Chapter 121: Recording of "The Voice" Begins

Page 1 of 3

The National Day holiday arrived, along with the release of Painted Skin: Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.

Competition during the holiday season was fierce, but it had little to do with Fang Xing.

All Fang Xing had done was produce the theme song for Painted Skin.

A film’s box office was never carried by its theme song. At most, the song served as publicity in the early stages.

Still, Fang Xing’s name appeared in the acknowledgments at the end of the film, alongside Li Caiwei’s.

Because he had produced the theme song, Fang Xing received two tickets to the premiere.

He had originally planned to ask Lu Xiang’er whether she wanted to go with him.

Unfortunately, Lu Xiang’er was preparing for next month’s youth division violin competition in Donghai and intended to devote the National Day holiday to intensive practice.

…

After the holiday came the day for recording Song Voice.

Qiao Yinghong had to attend to matters at the studio, so Fang Xing asked Guo Keda to bring a makeup artist and an assistant with him to Xiangjiang.

Since Fang Xing’s travel itinerary was never announced online, no fans would be waiting for him at the airport.

Yet when he reached the boarding gate, he saw a huge crowd of fans gathered there.

There were two groups: one belonged to Sky Girls, while the other supported SPK.

Wearing a mask and a baseball cap, Fang Xing boarded with a shoulder bag slung across his body.

Once he entered the business-class lounge, it was not long before Shen Xiyin’s team arrived.

Guo Keda, naturally sociable, went over at once to greet her.

“Hello, Xiyin. I’m Guo Keda, executive manager of Fang Xing’s studio under Pine Stone Records. I don’t know whether you still remember me. Here’s my business card. Please accept it.”

Shen Xiyin often encountered managers and reporters from various entertainment companies trying to greet her, and her assistant would normally step in to handle such people.

But when she heard the words “Fang Xing’s studio,” she immediately became interested. She accepted the card and asked, “Guo Keda, you joined Fang Xing’s studio?”

Guo Keda had also been a contestant on Star of Tomorrow, and he had been on Fang Xing’s team.

Shen Xiyin had been a mentor on Star of Tomorrow, so naturally she remembered him.

“That’s right. I’m working with Brother Fang now.” Guo Keda struck a pose that seemed to say, I have someone powerful behind me.

“Is Fang Xing on this flight too?” Shen Xiyin pressed.

“Yes. Brother Fang is over there.” Guo Keda turned and pointed toward Fang Xing, who was sitting on a sofa nearby.

Shen Xiyin turned to her manager. “I’m going over to say hello.”

When Fang Xing saw her approaching, he raised a hand in greeting.

“We haven’t seen each other in a while.” Shen Xiyin sat down gracefully on the sofa beside him.

“Right. We haven’t met since the show ended.” Fang Xing exchanged pleasantries casually.

Shen Xiyin pursed her lips and smiled. “Although I haven’t seen you in person, I see your news every day. A film of yours was released a few days ago, and its box office is doing very well. It’s one of the top three films of the National Day season.”

Fang Xing waved his hand with a smile. “I only produced the theme song, and I didn’t even sing it myself. The film has nothing much to do with me.”

Shen Xiyin put on a coquettish expression. “I could sing Painted Heart too, you know. Teacher Fang, did you ever have a moment when you thought of asking me to sing it?”

“Uh… Would you be able to handle the E6 whistle note?” Fang Xing froze for a moment, not expecting her to bring that up.

As far as he remembered, Shen Xiyin’s tone was indeed beautiful, but he had never heard her produce a whistle note in the sixth octave.

“Oh, Teacher Fang really doesn’t understand a girl’s heart.” Shen Xiyin sighed dramatically. “When I ask you something like that, it doesn’t mean I truly want to sing it. I just want to know whether you ever thought of me, even for a moment. If you had, I’d definitely be happy.”

“Then, to be honest, wouldn’t you be terribly disappointed?” Fang Xing chuckled.

“Fine. There’s no way to keep talking with you.” Shen Xiyin pretended to be angry.

She had been the leader of the previous season’s temporary Star of Tomorrow girl group. Like most girl groups, they had perhaps one or two songs that enjoyed some popularity, but she herself had no signature hit she could truly claim.

