Chapter 52: White Robe and Golden Belt
While learning her craft from Le Yun, Li Sishi also saw the two songs that Le Yun had carefully prepared for the upcoming opening concert at the Shanghai Stadium.
It has to be said that he really put his heart into this charity performance. The first song he chose was "A Good Song for You," which he really liked. He even made a special note that he could sing both Mandarin and Cantonese versions so that the audience in Shanghai could enjoy it.
As for the second song, he chose one of his latest works, inspired by Rong Juezhang's film adaptation of a Peking Opera piece, titled "Short Play, Long Love," which tells the story of how characters in the play struggle to distinguish between reality and fiction. Undoubtedly, the reason for choosing this song was to cater to the Shanghai audience and make it easier for them to "get into" the genre.
After all, although the lyrics of Cantonese songs and Mandarin songs are all in Chinese characters, the pronunciation is completely different. It was not easy for Le Yun to painstakingly select and find a song with both Mandarin and Cantonese versions and a song with lyrics written on its own.
"If you want something that's widely popular and has a solid foundation, why not choose 'A Dilemma of Gratitude and Righteousness'?" After reading it, Li Sishi immediately said this, almost unconsciously, as if asking a question or talking to herself.
It's not fair to blame singers for relying on a single, well-known song at concerts; it's simply that familiar songs are the best way to get the atmosphere going. If there's a hit song that everyone can hum along to even if they can't sing the whole thing, then it's a must-have for any concert.
Although Yue Yun has many representative works, the songs that can make him a huge hit across mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong must be the theme songs of martial arts TV series, especially "A Difficult Dilemma of Gratitude and Righteousness" which he collaborated on with his long-time partner Yin Mei.
As Li Sishi recalled another chorus member, she was slightly taken aback, and at the same time, Cheng Erjian, who was sitting next to her, secretly nudged her with his elbow.
"It's alright, it's not something you can't say." Le Yun naturally noticed Cheng Erjian's subtle gesture of reminding his junior sister, so she smiled and explained to Li Sishi, "If possible, I would certainly like to use 'A Difficult Struggle Between Kindness and Righteousness,' but firstly, the copyright of this song belongs to Baishi, and secondly, Yin Mei has already retired from the music scene..."
Li Sishi listened and nodded: The copyright issue is indeed not a big problem. Given Le Yun's status in the industry and the fact that it was just a charity performance, Best Music would generally not refuse. The main problem is indeed with Yin Mei, who sang the other half of the lyrics.
Speaking of which, the powerful vocalist Yin Mei is also an extraordinary woman. After her beloved husband tragically died in a car accident, she decisively handled everything as quickly as possible, ending her then-flourishing singing career and retiring to recuperate.
She then secretly gave birth to a daughter for her deceased husband four years after his death, aided by cryopreservation technology in the United States.
At first, of course, there were some doubts, but as the daughter grew up and looked almost exactly like her late husband, the handsome young man in Zhao's movies, those doubts gradually turned into praise for her affection and loyalty.
Li Sishi herself had never encountered true love in either her past or present life. While marveling at this kind of unwavering and unforgettable love, she also felt a sense of envy and helplessness.
I wonder if Yin Mei ever regretted giving up her career for love. However, people's choices cannot often be measured by whether they are "worth it" or not.
Perhaps at that point in time, even knowing that the choice was "not worthwhile"—if given another chance, she would still choose it as a wife and mother.
This originates from the word "love," but it is more than just the word "love."
As for Le Yun's decision to reluctantly give up this hit song because he no longer had a partner, it also stemmed from his old friend's "love"—the feelings of people in this era are always so deep and transcend simple love; they are a collision of hearts and a resonance of souls.
"I don't think Miss Yin Mei would want to see you shelving this song, especially on such a special occasion." Knowing that Yin Mei would still be invited by friends in the industry to return to the music scene, Li Sishi suddenly said this after some consideration.
The half of the classic song that Yin Mei can't sing right now can be easily replaced by someone else.
“You mean…” Having taught Li Sishi for a while, Le Yun roughly understood her “taking an inch and wanting a mile” personality and immediately grasped Li Sishi’s thoughts. Then she shook her head and said, “No, your task is already heavy enough. Don’t be so greedy.”
Although there was a hint of lecturing in his tone, Li Sishi and Cheng Erjian could clearly see it.
A hint of approval still appeared on Le Yun's face.
It's not a bad thing for a singer to have such a passion for singing; on the contrary, it can often be the driving force for their progress and struggle.
"Master, I can only squeeze out two more hours of sleep each day..." Li Sishi pleaded hurriedly.
She used to complain that only getting four hours of sleep a day was too little, only to be scolded by her manager – how pathetic! Now she's actually asking to only get four hours of sleep a day…
In this era where everyone is getting involved
In an era where everything was in one hands, it's true that you have to work hard while you're young.
