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

Xu Yao left Liu Yifei's house at seven in the morning.

In Shunyi, the sun rises late in winter; before it has fully risen, only white light shines through the clouds on the east side of the villa.

Xu Yao walked to the end of the driveway and glanced back at the floor-to-ceiling window.

The curtains were half drawn, and through the other half of the glass, you could see that the living room was still lit with warm yellow lights.

A figure stood by the window, staring motionlessly in his direction.

Xu Yao waved and left.

He hadn't planned to stay that night.

Unexpectedly, the two argued all night long.

The two of them had a heated discussion about Xu Yao's messy A4 sheets of paper.

He thought he could finish speaking in just half an hour, covering Tangren Media, Huayi Brothers, co-productions, international strategies, strategic mistakes...

But Liu Yifei was much more serious than he had imagined.

"You say my falling out with Tangren Media caused the TV programming to be cut off, but how old was I back then? I couldn't even understand my own management contract, how could you expect me to negotiate with Tangren Media?"

"You said I shouldn't have refused to sign with Huayi, but it's a full management contract plus original company shares, the terms are very high, they're pushing me to be Huayi's top star. A full management contract means that scripts, endorsements, commercial performances, profit sharing, public relations, and publicity are all handled by Huayi. They call the shots. Could I sign it? Could my godfather sign it?"

"You say co-productions are a fallback option, but if I don't do co-productions, what will I do? Good scripts from within China won't reach me. You think I don't want to act in good scripts? No, there aren't any."

The two people each have their own version of events.

Sometimes, the two of them would get red in the face, argue angrily, and then reach a stalemate. Xu Yao was almost worried that Liu Yifei would kick him out.

Sometimes, when the two of them hit a point of perfect understanding, they couldn't help but high-five in celebration. The white cat dozing on the sofa armrest was startled awake, meowed at them, and the two of them burst into laughter at the same time.

One hour, two hours, three hours... and then they stopped arguing.

That night, the two laid out all the problems on the table, breaking them down and analyzing them one by one.

No one knows what happened in this room.

But both of them knew that this night would not be forgotten.

That night, the two made a promise that only the two of them knew.

As dawn approached, Xu Yao stood up and began to tidy up the papers scattered on the coffee table, but Liu Yifei stopped him.

"Leave these to me."

"Sister Sisi, I'm leaving now."

Liu Yifei stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, watching that tall figure push open the wrought iron gate and walk into the hazy morning light.

When exactly did it begin?

Has the little boy who used to chase after them grown up?

He has grown into a towering tree, now able to shelter his two older sisters from the wind and rain.

From the Voice of China champion's words, "Sister, don't break your promise," to today's all-night debate.

Xu Yao, this younger brother, is younger than me and is just a singer who just debuted through a talent show. Yet he is not afraid of me at all, and even points at me to teach me a lesson.

Recalling the scene of the argument last night, Liu Yifei felt it was somewhat unbelievable, as if it were a dream.

Xu Yao's figure had completely disappeared.

Liu Yifei wanted to stand there a little longer; her reflection was visible in the floor-to-ceiling window.

Messy hair, the weariness of not sleeping all night, and a smile that couldn't be suppressed at the corner of her mouth.

Her eyes were bright.

Liu Yifei has been persuaded. She accepts Xu Yao's assessment and believes in his predictions and advice regarding her future.

"very nice."

Everything begins tonight.

A new beginning.

Xu Yao returned to the hotel, washed her face with cold water, and then quickly did her makeup and dressing.

Na-young's car was already waiting downstairs.

A black minivan with a Beijing license plate was parked with its rear window rolled down, revealing Na Yingxiang's gentle smile.

"Get in the car, I'll tell you on the way."

Xu Yao opened the car door and got in.

Nayoung glanced at him: "What were you doing last night? Your eyes are as red as a rabbit's. Didn't I tell you you had an interview today and I told you to get some rest?"

Xu Yao smiled and said, "It's a long story, so let's not go into it."

"Got it, youth means boundless energy."

Nayoung burst into laughter, her smile clearly stemming from a misunderstanding of Xu Yao.

