Chapter 116: Lu Ming’s Story

After the success of "Painted Heart," more and more film companies sought out Fang Xing and Li Caiwei to perform theme songs for their productions. However, Fang Xing was selective and only accepted projects if the films showed real promise.

Simply put, he refused to take on theme songs for movies that looked like outright flops.

Though Earth had a tradition of "bad films producing great songs," the phenomenon wasn’t truly causal. Upon closer reflection, the so-called hits emerging from bad movies were usually tied to big-budget productions.

The real connection wasn’t that bad films produced great songs, but rather that major productions did. Big-budget films invested heavily in their theme songs, and the adage "you get what you pay for" held true.

Moreover, big productions weren’t just about money—they also brought influential investors who could hire top-notch producers. For example, songs like "Chrysanthemum Terrace" and "Golden Armor" would never be secured by a small-budget film.

Hence, top-tier productions could afford chart-topping theme songs. When such a production happened to be a flop, it created the illusion that bad films produced great songs.

As for the new film on Blue Star, "Strange Tales: Painted Skin," Fang Xing had no idea how it would be received after release. Judging from the cast, with Zhou Wei as the lead actress—a solid contender for Best Actress—and a male lead who focused purely on acting without much variety show exposure, the film probably wouldn’t be terrible, though whether it would be a blockbuster was uncertain.

The trailer, paired with "Painted Heart," was excellent. After watching it, Fang Xing felt an urge to go to the cinema.

During the height of the film's promotion by Blue Bird Media, "Painted Heart" dominated the music charts, holding the top spot on the Hot Songs list for two and a half weeks, leaving no chance for SPK's new release.

After that, the song’s popularity began to normalize, but it was expected to maintain the number one position for about another week.

However, SPK and their fans had other plans.

SPK’s fans, stifled under "Painted Heart"’s dominance for over two weeks, had pent-up frustration with no outlet. Fan-driven chart battles allowed for strategic release and timing, unlike ordinary listeners who might loop a song simply because they liked it.

Typically, a song’s popularity follows a parabolic curve—rising to a peak before gradually declining, especially as sales slow once most fans have purchased it.

But fans could hold back and then strike when the rival’s popularity waned.

Just as "Painted Heart"’s popularity entered the latter phase of its curve, SPK’s "Sexy" surged. Their fans launched an aggressive campaign, causing "Sexy"’s popularity to skyrocket with erratic fluctuations.

Within three days, "Sexy" reclaimed the top spot on the Hot Songs chart, overtaking "Painted Heart."

This time, Tide Sound Culture didn’t purchase official press releases to announce the victory. But fans couldn’t contain their excitement, boasting on Weibo and Douyin with comments like:

"See? The last laugh is the true strength."

"I knew SPK could never lose to a movie theme song."

"Feels good. Fang Xing was so arrogant before, but now? No matter how wild he was, he’s been beaten by SPK."

"When the tide recedes, you see who’s swimming naked."

"The era of SPK’s dominance has arrived. Four weeks at number one for ‘Nocturne’? That’s nothing. ‘Sexy’ will show you what real terror is."

A month had passed since the finals of "Tomorrow’s Star."

After the competition, the Flame camp members scattered—some signed with agencies, others returned to their original companies, and some continued their studies.

Fang Xing remained close with Lu Ming, Shao Yu, and Guo Keda. They made time each week to meet up, usually with Guo Keda, the social butterfly, organizing the gatherings.

Every weekend, Guo Keda would announce in the group chat:

"Let’s grab a meal! There’s a new barbecue spot at New World East Sea, super delicious. Tomorrow night, let’s go!"

"The captain already agreed. Sign up quickly."

Fang Xing replied, "Since when did I agree?"

Guo Keda teased, "How about now?"

Fang Xing: "Alright, fine."

Shao Yu: "I have work tomorrow, might be late, but I’ll definitely come."

Lu Ming: "I’m in too."

Guo Keda: "Want me to bring some girls along?"

