9: Chapter 9, "The Only One," "Later"

I forgot to charge my phone before going to bed last night.

Chen Shaoping plugged his phone in to charge before taking the contract, giving Wang Bo a nudge as he did so.

He teased with a smile, "Can you handle it?"

"Who are you looking down on? It was this charming voice of mine that won over my girlfriend," Wang Bo grumbled.

"The nerve!"

Li Qian tucked away the contract Chen Shaoping had signed and said with a beaming smile, "Da Ping, want to come along and listen?"

Chen Shaoping readily agreed; he didn't have much else to do anyway, and he really wanted to hear how Wang Bo's rendition of the song would turn out.

With Wang Bo driving, the three of them arrived at "Tongxing Entertainment Company."

This was a small entertainment company that focused solely on music, having not yet ventured into film or television.

Or rather, they didn't have the strength to venture into them yet!

There weren't many staff members or artists in the company.

Small companies offered more freedom, but their resources were also relatively limited.

In a large entertainment company, a relationship like the one between Li Qian and Wang Bo would definitely not be permitted.

However, the company's recording studio was quite impressive; the various instruments and equipment were all top-tier on Blue Star.

"Brother Du, we'll be counting on you guys now."

Entering the recording studio, Li Qian greeted the band leader, Du Hua.

Wang Bo also shook hands with him, offering words of thanks.

"Xiao Li, this is my job, and besides, the song you guys brought this time is truly stunning."

"It's been a long time since I've come across a song like this. I feel honored to be part of recording it!"

Du Hua waved his hand, his voice filled with affection for the song.

"I wonder, could this be the songwriter?"

"Exactly! This is my buddy Chen Shaoping, the author of the song 'the only one'," Wang Bo introduced him, his voice brimming with pride.

Du Hua's eyes lit up, and he excitedly grasped Chen Shaoping's hand. "Teacher Chen, thank you! It's been a long time since a song like this has appeared in the entertainment industry."

Chen Shaoping felt a bit embarrassed by the praise; his skin wasn't thick enough yet, so he could only silently apologize to the actual songwriter in his heart.

"Brother Du, you're too kind! I hope this song gives Wang Bo a roaring start on his path to becoming a Superstar."

"If Wang Bo remains mediocre even with a song like this, then it's his own fault; it has nothing to do with the song."

"Hahaha!"

They all looked at each other and laughed!

Wang Bo and Du Hua entered the recording booth and began recording the song.

Chen Shaoping and Li Qian stood outside watching.

The first take was over quickly.

Not bad, it's okay!

That was Chen Shaoping's first reaction, but compared to the versions he had heard before, it was still a bit lacking.

"Teacher Chen, what do you think?" Du Hua's voice reached his ears.

Li Qian also stared at Chen Shaoping, wanting to hear the songwriter's evaluation.

Chen Shaoping paused and thought for a moment before saying, "Second Bo, I know you really want to sing this song well."

"But because of that, you're too tense. You're focusing too much on vocal technique, which makes the emotion wrong and the performance too stiff."

He was being honest; he didn't want to ruin a classic, and he especially wanted Wang Bo to become an overnight sensation with this song.

Hearing this, Wang Bo realized his problem, but he lacked the experience to know how to fix it.

Inside, Du Hua gave a thumbs-up toward the glass window before discussing it with Wang Bo.

Li Qian didn't say anything, only silently cheering Wang Bo on.

She knew that saying anything right now would only add pressure to Wang Bo.

Wang Bo began the second take.

"Qian, how's the recording going?"

A graceful voice came from behind them.

The two of them instinctively turned around to look. A beautiful, mature woman with curly blonde hair, sparkling diamond studs, and a black dress was walking toward them with elegance.

Zhang Ying!

As soon as he saw who it was, Chen Shaoping immediately recognized her identity.

She was an A-list singer who hadn't released any new songs in recent years; it seemed she had shifted her focus to management.

"Sister Ying, the first take wasn't great, so he's trying a second one now."

Li Qian said with a full smile, stepping aside to make room. "He's a bit nervous; why don't you give him some pointers?"

Zhang Ying walked to the glass window and watched Wang Bo singing seriously inside, a faint smile appearing on her lips.

"Qian! Don't worry, he can overcome it. If the second time doesn't work, there's always a third."

She turned to look at Chen Shaoping with a hint of curiosity. "And you are?"

Chen Shaoping felt a bit awkward; his gaze had been somewhat impolite.

"Wang Bo's classmate, Chen Shaoping."

"He's the author of the song," Li Qian added.

"Oh, Young Master Ping!" A flash of surprise crossed Zhang Ying's eyes; she hadn't expected the songwriter to be so young.

Young Master Ping was the pen name Chen Shaoping had chosen when he exchanged for the song.

It was a bit cheesy, but he had tried his best; it was the best one he could come up with after ten minutes of thinking.

"That's me."

Zhang Ying's face instantly broke into a smile. "Young Master Ping, could you write a song for me too? I'll make sure the terms are to your satisfaction."

"I had this thought as soon as I saw 'the only one'."

"Sure. I wonder what kind of song you're looking for, Sister Ying?"

Chen Shaoping now had 8 paparazzi points, so exchanging for a few songs was no problem at all.

Li Qian was puzzled; before the breakup, she had never heard that Chen Shaoping could write songs.

Right after the breakup, he gave one to Wang Bo, and now he was even letting Zhang Ying choose the genre!

Did the shock clear his creative block or something?

Zhang Ying smiled even more brightly; she hadn't expected to have the right to choose the song's genre.

"Something healing, I suppose."

Chen Shaoping thought for a bit and already had an idea.

"Sister Ying, I happened to write one before. I'll send it to you right away."

Chen Shaoping scrolled through the system mall for a while but couldn't find the song he wanted; it was faster to just have the Host exchange it.

"System, exchange for the song 'later'."

[Host has successfully exchanged for the song 'later' for 1 paparazzi point.]

"Oh, then I'm truly lucky."

Zhang Ying said as she scanned the QR code to add Chen Shaoping as a friend.

Once they were friends, Chen Shaoping sent the song to Zhang Ying.

Li Qian leaned in next to Zhang Ying to look at the song together.

"Sister Ying, what made you decide to release a song?"

Zhang Ying's eyes remained fixed on her phone as she sighed. "The company's business isn't doing well. If I don't release a song to make some money, I won't be able to keep the company afloat much longer."

"A deal that was already finalized was ruined by that guy named 'Shao Ping' on the internet."

"What deal? I haven't heard you mention it," Li Qian asked.

"Li Lulu and Wang Hao were planning to produce a movie about hip-hop, and the company was going to be involved in the music production throughout."

"But now it's fallen through. If I ever find out who Shao Ping is, I'll definitely give him a piece of my mind."

Zhang Ying's gaze sharpened, and she gritted her teeth, speaking indignantly.

Yet her eyes didn't leave her phone for a single second.

Chen Shaoping felt a chill down his spine, while Li Qian shot him a meaningful smile.

"Young Master Ping, is this a 'healing' song?"

"Yes, Sister Ying. It's a 'depressing' song, alright."

Chen Shaoping's deadpan expression made Zhang Ying laugh.

"So that's how it's 'depressing,' but I like it!"

She laughed a bit louder, suddenly finding Chen Shaoping quite interesting.

His gaze was a bit restless, but that only proved her charm was still intact.