Chapter 42: First Cry
"Hello, dear listeners, good evening! It's time for our 'Casual Chat' again. Tonight, we've invited a beautiful lady who has recently caused quite a stir in nightclubs and karaoke bars all over Hong Kong..."
"That's right, you guessed it, it's our beautiful and intelligent Miss MayLee—hello, May, will you get enough sleep for our show tonight?" "Qingtan Qingchang" is a late-night program from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m., so Cheng Ziting, the host of this season's program, joked with Li Sishi.
"Good evening, everyone." After greeting everyone, Li Sishi continued, "Well... there will be a little bit, but tomorrow is Saturday, no school, so I can catch up on sleep during the day and won't have to worry about getting panda eyes!"
"Haha, so all girls are afraid of having panda eyes. No wonder you smiled so reluctantly when you saw me. It's because you have to stay up all night to be on my show..." Cheng Ziting immediately added.
Looking at Cheng Ziting's rather dignified face by today's standards, Li Sishi could only sigh inwardly: the main reason for her forced smile wasn't because she was afraid of staying up late to do a late-night radio show, but because she saw the very embodiment of this future classic meme, so she couldn't quite hold back her smile...
I don't know what her luck is like. She just got the Hong Kong movie meme giant "Eat Shit" Fly Brother when recording a song, and then she got the Hong Kong drama meme giant "Do Whatever You Want" when recording a TV show...
However, compared to Shang Hanyou's Fly Brother, Cheng Ziting's Do-Whatever Brother is someone most people only know by name and not by appearance. There's no way around it, Shang Hanyou is a superstar with all the right timing, location, and people, while Cheng Ziting is just a supporting actor after switching to television, so there is a natural difference in popularity.
Unaware of Li Sishi's complex feelings at this moment, Cheng Ziting was relaxed: although he had already discussed some of the content with Li Sishi before the show started, hearing her tactful yet youthful and cute answer made him feel more at ease about tonight's recording.
Radio programs are different from television programs. They only have sound and no visuals, so they can't rely on pretty faces. If a radio program doesn't know how to respond or has a boring personality, the program's effectiveness will undoubtedly be greatly reduced.
His show, in particular, is geared towards teenagers and highly values unique individuality.
In contrast, Lee Sze-sze's EP, which swept Hong Kong, contains four ballads, so she had to use her interesting personality to make up for those shortcomings when recording the show.
During their pleasant conversation, memories and recollections of certain recent events gradually surfaced.
After a period of study and practice, Li Sishi, who was in full swing, and Shang Hanyou, who was in top form, along with their own pursuit of perfection, recorded a version of "Longing in the Wind and Rain" that was better than the last. Even the most discerning recording team couldn't put down the version they delivered after listening to it.
It's unbelievable that such excellent and unique performances in each version could lead them to such a dilemma.
It's worth noting that the Hong Kong music scene has been subtly declining in recent years. The recordings from the older generation are alright, but the recordings from the newcomers are simply appalling. Fortunately, post-production technology has improved, allowing us to record segment by segment and fix each note individually.
Although these studio singers may not be able to hold concerts in the future, or they may force themselves to hold concerts and end up disastrous, or they may simply use live auto-tuning to turn them into electronic music princes and princesses... But as long as those behind the scenes get their money, who cares about the speechless working class and the choked-up Hong Kong music lovers?
Of course, it's standard practice to have experienced members mentor newcomers before the newcomers are ready to take on the main responsibilities. But when the raw audio is handed to them, the results are a mixed bag, making listeners want to exclaim—"How could this even be done?! Seriously, what the hell…!"
For a recognized powerhouse like Shang Hanyou, his recording partners are usually not too unbearable, but his live partners are like opening a blind box. He has often been assigned to mentor some less talented individuals because of his own abilities.
Therefore, it was rare for him to come across a new song that he really liked, and the new recording partner was also talented and capable. He was so excited that he almost had a breakdown. Even when recording late into the night, he was still full of energy.
Being grabbed by such a powerful singer and asked to cooperate, the recording crew couldn't help but feel a chill for the seemingly delicate Li Sishi.
However, to their surprise, Li Sishi accepted the recording process well throughout, and even took the initiative to suggest that she was not satisfied with her singing at the very beginning and wanted to record it again—so the two of them ended up paying a lot of overtime fees and overtime pay...
As a member of the recording team, Wu Shunchao would always complain to his father, who was obsessed with singing opera, every time he got home. He would say that the two of them were really birds of a feather, and it was just a pity for them, the working class, who had to work overtime for no reason.
