How can you ascend to heaven when you are a star?

Chapter 430 The Number One Talent in the Music Industry?

Time flies like an arrow, and in the blink of an eye, there is only one day left until the Golden Melody Awards ceremony.

On December 15th, Zhang Wen, Wang Qi, and the five members of the Future Girls group took a morning flight to Guangcheng.

Since the album had already been recorded, everyone was in a relaxed and happy mood during this trip to Guangzhou. It felt more like a vacation and relaxation than an awards ceremony.

Especially the five members of the group, as newcomers who have only been in the industry for less than half a year, did not have high hopes for winning an award. They were already very happy to be on the shortlist, so why would they want a trophy?
After a two-and-a-half-hour flight, the plane landed at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.

It was midday, and the sun was shining brightly.

Zhang Wen stepped out of the cabin. Unlike the dry and cold air in Beijing, the air here was humid and warm, with a faint floral fragrance that made him feel refreshed.

"The sky here is so blue!" Zhao Tong exclaimed in surprise.

Both are winters, but Beijing is always shrouded in fog, like a pane of glass covered in mist, with very few instances of blue skies and white clouds.

"Most importantly, it's not cold. You don't have to worry about shivering when you wear a formal dress," Chen Silu said with a smile.

"I was planning to buy a few hand warmers, it seems I'll need them," Su Jin said.

The group chatted and laughed as they walked out of the airport's VIP passage, attracting frequent glances from some passengers.

Beautiful women are a sight to behold wherever they go, let alone when several of them appear together; they're practically a walking '6A-level scenic area'.

No, it could also be 6C or 6D.

The staff sent by the organizers were already waiting at the exit with a sign. When they saw Zhang Wen and his group come out, they immediately went to greet them.

"Teacher Zhang, Teacher Wang, and all members of Future Girls, welcome to Guangcheng. The car is ready, and we will take you directly to the hotel to rest."

"Thank you for your help." Zhang Wen said with a smile, then followed the people who picked him up from the airport and boarded the bus to the hotel.

It was everyone's first time visiting Guangcheng, so they were very curious about the city outside the car window, chattering away as they looked at the scenery.

We chatted about the banyan trees by the roadside, the tall buildings in the distance, and the local delicacies. The organizers' airport pick-up staff also gave enthusiastic introductions, so the journey was far from boring.

About half an hour later, the bus stopped in front of a five-star hotel.

The hotel has a grand and imposing exterior, and the fountain at the entrance is spraying water, with sunlight shining on the water droplets and refracting them into a rainbow of colors.

The staff who were picking up the guests led them into the hotel lobby, where they handed them over to the organizers. They then left the hotel to head to the airport to meet the next guest.

"Teacher Zhang, Teacher Wang, and everyone from Future Girls, good afternoon. My name is Yu Fangrong, and I'm a staff member from the event organizer in charge of hotel reception. This is my business card. Please feel free to contact me if you need anything in the future. Now, I'll take you to your rooms," Yu Fangrong said warmly, and then led the way.

Upon arriving at their respective floors, Zhang Wen and Wang Qi each had their own room, while Zhao Tong and Zhang Jiajia shared a room, and Cheng Sisi, Chen Silu, and Su Jin shared a room.

It's not that we're discriminating against the five new members of the future girl group, but this arrangement is safer and makes it easier to communicate. If there were a room for five people, the organizers would have arranged for Zhao Tong and the others to share a room.

Zhang Wen walked into his room, which was spacious and bright, with a simple and elegant style. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, he could see the city scenery outside, offering a very open view.

He had just sent messages to Gao Yue and Bai Lu to let them know he was safe, and before he could even put his phone back in his pocket, the doorbell rang outside the room.

"Ding dong!"

Zhang Wen opened the door and saw Zhao Tong and the others standing outside, their faces filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"Teacher Zhang, let's go out and play!" Zhang Jiajia waved her phone, the screen displaying a guide to Guangcheng's tourist attractions.

"Teacher Zhang, let's go eat, it's on us." Cheng Sisi said generously. Teacher Zhang had written songs for them and helped them get endorsements, so today was the perfect time to repay him.

Zhang Wen thought about it and figured that since he was in Guangcheng to attend an awards ceremony, the main purpose was to relax and have fun, so there was no need to be so serious.

