Chapter 46: Midnight Singing?

"Life has separated us onto two paths..."

"One follows a trajectory long since destined, living silently and dying silently, with an end visible at a glance..."

"The other, from barren land, grows step by step, facing the scorching sun and the wild wind, blooming into brilliant petals..."

"We cannot choose our past, but we can choose our future..."

"..."

On a park bench.

Crowds flowed back and forth in a bustling stream.

Zhang Jiali silently watched the three songs; the names of these three songs were "Nine Daughters", "The Opera Stage", and one unknown song with only sheet music and lyrics...

A gust of wind blew, and she looked up at Zhou Yang.

When the sunlight dyed the white pagoda a pale gold, Zhou Yang leaned against the carved iron railing, his left hand loosely holding the suit jacket he had taken off.

Camphor tree needles rustled down, brushing against his crisp shirt and creating fine ripples on the lake surface...

Zhou Yang's gaze was gentle and sincere, but deep within his profound eyes, it seemed a hot flame was burning.

"But, I, my education is very low, I don't know how to perform, I... I..."

The sparks emitted by that flame ignited something deep within Zhang Jiali's heart, lighting up a beam of light that briefly let her imagine the future.

But shortly after, that flame gradually extinguished, and she silently lowered her head.

Since childhood, she had lived in a position of sacrifice within an unvalued family, always cautious, living humbly.

No matter what she did or said, she had never received anyone's approval; she had already grown accustomed to secretly watching the distant sunlight from a dark corner.

"Every singer starts from babbling..."

"Every running champion starts with a tentative, stumbling step..."

"In this world, education is important, and good schools are also important..."

"But, compared to these, a person who keeps learning is what matters!"

"..."

"As long as you are willing to learn!"

"As long as you are willing to try the second possibility in your life..."

"As long as you still remember your dream and have never given up!"

"As long as you are willing to believe in me!"

"Then, anything is possible!"

"I give you half a day to consider; this is my contact information. If you have ideas, contact me anytime..."

"..."

Zhang Jiali, who had her head down, raised it again.

She saw Zhou Yang reveal a smile, pat her shoulder, and look at her with the gentlest and most sincere gaze.

In a trance, Zhou Yang's figure shone brilliantly under the sunlight, making her unable to open her eyes for a moment.

Then, she saw Zhou Yang turn around and silently walk toward the distance.

Just as he was about to disappear from sight, Zhang Jiali subconsciously stood up from the bench and chased after Zhou Yang.

"President Zhou, I, I... can I really do it?"

Zhou Yang stopped.

He turned his head.

His gaze was serious as he stared at her.

"Remember, you, can!"

She trembled slightly!

For some reason, her nose felt sour.

"Okay, then I, I'll work with you!"

"..."

Recording studio.

So silent it made one's heart panic.

Shen Hu sang "Nine Daughters" with a heart-wrenching voice.

Lonely, empty, and eerie melodies, following Shen Hu's voice, circled around Zhang Jiali's ears.

Hearing such explosive music for the first time, Zhang Jiali immediately felt her scalp go numb.

The recording studio staff were also left dumbfounded.

They had never recorded music of such "style" before.

The song ended.

Shen Hu walked out of the recording room; his emotions were extremely excited, and looking at the shocked Zhang Jiali, he could not hide his pride on his face.

"This song 'Nine Daughters' was created by me in the rain..."

"This song represents the fanaticism and faith in dreams, and even more so, the unyielding spirit against fate..."

"When you record the song, you must use your voice to sing out that emotion..."

"..."

"Also, the song 'The Opera Stage' I just sang for you was also written in the rain..."

"In this world, there are many people who long to step onto the stage..."

"But the 'stars' who can truly stand on the stage, be seen by people, and harvest applause and flowers are forever few and far between..."

"This song is about the longing to step onto a grand stage; you must sing with that sense of longing..."

"..."

"The third song, I believe President Zhou has told you, was created by me while I was in bed, in a state of extreme weakness..."

