Chapter 51 Chapter 51 My whole body felt hot.
Fang Xingu started eating as soon as he finished posting on Weibo, and Jing Yitong was the first to see the comment.
Holding his phone, with a mischievous glint in his eye and an uncontrollable chuckle, he read the comment: "Baby, do you have a home in Beijing? Tell me, which home are you going back to?"
Fang Xingu choked and coughed several times. Jing Yitong put down his phone to help him catch his breath and said with amusement, "What's wrong? Were you scared?"
Fang Xin finally caught his breath and took a sip of water to calm himself down: "What are you babbling about?"
"Your fans are asking you which home you went back to."
Jing Yitong took the phone from him, and Fang Xingu glanced at the comments section of his Weibo account. She felt a little embarrassed, but she remained calm: "Isn't your house my house? You're the one who told me to treat this place as my own home."
Jing Yitong was amused by his self-righteous manner: "That's true, it's already a lot of face for me that Teacher Fang is willing to stay here."
Fang Xingu was annoyed by his embarrassment, so she silently peeled two shrimp for him and said, "...Eat more vegetables and talk less."
"You think two shrimp can shut me up?"
Fang Xingu took a deep breath and, swallowing her anger, served him another bowl of soup: "Your Majesty, are you satisfied now? Would you like me to serve you more food?"
Jing Yitong smiled and accepted the soup bowl: "Thank you, my beloved concubine."
Fang Xin Gu: ?
Fang Xingu thought he had misheard: "Thank you for what?"
Jing Yitong's eyes looked innocent and sincere: "Don't you want to be a concubine? But there are only a few roles that serve food to the emperor. I can't let you be a little eunuch, can I? Being a concubine is more suitable, right?"
Fang Xingu stared at Jing Yitong speechlessly, feeling as if he had been teased. But Jing Yitong was probably just making a joke based on his use of "Your Majesty"... right?
Fang Xingu said dryly, "No wonder it's located at the foot of the capital."
Jing Yitong raised his chin: "Peel a few more shrimp for me."
Fang Xingu, who was now living under someone else's roof, finally couldn't hold back and punched him: "Such an arrogant official!"
The two of them finished dinner while joking around. Fang Xin removed her makeup, took a shower, and, relieved of her fatigue, slept soundly again.
He and Jing Yitong had no plans for the past few days, so they took a New Year's Day holiday and stayed home to adjust their routines.
They sent out all the souvenirs and gifts they had bought on their trip to Antarctica. Every day at mealtimes, Jing Yitong would start cooking, and Fang Xingu would help him. Or, when neither of them was too lazy to move, they would order takeout and eat while watching a movie.
However, they couldn't completely put their work aside. Most of the time, they were busy with their own things. When Fang Xingu was composing music, Jing Yitong would be reading the script next to him. But sometimes Jing Yitong would give Fang Xingu some advice on the composition, and Fang Xingu would also help Jing Yitong with the acting.
Although they are not experts in each other's fields, they still have the most basic ability to appreciate and put together a dialogue.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and Fang Xin felt that he hadn't felt so relaxed and carefree in a long time.
He was actually a person who was a bit anxious about gains and losses, but these past few days he had been completely immersed in the happiness of the moment, until the 4th when he received a call from Qi Qiu.
Qi Qiu: "You don't have any plans for tomorrow, right? I'll pick you up to record the theme song for that ancient costume drama, 'Love Without Limits.' Oh, right, didn't you want to meet the lyricist and composer Feng He before? I've made an appointment with him, and he happens to be free tomorrow afternoon, so he'll go to the recording studio with you."
At this moment, Fang Xingu was dressed in his home clothes and lying casually on the sofa. Upon hearing this, he exclaimed, "Oh, I almost forgot about this... Why don't you go and ask him yourself if he has any intention of signing a contract? You can handle this."
When Fang Xin first received the lyrics and music for "Love Without Limits," he was very interested in Feng He and even asked Qi Qiu to arrange a meeting with him. However, now that initial curiosity and excitement have worn off, he's become a bit too lazy to do anything.
