raknovel Chapter 40 Jiang Shan Invites a Song
Chapter 40 Jiang Shan Invites a Song
The first weekend of June was so hot that people didn't want to move.
Li Si'an was dozing behind the counter when the phone rang. He answered; it was his uncle, Zhou Weidong.
"Anzi, he's your uncle. Don't arrange dinner for tonight, come out to eat with me."
"Where to?"
"Wang Xiaojing, the CEO of Star Disc Records, hosted a dinner and invited several people in the industry to help him collect songs. He said he wanted to produce a second album for Jiang Shan, but so far he hasn't received any satisfactory ones."
Zhou Weidong paused for a moment and then said, "I'll show you around. If you want to pursue a career in music, Wang Xiaojing has some connections."
Li Si'an thought for a moment and then responded.
"Oh, right, bring your demo of 'Puppet Show'," Zhou Weidong added. "Bring the score too, so people can hear it and see if it's to their liking."
"OK."
After hanging up the phone, Li Si'an took out the cassette tape from the drawer.
He flipped through the surrounding pages again and found the original score and lyrics pages for "Puppet Show," folded them up, and stuffed them into a plastic file bag.
At 6:30 p.m., Zhou Weidong drove to pick him up. The Santana was parked in front of the store, and Li Si'an opened the car door and got in, clutching the file folder in his hand.
"Are you nervous?" Zhou Weidong glanced at him.
"What's there to be nervous about?" Li Si'an leaned back in her chair. "It's not like I'm treating."
Zhou Weidong smiled, said nothing, and started the car.
The dinner was arranged at a restaurant outside Jianguomen. The private room was small, and several people were already seated at the round table.
Wang Xiaojing sat in the main seat. She was in her fifties, with her hair neatly combed and wearing a dark polo shirt.
Jiang Shan sat next to him, wearing a plain dress and quietly holding a teacup. There was also a man and a woman next to her, whom Li Si'an didn't recognize, but they looked like they were from the company.
As soon as Zhou Weidong entered, he shook hands with Wang Xiaojing and exchanged a few pleasantries. Then he pulled Li Si'an over and said, "President Wang, this is my nephew, Li Si'an. He studied music at the affiliated high school of Beijing Dance Academy. He wrote a song himself, and it even aired on Beijing Cable TV."
Wang Xiaojing glanced at Li Si'an and nodded: "Sit down."
The group sat down, and dishes were served one after another. They talked about industry news: who released a new album, which song was charting, and which singer switched labels. Li Si'an listened without interrupting, eating and drinking as usual.
After they had eaten enough, Zhou Weidong steered the conversation toward Li Si'an: "President Wang, could you listen to the song my nephew wrote? See if it can help him make a living in this industry."
Li Si'an took the cassette tape out of the file bag and handed it over. The young female employee next to Wang Xiaojing took it, took out a small Walkman from her bag, put the tape in it, and then handed the Walkman to Wang Xiaojing.
Wang Xiaojing took it, put on one earphone, and started listening.
Li Si'an leaned back in her chair, watching him. Wang Xiaojing's expression remained largely unchanged throughout; she simply listened, occasionally tapping her fingers lightly on the table.
After listening for about two minutes, he took off his headphones, put them on the table, and glanced at Li Si'an.
"The song is good." Wang Xiaojing picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said in a calm and unhurried tone, "The arrangement is also very creative and grand."
He paused for a moment, as if considering his words, and then continued, "This song, it would be even better if sung by a female singer with a good voice."
That's a euphemistic way of putting it, but the meaning is clear—you can't sing well.
Zhou Weidong glanced at Li Si'an but didn't say anything.
Li Si'an remained calm, picked up her teacup, took a sip, put it down, and said with a smile:
"Mr. Wang, you're right. There was no other way. I was rushing to finish the song for the school's graduation performance, and I just couldn't find a suitable person to sing it."
With the performance about to begin, I had no choice but to bite the bullet and go on stage myself. You know, the dance was already choreographed; I couldn't just let the two girls dance without any preparation, could I?
Wang Xiaojing's lips twitched, but she didn't reply. Her gaze fell on the file folder beside Li Si'an: "What's that? Sheet music?"
"Yes, yes, yes." Li Si'an quickly opened the file bag, pulled out the sheet music and lyrics, and handed them over. "The tape recording was rushed, and a lot of things weren't shown. The sheet music has more details."
Wang Xiaojing took it, flipped through the sheet music, glanced at it, and her brows twitched slightly.
He moved the sheet music closer to himself and tapped his fingers on the paper, as if he were looking at the arrangement of the vocal parts.
"The notes on your arrangement are much more complex than what you recorded in your demo," Wang Xiaojing said, looking up at him.
Li Si'an scratched his head and smiled a little embarrassedly: "President Wang, you've hit the nail on the head. I also want to make it more complicated, but where would I get the resources?"
The string section was recorded with the help of the school teachers; it was just a few people, and they made do with whatever they could find.
As for the electronic music part, forget about it. I got a friend who works with MIDI to help me tinker with it at his house. That's about it; that's the limit of what I can do.
Wang Xiaojing nodded, said nothing more, and handed the sheet music and Walkman to Jiang Shan next to her: "Shanshan, listen to these lyrics."
Jiang Shan took it, put on the headphones, and began to read it carefully.
She read very slowly, her gaze lingering on the lyrics page for a long time, her lips moving silently as if she were singing along in her mind.
