Chapter 27#
Chapter 27: First EP#
Lu Yan had played the violin for a period of time when he was younger, so reading staff notation was no problem for him at all.
As a child, Lu Yan was actually quite musically gifted. He could sing any pop song in full after hearing it just once, and with near-perfect accuracy. His music teacher really loved him and said that his long, slender fingers were perfect for playing the piano. But learning the piano was too expensive. Back then, it was just him and his mother, barely scraping by on her salary alone. There was simply no extra money to send him to study the arts.
The music teacher felt it was a shame and gifted him an old violin. She also introduced him to an elderly musician. That old musician had once played the violin at the National Theatre when he was young. Seeing that Lu Yan was talented, humble, and polite, he made an exception and took him on without charging any tuition. He only asked Lu Yan to help clean his house on weekends as payment.
Lu Yan studied the violin with that old musician for three years, until the old man fell ill and passed away, bringing their teacher-student bond to an end.
Lu Yan looked seriously at the sheet music in his hands, humming softly in his mind.
To avoid disturbing him, the other three moved to a corner and talked in low voices.
After more than half an hour, Lu Yan lifted his head from the score and walked over to them.
Lin Mu reacted first, assuming Lu Yan had encountered something he couldn’t understand. See, it really wasn’t working out after all, he thought. In his experience, most young people nowadays—especially actors trying to cross over into singing—couldn’t read staff notation to save their lives. He constantly had to convert scores from staff to numbered notation, and he absolutely hated taking on such jobs. It felt like a desecration of music. This time, he had no choice because he owed Qin Feng a favor, and the offer Qin made was impossible to refuse. So he said, with a knowing tone, “Is there something you don’t understand?”
Lu Yan shook his head and smiled. “I’m ready. How would you like me to sing it, teachers?”
“That fast?!” Lin Mu didn’t believe it at all. “Did you really understand everything? Are you sure you’re ready?”
Bai Xi remained silent, but his eyes also held doubt. Only Qin Feng seemed full of confidence.
Lu Yan nodded again with a smile. “How would you like me to sing it, teachers?”
Bai Xi spoke before Lin Mu could. “Okay, start by singing the chorus a cappella.”
Lin Mu swallowed the words he was about to say and nodded in agreement.
Lu Yan had no objection. He cleared his throat and began to sing.
Bai Xi’s request was a bit tricky. Singing a cappella well is already hard for most people. And this was a new song—starting right from the chorus meant skipping the process of building emotion. Since this was a love song, emotional immersion was especially important. Fortunately, Lu Yan wasn’t just anyone. As an outstanding actor, building emotion was no big deal for him, and he knew exactly how to handle the sentiment.
Lu Yan’s magnetic, clear voice rang through the silent recording studio. He turned a simple love song into something low, gentle, and lingering, filled with tenderness and affection. Everyone listening felt as though they were being deeply loved.
As soon as Lu Yan finished, Lin Mu—slightly stunned—pushed him into the recording booth. “Go in there and sing it again from the beginning. I’ll add the accompaniment.”
By the time Lu Yan came out of the booth, he had already sung it several times on demand. As soon as he emerged, Lin Mu blurted out, “Hey, Lu Yan, have you ever thought about switching careers and becoming a singer? With a voice and musical sense like yours, it’d be a waste not to focus on music.”
Before Lu Yan could respond, Qin Feng laughed from the side. “If Lu Yan actually became a singer, directors would cry. So, Mu Zi, do us a favor and don’t pressure him.”
Lin Mu was only joking anyway. He knew perfectly well that Lu Yan wasn’t going to become a singer, but getting him to record a few albums in the future was still a viable possibility. “But you really need to work on your vocal technique. Qin Feng, I think you should sign him up for voice lessons. Learn the basics—it’ll pay off later.”
“Okay, that’s definitely something I’ll take your advice on.” Qin Feng agreed readily.
Lin Mu took the sheet music from Lu Yan and said, “After hearing you sing just now, I came up with some new ideas. I need to go back and tweak this song a little. Come back in three days, and we’ll do a proper formal recording.”
Lu Yan nodded. “Sure. Thank you, Teacher Lin Mu.”
Lin Mu turned to Qin Feng. “You mentioned earlier that you were planning to record three songs for an EP. Have you found the other two yet?”
Qin Feng was about to nod and say that he’d already asked the company’s creative team to work on them, but then he realized Lin Mu might be offering something. He quickly shook his head and joked, “Not yet. Getting someone to write a good song isn’t easy. How about it, Mu Zi? You handle them all?”
Lin Mu hummed softly. “Actually… that’s not impossible.”
Overjoyed, Qin Feng immediately struck while the iron was hot. “If you agree, I’ll triple the original offer.”
Lin Mu said without hesitation, “Deal. Don’t you dare back out. Give me five days, and I’ll hand you all three songs.”