"When you sing, you must convey that sense of struggle: even as you burn your life, even as you fall again and again, you keep getting back up..."

"Let's name this song 'Hunger'!"

"..."

Shen Hu looked at Zhang Jiali.

He feared this young girl, who had come to the profession late and had no prior performance experience, would not understand the meaning in his songs.

So he repeatedly emphasized the emotions and original intentions behind his creation of these songs.

Zhang Jiali looked at the lyrics as if half-understanding, then looked at Shen Hu.

Finally, her gaze turned to Zhou Yang.

A smile appeared on Zhou Yang's face: "Don't feel any psychological burden! Just give it a try, like you're singing in the bathroom..."

"I..."

"Give it a try, it's fine..."

"Alright then!"

Seeing Zhou Yang's increasingly serious expression, Zhang Jiali nodded; then, under Zhou Yang's gaze, she took a deep breath and walked into the recording studio.

After the recording room door closed, he looked at the staff outside the studio and Zhou Yang...

After seeing them nod at him.

She closed her eyes.

Then, as if singing in a bathroom, she began to sing that song, "Nine Daughters."

Only...

The song ended!

When she walked out, she saw Shen Hu's face looking somewhat grim.

"'Nine Daughters' requires that feeling of loneliness; you didn't sing that feeling. Let me demonstrate it for you; this part should be sung like this, like this..."

"..."

Shen Hu kept emphasizing the singing technique and demonstrated it once for Zhang Jiali.

Zhang Jiali nodded, her face flushed as she walked back into the recording studio and sang another take...

But after finishing this take...

Shen Hu's expression grew increasingly off.

"It's not that singing technique; it's that loneliness, extreme loneliness; loneliness is a feeling..."

"You must feel it properly before you can sing well..."

"..."

Evening.

The sun set.

At the entrance of the recording studio.

Shen Hu, carrying his guitar, walked out in an extremely foul mood.

"President Zhou, no matter how she sings, I feel it's wrong... President Zhou, why don't we change to someone else?"

"Hu-zi, go rest first."

"But, she, look at her, she sings with absolutely no feeling; it's like a typewriter reciting characters, just like a funeral procession..."

"Hu-zi, go rest first; leave her to me, I'll talk to her slowly..."

"Alright then, President Zhou, I'll go sleep for a while; listening to her sing is simply a disaster..."

"Good."

Shen Hu, carrying his guitar, finally left the recording studio.

Behind...

Zhang Jiali huddled in the corner of the steps, her eyes red-rimmed, constantly wiping away tears.

Her spirit had been tortured into complete collapse.

"President Zhou, I... I'm sorry, I, I..."

"I was singing very seriously; maybe... I, I should just give up; I can't do it, I probably, really can't..."

"I can't sing such professional songs..."

"President Zhou, I really can't find the feeling; I feel that no matter how I sing, it's wrong..."

"President Zhou, maybe I should just do some manual labor in the film crew... I won't sing anymore, I..."

"..."

When she saw Zhou Yang walking over...

Zhang Jiali looked up at Zhou Yang, and her tears flowed even more heavily.

But she saw that Zhou Yang had no intention of blaming her; instead, he sat down beside her.

"What do you feel about these three songs?"

"I, I... I don't know, I... President Zhou, I really have no talent, no gift; maybe, I..."

"Say whatever you want to say... it's fine, tell me your thoughts..."

"I..." Looking at Zhou Yang's serious expression, she said with a sobbing voice: "The more I sing, the more I feel like I'm conducting a funeral; I truly cannot enter that feeling of loneliness, of pursuing dreams... and the more I sing, the more afraid I become..."

"Your feeling is right."

"Huh?"

"Also, I remember, your opera-style singing isn't bad, right? Don't sing in Mandarin—use the opera style…"

"My opera style isn't standard, I…"

"That's exactly why we need your non-standard opera style!"

"???"

"Also, let's go eat first, and after eating, get some proper rest. I've contacted the staff here—we'll come record the song in the middle of the night…"

"Huh?"