Chapter 57: Three Rap Performances, Each with a Distinct Style!

Li Ronghao was busy at work in his office. When he saw Gallen come in, he immediately set aside what he was doing, stood up, and greeted him with a smile. "You're here. Did you check your results online?"

Gallen raised the report in his hand. "The receptionist already gave it to me!"

"It was sent in?" Li Ronghao reached out eagerly. "Let me have a look!"

Taking the report, he studied it meticulously for a while, his face breaking into a broad smile. "Excellent! Wonderful! This result—while not miraculous—already puts you among the top newcomers in the music industry!"

"More or less," Gallen replied with a smile. "By the way, Mr. Li, I came to deliver some demos. Would you like to listen?"

"Oh? A new song already?" Li Ronghao grew even more excited. "Let me hear it!"

Gallen produced a flash drive and handed it over. Li Ronghao plugged it into the computer, and soon the speakers burst out with the rapid strumming of an electric guitar.

"Is this rock?" Li Ronghao asked at once upon hearing it.

Gallen just smiled, the corners of his mouth lifting, remaining silent.

After an intense drumbeat, Gallen’s voice sounded:

"The grill house is thick with smoke, next door is a martial arts studio,
The hostess inside holds a third-degree judo belt!
The owner who teaches boxing and kung fu,
Practices iron palm and wields the Yang family spear,
Best at hard-style martial arts,
Even knows the Golden Bell Shield and Iron Shirt..."

As the song went on, Li Ronghao’s eyes grew wider, his mouth slightly open, holding his breath as he listened. At first, the song struck him as chaotic, incomprehensible, and the accompaniment rough.

It sounded like a song tossed off for fun.

Yet, inexplicably, despite its disorder, it wasn’t grating. Especially each time the refrain sounded—"Huh! Use the nunchaku! Hng-hng ha-hei!"—Li Ronghao couldn’t help but turn up the volume, his attention completely captured.

When a sudden piano solo appeared midway, Li Ronghao immediately gave a heartfelt thumbs-up. "Brilliant!"

When the song finished, Li Ronghao exhaled deeply. "What's the name of this song?"

"Nunchaku," Gallen replied.

"Did you bring the lyrics?"

"Here you go!"

Gallen handed over the lyrics. Li Ronghao took them. "I need to listen again—I couldn’t make out the words the first time!"

Just as he was about to replay it, another sound came from the speakers.

This time it was a distorted segment with drumbeats, guitar, and hints of other instruments. As the sound cleared, Li Ronghao paused in surprise. He’d thought Gallen brought only one demo, but here was another. He could tell by the style: unlike the previous song’s intensity, this one was gentler. He asked, "Is this another song?"

Gallen smiled and nodded. "The lyrics are on the second page."

Li Ronghao quickly turned to the second page. Seeing the densely printed lyrics, he was taken aback—there were even more words than in "Nunchaku." Was it another rap song?

But from the arrangement, it sounded like a slow song—a slow four-beat rhythm. Was it a pop-rap in the vein of "Bund 18"?

Whatever his guesses, Li Ronghao decided to suspend judgment and simply listen.

"The king of ancient Babylon proclaimed the Code of Hammurabi!"
"Etched on black basalt over three thousand seven hundred years ago!"
"You gaze at the inscriptions in the display window!"
"While I quietly admire the face I love so much beside you!"
…

The tempo was fast; though the music felt slow, catching every word was not easy. Li Ronghao followed along in the lyrics, word by word, barely keeping up with the song’s meaning.

But as he read, he was astonished. These lyrics—were epic! With references to "ancient Babylon," "the Code of Hammurabi," "Mesopotamia"—this song demanded not only knowledge, vocabulary, and fluency, but intellect.

Yet overall, Li Ronghao liked the melody even more than the previous song, "Nunchaku." Moreover, it felt unlike any rap or pop song he’d known—boldly fusing Mandarin R&B with rap. He could already foresee that its release would cause a greater sensation than "Bund 18," which had only incorporated rap elements into pop music. Here, rap’s rapid-fire delivery and complexity were fully integrated into a melodic song, making the rap catchy and tuneful.

Outside the door.

Liu Xiayu had just finished her work for the day—it was time to leave. Though she was only a shareholder with no official title, there was no president at the company yet, just Vice President Li Ronghao, so she often had to handle matters herself.

