119: Chapter 119 I'll go with you

Lu Li was stunned for a moment, and then couldn't help laughing out loud.

"Three million? To buy the copyright of 'coral sea' plus all other songs?"

A trace of speechlessness instantly appeared in his expression.

"Do they think we are country bumpkins who just came out from the village and have never seen money?"

Shen Qingxue picked up a piece of green vegetable and put it into her mouth, chewed twice, swallowed leisurely, and then spoke.

"I thought so too, so I didn't reply."

Lu Li nodded, picked up his water glass and took a sip. When he put the glass down, his expression suddenly became a bit more serious.

"However, since they have spoken up, it means they have set their sights on us. This is actually a signal."

Shen Qingxue nodded slightly. Of course she understood this logic.

Having been struggling in the entertainment industry for so many years, she knew the routines of these companies all too well.

First make an offer to test your bottom line.

If you loosen your stance, they will push for more.

If you don't loosen your stance, they will switch to other methods.

"What do you think they will do?" Shen Qingxue put down her chopsticks, her gaze falling on Lu Li's face.

Lu Li thought for a moment, and then shook his head.

"Hard to say, but it's definitely not any fair and square means. After all, it's impossible for them to come openly."

He paused, the corners of his mouth hooking up slightly.

"Whatever, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now, we've got nothing to lose."

Shen Qingxue looked at his nonchalant appearance, and the corners of her mouth moved slightly.

"You really have a big heart."

"What else?"

Lu Li spread his hands with an innocent look.

"I can't kill them all either. Instead of walking on eggshells all day, we might as well just do what we should do. At worst, we end up with nothing."

After saying that, he picked up his bowl again and continued digging into his rice.

Shen Qingxue didn't reply anymore. She lowered her head and continued eating quietly.

Actually, sometimes she quite envied Lu Li's attitude towards life. Whenever she wanted to try to be like Lu Li, she could never be that open-minded.

After the meal, Lu Li cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks as usual.

Shen Qingxue didn't stand on ceremony with him either, leaning against the sofa and continuing to browse her phone.

By the time Lu Li came out of the kitchen, she had already read the lyrics of "summer wind" from beginning to end several times, humming the melody silently.

"How is it? Can you sing it?" Lu Li walked over and sat heavily opposite her.

Shen Qingxue raised her head and glanced at him.

"The melody is not difficult, but it's not easy to sing it with the right vibe."

She paused and continued.

"The key to this song is not technique, but feeling—that kind of... lazy summer feeling with a little bit of sweetness."

Lu Li gave a thumbs up.

"Professional, you hit the nail on the head in one sentence."

Shen Qingxue ignored his flattery, lowered her head to read the lyrics again, and then raised her head.

"When can the demo be recorded?"

"Tomorrow, I suppose. Let's finalize the lyrics and melody today first. I'll make the accompaniment tonight, and you can practice tomorrow."

As Lu Li spoke, he stood up from the sofa and stretched.

"Then I'll go refine the song now. If you have nothing to do, you can practice the verse part first."

Shen Qingxue nodded.

Lu Li turned around and walked into the bedroom, closed the door, sat at the desk, picked up a pencil, and continued to refine "summer wind".

He wrote very fast, almost without pausing.

This song was simply too classic before he time-traveled; the melody had long been engraved in his mind, and he didn't need to think much at all.

In less than an hour, the lyrics, melody, and arrangement framework of the entire song were all settled.

Lu Li organized the manuscript paper, read it from beginning to end, confirmed there were no problems, and then took out the microphone and adjusted the parameters.

Recording a demo didn't require overly complex equipment; a guitar plus vocals were enough.

As for the rest, a synthesizer would do.

Afterwards, Lu Li hugged his guitar, sat by the bed, faced the microphone, and sang "summer wind" from beginning to end.

Passed on the first take.

It wasn't because he sang that well, but because the melody of this song was simply too comfortable; no matter how it was sung, it wouldn't sound bad.

Lu Li exported the recorded demo, sent it to Shen Qingxue's WeChat, and then leaned back in his chair, letting out a long breath.

Done.

...

In the next few days, the two entered a combat-ready state.

Work started punctually at nine every morning. Shen Qingxue practiced songs, and Lu Li produced the accompaniment. Each was busy with their own tasks and didn't disturb each other.

But the more it was like this, the higher the tacit understanding between the two became.

Moreover, Shen Qingxue's singing skills were truly unquestionable; she mastered "summer wind" in almost a single day.

From breath control to articulation, from emotion to details, every link was handled very appropriately.

After listening to her acapella singing, Lu Li couldn't help clapping.

"Alright, the audition is secure."

Shen Qingxue put down the lyric book, her tone indifferent.

"Don't be careless. Although the audition is not difficult, we can't lower our guard."

Lu Li nodded and didn't refute.

...

Time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, it was the day before the auditions.

In the evening, the two sat on the sofa and combed through the process of tomorrow's audition once again.

The audition was held at the Modu Exhibition Center, starting at nine in the morning. All contestants would go on stage to sing in the order of their registration.

Each person had only five minutes to sing an original song.

Then the judges would score on the spot, and the contestants ranked in the top one hundred would enter the semifinals.

"What number are you in line?"

Lu Li asked casually, leaning against the sofa.

Shen Qingxue lowered her head to glance at her phone.

"Number eighty-seven, going on stage around ten-thirty."

Lu Li nodded, then turned his head to look at her.

"Are you nervous?"

Shen Qingxue glanced at him and didn't answer immediately.

After two seconds of silence, she finally spoke. Her tone was still indifferent, but her voice was a little lighter than usual.

"A little."

Lu Li was stunned for a moment.

This was the first time Shen Qingxue admitted to being nervous in front of him.

He stared at her for two seconds, and then suddenly smiled.

"Rare, huh? You can get nervous too."

Shen Qingxue glared at him.

Originally, participating in this kind of competition for someone like her who had experienced many major scenes certainly wouldn't make her nervous.

But for some reason, thinking that she might be the only one arriving tomorrow, that faint sense of loss seemed to turn into a sense of nervousness.

Lu Li quickly and sensibly put away his smile, cleared his throat, and said with a straight face.

"Don't be nervous. Just treat it like practicing songs at home. Those judges and audience members down the stage are all Chinese cabbages, all waiting for you to harvest them."

Shen Qingxue's mouth twitched slightly.

"Your way of comforting people is quite unique."

"Of course, I wouldn't tell just anyone."

Lu Li grinned widely, stood up from the sofa, walked to the kitchen, poured two cups of water, brought them back, and handed one of the cups to her.

"Drink some water and rest early. I will go with you tomorrow."

Shen Qingxue took the water cup, lowered her head to take a sip, and then suddenly reacted, raising her head to look at him in shock.

"You are going with me?!"

"Right. I rented a car, and I'll drive you there tomorrow. Anyway, I don't have much to do at home, so I might as well go to the venue to come on and cheer you up."

Lu Li's tone was very casual.

Shen Qingxue stared at her for two seconds, then lowered her head, a blush slightly appearing at the base of her ears, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzzing.

"Okay."