Chapter 12: The Song Release—Such Excitement Awaits.

Time passed in the blink of an eye.

Chen Meijing followed her manager back to the studio once again.

Compared to the usual gloominess she once carried, Chen Meijing now felt entirely different.

She was filled with hope.

“Hello, Teacher Li!” she greeted crisply, eagerly bringing over two cups of milk tea, offering them to Lin Feng and Li Can with a radiant smile.

“Since you’re here,” Li Can said as he took a sip of the milk tea.

His eyes lit up.

Matcha milk green tea—this girl really knows her drinks.

“Here, these two are the scores. Practice these first, and then I’ll give you the last one,” Li Can instructed.

Chen Meijing nodded, completely unaware of the gravity of the situation.

Lin Feng, however, cast a wary glance at Li Can.

That third song from B? There was no way Li Can would let him see it.

Alarm bells blared in his mind.

This assignment was definitely no ordinary matter.

Sometimes, vocalists truly envied the audacity of composers, for the musical staff was entirely in their hands...

“First of all, I want to make it clear: whether it’s ‘Little Chick, Little Chick’ or the professional piece I’ve prepared for you, ‘Dazzling Realm,’ both are no walk in the park,” Li Can said, slapping his thigh as he stood up.

He switched on the monitoring equipment and addressed the serious-faced Chen Meijing.

“Even a seemingly playful song like ‘Little Chick, Little Chick’ requires effort if you want to convey that abstract essence. I expect you to be earnest—there’s a difference between being abstract and being musical garbage.”

Chen Meijing nodded earnestly, already mentally prepared.

So, even if ‘Little Chick, Little Chick’ sounded outrageous by its title, she didn’t react strongly.

It’s just playful!

How wild could playful really get?

At least it was a song—she wasn’t about to just keep giggling all along!

Seeing her attitude, Li Can was quite satisfied.

With a substantial Earth discography under his belt, he wasn’t afraid of whether she’d become famous; he was more concerned about whether she’d heed his advice.

Although he didn’t care much about fame himself, a successful singer meant more profit for him, so he preferred obedient artists.

“Abstractness is for fame, but if it’s garbage, it’s merely disgusting and brings no joy,” Li Can remarked.

His words caused Lin Feng to fall into deep thought.

As a top music student, even if he wasn’t a composer, he could understand the meaning behind this.

The songs were indeed outrageous.

But they were definitely not garbage.

Strictly speaking, whether these songs belonged to pan-entertainment was hard to define; they were just stylistically eccentric, not garbage. Audiences might reject trash, but they welcomed diverse styles, even if quirky.

In an instant, a vast horizon opened up.

Lin Feng didn’t even realize how his mindset had expanded, a subtle thrill and excitement stirring within him.

This approach... surprisingly, it was quite fun.

Soon, the practice began.

The difficulty of “Dazzling Realm” was truly mind-blowing; modestly put, 90% of female singers in the domestic entertainment industry wouldn’t dare touch it.

“Your triple jumps need precision! Pitch! Rhythm!” Li Can admonished.

“Work on the granular control of your melisma. Pay attention to vocal cavity control. No matter the note length, the granulated sound must be crisp, not sliding over. Although sliding here isn’t impossible, I believe you wouldn’t want to settle for anything less than optimal.”

At first, the atmosphere was very normal, very artistic.

It was exactly the serious style one would expect from a music master.

But this only lasted three days.

After specifying the detailed requirements for “Dazzling Realm,” Chen Meijing was sent off to practice on her own. After all, Li Can wasn’t a nanny; guidance was one thing, accompaniment another.

So, they smoothly moved on to initial training for the next song.

“Little Chick, Little Chick.”

The tone shifted dramatically.

Chen Meijing was dumbfounded.

She never expected that the big brother would truly have her giggling.

“Put some power into it! Follow me... gōu! gōu! dài!!”

“You’ve got to be somewhere between breaking voice and not breaking voice, got it?!”

“Your expression’s no good—too serious. Go a bit crazy; unleash your energy.”

“If you care about your dignity, then why be a star? Don’t care about dignity. Social death is what you need most. Not only do you have to socially die, but also everyone listening to this song must socially die!”

Had it been before, Lin Feng would have lost composure.

But obviously, since Li Can returned to the country and they’d spent time together, Lin Feng had rediscovered that old eccentric feeling.

He didn’t find it unpleasant; quite the opposite, he watched with great interest.

Opportunities to observe such strange phenomena up close were rare.

And so, two more days passed.

More than 80% of the post-production was done, leaving only the final recording, music video, and release.

...and the imminent flood of public criticism.

---

Time continued to slip by.

The final recording and music video came together smoothly.

After a meeting with senior management, everyone agreed this was a golden opportunity to break new ground in the market.

This social experiment could be used to explore a fresh trajectory.

Thus, the full force of B-class resources was unleashed without reservation.

First came exquisite posters.

Then the company’s business department began negotiations with internet companies to launch digital albums.

Because it bore some traits of a social experiment and aimed primarily at promotion, everything was designed to attract attention. Wherever possible, it was free.

Moreover, they devised a publicity strategy based on the song’s eccentricity.

Finally, Chen Meijing was arranged to appear on a mid-tier variety show, gaining exposure and a performance slot.

This opportunity was reserved for “Dazzling Realm,” serving as a contrasting piece for her debut.

The date was set a month away.

Not too long, not too short—a window for anticipation to build, so they could ride the wave of hype and pull off a sharp twist.

Had 4G not just started rolling out two years ago, and the internet still in its infancy, the company would probably have assigned some streamers to stir things up.

Li Can and Lin Feng relaxed.

No doubt, Lin Feng would return to campus to accompany his beloved Han Jiayin.

As for Li Can, he reported his work progress to his mentor Xu Qing, checked in on his parents in the distant northeast, and made a transcontinental call to Sir Henry.

Yet, during this period, rumors somehow began to spread.

Not just among a few elders and friends, but even at the National Music School, gossip started circulating.

“Senior Li Can is entering the entertainment industry as a music producer for the first time!”

Naive freshmen, innocent upperclassmen, and professors who supported Li Can—more and more people learned of this.

As a campus celebrity, he was undeniably a hot topic.

Walking through the school, even among the gossip-prone old pavilions, one could occasionally overhear discussions.

“Wow, Senior Li Can has a new work coming!”

“I’m so looking forward to it! It’s bound to be another masterpiece.”

“Of course! That’s Li Can—definitely top-notch!”

“The future of Mandarin music looks bright!”

Passing by with Han Jiayin on a spring outing, Lin Feng trembled all over.

He looked toward the voices with a trace of pity.

People have illusions before death.