Chapter 134: Strange Song

For the past few days, Sun Yi has been suffering from insomnia every night.

At first, he really just wanted to use his status as a university junior to shamelessly ask Luo Mo for a song.

This kind of thing is very common in the entertainment industry, much like an actor meeting a director and hoping the director might use them in the future.

Under normal circumstances, the situation wouldn't be too awkward; a few polite remarks would suffice to gloss over it: "If there's an opportunity, of course, no problem."

But if one is applying to join the studio, that is a different matter.

However, Sun Yi was truly not acting on impulse; he had given it deep consideration.

As mentioned before, this Newcomer King had been burned by his former company; once bitten by a snake, one is afraid of a rope for ten years, so he still hasn't signed with a new company to this day.

His current situation is awkward; even if he signed with a new company, he would likely have to endure and wait for an opportunity.

Most importantly, he and his former company had a rather unpleasant falling out.

Many companies do not like this type of star; for instance, Wang Shisong of Pineapple detests people like Sun Yi the most.

After listening to Luo Mo's song medley, Sun Yi was deeply moved and thought about sparing no cost to request a song.

He felt that every song in that medley could potentially be a masterpiece.

It wasn't until a few days ago that he heard new news—Luo Mo had been appointed as the Music Director of Xinyu!

Once this news broke, it caused a massive earthquake in the music scene.

How can there be a 24-year-old Music Director in this world!?

This caused Sun Yi's line of thinking to change instantly.

"Luo Mo himself is overflowing with talent, and from his performance during his previous song promotions, it's clear that his repertoire is not lacking in songs at all; he even has more than he can use for the time being!"

"At the same time, he is now the Music Director of Xinyu, controlling the overall musical direction of Xinyu, with fewer people standing over him to point fingers."

"Most importantly, the studio is a startup!"

"Joining now means being a founding member!"

I admit, there is an element of gambling in this.

But I feel I can take a gamble.

Going to other companies doesn't guarantee being valued. Although large companies have many resources, the competition is also fierce. Having been Xuezang for many years, he is a bit out of touch with the rhythm of the times.

Luo Mo Studio is different; currently, it has only signed Tong Shu and Li Junyi.

Sun Yi's personal style does not conflict with theirs.

He feels that if he joins now, he will inevitably be given important responsibilities.

And Luo Mo himself, while producing the album for Tong Shu, also revealed his terrifying strength as a producer.

Honestly, Sun Yi also knows that if the news of him wanting to sign with Luo Mo Studio gets out, he will be laughed at.

A once-glorious Newcomer King, now going to the studio of a newcomer who just debuted, to be ranked alongside Tong Shu and Li Junyi.

In "Creating Idols," these two were mocked by anti-fans—one as Luo Mo's dishwasher, the other as a choreographer with no presence.

Mixing in there, there would be nowhere to save face.

That's how it is in the entertainment industry; the more people go downhill, the more they care about their former status.

Because if you lose all of that, you really have nothing left.

The most interesting part is that you and Luo Mo are still on the same variety show, and as you record, you go from being a competitor on the same stage to being someone under his command?

Luo Mo transforms from your competitor into your boss.

How ridiculous!

Not to mention that you did it voluntarily; even if Luo Mo had invited you and you went eagerly, you would still be laughed at.

I, Sun Yi, am just being shameless now; I am doing this to gamble, to gamble for a chance to get ahead!

Due to his different circumstances, making this decision required immense courage.

It is precisely because of this that Luo Mo was stunned for a moment after hearing his words.

"Hiss—this senior, you don't play by the rules," Luo Mo thought to himself.

This was his first time encountering someone who, while competing on the same stage, used the tactic: 【If you can't beat them, join them】.

………

………

Signing a contract is not something that can be finished in a few sentences.

The two only discussed their preliminary intentions in the lounge; next, Luo Mo will have the person in charge of contracts at the studio coordinate with Sun Yi.

But he told Sun Yi very straightforwardly: "Senior, our studio currently does not have tiered contracts."

In other words, if you want to come, your contract will be identical to Tong Shu's and Li Junyi's; it is at the same level.

This includes the fact that if Luo Mo writes songs for Jiang Ningxi and the others now, their share is also very low; a fixed percentage will be deducted and then saved by Luo Mo.

This is set in stone.

Sun Yi hesitated for a moment; Luo Mo clearly saw a slight twitch in the muscles around his nose and face, then he nodded forcefully and said, "No problem."

Asking himself, from Luo Mo's perspective, Sun Yi is indeed a Singer worth cultivating.

His Singing ability is absolutely top-tier, otherwise Ke Ming wouldn't have thought highly of him and given him a chance.

