88: Chapter 88 I'll Give You a Song, Surpassing Tang Yingxue

At 6:40 PM, Jiang Fan arrived at Xu Qingya's door carrying a bottle of red wine.

He skillfully unlocked the password lock.

Xu Qingya was wearing a white knitted dress and was just serving dishes onto the dining table.

"You're just in time."

Jiang Fan walked into the kitchen and peeked; a pot of chicken soup was simmering on the stove, and several finished dishes were already set on the table.

The chicken soup was bubbling away, with goji berries and red dates inside.

"Is this to nourish me?"

Xu Qingya snatched the lid from his hand and covered the pot again.

"You talk too much. Go sit and wait."

Jiang Fan was shooed to the dining table to sit down.

Dinner consisted of four dishes and one soup, the standard a cut above the last time.

"Your culinary skills have improved."

Xu Qingya ladled a bowl of chicken soup for him and pushed it over.

"Talk less and eat more."

Just as Jiang Fan was about to open the red wine, Xu Qingya waved her hand.

"Wait a moment. Sister Lan gave me some medicinal wine; she said it's quite effective. You should try it."

She took a dark porcelain bottle from the wine cabinet and poured half a small glass.

Jiang Fan picked it up and took a sip; it was warm going down, with a faint, lingering herbal fragrance.

"The taste is alright."

"Don't drink too much. Sister Lan said half a small glass each time is enough."

The two of them finished their meal in quiet.

When Jiang Fan was cleaning up the dishes, Xu Qingya had already curled up on the living room sofa, flipping through channels with the remote control.

Mango TV was currently rebroadcasting "The Sound of Nature".

Jiang Fan wiped his hands and walked over. Xu Qingya pulled her legs in to make room for him on half the sofa.

As soon as he sat down, she rested her feet on his thighs.

Jiang Fan rested his hand on her ankles, massaging them with his thumb.

Xu Qingya watched the performances of the previous singers listlessly, occasionally offering a comment—

"This intonation has issues."

"Who did this Arrangement? It's a complete mess."

When it came to Chen Hao, she sat up a little straighter.

"This person's low notes are good."

"Mm, his live stability is very strong."

"He's trouble for Shen Nian."

Jiang Fan glanced at her.

A Heavenly Queen critiquing a peer; her words were sharp and cutting.

After Zhang Yihan finished singing, Xu Qingya's evaluation was even briefer: "Fake."

When the prelude to "the wind rises" began to play, Xu Qingya took her feet off Jiang Fan's legs, sat cross-legged, and became serious.

Shen Nian stood in the center of the stage in a white shirt dress; as the lights hit her, she looked clean and pure.

After the final chorus, the entire audience stood up and applauded.

Xu Qingya picked up the water glass on the coffee table and took a sip.

"This girl really has a good voice."

"Mm."

"The song you chose for her is also fitting. No one else could sing it with this flavor."

The screen cut to a close-up of Tang Yingxue.

The thirty-one-year-old woman's skin shimmered under the camera, and when she opened her mouth, she carried an air of condescending elegance.

"Shen Nian's song is indeed moving, but I would like to ask a question—when the Audience Jury voted, were they moved by the singing, or by her personal experience?"

Xu Qingya slammed her water glass onto the coffee table.

"What nonsense is that."

Jiang Fan looked at her.

"Can a mentor say such things?" Xu Qingya's tone was fiery. "Shen Nian had her song stolen, was hospitalized for depression, and was scolded by the entire internet for a year. She finally managed to stand back on stage and sing a good song, and she says the girl is relying on playing the victim?"

"She has a close relationship with Hua Xingyu."

Xu Qingya snorted coldly.

On TV, Heavenly King Zhou was speaking up for Shen Nian; Xu Qingya's anger subsided slightly, but her expression remained unpleasant.

Jiang Fan looked at Tang Yingxue's face on the screen.

He withdrew his gaze and asked, "Among The Four Heavenly Queens, what rank are you?"

Xu Qingya turned to look at him, her expression slightly surprised.

"Why are you suddenly asking this?"

"Curious."

Xu Qingya leaned back into the sofa, hugging a cushion, and thought for a moment.

"The first is Ye Anran."

"Ye Anran?"

"Yes." Xu Qingya nodded. "She is now active in film, television, and music. She has won two Golden Rooster Best Actress awards and five Golden Melody Awards for Best Female Singer. The movie released at the end of last year grossed 3.2 billion. In terms of overall strength and national popularity, the three of us combined couldn't shake her."

Jiang Fan gave an "Mm".

He knew this name; in the 2014 Chinese entertainment industry, Ye Anran was the person standing at the pinnacle of the pyramid.

"And second?"

Xu Qingya pointed at the TV screen.