Unable to resist Li Sishi's persistent nagging and the wet, puppy-like eyes of the dog watching her while she practiced singing, Le Yun pondered for a long time before finally replying, "Let me make a phone call first... then we'll talk."
Upon hearing this, Li Sishi immediately smiled with satisfaction, nodding and bowing obsequiously like a lackey: "Yes, Master, thank you for your hard work!"
"You're so clever!" Le Yun's tense face, which had been tense all afternoon, finally broke into a laugh at Li Sishi's sycophantic manner, which showed no grace of a beauty pageant winner. "I think if that old gentleman saw you like this, he definitely wouldn't think you were the real-life version of Fairy Yunya as described in the newspapers and magazines."
"Then I'd be good as Rong'er too! Didn't you say I'm clever and mischievous?" Li Sishi seized the opportunity. "I really like the actress who played the female lead in this TV series! She portrayed Qing Rong differently from the original character, yet with a unique charm!"
"When this version aired, it was criticized quite a bit by that old gentleman and book fans, to the point that it affected the TV station's original plan to film a sequel." Le Yun shook his head and laughed. "You were too young to know about this back then, but your elders should know about it."
"But that doesn't stop this version from becoming a classic. Among so many previous versions, this one was able to break free from constraints and achieve success, thanks in no small part to Ms. Zhong's fresh interpretation of the character Qing Rong," Li Sishi added.
"Of course, Ms. Zhong has indeed set a completely new standard for the character of Qing Rong and contributed a completely new way of performing. Her contribution to this role and the response she received cannot be denied." Le Yun nodded in agreement.
He then explained, "In terms of presentation, TV dramas and movies also make certain adjustments and modifications to the plot in order to improve ratings and pacing, which is what the old gentleman initially could not accept."
"But later, the old gentleman also accepted Miss Zhong's affections, which is probably another story development of mutual influence." Li Sishi listened attentively and spoke enthusiastically. "Just like in the TV series, after the elegant and refined thief became popular across the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong, Gu Daxia also changed the original muscular man into a romantic scholar."
"Ha Xueyi, I've never seen you so enthusiastic about gossiping. You're so excited. Jianzai can leave after dinner tonight, but you can't—you're staying for two more hours to practice singing!" Leyun said, hands on her hips, feigning anger.
"I will obey Master's orders!" Upon hearing Le Yun's words, Li Sishi immediately understood that she had a good chance of becoming a substitute.
Sure enough, halfway through the evening's singing practice, Le Yun came over to Li Sishi and said that he had contacted Yin Mei and Best Music Records, and not only had he obtained the performance rights for the concert, but he had also received support and encouragement from his old friend.
"You need to work even harder, and don't let your master, me, or your sister Yin Mei who has high hopes for you down," Le Yun said earnestly.
Li Sishi nodded very solemnly, then leaned close to Le Yun's ear and suggested some small arrangements for performing the song.
After listening attentively, Le Yun looked at Li Sishi's constantly blinking eyes and sighed with a mixture of amusement and exasperation: "You... well, if you can convince Miss Zhuang to make arrangements for you, then I don't mind if you put some effort into your appearance."
Li Sishi pretended to purse her lips: Tsk, who doesn't know that "Da Yao Le Ji is the one in the industry who puts the most effort into concert costumes"?
Time always seems to pass both slowly and quickly. After another round of intensive study and training, Li Sishi finally set off for Shanghai with a group of Hong Kong singers wearing the same white T-shirt from the Sun Project event.
Of course, compared to the uniform white printed T-shirts and jeans, Li Sishi, this "sun girl," has some unique accessories: she wears a headband decorated with a small sun wrapped in wire, which sways with her movements, making her look adorably energetic...
"It's only because my face can withstand it; anyone else would be unable to withstand the 'torture' of this headband," Li Sishi whispered to Le Yun.
This wasn't just her making things up; the little sun headband really did look like those ridiculous headbands from later generations. If she weren't actually a seventeen-year-old beauty, Li Sishi would probably feel a little ashamed about having to sing in a stadium with such a ridiculous gadget on her head...
"Alright, alright, I know you're 'wronged.' Look what this is." Le Yun looked at the aggrieved Li Sishi with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, and secretly showed her her specially customized classical and elegant golden hair tie.
Seeing the gold hairband with a small gold ring hanging down, Li Sishi gently pressed the white ancient costume in her suitcase and felt reassured: Very good. As the substitute singer of the other half of the hit song, who can be more acceptable than the female lead who comes out of the original work?
Dressed in white with a gold belt, a fairy in the snow—this is the original description of Rong'er's first appearance in women's clothing!
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