Judging by his current attitude, his character is not bad either. After all, he doesn't have a god's-eye Perspective; he is truly gambling nervously.

Most importantly, his vocal timbre, singing method, and breathy voice all have very distinct personal characteristics, very similar to a certain small-eyed Singer from Earth, carrying a hint of laziness.

When sending Sun Yi out of the lounge, Luo Mo only said: "Senior, I hope you have a good performance in this round of 'King of Love Songs'."

Sun Yi nodded, his footsteps heavy as he left.

He is also very clear that his biggest trump card right now is actually having the qualification to compete in "King of Love Songs."

If he is eliminated in this round, then his greatest exposure will be lost.

In that case, he will appear even less valuable, and his situation will be even more awkward.

At the same time, even if Luo Mo had the power to turn the tide and a library of countless good songs to choose from, it would be too late for this round.

Everything depends on tomorrow.

After Sun Yi left, the program staff came to knock on the door, signaling that it was time for rehearsals.

Luo Mo nodded and went to the venue to rehearse once.

General Director Ke Ming came to the venue specifically to get a feel for it, and was then stunned by the song.

This made him instantly excited.

"It's obvious, the genius of lyrics and composition is really going to unleash his power this time!" Ke Ming thought to himself.

The next day, while others participated in the recording with assistants, accompanying agents, and the like, only Luo Mo brought two beauties to the recording site.

Jiang Ningxi and Shen Yinuo would head to the VIP room accompanied by staff.

Ke Ming might give them a few shots, but he would ask for their opinions in advance regarding whether they would be broadcast.

As for Luo Mo, he went to the large lounge to join the other singers.

Don't forget, at the end of the last episode, everyone put different amounts of 【King Power Points】 into envelopes.

The amount of 【King Power Points】 would determine everyone's performance order in this round.

All singers would first open their envelopes in front of the cameras to announce the 【King Power Points】 they had wagered.

Since an Elimination system would be adopted starting from this episode, the atmosphere was relatively more tense.

The seven singers gathered in the large room, and General Director Ke Ming had been waiting there for a long time.

Everyone exchanged polite pleasantries again, talking about their preparations for the week or some very stiff topics.

Zhao Xueqin looked at Luo Mo, looking at his young and handsome face, and felt a bit uneasy in his heart.

The term 【New Wave】 had been popular for a while, but this was the first time the Heavenly King Zhao had such a profound, personal experience of it.

Ke Ming smiled and began to drive the program flow, saying: "Then, seven singers, we will start from the seventh place of the last competition and announce your 【King Power Points】."

Sun Yi nodded, tore open his envelope, and held it high towards the camera.

On his card, a big 0 was written.

Once this score appeared, it triggered a small-scale commotion.

Filling in ten points really didn't have much meaning.

Watching Sun Yi and everyone's reactions, Ke Ming felt that setting up this competition format had indeed achieved a good variety show effect.

And after the sixth-place singer opened her envelope, just as Sun Yi had expected, she had filled in 11 points.

This female singer smiled embarrassedly and said: "My agent is better at financial management."

Knowing her behavior looked bad, she shifted the blame to her agent.

The fifth place had wagered 25 points.

The fourth place was 30 points.

The second-place Wei Ran had 35 points.

As for Luo Mo, he hadn't thought much about it at the time; he didn't want to perform very late, but he didn't want to lead the charge every time either, so he casually wrote down a middle-of-the-road value: 30 points.

Moreover, he now planned that as long as the score was sufficient, he would only fill in 30 points every episode from now on.

This was actually another kind of variety show effect.

If you want to perform after me, then you must be willing to spend big and drive your points up.

If you don't have enough points, or don't care, then fill in 30 or less.

Anyway, we're playing with our cards face up, you decide what to do.

Luo Mo had told Ke Ming about this idea directly, and Ke Ming gave it great approval, feeling that this was quite interesting and could make this "financial management show" more worth watching.

As for the first-place Heavenly King Zhao from the last round, he also only filled in 35 points.

It was obvious that the Heavenly King wanted to show his composure; although he held a large sum of money and had a high score of 70 points, he didn't want to suppress others with his points and end up performing last.

Since many people had the same point values, they had to draw lots on the spot.

Luo Mo's luck was average; he had to go on stage before the other singer who also wagered 30 points, so he was the fourth to go on stage.

Heavenly King Zhao had good luck and drew a good lot, so he was the last to perform again, with Wei Ran sixth.

With the order settled, everyone returned to their lounges to prepare, while Sun Yi would be the first to go on stage shortly.

Luo Mo gave him a gesture of encouragement; Sun Yi nodded at him and then took a few deep breaths.

In this round, he had to fight a desperate battle.

