He was in college, but his songs were at the Grammys.

On the tree-lined path outside the teaching building, Chen Ming spotted the familiar white sedan at a glance.

Anya leaned against the car door, looking more relaxed than usual.

But what was most striking was the expression on her face, an undisguised joy and excitement.

Upon seeing Chen Ming, she immediately straightened up and quickly approached him, unable to resist speaking even before getting close.

"Wow, Chen Ming, you're amazing!" Anya's voice was full of laughter, tinged with disbelief and amazement. "You've given me a really big surprise!"

Chen Ming stopped in his tracks, somewhat surprised.

He rarely saw Anya so emotionally expressive.

"Anya," he walked over, his smile infectious, "What's making you so happy?"

He could probably guess why.

The entertainment company has far too much inside information.

"What is it?" Anya shook her head with a smile, patted his shoulder, and said, "It's about your 'Big City, Small Love'! I didn't know you had this hidden talent! Get in the car and tell me, I want to show you something."

The way she opened the car door was light and quick.

The two got into the car.

Anya didn't start the car immediately. Instead, she turned around and showed Chen Ming her phone screen.

Her finger slid across the screen, her voice excited: "Look, yesterday's class video has already surpassed 80,000 likes! Over 4,000 comments, and almost 6,000 shares!"

Chen Ming took the phone and looked at the data that was still growing.

The comments section was buzzing with activity:

"I need the official version! I can't wait!"

"I hope this young man debuts soon! I'll definitely support him!"

The level of interest has indeed far exceeded expectations.

Looking at Chen Ming's calm demeanor.

Anya suddenly felt that her strategic resolve was even inferior to that of Chen Ming, a newcomer.

calm down!

"What Mr. Song means is," Anya put away her phone, her tone becoming serious, "that your current C-level contract doesn't match your potential. The company has decided to upgrade your contract directly to A-level."

Chen Ming raised an eyebrow.

An A-level newcomer contract is already the best newcomer contract in the entire entertainment industry.

Resources, revenue sharing, and promotional efforts will be worlds apart.

Raising the bar any higher would mean going beyond the realm of newcomers.

To give a simple example, in a Class C contract, the profit split between him and the company is 1:9, and he gets 1%.

The contract for this A-level newcomer is split 30/70.

Although he can still only get 30%, it's much better than other newcomers.

Moreover, other types of resources will increase several times or even ten times.

"After watching the video, Mr. Song said that your singing skills, songwriting ability, and appearance combined make you a once-in-a-decade talent."

Anya kept saying, "And at first he didn't even recognize you as an artist in our company. He was so excited that he told me to sign you right away. But when I told him that you were already one of my artists, his expression... tsk."

Chen Ming couldn't help but laugh when he recalled the rumors that Song He did indeed have face blindness.

"So," Anya smiled, but quickly regained her composure, "the company will do everything it can to promote 'Big City, Small Love,' and we're aiming for number one on the May newcomer chart."

"Newcomer Ranking?" Chen Ming had a vague recollection of this term.

Blue Star's music industry has a well-established chart system that is updated monthly. The "Newcomer Chart" is specifically for singers who have debuted less than a year ago.

Being listed means exposure, resources, and industry recognition.

But getting that first time isn't so easy!

Every month, hundreds or even thousands of newcomers from entertainment companies are eyeing this position.

It was truly tens of thousands of people crossing a single-plank bridge.

"Yes." Anya nodded. "The company hasn't been number one on the newcomer list for two years. President Song said we have to take it this time."

Her gaze fell on Chen Ming's face, scrutinizing him while also holding expectation: "Are you confident?"

Chen Ming didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly.

This song has been proven by the market in its previous life.

How could he not have confidence?

Use this song to compete for a spot on the newcomer chart!

Isn't that just fried fish?

Anya looked at him for several seconds, then smiled and said, "Okay."

She started the car: "Let's go back to the company now, sign the new contract, and then I'll take you to meet the producer. The official recording of 'Big City, Small Love' needs to start as soon as possible."

The white sedan slowly drove out of the campus.

The recording studio area on the seventh floor of the Brilliant Galaxy Entertainment Building.

The door to the third recording studio was lit with a red "Working" sign.

Inside the door, Chen Ming stood in front of a microphone, wearing a listening headset. Through the thick soundproof glass, he could see three people sitting behind the control panel.

—Recording engineer Zhang Ge, producer Lao Liu, and Anya standing by and watching.

This marks the beginning of the official recording of "Big City, Small Love".

But contrary to everyone's expectations of a "long adjustment period," everything went smoothly to an almost uncanny degree.

