Claude was right. Mingyan would never resort to begging a stranger who wasn't professional in his work.
The radio staff was in turmoil because they couldn't locate Sam or reach him. They even asked Mingyan if she could contact him, but they were dismayed to learn that she had no means of reaching him. With only five minutes left before the live broadcast, Mingyan stood outside the recording room while the staff rushed back and forth in a state of panic.
Xiao Xi's expression darkened. She had seen some of Sam's performances and had formed a favorable impression of the young yet talented rapper. But at this moment, it all came crumbling down.
"Sis Xi," Mingyan called calmly, her voice sending a soothing sound that slightly relaxed the panicking staff who heard her. "I'll do it. But it will be in my own rendition."
Xiao Xi and the staff who were listening were stunned. Was she serious? Or was she just overestimating herself?
Meanwhile, a person holding his phone with trembling hands saw a message that said, "It's time for 'My Identity.' Please let the artists in." He almost cried.
But there was only one artist here! "Miss Xi, it's time," the person turned to Mingyan's manager with a pale face.
The staff dejectedly slumped their shoulders. That same person who had almost cried mustered the courage to decide for the others. "Go, go! Just do your best! We can't cancel this event because we've already announced on Weibo that there will be a live performance of 'My Identity!' So please perform with all you've got!" His decision resonated in the hearts of the staff there as well. It no longer mattered as long as she decided to perform. Besides, the one who would be criticized would be her anyway!
Mingyan nodded, while Xiao Xi frowned in worry. "Please tell the host that it will be my own rendition." She then gave a reassuring glance at her manager and calmly walked into the room. But Xiao Xi was not reassured at all. As Mingyan entered, she bolted to the waiting room and connected to the radio station through her phone.
At this moment, a song was being played as an interlude. She wasn't allowed to enter the recording room, so she had no idea what faces were being made by the staff inside. Then, when the song ended, a female host jumped in right as the song faded.
"That was wonderful! It's been so long since I've heard that song - I suddenly felt nostalgic."
Then, her partner replied. It was a male voice. "Yeah, I think I was seven when I first heard it."
Xiao Xi, who tried to patiently listen, was growing annoyed.
Male Host: "That's right! There will be a live performance of 'My Identity' today!"
Female Host: "But there's a twist! It's Mingyan's personal rendition of 'My Identity!' Now I'm curious what she'll do with the rap part."
Xiao Xi's worries lessened a bit. At the very least, the hosts did a good job of hiding the fact that there was a mistake and turned it into a surprise instead.
It did surprise the audience. Although they were eager to hear the live duet performance, their interest was piqued by this rendition, especially given the increasingly popularity of the new artist, Gu Mingyan, who had already amassed about two hundred thousand followers on Weibo, unbeknownst to herself. The hosts successfully diverted the audience's attention.
Male Host: "Alright, without further ado, here's Mingyan's rendition of 'My Identity,' live!"
Xiao Xi sat literally at the edge of her seat, listening anxiously to the intro. Then, to her shock, and to the surprise of all the listeners, including Sam, who was also tuned in to the radio, waiting for Mingyan to mess up, Mingyan took the song to a different realm.
Mingyan took Sam's parts and made them her own. She rapped the intro calmly and effortlessly transitioned to her own segment. Yet, she delivered the same emotional intensity as in the original recording. However, this time, the impact was even greater. Mingyan rapped as if it were the end of the world, conveying tragic and lonely emotions.
Halfway through the song, some listeners were already in tears, while others felt their hearts gripping in pain. Some drivers even pulled over from the road to listen, unable to concentrate on driving. The song was simply too emotional!
Xiao Xi was stunned, eventually becoming transfixed as she listened. She had truly hit the jackpot this time. She needed to protect this girl at all costs!
In the private room, Sam's face paled in shock, while Claude mirrored Xiao Xi's stunned expression, almost turning to stone. How could she be so skilled at rapping?!
Granted, her rapping wasn't as technically proficient as Sam's. In the rap community, skill is typically paramount. However, it was Mingyan's ability to convey emotion through her rapping that gave the song an even greater impact.
Sam's own face grew pale with realization. He had made a grave mistake this time.
On the top floor of Brilliant Stars, Hui Mingli was also listening to the radio station with the Brilliant Stars' CEO and the CEO's friend. He was suddenly called to report on Mingyan, leaving him thoroughly confused. However, he didn't question it; after all, he was just a songwriter, and no matter how famous he might be, these were people he couldn't afford to offend.
He had informed the two big shots about the upcoming live performance featuring Mingyan and Sam at the local radio station. However, when he heard the hosts' announcement that it would be Mingyan's own rendition, he immediately thought of Sam's arrogant face, and his own face paled.
His reaction didn't go unnoticed by the attentive men in the room.
"Song Lu, I entrusted you with the care of my cousin and this is what happens?" Lui Feng said, dressed in a formal business suit.
Song Lu felt a wave of trouble wash over him. Lui Feng could be incredibly intimidating, especially when it came to family matters. 'What had gone wrong this time?' he thought as he turned to Hui Mingli.
