HTI: Chapter 38
If it was normal times then after being sharply commentated, Ji Zehui would immediately find a way to pull the host to change the topic and invite the commentators to say other words. This would temporarily control the scene. Then he would try to find a way to pressure the program group so that the bad words weren’t broadcasted, only the good ones.
However, Ji Zehui couldn’t calm down. He just heard several critics praise the adaptation of Angry Waves, making him extremely intolerant of Long Shuyou’s criticism.
If Long Shuyou was really invited by Xie Yang…
Ji Zehui started to make excuses. “I always reflect on myself. I’m sorry that I didn’t sing well this time. I was helping my guest singer Xie Yang. He was busy until noon yesterday adapting Angry Waves. In the afternoon, we did a run through in a hurry and there was rehearsal in the evening. Thanks to this, he and I were a bit tired.”
Long Shuyou became even more disappointed. “No, in just singing, your voices weren’t tired at all. You just had a problem with coordination. Xie Yang’s performance was remarkable and the song’s emotions were perfectly rendered by him before you sang. Then as soon as you sang, all the emotions collapsed. In particular, once you started to show off your skills in the later period, I seemed to hear another song. Then there was the last chorus. Xie Yang tried to get you back on track again and again but you just suppressed his voice again and again, causing the mood of the entire song to collapse. Here, I feel that Xie Yang also failed. Xie Yang, you clearly have the power to grab control of the song in the last chorus. Why didn’t you grab it?”
Everyone looked at Xie Yang.
Xie Yang had to raise the microphone. How should he answer this? Honestly?
This—
Long Shuyou interrupted. “Forget it, I will help you. It is because you’re afraid that Ji Zehui wouldn’t allow you to grab it and the sound would be broken.”
Xie Yang immediately lowered his microphone. There was an awkward silence in the background.
Ji Zehui’s expression sank. The host quickly stepped up but Ji Zehui didn’t answer his call for a long time. There was a commotion in the audience and the director had to stop recording. Ji Zehui’s agent rushed forward to apologize to the director and then called Ji Zehui over to talk to the director.
More than 10 minutes later, Ji Zehui left. Then the director frowned and called for Xie Yang. Xie Yang came over. The director gestured to Xiao Jin in the corner.
Xie Yang looked at the agent Xiao Jin and Xiao Jin looked back. Finally, Xiao Jin took the initiative to step forward, handing Xie Yang a business card. “Mr Xie, I have suggested that the director re-record your performance with Zehui. I have already reached an agreement with the other guests. As long as you agree, the recording can be restarted immediately. What do you want?”
This was to make a deal.
Xie Yang smiled and asked, “Aren’t you embarrassing me?”
“Zehui was too impulsive about the previous thing. I’m sorry.”
“You can bend and stretch.” Xie Yang accepted the business card and didn’t say much in front of the director. He just stated, “Wait for me in the parking lot after the recording of the program. I have business to talk to you about.”
Xiao Jin left and the director spoke to Xie Yang in an embarrassed manner. “Teacher Xie, thank you for your understanding. This time really… alas.”
Xie Yang smiled. “It’s fine. It is just singing again.”
The recording stopped for half an hour. Then the director came out and announced the re-recording of Xie Yang and JI Zehui’s singing. There was a low ‘ah’ of surprise from the audience. All the members of the program group looked sympathetically at Xie Yang.
Xie Yang’s expression didn’t change and he only gave Long Shuyou a soothing look, indicating to Long Shuyou that the re-recording was approved by him. Long Shuyou received the hint and sat back down with a frown. He didn’t look for trouble with the director.
Everyone was back in place and Xie Yang returned to the stage entrance. Ji Zehui was holding a bottle of water to moisten his throat. He saw Xie Yang coming here and didn’t speak.
Xie Yang walked to Ji Zehui’s side and looked at the brightly lit stage and venue filled with audience members. He stated, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to mock you. Sing well this time and don’t spoil my adaptation.”
Ji Zehui pinched the water bottle. Xie Yang still didn’t look at Ji Zehui and concentrated on adjusting the position of his earpiece. “Be mentally prepared. If you still perform badly then I won’t let you go again.”
The transition was finished and the two people took to the stage. Xie Yang stood on his own half of the stage and breathed lightly.
Almost everyone noticed that the air around Xie Yang’s body was different this time. He held the microphone in one hand and let it naturally hang. The dark blue suit on his body glowed silver under the light, like a few rays of moonlight sprinkled on the surface of the sea at night, quiet and cold.
The audience subconsciously became quiet. Everyone looked at Xie Yang, unknowingly ignoring Ji Zehui who was dressed in a rock and roll style on the other side. The music played and the lights dimmed.
Waves suddenly surged in the calm sea. The traveler who had been quietly bathed in moonlight was instantly swept below the sea’s surface.
Xie Yang’s singing was inserted in time. There was panic, struggle, looking for the direction of life in the turbulent waves, suffocation, pain… never give up!
Stronger and more complex emotions than last time filled the venue. The audience members couldn’t help holding their breath, as if they were also struggling in the sea.
