Huayu: This director is so eager to improve.

Chapter 16 New Song Chart

"Leave it to me," Guo Fan said, looking at the manuscript in his hand, when he suddenly remembered a crucial question.

"We have the song, but who will sing it? We can't afford a star with this budget, not even a professional singer."

Qi Yue stopped tapping his fingers on the table, and some images flashed through his mind:

The girl's red, swollen eyes from crying at the police station, her clumsy punches to the sandbag at the gym, her raw and explosive emotions in front of the camera, and the clean, resilient quality she possessed.

"Let Li Qing do it; it would generate more buzz if the female lead sang it."

"Li Qing?" Guo Fan suddenly remembered something. "Oh right! This girl mentioned to me during a casual chat that she wrote some songs herself, saying it was something like... an emotional release?"

As he spoke, he pulled out his phone and frantically scrolled through his notes app. "I think she sent me a sample once..."

Qi Yue raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

"Found it!"

Guo Fan finally found an audio file with the title "The Thief" in bold, followed by the small print: Lyrics/Composition/Singing: Li Qing.

I clicked play.

The phone's speaker played Li Qing's a cappella singing, clearly recorded with ambient noise, with a simple and even somewhat immature melody.

But the lyrics caused a subtle shift in the expressions of the two men:

"Thief, you're taking something for nothing and leaving!"

The thief's shamelessness is disgusting!

Thief, you stole everything from me...

You could almost see Li Qing gritting her teeth in the song.

The air in the rented room was silent for a second.

It turns out that when people can't hold back anymore, it's very difficult for them to stay calm.

Qi Yue controlled his twitching lips and coughed lightly.

"My song isn't very difficult. Li Qing has basic skills in traditional opera, so singing this kind of pop music shouldn't be a problem for her."

Guo Fan composed himself: "Alright, you wrote the song, so you call the shots. Shall I go ask her to audition? And while I'm at it, ask if she has any other 'masterpieces,' like 'Death to Fraudsters' or something..."

......

Two weeks later, in the live broadcast studio of a music radio station in Beijing.

The live stream room was softly lit, and there were two DJs.

The steady male voice of Ken and the lively female voice of Xiaoya.

They are preparing for the next season of the "Urban Fashion Trend" chart competition.

"Alright, welcome back. Next up is our 'New Song Trendsetter' segment for this week!"

Xiaoya's voice is full of energy.

"Ken, this week's charts look like another battle of the titans."

Ken picked up the conversation, his tone professional:

"That's right, let's take a look at the top three in terms of real-time streaming and overall popularity. Unsurprisingly, Jay Chou is still number one, with 'Mingmingjiu' continuing to dominate the charts. The melody and narrative are just too strong."

Second place goes to Qu Wanting's "You Exist in My Song." Her unique narrative and distinctive voice made her a phenomenon, rising from the internet to the mainstream charts.

Third, wow, it's also our old friend Eason Chan's "Lonely Patient."

"Yes," Xiaoya chimed in, "they're all incredibly talented singers; their compositions and performances are impeccable. However..."

She abruptly changed the subject, her voice tinged with the excitement of discovering something new, "Ken, did you notice? There's a completely new name in seventh place on this week's list!"

"Oh? Let me see..." Ken obediently looked at the teleprompter.

"Seventh, 'Chasing the Light,' sung by... Li Qing? That name sounds unfamiliar. Lyricist and composer... Qi Yue? He doesn't seem to be a well-known musician either."

"Yes! That's the song!"

Xiaoya raised her voice a little.

"Ken, you know what? I heard this by chance on my way home from get off work last night, and it immediately caught my attention. The melody isn't complicated, and the arrangement is simple, but the singer's voice is very clean, with a kind of..."

How to put it? A cautious yet steadfast determination? The lyrics are also very evocative, like someone silently walking in the darkness, yet always keeping their eyes on that ray of light. It's different from the intense emotions in many songs these days; it has a back-to-basics feel.

"Now that you mention it, I'm curious too," said Ken. "Then let's listen to this new song that unexpectedly broke into the top ten, 'Chasing the Light,' sung by Li Qing."

A soothing and ethereal piano prelude filled the live stream, followed by simple guitar strumming.

Li Qing's voice came through the radio waves:

"If you are the fireworks on the sea, and I am the foam on the wave, then at some point, your light illuminated me..."

As Xiaoya said, her singing was indeed not flashy; you could even hear a hint of naivety and nervousness in her voice.

But the cleanliness, sincerity, and narrative sense that strives to fit the mood of the lyrics are particularly moving.

Especially in the chorus, she perfectly captured the unwavering determination of "I can follow behind you, like a shadow chasing the light in a dream."

After the song finished playing, there was a few seconds of silence in the live stream.

"Wow..." Xiaoya exclaimed first, "It's really special, isn't it, Ken?"

"Indeed," Ken nodded. "The singer's technique may not be as refined as the top-ranked artists, but the emotion is very genuine, and the song's lyrics and music are very original, not just a mass-produced product. The information shows that this is actually... the theme song for a web series?"

"Yes!" Xiaoya chimed in, "Yu Zui, a crime thriller web series that will soon be available on iQiyi. The director and lyricist/composer are the same person, Qi Yue. And the singer, Li Qing, is the female lead in this series."

"A web series? A crime thriller?" Ken's voice held a hint of interest.

"This combination is quite novel. Usually, the theme songs for these kinds of dramas tend to be more heavy metal or electronic suspense style. This ballad, as the theme song, has even made it onto the music charts... It seems that this drama, or this director, has a somewhat different idea."

"That's right," Xiaoya concluded, "The Light Chaser is like a little dark horse, showing us the possibility of fresh blood. Although it's only in seventh place right now, its upward momentum and unique charm make us look forward to its future performance."

The radio waves carried the melody of "Chasing the Light" and the DJs' discussions to every corner of the city.

In the rented room,

When they heard the radio actually playing "The Chaser of Light" and even mentioning "Yu Zui," Guo Fan and Li Qing, who were gathered around the radio, couldn't help but cheer softly.

"Qi Yue! Did you hear that?! Our song! On the radio! It's in the top ten!" Guo Fan excitedly turned to Qi Yue, who was hunched over his computer desk, and shouted.

Qi Yue simply hummed in response, his gaze never leaving the glowing screen.

The platform's review department just sent over more revision suggestions, ranging from typos in the subtitles of a few lines to minor adjustments to the volume of background music in a certain place... trivial yet urgent.

The series "Yu Zui" will officially launch tomorrow night, and he must finish dealing with all the "problems" tonight.

This is the situation for newcomers: every step they take may be scrutinized and they may be asked to make changes, leaving no room for negotiation.

Li Qing turned around, looked at the blue light reflected from the screen on Qi Yue, and couldn't help but purse her lips.