Fang Xing, on the other hand, was a top-tier producer who could casually produce songs capable of massacring the charts.

Shen Xiyin was not genuinely angry, of course. She was merely teasing him.

Changing the subject, she asked suspiciously, “Are you going to Xiangjiang this time? To record a show? Don’t tell me you’re…”

The premise of Song Voice was that the identities of the initial singers had to remain secret. No one could reveal them before the official recording.

Fang Xing nodded and admitted, “Yes. I’m going to record Laughing Weekend.”

“You’re recording Laughing Weekend again? You only did it last month.” Shen Xiyin blinked.

“Yes. Last time I went with the film’s main cast and production team. This time I’m going with Big Fish.” Fang Xing answered smoothly.

Shen Xiyin glanced around. “I don’t see Lu Ming.”

Big Fish was sung by Lu Ming, so if Fang Xing was going to record Laughing Weekend because of that song, Lu Ming should have been going too.

“He has work to do, so he’s taking a different flight,” Fang Xing replied casually, without even blinking.

Up to that point, Shen Xiyin had been the one leading the conversation.

Fang Xing changed the subject and asked, “What about you? Do you have work in Xiangjiang?”

“Yes. I’m recording another program for Xiangjiang Television. I’m mainly going there to dance.” Shen Xiyin answered casually.

Fang Xing nodded and did not pursue the matter.

There were still forty minutes before boarding.

The two leaned back on the sofas and chatted intermittently.

…

Thirty minutes before boarding, another top star entered the business-class lounge.

As before, Guo Keda immediately went over and handed him a business card.

“Brother Qi, Brother Qi! It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Guo Keda, executive manager of Fang Xing’s studio under Pine Stone Records. I’m a huge fan of your group. Here’s my business card. Please accept it.”

The top star who had arrived was none other than Li Siqi, the leader of SPK.

The moment Guo Keda approached, two burly male assistants blocked his way, leaving him no choice but to hold out the card from a meter away.

Li Siqi swept him a cold, indifferent glance.

“Who is this? How did a paparazzo get into the business-class lounge?”

Celebrities usually used the business-class entrance, and once inside, they generally would not be surrounded by fans or paparazzi.

Guo Keda was an exception.

Page 1 of 3

Page 2 of 3

Li Siqi did not recognize Guo Keda at all. He did not take the business card, merely waving a hand to signal his assistants to move the man away.

His manager reminded him, “He was one of Fang Xing’s teammates on Star of Tomorrow.”

Li Siqi’s expression soured at the mention of Fang Xing.

SPK had gone more than a year without releasing a song. Their carefully prepared new single, Sexy, had originally been intended to dominate the charts.

Instead, Fang Xing had released Painted Heart first, knocking Sexy down to second place.

Just as the popularity of Painted Heart began to fade, Big Fish arrived and pushed Sexy down to third.

So when Li Siqi heard that Guo Keda had once been Fang Xing’s teammate, his face darkened.

“I need some peace and quiet.”

His manager immediately waved to the two burly assistants, ordering them to keep Guo Keda farther away.

Li Siqi adjusted his cap, hurried into the business-class lounge, found an empty seat, and closed his eyes to rest.

The two assistants shoved Guo Keda aside, and his business card fell to the floor.

After Li Siqi had walked away, Guo Keda clicked his tongue, bent down, and picked up the card.

“What a performance.”

…

Inside the business-class lounge, Li Siqi’s manager sat across from him.

“Siqi, actually, you don’t have to participate in this program.”

Li Siqi reclined on the sofa with his eyes closed. “At first, didn’t you say we were trying to secure a starting position? What does it mean that they’re offering me only a challenger slot now?”

“From what I’ve heard from the production team, they found someone more suitable.”

“Then what about a replacement slot? Why can’t I even get that? I’ve become a challenger singer instead. You’re quite the manager.” Dissatisfaction colored Li Siqi’s voice.

“I originally wanted to negotiate for a replacement slot, but the production team wants you to appear in the very first episode and help generate publicity for the show,” his manager explained.

“If they want me to generate publicity, I should be a starting singer.”

“I said the same thing. I even lost my temper with them. But they were very firm. They said Shen Xiyin is in roughly the same position as you, and she was given a challenger slot as well. If they gave you a replacement slot, her side would be unhappy.”

