Entertainment Era: Starting with Teaching Sister Meng to Sing

"My name is Meng Ziyi, I am a senior high school student, and my biggest dream is to get into Beijing Film Academy."

"I was too young when my parents passed away. Apart from getting perfect scores in two subjects, I didn't have any achievements that would put their minds at ease."

"Last year, they told me in a dream that they could see that I could take care of myself in life, so I wanted to achieve something in my career to show them. This song is also written for my mother."

"I only have one original song. If I don't get four turns in the blind auditions, I will withdraw from the competition."

......

In a standard hotel room by the roadside, neither high-end nor run-down, Wang Xiaozhou taught Meng Ziyi how to introduce herself, sentence by sentence.

A sunflower striving to grow in the darkness—this is the new persona Wang Xiaozhou created for her.

There's no need for acting; just show Meng Ziyi's original life. But the wording needs to be carefully chosen. Don't forget Meng Ziyi's tendency to attract negative attention in her previous life. Let her do whatever she wants. If she becomes universally hated in the early stages of her debut, everything will be over.

Meng Ziyi followed Wang Xiaozhou's teaching with a half-understanding, repeating each sentence as he spoke, and soon he was almost sleepy from memorizing it.

"That's about enough. Go to sleep now. Don't make any mistakes tomorrow. The next two months of hard work are all up to you!"

Wang Xiaozhou gave Meng Ziyi a final word of advice, then watched as Meng Ziyi began to tense up.

"Time flies so fast, tomorrow is the official recording? I don't think my singing skills are at their best yet."

Wang Xiaozhou had a discouraging thought he didn't know whether to say: With your singing skills, is there any need to improve them?

"Don't be nervous, just perform normally. It's pre-recorded anyway, so there's always a chance to do it again if you don't do well. Besides, it will be edited after the recording is finished. If you don't sing well on live, it will be cut out, and you won't even have the chance to embarrass yourself on TV."

Meng Ziyi went to the bathroom to change into her pajamas, her mind preoccupied. Wang Xiaozhou, on the other hand, was less particular and simply went shirtless, turned off the lights, and got into bed.

After a while, hearing someone on the other bed tossing and turning, unable to sleep, Wang Xiaozhou spoke softly.

"Hey, have you heard that some coaches abroad require professional athletes to abstain from sex before competitions, while others don't, and even allow athletes to stay in hotels with their wives?"

"á?"

Meng Ziyi has a cute voice.

Wang Xiaozhou continued: "Later, those coaches were interviewed and said that they believed that doing that before a big competition could make athletes less nervous, improve their mental state, and thus perform better."

"á?"

"Tomorrow is your big game."

With a thud, Meng Ziyi suddenly rolled over, pulled the blanket over her head, and felt an intense heat even when she breathed on her own chest. She didn't even know how red her face had become.

Then my brain started to lack oxygen, so I quietly lifted the blanket a crack, trying to suffocate myself to sleep while still making sure I didn't pass out.

The shame-based sleep method is very effective...

The next day, the two got up, tidied up a bit, and set off for Songjiang TV Station, the recording site for this episode of The Voice of China.

Wang Xiaozhou entered the competition without a competition certificate and by impersonating Meng Ziyi's agent.

Everyone was queuing up and waiting, and the atmosphere was actually quite tense. No one was talking to anyone else, and Wang Xiaozhou didn't see many familiar faces among them.

It must be the butterfly effect again; the recording time for the second season was brought forward, and the contestants were also changed.

As the audience entered the venue one after another, the host, with everyone's cooperation, recorded the GG lyrics twice at a very fast pace. After this segment ended, a huge cheer erupted from the audience, and the four mentors began to enter the venue.

Yehenara Ying remains as charming as ever, Amei is full of enthusiasm, Wang Feng is elegant and refined, and Harry is carefree and irreverent.

The mentors sang their signature songs, and after a display of their skills, the contestants visibly became even more nervous. Anyone who can sing knows how terrifying these people's singing skills are. It takes a lot of courage for ordinary people to show themselves in front of them.

