On the way
"How is Ms. Lin Ting adapting to her first time participating in a program recording?"
Lin Ting smiled at the camera and replied, "I'm trying my best! Everyone has taken good care of me, so thanks to all the teachers, I think I'm adapting quite well."
"During the voting just now, you cast your vote for Professor Zhao Qinfeng. Please describe him in three words."
"We all know that Mr. Zhao Qinfeng is an excellent singer, so I would like to use three words to describe his singing voice - beautiful, delicate, and warm."
"'Pleasant to the ear' is the most intuitive word. It's a conclusion I can reach without any analysis or thought after hearing it. To achieve this effect, in addition to having a very good timbre, he also has meticulous singing technique and corresponding emotional expression. So I think his singing can be described as 'delicate'. In addition, there is the characteristic of the atmosphere. I think Teacher Zhao's singing fits the mood of the song very well. This song is about a moving emotion, which can be love, family affection, or friendship. Teacher Zhao interprets this very well, and what is expressed is a 'warm' atmosphere."
"Regarding your last trending topic... what would you like to say?"
Lin Ting smiled, a gentle and harmless smile, but his words were unusually sharp.
"I don't want to be in the same frame as singers who lip-sync."
The other party asked a few more questions, which Lin Ting answered one by one with almost no hesitation, even though he had not known the content of the interview beforehand.
Lin Ting's ability to perform under pressure was quite good, which he felt was probably honed through company meetings and live streams on various platforms. Moreover, he had just finished recording a program, and although he was a bit tired, he was also excited by the novelty of it all, so his reactions were even faster than usual.
His post-interview went smoothly in one take, and the staff even gave him a high five. Lin Ting saw a familiar gleam in the other person's eyes, a glimmer he often saw at work—a rare quality in working people, usually seen when things went unexpectedly well.
After that, there was nothing more for him. Since it was already very late and the subway had stopped running, Lin Ting stood under the dim light at the entrance, opened the ride-hailing app on his phone, and prepared to hail a ride home.
He waited for a while but no driver accepted the order, so he could only watch the icon on his phone screen spin in circles.
Suddenly, Lin Ting heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw Zhao Qinfeng walking towards him.
"Hello, Teacher Zhao, did you just finish too?" Lin Ting said politely.
Zhao Qinfeng walked over and stood next to Lin Ting, saying, "Yes, what a coincidence, Teacher Lin, did you just finish too?"
Lin Ting nodded.
Silence fell between the two. The light above them was dim and seemed to have a problem with its connection, flickering intermittently.
Zhao Qinfeng said, "Is Teacher Lin taking a taxi? It's not easy to get a taxi here at this hour."
Lin Ting sighed and said, "Yes, my car happened to be sent for repairs recently, so I took the subway here today."
Where do you live?
Lin Ting directly showed Zhao Qinfeng the address on his phone.
"We're going the same way, and there are empty seats on the bus. Why don't you come with me?"
This seemed to be his best option, and Lin Ting accepted Zhao Qinfeng's kindness without hesitation.
After getting in the car, Zhao Qinfeng told the driver Lin Ting's address, and then introduced Lin Ting's identity to the studio members who were with him.
"This is Professor Lin Ting, a well-known music critic."
"You flatter me. Hello, teachers. This is my first time here, and I didn't know it was inconvenient to take a taxi, so thank you, Teacher Zhao, for giving me a ride," Lin Ting said quickly.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they remained silent the rest of the way.
Although no one said anything beyond the initial pleasantries, Lin Ting didn't feel awkward. Everyone's initial gazes towards him were friendly, and the reason for not chatting was simple: they were all tired from working so late and just wanted to rest.
As the street scenes outside the car gradually became familiar, Lin Ting realized that she was getting closer and closer to home.
"Are we almost there?" Zhao Qinfeng leaned closer and asked softly.
Lin Ting nodded, his remaining social instincts kicking in. In his daily work or life, he would make sure to add the contact information of people he had just met and needed to continue interacting with. But right now, he was a little unsure, because this was his first time meeting people in the entertainment industry, and he had only added the contact information of Zhou Ruixue and Wang Qiong at the recording studio.
So he didn't ask any questions rashly, but just quietly looked at Zhao Qinfeng.
"Can I get your contact information?" Zhao Qinfeng asked.
Lin Ting said, "Ah—that's fine."
He took out his phone from his pocket, quickly opened the WeChat QR code business card, and pointed it towards Zhao Qinfeng.
Zhao Qinfeng did the same. Their QR code business cards met.
In the end, Zhao Qinfeng scanned Lin Ting's QR code and sent an application saying "I am Zhao Qinfeng." Lin Ting immediately accepted and, as usual, sent his own name.
The car stopped at the entrance of the residential area where Lin Ting lived. Lin Ting got out of the car and waved to everyone in the car.
The car door closed. Lin Ting felt that Zhao Qinfeng had smiled at him just now, but perhaps he hadn't. Maybe it was because Zhao Qinfeng looked kind, and even without deliberately raising the corners of his mouth, it looked like he was smiling.
It was a quiet time when Lin Ting slowly walked towards her apartment building. The elevator was stopped on the first floor, and as soon as she pressed the button, it made a "ding" sound and slowly opened.
Lin Ting stepped into the elevator and began to recall the events of today—or rather, yesterday, since it was already the early hours of the second day.
He realized that Zhao Qinfeng was a good person—responsible, highly skilled, approachable, and with high emotional intelligence. Most importantly, he didn't seem to have any intention of settling scores with him over trending topics.
Lin Ting had thought he would recall the recording details he had seen tonight, or the amazing aspects of the stage, but he was still most concerned about Zhao Qinfeng's attitude.