Li Siqi fell silent.

His manager continued, “Honestly, we don’t need this program at all. If you want, there are plenty of flagship variety shows on television that you could choose from.”

Li Siqi said coldly, “You know perfectly well why I want to participate.”

Of course, his manager knew.

Within SPK, Li Siqi’s popularity stood far above that of the other members.

He had long since grown dissatisfied with the rest of the group.

Moreover, SPK had debuted three years ago.

For a boy band, the third year after debut was a critical turning point.

Once three years had passed, a group that failed to seek a transformation could only wait to fade from popularity.

Li Siqi was therefore trying to transform his career.

For a boy-band member, there were essentially two possible directions: acting or becoming a solo singer.

Li Siqi’s greatest advantage within SPK—and the quality in which he had the most confidence—was his singing ability.

Every song on SPK’s albums relied on his vocals to hold it together.

That was why he most wanted to prove his singing ability before SPK faded from the spotlight, drawing a clear line between himself and the stereotype that boy-band members could not really sing.

Song Voice was the most competitive music variety show in the country.

As long as he performed well on it, he could immediately shed the labels of being merely a boy-band idol and of having inadequate singing skills.

That was why, earlier, he had asked his manager to pursue a starting position on the newest season of Song Voice.

Originally, there had been a chance. The production team wanted to use Li Siqi’s popularity to boost the program’s profile, and negotiations had already continued for a month.

Li Siqi’s manager wanted to sign a special contract and had proposed numerous special clauses.

As a result, the negotiations had reached an impasse.

With the recording date approaching, Li Siqi’s manager had believed that if the stalemate continued, the production team would probably give in.

Instead, the production team suddenly informed him that they had already secured the final starting singer.

Li Siqi’s manager was furious. But because Li Siqi needed to transform his career, he tried to negotiate for a replacement position.

The production team, however, was willing to offer only a challenger slot. They also pointed out that Shen Xiyin, who had likewise debuted in an idol group, had been given only a challenger slot.

Li Siqi’s manager had exploded in anger and nearly fallen out with the production team.

“Our popularity is still very high. There’s no need to rush onto Song Voice. We can begin with other programs. It’s difficult for a challenger singer to advance. Recording hasn’t even begun yet, so we can simply withdraw,” his manager urged.

Li Siqi said, “Then I’ll be a challenger. As long as I’m strong enough, I’ll win no matter how they compare us.”

“But Song Voice is decided by votes from five hundred listeners. It’s difficult to predict,” his manager said, still worried.

“Didn’t we conduct a survey? I’m invincible among the listeners in the nineties and two-thousands age groups.” Li Siqi was not joining Song Voice blindly.

His management team had conducted a survey beforehand.

The outcome of Song Voice was determined by votes from five hundred audience judges.

Those five hundred judges were divided into five age groups: people born in the sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties, and two-thousands.

Each age group consisted of one hundred people, making five hundred in total.

Li Siqi’s management team had investigated the matter and found that his popularity was extremely high among those born in the nineties and two-thousands.

That meant he already had two-fifths of the audience judges on his side, giving him a tremendous advantage.

For that reason, even as a challenger singer, he had nothing to fear.

…

After a two-hour flight, the plane landed at Xiangjiang Minghua Airport.

After disembarking, Fang Xing waved goodbye to Shen Xiyin and got into a different business vehicle.

Page 2 of 3

Page 3 of 3

At nine that evening, they checked into the hotel and rested for the night.

The next morning, they rose early and went to the Xiangjiang Broadcasting Tower for the rehearsal.

The song had been selected from the beginning. A week earlier, Fang Xing had already sent the score to the production team.

The orchestra hired by Song Voice had rehearsed it already, so only a final run-through was necessary.

The Song Voice production team had done an excellent job of maintaining secrecy.

Wearing a mask, sunglasses, and a baseball cap, Fang Xing entered the studio for rehearsal. He did not encounter a single familiar face.

After rehearsal, he returned by the same route and got back into the business vehicle bound for the hotel.

This sort of secrecy was not unique to the current season. It was the standard procedure every season.

Of course, whether the secrecy was truly effective was another question.