"Chen Ming, let's do a sound check first." The recording engineer, Brother Zhang, said through the intercom. "Sing a few lines, and I'll adjust the level and effects."

Chen Ming nodded, cleared his throat, and casually hummed a snippet of the chorus:

My mind is filled with you, my heart is filled with you...

The moment the sound came out, the three people behind the control panel looked up at the same time.

The sound was so clean.

It's so clean it looks like it's been processed, but it's clearly just the raw, dry sound.

His pitch was so precise that it could be measured with instruments, his breath control was as steady as if he had practiced for ten years, and what was even more remarkable was the natural expression of his emotions.

"This..." Brother Zhang murmured, "What kind of tuning is needed?"

Old Liu was silent for two seconds before speaking, "Let's just record it."

The recording then officially began.

The intro guitar sound came through the monitor headphones.

That was the arrangement that Chen Ming completed this morning with the help of the company's music teacher.

Chen Ming provided a specific plan, which the instrument teachers then implemented.

Chen Ming closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened his eyes again, he was already fully immersed in the moment.

"The ends of her jet-black hair were coiled into a circle..."

The moment the first sentence was uttered, the three people behind the control panel were once again stunned.

It wasn't just a casual humming during an audition; it was a complete performance in which the performer was truly immersed in the role.

What's even more frightening is the lack of stability.

Even the most professional singers need to make repeated adjustments and record many takes to select the most perfect version.

Breath, pitch, and emotion will always have subtle fluctuations.

But Chen Ming did not.

He stood there, holding the microphone, his eyes slightly lowered, his expression focused and gentle.

The entire song is three minutes and forty-four seconds long.

He never sang off-key, never lost his breath, and never broke his emotional expression.

It's like a finely tuned machine, but it outputs the most moving emotions.

The last note fell.

Chen Ming took off his headphones and looked at the control panel through the glass.

Behind the console, the three of them stood there, stunned.

Brother Zhang's hand was still on the mixing console, but he didn't move.

Old Liu remained in a state of astonishment, his eyes wide open behind his glasses.

A few seconds later.

"Passed." Old Liu finally spoke, his voice a little hoarse. "Passed in one take."

Zhang Ge then came to his senses and quickly pressed the play button. The full version he had just recorded flowed out from the monitor speakers.

The control room was so quiet that only the music could be heard.

The music ended three minutes and forty-four seconds later.

Old Liu let out a long sigh, took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and then looked at Anya: "Sister Anya, where did you find such a monster?"

Anya hadn't fully recovered from the shock. Hearing this, she simply shook her head and gave a wry smile: "I didn't know he was this..."

She couldn't find the right words.

Brother Zhang stood up excitedly: "The pitch, the breath control, the emotional expression—in my fifteen years of recording, this is the first time I've seen a single take that's this perfect! No need for auto-tuning! It's ready for mastering!"

Chen Ming had already pushed open the door to the recording area and walked out.

His face showed no particular expression; he remained very calm.

"Is it okay now?" he asked.

Brother Zhang turned around, looked at him with a complicated expression: "Chen Ming, did you used to record a lot?"

"No," Chen Ming answered truthfully, "This is the first official recording."

"The first time?!" Zhang's voice rose an octave. "And it's like this on the first time?!"

Old Liu put his glasses back on and looked Chen Ming up and down, as if trying to get to know the young man again: "Who taught you to sing like that?"

"The school's teachers," Chen Ming said simply.

The full prize money from Berkeley in his previous life was no joke; he was a master singer.

But to outsiders, it's a completely different story.

"Are Jiang Yi's teachers that good?" Old Liu murmured. "I'll have to go and learn from them sometime."

Anya finally snapped out of her daze. She walked up to Chen Ming, stared at him for several seconds, and then spoke: "Chen Ming, tell me the truth, are you really just a freshman?"

Chen Ming laughed: "Sister Anya, didn't you see my admission file?"

"But," Anya pointed to the control panel, "the company can't find many people with this level of skill."

"Maybe I'm just more talented," Chen Ming said casually.

Zhang Ge and Lao Liu exchanged a glance, both seeing the same thought in each other's eyes: this was hardly "more talented".

This is simply a gift.

"Alright." Chen Ming glanced at his watch. "Now that the recording is finished, I'll be going."

"Wait!" Anya quickly called out to him, "Are you leaving already? Don't you want to hear the results again? Don't you want to make some adjustments?"

"No need." Chen Ming shook his head. "The previous take was fine. If there are any problems, Brother Zhang can contact me for a retake."

After he finished speaking, he nodded to Brother Zhang and Lao Liu behind the control panel: "Thank you for your hard work, teachers. I'll be leaving now."