Passing by Li Ronghao’s office, she was surprised to catch a snippet of music. How odd—what an intriguing sound!

The offices were specially soundproofed; unless someone was highly musically sensitive, they’d never notice the music within.

She pushed open the door. Both Gallen and Li Ronghao turned to look at her; she quickly motioned for them to stay quiet.

"I wrote my love for you before the Common Era, buried deep in the plains of Mesopotamia!"
"Discovered centuries later, the cuneiform on clay tablets is still legible!"
"I wrote my love for you before the Common Era, buried deep in the plains of Mesopotamia!"
"Inscribed forever in wedge-shaped script, those vows weathered by millennia, now replayed again…"

When the song ended, Liu Xiayu turned directly to Gallen. "You wrote this?"

"Yes," Gallen nodded.

"Impressive. What’s it called?"

"Love Before the Common Era."

"Very unconventional! Play it again," Liu Xiayu said.

Li Ronghao interjected, "Uh, there’s another song before this one—would you like to hear it too?"

"Go ahead," Liu Xiayu replied.

Just as Li Ronghao was about to play it, he asked in confusion, "Wait, there’s another one?"

"Yes, actually three," Gallen replied.

"Three?" Li Ronghao’s eyes widened, counting on his fingers. "It’s been less than three days!"

Gallen only smiled, neither confirming nor denying.

Liu Xiayu gave Gallen a thoughtful glance. "Let’s listen to the third one, then."

"Alright!" Li Ronghao agreed, though somewhat reluctantly, and played the third track.

The accompaniment was performed by Gallen himself, recorded in two takes with both electric and acoustic guitars. He’d also done multiple vocal takes, given the overlapping sections and the fact that the original version wasn’t a solo piece. There was none of the pristine quiet of a professional studio, no advanced equipment to polish the sound.

From the very beginning, the prelude was riddled with static.

Liu Xiayu, a perfectionist when it came to music, immediately frowned. Li Ronghao glanced at her, then at Gallen, one eyebrow raised.

He couldn’t help but wonder—why did this song’s accompaniment and recording quality seem so inferior to the previous two?

But when Gallen started singing, both of them changed their minds—

"Goodbye, my love, I wanna say goodbye!"
"Goodbye, my past, I want a new life!"
"Goodbye to my tears, to falling down and failing!"
"Goodbye to those reckless youthful days!"
"Goodbye to my troubles, I will no longer be alone!"
"Goodbye to my weakness, I won’t cry anymore!"
"…"

The energetic rock elements mixed with rap gave the song a completely different feel from typical rock—none of the aggression, frenzy, or gloom—just youthful brightness and vitality.

The blend of genres was unlike underground rap-rock, too. No profanity, no attacks, no mindless venting—just an uplifting, positive message.

When the song ended, Liu Xiayu looked at Gallen. "What’s this one called?"

"My Sky," Gallen replied.

"And what did you want to say with this one?" she asked.

"Uh…" Gallen thought for a moment. "To convey a sense of positive energy, I suppose."

"Positive energy?" The phrase left Liu Xiayu momentarily puzzled.

The term "positive energy" was something Gallen had borrowed from another world. He’d come across it in someone else’s speech, found it novel, and now, when Liu Xiayu asked, he simply said it.

Yet, to Liu Xiayu, hearing it for the first time, it sparked a different sort of response. She clapped her hands. "Good! Let’s make this the title track of your album, and call the album 'Positive Energy.' Write a few more songs and aim to release by the end of the year!"

Gallen nodded with a smile, secretly thinking he could easily finish the songs before the end of the month; whether the album could be released would depend on the company’s production schedule.

"Wait a minute!" Li Ronghao said, "Ms. Liu, why not listen to the first two songs? I think they’re just as good!"

He found Liu Xiayu’s decision a bit hasty—both of the first two songs would make excellent lead singles; in fact, he felt they were even better than "My Sky."

"Let’s hear them then," Liu Xiayu agreed.

Li Ronghao quickly played the first song, "Nunchaku."

Liu Xiayu’s initial reaction matched Li Ronghao’s—though she was less demonstrative.

As for the second song, "Love Before the Common Era," she had only heard a fragment earlier. Listening to the whole piece now, she could hardly believe it all came from the same person.

The stylistic range was enormous.

She, too, realized the first two songs were even stronger than the third, and began to waver.

Which one should be the title track?