…

Three o’clock in the afternoon.

All the starting singers had completed their rehearsals.

The production team was preparing to begin recording.

Before the competition itself, they still needed to film the starting singers entering the venue.

To preserve their anonymity, the singers entered at staggered times.

Beside the studio was a singers’ lounge.

The lounge consisted of a large hall and eight separate rooms.

Following the instructions of the production staff, Fang Xing walked down the corridor into the lounge.

When he pushed open the main door, he saw that there was not a single singer in the hall.

Fang Xing looked toward the camera positioned beside the door.

“Am I the first one here?”

The lounge was not truly empty.

The director’s team and the cameramen occupied one entire wall, all their lenses trained on Fang Xing.

Fang Xing had watched previous seasons of the program and knew its usual tricks. He observed the surroundings as he walked over to the sofa in the hall.

The show’s chief director, Zheng Tao, stood beside the cameramen. He watched Fang Xing with a smile, waiting to see what he would do, but said nothing.

Fang Xing looked at Zheng Tao. “What am I supposed to do now? Sit here and wait for the other singers?”

Zheng Tao did not answer. Instead, he pointed toward several bottles of Natural Pasture organic milk on the coffee table.

“There are several bottles of Natural Pasture organic milk here. Choose one.”

Fang Xing counted them with his fingers. “One, two… seven bottles. All right, I understand. I’m the first to arrive, and each bottle has a number on it. The one I choose determines my performance order, right?”

Director Zheng Tao smiled. “Thank you for announcing the rules on my behalf.”

Fang Xing picked a bottle at random and lifted it.

“Am I supposed to drink it now?”

“Yes. Drink the bottle of organic milk, and there will be a number under the cap. Then take the corresponding number from me, go upstairs, choose whichever room you like, and stick the number on the door. After that, you can close the door and continue keeping your identity secret.”

Fang Xing unscrewed the cap and glanced at the number.

Unfortunately, it was number one.

Usually, the contestants on this program disliked drawing the first position.

There were seven singers in total, and the audience would vote only after hearing all seven songs.

By the time they heard the final song, they might already have forgotten the first one.

So number one was indeed not an ideal position.

Fang Xing held the number toward the camera and joked, “I got number one. Director, you didn’t secretly put seven number-one bottles here, did you?”

Zheng Tao laughed. “There’s no need for that. Why don’t you drink another bottle and see whether it’s still number one?”

“That was your suggestion. I happen to be thirsty.”

Fang Xing picked up a second bottle of milk and pretended to twist open the cap.

Zheng Tao calmly folded his hands in front of him, showing not the slightest sign of nervousness.

“I’m only joking.” Fang Xing naturally had no intention of opening another bottle. He had merely been creating a bit of variety-show entertainment.

If the production team truly wanted to arrange the singers’ performance order, they had plenty of methods available. They would not need to resort to something like this.

Besides, Fang Xing did not mind performing first.

“All right. You can go upstairs and choose a room now. I also have a label prepared by everyone on the production team to describe your characteristics. Take it upstairs and stick it on the door as well.”

As he spoke, Zheng Tao handed him a number-one placard and a label.

Fang Xing walked over and took the label.

The words on it read: The Unvanquished Lone Champion.

“What kind of nonsense is this? Let me see the labels for the others.” Fang Xing could not resist complaining as he reached for the other labels in Zheng Tao’s hand.

“According to the rules, you’re not supposed to see them. But for the sake of the show, I’ll let you look at one.”

Zheng Tao pulled out a label and held it up for Fang Xing to see.

Fang Xing tilted his head and glanced at it.

It read: The King Returns.

“What are these supposed to mean? Who could identify anyone from that?”

“All right, go upstairs and choose a room.” Zheng Tao gestured toward the staircase.

Fang Xing had no choice but to turn and walk upstairs. He pushed open the doors of two rooms.

The rooms were furnished identically. Their only difference was their location.

Fang Xing chose one at random, then stuck the number one and The Unvanquished Lone Champion onto the door.

Once he entered the room, the production team locked the door.

Only Fang Xing and one cameraman remained inside.

Not long after the door closed, movement began below. Clearly, the second singer had started to enter.

Page 3 of 3