Chapter 42: Egret, the family ancestral grave has blown up

The "Sound Cube" recording studio in the Beijing Film Academy Cultural and Creative Park is recognized in the industry as a professional-grade recording facility.

Pushing open the heavy soundproof door, one is greeted by a fully transparent, double-layered tempered glass control room, where a Neve 88RS mixing console emits a cool gleam under soft LED lighting.

The main recording room adopts a trapezoidal acoustic design, with walls covered with diffusers and two Genelec 1238A main studio monitors standing in the corners.

The most eye-catching piece is the Neumann U87 microphone right in the center, carefully secured by a pop filter and shock mount.

"Hey Jiang," recording engineer Ah Kai poked his head out of the control room. "The equipment is all set up. What style are we recording today?"

"A traditional-style duet, Brother Kai," Jiang Ye said familiarly, handing over a USB flash drive. "We'll bill by the hour, book three hours first."

"Is this... lyrics written by the boss?" Bai Mengyan gently pinched the thin sheet of paper between her fingertips, her gaze lingering on the line, "Chilly night glow turns into a river of longing for you," and her eyes lit up almost imperceptibly.

To be able to write such lingering sentences, with every line wrapped in delicate emotions, it shows that the boss must be a deeply affectionate and talented scholar!

She muttered softly to herself, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the edge of the paper, humming along quietly to the simple accompaniment playing nearby.

Jiang Ye leaned against the mixing console at some point, a smile playing at the corners of his lips: "Does it sound good?"

"It sounds good!"

"Do you like it?"

"I like it!"

Jiang Ye suddenly shoved the headphones into her hands: "Then you sing the female vocals."

"Ah?!" Bai Mengyan was dumbfounded. "I-I've never studied professional singing!"

Jiang Ye straightened up from behind the mixing console, his gaze falling on her face, his tone exceptionally sincere: "What is there to be afraid of just because you haven't studied it? When I signed you, I never intended to limit you to just one path."

"Xiao Bai, you have good physical conditions and a great sense of the camera. With proper cultivation, you can become a good actress."

"However, in this circle, having one more skill means having one more path. I've heard you humming songs before; your voice is bright and holds a natural spiritual charm, it would be a pity to waste it."

Bai Mengyan blinked, not reacting for a moment.

"This song is the theme song for the company's web drama," Jiang Ye continued. "The budget isn't high, but the company will promote it heavily! I want you to give it a try—not just singing this song, but to see if you can also branch out toward becoming a singer."

"You are the first artist signed by our company, and in the future, you'll be the top actress of the agency. I hope to see you blossom in multiple fields."

"The path of an actor is not an easy one. In case you hit a bottleneck one day, your singing voice can act as a safety net. Tri-functional in film, television, and music—that's an opportunity countless people beg for."

Bai Mengyan gripped the headphones, her fingers tightening and loosening until her knuckles turned pale.

A surge of heat suddenly rose from the pit of her heart, rushing straight to her eye sockets, and her vision instantly blurred.

She hurriedly lowered her head, rubbed the corners of her eyes with her shoulder, and desperately forced the tears back!

She suspected her family's ancestral graves must have suddenly blown open...

Otherwise, how could she have encountered such a wonderful boss?

***

Bai Mengyan sniffled, and when she raised her head again, her voice was slightly hoarse, yet charged with a reckless, all-in determination: "Boss, don't you worry, I'll definitely sing well! Even if I don't sing well, I will definitely study hard and never let you down..."

Right now, only a single thought was spinning in her mind.

The boss is really so good to her!

At that moment, the door of the recording studio was pushed open.

Oho wore a duckbill cap, the muscle lines under his tight black shirt faintly visible: "I knew it, nothing good ever comes when you kid come looking for me."

What a show-off!

Jiang Ye cast a disdainful look at his physique, then took a step forward and pulled him into a bear hug: "Brother Ou, you're finally here. *The Crown Princess* was missing just your voice."

What a trap-layer!

Oho rubbed his temples helplessly.

He was terrified of falling into this guy's traps!