Qin Feng beamed. “It’s settled.” Then he turned to Bai Xi, grinning. “And what about you, Master Xi?”
Bai Xi watched with a slightly exasperated expression as Lin Mu sold himself out. Then he looked at Qin Feng and Lu Yan. Finally, he said, “When the songs are ready, show them to me first.”
“Okay.” Qin Feng’s smile grew even brighter.
On the way back, Qin Feng was laughing with pure joy. “Locking down three songs from those two in one go—man, that feels amazing. Your EP is going to be a smash hit.”
Lu Yan was happy too. He knew exactly what it meant to have an entire EP’s worth of songs crafted by Lin Mu and Bai Xi. “This is all thanks to you, Brother Feng.”
“Not really,” Qin Feng said with a smile. “Getting them to agree to write even one song for you was tough. I practically used up all my favors just to get them to budge. But the moment you started singing today, everything fell into place. If I’d known, I would’ve brought you to sing for them earlier. So really, Lu Yan, it’s all you.”
Lu Yan had an inkling why Lin Mu and Bai Xi’s attitudes had shifted so drastically. Artists often had a bit of a “patron of the arts” complex—like the old musician who taught him violin for free. Still, Lu Yan modestly replied, “But it was your influence that made it possible, Brother Feng.”
“By the way, I’m curious—what conditions did you agree to for Teacher Lin Mu?”
Qin Feng laughed heartily. “Oh, that guy. He’s like a little kid. He loves collecting One Piece figurines. Unfortunately, he got into the game late and missed out on a few early ones. As luck would have it, my nephew has some. So I told him, if he writes a song for you, I’ll help him get one.”
Lu Yan couldn’t help but chuckle. So the stern-looking Lin Mu had such a childlike side after all. “And your nephew won’t mind?”
“That kid? Just buy him a MacBook and he’s good,” Qin Feng said with a laugh.
“Brother Feng, thank you so much,” Lu Yan said sincerely.
Qin Feng replied, “I told you—we’re in this together. If you really want to repay me, just work hard to become even more popular.”
“I will.” Lu Yan smiled, determination in his eyes.
Once the songs were recorded, the post-production work was no longer Lu Yan’s concern. He only needed to wait until they were officially released and promoted.
After finishing his schedule for the day, Lu Yan put on his sunglasses and walked to the entrance of the building, waiting for Song Hui to drive over.
A black Lexus pulled up silently beside him. The window rolled down, revealing a face that had been popping into his mind more and more lately.
Su Mo looked up at him from inside the car, his voice as low as ever. “Mr. Lu, please get in.”
Without hesitation, Lu Yan opened the door and got in. He quickly sent a text to Song Hui telling him to head home on his own.
After the car drove off for a short while, neither of them spoke.
When they stopped at a red light, Su Mo couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you going to ask where we’re going, Mr. Lu?”
Lu Yan chuckled. “I assume Chairman Su isn’t planning to sell me off.”
Hearing that, Su Mo’s lips curled into a smile. “Of course not.” Then he added softly, almost to himself, “How could I bear to?” His voice was so low that only someone with Lu Yan’s sharp ears could have caught it.
Lu Yan felt a little awkward. Hearing Su Mo say something that sounded… well, like flirtation was a bit strange.
From the corner of his eye, Su Mo noticed Lu Yan’s slightly contorted expression and asked with concern, “What’s wrong?”
Lu Yan glanced at him, thought for a moment, and said, “It feels… a bit off.”
Su Mo was sharp enough to understand immediately. A hint of embarrassment crept into his voice. “Yeah, I think so too.”
Lu Yan was about to say something to lighten the mood when he shifted his feet and brushed against something. He reached down and picked it up—a pocket-sized book titled Three Thousand Sweet Nothings.
Raising an eyebrow, Lu Yan asked, “What’s this?”
Su Mo’s eyes flickered with panic for a second, then quickly steadied. “Lu Yu probably left it behind.”
Lu Yu was Su Mo’s special assistant—Lu Yan remembered that much. But that excuse was too obviously a cover-up. He kept looking at Su Mo with an amused expression.
Clearly, Su Mo wasn’t used to lying either. Being straightforward was more his style. “Actually, Daisy gave it to me. She said if you want to pursue someone, you should learn to say sweet things first.”
Lu Yan found it both funny and endearing—imagining Su Mo asking his beautiful female secretary for dating advice. “So, Chairman Su, is it working?”
Su Mo turned to look at him and smiled frankly. “Obviously, neither of us thinks so. I think I’d better return the book to Daisy.”
As he spoke, the light turned green, and the car started moving again. The atmosphere had lifted.
Su Mo drove while saying, “About half an hour left. Want to listen to some music?”
Lu Yan said he was fine with whatever, so Su Mo reached over and turned on the car’s CD player.
A soothing melody flowed out. Lu Yan found the intro familiar, and when the singer’s voice began, it suddenly clicked.