Chapter 34: 034: Yes, That’s the Feeling
Zhang Liangying walked to the center of the stage, her gold-rimmed glasses perched on her nose, her expression carrying a hint of aloofness as she gently pushed them up.
The entire process was filled with a lazy, charming aura.
And at this moment…
The Liangfen in the audience and in front of their televisions were completely going wild.
Heavens!
Zhang Liangying, you’re too much.
Who taught you to push your glasses like that?
Don’t you know that looking like that makes people want to watch you instead of listen to your song?
“Liangying, you’re so beautiful…”
“Ahhhhh, I love you!”
“Champion, champion!”
It wasn’t just the Liangfen who were going crazy; even others were deeply moved by Zhang Liangying’s styling and couldn’t look away.
You have to understand, 2005 was still the era of low-rise pants and perms. Even Korean entertainment was dominated by tight pants. Where did Zhang Liangying’s intellectual, lazy, and charming makeup and styling come from?
And she even boldly used gold jewelry for embellishment…
One word: beautiful.
Two words: amazing.
Many fashion influencers in front of their televisions were cheering, “Zhang Liangying’s makeup and styling could start a trend; this is a business opportunity…”
However.
When the prelude to 《Rain Butterfly》 began, the fans and passersby who had previously said they just wanted to watch her and not listen to the song felt their double helix DNA stir.
That feeling…
It’s back!
Everything is back.
Many people were reminded of that winter in 1998—《My Fair Princess》 landed in Mainland China.
Since then, this phenomenal drama would cause a viewing frenzy every summer vacation, and its ending song 《Rain Butterfly》 was known by everyone, without exception.
Even if someone didn’t know the song title, they could hum a few lines upon hearing the prelude.
Many young people around twenty years old were reminded of summer vacations a few years ago, watching 《My Fair Princess》 with a bunch of friends.
Fifth Prince, Er Kang, Zi Wei, Er Tai, Rong Mama, Xiao Jian, Liu Qing, Liu Hong…
Familiar characters emerged one by one.
Even the older grandparents were tapping their fingers to the melody, gently drumming on their knees, thoroughly enjoying it.
The success of 《Rain Butterfly》 is inseparable from the fame of 《My Fair Princess》, and even more so from its composer—Zhang Yu.
He doesn’t have many classic songs, but they are very famous, and I believe everyone has heard them, such as: 《The Moon Caused Trouble》, 《The Rain Keeps Falling》, 《For You》, etc.
When the prelude ended, Zhang Liangying raised her microphone.
Her red lips parted slightly…
“Even if my heart is broken,”
“I won’t blame anyone.”
“It’s just that our encounter was too beautiful.”
“Even if I shed all my tears,”
“And am wounded to the core,”
“My heart turns to ash.”
“…”
The first few lines were very stable. Zhang Liangying’s chest voice had a very round and full quality. In the continuous short phrases, the vocal pressure was released smoothly, and the articulation and emphasis were very clear.
You can tell she’s a master!
Huang Zheng knew Zhang Liangying had talent after just a few lines. As a singer, he knew very well that you couldn’t produce that kind of feeling without something substantial.
Ke Yimin leaned back in her chair, pursing her lips, unsure what she was thinking…
Hei Nan nodded incessantly.
“I fly towards you,”
“The rain falls gently,”
“Wishing your embrace would surround me.”
“I fly towards you,”
“No matter how far, I won’t tire.”
“Though the journey has had pain and tears,”
“…”
“As long as you have no regrets… I will have no regrets…”
When she sang “no regrets,” Zhang Liangying’s vocal register suddenly shifted, with a hint of weak mix technique. The pleasant timbre made one’s scalp tingle.
…
Xinghai Academy.
The dormitory supervisor’s room for male students.
Many male students were squeezed in here watching the live broadcast.
“Damn, Zhang Liangying’s voice is so stable and soft, not worse than our school’s teachers…”
“Exactly! I feel like our school’s Zhou Bichang isn’t as good as her.”
“Did you notice? At the end of many of her words, her voice is on the edge of her vocal range, with a very soft, vulnerable quality, making you feel pitiful and want to protect her…”
“Haha, that pitiful kitten feeling is exactly what’s needed. Zhang Liangying is really something. I’m so smitten with her now; I really want to be her assistant.”
“Me too, I like her more and more.”