Fang Xing, Shao Yu, Lu Ming in unison: "No!"

Saturday at 7 p.m., Guo Keda reserved a private room at Gulu Barbecue, the new spot at New World East Sea.

Fang Xing and Lu Ming arrived a few minutes past seven. Shao Yu showed up half an hour late; the other three had already started eating.

Guo Keda drank beer alone while the others stuck to juice.

Between bites, Guo Keda said, "Captain, those SPK kids pushed ‘Sexy’ back to number one yesterday. Their fans are jumping all over Weibo again."

Fang Xing shrugged it off. "I don’t even check Weibo. Let them make a fuss."

Guo Keda added, "True. ‘Painted Heart’ basically crushed SPK. Even crowdfunding their chart battle won’t help."

Lu Ming quietly ate without saying much.

Guo Keda nudged him. "What about you, Lu Ming? Signed with any company yet?"

"Not yet," Lu Ming replied, sounding down.

"Any agencies reaching out?" Guo Keda pressed.

"A few have, but I haven’t decided whether to keep studying or sign."

Lu Ming was still undecided. He had advanced to the finals alongside Fang Xing on "Tomorrow’s Star" and won the team championship, attracting attention from agencies. But unlike Fang Xing, he wasn’t offered platinum deals—just standard contracts reflecting some interest.

He was also torn over whether to follow Chen Chaonan’s advice to attend East Sound Music Academy for falsetto countertenor training.

Guo Keda, always straightforward and carefree, said, "If you want to study, go for it. If you want to sign, sign up. Or sign and keep studying—it’s all possible."

While signing with an agency wouldn’t necessarily prevent continuing education, agencies typically preferred to capitalize on an artist’s current popularity by scheduling plenty of work, leaving little time for exams.

Fang Xing guessed Lu Ming’s true worry. "You haven’t decided whether to specialize in the fifth register, have you?"

Lu Ming froze, clearly caught off guard.

Guo Keda widened his eyes. "You still haven’t made up your mind? Your supervisor was right—you have a great fifth register. If you have this talent, why not focus on it?"

Lu Ming sighed deeply. "My family wants me to be a tenor or baritone."

This dilemma had plagued him since the first episode of "Tomorrow’s Star." It wasn’t something he could decide on a whim.

Coming from a musical family, with several relatives involved in vocal music, his elders hoped he would carry on the family legacy and succeed in classical singing.

He bore their expectations and had studied music since childhood, which explained his solid foundation.

One reason Fang Xing picked him for the team was precisely because of his strong vocal training.

Lu Ming had always been praised by family and teachers for his talent.

But during puberty, his voice didn’t deepen as expected; it remained light, and his physique didn’t develop as hoped, limiting his breath capacity.

By age sixteen or seventeen, his voice still hadn’t changed.

At that point, he was essentially ruled out from becoming a true tenor or baritone.

Typically, tenors range from C3 to C5, baritones from A2♭ to A4♭, but his breath and vocal weight didn’t fit these ranges.

Despite years of vocal training, he hadn’t achieved notable success.

His family elders were disappointed, though his parents loved him dearly and the household remained happy.

Still, their vocal music dreams no longer rested on him.

Though they never scolded him, Lu Ming knew he had let them down.

Because of this, he disliked his own voice and felt some insecurity, rarely showcasing his fifth register falsetto.

At school, his higher-pitched voice drew strange looks from other boys.

For years, he had masked his natural voice by forcing a deeper tone to sing in the fourth register, striving to become a tenor.

But by doing so, he essentially abandoned his unique vocal quality and competed in the most crowded male voice category with his weaker skills—predictably, without success.

This was why he had never made progress in vocal music until meeting Fang Xing.

Every time they performed on stage, Fang Xing always assigned him the fifth register high notes—without exception.

Those songs brought him considerable popularity.

Yet, he still couldn’t overcome the mental barrier.

He longed for his family’s approval, to become what they envisioned.

At that moment, the song "Lovers of the World" began playing inside Gulu Barbecue—the same performance from "Tomorrow’s Star" featuring Fang Xing, Lu Ming, and Shao Yu.

