Chapter 19: At Ease (Happy Children’s Day)
Li He sat on the sofa, resting his chin in his hands, assuming a pensive pose.
After a moment, Li He spoke calmly, “First, your singing skills are excellent—I have little more to say on that.”
“Your voice is deeply moving, which is one of the main reasons I decided to let you sing this song.”
He paused, then continued, improvising, “I feel that the most striking aspect of your performance is the emotion—it’s as if this song was written for you, as if you are ‘Bubble’ itself.”
Jiang Qi exclaimed with delight, “No wonder you’re Teacher Gabe! You noticed even that.”
She had never spoken about those feelings to anyone, and yet Teacher Gabe had sensed them.
He Xi’er turned her head in astonishment, thinking to herself, I noticed it too—anyone can hear that heart-wrenching pain.
Li He shifted his tone, “There’s also a small flaw throughout the song—you’re too greedy, wanting both emotion and technique.”
“These two are difficult to balance. If you pour yourself completely into the emotion, some technical elements are inevitably abandoned, but you’re unwilling to let go.”
“Likewise, if you focus on technical pronunciation or playing, the emotion can’t fully merge into the song.”
“You can’t have both. You’re greedy, wanting it all.”
Li He spoke with gravity and sincerity, as though he were an expert.
He’d never eaten pork, but he’d seen pigs run.
He had watched plenty of music talent shows in his previous life, so he simply borrowed what he’d seen.
He Luo was stunned—she never expected her best friend to be so impressive.
No wonder he was the one who wrote ‘Sorrow Dispelled’ and ‘Bubble.’
Jiang Qi nodded, bitterly admitting, “Teacher Gabe is right. I am too greedy.”
She had always been searching for a balance between emotion and technique, but had never succeeded.
Many people had told her the same thing, but Jiang Qi still wanted to try.
Today, Li He repeated it. Jiang Qi decided to let it go.
Perhaps that balance simply doesn’t exist.
Li He said to Jiang Qi, “Trying to grasp both emotion and technique will only leave you empty-handed, making things worse instead of better.”
After a brief silence, Jiang Qi suggested, “Teacher Gabe, how about letting He Luo sing ‘Sorrow Dispelled’ as well, just to warm up?”
Warm up? I can see you just want to listen… Li He immediately saw through Jiang Qi’s little scheme.
He Xi’er perked up—compared to ‘Bubble,’ she preferred ‘Sorrow Dispelled.’
But the songwriter and the singer had both surprised her, as though she were dreaming.
Li He was reluctant to grant Jiang Qi’s request, still frustrated at not witnessing the superstar’s public embarrassment.
You didn’t fulfill my request, yet you want to make yours—dream on… Li He gently refused, “I can’t.”
Then he explained, “There’s no accompaniment—it’s inconvenient.”
But Jiang Qi jumped up, smiling, “There is! The studio band has already rehearsed, and today they sent me the accompaniment.”
When Li He decided to record at Jiang Qi’s friend’s studio, he had already sent the score to the band for practice.
He hadn’t expected Jiang Qi to sneakily obtain the accompaniment ahead of time.
Too shameless.
He Luo agreed, “No problem.”
He wanted to showcase his talent in front of a living superstar, and perhaps receive some guidance.
He Xi’er’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Although the singer seemed odd, hearing the full version of ‘Sorrow Dispelled’ was enough. She’d been looping He Luo’s video for days, and it had driven her mad.
Several times just now, He Xi’er almost couldn’t restrain herself—she wanted to rush up and give He Luo a beating.
She felt quite foolish.
He Luoluo and He Luo, just a single character’s difference—how did she not realize it before?
Jiang Qi cheerfully picked up her pink speaker, preparing to set the next song.
She had only two songs in that speaker: the accompaniment for ‘Bubble’ and for ‘Sorrow Dispelled.’
Li He took the opportunity to whisper a few words in his best friend’s ear, then quickly returned to his seat.
Soon, the accompaniment began to play. He Luo stood up, squinting his eyes, utterly absorbed.
Jiang Qi and He Xi’er watched with eager anticipation.
Finally, they could hear the full version, no longer tormented by ‘Sorrow Dispelled.’
It felt fantastic.
He Luo began to sing, his voice low and magnetic.
When he reached:
“A cup for my hometown, a cup for the distant land
Holding onto my kindness, urging me to grow
So the roads north and south are no longer long…”
He suddenly stopped.
The accompaniment continued, but his voice was gone.
Jiang Qi and He Xi’er looked as though they’d eaten something foul, their faces twisted and flushed.
He Xi’er couldn’t help but ask, “Why did you stop?”
He Luo remembered his best friend’s advice, and replied shyly, “First time meeting a star, too nervous, I forgot the lyrics.”
“You—!” He Xi’er spluttered, unable to get the next words out.
She was about to explode.
Now she was absolutely certain.
He Luo was He Luoluo.
No one else could be so infuriating.
Wait—there was someone even worse, smiling serenely on the sofa.
He Xi’er’s gaze grew dangerous, even more menacing than when Li He ogled her pleated skirt. She truly wanted to kick He Luo out.
Too damned irritating.
Jiang Qi suppressed her anger, finally understanding.
Unless it was a formal recording, He Luoluo would never let them be satisfied.
Why so obnoxious!
Now Jiang Qi felt that Teacher Gabe’s infuriating videos were all instigated by the wretched He Luoluo.
When Li He was threatening He Luo, Jiang Qi was adjusting the accompaniment and missed the moment.
He Luo felt deeply wronged, forced to take the blame.
Because his best friend had promised that if he sang as instructed, he’d get to sing the rest of the songs; otherwise, he’d only get the first half of the lyrics.
He Luo knew well how torturous a song cut in half could be.
Thinking of his own interests, He Luo resolutely sided with his best friend.
Li He exhaled, satisfied.
After dinner, Li He and He Luo said their farewells and left.
Outside, the city lights had just begun to shine.
Behind them, He Xi’er hurried to catch up.
He Luo was surprised, “Why are you coming out?”
He Xi’er turned away, refusing to acknowledge the infuriating He Luo. Her heart still itched to give him a good kick.
Now, He Luo was even more convinced that He Xi’er was having her time of the month.
He dragged his best friend to walk faster, careful not to be caught up in the mess.
He Xi’er kept trailing behind.
Li He, curious, was pulled aside and asked, “He Xi’er, how do you know Jiang Qi? As far as I know, she’s not from Lu Province.”
Seeing the beautiful-legged He Xi’er in Jiang Qi’s hotel room, Li He was intrigued.
He’d guessed that Jiang Qi wouldn’t meet him alone, and that there would be someone else with her.
He had considered it might be her manager, assistant, or even bodyguard—but had never connected the proud He Xi’er with Jiang Qi.
Why should I tell you… He Xi’er replied reluctantly, “Qi Qi and I are managed by the same agent.”
“You actually signed with a company?” He Luo was shocked.
He Xi’er glared.
What do you mean, ‘you actually signed with a company,’ as if it was a surprise?
“I’m beautiful and sweet-voiced, so the company signed me—is that strange?” He Xi’er said proudly.
At last, she had regained a little ground.
Li He nodded.
So He Xi’er had signed with Splendid Entertainment.
Which company should I choose in the future?
Li He felt troubled. Without company resources or recommendations, it could be a hassle.
He couldn’t always sell his songs—what he earned was less than what a signed artist would get.
The only downside to signing with a company was…
——
(To be revised after posting)