Chapter 121: A Jealous Second Class Private?! Breaking into the Top Tier of Domestic Artists!
“Hmph, who have you been with these past two days?”
“Dating behind my back, huh?”
“Officer, you’ve violated the discipline of not contacting other members of the opposite sex!”
Zhang Liangying pushed open the bathroom door, a leather whip in her hand.
She was wearing an oversized American Navy striped shirt, so large it covered her buttocks. Her fair legs moved with a seductive gait, making her look like Jolin Tsai dancing to a 《Dancing Girl》.
She wasn’t wearing any other clothes.
Not even underwear…
Just a pure cotton striped shirt. The fabric itself was soft and clung tightly to her chest, her breasts appearing as if covered by cling film~
Shen Qing immediately focused on her: Thank nature’s bounty!
…
“Ying, is that how you speak to your officer?”
“Reporting, Officer, you broke the discipline between us. Are you involved with Fan Bingbing and Jing Tian?”
“Second Class Private, that’s a damn good question. Now I ask you, what is our discipline…”
“Reporting, Officer: Not to contact members of the opposite sex!”
“Repeat my exact words from back then.”
“Yes, Officer! You said: Second Class Private Ying, I now order you, as your officer, not to contact members of the opposite sex. Answer me loudly, can you do it!?”
“Very good, Second Class Private, your repetition is damn accurate. Now I ask you again, can you do it!?”
“Reporting, Officer, I can!”
“Excellent. Now I order you to stand under the shower, turn the water to 38.5 degrees, and place your hands high on the wall. Good, your posture is perfect… Give me the whip. *Crack* Do you dare question your officer again?”
“Wuuu~ I don’t dare anymore!”
“…”
The next day.
Zhang Liangying, having regained her senses, thought about it more and more.
I was the one who questioned first last night, wasn’t I?
Why was I the one punished in the end?
Damn it!
My mind was clouded by the physical whipping!!!
For a moment, I forgot about questioning the officer.
Zhang Liangying lazily got out of bed and went to the bathroom. She stared at the spot where they had fought last night and shook her little fist: “Fan Xiaopang, Jing Tian, don’t even think about stealing my man! The camaraderie between Shen Qing and me will never fade!”
…
Recording Studio.
Zhang Liangying was recording 《The Brightest Star in the Night Sky》 and 《Wish》. She had a great feel for the former, but couldn’t find her rhythm for 《Wish》 at all.
Shen Qing had to pause the recording of 《Wish》 and have her finish the other song in one go.
Perhaps Liangying was under too much pressure.
As the title song, Shen Qing demanded that 《Wish》 have no mistakes whatsoever, requiring it to be recorded with the best state and fullest emotion.
Shen Qing: “Liangying, this song doesn’t have a huge impact on me, but for you, it’s a work that can influence the next ten, twenty, or even thirty years of your career. Fame comes early. If you perform it perfectly, your status will be unshakeable, at least in the Chinese Music Scene.”
Recalling Shen Qing’s words, Zhang Liangying’s heart surged. She knew this was motivational talk, but it was genuinely effective.
The lyrics and music of 《Wish》 were the best works she had seen so far, even much better than 《Myriad Lands》.
Not only her, but even the band and the recording engineer in the studio were deeply captivated and moved to shock after reading the lyrics of 《Wish》.
The seemingly plain and lyrical sentences contained a strong patriotic sentiment. What kind of genius brain does Shen Qing have?
“The mountains and rivers are at peace, the fireworks are ordinary.”
“But you gaze with longing.”
“Children, sleep soundly in your dreams.”
“Just as you deeply love them.”
“And I will dream of the reunion you dream of.”
…
Not a single word mentions ‘country,’ yet every word is about ‘country.’
This is the highest form of lyricism.
Emotion!
To record it, one must have strong patriotic emotions, filled with heroism, pride, and even a sense of compassion for the world.
Lacking any of these emotions would make it fall short.
Several times.
Even when Zhang Liangying felt it was perfect, Shen Qing still shook his head, “Something’s missing. Let’s do it again.”
After several failed recordings, she finally understood what Shen Qing had always told her: Singing requires emotion. A singer without emotion is never a good singer!
Songs are meant to convey feelings. If a singer is just a machine reciting lyrics, they cannot perfectly interpret a song.
“After I finish recording 《The Brightest Star in the Night Sky》, I’ll ask Yuanyuan to go traveling for a few days. We’ll see the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, mountains, and the Yellow River, and try to find some inspiration.”
In the following days.
Liangying happily ran to find Gao Yuanyuan, and they toured all the attractions near Beijing. She didn’t know if she found inspiration, but she certainly had a blast.
