was praise from a film critic.
Hearing that, Robin pursed her lips, she was truly happy inside, but still gracefully said:
"It's not that exaggerated. I'm just one small, insignificant cog in the machine. The success of the Penacony arc is thanks to everyone's hard work, not just mine."
"I think they're right," Sunday nodded slightly, agreeing immediately.
He even thought the praise was too restrained.
As her older brother, he saw his little sister as flawless.
Any compliment was well-deserved.
And any critic? All just jealous haters.
They were simply envious of Robin's achievements.
And some of those haters' comments—Sunday also planned to use the resources now at his disposal in MiHoYo to deal with them properly.
He absolutely couldn't let his little sister's mood be affected by such idiotic remarks.
"Brother!" Robin looked at Sunday with wide eyes.
"Ahem..." Realizing that his sister was a bit shy, Sunday gave a cough, sat up straight with a serious face, but his ears perked up, wanting to hear more praise for his sister.
"Robin's performance was very layered."
Furina scrolled through the screen and found another piece of praise she also agreed with, then read it out loud,
"She perfectly conveyed the idealistic romance buried in Robin's heart, while also expressing a reality far beyond that of Sunday in the play, blending idealism and realism together seamlessly. It was a very deep performance."
"Many people can portray emotions like joy, anger, sorrow well, but when it comes to expressing values, they often come off as shallow."
After finishing, Furina nodded in approval.
"I think so too!"
"A person who sees reality clearly but still holds onto ideals is hard to portray as pure, yet still tainted by the world."
"But Robin, your performance did it beautifully!"
Hearing this recognition from her friend Furina, Robin was genuinely happy.
She deliberately said gently, "Thank you, Furina, your recognition means more to me than a hundred film critics' praise."
"Wow!"
"Robin, you…" Furina's face turned red in an instant. Robin's words gave her a huge boost of confidence.
But she couldn't let it show on her face.
So Furina deliberately raised her voice and said in a "director's" tone, "Hmph! Of, of course! Only someone truly sensitive could feel the director's intention!"
"Alright, alright, let's keep reading everyone's reviews!" Furina stuttered and quickly changed the subject.
Afraid she might get too smug and lose composure and seriousness.
She took out her phone again.
Furina scrolled for a bit, then suddenly saw a message, surprise filling her eyes.
"Eh?"
"When… when did your album get released?"
Hearing Furina's words, the usually calm Robin was suddenly a bit lost.
But then a wave of panic surged in her heart.
"My album?" She quickly leaned in to look, and saw that on Furina's screen, it really was that album with the cover image of the blue-tiled roof.
"W-when did the boss release it..."
"I didn't get any message at all."
Robin could no longer keep her emotions in check, her beautiful eyes now filled with a misty shimmer.
Because before joining MiHoYo, she had always been a wandering singer.
Through singing, she had met many people, seen many things.
And through singing, she made it through countless hard times, wandering from city to city.
So this identity always held a special meaning in Robin's heart.
"Don't be too nervous, trust the boss."
Sunday consoled her from the side.
"I-I..."
"Not nervous, not nervous... huff..."
Robin had always presented herself as particularly well-mannered, strong and composed.
But right now, she looked like how a girl her age should look, nervous, panicked, hopeful.
'Will my singing be accepted?'
'Do I really have the chance... to finally fulfill my long-time dream and become a true 'superstar' who expresses herself through music?'
Countless questions ran through Robin's mind.
"Furina... How's the album doing now?"
Robin had to muster a lot of courage just to ask this question.
"Oh oh, let me check!"
Furina belatedly opened the backend system.
As a member of MiHoYo, Silver Wolf had given everyone access to see backend data, though they couldn't modify it.
As Furina opened the backend to check the data, countless scenes flashed through Robin's mind like a revolving lantern.
She feared the album wouldn't do well, and she'd let down Xia Wen's expectations and the company's resources.