Qi Qiu knew that he intended to sign Feng He. If that were all, he, as the agent, could step in. But Fang Xin Gu seemed to distrust Feng He and wanted to test him. So Fang Xin Gu would definitely have to step in himself.
Qi Qiu couldn't stand Fang Xingu's lazy demeanor any longer and scolded, "Can't you pull yourself together? Once you set up your studio, you'll have a bunch of people waiting for you to support them!"
Although Qi Qiu's original intention was to encourage Fang Xingu to work hard and earn more money so that he could support his staff in the future, Fang Xingu subconsciously glanced at Jing Yitong sitting on the single sofa—indeed, he also had a family to support in the future, and he couldn't be so lazy anymore!
This time, Fang Xin honestly replied, "Okay, I understand."
So the next afternoon, Qi Qiu drove Fang Xin to pick up Feng He from the Beijing Conservatory of Music.
Qi Qiu sent Feng He's information to Fang Xingu: "This 'Feng He' is actually named Jiang He. He is a sophomore at the music academy. I found some of his previous assignments from school, and he is quite talented."
It's perfectly normal for someone in this line of work to take on a stage name. Fang Xin Gu didn't really care whether his name was Jiang He or Feng He. He just casually glanced at Jiang He's resume and finally clicked on a few of his past musical works.
As Qi Qiu drove, he said, "I don't know why you don't trust Jiang He. He has a clean background; he's just an ordinary student."
Fang Xingu casually said, "It's not that I don't trust him, it's that I don't trust Zhiyu."
Qi Qiu didn't understand why he was so wary of Zhiyu: "Although there was the stage accident before, you don't need to be so paranoid. This song was sold to Zhiyu by Jiang He, so there won't be any copyright disputes. Besides, you were invited to perform, so even if something happens, it can't be blamed on you."
Fang Xingu glared at him, her tone disgusted, "Can't you at least care about my reputation? Even if it has nothing to do with me, it's still disgusting to be associated with this kind of thing, okay?"
"Okay, okay," Qi Qiu surrendered. "I was just saying that, I didn't really mean to curse you."
Fang Xingu then continued listening to several of Jiang He's works. To be fair, they were indeed quite inspired, with each piece of music's climax handled skillfully, giving the listener a refreshing feeling. However, compared to "Love Without Limits," it was also noticeable that his basic skills were not solid enough in his previous works.
However, since many of these works were created by Jiang He during his freshman year, it's normal that he lacks the experience expected of someone his age, so Fang Xin Gu didn't take it to heart.
When Qi Qiu's car stopped outside the gate of the Beijing Conservatory of Music, Jiang He was already waiting there. After getting in the car, he wasn't particularly enthusiastic. He just gave the two of them a brief greeting and then fell silent.
Qi Qiu glanced at Fang Xingu through the rearview mirror. Fang Xingu gave him a wink, so Qi Qiu had no choice but to speak up: "Xiao Jiang, the arrangement of 'Love Without Limits' was done by Zhiyu. Let's go to the recording studio together now. After you listen to it, you can give us your opinions and see if there are any areas that need improvement."
Although Jiang He didn't talk much, he knew that generally speaking, anonymous songwriters like him had no right to participate in the subsequent production after selling their songs. The fact that he was able to go to the recording studio was all thanks to Fang Xingu's high regard for him. Therefore, whether Qi Qiu's "offering some suggestions" was just a casual remark or a sincere one, it was still a form of support for him. He politely thanked him, "Thank you, Teacher Fang and Teacher Qi."
Fang Xingu said to him, "You have made great progress. I listened to your previous musical works. There were some outstanding parts, but most of them were flashy but not substantial. However, by the time you got to 'Love Without Limits,' you had corrected all the mistakes that beginners often make. I can tell that your basic skills have become much more solid during this period."
Fang Xin Gu noticed that Jiang He's expression stiffened for a moment. He knew that his words hadn't been pleasant. Although he was generally praising Jiang He, the criticism of "showy but impractical" might have hurt the young man's pride, causing Jiang He to speak even less along the way. Fang Xin Gu could feel the resentment emanating from him.