Yet Jiang Ye's temperament happened to suit his taste completely, and he truly regarded Jiang Ye as a brother!

Besides, Jiang Ye's capability was genuinely formidable.

He even felt that this guy was somehow better at directing than Su Youpeng...

That was the main reason he was willing to come; Jiang Ye's value was worth his investment!

In the entertainment industry, isn't it all about human favors and sophistication?

"Last time, huh." Oho inexplicably projected a hint of aloof pride.

Jiang Ye stepped forward, grasped his hand, and spoke with sincere tones: "Brother Ou, thank you. You were willing to come, and I'll keep this favor in my heart—consider it a debt I owe you."

"Once this drama goes live and the dividends are in, I'll wrap you a red envelope even thicker than Director Su's!"

Pausing for a moment, he pointed to the musical score beside the recording console: "Also, if this song takes off and we release an original soundtrack on digital platforms later, you and Xiao Bai will split all copyright earnings proportionally, which will be written clearly in the contract. Even close brothers settle accounts clearly; I can't let your labor go to waste."

"Really? Then you better make that red envelope thick!" Oho smiled as he put on the monitoring headphones. "Where's the song?"

The guzheng intro poured out like flowing water, and Oho's initially casual expression gradually froze.

When Jiang Ye finished singing the first verse, Oho abruptly pulled off his headphones: "You wrote this song?"

"Of course! How is it?"

Jiang Ye kept a straight face and calm pulse, pushing the shamelessness of a time-traveler to its absolute peak.

"The night grows slightly cool, falling flowers turn to dust... These lyrics are not bad at all."

He suddenly broke into a grin: "Brother, talking about red envelopes between us makes it sound a bit too distant!"

"Tell me, when will you have time to write a song for your brother here?"

***

Jiang Ye: "..."

The recording process went exceptionally smoothly.

Oho truly lived up to his roots as a Super Boy contestant, knocking it out incredibly fast...

His voice was highly recognizable, possessing a unique husky texture.

His recorded parts basically passed in two takes, making even the recording engineer Ah Kai give an involuntary thumbs-up.

Bai Mengyan naturally couldn't compare to professional singers like Zhang Bichen; her voice belonged to the bright, girlish category, carrying a trace of natural sweetness without excessive post-processing, making it quite pleasant to the ear.

This was the exact reason Jiang Ye signed her first.

Because not only could she act and participate in variety shows, but her singing ability could also be considered barely passable among young starlets.

The theme songs for *Oh! My Emperor*, *Untouchable Lovers*, and *Lin Jiang Xian* were all sung by her!

As for that crowd of young starlets—like Meng Ziyi, Zhou Ye, Zhang Ruonan, and others—their singing skills were quite indescribable...

Under the guidance of Jiang Ye and the recording engineer, Bai Mengyan finally found her zone, especially with the emotional delivery of the chorus, which turned out passable.

Let's just make do with it for now; after all, if he were to hire a professional singer to record right now, he genuinely couldn't afford it!

As the champion of *The Voice of China*, Zhang Bichen's current commercial quotation for a television drama theme song ranged from 250,000 to 400,000 yuan!

Of course, a singer's price is also negotiable!

If a project could bring significant exposure to the singer—such as a top-tier satellite TV drama or a renowned director's film—the fee could drop by 10% to 20%, provided that promotional resources were attached.

Such as variety show appearances, media interviews, and the like.

Jiang Ye couldn't leverage his face just yet, so he could only freeload...

Three hours later, as the last note faded, applause broke out in the recording studio.

Oho took off his headphones and winked at Bai Mengyan: "Junior sister has quite good potential. Have you ever considered developing in the direction of a professional singer?"

Bai Mengyan blushed and shook her head: "I-I still want to be an actress..."

"Alright, stop teasing her." Jiang Ye put away the USB flash drive. "You're the one who ran off to act in movies!"

Oho was choked up for a second and said speechlessly, "What now? Are we going to eat? Can we order a few extra dishes?"

"What are you thinking? The shooting crew has already arrived, we're going to shoot the music video, let's make it quick!"

Damn it, this familiar feeling...