"They didn't pay you overtime?!"
Old Man Wu poked him with his wooden sword, "Come out and do it."
That's how it is. At least those two little singers knew to pay. In the past, you wouldn't have heard of this kind of song being sung...
"I was just making a few simple complaints, why are you taking it so seriously?" Wu Shunchao quickly waved his hand to clarify, "In fact, our whole team welcomes them to keep recording. They get overtime pay and free late-night snacks and desserts, and they sing really well. Who knows what kind of monster they'll be next!"
The thought of what kind of "blind box" Shang Hanyou and Li Sishi's group would get after this round of recording made Wu Shunchao feel really down. Even the already not-so-great food seemed to taste even worse because of his depressed mood...
“If you don’t like it, then don’t eat it. It will save your dad a lot of time to go singing!” The father and son had been talking back and forth for years, and Wu Shunchao could tell what his father was thinking with just a look.
“Who would want to sing opera with you at a karaoke bar? When you have free time, learn a couple of new pop songs. Maybe you’ll find a new person to sing with and save my stomach!” Wu Shunchao’s biological mother had passed away many years ago, so he had long been mentally prepared to welcome a new mother.
As it turns out, my deadbeat dad's view on "saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new" is still the same as his stubborn insistence on singing opera with his old friends at karaoke. You say your piece, he does his. Over the years, he's been both a father and a mother, managing to raise his only son.
Wu Shunchao originally thought that his deadbeat father was just that old-fashioned and sentimental, but after going with him to the senior activity center where Old Man Wu often stayed, he discovered that there were quite a few single aunties and old ladies there—well, it turns out it wasn't that they didn't want to, but that they didn't have the ability.
These days, aunties and grandmas are so fashionable. They might sing a few lines of traditional opera at the senior activity center, but once they step outside, they head straight to the karaoke bar to sing pop songs, often outdoing the younger generation.
At this point, learn a few popular duet songs, and as the two of you sing along, won't you gradually develop feelings for each other?
Unexpectedly, Wu Shunchao, a young man in his teens, was going to play matchmaker for his nearly sixty-year-old father. He hesitated for a while, but in the end, he could only compromise for the sake of his stomach: he was too busy with work to go into the kitchen, and his deadbeat father's cooking skills had been bad for ten years. If he didn't give him a push, when would he ever get to drink a bowl of his mother's old-fashioned soup?
That's right, the reverse pressure to get married is imminent!
It just so happens that Shang Hanyou and Li Sishi's new duet is about to be broadcast on television.
When the time comes, I can buy a few CDs so my deadbeat dad can practice with them. Maybe then I can be one of the few "male voices" to sing "A New Mother" for him in karaoke.
Among middle-aged and elderly people, Shang Hanyou and Li Sishi have a rare good reputation: one is a powerful singer among the new generation, and the other is a newly crowned Miss Hong Kong and a top student from a prestigious school, who is both beautiful and intelligent. Moreover, this new song was thought to be an interlude for a period drama, and the lyrics are more artistic and subtle.
This way, there's no fear of a repeat of the situation a few years ago when Shang Hanyou released a very popular duet love song called "Eternal Love," but his own deadbeat father thought the lyrics were too straightforward and cheesy and refused to learn it. Later, it was said that this tender song had brought together quite a few single old men and women, so much so that Wu Shunchao would get so angry every time he thought about it that he would slap his thigh.
But my own deadbeat dad still does whatever he wants. After performing at the senior activity center, he can still go to the karaoke room in the evening and sing "Shanbo's Deathbed" amidst a lively atmosphere of laughter...
In this new era with a new atmosphere, of course we should look forward. Do you really think you're some kind of legendary love story like Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai?!
Wu Shunchao waited and waited until Li Sishi, who was particularly meticulous under the influence of Shang Hanyou, finally finished recording this EP. He then took advantage of his proximity to buy a copy of the instrumental version and brought it home. He would decide whether to add the music video version and how to add it later, depending on the market situation of the instrumental version.
However, since "Love in the Wind and Rain" is an interlude for a TV series, and the recent period comedy "First Steps into the Jianghu" has become quite popular, many karaoke bars and nightclubs have bought a few copies of the instrumental version after its release for their resident singers to cover or to add to their song library.
There aren't many love songs sung by male and female singers to begin with, and even fewer that become hits, so it's natural to be quick to judge—especially since most people who watched the TV series thought the theme song was quite nice.
