Chapter 28 The feeling of being affirmed by Jing Yitong is always...
Fang Xingu was extremely annoyed that he would have such a thought. He mentally criticized himself for this sudden sexual impulse. He lowered his head and turned away, not daring to let Jing Yitong see his flushed face, only showing him the back of his head.
Fang Xingu explained leisurely, "...Actually, I just slipped on my bottom."
Jing Yitong released him and sat back a little to the left, giving him some space, and said with a smile, "Do you even believe what you're saying?"
Just as Fang Xin was about to start pretending to be dead again, cheers and applause suddenly rang out behind them.
Wow! Amazing!
One foreigner even blew them a kiss and said in broken Chinese, "It sounds so good!"
It turned out that several foreign staff members in the restaurant had temporarily acted as their audience and offered sincere praise for their performance.
Although this version of "Wild Rose" is merely a show of skill, although it was severely criticized by Ying Zhen, and although even Fang Xingu himself admitted that his arrangement was indeed very immature, it is precisely this kind of show of skill that allows laymen to most intuitively feel the performer's level.
The restaurant staff all showed expressions of admiration, clearly enjoying their performance. One of them even mixed two cocktails for them, winking playfully at them with a big smile: "I really enjoyed your performance."
"Thanks."
Jing Yitong stood up, both amused and exasperated, and took the wine glasses, handing one of them to Fang Xingu, who was still sitting on the piano bench.
The pink and reddish-brown Metropolitan in the Martini glass shimmered enchantingly under the light, but Fang Xin Gu showed no appreciation whatsoever, not even bothering to savor it, and downed it in one gulp.
Although the amount of liquor was only about a hundred milliliters, this bold action still left Jing Yitong dumbfounded: "This is a cocktail, not strong liquor. Even though we have a deep friendship, you don't have to chug it down in one go. Your face is all red from drinking it."
Fang Xin wiped his mouth, easily blaming the blushing on the alcohol, and casually replied, "I'm thirsty."
"Who drinks when they're thirsty?" Jing Yitong looked at him strangely, taking away his empty glass. "...Can you drink this one too?"
"No need," Fang Xingu said, feeling his emotions return to normal as the alcohol took effect. He complained to Jing Yitong, "How dare you play this version of 'Wild Rose' right off the bat?"
“Now that you mention it,” Jing Yitong said, resting his chin on his hand, as if he had just remembered that there were different versions of “Wild Rose”. “But what was the original version like? I think I can only remember the version you adapted.”
Fang Xingu was speechless. He looked at Jing Yitong with a helpless expression.
Jing Yitong sighed, "It's a pity I haven't played for so long, I've forgotten some of the sheet music, so I didn't play very well."
Fang Xin deliberately exposed his shortcomings: "You weren't that good at playing before."
Jing Yi nudged him, and they both laughed.
“Then I certainly can’t compare to a great musician like Teacher Fang, who’s busy writing albums every day,” Jing Yitong teased. “I heard you also wrote the theme song for our ‘The World Is So Big’?”
Fang Xingu had almost forgotten about this, and answered with a wandering gaze, "Yes."
"How's the writing going?"
"...We've already taken the first step."
Jing Yitong saw through his bluff at a glance: "What's the first step?"
"The song title is ready. The theme song of the same name as the movie, The World Is Vast, is called The World Is Vast."
Jing Yitong took a sip of his cocktail, and after a few seconds of stunned silence, he realized what Fang Xingu meant: "Our teacher Fang has a bit of a dry sense of humor."
Fang Xingu muttered a defense for himself: "Writing songs requires inspiration. Our journey has only just begun, and I don't want to create a song out of thin air... Besides, I also have to work on my own album. But the song title is indeed going to be this one, it's Director Yan's request."
“Okay, that’s a fairly convincing explanation,” Jing Yitong asked. “So, how’s your own album coming along?”
Speaking of this, Fang Xingu finally perked up: "Well, there are twelve songs in total. The lyrics and music are almost finished. Next, we need to find someone to arrange, mix, and master the music. If all goes well, it may be released by the middle of next year."
The production of an album is very complex, involving lyrics, composition, arrangement, recording, mixing, and mastering. If Fang Xingu were to do it all by himself, it would take forever. Even the fact that he was able to complete the basic lyrics and composition in just over two months is thanks to his continuous creative work over the past few years, which has accumulated a lot of inspiration in his mind.
