Chapter 10: Overwhelmed with Gratitude

"Good morning, Zhang Shaohan."

"Good morning, Mr. Lu."

Taiwan, Formosa Records, singer training class.

Taking advantage of the holiday break, Zhang Shaohan, who had returned from Canada to Taiwan to undergo singer training, flashed a sweet smile at her training instructor.

A year ago, she was just an ordinary Chinese-Canadian student; because she participated in the "Central Broadcasting Star Pop Competition" and won first place in the Canadian region, she was invited to Taiwan to compete in the finals.

In the finals, she was spotted by judge Lin Longxuan, signed a contract with him, became his student, and thus joined Formosa Records.

Because she still had unfinished studies, Zhang Shaohan could only fly to Taiwan to receive singer-related training whenever she had time. During the training period, she earned no income, so she had to work at a clothing store to subsidize her living expenses.

Days passed like this, one by one, and she had grown accustomed to it.

She thought today would be another normal day of morning theory, afternoon singing practice, and evening part-time work, but she never expected that as soon as she entered the company, her true teacher, Lin Longxuan, called her into his office—

"Teacher, you wanted to see me?"

Eighteen-year-old Zhang Shaohan pushed open the office door, looked at the man sitting in the leather chair who seemed to be reviewing some documents, and curiously asked.

"Mm, Shaohan, you've arrived just in time. Recently, you won't need to practice singing for now; someone has extended an invitation to me, inviting you to help record a song.

"You can accept; regardless of whether the recording is successful in the end, you will receive a payment. If you are finally selected, the compensation Warner gives is quite substantial, enough to support you for quite some time without needing to work part-time."

"Someone invited me to record a song? Who is it?"

Hearing this, Zhang Shaohan immediately became curious and reached out to take the envelope her teacher handed her.

She wasn't some singer who had already released an album—no, to be precise, she couldn't even be called a singer yet.

"A newcomer from Warner, a singer named Zhou Yi. It's said he wrote the song himself and specifically requested you..."

Zhou Yi...?

Listening to her teacher's introduction, Zhang Shaohan, having opened the envelope, tried hard to recall if anyone she had recently met was named Zhou Yi; the answer was no.

And upon hearing that this Zhou Yi was from the mainland, Zhang Shaohan's expression became even more strange.

The mainland?

Could it be a relative of her mother's from the mainland?

"Relative? Who is related to her?"

Warner Records, the lounge area outside the recording studio.

Having given the lyrics and melody sheet of "Happy Worship" to Li Saisong, Zhou Yi, who had tried singing it a few times himself and was now sitting in the lounge waiting for Zhang Shaohan to arrive, couldn't help but turn his head in surprise.

Sun Yanzi, who had changed into a green T-shirt, sat to his front-left, holding a cup of warm water; hearing this, she couldn't help but ask curiously, "Then why did you specifically request that Miss Zhang to come? She isn't even a singer."

"I have a senior who went to Canada; I have a good relationship with him, and he showed me a competition video tape he bought over there. It was a singing competition, and the first-place winner was that Zhang Shaohan.

"I know she is the one my senior told me about; my senior really likes listening to her sing."

Zhou Yi was already used to making up friends out of thin air. Moreover, no one could prove he was lying; at most, people would just think it was a coincidence.

After all, Zhang Shaohan did indeed emerge in Canada just like that.

As for how he knew Zhang Shaohan was at Formosa Records, that was even simpler: it was because Lin Longxuan, who expressed willingness to take her as a student during that competition.

"Is that so? No wonder."

Sun Yanzi nodded in understanding.

At this moment, the Peking University sign on Zhou Yi's back made his explanation extremely credible; after all, in this day and age, it was quite normal for excellent students from Peking University to go abroad.

Sun Yanzi, who was also studying at a prestigious university in Singapore, easily understood everything.

However, thinking of the two songs she and her junior brother had sung together last night, Sun Yanzi felt a bit itchy inside.

Although her songwriting ability wasn't top-tier, her music appreciation skills were definitely on point.

Whether it was "Must Love" or "Happy Worship," she could see the excellence and infectiousness hidden behind the melodies.

Moreover, if "Must Love" was just love and affection in the traditional sense, then the lyrics of "Happy Worship" fit the era that had just stepped into the new millennium perfectly.

As a singer, encountering a good song naturally made her itch.

But unfortunately, during the joyful duet last night, she had already realized the shortcomings of her own timbre in the song "Happy Worship" that was to be recorded today—

Not sharp enough.

Just as Zhou Yi said, the female vocal part of this song had an extremely important coloring function, requiring a "sharp" voice that could deliver a huge impact in a short time.

She couldn't do that.

Her timbre was also very distinctive; healing, full, soft, and high-pitched, all mixed together, further supplemented by unique enunciation and singing style to construct a distinct sense of storytelling within her voice.

But precisely because of this, her high-pitched timbre lacked a bit of that "sharpness" capable of piercing others' eardrums in an instant.

Especially when compared to a timbre rogue like Zhang Shaohan.

This was also why, after the pleasant duet last night, Zhou Yi ultimately chose to find Zhang Shaohan to sing "Happy Worship."

As for the song "Must Love," Sun Yanzi did indeed have a unique flavor when she sang a duet with him last night. But considering Zhang Shaohan's rogue timbre, he hadn't yet decided at this moment who he should sing with.

Let's finish recording "Happy Worship" first.

Sun Yanzi, sitting nearby, held a bit of curiosity toward the Zhang Shaohan Zhou Yi mentioned, whom she had never met.

About twenty minutes later, someone knocked on the lounge door—

Zhang Shaohan, who had arrived at the Warner Records building along with someone from Formosa Records, stood at the door, blinking her big eyes to look into the lounge, and her gaze immediately fell on Zhou Yi.

The company staff had shown him the photos provided by Warner; this was the person who had invited her to come sing.

"Hello, my name is Zhang Shaohan, I am eighteen years old."

Not knowing who Sun Yanzi, sitting nearby, was, Zhang Shaohan simply treated her as a Warner executive and adopted a very humble posture.

"Hello, my name is Zhou Yi. This is my senior sister, Sun Yanzi, here to help with the recording."

Hearing Zhang Shaohan's voice for the first time, Zhou Yi could only secretly sigh in his heart that she was indeed a timbre rogue; her voice was truly crystal clear.

"Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Mr. Zhou."

Having clarified Sun Yanzi's identity, Zhang Shaohan understood and subsequently expressed her gratitude to Zhou Yi in private.

Her gratitude came from the depths of her heart.

Although she did not know why this man knew her, this invitation had indeed helped her greatly.

There was no choice; her family was poor. If she really could be selected, the remuneration Warner offered would truly be enough to sustain her comfortably for quite a while.

Zhang Shaohan, secretly cheering herself on, wore an expression full of firm determination to secure it.