53: Flammable and Explosive is indeed explosive

Yue Qingzhu's eyes widened slightly, and she slowly sat upright.

This arrangement used a lot of muting techniques, and the melody gradually climbed, as if accumulating energy.

And Chen Fang's voice was between breathy and solid, with a slight grainy texture, like a whispered murmur, yet also like a restrained roar, perfectly matching the lyrics.

The melody in the headphones gradually ascended, and after a mysterious, soaring, and psychedelic hum, the undercurrent finally erupted—

"Grant me dreams, yet grant me a quick awakening"

"Sleep with me, yet squander me without mercy"

"Love me purely, yet love me naked and uncorrupted"

"Watch me play and sing, yet watch me heartbroken"

His voice was high-pitched, emotional, and dramatic, clearly conveying dynamism and vitality with the drumbeats.

Yue Qingzhu's mouth was slightly agape.

Oh my god.

She quickly picked up her phone.

Stop! I can't keep listening on my phone; it's too much of a waste for this music.

Yue Qingzhu quickly put down her phone, logged into her chat account on her computer, put on her headphones, and opened the demo.

This time, the compact and surging singing came from all directions, emotions gradually rising, drumbeats becoming denser, every note clearly echoing in her ears. From suppression to explosion, from endurance to release.

Yue Qingzhu's eyes widened slightly, and she raised a hand to cover her mouth.

When she heard the humming, she actually got goosebumps.

Finally, the music came to an end, the rhythm and melody gradually softened, and the singer returned to a low, melodious state, as if having experienced an emotional catharsis, returning to an inner tranquility and contemplation.

"Let me be beautiful, yet let me be engrossed in desire, resent me for a hundred years of worry-free life, yet resent me for having only tears."

After the song ended, the outro gradually slowed down and slowly faded away, leaving an endless aftertaste.

Yue Qingzhu listened four times in a row, then slowly took off her headphones, her mouth still slightly open, not having recovered from the shock.

What a unique style, based on folk, yet incorporating a bit of rock and psychedelic elements. The emotions were extremely rich.

Chen Fang sang very well, but after listening to the fourth time, she felt a bit strange. Perhaps because Chen Fang was good at sad songs, out of habit, he added a tiny bit of sadness beyond the suppression and explosion.

But she felt that this song should perhaps lean more towards introversion and madness, restraint and provocation. She would discuss this with Chen Fang later.

She pulled out a piece of paper and jotted down her thoughts.

Yue Qingzhu put down her gel pen, looked at the screen, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly, humming the tune unconsciously.

Why cover anything else? This is it!

She wanted to practice it now; listening to it just now made her itching to sing.

Yue Qingzhu grabbed the mouse and quickly clicked open the lyric file.

...

Half an hour later, it was 9:30 PM.

The elevator door near the seventh-floor recording studio opened.

Jiang Haotian, dressed in casual clothes, a red and white trendy jacket paired with jeans, and wearing a baseball cap, walked out of the elevator full of youthful energy.

Tang Chen followed him, looking tired, and said helplessly, "Young Master, can't you be less impulsive?"

Jiang Haotian shrugged, "I have training on the tenth floor tonight, so I just came down to get it on the way. It doesn't delay anything."

"You can get it this time, but what about next time?" Tang Chen felt like a nanny, constantly looking after two little kids.

"Why can't I get it next time?" Jiang Haotian walked indifferently to the door of Recording Studio No. 7 and pressed the doorbell.

"Who is it?"

"Ah? Sister Qingzhu? It's you." Jiang Haotian instantly lost his earlier flippant demeanor, standing up straight respectfully, "Sorry, I didn't know you were using the recording studio. I apologize for disturbing you. I recorded a song this morning and forgot my watch."

Yue Qingzhu always seemed a bit unapproachable. Not exactly aloof, she would even politely exchange pleasantries with a forced smile, but she always gave off a feeling of keeping people at a distance. Disturbing her practice made him feel a bit uneasy.

The boss was right; he needed to stop being so forgetful.

Fortunately, the door opened, revealing Yue Qingzhu's face in the crack.

"Go find it, and close the door when you leave." Yue Qingzhu turned, walked to the printer in the corner of the control room, and took out two sheets of paper. She stared intently at the text on the paper, muttering something, and slowly walked towards the recording room.

"Qingzhu, still practicing so late?" Tang Chen walked in and greeted her.

"Mm. Tang Ge, you're here too."

Tang Chen nodded and sat down to wait for Jiang Haotian to search for his watch.

He had a smile on his face, but inwardly, he sighed silently.

Yue Qingzhu was not having an easy time either.

In 20 days, the annual Music Scene Season, participated in by first-tier singers, would begin.

The so-called Music Scene Season wasn't truly a competition or a stage. It was just a tradition. It originated from a music variety show called "Music Scene Season" that premiered twenty years ago, which invited first-tier singers to compete on the same stage. The viewership soared to the top at that time.

Unfortunately, the cost was too high, and it only ran for three years. But the trend it started, with first-tier celebrities releasing songs in June, continued. The industry and listeners also called the June new song charts the "Music Scene Charts."

Unlike "The Voice of Nature" airing its rookie season in the summer, in June, first-tier singers, rising stars, and quasi-first-tier singers aiming for the top would all choose to release songs during this period.

However, in April of last year, her long-term lyricist and composer left, causing her to miss the opportunity to release new music and be absent from last year's Music Scene Charts.

And this year, according to her agent, her family was pressuring her even more, which made her feel somewhat overwhelmed. Her demands for songs became even higher, finding fault with everything. Now she planned to cover an old song.

Still practicing in the recording studio at 9:30 PM showed how much psychological pressure she was under.

Tang Chen glanced at Jiang Haotian, who was still scurrying around looking for his watch. He was truly exasperated with him; every time he came to the recording studio, he brought a pile of things and left them everywhere.

Yue Qingzhu stood there staring at the lyrics, clearly eager to practice.

Tang Chen also didn't want to displease Yue Qingzhu, neither from the perspective of friendship nor personal connections.

He stood up, walked to the mixing console, and said with a smile, "Qingzhu, you're going to practice the song for next month's release, right? How about I listen to it for you?"

He wasn't a music professional, but he had managed three first-tier singers and understood the market quite well. He was qualified to listen.

"Thank you, Tang Ge." Yue Qingzhu was already itching to sing, and seeing Jiang Haotian scurrying around like a hamster, she didn't want to wait any longer. "But please don't tell anyone after you listen."

Normally, this would require signing a non-disclosure agreement. But she was certain these two wouldn't leak it.

"Don't worry."

"I definitely won't say anything," Jiang Haotian said seriously.

Yue Qingzhu nodded, turned, and walked into the recording studio.

Tang Chen sat in front of the mixing console, put on his headphones, and yawned, covering his mouth.

He had already listened to "The Courage to Be Disliked" many times. If it was a cover, at most, she could make some emotional adjustments.

He didn't have much expectation, but he still had to say some complimentary pleasantries.