“Okay, but there’s no need for you to treat me, I’ll treat you,” Zhang Wen said with a smile.

"No, no!" Zhao Tong immediately waved his hand and said seriously, "We said we would treat you. You two have worked hard these past few days, Teacher Zhang and Teacher Wang. We have already discussed it and we must thank you properly this time."

Zhang Wen felt it wasn't necessary, but he did think he should thank Wang Qi, so he said, "Okay, then I'll give you a chance to thank us."

"Yay, let's go!" Su Jin said happily.

She spent two months in the recording studio preparing for her new album, and felt extremely uncomfortable. It was time for her to relax.

The group chatted and laughed as they took the elevator downstairs. Yu Fangrong, who was standing in the lobby, immediately went up to them and politely asked, "Everyone, are you going out? Do you need a car?"

"Thank you, but we'd like to browse around on our own. No need for all that trouble," Zhang Wen declined.

"Okay, if you need anything, you can call me." After saying that, Yu Fangrong caught a glimpse of a person coming in to pick up an artist, so she quickly went to greet them.

Zhang Wen glanced at the singer and realized he didn't recognize him, so he walked straight out of the hotel.

The sunshine felt warm and comfortable on my skin.

"This way!" Zhang Jiajia led the way while referring to the navigation, her steps light as if she were on springs. "After crossing this street, you'll see the arcade buildings. The guide says there are lots of good food there, including a century-old rice noodle roll shop. I definitely want to try it and see how it differs from the rice noodle rolls in the company cafeteria."

Zhang Wen didn't do any research, so he left it to the students to arrange.

Along the way, Zhao Tong and the others kept taking pictures, taking pictures of flowers and trees, as if they wanted to capture the entire city of Guangcheng in their phones.

Even though it was only a few hundred meters away from the arcade, it took me seven or eight minutes to get there.

"listen!"

Wang Qi suddenly stopped and nudged Zhang Wen's arm.

Zhang Wen was slightly taken aback. Although he didn't know what the other party wanted him to hear, he still listened attentively.

Huh?
Zhang Wen turned his gaze to a shop not far away, where music was playing—the melody of "The Best of Us".

Zhao Tong and the others also stopped taking pictures, their faces gradually changing from surprise to shyness.

"Let's go eat some rice noodle rolls," Zhang Wen said.

"Wait a minute!" Su Jin said, then quickly walked into the shop.

In just a minute or two, Su Jin came out of the shop, holding a refrigerator magnet with the image of the arcade buildings of Guangcheng in her hand.

"Why did you buy this?" Chen Silu asked, puzzled. There were so many souvenirs available, why did she choose a fridge magnet?

"They're playing our songs in the store. Since the owner likes them so much, of course I have to patronize her business," Su Jin said confidently.

Upon hearing this, Chen Silu and the others felt that what he said made a lot of sense, so they all headed towards that shop.

When they came out, everyone was holding a refrigerator magnet.

The time-honored rice noodle roll shop that Zhang Jiajia mentioned was hidden deep inside the arcade buildings. It was probably past lunchtime, and there weren't many customers inside.

As soon as Zhang Wengang appeared outside the store, he heard a voice coming from inside.

"Teacher Zhang!"

Zhang Wen looked in the direction of the sound and saw four women in the corner of the rice noodle roll shop. They turned out to be acquaintances.

The person who called him was singer Li Yuqi. Sitting opposite Li Yuqi was pop star Cai Yaxuan. The other two women were Li Yuqi and Cai Yaxuan's assistants, whom I had seen before at the recording of the show "Super Trainee".

"What a coincidence, you're here for rice noodle rolls too?" Zhang Wen walked over, glanced at the plates of rice noodle rolls on the table, and asked curiously, "What kind of filling is the best?"

"Fresh shrimp," Li Yuqi said softly, afraid the shop owner would hear her.

Zhang Wen made an 'OK' gesture, then pointed to the pattern on the wall sign and said, "Boss, one of each of these six."

"Teacher Zhang, there are seven of us," Chen Silu reminded her, implying: seven people, six servings, isn't that one serving too few?
"I'll order what I want to eat, and you can order whatever you want," Zhang Wen said.