The song I sang for the interview was "Silk Road".

With lyrics by Qu Yuan and music by Yin Qing, it's a typical team behind mainstream themes.

The melody is based on the pentatonic scale, and the arrangement blends Western string music with electronic synthesizer sounds. The rhythmic pattern borrows from the syncopated structure of the Twelve Muqam, and the overall direction is open and long, with a strong exotic flavor.

The lyrics use the ancient Silk Road as a narrative point, showcasing the continuity of trade and cultural exchange through a comparison of ancient and modern times.

The car arrived at the underground parking lot of the CCTV building.

Nayoung led him through several security checks and into a rehearsal hall.

The floor was made of elastic rubber specifically for rehearsals, the walls were covered with sound-absorbing panels, a grand piano sat in the corner, and three people sat behind a long table.

Sitting in the middle was Wang Gongguan, the director of the song and dance program. He was in his early fifties, with his gray hair neatly combed. In front of him was a bound program schedule.

To his left was the music assistant director, a middle-aged man wearing glasses, who was flipping through the sheet music in his hand.

To my right is the executive director, with a laptop in front of him displaying a map of the rehearsal room's camera positions.

"Sister Na is here." Wang Gongguan looked up, her gaze sweeping over Xu Yao. "Is this the young Xu you recommended?"

"Xu Yao. The champion of the third season of The Voice of China, my little friend." Na Ying patted Xu Yao on the shoulder. "He's here, his singing is fine, and he's holding up well during the typhoon. Director Wang, give him a chance."

Wang Gongguan did not express his opinion. He opened the process sheet, looked at Xu Yao, and then nodded.

"Sing a bit first, please."

Nayoung stood next to the piano and nodded to Xu Yao.

Xu Yao stood in the center of the rehearsal hall. He mentally went through the melody from beginning to end, took a deep breath, and began to sing.

The first few lines of "Silk Road" are in the middle register.

He used a relatively restrained, soft mixed voice to enter the song, allowing his breath to arrive before the lyrics, with each word landing steadily on his chest resonance, neither floating nor rushing.

Nayoung nodded slightly beside her.

Xu Yao's solo performance ended perfectly, and everyone was unexpectedly satisfied.

But the problem lies in the chorus.

When Na-young came in, the two of them simultaneously turned on the loudspeaker.

Her voice had a unique gritty quality, and in the line "the road paved with silk," she slightly dragged out the rhythm by half a beat, a habitual way of handling emotions.

There were no problems in the recording studio, but in duets, the two parts went their own way, one singing the melody while the other couldn't find a foothold in the harmony.

The main issue is related to the song division. The distinction between exotic styles is not suitable for two people to separate the song into phrases, causing the two audio tracks to overlap and sound like they are singing a duet through two walls.

Wang Gongguan frowned slightly.

The music assistant director lowered his head and made a note in his notebook.

After the song was finished, the rehearsal hall was quiet for a few seconds.

Nayoung walked back from the piano and stood next to Xu Yao, looking at the three judges behind the long table who remained expressionless.

"You sang well."

Wang Gongguan finally spoke, his tone very polite, but his fingers didn't stop flipping through the flowchart.

"However, I don't think this way of singing together is very appropriate. As you know, this song is a new creation with the theme of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Chinese Dream. It's the closing song, and the production team has very strict control over this segment."

Na-young was about to say something when Wang Gongguan raised his hand, signaling her to wait.

"To be frank, singing this song as a duet would actually ruin its original exotic charm and profound artistic conception. As we've said before, this style of music is only suitable for solo performances, so we rejected it earlier."

He put down the flowchart.

"Xiao Xu's singing skills are excellent, even if it's a typhoon. However, this song isn't quite suitable. We can't change the song just because of Xiao Xu, right, Sister Na?"

The rehearsal hall fell silent again.

Na-young's complexion was not good.

The production team had already discussed these possibilities with Nayoung.

However, she couldn't resist Na-young's repeated requests, and even went to Ha-wen to talk to her.

That's how today's interview came about.

Xu Yao remained silent.

He stood there, his mind racing through what the director had just said.