“…”
A food stall outside the school.
Zhou Bichang and her classmates were also watching the live broadcast.
After this competition, she would return to Changsha to prepare for the finals.
Zhou Bichang wasn’t afraid because of Zhang Liangying’s singing skills; instead, she was emotionally overwhelmed by Zhang Liangying’s styling and appearance today.
“I’m a tomboy, and she’s a sexy woman. How can I compete!?”
“Men will definitely like her type.”
“Sigh, why don’t I have any femininity? And I’m not as well-endowed as she is…”
…
“I fly towards you,”
“The rain falls gently,”
“Wishing your embrace would surround me.”
“…”
Sensual!
It’s intoxicating!
At the end of each line, Zhang Liangying concluded with an ‘edge tone,’ softly and weakly touching the listener’s heart. That pitiful feeling made one want to embrace her.
“As long as you have no regrets… I will have no regrets…”
“Love is so beautiful,”
“My heart is intoxicated,”
“The feeling of being loved.”
As the last note slowly faded, Zhang Liangying’s slightly wronged little face broke into a smile. She covered her neckline with one hand and bowed, “Thank you.”
Straightening up, she looked at Shen Qing, her smile deepening.
Seeing Shen Qing give her a thumbs-up of encouragement, Zhang Liangying’s secretly pleased expression captivated the Liangfen watching on television.
“Ahhh, Liangying…”
“So beautiful.”
“Vote, we must vote for Liangying.”
The audience at the venue, with their cheers, told everyone who the king of popularity was on the Hangzhou Division stage.
At this moment.
Ding Ding, who had already sung, and Ye Yiqian, Ji Minjia, and Lin Shuang, who were yet to perform, felt a sense of helplessness.
Their skill level…
Was not on the same plane.
But fortunately, three people would advance to the National Competition. As long as they entered the top three, they could go to Changsha for the finals and have a chance to debut.
Amidst the cheers of the Liangfen, Zhang Liangying returned backstage.
As for who would ultimately advance and be eliminated in the first round, it would only be known after the other three contestants had all finished singing.
Executive Director: “Contestant No. 05, Lin Shuang, will perform the song 《Everyday》.”
“Oh…”
“Yay yay…”
“Sunny days or rainy days,”
“Crowded coffee shops,”
“Finding a comfortable corner to think of you.”
The first few lines were sung very ordinarily.
Lin Shuang might not have fully understood this song.
Perhaps she simply treated this 《Everyday》 by David Tao as a regular pop love song…
That would be a huge mistake.
As everyone knows, David Tao was one of the ‘Zhou, Wang, Tao, Lin’ new Four Heavenly Kings who emerged from the era of gods battling in the Chinese music scene, known as the ‘Godfather of Chinese R&B.’
The song 《Everyday》 is a typical R&B style.
However, Lin Shuang did not understand what R&B was, or rather, she understood it but not deeply enough, as she completely failed to convey the R&B feel.
Instead, she sang 《Everyday》 as a somewhat unpleasant, pop-style love song…
This caused both Hei Nan and Huang Zheng to frown slightly.
R&B stands for Rhythm and Blues, translated as ‘rhythm and blues’ in Chinese, with rhythm first and blues second.
Simply put, R&B style refers to a category of songs that heavily emphasize rhythm and emotional expression.
When singing such songs, rhythm is paramount.
But Lin Shuang’s articulation lacked rhythmic cadence.
For example, the lyric: “Finding a comfortable corner to think of you.”
Her rhythm was ‘Finding a / to think / comfortable / corner,’ while David Tao’s rhythm was ‘Finding a / to think / comfortable / of you / corner.’
Don’t underestimate the difference of just one word; this single word’s placement caused the entire line to be sung incorrectly.
It lost its relaxed feel and rhythm.
R&B style places great importance on the distribution of ‘triplets’ within a lyric. If not distributed well, it can sound incredibly cheesy.
For instance, in the line ‘Finding a / to think / comfortable / corner,’ David Tao’s triplets are three: ‘Finding a,’ ‘comfortable,’ and ‘corner.’
But Lin Shuang only had one triplet: ‘Finding a.’ The entire line was sung in a mess.
How could the score be high~
Even Zhang Liangying could hear her problem.
…
Executive Director: “Next, contestant No. 02, Ji Minjia, will perform the song 《The Same Moonlight》.”