"..." Everyone was speechless. They thought Teacher Zhang had ordered for them, but it turned out that Teacher Zhang wanted to eat six servings by herself.

However, rice noodle rolls are so thin that a normal man would need four or five servings to feel full.

Li Yuqi was also speechless.

Since we already ordered one, what was the point of asking her which filling was the best?

Zhang Wen sat down at the next table, and Wang Qi and the others came over after they finished ordering.

Zhao Tong, Zhang Jiajia, Cheng Sisi, Chen Silu, and Su Jin were slightly reserved after seeing Li Yuqi and Cai Yaxuan.

As newcomers, they should have greeted their seniors, but when they thought about how these two were mentors on "Super Trainee," they instantly lost the desire to greet them.

They haven't forgotten the unfair treatment they suffered in "Super Trainee". Although they were fortunate to be eliminated and debuted as a group called "Future Girls", who understands their anger and resentment at the time?

Wang Qi knew Li Yuqi and Cai Yaxuan, and Li Yuqi and Cai Yaxuan also knew Wang Qi. However, they were not in the same company, so when their eyes met, they simply nodded slightly as a greeting.

"Why didn't you five greet your two mentors?" Zhang Wen asked Zhao Tong and the others.

Zhao Tong and the others immediately showed embarrassed expressions, and after a while they whispered, "Hello, mentor."

"Hello, mentor."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuqi immediately gave a wry smile, "Teacher Zhang, please don't flatter us. We wouldn't dare accept the title of mentor."

“Yes, Teacher Zhang, compared to you, we’re all a joke.” Cai Yaxuan sighed. “Our students are still fighting over the nine debut spots, while your students are releasing singles and appearing on variety shows. I suppose they’re here in Guangcheng to attend the Golden Melody Awards ceremony?”

"Yes, we were nominated for Best New Group and Best Song," Zhang Wen said.

Li Yuqi and Cai Yaxuan were slightly taken aback, then looked at each other and simultaneously revealed a smile that was even uglier than a grimace.

Two nominations in just a few months since her debut—it's infuriating to see people like that.

Moreover, the greater the success of the girl group in the future, the bigger the joke will become about the show "Super Trainee".

Although these five people have left the show, their names have never been separated from it, because every time a new episode of "Super Trainee" is released, there will be news about Future Girls.

For example, she appeared on variety shows on Beijing TV and Hunan TV, served as a guest performer at Jiang Li's concert, her dances inspired nationwide imitation, and her first mini-album will be released after New Year's Day... In short, she always gets overshadowed.

They didn't even dare to watch the show, because every episode had many netizens cursing the production team and the mentors in the comments, saying their reputations were ruined by the show.

If it weren't for the signed contract, I would have quit long ago.

"Are you here to attend the Golden Melody Awards ceremony too?" Zhang Wen asked.

"Mm." Li Yuqi nodded.

"What awards were you all nominated for?" Zhang Wen asked curiously.

"I was nominated for Album of the Year, and Ya-xuan was nominated for both Album of the Year and Female Singer of the Year. But the competition this year is too fierce, I have no hope, I'm just a runner-up," Li Yuqi said with self-awareness.

“Me too, just filling in the numbers,” Cai Yaxuan said.

“Yes, you don’t have much hope this year,” Zhang Wen said. “Next year, if you sing the song I wrote for you, you’ll have a chance to compete, at least you can win the Best Song Award.”

"..."

Cai Yaxuan was speechless, thinking: I was just being modest, why did you take it so seriously? How can you be so sure I have no chance?
She thought about it, but didn't say it out loud. After all, it wasn't appropriate to criticize someone who had bought their song. If the copyright were revoked, she would have nowhere to turn.

Li Yuqi wholeheartedly agreed, because the songs written by Teacher Zhang were indeed the biggest hits of the year, and it would be a shame if they didn't win the Best Song Award.

Moreover, she has already started preparing a new album, with "Holding Hands," the song that Teacher Zhang wrote for her, as the title track. It will be released in September or October next year, and she hopes to achieve something at the next Golden Melody Awards.

She has won many popularity awards over the years, but she has never won a real music award. She urgently needs one to prove herself, otherwise she will never be a queen of pop, not even a little queen like Tsai Ya-hsuan.