Jing Yitong wasn't very familiar with the album production process, but since they were all in the same industry, he knew a little bit, so he asked, "Which studio did you hire?"
"You may not know about Cao Yangxi's studio, but it's a very famous production team in the industry. They are very good at arranging and mixing music."
“Cao Yangxi? I’ve heard of him,” Jing Yitong said, somewhat recalling him. “Is their studio in Beijing?”
"Yes, they've been helping me with the arrangement recently, but it's our first time working together, so there are still many things to adjust. We'll work on it gradually."
Jing Yitong thought for a moment: "I remember that the best recording studio in China is also in Beijing."
Fang Xin Gu: "Hmm, I've already had my manager coordinate the time with the recording studio. If nothing unexpected happens, we should be recording there."
Jing Yitong's mind stirred slightly: "It seems that after the recording of 'The World Is So Big' is finished, you will be staying in Beijing for a while?"
Fang Xingu was too preoccupied with his album to think about why Jing Yitong was asking him this for no reason. He simply nodded and said, "I guess I'll be staying here for a few months. I'll have to go to Cao Yangxi's place often."
As Fang Xingu spoke, he couldn't help but think of the new piece he was currently working on. His hands unconsciously played a short melody on the piano. Jing Yitong looked at his fingertips, listened to the unfamiliar but beautiful melody, and asked, "Is this your new song?"
Fang Xingu paused for a moment before realizing what he was doing and stopped what he was doing: "Yes, that's right, it's the first draft of the main feature."
“It sounds great,” Jing Yitong said without any politeness with Fang Xin, resting his chin on his hand and asking directly, “Do I have a chance to hear it first?”
Fang Xingu hesitated a bit. It wasn't that he couldn't let Jing Yitong hear it; Jing Yitong couldn't possibly reveal his lyrics and music. It was just that this song...
Seeing Jing Yitong's smiling and sincere expression, Fang Xingu hesitated for a long time before finally agreeing: "Let's go, I have it on my phone, we can listen as we walk."
The two walked slowly from the restaurant toward their room. Fang Xingu took out earphones and gave one to Jing Yitong. They each wore one earphone and walked side by side. Fang Xingu turned on his phone and opened the demo he had recorded earlier.
A lively prelude begins, undoubtedly a very light and airy intro. But after only two bars, the piano music immediately slides from the high register to the middle register, adding a touch of somberness. The listener's mood also sinks, as if returning from heaven to the ups and downs of the human world.
Such a contrast between high and low notes is obviously abrupt, but the consistent melody cleverly softens this change, so it doesn't feel jarring.
As the fifth section of strings was introduced, suddenly a grand musical explosion exploded directly in Jing Yitong's ears. Each drumbeat seemed to strike not only his eardrums but also his heart, as if to reveal an unsolvable destiny.
Jing Yitong suddenly stopped in his tracks. Fang Xingu, thinking something was wrong, quickly paused the music and turned to ask, "What's wrong?"
Jing Yitong turned to look at him and said earnestly, "It sounds so good."
Fang Xin Gu: ...
Although somewhat speechless, Fang Xin Gu couldn't help but smile, and the curve of his lips kept widening.
Who wouldn't be happy to hear such a straightforward compliment?
Fang Xin couldn't hide his joy: "Really?"
“Of course,” Jing Yitong rolled up his sleeves. “Look, I’m getting goosebumps.”
It's not an exaggeration on Jing Yitong's part; the prelude seemed to possess some kind of immense power. The moment the strings began to play, his heart started to leap with joy, inexplicably reminding him of the moment when he was head over heels for Fang Xin. However, there was also a faint trace of melancholy mixed in with the melody, just like the sense of gain and loss that inevitably exists in every relationship.
This piece of music completely captivated Jing Yitong's heart. He even felt that the prelude alone had captured the feelings he had when he secretly loved Fang Xin Gu, a mix of joy and sorrow, wanting to test the waters yet afraid to take that step.
Fang Xin was relieved to see that Jing Yitong was truly moved by what he saw.
Actually, he was a little nervous because he was basically working behind closed doors when he created this song. He didn't let anyone see his composition, so he didn't receive any feedback from the outside world. It was a song written entirely based on intuition, and he had no idea how the outside world would view it.
