Chapter 11: Chapter Eleven: Teacher Sun Yanzi

Recording songs is actually a very tedious process, especially in the year 2000, when the industry had not yet fully deteriorated.

In this era, for 99% of singers, the demanding standards of studio albums typically left them all wearing pained expressions by the end.

Sometimes just four or five lines of lyrics would be painstakingly re-recorded over ten times—unquestionably torturous.

To be honest, before officially starting the recording, Zhou Yi had been skeptical about this claim.

He had recorded in Beijing before—not professionally, but even just demos could be considered rough studio recordings by any reasonable standard.

Unfortunately, reality proved him wrong.

Not just wrong—he was wildly wrong.

"This line doesn't feel right, Zhou Yi. Your diction needs to be clearer, the stressed and unstressed syllables more distinct, so the phrasing and rhythm become more pronounced."

"And Zhang Shaohan, your tone is good, but your emotion isn't lively enough. Do you understand? 'Happy Worship' is a cheerful song—both lyrics and melody are bright and joyful."

"You need to make your vocal emotion full and rich while maintaining tone quality, not weak and as if you skipped breakfast…"

In the studio, Li Sisong removed his monitoring headphones and turned to the two approaching him, his endless instructions making Zhou Yi grit his teeth inwardly.

Since Zhang Shaohan arrived this morning, nearly four and a half hours had passed—it was almost 12:30—and they still hadn't finished half a song.

Zhang Shaohan's naturally rough tone is truly a gift from heaven, but unfortunately, she is not yet the fully formed Zhang Shaohan of the future; there's still much to refine.

Zhou Yi's musical knowledge, though not from a formal music academy, made him a clear outsider by the record company's standards, yet his vocal physiology is excellent and his emotion is abundant.

The main reason he's been stopped repeatedly is that mainland China's music training education differs significantly from that of Hong Kong and Taiwan, leaving his diction habits somewhat mismatched.

Add to that a few quirks unique to his outsider background…

Of course, to Li Sisong, this veteran of music, none of these were problems—given time, they could all be fixed.

At this moment, his only thought was: after Sun Yanzi, he had encountered two more uncarved jades.

The only pity was that Zhang Shaohan was already under Fuma Records, unlike Zhou Yi, whose contract was with Warner.

He wanted to find Zhou Jianhui and see if he could try luring Zhang Shaohan away from Fuma.

Standing nearby, Sun Yanzi watched Zhang Shaohan, head bowed, hands awkwardly fidgeting with her jeans, and quickly intervened: "Teacher, it's already this late—let's take a break first, and have lunch."

"Huh? Almost 12:30 already? Alright, then let's stop for now. Young Lady Zhang, think carefully about what I said."

"And Zhou Yi, your vocal technique should be more scientific. Right now your vocal cords are at their peak, so you can afford to be reckless—but once they decline, if your technique isn't scientific, your tone will lose its quality…"

Looking up at the clock and realizing it was mealtime, Li Sisong gave them both directions for improvement before turning to Sun Yanzi: "Stefanie, you're Zhou Yi's senior in vocal technique—help him improve."

Stefanie is Sun Yanzi's English name.

Probably because they're both from Singapore, Li Sisong often switched between her Chinese and English names when addressing her.

Sun Yanzi nodded, understanding: "OK, leave it to me."

After Li Sisong left, Zhou Yi, his scalp numb from the recording torture, collapsed like his bones had been pulled out, slumping into the nearest chair—

Gazing up at the ceiling, his handsome features instantly twisted into a pained mask: "Ugh, I'm so exhausted, why is recording so tiring? I've recorded demos on the mainland before."

"I feel like my throat isn't even mine anymore."

Zhang Shaohan, too preoccupied to complain, apologized humbly: "I'm so sorry, Mr. Zhou. I made too many mistakes—I truly apologize."

Poor children grow up fast; back in Canada, most of her family's appliances were won by her from singing competitions, leading her to believe her singing ability was exceptional.

Only after arriving in Taiwan did she realize she'd been a frog in a well.

After studying so long at Fuma, she'd harbored some resentment over their refusal to release her album—but after today's recording, she truly understood she might, perhaps, possibly, not yet meet the standard for debut.

"No, no need to apologize. I'm not a monster. If you sing badly, just sing again. Besides, your tone is truly excellent."

Zhou Yi lazily waved his hand, his casual tone carrying no hint of blame, which eased Zhang Shaohan's tension.

She genuinely feared this talented composer might get angry and cut off her chance to take this job.

After all, she needed money.

"Zhou Yi's right, Young Lady Zhang. Your tone suits this song perfectly. As for problems—every beginner has them. Nothing serious."

Sun Yanzi, leaning against the desk corner, smiled reassuringly: "When I first entered the studio, I was scolded even worse than you—I nearly cried."

"Really?"

Curious, Zhou Yi turned his head back: "Did you end up crying?"

Sun Yanzi gave him a strange look: "Is that the point?"

"For me, it is. I can't imagine you crying from being scolded."

"You won't see me cry—but you might see yourself crying from my scolding." Sun Yanzi raised an eyebrow, sensing gossip: "Don't forget, Li Sisong asked me to correct your vocal technique."

"Is that so? Then I'll look forward to it, Teacher Sun Yanzi." Zhou Yi smiled, unfazed: "Now let's go eat."

The unnoticed Zhang Shaohan, unable to join the conversation, quickly jumped in to assert her presence: "Uh, Mr. Zhou, Miss Sun, let me treat you to lunch today—I want to apologize for my terrible performance this morning."

Even though her wallet was tight, this wasn't the time to be stingy.

Zhou Yi glanced at Sun Yanzi; they exchanged a smile. He rose from his chair, stretched comfortably, and waved dismissively: "Since you're so insistent on apologizing, wait until you become a big star and have money—then treat me to dinner. This one's on hold."

Zhang Shaohan blinked in surprise: "What?"

"I believe in you. You have serious star potential—so let's defer this meal."

Knowing Zhang Shaohan's financial situation, Zhou Yi didn't expose her hardship but brushed it off playfully: "Besides, Miss Sun Yanzi is becoming my teacher—this meal counts as my apprenticeship initiation dinner. You can be the witness."