Volume One, Chapter 9: The Crisis of the Eastern Corporation!!

“Don’t worry, Brother Su. As long as you agree to appear at the concert, President Chen will already be grateful beyond words!”
“And besides, he’s even less eager for you to take off your mask than you are, hee hee… If you did, he’d have even more competitors to deal with!”
Ren Yingying grinned mischievously as she spoke.
Su Le simply pressed his lips together in response.

“All right, I’ve sent you the songs I wrote and composed!”
“Familiarize yourselves with them first; if you have any questions, just ask me anytime.”
Su Le tapped the send button.

“Okay, Brother Su, take care and get some rest!”
“I can’t wait to see the new song you wrote for me—I’m so happy.”
“Thank you, Brother Su.”

After hanging up, Su Le walked over to the window, picked up his phone, and dialed another number.

“Hello, Mom, how have you and Dad been lately?”

The moment the call connected, Su Le’s eyes grew red.

In his past life, the ones he owed the most were probably his parents.

“A-Le, is that you? Your father and I are both well, you don’t need to worry about us.”
“How are you and Yao Yao doing? Your father keeps saying, when will you two give us a grandchild? We’ll help you take care of them.”

A gentle, loving voice came through the phone.

“I know, Mom.”

Su Le was suddenly at a loss for words.

He didn’t know how to tell his parents about the divorce.

He couldn’t bring himself to say it.

He was afraid to make them worry.

“Don’t just keep yourself busy, remember to take care of your health.”
“There’s nothing for you to worry about at home—everything’s fine.” His mother’s laughter was warm and soothing.

That simple reassurance, “everything’s fine,” filled Su Le’s heart with indescribable warmth.

It seemed that only his mother’s voice could truly calm him.

After a few more words with his parents, Su Le finally hung up, washed up, and lay down to sleep.

At the same time—

Midnight, twelve o’clock!

Dongfang Entertainment Group Tower.

Recording Studio.

Chen Tianxiong had just returned from overseeing the concert preparations.

He was so hungry his stomach was sticking to his backbone, and as he sat in the recording studio, he was wolfing down a late-night snack.

“President Chen! President Chen! The new song is here!”

“Brother Su just sent me his new song!” Ren Yingying, excitement written all over her face, wheeled herself eagerly in front of President Chen.

Song Hongyan, hearing this, stopped her recording and hurried out.

“So soon?” Chen Tianxiong, startled, put down his chopsticks at once, not even bothering to wipe the oil from his mouth as he hurried to load the composition into the studio’s equipment.

“‘Seven Mile Fragrance’… That’s Yingying’s. Get familiar with the melody and lyrics first, quick, quick! I can hardly wait another second!”

All trace of his usual director’s composure vanished from Chen Tianxiong; in this moment, his eyes shone with pure anticipation.

At the same time, Song Hongyan clutched the new lyrics in her hands, her world seeming to freeze as she read.

Word by word, the lines gently stirred her heart. A crystalline tear slid silently down her cheek.

“Later… I finally learned how to love, but sadly, you were already gone, vanished in the vast sea of people… ‘Later’…”

It was as if the melody was flowing through her soul, gradually resonating with her own voice.

Though her romance had been brief, barely beginning before it ended, it was precisely this unfinished regret that made her miss the complete journey from love’s first bloom to its fading.

Yet, in the moment she poured her heart into singing this song—

Miraculously, she felt the emptiness left by past emotions tenderly filled by the music!

It was more than just the union of melody and words; it was like a delicate wash of color, adding richness and warmth to the blank spaces in her heart.

And just then—

Just then, a captivating melody began to float gently through the studio.

Ren Yingying was pouring her soul into recording “Seven Mile Fragrance”!

Every note was like the first dew of early summer—fresh and utterly invigorating.

The melody undulated with a graceful beauty, blending the subtle elegance of the East with the fluidity and liveliness of modernity, like the gentle sway of seven-mile blossoms in a breeze, exuding a faint, lingering fragrance.

As the gentle guitar intro softly flowed, a delicate and almost imperceptible scent seemed to drift through the air, as if the blossoms from seven miles away had truly come on the wind.

Ren Yingying’s voice gently unfolded at that moment, like the first ray of morning sunlight piercing through mist—tender, yet tinged with an elusive melancholy.

“The sparrows outside the window are chattering on the power lines…”

Her voice was laced with stories; every word, every lyric was infused with life.

Under her interpretation, the melody carried the sweetness and shyness of first love, mingled with the faint sorrow for time gone by.

With each leaping note, one could sense the languor of a summer afternoon and the longing of midnight solitude.

During the chorus, Ren Yingying’s voice rose higher, her emotions swelling, like clouds rolling before a sudden downpour—full of strength and wildness. “Those plump stalks of rice have brought happiness to this season.”

This was more than a depiction of nature—it was an ode to pure love, drawing listeners in, painting in their minds a vivid tableau of golden rice fields and distant blossoming shrubs blending in the sunlight.

As the song progressed, melody and vocals wove together, sometimes delicate and lingering, sometimes surging and impassioned, perfectly capturing the unique charm of “Seven Mile Fragrance.”

—It was a complex emotion about youth, first love, and memories, both warm and tinged with a touch of bitterness.

When the final note gently faded, the lingering resonance seemed to hang in the studio. Song Hongyan and Chen Tianxiong remained immersed in a profound and indescribable emotion, unable to move for a long while.

The song ended!

A radiant smile blossomed across Ren Yingying’s face.

Chen Tianxiong clenched his fists in excitement!

“A genius—Su Le is an absolute genius in my heart!”

“After ‘Big Fish,’ now two more masterpieces destined for greatness!”

At this moment, Chen Tianxiong’s admiration for Su Le had reached the level of reverence.

He had thought “Big Fish” was Su Le’s summit, but it turned out to be only the beginning.

Ren Yingying, too, was overjoyed as she came out of the studio.

This song suited her perfectly.

It was as if it had been written just for her.

Next, Song Hongyan entered the studio to record her new song.

From the sorrowful melody to the final notes of regret, Song Hongyan even used a hoarse, near-screaming voice to express, with perfect clarity, the unwillingness and longing in “Later” for a love that couldn’t be.

“With these two songs, our concert is certain to sell out!” The two new songs had completely put Chen Tianxiong at ease.

“Brother Su truly is overflowing with talent.”

“But why was he always so unknown before?” Ren Yingying hummed the tune, lyrics in hand, again and again, completely satisfied.

“Yes, it’s unimaginable—how could his inspiration be so terrifying? In just half a day, he wrote and composed two perfect songs!” Song Hongyan was also stunned.

“And the quality is outstanding!”

“This is genius!”

“Su Le was born for the world of entertainment! Ha! This time, I’m really going to make it big!”

“With a master like this, Dongfang Group will see an era of true glory!” Chen Tianxiong’s fighting spirit soared.

For years, under the suppression of Phoenix Corporation, Dongfang Group’s performance had always been in the red.

Kyushu Corporation had already issued the final ultimatum.

If Dongfang Group couldn’t present a hit this year, they would face dissolution!

But now—

Their chance at a comeback had finally arrived.