Chapter 80: A Roar of Qin Opera!

"Who wrote these English lyrics?" Liu Xiayu looked at Garen, full of curiosity.

"I did!" Garen replied with composure.

"This... I didn't expect your English writing to be so advanced!" She had originally wanted to say "that's impossible," but considering the two songs Garen had produced, perhaps being able to write in English wasn't out of the question after all, so she changed her words.

"I know a little," Garen smiled.

In truth, his English level was no different from that of an ordinary student—basic listening, speaking, reading, and writing were manageable, but holding a conversation was a struggle, let alone composing in English.

Li Ronghao squinted at Li Qing. "Director Li, can this song be included in the album?"

"Let me think," Li Qing replied. "It's best to select only one of these two, but let's listen to the rest first."

"Heh... alright!" Li Ronghao turned his head, grinning smugly, and winked at Garen, his intentions clear.

Garen’s expression remained calm. The next three songs were the real trump cards—once released, they would surely secure a place in the pop music scene.

Soon, the three songs finished playing.

Everyone became more silent. Liu Xiayu lowered her head, deep in thought.

Li Ronghao had felt proud of Garen’s "Yellow" and "Meteor" just moments ago.

But after hearing the next three, pride remained—but was joined by genuine admiration.

Li Qing listened with closed eyes, silent for a long while after the music ended. Then he suddenly opened his eyes, sat upright, and stared at Garen with renewed vigor. "We'll use all these songs! I'll start producing them immediately!"

Garen smiled. "Alright! Then I'll write four more for you right now!"

"No need for now," Li Qing waved his hand. "Always leave something in reserve. With these four today, seven new songs are enough. For the rest, select a few of the ones you've performed before but haven’t released officially."

"What four songs?" Li Ronghao grew anxious. "Isn't it five?"

"'Meteor' and 'Yellow' only need one version of the instrumental," Li Qing explained. "I'm planning to make 'Yellow' a hidden track, to add a bit of intrigue to the album. After all, English songs have a limited audience here; ordinary listeners may not understand it. Choosing it rashly might backfire."

"Hidden track?" Li Ronghao raised an eyebrow.

A hidden track, also known as a hidden song, is simply a song that doesn’t appear on the album cover’s song list, nor in any promotional material. It only emerges when the listener plays the CD through to the very end—a mysterious bonus.

Hidden tracks have existed since the era of vinyl records, with countless reasons for their inclusion. Sometimes it’s due to recording errors, sometimes legal restrictions, and sometimes musicians just want to play a prank—recording whatever comes to mind and tacking it onto the end.

Aside from these, the two main reasons are: musicians wanting to surprise fans, or because the track doesn’t quite fit the rest of the album, so placing it as a hidden track serves as a kind of experiment.

"If this English song gets a good response in the market, Garen will have a great chance to go international. I’ll recommend the song to some friends abroad who are in music and ask for their impressions," Li Qing said.

Li Ronghao remained silent. He acknowledged that Li Qing’s vision was indeed broader than his own, but he wouldn’t overlook Li Qing’s shortcomings, especially those concerning manners and professionalism.

Li Qing picked up a pen and marked a few lines on paper. "That settles it. As for the rest, aside from the songs for next month’s movie soundtrack release, select 'Beijing Night,' 'Chang'an Chang'an,' 'No. 18 Bund,' 'Memories of Zhengzhou,' and 'Fragile Fireworks.'"

He spread the A4 sheet before everyone, the full tracklist now visible and classified by style.

Garen glanced at it. The album was divided into two categories: “Rock-Folk Style” with six songs, and “Innovative Pop” with another six. Whether they would become hits was uncertain, but Garen hadn’t expected the songs to fit so neatly into two groups—it seemed Li Qing had planned this all along.

Not only did each song have a brief description, but they were also arranged in order, showing Li Qing’s dedication to music.

The meeting concluded. Li Qing informed Garen that recording would begin at the company tomorrow, and he would work extra hard to complete the music as soon as possible.

At the end, he patted Garen’s shoulder and encouraged him, "Young man, keep going!"

Hmm...

Garen was a bit surprised. Since they’d met, Li Qing hadn’t greeted him or spoken about anything but music. Yet as they parted, he offered this encouragement.

As soon as Li Qing left, Li Ronghao scoffed, "Arrogant! Don’t think I don’t know what he’s thinking. Telling you to keep going is just his way of saving face—he’s already feeling awkward..."