Having finally received his first approval, and from Jing Yitong no less, Fang Xingu was somewhat looking forward to his response: "Keep going, keep going."
Start the program and the melodious tune begins again. After a thrilling ensemble of instruments, the verses begin. To avoid masking the vocals, the arrangement is simplified, leaving only the melodious piano playing a graceful tune. However, whenever the strings join in, the tone of the song shifts to an unbearable bitterness.
When the song ended, Jing Yitong was still a little dazed. He slowly took off his headphones and handed them back to Fang Xingu without saying a word.
Fang Xingu wanted to hear his evaluation, but found that Jing Yitong was standing there blankly, as if he were in a trance. He nudged Jing Yitong in confusion: "Why are you standing there like that? Come and give your evaluation."
"It sounds nice."
Fang Xin was displeased: "When I listened to the intro, at least it was 'so good,' there were four words. Now that I've listened to the whole song, all that's left is 'good.' Is it that the later parts didn't satisfy you?"
Hearing Fang Xingu say this, Jing Yitong was so startled that his soul returned to its place. He hurriedly explained with a smile, "How could that be? I just couldn't think of any other evaluation. It seems that only the simple and unadorned word 'pleasant to listen to' can most directly reflect my feelings after listening to it. It's just pure pleasant to listen to, an auditory feast."
Fang Xin couldn't help but feel a little smug: "You were the first listener of this song."
"Really?" Jing Yitong was a little surprised. "Then I'm honored. Could I find out the song's name in advance?"
"It's called 'Silence Has a Voice'."
Silence speaks volumes. Silence, yet speaks volumes?
Jing Yitong pondered the name twice in his mind, then smiled and said, "That's interesting. I'm getting more and more excited for the official version."
Fang Xingu nodded: "This is only demo 2.0. The arrangement is still a bit monotonous, especially the verses. I plan to add some double bass and cello later."
“This arrangement is monotonous? I feel like it could be played by a band,” Jing Yitong said, then suddenly caught a key point, “You arranged this song yourself?”
Fang Xingu nodded: "I plan to do all the work myself on this title track."
Jing Yitong was surprised: "You didn't ask Cao Yangxi? That must have been a lot of work."
"Actually, it's not too bad, because I had a lot of inspiration for this song. The hardest part was deciding which arrangement to use."
Jing Yitong recalled the melody from earlier: "From a layman's point of view, I felt it was already very good. If, as you just said, we added these two violins, wouldn't the overall tone be too low? Actually, you can already hear a bit of depression in it now, like, um... like, in a relationship, you feel a sudden flutter of the heart, but in the end, it can only end without a trace. When you hear the end, you actually feel a bit depressed."
Fang Xin gave Jing Yitong a strange look, then looked away breathlessly.
This was originally my masterpiece about heartbreak!
This is the melody he played when he returned to Jiangcheng a while ago. He dreamt about his past with Jing Yitong and couldn't sleep, so he got up to play the piano to vent his feelings. The overall tone of the song basically matches Jing Yitong's feelings, which shows that his creation did not deviate from the theme.
But Fang Xin couldn't say it directly, so he could only explain: "Well, they are love songs, sad love songs. This album is basically all about this tone. It's very different from the songs I wrote when I was in Nebula, right?"
Jing Yitong thought about it and realized it was true: "Most of the music you wrote before was rhythmic, and even the more emotional pieces weren't this bitter."
Fang Xingu nodded: "I tried writing this type of song for Nebula before, but they didn't really appreciate it, so I haven't written it since."
"That's true, boy groups and solo artists definitely prefer different types of music."
"Yes, it's just that now we have to contact people ourselves for things like piano accompaniment and string accompaniment, which is quite troublesome."
Jing Yitong asked in confusion, "Then what were the strings, piano, and drums in the demo just now?"
Fang Xingu replied matter-of-factly, "It's all my own work. I just mixed out a simple version of the sound first." He wasn't an expert on these instruments, but he could certainly play them briefly.
“…Our new and old are indeed amazing,” Jing Yi said meaningfully. “Then you might as well do it yourself. Anyway, you know how to play these instruments. I listened to the previous version and it was very good. There were no mistakes at all.”