“Haha, traveling is so fun~”
“Let’s do it again next time.”
“Yuanyuan, next time, shall we go with Shen Qing, the three of us?”
The three of us?
Yuanyuan, being more knowledgeable, blushed instantly.
Zhang Liangying: “Huh? Yuanyuan, are you hot? Your face is so red?”
Gao Yuanyuan: “Ah, yes… You just said, we, can go together, the three of us!?”
Zhang Liangying: “Yeah, Shen Qing is a good driver. He can drive us two to the countryside, to places we haven’t been.”
Gao Yuanyuan: “Oh, okay!”
…
Meanwhile, August arrived.
The first to challenge Zhang Liangying’s album sales this month was the Godfather of the Chinese Music Scene, David Tao.
His fifth album, 《Too Beautiful》, was officially released. This was his first work in one year and seven months.
A confirmed lazy person.
Other singers would release two albums a year if they could…
This album didn’t leave a deep impression on Shen Qing, except for one song that was quite good: 《Marry Me Today》, a collaboration with Jolin Tsai.
The song climbed the charts quickly.
David Tao was initially very happy.
“Haha, it’s settled! Unbeatable in August!”
“Woohoo! 《Marry Me Today》 reached the top five of the New Song Chart in a week? Number one on Baidu MP3 New Song Chart?”
“But why are the CD sales only this much in a week? Are you kidding me? It’s not even selling as much as Zhou Bichang, huh? Who is Zhou Bichang!?”
“…”
David Tao was confused.
How are the new artists from Mainland China so formidable?
Zhang Liangying is one thing, she sold over 3 million copies, no comparison. But who is Zhou Bichang? Her sales are higher than mine?
When David Tao came to Beijing to promote his album, he was asked by the media about the reason for the sluggish sales. He pretended to be calm and said, “I don’t really care about sales. As long as people can find a song they like, that’s enough.”
The reporter then asked, “What do you think about your sales being lower than Zhou Bichang’s!?”
David Tao: “I hope the new generation of singers gets stronger. I’m happy for them.”
When no one was around, David Tao wanted to cry.
Damn it~
I won’t come to Mainland China next time.
The newcomers are too terrifying.
…
Although David Tao’s weekly sales of 150,000 copies were less than Zhou Bichang’s 200,000 copies, the ‘powerful singer’ Zhou Bichang had a clear advantage. However, Zhou Bichang herself was not happy.
Her company had set a target of 1 million total sales for the year, but based on the current trend, even reaching 700,000 copies would be a struggle.
After all, album sales are generally concentrated in the first month, and sales thereafter tend to stabilize with little increase.
Currently selling 200,000 copies a week, her monthly sales wouldn’t exceed 350,000, and annual sales wouldn’t surpass 600,000. While still strong and outperforming many veteran singers, she feared comparison with a certain individual…
Like Li Yuchun, Zhou Bichang’s focus was solely on Zhang Liangying. But Liangying’s first album was already heading towards 3.5 million copies…
This gap was difficult to bridge.
As a result, their current promotions were not as grand as before. Every time she faced media interviews, Zhou Bichang was very humble: “I need to learn from Liangying. She is the goal I am chasing.”
She thought she might get a headline, but Zhang Liangying’s pre-release single for her second album was unexpectedly released on China National Radio, quickly dominating the headlines of major portal websites.
【Zhang Liangying’s second album 《Wish》 pre-release single 《The Brightest Star in the Night Sky》 premieres across Asia, still that familiar taste】
【Lyrics, composition, and arrangement by Shen Qing, Zhang Liangying sings the second album’s title track 《The Brightest Star in the Night Sky》. It climbed the charts within three hours of release, surging forward and surpassing 《Who Moved My Strings》, second only to David Tao’s 《Marry Me Today》】
【Shen Qing, the hitmaker strikes again】
Zhou Bichang: “No, are you targeting me?”
David Tao: “Ooh yeah yeah, I’m out, I’m out.”
Li Yuchun: “It seems I have to postpone my new album release again. I’d rather face Jay Chou than compete with Zhang Liangying.”
…
In just a few days, 《The Brightest Star in the Night Sky》, released to promote her second album 《Wish》, topped the Baidu MP3 charts and the Mainland radio request charts.
The speed was terrifying~
Unmatched.
Entertainment Star World commented in its latest episode: “The Brightest Star in the Night Sky” is undoubtedly an excellent song, but Zhang Liangying herself is the deciding factor in its rapid ascent to the top of the charts. Her personal fan-attracting ability and commercial value, under Shen Qing’s management, have already placed her among the top domestic A-listers.
