Chapter 206

"Su Meng, you said my vocal prowess isn't good enough for the female part of 'Shanhe', so you went and found her?"

"Her vocal prowess... is stronger than mine?"

She had met Bai Xiao Ling before and knew she was a student in the folk music department of Yinyuexue Academy, but... vocal prowess?

Su Meng nodded and said lightly.

"Yes, her vocal prowess is stronger than yours. 'Shanhe' is most suitable for her to sing."

Pfft~~~ Deng Ziqi nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

I'm at least a powerhouse vocalist in the Chinese music scene, and now you're telling me a non-professional singer, a student no less, is stronger than me?

Are you kidding me?

Bai Xiao Ling smiled and said politely.

"Teacher Su is too kind. Teacher Deng is a famous singer—how could I possibly compare?"

"It's just that the style of this song doesn't quite match Teacher Deng's approach, that's all."

Her words were polite, but Deng Ziqi didn't believe a single one of them.

This is Su Meng's very first officially released single. If she weren't suitable, would he have come looking for you?

Could it be that in Su Meng's heart, I'm actually not the best singer?

Unconsciously, a sudden sense of crisis welled up in Deng Ziqi's heart.

Her gaze at Bai Xiao Ling gained a few more shades of scrutiny.

Hmm... she does seem a little better-looking than me.

Hmm... she does seem a little taller than me.

Hmm... her legs do seem a little slimmer than mine.

Hmm... does she seem a little younger than me?

I knew it—I am definitely not the worst one!

Huh? What am I being proud of?

……

In the livestream, the barrage of comments suddenly surged.

"'Shanhe'? Is Su Meng finally going to record 'Shanhe'?"

"

……Waited so long and finally reached today, waited so long and finally made the dream come true—huh? Those two lines sound like lyrics."

"Who is this? Didn't Su Meng say he was looking for a female singer with strong vocal prowess? Who is this?"

"If Su Meng doesn't even think much of Deng Ziqi's vocal prowess, then who is this? Is her vocal prowess that strong?"

"No matter who she is, but... she's really good-looking, and she has such presence!"

"What I want to say is, if Su Meng's fans formed a fan club, what would they call themselves?"

"Let's wait and see if Su Meng's song is worth following."

"Yeah, after all he found an unknown female singer—the quality... isn't easy to guarantee."

……

Although affected by the "funeral hall incident," Liu Huan was after all a professional singer and quickly adjusted his state.

He had prepared thoroughly for this "Heroes' Song."

After only three takes, the recording engineer gave a thumbs-up, clicking his tongue in admiration.

"Boss, that vocal prowess is really strong!"

"If everyone who came here to record were at this level, my workload would be cut at least in half."

Su Meng smiled and said jokingly.

"Teacher Tian, if that were the case, wouldn't your salary also have to be cut in half?"

The recording engineer glared at him and snorted.

"Enough about others—shouldn't it be your turn to record now?"

"You're a fine hand at the suona, but singing is another matter. Still, that's a good thing for me."

"If you sing badly, I can rightfully go to the boss and ask for a raise!"

Su Meng smiled, said nothing, and pulled Bai Xiao Ling into the recording booth.

Deng Ziqi's eyes darted, and she grabbed a pair of headphones and put them on her head.

I want to see just how good this non-professional singer you found really is!

Seeing this, Liu Huan didn't stop her; instead, a hint of pride appeared on his face.

Bai Xiao Ling is my student!

What? You say she's in the folk music department? That doesn't matter!

……

The music began.

Bai Xiao Ling's soaring voice rang out.

"Oh~~~ ohh hehe yiya~~~~"

Hearing that voice, Deng Ziqi's eyes instantly went wide.

That voice—full of texture, simply heavenly!

Although it was only a single vocalization, it instantly lifted the entire song's momentum, a grand and majestic feeling rushing forth.

Amid the vocalization, Su Meng's voice rang out.

"Look at these mountains—Wan Heqianyan, range after range, river after river."

"317, let the river run, stars racing, streams surging, bend into bay after bay…"

Although Deng Ziqi had heard this passage live before, that had only been a cappella.

Now with the music added, Su Meng's rap seemed to instantly rise another level.

Even Deng Ziqi was shocked — was this really that unreliable Su Meng?

Within the rap, Bai Xiao Ling's vocals kept rising up from time to time; the two complemented each other, and the grand, sweeping momentum was rendered with absolute perfection.

"…to the southernmost edge, the azure sea and sky, the dragon soars from the sea, waves churning to the heavens!"

At last, Su Meng finished this rap passage, and Bai Xiao Ling's singing began.

"Brandishing the brush, I paint my Shanhe, a thousand wheels of sword-edge trace these towering peaks!"

"The surging river flows like dragon and serpent beneath my brush — my painting heart unwavering, I paint my Dragon Nation~~~~~"

"Snap!" Deng Ziqi suddenly yanked off her headphones, her face full of disbelief.

Liu Huan, seeing that expression on her, felt immensely pleased in his heart, and said with feigned calm.

"Bai Xiao Ling is my student, still not mature enough."

"Ziqi, what do you think?"

Deng Ziqi was still a bit dazed, and nodded subconsciously.

"Strong! Way too strong!"

"It fuses ethnic singing style and pop singing style, yet doesn't feel the slightest bit jarring."

"The voice is soaring, the breath broad, the power ample, the penetration extremely strong, the timbre bright and full, the momentum like a rainbow… no, wait!"

Deng Ziqi suddenly leapt up, her face full of disbelief.

"With vocal prowess that strong, Su Meng actually didn't feel suppressed at all?"

"The two are evenly matched, complementing each other — it's practically perfect!"

"Su Meng's vocal prowess… is actually this strong?"

When she got to the end, her face was full of disbelief.

Although Bai Xiao Ling's vocal prowess was strong, she was after all from Yinyuexue Academy, so it was barely acceptable.

But what about Su Meng? Isn't he that stone-faced domineering CEO?

Damn it — with vocal prowess this strong, he'd rather get cursed at in the entertainment circle than come to the music scene to be crowned king?

What the hell kind of brain circuit is that?

A masochist?

"No, wait!" Deng Ziqi's expression changed in an instant, she was almost about to cry.

"I was originally planning to use this song to charge at the top of the download chart, but now it looks like… I can only fight for second place?"

……