She feared her singing would ruin the originally beautiful songs.
What if it failed?
At that moment, what filled her heart wasn't the joy of possible success, but all the scenarios of potential disappointment.
After all, she was the only one in the company to release an album, to create music.
"If I fail, I'll go apologize properly to the boss."
"And then, and then work even harder, to keep practicing my voice."
"As long as I keep singing, there will be chances to move more people."
"Just like I once did."
Unknowingly, Robin had already prepared herself mentally.
Beside her, Sunday gently patted her younger sister's back, comforting her not to be too nervous.
No matter the results, he would find a way to prove his value and win an opportunity from the production team.
The two of them had lived too poorly before, so their first reaction was extremely pessimistic, completely overlooking the audience's stunned reaction in the scene when the robin's song began.
At that moment, Furina finally made a move!
"Wow!"
"The official website's backend data is amazing! Already over a million plays! And it's still rising rapidly!"
Furina said excitedly.
She quickly opened two commonly used music platforms.
As expected, she saw the new album by Robin on the new song charts.
And it was ranked number one!
On the rising chart and trending searches, it was also in third place!
"Phew…"
Robin let out a sigh of relief.
But then suddenly thought of another issue.
"Then, what about everyone's feedback? Maybe it's only because of the Honkai IP…"
Robin's words were interrupted halfway by Furina.
"Everyone's ratings are really high!"
"So don't worry! As a singer, Robin, you're amazing!" Furina said seriously.
"Mm…" Robin finally let go of all her burdens.
She slowly closed her eyes and felt her heart beating faster and faster.
And Sunday, standing nearby, was also especially happy.
His sister had finally achieved her dream today.
...
: Excellent mixing, arrangement, and a performance full of hope.
: I love the delicate singing style in If I Had Never Seen the Sun, the emotional expression is amazing.
: Sway to My Beat in Cosmos" is one of the most youthful and hopeful songs I've ever heard.
: Robin's performance is very restrained; she doesn't show off with high notes, but it's precisely this restraint that demonstrates her delicate and rich interpretation skills.
: It's hard to imagine such a young singer having such mature technique and emotion, it's like she's been through countless trials.
: I heard Robin used to be a street performer, and her life wasn't very good before joining MiHoYo. Perhaps that experience aligns perfectly with the emotions in Sway to My Beat in Cosmos, making the combination absolutely perfect.
: Although the album only has four songs, I can still give it a high score! Because every song is worth listening to!
: The biggest surprise this morning was this album.
...
As Robin closed her eyes, the sensitive Furina naturally sensed the pressure Robin had endured because of the album.
Furina deliberately read aloud the album reviews nearby, especially loudly, to encourage her good friend.
"Thank you, Furina."
Finally, Robin opened her eyes.
Those beautiful eyes no longer held nervousness, but instead were full of hope and firm belief.
She looked gratefully at Furina, then stood up and looked around.
Finally, in the distance of the lobby, she saw Xia Wen sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window, discussing something.
She lifted her dress hem slightly, gave Furina and Sunday an apologetic glance, and ran toward him.
She wanted to share this joy with her Xia Wen, and thank him sincerely for his support.
Watching Robin run off, Furina was furious.
After all that encouragement she gave Robin!
And all she got was a thank you! Not even a little cake!
"H-how dare she!"
"All she sees is that dumb boss!"
"Hmph!"
"She better not come to me for help again—I'm seriously mad now."
Furina felt very wronged, and deliberately said these tsundere words loudly, even though Robin couldn't hear her.
But she had to say it anyway.
Because Sunday was still nearby, and when the time came, he could pass along her feelings.
Otherwise, if she had to say it herself, wouldn't that be embarrassing?
"You should know, I'm a big deal. If you make me mad, you've really messed with the wrong person!"
"Boothill even talked to me yesterday about filming a personal short film. And there's Tingyun and the others, if a someone wants my help in the future, five, no, even ten cakes won't be enough!"