Chapter 133: "Afterward"

Once Han Feng opened up his heart and let go of all his mental barriers, the subsequent recording went extremely smoothly. When he laid down his past titles and burdens, he became the king of his own songs.

After the song recording was finished, there were still the filming and recording of the music video, but Li He didn't need to worry about those things.

He only needed to record songs.

Everything else was handled by the company's dedicated departments. This was the advantage of backing a large company.

There was no need to worry about anything; he only had to write songs and then wait to collect the profits.

After the recording session, Han Feng wiped the tear tracks from the corners of his eyes. The moment he first laid eyes on the song "Ten Years", he knew it was the one.

Ten Years—and it happened to be exactly ten years since his debut.

In a lifetime, how many ten-year spans are there?

"Brilliant!"

He Sui handed Han Feng a cup of water, her own eyes slightly red. Perhaps she was the only one who truly understood how Han Feng had walked through these past ten years. While other people's debuts were met with soaring momentum leading straight to the peak, Han Feng's debut was at the very bottom, and he had continued on a downward trajectory ever since.

Ten Years.

"I owe it all to Teacher Jiabei. If not for that look in his eyes, I probably still wouldn't have dared to let go," Han Feng said, taking a large gulp of mineral water.

Many people had offered words of encouragement and persuasion, and Han Feng himself even knew where his problems lay.

Yet he had been unable to walk out of the shadow.

Knowing the problem was one thing, but being able to solve it was entirely another.

"Teacher Jiabei is extraordinary. I don't just mean his compositional talent and heaven-sent voice, but also the mental resilience forged by his personal experiences."

He Sui took a breath and said, "Keep interacting more with Teacher Jiabei in the future. The ranks of Grand Masters of Composition and Lyricists will definitely have a reserved spot for him."

During the recording sessions, Li He's guidance for Han Feng was supremely professional. With a rock-solid professional foundation and heaven-defying creative abilities, if a person like this could not become a Grand Master of Composition and Lyricists, then who could?

"Mm!"

Han Feng nodded. However, wanting to interact more with Teacher Jiabei wasn't out of a desire to pry into his musical genius or preview his future works, but simply because he was Jiabei.

Of course, Han Feng would also be more than happy to continue singing songs written by Jiabei.

"Take good care of your voice these next few days," He Sui instructed. "There are only a few days left in this month. The company has scheduled 'Ten Years' to be officially released and launched on September 1st."

After the song's release, there would be promotional events for the new track, and there would still be plenty of occasions requiring Han Feng to perform.

"I won't let Teacher Jiabei down, nor will I let everyone else down." Han Feng clenched his fists, his gaze resolute.

This time, he was going to make a run for the throne of the King of Singers.

That position was something he had yearned for too long, and looked up to for too long.

……

On the other side.

After finishing Han Feng's recording, Li He did not return to the Composition and Lyrics Department, but instead made a turn and headed to another recording studio.

Inside the studio, Jiang Qi was already waiting.

As soon as Li He entered, he dropped heavily into a chair, crossed his legs, and looked at Jiang Qi like an examiner: "Let's begin!"

The lyrics and sheet music had been given to Jiang Qi a few days ago, and she had more or less thoroughly familiarized herself with the required content.

To sing a song well, one must have a thorough understanding of everything about it, including the emotions.

To generate emotional resonance with the lyrics, it was most ideal for the singer to have lived through such experiences themselves, but unfortunately, Jiang Qi lacked such experiences.

Jiang Qi nodded, picked up a cup of water resting on the table, and gulped down a large mouthful.

After clearing her throat, she began to sing the first half of the song.

As Li He listened, he quickly straightened his posture, a smile slowly spreading across his face.

"Very good, no need to continue singing," he interrupted Jiang Qi's performance, adding, "It seems my little stories were quite useful after all."

To help Jiang Qi enter the world of the song more quickly and spark emotional resonance with the music, Li He had tailor-made a few emotional short stories for the track.

This was much like how singers in his past life would always invent a background story for their songs upon release to enhance their flavor and charm.

In this regard, the background stories depicted by ancient-style songs were particularly touching.

Li He had drawn inspiration from that practice on Earth, though instead of applying it to fans and audiences, he applied it to the song's performer, Jiang Qi.

Receiving Jiabei's praise and affirmation, Jiang Qi smiled with delight.

Before Jiang Qi could say anything, Li He stood up by himself and walked over to the piano in the recording studio.

Though "Ten Years", sung by Han Feng, also featured a piano accompaniment section, that particular pianist had practiced the song alongside Han Feng all this time, and Li He didn't have the heart to kick the person aside and replace them—even though that person wouldn't dare to say much or harbor any complaints.

Still, Li He chose not to do that.

However, he had no such reservations regarding the songs to be performed by Jiang Qi and the He siblings, since those three hadn't been practicing for very long, and Li He had reserved the pianist's seat for himself from the very beginning.

Being the pianist meant earning money, too!

"I'll sing a few lines first so you can get a feel for the overall vibe and emotion of the song, and finally find that sensation." Although Jiang Qi had entered the song through the short romance stories, her performance still lacked a bit of the flavor born from personal experience.

When Li He drew this song from the lottery system, the reward naturally included the insights and emotional expression of the track, as well as original singer Rene Liu's understanding of the song and her vocal techniques.

With that, Li He's slender fingers flew nimbly across the keys. Having attained level-nine piano proficiency, playing the accompaniment was an absolute breeze for him.

Later, I finally learned how to love,
It's a pity that you had long since gone, vanishing into the sea of people.
Later, I finally understood amidst my tears,
That some people, once missed, are gone forever...

The very first line of lyrics was instantly captivating.

The emotion... Jiang Qi suddenly froze in place.

She suddenly felt that this song must have been written by Teacher Jiabei for An Chuxia!

Some people, once missed, are gone forever.

This was telling An Chuxia that she had missed him, and missing him meant he was gone for good; he was no longer there.

"Teacher Jiabei is braving sad and painful memories to demonstrate this song for me. What reason do I have not to sing it well!" Tears welled up in the corners of Jiang Qi's eyes as she immersed herself in Jiabei's perspective, facing An Chuxia's ruthless departure.

Mmm!
I can do this.

Li He only sang four lines before stopping and saying, "Now you try again."

At this moment, Jiang Qi felt a tremendous sense of responsibility. Everything was for Teacher Jiabei.

Jiang Qi took a deep breath to calm the slight nervousness in her heart.

Even though she didn't know why she was feeling nervous—she clearly never got nervous in front of her vocal coaches, and she was already a mature singer!—

Yet facing Teacher Jiabei, she still felt an inexplicable nervousness. It was simply baffling.

However, when she thought of An Chuxia's hateful expression and Teacher Jiabei's inner bitterness while stubbornly forcing a smile at the corners of his mouth, Jiang Qi suddenly stopped feeling nervous.

Everything was for Teacher Jiabei.
Defeat the detestable An Chuxia!

Jiang Qi clenched her small fists, cheering herself on, and against the backdrop of the prominent piano accompaniment, she sang the opening line:

Later, I finally learned how to love...