222: Chapter 222 What if I wrote a song for you guys?

After finishing the song, Xu Ran put down the microphone, looked towards the partition, and his expression carried a hint of nervousness.

"How is it?"

Lu Li did not answer immediately, but instead looked at Shen Qingxue beside him.

Shen Qingxue didn't say much either.

"Whatever you decide is fine."

Lu Li nodded, then stood up, his gaze sweeping over Xu Ran and the three young men one by one.

"Hmm... The basic skills are actually quite good, but I have a question I want to ask you."

Xu Ran was stunned for a moment.

"What question?"

Lu Li had his hands in his pockets, and although his tone seemed very casual, every word carried seriousness.

"If I say... I'll write a song for you, would you be willing to give it a try?"

The air was quiet for a full two seconds.

Then the boy holding the guitar was the first to react, almost losing his grip on the guitar in his hand.

"W-Write... A song?! For us?!"

His voice was filled with almost sheer disbelief.

Although Lu Li's current fame still couldn't compare to the many artists in the entertainment industry, to them, he was still a colossal figure.

More importantly, how awesome Lu Li was at writing songs was famous on Douyin.

For a big shot of this level to write a song for a few small fries like them was completely no different than a billionaire walking down the street and saying they would give you ten million.

On the other side, Xu Ran was also stunned. He opened his mouth and even blurted out a curse word, as if wanting to confirm whether he had heard correctly.

"Holy shit! Ah this, you... are you serious?"

"I'm not joking."

Lu Li chuckled softly and continued.

"The song you guys just sang was pretty good, the foundation is very solid, it's just that the song itself lacks a bit of polish."

"If you switched to a better work, the effect should be different."

At this moment, Xu Ran was completely dazed. His mind was filled with thoughts of "Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?"

"Why aren't you speaking?"

Lu Li strangely swept his gaze across each of their faces.

Xu Ran was silent for several seconds before opening his mouth. His voice was a bit lower than before, carrying an emotion of trying hard to suppress it.

"Teacher Lu, are these words of yours... true?"

"Of course they're true, how could I possibly trick you guys."

Although Lu Li's tone remained casual, there wasn't the slightest hint of a joke in his gaze.

"However... helping people certainly isn't without conditions either. You guys probably can't afford the compensation for a song, so I only have one extra condition."

Xu Ran nodded immediately, feeling that this was completely normal. If it were truly unconditional, then there would probably be something fishy about it.

"Name it."

"I'll write this song for you, but you have to promise me to sing it well, and after the song is released, we'll split the revenue fifty-fifty."

After hearing this, Xu Ran almost didn't hesitate.

"No problem! As for the split, we can even not take any of it, as long as it becomes a hit! We really, really need a form of recognition."

After saying that, he looked at the other three and hurriedly gave them a signal.

Soon, the three boys also expressed that they had no objections.

Looking at their nervous yet excited appearances, Lu Li nodded with satisfaction.

It was naturally best if nobody had objections, saving him from haggling. After all, he wasn't a saint who could manage uncompensated help.

"Alright, then I'll contact you guys once I write the song."

After speaking, Lu Li glanced at Shen Qingxue.

Shen Qingxue met his gaze, smiled slightly at him, and didn't say much.

Seeing this, Lu Li didn't plan to stay long at this quiet bar. After chatting briefly with Xu Ran for a few more words, he stood up and said goodbye.

When walking out of the quiet bar, the night breeze blew against their faces.

Lu Li stood at the alley entrance, took a deep breath, and then turned his head to glance at Shen Qingxue.

"Do you think what I did was a bit impulsive?"

Shen Qingxue thought for a moment, then shook her head.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because your judgment of people is very accurate."

Shen Qingxue's tone was calm, but the corners of her mouth carried a slight smile.

"Besides, their basic skills are indeed quite good. If you give them a good song, it definitely won't turn out bad."

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

"If you keep praising me like this, my tail will stick straight up into the sky."

"I'm just stating the facts."

Shen Qingxue paused, then suddenly asked.

"Oh right, you taking the initiative to ask for half of the split... is it because you want to?"

Hearing this, Lu Li spoke with a chuckle, but his expression suddenly carried a hint of seriousness.

"There's no help for it, I'm poor right now. If I don't seize the time to make money, in the future I won't even have the bride-price to marry a wife."

After a moment of silence, Shen Qingxue calmly spoke.

"I don't demand luxury cars, mansions, or savings. Being able to be like this... actually, I'm already very satisfied."

"That won't do. Even if you don't want it, I can't really not do it. Give it up, Shen Qingxue, in this lifetime you won't escape the palm of my hand."

Lu Li laughed out loud, his stride subconsciously becoming swaggering.

Seeing his rogue-like appearance, Shen Qingxue's heart softened, but on the surface she irritably reached out her hand, wanting to give his waist a fierce pinch.

But in the end, the force weakened significantly, feeling more like a massage on his waist.

"Hey, what are you doing, it's so ticklish."

"Ticklish my foot, go tickle yourself to death!"

The two of them playfully bickered as they returned to the alley entrance and walked over to the electric scooter.

Lu Li took out the keys, straddled the scooter, and after Shen Qingxue sat securely, he twisted the throttle and rode back along the way they came.

Shen Qingxue sat in the back seat, her hands tightly hugging his waist, and her cheek pressed against his back.

"Lu Li."

"Hmm?"

"I'm a bit curious, what style of song do you plan to write for Xu Ran and the others?"

Lu Li thought for a moment and didn't answer immediately.

He really hadn't decided on a specific one yet, but he already had several candidates in his mind.

"It hasn't been completely finalized yet, but... I already have a few basic embryonic ideas in my head, which should fit their vocal ranges quite well."

Shen Qingxue nodded and didn't press further.

Before long, the electric scooter stopped at the hotel entrance.

The two of them locked the scooter and walked side by side into the lobby.

When they reached the door of their room, Shen Qingxue stopped, turned around, and glanced at Lu Li.

"Right, tomorrow afternoon the organizers will have a rehearsal, are you going together?"

"I'm going."

Lu Li nodded without hesitation.

"It's a good chance to adapt to the stage's sound system in advance, to avoid any mishaps during the official competition."

Shen Qingxue curved the corners of her mouth.

"Alright, then see you tomorrow afternoon."

"Good night."

"Good night."