Jing Yang successfully terminated his contract with Liu Hang's company, established his own studio, and prepared to record his new song.
When Gu Mang went to the studio to find him, he saw Jing Yang asleep on the sofa.
Gu Mang squatted on the edge, staring at Jing Yang, who was asleep, and reaching out his hand to touch his face, which was a little cold. Gu Mang was afraid he'd catch a cold, so he patted his face to wake him up.
Jing Yang's sleep was disrupted, but he didn't want to wake up. He continued to close his eyes and push Gu Mang's hand away from him.
When he saw he was unwilling to wake up, Gu Mang took Jing Yang up from the sofa and placed him in his arms. He looked at Jing Yang's crimson lips and kissed them without hesitation then opened Jing Yang's mouth and put his tongue in it.
"Nnn~" Jing Yang's mouth was shut, his nose was pushed, and his breathing became difficult. He was jolted awake from his sleep, squinting his still-stunned eyes and pushing Gu Mang away.
"Awake?" Gu Mang asked as he looked at Jing Yang.
"What are you doing?" Jing Yang closed his eyes again and expressed his displeasure. "Could you not disturb my sleep?"
"If you sleep here, you will catch a cold. If your throat becomes inflamed again, you won't be able to participate in the competition." Gu Mang said.
Jing Yang was fully awake asGu Mang mentioned the competition. He looked around and realized he was in a recording studio. He remembered that he was only closing his eyes and resting after the recording was over, but he had truly dozed off.
Jing Yang sat up, but he didn't feel strong enough, so he leaned on Gu Mang and said, "What time is it now?"
"It's already in the afternoon." Gu Mang put his hand on his cheek and said, "Are you hungry? I'll take you out to eat."
"I'm not hungry, and I don't want to eat." Jing Yang was puzzled as to why he became exhausted so quickly in these two lives. He'd never been in a situation like this in any of his past lives. He couldn't tell if it was related to physical or psychological factors.
"Come home with me, and I'll have the chef prepare something lighter for you." Gu Mang had spent so much time with Jing Yang that he had mastered some of his preferences and behaviors. Whether or not he had eaten, if you ask him if he was hungry, he will say he's not, and he seemed to have no appetite at all. So, when Gu Mang was busy with his own business, he would be worried about Jing Yang's tendency of failing to eat on time. He would go to him to eat as long as he is free, and if he was not free, he would call him and tell him to eat on time.
"Okay." Jing Yang also understood that it was impossible to go without food. Although he was confused by his lack of appetite, he was not bothered.
They left for Gu Mang's villa. Gu Mang asked Jing Yang in the car, "Has the new song been recorded yet?"
"Well, it's finished; you can publish it in three days,". Jing Yang said as he gazed out at the bustling street scene. "It's great that I don't have to make a music video for this song, and it'd be even better if I didn't have to film a music video for future songs."
Gu Mang turned his head, looked at him, and said, "How exhausting can shooting a MV be? There shouldn't be anyone as lazy as you."
Without saying anything, Jing Yang blinked and closed his eyes.
This time, Jing Yang created a new single that was specifically designed for the competition. It was the competition Chu Yang had missed in his previous life due to the cold. This competition, however, is not the same as the last one. Because Gu Mang knew why Jing Yang wanted to participate, he too entered the competition and served as one of the judges.
After dining, Jing Yang stayed the night. In any case, the recording was complete. The rest would be handled by Gu Mang. He had been staying here for a few days and would return to his home when the competition was about to begin.
Gu Mang arranged everything for Jing Yang's studio, from the crew to the room and all kinds of recording equipment. Jing Yang, who has grown accustomed to being an 'arm-flinging shopkeeper' has no patience for trivial matters. Fortunately, his lover is someone who likes being concerned about him. Jing Yang believed that if he could, Gu Mang would gladly devour the meal for him.
(T/N : sb who asks others to work but does nothing himself)
Three days later, Jing Yang's new song was promoted on major music websites on the Internet. This song was also used to participate in the Sound of Heaven Competition via vote. This competition is exclusively open to singers who have been performing for less than three years, and only the top five singers in online voting are eligible to participate.
This competition's credibility and quality are quite high. Not only are well-known musicians serving as judges, but each computer IP can only cast one vote at a time. You are not allowed to vote more than once. Those that are able to win first place have shown to be exceptional singers. As a result, many new singers aim to compete in this competition and earn a lot of exposure as a result of their participation.