Listening to him grumble, Garen couldn’t help but laugh. "Alright, Teacher Li, I think it’s your pride that’s bruised, isn’t it?"

"Me? Heh! How could it be?" Li Ronghao tried to sound righteous, but seeing Garen’s half-smiling expression, he wilted and chuckled, "Well, you saw through it, but why say it out loud?"

"…"

…

Early the next morning, Garen arrived at the company for recording.

The first song was "Love Before the Millennium." The accompaniment was beautifully done, and the new equipment proved its worth—no wonder it cost so much.

It took over an hour to record, with several lines revised and perfected repeatedly until the result was satisfactory.

During a break, Li Qing brought over two cups of coffee, handed one to Garen, and said, "Yesterday, while working on 'Chang'an Chang'an,' I thought of adding horse hoofbeats and neighs at the beginning, to evoke the grandeur of ancient Chang'an. What do you think?"

"I don’t think it’s a good idea," Garen replied directly.

"Hmm? Why?" Li Qing was surprised by the blunt rejection.

Having heard the original, Garen already had preconceived notions. To him, the most stunning aspect of the song was its original arrangement.

"I think using local Northwestern Qinqiang opera would be better, paired with traditional folk music as background. That would highlight the Northwestern flavor."

Seeing Li Qing’s slightly stunned look, Garen explained, "After all, the grand battlefields of ancient armies are far removed from our era. I’d prefer the song to be closer to the people of modern Chang'an."

"Oh!" Li Qing pondered, then called his assistant and instructed him to find relevant music and audio files.

They discussed other songs, rested a bit more, and returned to the studio for the second track.

This time, they recorded "Nunchaku," including not just lead vocals but backing and harmony—all performed by Garen. It took nearly two hours to finish.

Leaving the studio, it was already midday. They ate a simple lunch in the company cafeteria, then returned to Rainy Day Music.

As soon as they entered, Li Qing’s assistant approached. "Director! I’ve gathered all the materials and audio files!"

The assistant was efficient.

Li Qing said, "Good! Go have lunch, I’ll handle the rest!"

After the assistant left, Li Qing buried himself in the stack of materials, opening and playing each audio file, paying no attention to Garen.

From this brief interaction, Garen understood Li Qing’s character—he wasn’t harsh or rude, just socially inept, lacking in emotional intelligence.

Such people are usually straightforward: right is right, wrong is wrong, regardless of identity.

Li Qing listened to segment after segment of Qinqiang opera, but was dissatisfied with them all.

Finally, he looked to Garen. "What about switching to Laoqiang? It’s also Northwestern opera, but more obscure."

Garen shook his head. "Let me write a segment, then find a Qinqiang teacher to sing it."

"What?" Li Qing was taken aback. "You’ll write it yourself?"

Without replying, Garen grabbed paper and pen from the desk and wrote out the lyrics.

Li Qing read them, stunned, then frowned deeply and looked at Garen with suspicion. "His uncle, his second uncle, all are his uncles? High tables, low benches, all are wood? What kind of nonsensical lyrics are these? Is this a tongue twister?"

"This is a segment of Qinqiang opera lyrics," Garen explained. "Add banhu and percussion in the prelude to emphasize the Qinqiang theme, followed by a long, wailing Qinqiang passage. Strike the gong and start singing—the effect will be perfect!"

Though not from Shaanxi, Garen lived by the Yellow River, with Qin territory on the opposite bank. As a child, he often heard Qinqiang at temple fairs.

But being young, he hadn’t encountered many tunes, and wasn’t sure if anyone in this world’s Qinqiang had ever sung about “his uncle.”

Li Qing still didn’t believe it and pushed the paper back. "Sing it for me?"

"You really want me to sing?" Garen grinned.

"Sing!" Li Qing said earnestly.

"Then..." Garen looked around, "let’s go to the studio. I’ll sing it for you and record it."

Li Qing agreed at once, and they headed into the recording studio.

Turning on the equipment just for a single line—any industry veteran would laugh at their extravagance. But once the song was finished, listeners would likely be stunned.

"Ahem!"

Garen cleared his throat, saw Li Qing’s OK gesture outside, and as the red indicator light came on, he belted out, "His uncle!!!"

"Bloody—**!"

Li Qing was so startled by Garen’s roar that he cursed aloud, tore off his headphones, and nearly fell backward out of his chair.

Even from a distance, the howl through the headphones was enough to shake the soul.