“Xiao Yu, we asked Old Lin to call you here because there’s something else we need your help with,” Chen Li finally couldn’t hold back and spoke directly.
“Director Chen, please state what you need,” Su Yu knew he couldn’t escape today, so he decided to be upfront.
“It’s about our show, 'King of Love Songs.' We’d like to invite you to participate,” since they were all familiar with each other, Chen Li got straight to the point.
Before Su Yu could reply, she continued, “The C-pop music scene is facing a major reform due to the impact of foreign capital. Your songs couldn’t get onto the Era Music Charts before because that chart didn’t collect data from domestic songs. You focused domestically and relied on foreign data, so naturally, you couldn’t climb the ranks. However, the authorities are now considering interconnecting the data, so it shouldn’t be difficult for you to conquer this chart.
“Love songs are the most popular segment in C-pop, and 'King of Love Songs' is the most authoritative program for love songs. Your participation would definitely be much better than releasing your own songs.
“Finally, regarding the championship prize, 'King of Love Songs' is preparing to invite Mr. Mo Yan and many veteran producers to create an unprecedented love song spectacle. The champion will not only receive the title of 'King of Love Songs' but also a prize of 150 million yuan. Though I know you’re not short of money…”
“I’ll participate.”
Su Yu put down the chess piece in his hand and suddenly said with a smile.
It wasn’t for the prize money, but simply because he wanted to contribute to the love song genre within C-pop.
It was true that he had released too few love songs.
It would be a waste not to release so many classic love songs.
And the current music scene was just ridiculous.
To say he couldn’t get onto the Era Music Chart.
Didn’t they know that Chinese culture was the coolest?
“Haha, that’s great. 'Masked Singer' is still airing during this period, and our show will start in early May, so it won’t affect you writing songs for Dark Rabbit,” Chen Li, recovering from her surprise, said with a smile.
Su Yu sighed inwardly upon hearing this.
They really wouldn't give him any vacation. It was the end of February, 'Masked Singer' would end in April, and then in May, he would immediately participate in 'King of Love Songs.'
An entertainment industry workhorse?
“Xiao Yu, we’re all family. Give me a hint, are you really Dark Rabbit?” Speaking of Dark Rabbit, Mo Yan’s eyes twitched unconsciously. He looked up at Su Yu with great kindness.
He was also driven to his wits’ end; otherwise, given his personality, he wouldn’t have done something that violated the program rules.
In the past few episodes, his calm demeanor had vanished. He had even been made into a meme with several confused expressions.
“Mr. Mo Yan, you’re putting me in a difficult position. You know the program’s rules, so can I answer you? You’ll find out when Dark Rabbit is unmasked,” Su Yu put down the black chess piece in his hand.
Then he grinned, “I won again.”
Mo Yan saw the four chess pieces Su Yu had lined up and couldn’t help but shake his head with a wry smile.
After living for decades, he was being kept in suspense by a junior.
However, he didn’t press the issue; it would indeed be a violation of the program regulations for Su Yu to tell him.
“Haha, it’s time for lunch. Let’s go, we can chat while we eat,” Lin Zhaoyang said, looking at the time.
Everyone had smiles on their faces.
Only Mo Yan’s smile held a trace of bitterness.
As a Go master, he had played Gomoku with Su Yu for half the day.
That wasn't all; the most important thing was that he hadn't gotten any information.
Just thinking about it made him incredibly sad…
…
After returning from the gathering.
Su Yu began preparing songs for 'Masked Singer.'
The previous two dialect songs were enough to confuse the audience.
Even Mo Yan was bewildered.
For this episode,
He hadn’t decided on the two songs yet.
However, the strategy for selecting songs remained the same: the first song would be a more lyrical, emotionally driven piece, and the second song, if aiming for the championship, would need to be more explosive. This approach would be more secure.
As Su Yu was idly scrolling through his phone,
He was captivated by a video.
“What the Children of the Mountains Want to Say to Listener of Rain.”
This was a video from his fan story collection. Xinghui had specifically organized this event.
Su Yu had found inspiration for his previous song, "The Wind Rises," from this very collection.
Looking at the video’s release date, it was posted yesterday, and it already had over a million views, with considerable popularity.
“We live in the mountains. Teacher Zheng taught in the mountains for eighteen years.”
“She often played Listener of Rain’s songs for us. Recently, after finishing her class and returning home, she was injured by falling rocks and admitted to the hospital.”
“However, she couldn’t be saved and left us forever.”
“Teacher Zheng’s favorite singer was Listener of Rain. So, can Listener of Rain write a song for Teacher Zheng? She is a teacher we all respected. She stayed in the mountains to teach us knowledge.”
The children’s words were filled with sobs and requests.
Su Yu clicked on the comment section.
The top comment was the teacher’s personal introduction.
Zheng Pingfang, forty years old, a volunteer teacher in Huayun Village. After graduating from university, she went to Huayun Village to teach. For eighteen years, she enabled many mountain children to learn and successfully leave the mountains.
She had dedicated more than a decade of her youth to these children. This Teacher Zheng was indeed deserving of respect.
Below that were some fans tagging him.
“Listener of Rain, Teacher Zheng dedicated her life to the children of the mountains. She deserves a song from you.”
“After watching the video, I couldn’t help but shed tears. This teacher started teaching in the depths of the mountains in her twenties and has been there for over ten years, helping countless children learn knowledge. She deserves the respect of all of us!”
After scanning through the comments,
Su Yu reposted the Weibo post.
He then replied, “See you on 'Masked Singer’.”
Having done that, he closed Weibo.
There were many songs that praised teachers and the spirit of dedication, but Su Yu didn’t want to use them because it wasn’t necessary.
He felt he could express his respect and remembrance for the teacher from a different perspective.
“System, customize 'As Summer Flowers Bloom' and 'Our Love' for me.”
[Ding, 'As Summer Flowers Bloom' and 'Our Love' have been customized for the host, automatically placed in the system warehouse. Ten million has been donated to charity for the host.]
The song "As Summer Flowers Bloom" tells of the beauty of life and fits the teacher’s dedication.
The title of this song also contains a beautiful poetic phrase.
“Live like summer flowers, brilliant and vibrant; die like autumn leaves, serene and beautiful.”
It was very artistic and conveyed the idea of living a meaningful and valuable life.
Su Yu believed that a teacher who dedicated her youth to mountain children and persevered for over a decade must have her own principles and sense of responsibility. This was what made her life meaningful and valuable.
He felt that interpreting the teacher’s value would be better than writing a song to praise her.
As for the other song, "Our Love."
Su Yu customized the JJ Lin version.
The vocal techniques displayed in this version were sufficient for him to win the championship.
Especially the five-stage high-pitched vocal climax, which would definitely showcase his singing skills to the fullest.
Although he had sung in the voices of the original artists for both songs before,
By the later stages of the competition, the audience had already become accustomed to his versatile voice, and this would not add much to his score, so singing them again was fine.
ps: Shocking! Our entertainment novel has reached such a high ranking in the event. Babies, you are amazing!!