Chapter 13
The second episode of the "Rising Star" top ten competition aired on Zhongjing TV, and the ratings skyrocketed. Ye Cang's perfect performance of "Summer Insects" and his escape from Xia Fei unscathed, as well as Zheng Zhao's unexpected elimination, were all highlights.
Many fans not only watched the live broadcast but also watched the pre-recorded episode on TV, because the pre-recorded episode included behind-the-scenes footage of the two rehearsing, showing another side of the brothers. However, this time, they saw a scene completely opposite to what they had imagined.
[Why is my brother acting like a timid little wife in front of Ye Cang?! No!!! I refuse to believe it!!!]
[Holy crap! The arranger is Ye Cang?!]
[Cangzai can actually compose music! He's so amazing! Mom is so happy she's shedding tears of joy ┭┮﹏┭┮]
[Just whispering, doesn't anyone think this couple is really appealing? Beautiful top x aloof bottom, I've already imagined a whole novel in my head.]
I want to see it, sisters!!
[Pah! You cultists! Li Zihang is clearly the dominant one!]
This chaotic situation once again propelled Ye Cang and his group to the top of the trending searches, and even secretly spawned two cults: the "Midnight Party" and the "Ye Zi Party."
Li Zihang clicked on a video out of curiosity, only to be completely shocked by the screen full of pink bubbles and slow-motion back glances. He was utterly amazed by the netizens' imagination, and also blamed himself for being so impulsive.
Li Luan glanced at his screen and frowned deeply: "What kind of nonsense are you watching!"
Li Zihang quickly turned off the video, and Li Luan snorted and turned his gaze away.
Looking at his busy assistant, Li Zihang couldn't help but ask his grandfather, "Are you really planning to stay here?"
Since the last match, Old Master Li has had his assistant tidy up the villa in Zhongjing City and arranged for a family doctor and servants to come over, as if he intends to stay for a long time.
Li's parents thought it was for their youngest son's sake, so they called him to scold him for being ignorant and told him to take good care of his grandfather.
Li Zihang was unfairly blamed and had no way to explain himself. Could he possibly tell his parents that his grandfather was planning to become a fan of a celebrity?! Who would believe that?! His parents might even suspect he was out of his mind and send him to the hospital.
Li Zihang could only silently endure it. This immature teenager finally experienced the bitterness of growing up.
Li Luan showed no sign of his grandson's grief and indignation, and calmly said, "I've been planning to open a record company for a long time, and now I just happen to have this opportunity."
Li Zihang: "..."
He underestimated his grandfather; this fanboy is really hardcore!
Li Luan looked at his grandson and sighed, "You are happier than I was back then. You can freely pursue your dreams. I can't do that. It will always be a regret. I can only help some children with dreams to console myself."
Li Zihang had never heard his grandfather say such a thing before. In his memory, his grandfather was always the patriarch of the Li family, but now, looking at his grandfather's white hair and wrinkles, his heart suddenly softened, and he wanted to say a few words to comfort his grandfather.
However, before he could say a few words of tenderness, Li Luan's expression changed, and he snapped at his assistant: "Hasn't the person been signed yet?! What use are you to me! Useless!"
As he spoke, he remembered something and frowned, saying, "Also, clean up those messy videos for me. They're simply outrageous!"
Li Zihang: "..."
Li Zihang thought bitterly: My grandpa not only chases after celebrities, but he's also a damn toxic fan.
-
Ye Cang would never sign with Li Luan's company, but after seeing this, he was somewhat amused and exasperated.
Li Luan had said before that he wanted to start a record company, but he never actually did it. Unexpectedly, it came true after so many years.
Shen Huai happened to see the expression on Ye Cang's face: "What's wrong?"
Ye Cang put away his phone and sighed, "Someone as talented as me can't hide my brilliance even if I change bodies!"
Shen Huai: "..."
He looked at Ye Cang with the eyes of someone looking at a lunatic, then led him out of the elevator, where two simple artistic characters came into view—Xingyi.
The studio is not large, and the decoration is mainly in a simple black and white style, which looks very plain. However, it has a good reputation in the industry and is even considered to be the best recording studio in the entire Zhongjing City.
Walking down the narrow corridor, you come to a small reception room. A girl who looks like an assistant poured two cups of coffee and asked them to sit down for a while.
Ye Cang wasn't interested in coffee. He stood up and looked around the living room. The decoration was simple. Besides the sofa and coffee table, there was only a wall of vinyl records, many of which were out of print.
Ye Cang was engrossed in looking at the records and pointed them out to Shen Huai. Just as he was listing them off with great familiarity, a deep voice came from the side.
"Could it be that young people these days are so interested in vinyl records?!"
Ye Cang and Shen Huai turned around and saw a tall, strong man walk out. He was Yan Xiangming, the owner of Xingyi Studio, and also the recording engineer and arranger that Shen Huai had hired for Ye Cang.
Following closely behind was a thin, frail man. He wore thick-rimmed glasses, his hair was messy, and he walked unsteadily, looking as if he hadn't woken up at all.
Shen Huai seemed surprised to see him: "What are you doing here?"
This person is Fang Jiqing, a top-notch lyricist and composer in the industry. He is a good friend of Yan Xiangming, and Shen Huai helped Bai Weijia arrange songs through Yan Xiangming.
He lay on the sofa like he had no bones, and said lazily, "I stayed up too late arranging music yesterday, so I just decided to sleep here at Lao Yan's place for the night."
Yan Xiangming smiled sheepishly, scratched his head, and said to Shen Huai, "Boss, it's rare for you to ask me for help. I was afraid I wouldn't do a good job, so I invited Ji Qing over."
boss?
Ye Cang raised an eyebrow at Shen Huai, who didn't hide anything: "I funded this studio." He then looked at Yan Xiangming, "We agreed that I would provide the money and you would provide the technology, so we're partners. Why are you calling me that now?"
Yan Xiangming's expression turned serious: "How can that be! If it weren't for your help back then, I would have been destitute long ago, and I wouldn't have been able to open Xingyi!"
Shen Huai felt somewhat helpless. Yan Xiangming was a man of great loyalty and righteousness, but he was too stubborn.
Fang Jiqing chuckled, "Alright, stop with the pretense and get down to business!" He leaned forward slightly, his gaze piercing through his thick glasses as he looked at Ye Cang. "So, you're going to sing 'Mulholland Drive'?"