Chinese Entertainment King: Starting as a Fat Boy and Becoming a Singing King

"Hey, Sister Lin, what did the company say?"

"The company's message is that if you take leave, you won't be able to get any good commercial performances, and the other trainees will also have to take a break. If you're not feeling well, we can send a car to take you to the hospital to get some medicine and nutritional injections, and the company will pay for it."

"I know, that's fine."

Xu Yao hung up the phone.

The company's management style is exactly the same old formula and flavor; faking illness won't work.

They really don't care about the students' health; they only care about making money.

Going to the hospital is definitely out of the question.

With the boost from the system's idol value, his body is now as strong as an ox.

If they really dressed up, did their makeup and hair, and coordinated their clothes, they would absolutely outshine today's young idols.

A golden carp is no ordinary fish; it transforms into a dragon when it encounters wind and clouds. But the time is not yet ripe, so it must lie low for now and conceal its handsome brilliance.

The tour had to continue, so they staged a fainting scene for Zhou Shen to record and keep on file for use on the day they went to court to terminate the contract.

Now we have to wait until the single's music video is released before we can start showing off all the tricks we've prepared for terminating the contract.

After a day of performances, Xu Yao lay in bed, continuing to think about the Spring Festival Gala.

This is the most urgent matter; with the Spring Festival Gala just around the corner, the program needs to be finalized.

Na-young.

Xu Yao stared at that name for a long time.

How did this story begin?

He dialed that number.

The phone rang twice and was answered.

"Feed?"

Na-young's voice came through the receiver, tinged with surprise.

"Hello, Teacher Na-young. I'm Xu Yao."

"Xu Yao," Na-young's tone relaxed, carrying the casualness typical of a big sister, "Why did you call me?"

"Teacher Nayoung, have you listened to the demo of the single I sent? I would like to ask you for some pointers."

"A demo track?" Nayoung paused for a moment. "When did you send it? I didn't receive it."

"I asked Sister Lin to forward this to you; it's a single that the company helped me release."

"Oh, I remember now, Kobayashi mentioned this to me, but I was too busy and forgot to check."

After saying that, Na-young felt something was off and continued, "But Xu Yao, your mentor is Yang Kun. Why didn't you ask Yang Kun for guidance on this matter? Why did you come to me?"

That's a very direct question.

Na-young never beats around the bush; she says whatever comes to mind.

"Teacher Nayoung, this single is my own original composition. Actually, I loved writing songs back in college, and I wrote a lot. If you have some free time, could I send you demos of a few of them?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

Who is Nayoung? She's been in the industry for thirty years. What hasn't she heard? What unspoken meaning can't she understand?

One contestant won the championship, and the company released a single for him. Instead of diligently going on tour, he suddenly called and said, "I've written a lot of songs."

This isn't asking for advice; it's extending an olive branch.

She simply followed along, her voice carrying a subtle, probing tone.

"Are you going to write a song for me?"

Finally getting to the point, Xu Yao remained calm: "I'm afraid I don't have that ability. When I was in college, I read a novel called 'Silent Separation'."

"Why the Silent Separation?" Nayoung repeated the name, her tone tinged with curiosity.

"It's written by Gu Man, about two people who are separated for seven years and then reunite." Xu Yao paused for a moment. "After reading it, I wrote a song called 'Silence.' Teacher Na Ying, do you have time? I'll hum a couple of lines for you now, and you can give me some pointers."

Nayoung was certain that Xu Yao was offering a song, and since she didn't have anything else to do, she neither refused nor agreed, remaining silent.

Xu Yao held his phone for a moment, estimated what was going on, and then, without any accompaniment or microphone, he softly hummed the first line into the phone.

"I can't help but transform into a stubborn fish..."

My own low-pitched humming spread out in the quiet room, like a drop of ink spreading on rice paper.

"Swimming alone against the ocean current..."

The sound lingered slightly on the word "bottom" for a half-beat before subsiding.

Nayoung unconsciously tightened her grip on her phone.

