Chapter 173: A Scratch, Just a Scratch

"What's wrong?"

Sun Yanzi, noticing Zhou Yi's strange expression, leaned over, her gaze falling on the sheet music introduction in his hand: "Lin... Junjie, from Ocean Butterflies?"

Because she wasn't very familiar with Traditional Chinese, Sun Yanzi instinctively squinted her eyes, studied it for a moment, and then understood the full content at the top: "Do you know him?"

"No, but this song is okay."

Zhou Yi, sitting in the chair, raised his hand and directly pushed the back of the woman's head away from his line of sight, then casually tossed the sheet music onto her seat and slid the demo tape toward her.

Sun Yanzi, having been pushed away, smoothed her short hair which had been pushed into some disarray, and rolled her eyes at the man: "You've only glanced at it a few times and say it's okay? I suspect you're trying to mess with me."

"Then don't take it. Don't forget that Zhang Huimei and Na Ying are both looking for songs at the company right now. With the quality of this piece, even if you don't buy it, one of them two will definitely buy it."

Zhou Yi grinned, looking harmless.

Sun Yanzi, scratching her head, half-believed and half-doubted, and finally calmed herself down to evaluate the song...

It seemed, indeed, it was okay?

Sun Yanzi, instinctively humming the melody, tapped the rhythm with her right hand, ran through it simply, and then smiled: "It really is good. The melody fits my vocal habits perfectly; this must have been written for me."

This wasn't her being narcissistic; since becoming famous, Warner had often received a huge pile of demos claiming to be specially created for her.

What she had to do was select from the demos that had already been screened through several rounds those she thought were acceptable for a trial recording; if there were no lyrics, she would have to write them first.

Of course, if it were a top-tier musician, it wouldn't be so troublesome; a typical example was her teacher, Li Caishong.

The title track of her third album, "Kite," titled "Kite," was still composed first by Li Caishong, who then found Yi Jiayang, told him the song title and concept, and asked him to write the lyrics.

"Nonsense. If this melody weren't good, it wouldn't have reached your desk; it would have been screened out long ago."

Zhou Yi, knowing that the song "Remember" was specifically crafted by Lin Junjie to suit Sun Yanzi's vocal range, continued flipping through other demos, looking for any he found somewhat familiar or recognizable by ear.

Warner was very strict about song selection for albums of popular singers; anything not up to standard would not be sent to the song library for Sun Yanzi to choose from.

"The song is called 'Remember'? I've never heard of this Lin Junjie before. He sounds very young."

Sun Yanzi, hailing from Singapore, knew Ocean Butterflies very well. Rubbing her chin and thinking for a moment, she said: "Forget it, never mind. I'll take this song. Do you have time to write the lyrics?"

Thanks to Zhou Yi's impressive record of handling everything himself since his debut, Sun Yanzi instinctively asked him that question.

Zhou Yi shrugged: "If you insist on giving me money, I have no choice but to reluctantly accept it."

In the Chinese music scene, which also places great emphasis on lyrical atmosphere, lyrics and melody often complement each other.

The most typical example is this song, "Remember."

Without him, after being filled with lyrics by Yi Jiayang, a top lyricist in the Chinese music scene, this song, originally intended for Sun Yanzi, ended up becoming one of Zhang Huimei's representative works.

Lin Junjie later debuted at Ocean Butterflies, used the same melody and asked someone else to write the lyrics, but the result didn't make much of a splash.

The difference between the two lay in Yi Jiayang's lyrics.

This is also the point most criticized about Wang Lihong, Lin Junjie, and even Tao Zhe: their lyrics are hard to judge. Even during their respective peaks, the quality of their lyrics varied too greatly.

The wonderful chemistry between Milk Tea Zhou and Fang Wenshan during their peaks is truly rare in the 21st-century music scene.

"It's not me giving you money; it's the company giving you money."

Sun Yanzi playfully punched the man in the arm and reminded him: "The style for this song's lyrics should just be about a breakup romance. The concept songs for the album have already been handled by Teacher Li Caishong and Teacher Li Weisong."

"Leave it to me."

Zhou Yi made an OK gesture.

The lyrics version by Yi Jiayang was written for Sun Yanzi, so copying them over was no difficulty for him.

If the timing hadn't been missed, the song "Not Really Loving Me" on Sun Yanzi's "Kite" album should actually have been replaced by this song, "Remember."

"Hey, by the way, Zhou Yi, do you think we should add a scene of flying a kite when we shoot the MV for 'Summer Blown by the Wind'? That way it can also echo the title track of my album, 'Kite'..."