The two voices don't match very well.

It's not because the singing is bad, it's because the music doesn't make sense.

An exotic song known for its linear narrative melody, paired with a choral arrangement of two competing vocal parts, inherently disrupts the integrity of the arrangement.

What should I do?

The last chance is right in front of us.

Xu Yao blocked out everyone's voices, immersed himself in thought, and even closed his eyes.

The production team was starting to look for people to leave. Na Yin noticed Xu Yao's state and knew he was thinking of a solution.

Na-young started chatting with the production team on purpose, trying to stall for time.

Xu Yao's forehead began to sweat, and after a moment, he finally opened his eyes.

He spoke up: "Director, you're right. The melody of this song is too dense and has an exotic feel, so it's true that two people singing the main melody will clash."

Wang Gongguan looked up at him, his lips twitched, but he didn't speak, as if waiting for him to continue.

"However, not all choral pieces require both singers to share the melody. Director, have you heard of Phoenix Legend?"

"Phoenix Legend?"

Wang Gongguan was stunned for a moment. Of course, it wasn't that he hadn't heard of this group, but he simply couldn't understand what it had to do with Phoenix Legend.

Na-young also turned to look at Xu Yao, wondering what he was up to.

"Phoenix Legend has two lead singers, Linghua and Zeng Yi. Linghua's voice is high-pitched and clear, and she is responsible for the main melody. Zeng Yi's part is just rhythmic rap and interspersed 'oh yeah' embellishments. There aren't many lyrics, but he plays an indispensable role in driving the rhythm and identifying the style in the arrangement. His few interspersed lines have become the most memorable part of the whole group."

Xu Yao paused, his throat dry. He wasn't sure if this idea would impress the production team, but it was the most likely solution he could think of in an instant.

"What I mean is, when I go on stage, I'm not going to compete with Na Ying for the melody. I'll just play Zeng Yi and complement her."

The rehearsal hall fell silent for a moment.

Na Ying's eyes lit up. Clever as she was, she clapped her hands sharply: "That's a great idea! Director Wang, listen to this—an experienced performer mentoring a newcomer, a Spring Festival Gala tradition. Xu Yao just adds a few lines; it's both original and doesn't overshadow the main theme. Isn't that much more interesting than a dry solo?"

The music assistant director looked up from the music stand, adjusted his glasses, and looked Xu Yao up and down seriously for the first time.

He picked up a pen and quickly drew a few strokes in the blank space of the score, as if he were working out an arrangement plan.

The main melody is given to Nayoung, and male voices echo the chorus. The arrangement is simplified, using counterpoint instead of parallelism.

Xu Yao said everything he needed to say, took a half step back, and shut up.

On this occasion, he had already said enough, entirely out of respect for Na Jie.

"Well then," Wang Gongguan finally spoke, turning to the music assistant director beside him, "Old Liu, what do you think of this idea?"

The music assistant director stood up from behind the music stand and walked over to Na Ying. He still had a pen in his hand: "Sister Na, I think this idea is very novel. The topic is good, the concept is good, and the Spring Festival Gala tradition of mentoring newcomers fits perfectly with this year's program concept of passing on experience. However, how should the arrangement be adjusted? The original arrangement was designed for a solo performance, and the instrumentation all follows a single melody line. With the addition of male vocals, the harmonies need to be rearranged, and the rhythm may also need to be adjusted."

Na-young knew nothing about music arrangement. She glanced at the music assistant director and then turned to look at Xu Yao.

The two directors' gazes followed her and fell on Xu Yao.

(P.S.: The plot of getting on the Spring Festival Gala is basically finished here. It also shows how incredibly difficult it is for a newcomer to get on the Spring Festival Gala. If Xu Yao hadn't been supportive, hadn't fought hard, hadn't persevered, or hadn't broken through the impasse at any point, even with the guidance of the strong older sister Na Ying, it would still have been very difficult. Getting on the Spring Festival Gala isn't the main storyline of terminating the contract with the company, so I can't write too much about it. The difficulty needs to be shown through the few power struggles. Thank you all for your support in allowing me to finish laying out this side plot.)