Chapter 68 Performance

Hubei Institute of Arts.

After a half-hour car ride, the group of four, led by Cheng Kaiyan and Liu Xiaoli, finally arrived at the campus.

Following yesterday's rain, shallow puddles had accumulated along the tree-lined, shaded paths of the academy, with fragments of withered, yellow leaves floating and spinning on the water's surface.

Faint golden specks of light filtered through the gaps in the tree branches down onto the water, spreading outward in ripples.

"Splash!"

A pair of delicate snow boots stepped into a puddle, breaking the tranquility of the water's surface. After walking across, Liu Xiaoli stamped her feet on the ground until the moisture on her snow boots dried, then asked, "Kaiyan, how long is this recording going to take?"

Liu Xiaoli felt a bit worried inside. For one thing, she still had her ballet performance of *The Dying Swan* to prepare for, and now an additional vocal song had been added to her stage lineup. She was concerned whether trying to balance both would have an impact.

"Don't worry, this song is very simple. You just need to channel the sorrow and nostalgia you felt when you cried your eyes out the other day," Cheng Kaiyan teased. That afternoon, after reading *Fangcao*, the young woman had cried until her eyes were swollen shut. As long as she put a fraction of that genuine emotion into her singing, the song would be completely flawless.

Hearing him say this, Liu Xiaoli felt a mix of shyness and vexation, though her nervousness dissipated quite a bit.

This was a song written by Comrade Xiao Cheng, so she certainly couldn't mess it up.

"Is Comrade Xiao Cheng's novel really that touching? I'll have to take a look when it gets published," Professor Tong said, catching the banter between the two and growing curious. Although he knew that *Little Fang* featured a male protagonist writing a song for a female protagonist in a story, he didn't usually read novels and mostly listened to music.

Hearing them talk about it made him somewhat interested.

"Professor Tong definitely needs to read it carefully, and make sure you don't cry when the time comes! This is our flagship piece for *Fangcao* Magazine today!" Editor Yang encouraged with a smile. He couldn't be the only one who had cried while reading it; he had to drag Professor Tong into it as well.

"No way!"

Professor Tong refused to believe it at all.

Before long, the three of them arrived at the recording studio.

They sat down, drank some tea, and rested for a short while.

"Alright, let's begin," Professor Tong commanded, and everyone started making preparations.

"Beep, beep, beep—"

Various pieces of equipment were plugged in, and red lights flashed across the room. As the heavy door closed, shutting out the light, the exceptionally soundproofed recording studio officially sprang into action.

"Snap!"

Liu Xiaoli held the lyrics in her hands to familiarize herself with them. The next step was a cappella, and every version had to be recorded once with the accompaniment playing as well.

"There is a village maiden... with a pair of beautiful, big eyes, braids thick and long..."

Although Liu Xiaoli had never received professional vocal training, she had played the piano since childhood and loved to sing.

Therefore, the song *Little Fang* presented practically no difficulty for her. Especially when she recalled the stories of the characters in the narrative, her emotionally charged voice caused Cheng Kaiyan and the other two in the control room to widen their eyes, comfortably and indulgently enjoying the girl's heartfelt performance.

Once the song finished.

"Clap, clap, clap!"

Cheng Kaiyan pressed the pause button and was the first to start applauding, his eyes full of smiles as he looked at Liu Xiaoli.

As expected of his own wife, she excelled at both dancing and singing, and could even act as an actress!

Following that, Editor Yang and Professor Tong also nodded in satisfaction. She had sung it remarkably well.

"How was it, Kaiyan, Teacher Tong, Editor Yang?"

Hearing the applause from Cheng Kaiyan, Liu Xiaoli asked with a reserved and gentle smile on her pretty face as she walked out gracefully.

"Very good!"

"Excellent. We can finish recording today, so it won't affect the performance on the fifth. Leave the subsequent matters to me," Professor Tong said after pondering for a moment.

"Tick-tock, tick-tock..."

All afternoon, the four of them cooped themselves up in the recording studio. During a break, Editor Yang went outside to buy boxed lunches, and after eating, they rested on the sofa for a short while before everyone busied themselves once again.

Finally, at five-thirty, as dusk fell and the sky outside was filled with fiery red sunset clouds with the sun about to set, the entire magnetic tape was perfectly produced.

"Alright! A resounding success, let's go out for a proper meal!"

Editor Yang said, holding the magnetic tape with undisguised joy on his face.

"No rush just yet. Let's make a few duplicate copies first. Do you want to take some copies? Sister Xiaoli and I will take one each, and then we can sign our names on them as a keepsake," Cheng Kaiyan suggested, gathering up all the master tapes recorded over these past few days. He planned to take them all with him; after all, these were all memorable items.

"Of course, Kaiyan's suggestion is great!"

Both Editor Yang and Professor Tong expressed their agreement.

Everyone took a copy and signed all four of their names on each tape, which finally wrapped things up.

Afterward, Cheng Kaiyan asked if they could take all the used tapes with them, and Professor Tong readily agreed.

The four of them then picked out a small roadside restaurant for a meal before heading back to their respective homes.

Cheng Kaiyan and Liu Xiaoli strolled along the street together, taking the opportunity to walk her back to the theater.

A night breeze blew, brushing against their faces and chilling them until their complexions turned pale white.

The moon overhead shone jade-clear like a giant lightbulb, casting bright moonlight down onto the street.

Perhaps because the New Year was approaching, Jiefang Avenue was extremely lively at night. A night market had opened not far away, and quite a few people were out shopping or taking a walk.

"I won't be able to accompany you for the next few days; I need to train properly. After the fifth, we can go out and have a proper time, how does that sound?"

Liu Xiaoli looked at Cheng Kaiyan's profile and asked softly.

"Okay."

As the two walked and chatted, they arrived at the theater entrance before they knew it.

For a moment, a trace of regret arose in their hearts, wishing this path were just a little bit longer.

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

The two waved goodbye at the street corner.

At seven o'clock in the night, the evening curtain deepened.

Cheng Kaiyan returned to the editorial department's guesthouse, washed up, and quietly lay down on the bed.

These days had indeed been somewhat dull. Just reading books wasn't enough to satisfy him; perhaps it was time to consider his next book.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Theater dormitory.

Liu Xiaoli pushed open the door and entered the room.

"I'm back. Why haven't you all gone to sleep yet?"

As soon as she stepped inside, she was startled. Wang Danping, Xiao Caiyun, and Zhang Yi were all staring intently right at her. "What... is going on?"

"Sister Xiaoli, you're finally back? Let me tell you some good news! Today, when that vixen Hu Yanzhang came back, her face couldn't have looked any uglier!"

Wang Danping was sitting on the edge of her bed with both feet soaking in a basin of hot water, her face brimming with schadenfreude as she eagerly shared the gossip with Liu Xiaoli.

"Huh? Why is that? Didn't Hu Yanzhang go on a blind date with Zhou Xiaomin? That's a good thing, maybe we'll get to eat some wedding candy soon," Liu Xiaoli said as she walked into the room, changed into a pair of slippers, and placed the cassette tape she was carrying onto her desk.

"But Professor An didn't fancy her at all! It made her furious to the point of turning green, and as soon as she got back, she started cursing up a storm," Zhang Yi chimed in from the other side, biting into a candied hawthorn and laughing derisively.

"Professor An said he didn't care for her, calling her too garish and vulgar... like a courtesan," Xiao Caiyun clicked her tongue and explained with a chuckle.

Liu Xiaoli broke her composure at these words, quickly covering her mouth with her delicate hand to muffle her laughter, and then softly remarked, "Alas, I suppose we won't be getting any wedding candy after all~"