Fang Xin Gu almost laughed. After all, he was young, and he wore his emotions on his sleeve.
Even after arriving at the recording studio, Jiang He remained silent, following behind Fang Xingu and Qi Qiu. Everyone else thought he was Fang Xingu's assistant. It wasn't until Fang Xingu introduced him as the lyricist and composer of "Love Without Limits" that the staff at the recording studio looked at him curiously—what was the lyricist and composer doing here?
Fang Xingu noticed their confusion but didn't explain further. He chatted with the producer outside for a few minutes before quickly going into the studio to start recording.
Most singers don't sing a whole song in one go in the studio. They usually record it in segments, singing the same segment a dozen times, then selecting the best one, and finally editing and splicing them together in post-production. This is why there are huge differences between the studio version and the live version of many singers.
However, Fang Xin still prefers to sing the entire song from beginning to end. Firstly, his ability is more than enough to support him in doing so, and secondly, it makes it easier to control the emotional changes in the song.
After singing the first time, he felt that his emotional expression was not perfect enough. He closed his eyes and pondered for a moment before starting the second recording.
With the experience of the first recording, Fang Xin's second recording was perfect. In just one song, he had already given a better interpretation of "Love Without Limits".
Although Fang Xin was annoyed by Zhiyu, he was still very serious about music. In the past few days, he even read the original novel of this ancient romance drama, trying to make the content of the original work resonate with "Love Without Limits" in his mind. Now that the second recording is over, the effect is indeed better than expected.
The producer was amazed after hearing this: "As expected of Teacher Fang, he was able to finish the recording perfectly in just two takes."
Fang Xingu was a little surprised: "Is this all? Don't you need to adjust it again?"
For him, singing a song perfectly is not difficult; what is difficult is grasping the emotions.
In the past, he rarely encountered situations where a song could be completed in just one or two takes. Although he was a good singer, everyone interprets the emotions of a song differently, especially for OSTs. Although Fang Xin Gu had his own insights, he still had to listen to the producer in the end. Sometimes he might have to sing it more than ten times, so the first version and the last version were completely different songs.
Producer: "Very good! The emotional control is also very precise. I think it's good enough."
Fang Xingu glanced at Jiang He, who was silent beside him, and asked him, "Do you think there's anything I need to adjust?"
Jiang He looked up in surprise, seemingly not expecting Fang Xingu to ask him this question in front of everyone. His slightly long bangs covered his eyebrows and eyes, but it was still possible to see that he was frowning, as if he was thinking about Fang Xingu's intention in asking him this question and how he should answer in a way that wouldn't offend anyone.
In the end, he decided to tell the truth: "I don't know if Professor Fang has read the original work, but when I was writing 'Love Without Limits,' I was thinking about the scene in the finale where the female lead bravely sacrifices herself."
Fang Xingu nodded: "I can see that, so I think the song should have a grand and majestic mood, but also be filled with a sense of helplessness towards the predetermined fate."
Jiang He was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected that Fang Xingu had actually read the original novel. He continued, "Well, yes, but I think the female lead was still carrying the male lead and the human world with her reluctance and regret when she went to her death. 'How can one escape the sorrows and regrets of life? My soul is filled with boundless love.' So I named this song 'Boundless Love.' Moreover, the TV series also made some changes to the portrayal of the relationship between the male and female leads. I think adjusting the mood will make this song more in line with the TV series."
Fang Xingu understood. He had only read the original novel and didn't know how the TV series would be filmed or edited. If Jiang He's explanation was correct, then the emotion in his singing just now was indeed a bit off.
He said to the producer, "Okay, let's do it again."
The producer naturally agreed.
This time, Fang Xin took a longer time to think than before, and then sang a version of "Love Without Limits" with richer emotions.
Building upon the original emotions, Fang Xin added a touch of regret and longing to the second chorus, bringing the overall mood of the song back at the end.