"It's her. Tang Yingxue."

"Three-time Golden Melody Award Best Female Singer, two albums with sales exceeding 100 million, and last year she had twenty-eight sold-out concerts. Backed by Universal, her resources are boundless."

"And you?"

Xu Qingya was silent for two seconds.

"I'm on par with that Su woman."

She said this reluctantly, but it was the truth.

"My advantage lies in record sales and fan loyalty; her advantage lies in variety show exposure and commercial endorsements. In terms of music awards, I've won the Golden Melody Awards twice, and she has too."

Xu Qingya straightened her legs and tapped the edge of the coffee table with her toes.

"Simply put, Su Yuyan and I have been fighting for third place. And Tang Yingxue has been sitting in the second position for four years; no one has been able to move her."

Jiang Fan didn't speak, his mind turning.

The structure of The Four Heavenly Queens was very clear—Ye Anran was immovable, Tang Yingxue sat firmly in second place, and Xu Qingya and Su Yuyan fought for third.

Xu Qingya's current album, "Red Bean," had sales exceeding 100 million and was gaining momentum, but Tang Yingxue's foundation was there; one album couldn't bridge that gap.

"Where do you fall short compared to Tang Yingxue?"

Xu Qingya glanced at him.

"Why do you have so much to say today?"

"I'm asking seriously."

Xu Qingya hugged the cushion and thought for a while.

"It comes down to one song."

"What do you mean?"

"Tang Yingxue has a song called "light years," released in 2011, and it's still in the top three requested songs at KTVs. That song turned her from a first-tier singer into a national Heavenly Queen. Whenever anyone mentions Tang Yingxue, their first reaction is that song."

Xu Qingya's tone was calm, but Jiang Fan could hear the underlying unwillingness.

"I don't have one. I have many good songs, but none that can achieve that level—a song that defines a person."

Jiang Fan leaned back on the sofa, tapping his fingers on his knees.

A song that defines a person.

He understood this concept.

In his past life, there were too many such examples.

Some singers rely on one song to reach legendary status for their entire lives; that song is bound to their name, inseparable.

That is what Xu Qingya is missing.

"Red Bean" is very good, but it's not enough.

It's the lead single of an excellent album, not the kind of thing that can transcend time and be carved into everyone's memory.

The rebroadcast on TV continued; Teacher He was announcing the rankings.

Xu Qingya's attention was no longer on the screen; she tilted her head to look at Jiang Fan, waiting for him to speak.

Jiang Fan turned his head and met her gaze.

"Put the film and television stuff aside for now."

Xu Qingya blinked. "What do you mean?"

"You said just now that you're missing one song." Jiang Fan's tone was casual. "Then I'll give you one. It will let you directly surpass that Tang woman."

Xu Qingya stared at him for three seconds.

In the living room, there was only the sound of the TV; Teacher He was calling out Shen Nian's name—504 votes, first place.

"Are you serious?"

"When have I ever joked with you?"

Xu Qingya didn't reply immediately.

She understood the weight of this man's words—

If these words came from someone else's mouth, Xu Qingya would take it as a joke.

But coming from him—

Xu Qingya threw the cushion aside, turned to face him, and her crossed legs brushed against his thighs.

"What song?"

"I haven't thought of it yet." Jiang Fan said. "But I know what kind of song you need."

"A melody that everyone will never forget after the first listen. It can't be a love song; it has to be the kind where—no matter who it is, as long as the prelude plays, everyone only has one name in their mind."

Xu Qingya's breathing paused for half a beat.

Tang Yingxue's "light years" is exactly that kind of song.

"Can you write it?"

Jiang Fan reached out and pulled Xu Qingya's feet back onto his legs, his palm cupping her ankle.

"Give me three days. Next week will be just in time for your concert."

Xu Qingya's eyes lit up.

A concert.

If this song could be performed for the first time at the concert—a national broadcast, a live audience of tens of thousands, a never-before-heard new song, sung by her in person.

Just thinking about that image gave her goosebumps.

"Jiang Fan."

"Mm?"

Xu Qingya got up from the sofa, straddled his lap, and placed her hands on his shoulders.

The hem of her knitted dress spread out, covering their overlapping legs.

"If you can really write it—"

"And if I write it, what then?"

Xu Qingya didn't answer; she lowered her head and kissed him.

The TV was still on, and the light from the screen flickered on the two of them.

Xu Qingya bit his lower lip and said vaguely,

"I'll give you a surprise."

Jiang Fan's movements paused for a moment.

Xu Qingya got off him, stepped barefoot on the floor, the hem of her knitted dress brushing against his knees.

She didn't look back as she walked toward the bedroom.

She stopped at the door and turned half her face.

"You'd better follow."