The host began to go on stage, and after thanking the sponsors, began to stir up the atmosphere of the venue.

Once the audience's emotions were sufficiently built up, it was Sun Yi's turn to go on stage.

Watching Sun Yi's performance through the screen in the lounge, Luo Mo felt that his singing skills were still strong, and his personal style was very distinct. Overall, his performance in this episode was slightly better than the last.

"If I were to prepare for him, given his vocal range and this episode's theme 【You Are the Joy of My Youth】, I would give him Li Ronghao's 'Girl'," Luo Mo thought to himself.

Sun Yi's personal characteristics were really too similar to that man with small eyes.

The first part of Li Ronghao's 'Girl' sounded quite plain, but there would be a sudden change when it reached the chorus.

This kind of change was actually quite suitable for stage performance.

For the next two female singers, Luo Mo felt their overall performances were on par with Sun Yi's, and their performance was not as good as the first episode; it would depend on how the audience and the professional jury scored them later.

Leave it to fate.

Luo Mo was also very clear in his heart: "Sun Yi, who can continue to participate in 'King of Love Songs', will be more valuable than the Sun Yi who is eliminated."

By bringing even one song of sufficient quality to a hit variety show, a singer on the decline might be able to turn things around in an instant!

Taking Li Ronghao as an example, his popularity before participating in 'Singer' and after participating in 'Singer' was completely different, and his recognition among the masses was also different.

Although he had many works with high popularity before, he was actually in a state where the songs were popular but the person was not.

By the time the third singer went on stage, Luo Mo had to start preparing.

In the VIP private rooms, as well as in the professional jury's private room next door, everyone had long been unable to wait.

Shen Yinuo and Jiang Ningxi were dying to know the content of this song by Luo Mo; just by listening to the accompaniment, they felt this song was very peculiar.

And for this performance, Luo Mo was wearing a solid-colored hoodie, paired with a simple pair of jeans and white sneakers, looking very clean and sunny.

This made one immediately think of the popular figures on high school or university campuses, that so-called "campus heartthrob," the youth of countless girls.

Due to the theme of this episode, everyone specifically dressed themselves to look a bit younger, and Luo Mo, at only 24 years old, still had an innate advantage in this regard.

When he went on stage, he also carried a guitar on his back.

The moment he appeared, the eyes of the female audience at the scene went wide. On the professional jury side, several women also began to swoon.

This was truly a campus god.

"Our Director Luo's looks are indeed beyond reproach," Shen Yinuo sighed.

Jiang Ningxi would not deny this point; after all, when they were dating back in middle school, she was purely craving his handsomeness.

Once Luo Mo sat down on the high stool in front of the microphone, there were already screams and cheers at the scene.

This made Wei Ran in the lounge very annoyed, and he said, "I always feel that even if this kid doesn't sing and just keeps smiling at the audience on stage, his vote count will be higher than most of us!"

"His face, along with this physique, is simply an off-field weapon!"

However, although Wei Ran said this with his mouth, his gaze remained fixed on the guitar in Luo Mo's hands.

"This kid, is he going to do Singing and playing again?" he couldn't help but say.

He remembered very clearly that in the previous episode, Heavenly King Zhao had publicly said that Luo Mo's music was not good.

Under these circumstances, for him to still go on stage with a Yueqi in the second episode was clearly meant to make everyone's focus stay on the music once again.

After Luo Mo was ready, the moment his fingers plucked the guitar, the entire stage underwent a change.

The stage design of today's major variety shows is very impressive, comparable to the Spring Festival Gala from a few years ago. In an instant, blue skies and white clouds, green trees and red flowers, and birds and Butterfly appeared on the big screen and the stage floor.

The guitar sound echoed all around, a few notes constantly repeating over and over, over and over... simple to the extreme!

But for some reason, it was just very catchy, just very pleasant to listen to, and paired with the stage design, it just had a great vibe.

The Singer in the lounge couldn't understand why a few simple notes, and ones that were used repeatedly at that, could create such an effect.

The melody of this song was truly too strange; this was a strange song!

Clearly, when others used this technique, it would give a feeling of being very perfunctory, very crudely made, and very assembly-line-like.

But Luo Mo could somehow amaze your ears!

Both simple and high-class!

This opening guitar sound had a magic that stretched out memories, instantly returning to the past, returning to a certain bright and sunny day.

The prelude with its extremely strong sense of immersion, paired with the images on the stage, made the feeling hit all at once.

The two women in the private room were hearing it for the second time, yet they didn't feel that such a simple and constantly repeating prelude was tiresome.

The song title emerged in the blue sky on the screen.

— "Sunny Day".

(PS: First update, 4500 words, asking for monthly votes!)

(End of this chapter)