In the afternoon, he received an unexpected phone call from Bella Ross. To his surprise, Avril Green was actually serious about recommending him.
The other party really contacted a somewhat famous second-tier female singer.
It wasn't time to discuss prices yet. Despite Avril's introduction, the other party still required a singing sample first.
Since this person was introduced by Avril, it was as if Avril was vouching for them. They were trustworthy, unlikely to listen to the sample and then claim the song as their own.
Harrison Clark had considered singing the sample himself, but self-awareness told him he could very well miss this invaluable opportunity that way.
It would be best to have a pro sing it, to fully showcase the charm of this song.
Harrison thought about it and concluded that the only person he could trust, who also had the ability, and whom he could afford to ask, was indeed Carrie Thomas.
It's just that, "Boring" was originally Carrie Thomas' song. Now to have her sing the demo and then sell it to someone else, seemed too harsh even to him. He felt terribly unfair to Carrie.
Harrison felt a bit remorseful.
But the matter of the sample couldn't be delayed. Late changes could be disastrous.
If he missed this opportunity, he might not get another one in the future.
Just as Harrison was hesitating, Carrie proactively came over to say hello. Without thinking, he blurted out the subject.
But he only mentioned it casually, not really expecting Carrie to agree.
Carrie's reaction was as he had predicted. She remained silent and thoughtful for a long time, without giving a response.
Seeing her dilemma, Harrison did not insist anymore. At worst, he could find a student from a music school.
There was a certain risk, but who could make money without taking risks?
Harrison was about to retract the proposal. "I was perhaps too presumptuous, let's just forget about it."
"No, that's fine, I'll sing, no need for your money."
Carrie Thomas suddenly said.
Harrison was still in shock. "No problem, I know you don't like this song... Huh? What did you say?"
Carrie: "I said, I can help you with the singing sample, without charging a commision. But you have to give me two days. I need some time to adjust my mindset to perfectly capture the emotion of this song."
Harrison waved his hands repeatedly, "How can I not pay you?"
"If I say I won't take payment, I truly won't. I'm not just being polite. Now, I need to go practice."
Harrison raised his voice from behind her as she walked away, "Wait, I haven't given you the lyrics yet. Should I sing it to you a couple more times?"
Carrie turned her head back, "No need, I remember it after hearing just once."
"Uh..."
Carrie closed the door.
Downstairs, a perplexed Harrison scratched his head.
Even though things were going well, and he should feel quite good, he couldn't shake off the feeling that her mood wasn't high and she seemed unhappy. It was weird.
In her room, Carrie Thomas was leaning against the door, her eyes dim.
It was strange. She's just letting go of a song that was never hers in the first place, why does it hurt so much?
Why did she feel that Harrison was being unfair to her?
Was she actually losing her mind?
It was his song to begin with. How he chooses to dispose of it is up to him, of course.
She really had no right to interfere.
From the beginning, he had thought about selling it to her. Otherwise, why would he sing it for her?
She only missed out on the opportunity.
The next day, Carrie practiced in her room the entire day.
She didn't ask Harrison for the song's lyrics or sheet music. She just repeatedly sang the first half of the song.
The first half was indeed depressing. The deeper she immersed herself in the emotions, the more impact she felt in her inner world, plunging to the lower depths of emotion.
The feeling of her singing was getting better and better.
Some emotions hidden beneath the surface were being excavated by her, the singer, layer by layer, like an onion being peeled.
In the evening, Harrison Clark returned home from work, originally intending to ask Carrie Thomas if she would join him for dinner, but heard her practicing singing.
She seemed to use a unique singing style, her voice both ethereal and aged reverberating repeatedly as if it were an echo.
Her guitar skills were far superior to Harrison's, probably her equipment was in a much higher league too.
The beautiful singing and rhythmic guitar blended together, creating an overwhelming wave that crashed against his mind, as if a devil was gently scraping his periosteum with a small knife.
It appeared—the same feeling when he first heard this song in the dream world.
Harrison was shocked to the core, goosebumps spreading all over his body.
This was too terrifying!
Was this what they called talent?
Was this truly the same song "Boring" that I had sung?
The same song, identical melody, but such a stark difference when sung by another?
Was it that I was too weak, or that Carrie Thomas was too strong?
He had previously been puzzled, after all, this was a song that could be sung for a millennium, so how come Avril Green couldn't appreciate it?
Now he understood—the problem lay with him.
Like the "18 Dragon Subduing Palms", a remarkable martial art, when Qiao Feng performed it, he could sweep the world, however when it was Yelu Qi performing, it was comedic.
Even a supreme divine weapon needed skilled hands to wield it in order to command the world.
Harrison could only display 30-40% of the charm of the song "Boring". An average famous singer might achieve 70-80%, but for Carrie Thomas herself, it was an absolute force of 100%.
Like how it's easy to pass an exam with a passing grade, but aiming for full marks would be a world only accessible to overachievers, a world regular people could only look up to and never touch.
Carrie was finally singing the chorus, but there was no abrupt stop. She neatly tied the ends with two more lines before finally slowing down.
Harrison was further astonished.
Was this the legendary destiny's constraint?
In just a few days' time, she had managed to add the subsequent content to the song!
The lyrics varied slightly, but the rhythm was spot on—that was the most amazing part.
Had Harrison kept delaying, she might have finished filling in the entire song.
He was contemplating whether he should knock and ask her to stop practicing and they could start recording a sample when he heard low sobbing from the room.
Carrie Thomas had made herself cry with her singing.
With her strong pride, if she were seen crying by him, she would probably kill.
Not wanting to disturb her further, Harrison returned to his room, his fists clenched until his knuckles turned somewhat white.
Somehow, perhaps due to the overwhelming emotional power of Carrie's raw vocals, Harrison felt extremely awkward.
Letting the original singer record a sample, then selling it to others, especially when the original singer had been reduced to tears, seemed somewhat excessive?
Perhaps I should speak to her again tomorrow.
The next morning, Harrison Clark tried knocking on her door, only to find Carrie Thomas' apartment door wide open.
He called out a few times, but the apartment was empty. Only then did he notice a small note stuck on the door.
"I went to a friend's recording studio to practice. I'll send you the sample today. My WeChat id is…"
That's it. We'll talk after work then.
Harrison added her on WeChat from his phone and then went to work.
Around three in the afternoon, he received a message on WeChat-- it was a high-quality audio file sent by Carrie.
Another low-quality audio file followed it.
Carrie sent another message.
"The high-quality audio is for you to listen to the effect, don't use it as a sample. The low-quality one below is the sample final product. This is safer and less likely to be pirated. If you write more songs in the future, be more mindful when dealing with people, a sample can only be a sample. Good luck."
Looking at these messages, Harrison felt a heavy load on his heart.
He hesitated for a while, but finally sent it to Bella Ross, asking Bella Ross to forward it to the singer who wanted to buy the song.
However, he made a small change in his tone—he didn't promise that he would sell it but asked the other party to review it and assess their interest.