"Go find out what happened," he instructed, knowing he had no choice but to comply. It wasn't Lui Feng himself that he feared, but rather Mingyan's admirer and childhood friend, Shen Yan!
Lui Feng understood his thoughts well. Recently, he had dispatched several of his men to investigate Shen Yan's background. In the past, he would never have taken such a step, fearing retaliation. However, since learning that Shen Yan was staying at his cousin's house, his protective instincts had kicked in, driving him to take action to ensure Mingyan's safety and well-being.
This was how he came to know Song Lu, the CEO of Brilliant Stars—who was also closely associated with Shen Yan.
Today, he came just to make sure that his cousin would not be insulted.
Mingyan concluded the song by transforming the final rap section into a heartfelt ballad, causing the already emotionally stirred listeners to burst into tears. As the song faded, the hosts' admiring sighs filled the air, followed by an enthusiastic discussion about the performance.
Feeling guilty for underestimating her, the radio station staff didn't hold back in expressing their gratitude to Mingyan. Touched by the emotions of her own performance, Mingyan found herself teary-eyed. A quick-thinking staff member offered her a handkerchief, while thanking his lucky stars that he had brought his newly purchased handkerchief to work. He had no regrets about offering his expensive handkerchief to his newfound idol!
The stressful event finally ended, and Mingyan's Weibo once again exploded. In a few days, her followers were going to reach 3 million! Though once again, the oblivious Mingyan didn't notice until her manager asked her to post on her empty Weibo, since the only thing in there was her first post.
Xiao Xi greeted Mingyan in the waiting room with a gentler gaze mixed with admiration. She had actually turned into a fan of her own artist. Even Douxin wasn't able to shake her heart!
"Sis Xi ~ Did I do well?" Mingyan's eyes sparkled. She already knew the answer judging from Xiao Xi's eyes, but she couldn't help but tease her manager.
Xiao Xi's ears reddened as she coughed. She nodded. "Mn! You did well. In the competition tomorrow, you must do your best as well!" The rookie competition was actually one of the most popular singing television shows as it exposed new and upcoming as well as famous artists. It was the best visual debut for Mingyan.
"Ah! I almost forgot. Have you started working on your debut album?" Xiao Xi returned to being serious. This was crucial since the first albums usually either went wrong or became the dark horse in the music charts. There was no in-between if you wanted to be among the top artists. She wondered what Mingyan's album would be like.
Mingyan nodded her head. She had already finished one song, and it was a love song. Her inspiration was, of course, Shen Yan. She had wanted to sing it at the competition, but since he wasn't going, there was no point. She felt upset again.
Mingyan: 'Tonight, I'm barging into his room again!'
Lily: 'Don't tell me you're going to cook him?!'
Mingyan: *pouts* 'Not cook. I'm going to forcibly break down his restraints! Who told him to make an appointment that day! I worked so hard on this song. I've never genuinely written a song for anyone, and this one was for him...'
Mingyan knew she was being unreasonable, but she had put so much effort into crafting that one song! In all her other endeavors, she had never been so motivated. So to suddenly be doused with cold water really stoked her straightforward personality and left her feeling irked. If she hadn't fully integrated herself with Mingyan's character, she might have even confronted Shen Yan about it!
Xiao Xi was pleased with Mingyan's performance. She then escorted Mingyan home and prepared to deal with the aftermath. She knew there would be turmoil in the office after Mingyan's unexpected rendition of the song. And as for Sam...
Her gaze darkened. After making sure Mingyan was safely inside, she resolved to report every single detail of the incident to her two bosses, Song Lu and Lui Feng. She knew they were probably eagerly awaiting her detailed report. As per her assumptions, her call was picked up within seconds.
"Come to my office," Song Lu instructed, before promptly hanging up.
Xiao Xi didn't take offense. She had long grown accustomed to his direct manner after being a part of his company since its founding.
She immediately floored the accelerator. This incident might have seemed minor, but Mingyan's identity was too unique, both in public and in private. Even if that radio station was local, it had fans worldwide thanks to its daily highlights posted as podcasts on Weibo.
She had to ensure that the tide turned in Mingyan's favor. And only for Mingyan.
While Xiao Xi was quietly becoming a mother hen to Mingyan, Mingyan hurried to her studio to work on the other songs for her album.
The central theme was herself, so she titled it Aria. The songs chronicled her experiences from different worlds. The first song she finished, a love song, quickly became her favorite.
With a simple accompaniment of piano, guitar, and violin, she expressed her new experiences and feelings from being with Shen Yan. The first time she sang the song alone in her studio, in acapella, she had cried. It was then that she realized the depth of her emotions... and it frightened her.
How could she allow these emotions to flourish when her immortality was both a curse and a gift? Would she be able to leave the world when all the wishes were fulfilled? If she stayed, how was she going to face the death of Shen Yan?
Mingyan didn't know what to do, so she just poured all her emotions into the songs she created.