It expressed a desire to sing it.
For a time, every night the streets and alleys of the port city would be filled with that beautiful and soothing melody. The human voices, which were both strong and gentle, melted into the infinitely tender melody. The deep and full and the warm and elegant alternating rhythms were moving. Then it seemed to be carried to the horizon by the night wind, making people unable to help but stop and listen quietly.
In the first round of trial distribution, only this TV series theme song and the old song sung anew, "Hateful Marriage," have been well received.
However, the remaining two new songs seem to have been steadily rising in the karaoke song request charts over time, thanks to the increasing efforts of those promotional channels.
Li Sishi
The title of Miss Hong Kong winner and Miss World runner-up is actually a double-edged sword. While gaining popularity and attention, it will inevitably attract the dissatisfaction of those who are arrogant: it's one thing for a girl who came from a beauty pageant to be arranged to act, but why is she also involved in the music industry?
Don't they know how difficult it is for newcomers to make it in Hong Kong's music scene these days?
It's just riding on the lingering popularity of the beauty pageant and the halo of academic excellence to gain some initial buzz. In addition, "The Stormy Love" and "A Hateful Marriage" have tied some middle-aged and elderly people with a penchant for literature and art—but how much purchasing power do these people actually have?
In Hong Kong's music scene, young people and students have always been the main contributors to sales figures!
Those secretly waiting to see a good show, just as they waited and waited, heard "Longing in the Wind and Rain" playing more and more often, or even being sung in various places...
Regarding this point, Wu Shunchao, who witnessed the entire process firsthand, said he felt he had a lot to say: So what if they're middle-aged or elderly?!
This song is so popular that even my extremely stubborn dad couldn't resist joining in and secretly practicing it at home so he could show off at karaoke.
Following along, Wu Shunchao witnessed his late father singing the male lyrics amidst the admiring gazes of a group of aunties, followed by a lively scene of a large group of people vying to sing the female lyrics. Feeling that he had a bright future ahead, Wu Shunchao almost burst out laughing.
He had such wonderful ideas, but after several days of anticipation, not only did he not see his future mother, but his deadbeat father served him a bowl of steaming soup instead.
Wu Shunchao, whose stomach had been tormented for years, immediately looked at his dead father with suspicion. After struggling internally for several seconds, he finally took the drink and took a small sip...
This taste...it seems alright?!
"Dad, what's this?" Wu Shunchao instinctively wanted to ask.
Old Wu waved his hand: "Alright, enough with all the nonsense. I know you want soup, so I went to learn the secrets for several days and practiced many times to make sure you have a bowl of soup!"
“You’re not…” Thinking of his late father’s recent unusual behavior, Wu Shunchao suddenly lost his appetite.
"The song is quite nice; the singer is also quite happy; as for the person, there's no need to mention them."
As he spoke, Old Wu started playing a song again, “Your mother has always been with me.”
Wu Shunchao subconsciously followed Old Man Wu's gaze and looked directly at the black and white photograph on the altar by the wall.
His dad started singing along to the music again.
The song was a hodgepodge, only featuring the male vocals, turning a perfectly good duet love song into a solo with only half the lyrics sung and no sound...
Perhaps the soup in his hand was too hot, because the steam blurred the lenses of his glasses, making his vision blurry.
"Embracing the moon, I transform into a spring breeze beyond the clouds to pursue the dream of lovers / My heart is filled with resentment, for the mortal world is full of cruel tricks..."
The older generation rarely expresses their feelings directly, preferring to go through roundabout and indirect methods. Even when singing to convey emotions, they choose lyrics that are subtle and implicit.
This constant guessing and procrastination means that many things that were never said will never have the chance to be said to the person you wanted to say them to.
In contrast, today's vibrant and energetic young people don't have so much time for twists and turns; they say what they think, and their expression is especially pure and passionate.
After discovering that everyone wanted to sing those two new, sentimental ballads they'd been hearing everywhere at karaoke that night, the group of young students immediately launched into a heated debate, ranging from verbal arguments to physical gestures. The debate ended with all seven of them choosing the two songs to see who could sing them best…
Looking at the seven songs "My Beloved" and seven songs "Each One One Three: Each with Their Own Dreams" crammed together on the song selection screen, the staff member responsible for serving this room tonight felt a wave of dizziness.
But what he didn't know at the time was that this phenomenon of playing the same song on repeat, which could only be temporarily agreed upon because they couldn't reach an agreement, was just the beginning...
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