Since "Tomorrow’s Star" remained popular, many venues occasionally broadcasted performances on their TVs.

Fang Xing glanced outside the private room, watching the screen. "Honestly, you don’t need to be so conflicted. If you care so much about your family’s opinion, why not just ask them directly?"

Guo Keda agreed. "Yeah, call them. What’s family for? Don’t they care about you?"

Lu Ming shook his head. "They’re very good to me. I grew up in a happy family. It’s just that I can’t forget the look in their eyes when I was little—the intense hope, as if they were placing their dreams on me."

"No one has to carry someone else’s dreams. Even if it’s your parents, that’s not your burden. Here, give me your phone—I’ll call for you," Guo Keda said, grabbing the phone.

"Wait, wait," Lu Ming tried to snatch it back.

"Are you calling or not? If you don’t, I will," Guo Keda insisted, always decisive.

After a pause, Lu Ming looked at the TV screen, hearing his fifth register falsetto echoing, and finally gathered courage. "Okay, I’ll call."

He dialed his grandfather’s number.

The call connected, and a deep, weathered voice came through: "Lu Ming, have you eaten? It’s about time."

"Grandpa, I’m eating with friends right now. I just suddenly missed you, so I called," Lu Ming began casually.

"Make sure you eat well and be careful. When you’re out with friends, try to drink less," came the elder’s gentle admonitions.

"I know," Lu Ming replied dutifully.

"You don’t usually call at this hour. What’s up today?" the grandfather sensed something was amiss.

"I want to ask you something," Lu Ming hesitated.

"Spending money again?" the old man joked.

"No... I want to know if you and my parents have watched the show I’m in, ‘Tomorrow’s Star’," Lu Ming started cautiously.

On the other end, an energetic old man sat up from his sofa, grabbed the remote, and lowered the TV volume, mumbling, "They already turned it down so low—can I still hear it?"

"Grandpa, if you haven’t watched it, that’s fine," Lu Ming almost backed out.

"Oh yes, that show. I watched it. You did well, and your teammates were good too," the grandfather praised.

Surprised, Lu Ming asked, "You don’t think I sang badly?"

The elder spoke honestly, "You can’t compare with your team leader—he’s something else, better than many seasoned middle-aged singers. But you and that Shao Yu fellow aren’t bad; he’s a few years older and steadier. And your high notes? Very good."

Lu Ming’s eyes widened. "Grandpa, you don’t mind me singing falsetto countertenor?"

The old man paused, puzzled. "Why do you think that?"

"You’ve always hoped I’d be a baritone or tenor," Lu Ming’s voice wavered.

"No one’s life is set from birth. If you like tenor or baritone, go for it. Your achievements don’t matter as long as you enjoy it. If you prefer falsetto countertenor, study that. I never told you to do anything specific..."

The grandfather fell silent for a moment before adding, "Also, that professor from East Sound Music Academy was right—you have great talent for falsetto countertenor. If you keep practicing, you might surpass your achievements as a tenor."

Lu Ming’s breath quickened. "So you agree I should switch to falsetto countertenor?"

"From your eighteenth year on, I don’t demand anything from you. Whatever you like, go pursue it. No more hesitation," the elder encouraged.

"I understand. I want to apply to East Sound Music Academy’s vocal performance program. I want to sing falsetto countertenor," Lu Ming said firmly, his doubts lifted.

The group enjoyed the rest of their meal happily.

After hanging up, Shao Yu added, "Didn’t you notice?"

"Notice what?" Lu Ming was puzzled.

Shao Yu exchanged a glance with Fang Xing.

Fang Xing explained, "You were probably too nervous on the call. When your grandfather answered, there was some music playing in the background—‘Red Mask.’ The volume was loud at first but then turned down. That means he was watching our show and lowered the volume when he took your call."

Lu Ming was stunned.

He had been too anxious to notice the music on the other end, focused on the serious conversation.

...