Ji Xiao's previous career was built on the popularity of this competition. In his past life, he was able to achieve first place in the competition. Aside from relying on the songs that Chu Yang was compelled to write for him by the company, there was also the fact that he couldn't live for two years due to a heart condition, which drew a lot of sympathy votes.
Then, more than a year after winning first place, he would pretend to go abroad for heart replacement surgery, and then return home healthily. When he traveled abroad to pretend to have surgery, his fans prayed for him in various ways, and when he returned to China, they cried with joy. He took advantage of the situation, and his reputation has skyrocketed.
Jing Yang thought that Ji Xiao would undoubtedly use the same tactic to obtain sympathy votes in this lifetime, but he would let him know exactly what the consequence would be when the time came.
Jing Yang's new song required a lot of thought and, with the assistance of the system, he felt quite confident in its performance. The likelihood of success is more than 90%.
For days, Jing Yang daily watched how many views and rankings his new song has on various websites. As a singer who had almost no exposure or popularity before, and as an artist who had just debuted, Jing Yang's new song had a current upward trend, and he was very satisfied.
Jing Yang's current popularity was also skyrocketing as a result of this song. According to the current standings on the official website of the Sound of Heaven Competition, he is the singer who has risen the fastest. Then, in a matter of days, he rose from twenty-odd to fifth place, and the number of votes continues to rise at a fast pace.
Although Jing Yang's song had become more popular than others, the majority of those who voted for him did so because they enjoy his music. But, of course, this wasn't a negative thing for Jing Yang. There wasn't much mystery about his becoming one of the contestants, given his current trend.
Because Ji Xiao was the most well-known and popular of all the singers that took part in the vote, he was ranked first from the start. Although it had only been a short time since he made his debut, Chu Yang's songs had contributed to his success.
Even if he didn't use the company to promote himself, if the songs he composed were all sung by him, Chu Yang would own at least half of Ji Xiao's current popularity.
Jing Yang checked the number of votes and rankings, but he wasn't worried whether he would be able to participate and become a contestant. But there was one person who was more worried and anxious about this than he was, and that was Ji Xiao.
Ji Xiao seemed to have gone insane these days, looking at the official website every day and unable to concentrate on anything else. His heart felt like it was being hurled off a cliff as he watched Chu Yang's ranking grow swiftly, and the rapid rate made him uneasy and even difficult to breathe.
Ji Xiao did not want Chu Yang to be a contestant at all. Although he realized Chu Yang's singing abilities were far inferior to his, he also recognized Chu Yang's musical ability. Chu Yang's new song, in particular, gave him a strong sense of crisis. He considered using some manner to lower Chu Yang's ranking, but the organizers didn't seem to be able to be bought in any way.
Ji Xiao's heart was already aching when Jing Yang made the top five. Jing Yang's ranking hadn't increased as quickly as it once did, but it hadn't stopped rising. From fifth to fourth, then to third, and finally to second. When it seemed that Jing Yang's ranking would exceed Ji Xiao's to become the first, the voting was finally over .
Ji Xiao retained first position and was named the contestant with the highest votes, while Jing Yang finished second with a little gap and was also named one of the contestants.
Ji Xiao was unsure of how to react when he saw the results. Despite keeping the first position, Jing Yang almost surpassed him with a single song. While this hit him, he also had a dreadful feeling that he would lose the competition against Jing Yang.
Ji Xiao put down his phone and shrank on the sofa, slightly shaking, as he looked at the screen on the voting page. He was already nervous before the competition began. Because this was a very important competition, he's already aimed to win first place, and he's already learnt about the strengths of other players who might enter the competition. He used to be quite confident, but now he's nervous because of this sudden situation.
Ji Xiao saw this competition as a stepping stone in his career, therefore he had put in a lot of work to be able to compete in it. Initially, he hoped to keep Chu Yang out of the competition and then let the company exert pressure on him. Then he would send Chu Yang a heartfelt plea, pleading with him to help him in writing songs so that he could win the competition.
However, his plan had been entirely thrown off by Jing Yang's rebirth. Ji Xiao could no longer control him after the contract was terminated. Ji Xiao had made his first miscalculation. Jing Yang was also chosen as a contestant, and this was his second miscalculation.
After Jing Yang abruptly terminated his contract with the company, Ji Xiao spent a lot of money to hire other people to assist him write the songs he needed for the competition. However, it seemed that this was no longer sufficient. Besides his wish to win first place, he didn't want to be compared to Chu Yang even more.
So Ji Xiao made up his mind. He must take necessary steps as needed. Whatever method he used, he must emerge victorious in this competition.
On the official website, the countdown for the formal launch of the Sound of Heaven Competition has entered the final three days.