Back to 17, My Brother is the Cult Leader

Professor Li put down the score and turned to Director Shen.

"He's been studying with me for so long, I can keep an eye on the instrumentation for him, and I can guarantee the quality."

Wang Jinghua had been listening since Professor Chang started speaking, without interrupting.

At this moment, she opened her notebook, her voice not loud but her speech rapid: "Fang Yuan, I have a practical question for you."

"Please speak."

"Your songs do sound fresh. I understand Professor Chang's concerns—freshness means risk."

But as a broker, I've seen too many cases die because they're "new."

Fang Yuan, can you tell me what the biggest risk you've considered is?

Fang Yuan looked at her and answered directly: "The biggest risk is not style, but positioning."

"What do you mean?"

"If this album is released, it will definitely be more controversial than positive."

The meeting room fell silent for a moment.

Professor Li frowned: "Are you so sure?"

"Yes," Fang Yuan said.

"Because no one has done this before."

A Peking Opera teacher listening to "The Red-Clad Lady" might say that a few lines of Peking Opera singing are unprofessional, the vocal placement is incorrect, and the resonance is not orthodox. A pop music critic might say that these songs are neither rock nor folk, with too many ethnic instruments crammed into the arrangement, resulting in a vague stylistic identity. An average listener might feel that the use of phrases like "bittersweet farewell" in the lyrics is inappropriate—

"悽美" is an adjective, how can it be used as a verb?

Professor Chang nodded:

"Fang Yuan is right. I had Zeng Li have Professor Zhang from the Peking Opera Department look at the opera-style part. Professor Zhang's exact words were, 'The pronunciation is wrong, and the handling of the sounds is far worse than that of professional actors.'"

"Teacher Zhang is right," Fang Yuan said. "Senior Sister Zeng studied acting, not Peking Opera. But the problem is—'Red-Clad Ladies' is a pop song, not Peking Opera. The role of operatic singing in the song is to add the finishing touch, not to show off skills."

Judging by Teacher Zhang's own professional standards, it is of course unqualified.

But the audience's standards are different.

They weren't listening to whether the opera singing was 'standard' enough; they were listening to whether it sounded good and whether it moved them.

"So this is the controversy you were talking about?" Wang Jinghua asked.

"Not only that." Fang Yuan glanced at Zeng Li.

"After the album is released, some people in the opera world may jump out and say that this is a desecration of the national essence."

Some in the pop music scene might say these songs are too literary and not down-to-earth enough.

I was prepared for both perspectives, but they aren't necessarily bad.

Professor Chang put down his teacup: "Why isn't it a bad thing?"

"Controversy itself is a form of communication. What's scary isn't being criticized, but not being discussed."

If an album doesn't even deserve to be criticized, it means it hasn't broken anything.

This album was never intended to please everyone; it was meant to be loved by some and disliked by others.

Even if those people want to insult you, they'll have to listen to your songs before they know how to insult you.

This in itself helps us expand our audience.

Wang Jinghua tapped her notebook twice with her pen, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke: "You're gambling."

"It's not gambling. It's about exploiting time differences," Fang Yuan said.

"No one has systematically explored the 'Chinese style' genre yet, and no female singer has ever been labeled as 'Chinese style'."

Whoever does it first gets this label attached to them.

By the time others realized what was happening and jumped on the bandwagon, we had already released a whole album and appeared on variety shows.

No matter how well others do later, they're just following the trend.

Wang Jinghua was silent for a moment, then turned to look at Zeng Li:

"Li Zi, do you understand? This is a path no one has walked before. It offers the chance to succeed, but it also offers the chance to fall. What do you think?"

Zeng Li sat quietly by the window, her hands folded on her knees.

While Professor Chang and Fang Yuan were arguing, her gaze kept shifting back and forth between the two, her expression remaining unchanged.

When Wang Jinghua asked her, she didn't answer immediately, but instead turned to look at Fang Yuan.

