Chapter 125: Vocal Resonance Practice, Gu Cheng's Girl Group Choreography, and Disruption from a Teammate

Gu Cheng went to the self-service cafeteria first.

Jin Li and Gong Jiajia were still eating there, chatting with a relaxed atmosphere.

"Jin Li!" Gu Cheng called out, gently tapping her shoulder.

Without turning her head, Jin Li raised her hand to pat away his hand on her shoulder, as if saying: Stop messing around.

The corners of Gu Cheng's mouth lifted silently; he moved his hand away, placed it on the back of her chair instead, and sat down beside her.

On the table in front of him sat a meal that had been served in advance, still warm.

Gu Cheng glanced at it; everything was what he usually ate, clearly prepared for him by Jin Li.

He didn't go to get any other food and began eating the meal before him.

Beside him, Jin Li and Gong Jiajia discussed issues of raising and lowering pitch in the song, as well as handling certain details.

After all, "Little Star Wish" was a song for Pink Girl Group, and Jin Li remembered every detail clearly.

What Gong Jiajia needed to grasp were the details: articulation and the pitch accuracy of enunciation.

Jin Li emphasized specifically: "Resonance in the throat cavity and head cavity is very important; it will make the voice more penetrating."

"This song relies entirely on an ethereal voice to create a misty feeling, whereas your voice leans toward the mid-to-low register and is thick; you need to strengthen your special training in this aspect."

Vocal resonance requires long-term practice; the song "Little Star Wish" was not highly compatible with Gong Jiajia's vocal characteristics.

All she could do temporarily over these few days was refine the details to hold the quality of a live performance.

Even if their characteristics were ill-suited, as a professional singer, one should not be unable to endure even a song lasting three or four minutes.

By choosing this song for the finals, Gong Jiajia had essentially placed all her bets on Jin Li.

There was no help for it; Jin Li's voice and Gong Jiajia's vocal characteristics were simply too different.

Jin Li's voice was sweet, soft, and light, lacking any thickness; she could barely reach the high register for a short while, and her technique was insufficient due to lack of practice.

If she forced herself to sustain high notes, she would only lose pitch accuracy and commit serious errors.

Gong Jiajia excelled in the mid-register with a solid voice; she could hit high notes, and her endurance could be supported by technique.

For the two to sing a duet, compromises had to be made.

Either Jin Li adapted to Gong Jiajia, or Gong Jiajia adapted to Jin Li.

The reality was that Gong Jiajia could sing Jin Li's songs, but Jin Li might not be able to sing Gong Jiajia's.

After finishing his meal, Gu Cheng joined the discussion: "Have you never considered adding choreography?"

Gong Jiajia dared not speak; she was currently in a state of extreme nervousness.

Aaaaaah, that was Gu Cheng!

Gu Cheng, the aloof god of March Sky, hailed by fans as the idol with the most youthful vibe.

Although Gu Cheng hadn't acted in dramas, campus cuts related to him consistently ranked high, making him the most frequently appearing god-level figure when various content creators edited campus youth videos!

How were those images produced?

They were all extracted frame by frame from the music videos filmed by March Sky!

Previously, during the recording of "PICK ~ Next Stop Diva," Gong Jiajia, as a trainee, had seen Gu Cheng up close a few times.

But!

Even as a trainee, it was impossible to sit and eat with a mentor, let alone communicate at such close range.

If Sister Jin Li hadn't been there, Gong Jiajia felt she would have lost her composure on the spot.

After Gong Jiajia stabilized her emotions, however, a new problem arose.

Looking at Gu Cheng's sharp, defined profile, and then at Jin Li's sweet and lovely profile—

—Oh no!

With the two of them sitting close together, her little heart couldn't bear it!

Just one of them was already a feast for face-obsessed fans; the shock brought by the two sitting together was nothing short of paradise for them.

Hearing Gu Cheng's words, Jin Li did discuss the matter with him.

"Actually, I have considered whether to add some dance elements."

"The song 'Little Star Wish' is inherently in a girl-group style and requires a complete stage performance; if we only sing without dancing, this song might not beat the others."

Gu Cheng looked into her eyes and asked softly: "So what is your concern?"

Jin Li sighed: "I don't know how to choreograph. I'm afraid that if we invite a teacher now to design the stage and then start practicing, it will be a bit too late."

She turned to look at Gong Jiajia: "Moreover, Jiajia also needs time to gel with the song 'Little Star Wish'."

Seeing Gong Jiajia somewhat distracted, Jin Li called out to her several times: "Jiajia, Jiajia?"

Snapping back from the double assault of beauty from the two of them, Gong Jiajia immediately said: "I'm fine with anything; I'll follow whatever you two decide."