"You wear tattered clothes, I paint them, and we walk side by side through mountains and rivers." She read it aloud, nodded, and said, "This line is quite interesting; it puts the puppet and the person on equal footing."
Turning the page, he read on, his lips moved, and he said, "The wind and snow are faint, and the autumn hair is white at the end. This sentence is also well written, with a strong visual image, like a black and white photograph."
She looked up at Li Si'an, her eyes filled with seriousness: "You wrote these lyrics really well. I especially like those few lines of opera-style lyrics."
She paused, a hint of regret in her voice: "It's a pity, I can't sing this song myself. I really can't capture the essence of that opera style."
Wang Xiaojing chimed in from the side, "If you want to sing, just have him change the operatic style, right?"
Jiang Shan shook her head: "If you change it, it won't have the same feel. The essence of this song lies in those few lines of opera-style singing; if you change them, it won't be the same."
She looked at Li Si'an and said earnestly, "Si'an, right? Could you write another one, in this style, but without the operatic tone? I really like your style."
Li Si'an replied with a smile, "Sure, Sister Jiang Shan. To be honest, I really love listening to your songs. I've listened to your album 'Dreamy Water Town' over and over again at home."
Jiang Shan smiled and tapped him with her finger: "Oh my, this handsome young man has quite the sweet tongue."
She had completely lost the artistic flair she had when reading the lyrics. Her tone was crisp and straightforward, without the slightest hint of coyness: "Then it's settled. I'm looking forward to your song."
"Don't worry, I'll think about it when I get back." Li Si'an raised his teacup and clinked it against hers.
Wang Xiaojing leaned back in her chair, watching the scene without saying anything.
He picked up Li Si'an's sheet music and flipped through it again, his gaze sweeping over Li Si'an before he suddenly asked, "By the way, Li, besides this piece, do you have any other compositions?"
Li Si'an was taken aback by his question and honestly replied, "There are a few, but I only wrote down the sheet music and lyrics, and I didn't make a demo."
Wang Xiaojing nodded, put down the sheet music, looked him over carefully for a few moments, and then suddenly smiled: "With your talent, it would be a waste if you just stayed behind the scenes writing songs."
Li Si'an didn't respond, quietly waiting for what would follow.
Wang Xiaojing picked up her wine glass, took a sip, and slowly began to speak:
"When I said a female voice is more suitable, it doesn't mean you sing badly. Your vocal qualities are there, and your professional training is evident; your breath control and resonance are both excellent. Plus—"
His gaze lingered on Li Si'an's face for a moment, then he said bluntly, "You're no less handsome than Mao Ning or Cai Guoqing. Jiang Shan, don't you think so?"
Jiang Shan was drinking tea when she was suddenly called out. She looked up and smiled at Li Si'an: "Of course, didn't I just call him a handsome young man?"
Wang Xiaojing put down his wine glass, his tone becoming more serious: "With your looks and talent, you should step into the spotlight and become a singer. Release an album, shoot a music video, air it on TV, and you'll be able to charm a whole bunch of young girls."
The private room fell silent for a moment. The female assistant next to her couldn't help but smile, while Jiang Shan held her teacup and smiled without saying a word.
Li Si'an smiled and lowered her head, without replying.
Wang Xiaojing shook her head, leaned back in her chair, and sighed with a hint of helplessness.
"If it were two years ago, I would have signed you to the company right away and made a great album for you. But now..." He waved his hand, "I don't have the energy, and the company is too busy. I don't have time to promote new artists anymore."
He picked up his glass, took a sip, and glanced at Li Si'an. "But since you have the means, don't waste it. If there's a chance later, I'll introduce you to someone in the industry."
He said it casually, but it carried significant weight. For a seasoned veteran who's been in the business for so many years to say something like that to his face wasn't just politeness.
Li Si'an immediately picked up his wine glass, stood up, and said solemnly, "Thank you, President Wang."
When the dinner party ended, Wang Xiaojing stood up and shook hands with Zhou Weidong, then glanced at Li Si'an and said, "Go back and write it properly. Don't rush the one for Jiang Shan."
"Don't worry, Mr. Wang, we definitely won't fool you," Li Si'an said.
As Jiang Shan walked past him, she paused, smiled, and said, "Handsome young man, don't forget to write it down."
"I can't forget it." Li Si'an nodded.
Stepping out of the restaurant, the June evening breeze felt hot on his face. Zhou Weidong took out his car keys, opened the car door, and glanced at Li Si'an.
"Wang Xiaojing doesn't usually praise people easily. If he says you have good qualities, then you really do."
Li Si'an got into the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt: "They were just being polite."
"Just polite talk?" Zhou Weidong started the car.
"Wang Xiaojing might exchange pleasantries with me, but with you? He's too busy to bother with pleasantries. He said he'd introduce you to someone, so he probably really thinks highly of you. Don't take it lightly, kid."
Li Si'an was amused and didn't say anything more.
The Santana drove west under the streetlights, the street scenes outside the window receding one by one. Li Si'an leaned back in her seat, looking at the neon lights outside, her mind replaying the scene at the dinner table earlier.
Wang Xiaojing said he was suited to step into the limelight. He had thought about this before, but had never heard anyone in the industry say it to his face.
In his past life, he was a programmer; in this life—he thought for a moment, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Forget it, let's not think that far ahead. Let's finish writing Jiang Shan's song first.