Then he turned around and walked out.

The movements were swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

Anya was stunned for a moment, then quickly chased after him.

In the hallway outside the recording studio, Anya caught up with Chen Ming: "Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Aren't you going to eat something before you go? There are still promotional plans..."

"Sister Anya." Chen Ming stopped and turned around, his expression serious. "You can help me decide those things, or we can discuss them next time I come to the company, but I really have to go back to class now."

"A class?" Anya was stunned. "It's just one class, is it that important?"

The artists she used to manage, if they achieved any success, would be eager to skip more classes and spend their time on announcements, performances, and socializing.

She's never seen anyone like Chen Ming, whose first thought after recording a song is "go back to class."

Chen Ming sighed: "Sister Anya, to be honest, I can only find inspiration for songwriting during class."

"What?" Anya thought she had misheard. "Looking for inspiration during class?"

"Yes." Chen Ming nodded. "The inspiration for 'Big City, Small Love' came from Liao Mei's folk song class. I also have the idea for a new song that came from her class. And I also had a lot of inspiration during this morning's Chinese class."

Chen Ming spoke frankly, regardless of whether others believed him or not, adding, "For me, the classroom is not just a place to learn knowledge, but also a place to spark creative ideas."

He must first clarify the pros and cons.

After that, the company would often come to find him while he was in class.

Anya looked at him, her eyes filled with disbelief.

She has worked in this industry for eight years, managed more than a dozen artists, and collaborated with countless composers and lyricists.

Some people find inspiration through travel, some through romance, and some through drinking.

But can you find inspiration by taking classes?

Unheard of.

"Chen Ming," Anya carefully chose her words, "Are you sure it was really during class that you got the inspiration? And not something else? Like a sudden flash of inspiration?"

Chen Ming laughed: "Sister Anya, how about we make a bet?"

"What are we betting on?"

"Let's bet on whether I can really gain inspiration from taking classes," Chen Ming said. "The wager is a reasonable request, how about it?"

Anya stared at him for a few seconds.

The boy's eyes were clear and open, without any evasion or guilt.

"Okay." Anya finally nodded. "I'll bet you, if you can really write another good song by taking classes, I'll grant you a reasonable request; otherwise, you have to grant me a request."

"Deal." Chen Ming smiled.

He then turned and left.

The elevator doors closed.

Anya stood in the corridor, watching the elevator numbers descend floor by floor, and didn't move for a long time.

She took out her phone and opened a group chat within the company.

"Brilliant Galaxy Creative Exchange Group".

This group consists of composers, lyricists, and arrangers signed with the company. They usually share their creative insights and discuss industry trends in the group.

Anya hesitated for a few seconds, then typed and sent:

"I have a question for you teachers: Do you think one can gain inspiration for composing music while taking classes at school?"

After the message was sent, the group was silent for a few seconds.

then.

Composer Lao Wang: "???"

Lyricist Xiaoyu: "Are you serious, Anya?"

[Arranger Dawei]: "Classes? You mean music major courses? That's definitely helpful."

[Anya]: "There are specialized courses, and other courses too, like... Chinese language classes?"

This time, the quiet lasted even longer.

A full half minute later.

[Composer Lao Wang]: "Sister Anya, have you met any special composers?"

Lyricist Min Yu: "Finding inspiration for composing music during a Chinese language class? That's quite an unusual approach."

[Arranger Du Wei]: "Theoretically speaking, any experience can trigger inspiration, but I've never seen anyone specifically rely on taking classes to find inspiration."

[Composer A-Jie]: "When I was in college, all I wanted to do in class was sleep; my inspiration came from my dreams."

The group chat was immediately flooded with "hahaha".

He didn't take Anya's words to heart.

Anya looked at the replies and gave a wry smile.

She closed the group chat, looked up, and gazed at the recording studio door at the end of the corridor, where the red "working" light was still on.

Inside the door, Brother Zhang and Lao Liu were probably still listening to the recording they had just heard over and over again.

The boy who created all of this is now rushing back to school to attend an ordinary university class.

Anya took a deep breath and shook her head.

This world truly has all kinds of people.

And it seems that she really did find an amazing treasure.

......

That evening, a song and a person's promotional information appeared on the original May Newcomer bulletin board of Brilliant Galaxy!

Anya also received the new lyrics and music from Chen Ming.

Listen to the Sea.

She didn't expect Chen Ming to actually send her a song. Could it really be the inspiration he got from going back to class that afternoon?

That's absolutely unbelievable!

Unsure of the song's quality, she printed out the lyrics and score the next day and took it to the company's composition department, just to be on the safe side.