The interview segment and the blind auditions were conducted together. While some of the higher-ranked contestants went on stage to perform, others of lower-ranked contestants went to the dressing room to record vlogs.

When it was Meng Ziyi's turn, the girl was still immersed in the shock brought by the four mentors and followed the staff in a daze.

Wang Xiaozhou was worried, so he sneaked out to the door to eavesdrop.

As expected, something unexpected happened. No matter what the host asked, Meng Ziyi's eyes were unfocused and she didn't know how to answer.

Fortunately, before the host lost patience, Meng Ziyi remembered a line from a script.

"I only have one original song. If I don't get four turns in the blind auditions, I will withdraw from the competition."

So in this interview vlog, Meng Ziyi only said one sentence from beginning to end.

She completely overturned the persona that Wang Xiaozhou had created for her, and made a powerful debut as a domineering female lead!

"Did I perform poorly?"

As soon as Meng Ziyi stepped out of the lounge and saw Wang Xiaozhou, she asked him this question with a hint of grievance.

Wang Xiaozhou smiled back at her: "It's nothing, you just stumbled upon this by accident. It left a deeper impression on people than the script I arranged for you."

Back on the bench, Wang Xiaozhou was also feeling a bit uneasy because of Meng Ziyi.

While eavesdropping on Meng Ziyi's interview, he was also keeping an eye on the scene. So far, more than a dozen contestants have appeared in the blind auditions, but only one has received Harry's turn, and two of the others were even kicked off by the mentors before they finished singing.

These pillars of the music industry are indeed of very high standard. Wasn't it an exaggeration to say that they would withdraw from the competition before reaching four turns?

Another contestant with zero turns left the stage dejectedly. It was clear that the four mentors were also somewhat tired. Yingzi closed her eyes, rubbed her temples, and complained softly to Wang Feng beside her.

"How did the director choose the actors this time? The quality is too average, and none of them have any distinctive features."

Wang Feng smiled gently: "It's only a few o'clock now, we won't finish until 5 pm. Take your time choosing. If it's really not good enough, we can reshoot tomorrow and let the director edit it slowly."

"Attention, mentors! The next contestant will be performing an original song. If the song is of decent quality, one mentor may turn around. We can use this as a little gimmick for the first episode."

Director Jin's voice came through the earpiece, and the four big names in the mentor chairs exchanged glances, barely showing any interest.

Originality is always a great selling point in any program.

Some exceptionally talented contestants can make a name for themselves and quickly gain fame by presenting original works on the show.

Of course, there are also some comedic contestants who can make the mentors laugh out loud as soon as they open their mouths. Their role is to create a memorable moment for the show, such as the most popular one in the past – "Give me a high note that can destroy the world."

The mentors are now quite excited to see which of the two types the next original singer will fall into.

"Your turn, good luck!"

The person in charge of the backstage walked up to Meng Ziyi and spoke to her encouragingly.

Meng Ziyi glanced at Wang Xiaozhou, and seeing his gentle smile, she felt somewhat reassured. She then walked towards the door from the dressing room to the stage.

The camera began to follow her, and as she took the microphone from a staff member at the gate, Meng Ziyi's steps became firm.

Amid encouraging applause and screams from the audience, Meng Ziyi stood in the center of the stage, lowered his head to avoid looking at the sea of ​​people in the audience, and forced himself not to be nervous.

Wang Xiaozhou's gaze remained fixed on Meng Ziyi. Seeing that she was mentally prepared, he immediately activated the system to use the ability fruit on her.

On stage, Meng Ziyi felt a slight stirring in her heart and bowed slightly to the band members at the back of the stage.

As the prelude begins, strings and keyboards join in, creating a warm atmosphere.

Although she had heard it countless times before, Meng Ziyi still had a new feeling at this moment, and the past events looped in her mind like a movie.

From the first time I could remember, I heard a gentle voice calling my name.

Later, as I carried my schoolbag, I heard farewells coming from behind me.

And then there's the nagging in my ear when I don't want to get out of bed in the morning, and the pristine white edges of my shoes that I wear every day before going out...