At this moment, the rice noodle rolls were ready, and Zhang Wen picked up his chopsticks and started eating.

Smooth and delicate, tender and delicious, the taste is really good, no wonder it is a century-old brand.

"By the way, Teacher Zhang, you've written several songs. I wonder if any of them have been nominated?" Li Yuqi asked.

"I mentioned it," Zhang Wen said between bites, his voice slightly muffled.

"Which one?" Li Yuqi pressed, her face full of concern.

Cai Yaxuan, who was standing to the side, also stopped eating and stared straight at the scene.

"Best lyrics, best composition, best arrangement, three songs nominated for Best Song, that's all," Zhang Wen said slowly, his tone as calm as if he were simply commenting on the weather.

He didn't even lift his eyelids when he said this, keeping his eyes fixed on the rice noodle roll in front of him.

"what?"

Li Yuqi was startled, her hand holding the teacup trembled, and the tea almost spilled. Cai Yaxuan's chopsticks fell to the table with a "clatter," her eyes filled with shock.

So many nominations?
It's practically a monster for a non-singer to receive so many nominations at the Golden Melody Awards.

"So many nominations?" Li Yuqi said, taking a sip of tea to hide her surprise.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wen finally looked up at the other person and said matter-of-factly, "I can write lyrics and compose music, and I occasionally help Wang Qi with song arrangement. Isn't getting these three nominations just basic stuff?"

As he spoke, he pointed to the woman sitting opposite him, "Look, this is Teacher Wang Qi, a famous and renowned music producer. She has also been nominated for Best Arranger and Best Producer. Isn't it normal for our collaborative song to be nominated?"

Wang Qi was eating rice noodle rolls when she heard this and almost spat it out. She thought to herself: Is this person doing this on purpose? Who would call being nominated a basic procedure?
So crazy!
Even she had never acted so pretentious before.

Li Yuqi's eyes sparkled, filled with little stars, as if she felt her next album would be a huge success, earning her three nominations: 'Best Album', 'Best Female Singer', and 'Best Song'.

Cai Yaxuan picked up the chopsticks that had fallen on the table and said with a smile, "Teacher Zhang, I think the title of the number one talent in the music industry is rightfully yours."

"It's just a hobby," Zhang Wen said casually. "Actually, I think the lyrics of the song 'Human World' can be revised. I made a bet with someone that I could write a song in seven steps, so I was a bit rushed when I wrote it. It's a bit of a surprise that I got nominated this time."

"..."

Li Yuqi almost spat out the tea she had just drunk.

Tang Yi's song "Human World" was the most played song in the first half of the year. Its highly poetic lyrics have been praised by countless music critics. One critic even said that it could be revised again? And that it was written in seven steps?

If we let them take a few more steps, wouldn't they just book the best of the decade?
“Teacher Zhang, your hobbies are truly extraordinary,” Cai Yaxuan said stiffly.

Last year, in her bid for the Golden Melody Awards, she spent a lot of money to hire two top music producers to support her and also commissioned several famous songwriters to write songs for her. However, this year she only received two nominations, and neither of them were considered frontrunners.

Hearing Zhang Wen casually mention "seven steps to songwriting" made my heart ache, and my wallet ached even more; the money I spent on hiring him was wasted.

Fortunately, I bought a song from them before, so I can try my best next year and aim for the Golden Melody Award again.

"It's nothing special," Zhang Wen said dismissively. "Isn't there a saying? 'A good article is born of nature, and a skillful hand can come up with it by chance.' For me, it's 'A good song is born of nature, and a skillful hand can come up with it by chance.' Sometimes, when inspiration strikes, you can't stop it."

As he said this, he pointed to Zhao Tong and others standing to the side, "For example, the song 'The Best of Us' that I wrote for the future girl group was written on the spur of the moment while watching 'Super Trainee' and cursing the director."

"..."

Tsai Ya-hsuan was speechless.

He could write songs while cursing, and still manage to create a song that topped the music charts for seven consecutive weeks?
At this moment, all she wants to say is: Why don't you scold me too, and then write me a song.

Li Yuqi, standing to the side, blinked her big, watery eyes, as if to say: Same here, please scold me.

……

(End of this chapter)