"Junior Brother Fang," she asked.

"You said that the singing style is not professional enough, which is not a problem."

But my singing ability is my own business. If people in the Peking Opera world criticize my singing, I can't use "this is a pop song" as a shield.

Fang Yuan glanced at her. Zeng Li's expression was serious; she wasn't seeking comfort, but genuinely asking a question.

"Professor Chang said he would help you contact teachers in the Peking Opera department to refine your vocal techniques," he said.

"You don't need to sing at a professional level, but you have to make the audience feel that it has flavor."

More important than technique is whether you can make people believe your singing.

If you sing with emotion, and others feel like crying, they won't care whether your pronunciation is like that of Peking Opera.

Professor Chang nodded: "Xiao Fang is right. Between pleasing to the ear and moving, the audience will appreciate the latter more."

Zeng Li nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

She turned to look at Wang Jinghua, her voice not loud, but every word was clear:

"I want to give it a try. I can handle the controversy and the feedback."

Wang Jinghua stared at her for several seconds.

Others may not know, but Wang Jinghua knows Zeng Li's personality all too well—this girl isn't the type to proactively say "I want to."

When asked about acting opportunities, she says, "I'll take it if it's suitable"; when asked about events, she says, "It depends on the schedule."

When she says she "want," it means she really takes it seriously.

"Then let's do it." Wang Jinghua opened her notebook, picked up a pen, and...

"Fang Yuan, let me confirm the cost with you one more time."

"Arrangement and recording, conservatively 300,000. Hiring folk musicians and a good recording studio, that'll be 500,000."

"Can it be done at forty?"

"We can't skimp on the recording studio fees. Folk music musicians can ask Teacher Li for help; student orchestras have lower costs than outside ones."

Professor Li added from the side, "I can lead the student orchestra, serving as conductor and rehearsal director. However, it has to be coordinated with the students' courses, so we can only record after the new semester starts."

Wang Jinghua wrote a few numbers in her notebook and put down her pen:

"Recording will start after the New Year. We can start the promotion in advance. I'll talk to the producer at Beijing TV and see if we can get Zeng Li a performance at a gala."

If she sings "Red-Clad Ladies" on television even once, the album's promotion will have a foothold.

Director Shen stubbed out his cigarette and leaned back in his chair.

"Alright, everything that needs to be finalized is settled. A few things to clarify: Has the album title been decided yet?"

"With 'Red Silk' as one of the main tracks, the overall album is positioned as 'Chinese style'," Fang Yuan said.

"Okay. Professor Li will oversee the arrangement, Wang Jinghua will handle the distribution channels, Professor Chang will be responsible for Zeng Li's vocal training, and Xiao Fang will compile the manuscript."

He stood up, tucked the form under his arm,

"I have to rush to a meeting. You guys continue chatting."

After Director Shen left, the atmosphere in the meeting room relaxed.

Professor Chang stood up and stretched his back: "Xiao Fang, you just said that controversy isn't a bad thing—that's true, I think so now too."

Fang Yuan didn't reply, he just smiled.

After the meeting, several people walked out one after another. Professor Li folded the sheet music and put it in his briefcase, reminding Fang Yuan not to forget to do his homework during the winter vacation.

Professor Chang pulled Zeng Li aside at the door to arrange a time for her to practice her voice after the New Year.

After Wang Jinghua and Fang Yuan checked the last few time points, she patted her notebook:

"Let's talk about it after the New Year. You should arrange the script and novel first, so we don't clash."

Fang Yuan nodded.

The meeting room was empty.

Zeng Li was still standing by the window, holding the playlist in her hand. She folded it carefully, tucked it into her bag, and zipped it up.

She paused at the door and said, "Junior Brother Fang, Happy New Year."

Outside the window, students could be seen dragging their suitcases out of the campus, the wheels making a rumbling sound on the concrete.

Fang Yuan turned off the conference room lights and closed the door.

The corridor fell silent.