Fang Xingu took it as a joke and shook his head with a smile: "How could I do that?"
The arrangement of "Silence Has a Voice" is quite complex. It's okay for him to record a demo, but it's too hasty to make it the main track of the album.
"Why can't you? At least your piano playing is definitely better than most people's. You can totally do it yourself."
Jing Yitong felt a little helpless. He seriously suspected that Fang Xingu's confidence had been worn down by Ying Zhen when he was a child.
Ying Zhen, an internationally renowned violinist, had also considered training her child to be an outstanding successor. However, she knew the violin too well and could almost immediately tell that Fang Xingu was definitely not cut out to play the violin. In other words, even if Fang Xingu did learn the violin, he would never be able to surpass her achievements in the future.
Although Yingzhen was disappointed, she did not want her child to live in her shadow forever, so she compromised and let Fang Xin go to learn the piano.
Fang Xingu studied for several years, but Ying Zhen was very busy, traveling all over the country to perform, and could only occasionally come home to check on Fang Xingu's progress. Even so, Ying Zhen was greatly disappointed—compared to those piano prodigies, Fang Xingu's progress was far too slow.
Learning a musical instrument requires a great deal of talent, but perhaps only one out of ten thousand talented individuals will become a genius. Ying Zhen happened to be that genius, while Fang Xin was not.
In Ying Zhen's eyes, the Fang and Ying families could provide Fang Xin Gu with too many resources. Their child didn't necessarily have to pursue music. Since Fang Xin Gu wasn't a genius and couldn't become a top pianist, there was no need for him to continue learning the piano. Otherwise, it would be a thankless task. It would be better to change paths, which might allow him to go further and more easily.
Therefore, after Ying Zhen finished checking Fang Xingu's learning progress for the last time, she sighed and told Fang Xingu that he didn't need to learn the piano anymore and should go play with Jing Yitong instead.
She thought she was doing it for Fang Xin Gu's own good, giving him more options, but for Fang Xin Gu, who was only six or seven years old at the time, this was undoubtedly a signal that Ying Zhen should give up on him.
Jing Yitong still remembers the way Fang Xingu came to find him that day with red eyes and a pout. Those usually well-behaved big eyes were now filled with tears, but little Fang Xingu gritted his teeth and held back the tears.
Only when she saw Jing Yitong did Fang Xingu let out a sob, tears streaming down her face, and she threw herself into Jing Yitong's arms and cried.
Jing Yitong was heartbroken. Fang Xin was so happy when she left, saying that her mother was back, and she ran home. How could she be crying like this just a few hours later?
Fang Xingu refused to explain and just buried her face in Jing Yitong's shoulder and cried. Her hot tears soaked Jing Yitong's neck, and Jing Yitong could only hold Fang Xingu and try to calm her down. It wasn't until later that he learned the whole story from the adults.
The adults gossiped behind Ying Zhen's back, saying she was too heartless to say such things to a child. Jing Yitong also secretly blamed Ying Zhen in his heart. What made her so sure that Fang Xingu wasn't a genius? In his mind, Fang Xingu's piano skills were far beyond his reach, and he was the most talented person he had ever met.
They started learning the piano together. Fang Xingu was two years younger than him, but while Jing Yitong was still in the beginner stage, Fang Xingu could already play a complete piece. Later, when Jing Yitong had just learned the beginner level sheet music, Fang Xingu was already able to compose his own arrangements.
But even with such talent, Ying Zhen still felt it was far from enough.
Looking at Fang Xingu, who was laughing at himself, Jing Yitong couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him.
Fang Xin was unaware of Jing Yitong's inner thoughts. He was a little dizzy from Jing Yitong's flattery, his eyes were unfocused and his tone was not as confident as before: "I... I probably can't do it, right?"
Jing Yitong quickly took two steps, turned around, and blocked his way: "Forget it, since Teacher Fang is so insecure, why don't you ask me to be your piano accompanist? Anyway, I'm quite confident."
Fang Xingu was amused and pushed the man aside: "Teacher Jing, you're a bit too confident. You should re-enable the piano first before you come to me to offer your services. Otherwise, I might as well do it myself."
Even so, Fang Xin's mood was indeed much better; the feeling of being affirmed by Jing Yitong always made him feel so at ease.
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