Jin Li then looked back at Gu Cheng, somewhat conflicted.

Gu Cheng thought for a moment: "Since we still need to allocate time for vocal practice, it would be better to simplify the stage choreography. We can perform a simple dance only during the middle section, and use hand gestures for the beginning and end."

"The on-site atmosphere can be enhanced through costumes and lighting effects."

Hearing this, Jin Li felt somewhat tempted.

After today, only four days remained; on the fifth day, they would have to step onto the stage.

Jin Li asked: "Do you think this timeframe is sufficient for arrangements?"

Gu Cheng stated affirmatively: "Absolutely enough. In fact, we wouldn't even need a simple dance; four days are enough to arrange a complete stage performance."

His tone shifted slightly: "However, that applies to a group like March Sky, which is accustomed to high-intensity scheduling. We are used to this level of workload, so four days pose no problem."

"But since you two do not frequently handle such schedules, and your bodies, along with Gong Jiajia's vocal cords, still need training, opting for a simple dance is the best arrangement."

Jin Li pondered for a moment before making a decision: "Then let's do it that way. I feel that singing alone is somewhat thin; if we optimize the stage performance, we'll have a better chance of winning the championship."

Gu Cheng thought for a moment and said: "If you don't mind, I can arrange the simple dance for you."

Jin Li was shocked: "You know how to choreograph?"

Gu Cheng said calmly, "I participated in a dance show before. That program required a newly choreographed stage every half month.

At the time, we felt our communication with the dance instructor wasn't timely enough, and confirming the choreography before rehearsing left too little time, so we simply choreographed while dancing."

Gong Jiajia said excitedly, "I know that show! March Sky delivered several god-tier stages, and your dance was imitated by millions!"

Jin Li asked curiously, "But you choreographed a boy group dance; a girl group dance won't work, right?"

"No, no, no!"

Before Gu Cheng could speak, Gong Jiajia jumped in first: "March Sky's girl group finger dance has the widest reach; several active girl groups have performed this dance, even taking it onto television programs!"

Mentioning this, Gong Jiajia couldn't help but ask, "Teacher Gu Cheng, may I ask if those cover groups paid licensing fees? I've been curious about this issue for too long."

Last year, that program exploded in popularity due to March Sky's stages, sparking nationwide attention, and many groups covered the performances.

If they had just danced casually, it would have been one thing, but several god-level cover performances emerged, pushing online view counts into the tens of millions.

Two or three groups gained a bit of fame specifically by covering March Sky's dances.

At the time, March Sky's fans argued for a long time, claiming those groups that copied and imitated hadn't paid licensing fees.

Although no team ever responded, turning the matter into an unsolved mystery, whenever the internet discusses choreography, this incident always comes up.

Gu Cheng thought for a moment; this wasn't anything shameful, so he said:

"Some teams proactively contacted us offering to pay licensing fees, but Tianding Entertainment refused. Our stages were never registered for any copyright, and charging fees isn't done that way.

Moreover, when the stages suddenly exploded in popularity, many things weren't prepared, and since many groups had already covered them, pursuing the matter afterward would have been futile.

So, for the stages on that variety show, we didn't demand any licensing fees.

If we really wanted to claim copyright, we'd have to haggle with the variety show itself, and the production team would want to get involved too."

Gong Jiajia couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "March Sky is so generous; in my place, I would definitely have charged licensing fees."

Gu Cheng replied, "Then you'd need to tell your agent to prepare and register the copyright in advance; otherwise, you won't have a legitimate reason to charge fees."

The conversation returned to choreography.

Jin Li asked, "Do you have time to choreograph a simple dance?"

She added, "I know we're close, but don't sacrifice your rest time."

Gu Cheng raised an eyebrow: "What, you look down on me?"

Wow, his tone rarely carried such a hint of tsundere pride.

Jin Li shook her head: "No, I just think your schedule is intense, so you should rest more."

Gu Cheng said, "It's fine; it's not like I don't have time to choreograph a simple dance for you. Those choreographers might not have ideas better than mine, and communicating back and forth with them would just waste your time."

He pondered for a moment, "I only need one hour to give you a simple dance routine."

Jin Li didn't believe him in her heart, but on her face, she said, "Really?"

Gu Cheng swore confidently, "After we finish eating, I'll show you a thing or two."

Seeing Jin Li and Gu Cheng discussing again, Gong Jiajia felt deeply moved inside.

What virtue, what ability? What virtue, what ability!

Her stage actually received guidance from Teacher Gu Cheng!

For a moment, she even thought the variety show she was participating in was the hottest competition program in the country.

But in reality, it was just a flop of a show.

Online views had barely broken one million, and it couldn't even get aired on satellite television.