Since the other party had no objections to him, they could naturally interact as normal colleagues in the future. Lin Ting felt that he had a clear solution to his previous troubles. As long as he followed the steps, he could naturally return to his original state.
He silently thanked Zhao Qinfeng in his heart and hoped that the two would not have any further connection in the future. After all, the mere fact that it was trending on social media had made Lin Ting so uncomfortable. If he really got to know Zhao Qinfeng as a person in the future, he worried that his mindset when listening to music would be different.
He stepped out of the elevator and unlocked the door. In just a few steps, he had clearly and decisively placed Zhao Qinfeng back in his original position in his mind, the same position as all the other singers.
"But I still want to thank him for giving me a ride tonight. I'll see if I have a chance to repay the favor in the future," Lin Ting decided.
Before going to bed, Lin Ting suddenly received a video from Director Qiu.
The video was very short, only two minutes long. He clicked on it and found that it was a clip of Zhao Qinfeng's post-interview.
"Mr. Lin Ting just said that he 'does not want to be in the same frame as singers who lip-sync.' What are your thoughts on this, Mr. Zhao?"
Zhao Qinfeng first asked, "Was this question added by Director Qiu on the spot?"
He seemed to have gotten the answer from off-camera, smiled, and then resumed his original expression.
He replied, "Teacher Lin has high standards, and I will try my best to show him my sincerity."
The video ended there, leaving Lin Ting bewildered.
What did Zhao Qinfeng want him to see? Sincerity?
But Lin Ting knew that Zhao Qinfeng had been tricked into lip-syncing!
As someone with a webpage, a side hustle, and occasional part-time jobs, Lin Ting is so busy that he really has no time to think much. He listens to music as usual, writes music reviews as usual, and watches TV shows as usual. Zhao Qinfeng never appears in his busy life, and even their WeChat chat history stops on the day they added each other.
Before they knew it, it was time for the second recording. Lin Ting had always known that the recording would take place before the broadcast, but she hadn't expected it to be this early. Judging from the schedule, the first episode would probably be released around the time of their third recording.
This time, Lin Ting drove himself and obtained a pass from the staff in advance, successfully driving his car into the underground parking lot.
Practice makes perfect. The second time Lin Ting came, she knew exactly where to go and made her way to the lounge without any trouble.
"Good afternoon!" Wang Qiong was already sitting in the lounge, looking at Lin Ting who had walked in.
"Good afternoon, Teacher Wang. Today's performances will all be choral pieces. Is there one you're particularly looking forward to?" Lin Ting asked.
"Why does this feel like an interview? I remember it was Teacher Lin who came in, not the colleague in charge of the interview..." Wang Qiong joked.
Lin Ting laughed and sat down next to Wang Qiong.
"We should all look forward to it. Director Qiu brought in the station's best music arranger to make this variety show, so the arrangement and harmony are guaranteed to be top-notch in the industry," Wang Qiong said.
Lin Ting knew that Wang Qiong was quite knowledgeable about the behind-the-scenes situation, so she felt relieved when she heard him say that.
Zhou Ruixue arrived shortly after. A little while later, staff came to call them to the studio.
Lin Ting wasn't very clear about the process during the first recording, but he was much better during the second recording. Although this understanding didn't have much impact on the part he was responsible for, at least he felt more confident.
Lin Ting sat upright in her seat and noticed that the host was reading the advertising copy more fluently than the first time.
The stage lights were still bright, but the audience had changed, and the guests were in different positions.
"Our seating arrangement is a little different this time than before. I wonder if our viewers have noticed?" the host said.
Lin Ting thought to himself: The show hasn't even aired yet, there's not even a trailer, how could the audience members who are participating in the recording for the first time possibly notice this?
However, the audience was exceptionally dedicated and began chanting in unison, "Yes—"
Seeing everyone's cooperation, the host naturally revealed the secret of the seating arrangement: "This time, our singers will sit in pairs and will go on stage together to perform."
The three members of the music critics' panel did not change their positions; they remained in the same positions as before. They couldn't split into pairs, since there were exactly three of them.
The duet not only signifies a collaboration and collision of voices, but also provides more room for the stage design to play its role. Lin Ting looked at the staff adjusting various stage devices and showed a very surprised expression.
The preparation process won't be shown in the final program, but during the recording, everyone will need to wait patiently. The hosts and guests also kept talking to liven up the atmosphere.
Just as Lin Ting was surprised, the host looked over and clearly caught his expression.
"What does Teacher Lin think of the stage design for our program?" the host asked.
He said those words into the microphone, and everyone in the room could hear them; it was clearly a way to warm up the atmosphere.
Lin Ting took the microphone from the side and replied, "I'm looking forward to it."
The host then asked, "Oh? What are your expectations?"
Just as Lin Ting was about to put down the microphone, she raised it to her lips again: "I believe it will complement the performance of the song by the next singer."
The performance order hasn't been announced yet, so Lin Ting and the audience don't know which two singers will be the first to perform, but the host certainly does.
Of course, the singer himself must know this too. Zhao Qinfeng raised the microphone: "Our show's stage design team is excellent. Teacher Liu Yihan and I will definitely work hard. Thank you for Teacher Lin's encouragement."
The audience laughed, and the guests laughed too. Lin Ting couldn't help but laugh as well, then put the microphone aside and made a pleading gesture towards Zhao Qinfeng.
Everyone laughed even harder.
Once the stage setup was complete, the recording continued. The host read out the relevant information from the script. Zhao Qinfeng stood up and walked to the center of the stage; the decorations behind his costume swayed slightly, reflecting the light shining on them.
Lin Ting stared intently ahead, just like everyone else in the audience, eagerly anticipating the next performance.
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