Section A finished and there was a tense interlude followed by a fierce chorus. Ji Zehui’s deep and thick voice was inserted but it seemed… not strong enough?
Just as the audience was almost thrown out of the emotional mood of the song, a harmony suddenly lifted up Ji Zehui’s voice. It was as if the weak and frustrated traveler struggling in the waves suddenly remembered the family waiting at home. Their desire to live broke out and they fought even more violently.
The audience fell back in the net in a relieved manner and continued to nervously follow the song’s mood.
Ji Zehui glanced at Xie Yang, held back his temper and continued to sing.
The confrontation between the person and the waves was becoming more urgent and more intense. Finally, the chorus ended, the waves slowed and the traveler thought they were going to survive.
The second verse came in at the right time. Now the singing mood was a bit different. Joy, sudden fatigue, forced soberness and the eagerness to swim toward the shore…
This segment ended and the music suddenly became anxious. As the traveler was approaching the short, a stronger wave appeared and the traveler was once again brought back into the deep sea.
The second chorus was coming. The traveler saw hope but fell back to despair. This chorus expressed the traveler’s anger, them going out of control and their unwillingness to be completely swallowed up by the waves!
Ji Zehui’s voice cut in again. This time, Xie Yang supported his voice with harmony from the beginning. The accumulated emotions burst out suddenly and the audience couldn’t help clenching their fists.
Fight! Fight! Keep fighting!
Xie Yang no longer put down the microphone or accommodate Ji Zehui any longer. He finished the entire chorus along with Ji Zehui and then sank his emotions into the more urgent interlude after the chorus. Then when the last chorus came, he took the initiative to suppress Ji Zehui’s roaring voice to fully express the emotions, completely exploding the traveler’s will to survive.
The performance reached the last moment! Pulling, collisions, life and death… finally, the traveler broke through the sea and grabbed the overturned boat.
As the sun rose, the traveler returned to shore using the boat, wringing the water from their clothes and heading home. Behind them, the eaves calmed down unwillingly. The sea returned to its previous calm and reflected the sunlight.
The music soothed and gradually quieted.
Xie Yang opened his eyes and looked at the audience, his microphone lowered and a slight smile on his face. There were a few seconds of silence followed by thunderous applause. The audience couldn’t help excitedly shouting Xie Yang’s name.
Ji Zehui stood beside Xie Yang, breathing slightly, sweat on his forehead and his body full of reluctance. He couldn’t overwhelm Xie Yang. He was completely overwhelmed.
Long Shuyou stared at Xie Yang on the stage and clapped hard. The other commentators hadn’t expected the adapted Angry Waves to be so shocking and perfect and they also clapped hard.
“Why do I feel like this song can reach a higher level without JI Zehui’s voice?” One commentator couldn’t help saying.
The other commentator quickly reached out and patted him to stop him from talking.
The guests waiting backstage were also amazed. Zeng Min said, “I thought the last rehearsal of Angry Waves was already very good. I didn’t expect… this little newcomer is amazing.”
Many guests who had been indifferent to the re-recording couldn’t help secretly regretting. Wasn’t this equivalent to giving first place to Ji Zehui?
A few of the new generation guest singers who were around the same age as Xie Yang felt threatened. Did they have any opportunity to stand out when there was an outstanding peer like Xie Yang on the stage?
On the stage.
Xie Yang straightened from the applause, picked up the microphone and looked at the audience. “Thank you.” Then he glanced at Ji Zehui beside him and said, “Thank you Teacher Ji for giving me this opportunity to appear on Who is the King of Songs. Thank you.”
Ji Zehui held the microphone so tightly that his blue veins almost bulged. He hadn’t expected that Xie Yang would burst out in such a terrible manner when he was really serious. Ji Zehui wanted to turn his head away but in the end, reason prevailed. He picked up the microphone and replied, “Xiao Xie is too polite. I should be the one thanking you for your adaptation and singing. You worked hard.”
The host came to the stage, smiled and interacted with Ji Zehui and Xie Yang before handing it over to the commentators.
The commentators were full of praise this time without any stress. They exaggerated the performance of the two people, from their emotional performance to their singing skills. Long Shuyou also rarely held back his thorns and briefly stated, “Not bad.”
***
The new issue of Who is the King of Songs was successfully recorded. In the order, the program team took into consideration Ji Zehui singing twice. In order to take care of the mood of other guests, they asked the scorers to give Angry Waves a low score.
Xie Yang no longer worried about these things. Once the recording finished, he received several business cards from the commentators and singers. He was working hard to establish his first network after entering the entertainment circle.
Among those who handed out their business cards, Zeng Min was the most enthusiastic one. She took advantage of the small number of people and deliberately approached Xie Yang to remind him. “Ji Zehui is small-minded. You have strength and won’t end up any worse than him. Just don’t collide with him now.”
Xie Yang sincerely replied, “Thank you for reminding me.”
***
Xie Yang came to the parking lot after the recording completely ended. He was very satisfied to see Ji Zehui and Xiao Jin waiting there obediently and told them, “Let’s go talk about business.”