"If you don't sing it better, the director might force them to replace you," the manager said.
Yun Duo'er hurried to reply, "Tell the director I'll practice more when I get back and I'll definitely satisfy him tomorrow!"
"That's all we can do. You must work hard. If you don't meet the director's expectations, no matter who recommended you, it will be useless."
After all, filming a TV series is about ratings, and a good ending theme song can add a lot to the entire production.
Moreover, if the song becomes popular, it can also earn a lot of money.
So, even if the producer wants to fully promote Yun Duo'er, they have to consider reality.
Otherwise, forcing Yun Duo'er to sing it would result in criticism from the audience, which would not only affect the ratings but also her reputation.
Yun Duo'er nodded, "I understand!"
Then the manager went to speak with the director about the situation. The director stated that tomorrow would be Yun Duo'er's last chance, and if she still hadn't improved, they would find someone else.
After saying that, he left the recording studio.
Yun Duo'er, however, stayed in the recording studio all afternoon, singing until her throat was almost hoarse, yet the results were still unsatisfactory.
She decided to step outside for some fresh air and to clear her mind.
As she walked out of the recording room, she heard a loud, clear singing voice coming from the adjacent studio.
The voice was steady and powerful, the kind that could touch one's soul.
Curiosity piqued, she glanced into the recording room. Through the transparent glass wall, she saw a beautiful girl with permed wavy hair and delicate features, engrossed in her singing, oblivious to Yun Duo'er's presence.
"Who is that girl?" Yun Duo'er asked her manager.
The manager looked at the person in the recording room and replied, "She's a singer from our entertainment company. However, no one promotes her, and she refuses to accept the company's arrangements. She's still an unknown.
I'd say she's stubborn. With her voice and looks, she could easily gain favor and be promoted by investors. But she insists on being a 'clear stream' in the entertainment industry. To this day, she hasn't released a single proper song.
She only occasionally does backup vocals for popular singers or participates in chorus performances." The manager spoke with disdain.
The entertainment industry is never short of beautiful and talented women, but these alone are not enough.
Although some actresses start from minor roles and gradually become popular, such instances are rare. And even after becoming famous, they cannot escape exploitation by investors, sometimes even being forced to do things they don't want to.
The young woman in the recording studio is too naive, thinking that her good singing voice alone will make her famous.
She doesn't realize that even the best voice needs exposure. If the company doesn't give her opportunities, how can she possibly become famous!
Yun Duo'er listened, and a thought suddenly struck her: "Do you think her voice is very suitable for singing 'The Wind Rises'?"
The manager immediately looked at her, "What do you mean? Are you planning to give her the opportunity?"
"Where did your mind go? I mean, can we have her sing this song instead of me?"
The manager then understood Yun Duo'er's intention and praised her for her cleverness, "That's actually a good idea. Her vocal tone is somewhat similar to yours, but her voice is more stable, so it will sound different."
"Then give her the song and let her try. If it works, I'll use her singing. I can lip-sync, and as long as she doesn't say anything, no one will know." Yun Duo'er knew what she was doing was a bit unethical.
But as long as she could become famous, she was willing to do anything.
The manager was also the type who would resort to any means to achieve their goals. He had done such things many times and naturally had a hundred ways to persuade the girl to sing for Yun Duo'er.
Without hesitation, he took the sheet music and entered the girl's recording room.
Yun Duo'er trusted her manager's abilities and left, confident that he would handle the matter without her involvement.
As expected, that evening, she received a raw acapella demo from her manager.
Admittedly, the song was interpreted beautifully by the girl. It allowed anyone listening to immediately understand the theme of the TV series.
It could be said that the song was tailor-made for her; even a popular singer might not have been able to achieve such an effect.
It was a shame such a good voice remained unknown.
But that was not her concern. Her task now was to lip-sync perfectly, so no flaws would be visible.
She practiced lip-syncing to the girl's singing all night, reaching a point where it was indistinguishable from the real thing.
The next day, the director came to hear her audition.
In the recording studio, Yun Duo'er took a deep breath, then secretly played the recording of the girl singing and began to lip-sync.
As soon as she sang the first line, the director immediately sat up straight, his attention fully engaged.
By the time she finished, he still looked unsatisfied, as if wanting more.
Yun Duo'er quickly turned off the recording and stepped out of the studio, asking, "Director, what do you think of my singing?"
The director smiled with satisfaction, "Excellent, excellent! You've improved tremendously. I knew you, as the lead actress, could convey the song's emotions. We'll use the song you just sang when the TV series premieres."
"Don't you want to record a few more takes?"
"No, what you just sang is already very good. But why did you suddenly sing so well today?" the director asked, puzzled.
Yun Duo'er replied without batting an eye, "My condition wasn't good yesterday, so it always felt a little off.
Today, I adjusted my mindset, and that's why I improved so much."
"This isn't just a little improvement; it's like leaping from elementary school directly to university." Although the director wasn't a music major, he had some exposure to it.
He had heard countless songs and could tell good music when he heard it.
"Thank you for your praise, Director. I will continue to work hard," Yun Duo'er said, giving a thumbs-up gesture.
"Alright, the song is settled then. I'll go attend to other matters."
After seeing the director off, Yun Duo'er curiously asked her manager how he managed to get the eighteen-line singer from yesterday to record the demo for her.
The manager replied mysteriously, "I told her I had a song that was perfect for her and asked her to try singing it, promising to promote her afterwards.
The girl probably wanted to become famous badly, so she sang without any suspicion. While she was singing, I secretly recorded it."
Yun Duo'er immediately gave him a thumbs-up, "Brilliant!"
But then she suddenly became worried, "What if she comes looking for me later if this song becomes popular?"
"You don't need to worry about that. After she sang it yesterday, I took back the sheet music.
The only people who have come into contact with this song are the lyricist and composer Chu Ge, the director, and myself. She has no way to prove she knew this song, and therefore no evidence to prove it was her singing.
Even if she sings something highly similar in the future, people will only think she's trying to ride on your fame and imitate your voice. She'll be the one getting flamed," the manager explained.
"But what if someone asks me to sing it live to prove my innocence?" Yun Duo'er asked, still uneasy.
"There are no 'what ifs.' By then, you'll be famous.
In the entertainment industry, fame equals capability. You just need to grit your teeth and say you sang it, and the company will handle the rest," the manager said.
Yun Duo'er nodded. Indeed, once she became famous and brought value to the company, even if they knew she lip-synced, they would find ways to protect her.
Some companies even allowed their artists to openly lip-sync for the sake of publicity, so she had even less to worry about.
"By the way, have you chosen a variety show from the ones I gave you?" the manager asked.
He had given Yun Duo'er three show proposals: one was filming celebrities' daily lives and playing games; another was forming teams with celebrities from different companies for an adventure program; the last one was participating in a singing competition called "Who is the Singer," which had the highest exposure and was the most anticipated.
Yun Duo'er thought for a moment and said, "I want to participate in 'Who is the Singer'."
Her idea perfectly matched her manager's.