The recording was truly over, because when Fang Xin came out of the recording studio, he saw the producer beaming with delight, as if he had struck gold. Even Jiang He showed an expression of admiration, his dull and lifeless eyes now gleaming with a burning light.
Jiang He knew that singers and songwriters were not always on the same wavelength. Even if the songwriters painstakingly explained their creative process, the singers might still not be able to express themselves well after dozens of takes. Especially for a popular star like Fang Xin Gu, it was already a great honor that he was willing to listen to a small-time creator like him. Yet, Fang Xin Gu was able to digest his suggestions in just a few minutes and still achieve such a high level of completion in the final recording.
If Jiang He was still somewhat wary and cautious of Fang Xin Gu just now, he is now completely convinced. What creator wouldn't like a god-level singer who respects him, can perfectly interpret the emotions he needs, and has such superb singing skills?
On the way back, Jiang He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Teacher Fang is amazing! This song is bound to be a hit!"
Fang Xingu drank some water to moisten his throat: "Then I'll take your kind words. You'll definitely become famous in the future."
Jiang He then spoke quite eloquently: "It's all thanks to you."
Fang Xingu screwed the bottle cap back on: "Since that's the case, are you interested in signing with my studio? Although it's still being set up, I think you're a promising talent, and the terms and conditions are negotiable."
Jiang He immediately showed a delighted expression, but after a moment he lowered his eyes, twisted his fingers and hesitated for a long time before finally agreeing: "This... I need to go back and think about it."
"It's okay, it's still early. I was just asking if you're interested. You can tell my agent if you've thought it through."
"Okay, thank you, Teacher Fang."
The three chatted briefly. Qi Qiu first took Jiang He back to school, and then took Fang Xingu back to Jing Yitong's home.
When Fang Xin arrived home, Jing Yitong was at home recording music. Seeing him return, Jing Yitong asked in confusion, "Didn't you go to record a song? Why are you back so soon? I thought it would take several hours."
Fang Xingu made a three with his left hand: "It was only recorded three times before it was over."
Jing Yitong smiled and extended his hand to him: "Our Xin Gu is indeed amazing."
Fang Xin sat down smugly on the cashmere carpet in the living room: "Of course."
Jing Yitong looked at Fang Xingu sitting on his lap and reached out to rub the top of his head: "Why are you sitting on the ground?"
Although he only recorded the song three times, Fang Xin still lost a lot of brain cells. Moreover, he had been slacking off for a long time and was a bit lazy. He was exhausted after only half a day of work. He yawned and said, "I'm a little tired. I'll sit on the ground and rest for a bit."
Jing Yitong responded and continued analyzing the film.
At first, Fang Xingu sat properly on the carpet and occasionally chatted with him about the movie. But after a while, Fang Xingu fell silent. He sat quietly on the floor, nodding off, and finally fell asleep on Jing Yitong's lap.
Even when he was asleep, Fang Xingu would find a "pillow" for himself. At first, he leaned on Jing Yitong's knees, but perhaps because he felt that the knees were too hard and hurt his head, he moved his head back and leaned on Jing Yitong's thighs—there was flesh there, and it was softer.
The room was heated, and Jing Yitong was only wearing a thin pair of pants. With Fang Xingu as his pillow, he could almost feel the hot breath coming out of Fang Xingu's nose, and he could even clearly feel the pressure on Fang Xingu's cheek.
Looking down, he could see Fang Xingu's long, slender neck. His skin was very white, and the veins hidden beneath it were so clearly visible, as if beckoning one to touch them. His reclining sleeping posture caused his collar to slip down, revealing one side of his beautiful shoulder and neck and delicate collarbone.
He was so unguarded that he obediently rested his head on Jing Yitong's lap and fell asleep.
Jing Yitong suddenly felt a surge of blood and qi in his body, and his whole body became hot. He sighed helplessly and turned his head away, not daring to think or look any further.
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Author's note: Don't make Teacher Jing feel stifled [pat on the head]
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Note: "How can one escape sorrow and resentment in life? My soul is consumed by boundless emotions." This is from Li Yu's "Midnight Song".
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