She is a singer who has been performing on stage for more than 30 years, from a gala singer in the 1980s to a record queen in the 1990s, from "Shanggou Gou" to "Conquer", from "Daytime Doesn't Understand Night's Darkness" to "Heartbreaking Romance".

What kind of melody haven't you heard before?

What kind of lyrics haven't I seen?

But the two sentences coming from the phone calmed her down.

It was a very strange feeling.

The melody of this song falls precisely in her most comfortable vocal range, with a base in the middle register and a rise in the chorus, but without going too high.

Her voice naturally has a gravelly quality, husky and rugged, and it carries a sense of story when she sings sad love songs.

The melody of this song is so distinctive, it's as if someone wrote it using her vocal chart.

It's not the kind of high note that you have to force yourself to reach, but rather one that allows her to support her voice with her breath in the most relaxed state, sending each word out one by one.

It felt like a song tailor-made for her by a group of top-tier music producers in China.

"I've been sentenced to a lifetime of loneliness by love..."

Xu Yao continued humming, his voice rising from low to high before falling back down.

"I won't fight back, I won't let go..."

"A circle that can never be fully drawn with a pen, a destiny that can never be fully filled in the heart..."

Na-young closed her eyes.

There's something very rare in this young man's voice: rhythm and emotional restraint.

It's not that it won't erupt, it's that it chooses not to.

He could have pushed it up, but he stopped.

In that moment of "letting go," he let the voice fall, rather than explode.

This approach aligns perfectly with Nayoung's singing philosophy.

Nayoung's greatest talent in singing has never been hitting high notes, but rather telling stories with her voice.

The ability to sing a poignant love song with deep emotion doesn't rely on piling up techniques, but on mastering the nuances of emotion.

The imagery in the lyrics—"fish," "ocean current," "round," and "fate"—each carries a sense of powerlessness, as if being pushed along by fate.

Seven years apart, each swimming in their own world, wanting to turn back, but the direction of the current is beyond their control.

I want to draw a perfect ending, but the circle I draw is always missing a stroke.

This, combined with the story of He Yichen waiting for Zhao Mosheng for seven years in "My Sunshine," and the phrase "never settle," creates a powerful feeling that makes one's heart ache.

Nayoung has seen too many singers.

Some are technically perfect but lack emotion, while others are emotionally rich but lack self-control.

But this young man found an extremely delicate balance between technology, emotion, and control.

She's listened to songs for so many years, and she already has a good sense of whether a song will become a hit.

The melody should be memorable, but not cheesy.

Lyrics should leave room for interpretation, but they should not be empty.

The emotions should be strong, but not cloying.

And these few sentences cover it all.

Xu Yao stopped humming on the other end of the phone.

Na-young opened her eyes.

"Little Yao."

Na-young's voice changed instantly.

Even the way they address each other has changed.

It was no longer the casual, bossy tone of the previous song, but rather an affirmation from one singer to another new generation singer.

When are you free? Let's meet and talk.

Holding his phone, Xu Yao couldn't help but smile, secretly pleased.

"Teacher Nayoung, I'll listen to your schedule."

"Okay. I'll have my assistant check with you." Na-young paused for a moment, then continued, "Xiao-yao."

"Um."

"This song," Nayoung's voice turned serious, "you shouldn't send it to anyone else. You haven't let anyone else hear it yet, have you?"

"No, Nayoung teacher. After I released this song, I felt that only you in the entire Chinese entertainment industry could bring out its most perfect rhythm, so I asked you for your guidance as soon as possible."

"Xiao Yao, you've not only become more handsome, but you've also become much sweeter. I told you in front of the whole country that you'd be extraordinary in the future."

"Thank you for the compliment, Teacher Nayoung."

"Don't call me teacher anymore. You know I especially like talented young people, and I love to help them out. From today onwards, call me Sister Na."

"Okay, Sister Na, I'll do whatever you say."

The phone hangs up.

Xu Yao couldn't help but exclaim "Yes!"

Can a song earn you a chance to perform on the Spring Festival Gala?

Or do we need to throw out more chips?

We'll have to wait until we meet them to find out what Na-young's preferences and the likelihood of a relationship.