Chapter 82: Choosing a Guest Singer

On the Music Power Rankings, "Nocturne" and "Youthful Recklessness" were locked in an intense battle.

It took only two days.

"Nocturne" quickly surpassed "Here We Come," shooting up to fifth place on the hot songs chart, beginning to threaten the ranking of "Youthful Recklessness."

The moment "Here We Come" was overtaken, it was as if one could hear the collective wails of fans from both Wu and Liu's camps echoing across Weibo.

Both fan bases immediately adjusted their strategies. At first, their crowdfunding efforts were split between "Youthful Recklessness" and "Here We Come," hoping to secure both songs' positions on the chart.

However, once "Nocturne" knocked "Here We Come" down and claimed the fifth spot, the fans, though dismayed, made a decisive move—they abandoned "Here We Come" altogether and poured all their resources into "Youthful Recklessness."

[We'll stop supporting "Here We Come" for now. Priority is to keep "Youthful Recklessness" safe. We absolutely can’t let "Nocturne" overtake it.]

With "Here We Come" surpassed, the fans became even more frenzied, and the voting data soared.

Sales of "Youthful Recklessness" surged, pushing its ranking up to third and widening the gap between it and "Nocturne."

While TideSound Entertainment was rallying its fans to crowdfund and boost the rankings, their rival, Fang Xing, showed no signs of entering the fray.

Fang Xing wasn’t fighting for chart positions—he was deep into musical arrangements.

He was arranging, orchestrating, and recording, preparing two traditional-style songs for the upcoming Final Night of Team Formation.

With Lu Ming in the group—a male soprano capable of singing five octaves—their song selection was far more flexible. They could even consider traditional-style songs with operatic elements.

The imminent Team Formation Final would be a live broadcast competition.

This time, the outcome would be determined entirely by audience popularity votes, no longer by a professional jury.

This meant that, from now on, vocal prowess would no longer be the standard for victory or defeat—everything would depend on the audience's preferences.

If the audience wasn’t moved, even a flawless performance would be in vain.

It wasn’t just Fang Xing’s team rehearsing; all five teams that made it to the Team Formation Final were hard at work.

Once again, the theme had been set by TideSound Entertainment.

This meant that TideSound surely had high-quality traditional songs ready for the final.

In response, Fang Xing prepared two traditional-style songs, each with a distinctly different flavor.

The first would incorporate operatic elements, blending opera and pop with remarkable success.

However, rehearsals proved grueling for some team members.

Fang Xing's demands were exacting; if a member’s operatic segment didn’t meet the minimum standard, he would insist they practice until they did, or else the part would be reassigned.

That was always Fang Xing’s way—if the lyrics were assigned to you but you couldn’t sing them, the part would go to someone else.

The operatic sections this time were especially difficult—even Lu Ming couldn’t guarantee flawless execution and had to practice privately for a week before meeting Fang Xing’s standards.

Shao Yu and the others voluntarily gave up the operatic lines.

Though Shao Yu had the vocal training to attempt them, the tonal difference between the operatic passages and his own voice was too great, and it was clear he was straining his vocal cords.

After several days of trying, he too ceded the operatic lines.

Beyond rehearsals, there were two more matters to attend to.

First was recording the instrumental backing track; second, inviting a guest vocalist.

The operatic song required a guzheng accompaniment.

Fang Xing took time out to visit the company and discuss the guzheng arrangement with Liang Yusong.

"This song needs guzheng—can the company find someone to record a guzheng track?" he asked.

Liang Yusong considered this. "That shouldn't be hard. We can hire a guzheng instructor to play."

"Then I'll leave the production of the backing track to the company. Is that alright?" Fang Xing intended to delegate all this work.

Liang Yusong thought for a moment. "Do you want to record the accompaniment, or consider having a live instrumentalist for the performance?"

"That... would be great, but is it possible to arrange?" Fang Xing replied.

A live guzheng accompaniment would be ideal, but it would require rehearsals in advance, and scheduling might be tight.

Liang Yusong smiled and suggested, "Doesn’t EastSound Conservatory have a traditional music department? Why not ask one of their instructors for help? That would be a bonus."

"That’s an idea, but can we get a guzheng instructor from there?" Fang Xing was a student at EastSound, but asking a teacher to accompany him in a competition wasn’t guaranteed to succeed.

"EastSound’s guzheng program even offers master’s and doctorate degrees. If we can’t get an instructor, we could invite a doctoral candidate specializing in guzheng to perform live," Liang Yusong proposed.

"That’s an option. Should I reach out myself?" Fang Xing asked.

"Let your agent handle the initial communication. As alumni, I’m sure someone will be willing to help," Liang Yusong knew Fang Xing’s rehearsal schedule was tight and wanted the agent to handle as much as possible.

"Alright," Fang Xing agreed.

Liang Yusong continued, "As for the guest vocalist, I have a few candidates for you to consider."

He pulled out several photos and laid them on the table.

There were five in total, all singers signed under Turquoise Records.

Two of them were first-tier—one male, one female.

Two were nearly first-tier, also one male and one female.

The last was a young woman who had only debuted two years ago and wasn’t yet widely known.

In fact, once it was decided to invite a guest vocalist, Fang Xing had listened to albums from all Turquoise Records’ signed singers.

He was already familiar with their vocal timbres.

He pointed to the two first-tier singers. "Are these two willing?"

Liang Yusong shook his head. "I had the agent reach out—they’re interested, but they want to hear the song first."

First-tier singers were understandably cautious about guest appearances, especially on a boy band talent show.

Wanting to hear the song first was only natural.

"What about the other three?" Fang Xing asked.

"They’re easy. As soon as they heard they might be your guest, they promised to come at a moment’s notice," Liang Yusong chuckled.

After six hit songs, Fang Xing had proven his abilities. Any singer below first-tier was eager for the opportunity.

Fang Xing thought it over. "This operatic part can’t be sung by a male vocalist. I need a soprano who can comfortably reach B5—and she must be a powerhouse vocalist."

The operatic section was extremely challenging; only a soprano who could deftly handle B5 could deliver the desired effect.

"Then let’s set aside the male singers for now."

Liang Yusong put away the photos of the male singers, leaving three women.

Though Fang Xing had heard their recordings, those didn’t necessarily show the full extent of their ranges.

He needed to be sure. "Among these three, who can reliably sing up to B5? B5 for vocalizing is fine, but for the operatic lyrics, I need G5."

Liang Yusong nodded. "I listened to your demo. All three could handle the singing, but Yao Liying and Li Caiwei are the most reliable. Your choice will depend on whose timbre you prefer."

He then gave Fang Xing a brief overview of the three singers’ vocal qualities and offered his advice for consideration.