Chapter 102: The Improper Half-Step Heavenly Empress

Chen Qi was shameless enough to insist on being involved in the entire production of the song, yet he had no intention of paying a single cent.

Not only did he refuse to pay, he also washed his hands of all the personnel and equipment needed for production.

Even more infuriatingly, he declared that any cooperation with the music platform was to be handled by Xu Man herself. He would merely grant the rights and collect the money...

In short, she was to take the lead in everything concerning the song’s production and promotion on her end. He would manage nothing, yet still hold absolute authority over the final say.

“Do you know how I used to work with record companies and music platforms?” Xu Man asked, looking at the excessive demands Chen Qi had listed, and even she felt somewhat speechless.

It was one thing for her to spend five million to buy the right to perform the song, but she was also expected to foot the production bill herself?

Wasn’t that a little too humble?

She was, after all, a leading figure of the new generation. She had her pride, too.

“Hm?” Chen Qi first froze, then shook his head very honestly. “To be honest, I’m not very interested.”

Xu Man: “...”

She could not tell whether he was truly uninterested or simply pretending to be foolish.

Fine. Since she was bound to win no matter what with this song, she might as well play by his rules.

Who told her she had already been tempted?

Because this was their first collaboration, and because there were many details to consider, the two of them were busy until the cafe closed, yet still had not finished drafting the contract.

In the end, they agreed to continue tomorrow at Xu Man’s studio.

Chen Qi learned that Xu Man was independent; two years earlier, she had founded her own studio and had since maintained partnerships with major entertainment companies and music platforms in the capacity of a co-owner.

...

The next day.

At nine in the morning, Chen Qi arrived as promised at Xu Man’s studio.

Although Xu Man’s studio was not in the city center, nor even in any particularly bustling district, the transportation was convenient, and the surroundings were pleasant enough.

It was a detached little building very much to his taste.

The house had three stories. From the outside it looked understated, inconspicuous, almost humble. He did not even see a sign at the entrance, and anyone unaware would easily mistake it for an ordinary private residence.

Chen Qi looked it over with some envy before stepping forward to ring the doorbell.

He was not particularly surprised that Xu Man had chosen a location far from the city center.

After all, she was a musician. What mattered most in making music was a relatively quiet environment that would not disturb others.

The front door on the first floor opened quickly, and the one who answered was the same young assistant who had been with Xu Man the day before.

“Hello, Mr. Chen. Please come in.” The assistant greeted him very politely.

Once inside, Chen Qi discovered that the studio, so unremarkable from the outside, was full of surprises.

The interior was both distinctive and grand, yet also highly tasteful. One glance made it clear that Xu Man had put a great deal of thought into it.

“Please follow me. Sister Man is upstairs,” the assistant said, leading him upward.

Only when he reached the second floor did Chen Qi realize there were quite a few people upstairs, all of them women, and all of them young.

His gaze swept across them one by one, and truth be told, every last one of them was quite pretty.

Perhaps they had heard footsteps coming up, because several of them instinctively turned to look toward the staircase.

“He’s here.” Xu Man smiled as she rose to greet him.

The others studied Chen Qi with curious, somewhat peculiar expressions.

After guiding Chen Qi to sit on the sofa, Xu Man took a document from the table and handed it to him. “These are some clauses I drafted last night. Have a look.”

“All right.” Chen Qi also handed over the other details he had thought of last night.

Since they had already established the broad framework of the contract the night before, these detailed clauses were merely supplements within that framework and posed no major issues.

After confirming everything, the two of them quickly signed the contract.

Chen Qi would either earn five million, or he would provide a song and lose one million.

He would either profit or lose; there was no such thing as breaking even.

“Those people are your production team?” Chen Qi asked, glancing at the several girls not far away.

“Yes.” Xu Man nodded.

“Why do they keep looking at me with such strange expressions?” Chen Qi looked baffled.

When he came up here just now, he had already noticed they had been sizing him up in secret. Now that the contract had already been signed, they were still looking!

Xu Man glanced over there and said lightly, “Oh, maybe they fancy you.”

“...” Chen Qi’s mouth twitched involuntarily.

What... even this near-diva was so improper?

“Want me to introduce you? Most of them are single,” Xu Man said with a faint smile.

“Heh...” Chen Qi looked at her with some amusement and very stiffly changed the subject. “So what happens next? Do we start production first, or contact the partner platform first?”

“Tell me first what effect you want,” Xu Man said, then waved to the girls nearby, signaling them to come over.