Sometimes, Gong Jiajia doubted whether the advertising sponsors could even recoup their costs on this variety show.

Gong Jiajia listened quietly for a while, then seized a gap to ask, "So what should I do tonight?"

Jin Li thought for a moment: "Practice your singing first; grasp the few details I mentioned today, and don't get distracted by dancing yet."

To put it plainly, she still didn't quite believe Gu Cheng could choreograph a dance within an hour.

Gong Jiajia nodded, and after finishing her meal, automatically hailed a taxi back to the apartment.

She didn't think she could continue staying at Tianding Entertainment.

It was better to let Senior Jin Li and Senior Gu Cheng communicate properly.

Meanwhile, after dinner, Gu Cheng opened a dance studio alone and began choreographing.

Jin Li wanted to go in and watch, but Gu Cheng specifically chased her out.

The reason was—

"I don't like being watched."

Jin Li shrugged. Fine, she would stay in the small recording studio and continue practicing her singing.

She hadn't sung "Little Star Wish" in a long time; she was only singing better than Gong Jiajia based on experience, so she needed to practice frantically these few days.

Just one song could require several days of practice.

If it were a concert, seamlessly connecting so many songs would be a huge test of a performer's stamina and ability.

That's why there's a saying in the industry:

Want to know which singer has a stable live performance?

Just see which singer holds concerts every year.

Those daring to hold annual tour concerts absolutely possess hard-core strength.

Half an hour later.

Chen Lin, Yan Xingdong, and Luo Yi also returned to the company.

Seeing them, Jin Li mentioned that Gu Cheng said he would help her choreograph a dance.

Jin Li asked worriedly, "Shouldn't you go help him?"

Chen Lin was about to walk in, but Yan Xingdong and Luo Yi pulled him back.

Chen Lin was puzzled: "What's wrong? Aren't we going to help Orange?"

Yan Xingdong gave a light cough: "It's just a simple dance; Gu Cheng can handle it. The finger dance by the girl group that went viral last time was also inspired by Gu Cheng."

Luo Yi: "Right, Gu Cheng can solve this on his own."

As they spoke, the two dragged Chen Lin out, bid farewell to Jin Li along the way, and left her to her practice without further disturbance.

They arrived in the corridor outside.

Only then did Yan Xingdong and Luo Yi release Chen Lin.

Chen Lin rubbed his shoulders; honestly, the strength with which those two had held him was truly heavy—it was as if they were trying to drag him to death!

He glanced at the pair and said suspiciously, "From evening until now, I've felt something was off. Could it be that you two are planning to..."

Yan Xingdong and Luo Yi's hearts skipped a beat.

Has this fool finally realized it? Is he about to have an epiphany?

Chen Lin: "Are you planning some kind of team bullying?"

Yan Xingdong and Luo Yi were both rendered speechless.

Chen Lin jumped up, spread his arms, and pressed his hands onto both their shoulders, chattering incessantly: "You can't do this; I need to go help Gu Cheng."

"It's fine; if Big Brother and Second Brother don't love him, there's still me, the little brother, to help him."

"One hour is too tight, but I'm very familiar with choreographing girl group dances anyway."

"Don't my fans all praise me for dancing girl group routines with perfect standard? Although I can't provide much inspiration in terms of creation, I can immediately bring his ideas to life on the spot."

To be fair, while Chen Lin's singing ability was average, his dancing foundation was impeccable.

After all, he had practiced classical dance since childhood, and later transitioning to street dance had been even smoother.

This time, Yan Xingdong and Luo Yi did not stop Chen Lin; they merely sighed as they watched his cheerful retreating figure.

If they tried to stop him again, even a fool would know something was wrong.

Yan Xingdong murmured silently, "I've done my best."

He had done his best to create a solo moment of glory for Gu Cheng.

Luo Yi sighed: "Alas, the enemy is too stubborn."

A backstab from a teammate is the most fatal of all.

Yan Xingdong and Luo Yi exchanged a glance, and Luo Yi asked, "Should we... follow over there and take a look?"

Yan Xingdong fell silent again, then after a long moment, nodded and said, "Let's go!"

Since Chen Lin had already gone over, there was no point in them continuing to hide and conceal things.

Jin Li was unaware of the inner thoughts currently swirling within March Sky at that moment.

But later, she heard Chen Lin say that Gu Cheng attached great importance to this choreography, and that when they went in to help him, Gu Cheng's expression had changed.

There was a sense of being disturbed, of having been offended.

Fortunately, the final result was good.

They had indeed managed to choreograph a simple duet dance suitable for "Little Star Wish" within just one hour.

Time flew by, and in no time, four days later arrived.

The live broadcast of the finals for the competition show featuring Gong Jiajia was about to begin!