Then there were the final words of advice at the bedside and the worried look in her eyes.

My mother must have been very reluctant to leave me. In the later stages of her illness, she couldn't eat anything, but she would force herself to eat each time, only to vomit it out. Afterward, she would continue to eat, just to stay with me for a few more days.

She must know that her daughter is a complete failure, unable to take care of herself at all.

Before she could even speak, she was already choked up. Meng Ziyi opened her eyes and looked directly at the audience for the first time, her gaze earnest as if she wanted to imprint the stage she was on into her mind.

The past events were eventually sealed away, and all the images in Meng Ziyi's heart were replaced by two dishes.

One dish is tomato and egg dish topped with chopped green onions and minced garlic.

There was also a braised carp that I just couldn't swallow.

"[Sunrise and sunset, deeper and deeper.]"

A small square table, with one meat dish and one vegetable dish.

A figure busily and calmly moves about, a pair of hands bringing warmth to this moment.

Yingzi, sitting in the mentor's chair, widened her eyes: "Wow, this is interesting! Impressive!"

Wang Feng glanced at her, said nothing, and put his index finger to his lips in a shushing gesture.

"She was too young, and she was never satisfied. She was stubborn and unwilling to stop her journey."

Looking up at the high sky, I walked a long road.

I forgot to look back and see if she was crying.

"Phew." Yingzi let out a heavy breath. She could tell that this was a song written for her mother, so simple and realistic that it was almost heartbreaking.

"The moon is bright, the wind is gentle."

But you are knocking on my window.

Don't worry if you hear that, I'm actually doing alright.

"Bang!"

The steam whirred as the mentor's chair was pressed, and Harry, as if stung by the lyrics, turned around with a grimace, then cried out "Ouch!" and addressed the other mentors:

"Wow, that's a beautiful feed."

Meng Ziyi was so engrossed in the song that she was undisturbed by the surprise of her mentor turning around.

"The moon is bright, the wind is gentle,"

Have you ever come into my dreams?

It must be because you were too careful when you came; you know I'm a light sleeper.

"Bang bang bang!"

Three turns sounded in a row. When the mentors turned around, their eyes were full of encouragement as they looked at Meng Ziyi. These mentors, who had achieved a certain level of success in the field, all knew to respect good works.

The arrangements made by Director Jin before the contestants went on stage seemed somewhat superfluous at this moment.

As the melodious nursery rhyme played on the clarinet began, Yingzi put her hands together on the left side of her face and enjoyed the melody in a sleeping position.

"She was too young, and she was never satisfied. She was stubborn and unwilling to stop her journey."

Looking up at the high sky, I walked a long road.

I forgot to look back and see if she was crying.

The four mentors took a deep breath, ready to enjoy the second chorus, when Meng Ziyi suddenly stopped singing, covered the microphone with her hand, and then a whistle rang out.

Several instructors inexplicably got goosebumps, and Harry even grimaced as he rubbed his arms.

"A stroke of genius!"

Wang Feng couldn't help but sigh.

The chorus melody of this Northeast folk song "Lullaby" is presented in a whistling style, which is so amazing it's almost unfair.

It's an extremely gentle melody, and when it's performed in a very relatable whistling style, it feels like going back to when you were a child, with your mother holding you in her arms and softly humming some unknown tune to lull you to sleep.

At this point, whether the melody is pleasant to listen to or not is no longer important; what matters is the warmth and familiarity, which is simply irresistible.

"The moon is bright, the wind is gentle,"

But you are knocking on my window.

Don't worry if you hear that, I'm actually doing alright.

The moon is bright, the breeze is gentle.

Have you ever come into my dreams?

It must be because you were too careful when you came.

I know I'm a light sleeper...

It must be because you were too careful when you came.

I'm afraid I'll think of you again.

As the final notes began, Meng Ziyi closed her eyes, but ultimately couldn't hold back a tear, bringing the entire song to a perfect close.

The blind audition contestants in the preparation area closed their eyes in despair, unable to figure out how to perform and steal the spotlight from this original song.