Two hours later, Ocean Butterflies Building.

"JJ, good news!"

The man, who had been burying his head in thought about what to eat for lunch, suddenly heard someone calling his name, immediately looked up: "What?"

"Your song was accepted by Warner, and it was Sun Yanzi who took it."

—?!

The young man called JJ jumped up from his chair, his expression suddenly becoming excited: "Really?"

"What's there to fake? The company should transfer the money to your account after the meeting. I heard that Zhou Yi picked your song out for Sun Yanzi while helping her select songs."

The person coming to deliver this good news also playfully punched Lin Junjie in the chest: "You kid really hit the jackpot. Zhou Yi helped Sun Yanzi pick your melody, so he will definitely write the lyrics."

Everyone in the entertainment industry knows that Zhou Yi is famous for handling everything in one go, and his relationship with Sun Yanzi is not just good; this helping with the lyrics is as certain as nails in a board.

If someone else wrote the lyrics, there might still be a chance it wouldn't be popular. But with Zhou Yi... every song he has created since his debut has never failed; even the most obscure songs in an album possess a certain degree of popularity.

Lin Junjie, who was equally clear on this point, had his face flushed red with excitement.

"Not only that, I heard from a friend at Warner that Zhou Yi seems to have high hopes for you..."

"..."

Hearing this, Lin Junjie felt his nose sting a bit.

Heaven knows how much pressure he had shouldered over these years to gain recognition in music, and how much he had given up.

As a rookie music creator who had only entered the industry two years ago, he had encountered many setbacks before this, to the point where he even doubted whether he should just go back to Singapore and settle down.

As a leading figure in the industry today, Zhou Yi's affirmation was undoubtedly a shot in the arm for Lin Junjie.

Soon, someone within Ocean Butterflies contacted him.

The Lin Junjie being taken away even met his older brother, who possessed a "legendary" experience, Du Chengyi, on the way to the general manager's office.

…………………………………

Afternoon, Capital City, a certain garden square.

The MV filming site for "Summer Blown by the Wind."

Sun Yanzi, who had rarely changed into a student outfit, looked at Zhou Yi riding a bicycle with his hands behind his back, her eyes full of curiosity: "How did you do that?"

"Want to learn?"

Having shown off for a while, Zhou Mo executed a dragon-swing tail maneuver, bringing the bicycle to a stable stop before Sun Yanzi, and raised an eyebrow at her with a smug look: "Want me to teach you?"

"If you don't control the handlebars, won't it fall over?" Although there was a hint of eagerness in her expression, Sun Yanzi was still somewhat afraid.

"It's very simple. Come up and try?"

"..."

Still skeptical, but swayed by Zhou Yi's coaxing and trickery, Sun Yanzi glanced back at the director's crew, who hadn't officially started filming yet, and finally couldn't resist her curiosity. She gritted her teeth and stamped her foot: "Is it really that simple? Don't lie to me."

The smile on Zhou Yi's face instantly brightened: "Why would I lie to you? I never lie. If I lie, I'm a puppy, okay."

"..."

Three minutes later, under Zhou Yi's coaxing while he held the bicycle, Sun Yanzi, with her hands released from the handlebars, already felt she had mastered it. The next second, however, Zhou Yi's voice, which could only be described as demonic, whispered in her ear: "Your turn now. I'm not moving."

—?!

Instantly feeling the bicycle about to lose balance, Sun Yanzi frantically began to make corrections—

"Ahhh!!!! Zhou Yi, Zhou Yi, Zhou Yi!!!"

"Woof!"

Sun Yanzi: "?"

I'll kill you!

Having almost face-planted, Sun Yanzi turned around immediately once she was stable. Seeing that Zhou Yi was actually holding a DV camera filming her, she instantly let out a low roar of anger and embarrassment: "Zhou Yi! Delete it for me!!"

"Bye-bye~"

"Bye your head! If you're a man, don't run!"

Sun Yanzi, having propped up the bicycle, got off and chased after him, but Zhou Yi simply stood still, holding the DV high above his head with his right hand, letting her jump and stomp in vain as she couldn't reach it...

"I'm not running."

Zhou Yi even winked at her provocatively.

Then, he felt Sun Yanzi's hands press directly onto the kidney areas on both sides of his abdomen—ten fingers scratching wildly!

Huh?

Damn it!

A female hooligan?!

PS: Working overtime tonight, just this one update.

Tomorrow is the weekend holiday, four updates~

(End of this chapter)