Chen Qi was not one to be coy, and directly stated the effect he wanted.

The lightness and urgency of the rhythm, which instruments should provide accompaniment, where each accompaniment sound should enter, and so on.

He wanted to reproduce, as faithfully as possible, the original feel of “Light Years Away” in this world.

Xu Man and her production team listened intently, nodding along as they heard him out.

“Good. Let’s try it once!” After Chen Qi finished, Xu Man clapped her hands and told her production team to go familiarize themselves with the score.

Her team immediately sprang into action, beginning all manner of preparations for the rehearsal.

Soon, the sound of a piano reached Chen Qi’s ears, precisely the opening of “Light Years Away.”

Listening to that familiar sound, touched with a hint of roughness, Chen Qi felt an inexplicable warmth.

A trace of sentiment curved his lips.

Half a minute later, the drums joined in as well.

The equipment in this studio was quite complete.

Chen Qi watched and listened in silence.

Beside him, Xu Man was also memorizing the score.

“Man, we’re ready,” the production team said after more than half an hour, signaling that they were prepared.

“Let’s go!” Xu Man rose and walked over.

The piano accompaniment began at once, and compared with before, that slight roughness had vanished completely, prompting Chen Qi to marvel at the skill of a professional team.

A little more than ten seconds later, Xu Man’s voice rose as well.

“Feeling lingers at the fingertips of our birth,”

“How, in an instant, can time be frozen?”

The moment she began to sing, Chen Qi’s face showed astonishment.

Her voice was truly beautiful.

Though the flavor of her singing differed from G.E.M.’s, this version was still lovely all the same—a different kind of lovely.

“Fate let us meet beyond the chaos of the world,”

“Yet destiny demands we fall in love amid peril.”

When Xu Man sang the soaring chorus, Chen Qi even settled back into the sofa, choosing a more comfortable posture.

Listening to a truly good singer perform live was an ultimate pleasure.

Chen Qi watched Xu Man in silence.

Now Xu Man seemed like a completely different person from before. No trace remained of her former laziness or casualness; in its place was a focused, earnest devotion to music.

And not only her—her entire production team performed their duties with equal seriousness, giving everything to support her singing.

The scene was visually striking, and it reminded him of a singing program he had once watched on Earth, called I Am a Singer.

This was a highly professional team. The only thing he did not know was how much it cost to keep such a team running.

Chen Qi would sooner or later make some trouble in the music industry. Insisting on participating in every part of Light Years Away was his way of understanding the whole process, from the moment a song was written to the moment it was released.

The only thing that still made him uncertain was whether his own singing was any good.

Perhaps he should find time to sing a song and let these professionals judge it?

While his thoughts wandered, the studio gradually fell quiet.

The song had ended.

Then, everyone turned in unison to look at Chen Qi.

“???” Feeling their gazes, tinged with expectation, Chen Qi was utterly baffled.

Why are you all looking at me?

“What do you think? How far are we from the effect you want?” Xu Man asked.

He was the one who had brought out this song, and it seemed he knew very clearly what direction it should take.

He was the one most qualified to judge it.

“...” Hearing Xu Man’s words, Chen Qi’s mouth twitched again.

He had been so caught up in enjoying the beautiful voice that he had forgotten to pay attention to the actual result.

But the shameless man did not let his lapse show. After pretending to think for a moment, he said, “Play the recording again.”

He did not know whether they had recorded it, but such a professional team should have. If, by any chance, they had not...

Then he would have to look down on them.

Such a professional team, and they did not record the rehearsal? Truly unforgivable!

And yet...

The moment he finished speaking, music started playing.

It was exactly the version Xu Man had just sung.

Chen Qi smiled faintly and listened carefully, earnestly discerning the places he felt should be adjusted.

Beside him, Xu Man and the others were also listening closely.

From the smiles that appeared on their faces, it was easy to tell that they all seemed quite satisfied with the song.

The performance ended quickly.

“Play it again.” Chen Qi took the score from the table and marked the places he felt needed revision.

Although Xu Man had sung it very well, having heard the original, he still felt there were several parts that needed correction.

“Pause.”

“Continue!”

“Again!”

Chen Qi listened over and over, marking and revising the score as he went, looking every bit the professional.

At some point, Xu Man and the production team had gathered around him, silently watching from behind.

Sometimes they looked at the score, now altered beyond recognition; sometimes they looked at Chen Qi, who seemed entirely lost in his work. Their gazes flickered with thought.