The audience erupted in applause, including the four mentors, who even stood up to applaud Meng Ziyi.

Upon opening his eyes, Meng Ziyi was overwhelmed with gratitude and repeatedly bowed to his mentors in thanks.

The mentors all smiled and let the audience vent their emotions with applause. After the audience calmed down a bit, Wang Feng was about to start the conversation when he heard A-mei speak up impatiently.

"Fantastic, beautiful girl, stunning! You've absolutely amazed me!"

Beautiful girl, I want you!

Don't listen to what other teachers say, I want you, I only want you!

Harry smiled helplessly, "Alright, the pretty girl knows you want her. Can you let her introduce herself first?"

A-mei raised her small hand: "No need, little beauty, I want you, remember that, I want you!"

Harry: "Alright then, let's all stay silent. Ms. Ami, you can do it."

A-mei: "Then you should introduce yourself first."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Everyone in the audience was amused by A-mei's performance. Meng Ziyi also put her hands together in gratitude to A-mei, and then said:

"Hello everyone, I am Meng Ziyi from Songjiang Province. I am a senior high school student. The song I just sang is called 'One Meat and One Vegetable.' Thank you all for liking it."

Wang Feng finally had a chance to speak and comment on Meng Ziyi's performance from a professional perspective.

"Just like what Teacher A-mei just said, you really amazed us."

Both the lyrics and the melody of this song give the feeling of extremely restrained emotions. The extreme longing hidden in the plain expression is really very, very heartbreaking.

And your unique singing style, the chest-based, low-pitched singing style, is something I rarely see in female singers. But this chest resonance makes every word of your song feel very heavy and profound, perfectly matching your lyrics and music.

This was a very high-level performance, a perfect stage.

But I'm very curious, what kind of experience could have led you to create such a song?

Meng Ziyi held the microphone to her lips and began to speak, quite embarrassed:

"Teacher, you've misunderstood. I'm just the singer of this song. The lyricist and composer is one of my classmates, but he's not comfortable revealing his identity."

As for my personal experience, like many unfortunate children, I lost my parents at a young age.

But I was even luckier than them, as I enjoyed my parents' meticulous care for more than ten years.

I won't go into detail about that; I'm not someone who needs pity, because I've had the best parents in the world.

Wang Xiaozhou, who had been watching from backstage, was immediately impressed. Meng Ziyi was truly a clumsy genius. This kind of segment was the perfect opportunity for storytelling and character development.

But she refused to say more and didn't want anyone's pity.

However, this approach perfectly echoes the previous interview vlogs, directly establishing the persona of a domineering female protagonist!

The saying that a clever person's brilliant idea is no match for a fool's quick thinking is actually true in the case of Meng Ziyi.

Wang Feng, sitting in the mentor's chair, nodded slightly:

"I'm really curious about your classmate. I'm also a songwriter. If you join my team, I might be able to talk to your classmate and create another original song that's perfect for you."

"Hey! What kind of talk is that!"

Yingzi, who hadn't spoken until now, saw Wang Feng change the subject and waved her hand, saying, "What do you mean by 'your team can create original content'? You're a rock writer, are you on the same page as Xiao Meng?"

Xiao Meng, come here to me. Putting everything else aside, you've seen the first season of The Voice of China, right? Come here, and you'll be the next Liang Bo!

Next came the much-anticipated battle of vying for Meng Ziyi's affections. Yingzi and Amei nearly came to blows, while Wang Feng and Harry, upholding their gentlemanly conduct, refrained from going shirtless, but they were equally fierce in their verbal sparring, determined to win Meng Ziyi over.

Just when things seemed deadlocked, it was the veteran singer, a pillar of the music scene, who broke the silence and asked Meng Ziyi with great anticipation:

"We've come this far, but before you make your final choice, I still have to ask you: what is your dream?"

By some strange twist of fate, Meng Ziyi happened to remember the lines Wang Xiaozhou had taught him at that moment, and without even thinking, he loudly and proudly proclaimed his dream.

"My name is Meng Ziyi, I'm a senior high school student, and my biggest dream is to get into the Beijing Film Academy!"