116: Chapter 116 Let that girl get a good night's rest.

Shen Nian was pulled out of her dream by the scent of scallion oil.

She lifted the quilt and sat up, but a sudden movement made her hiss in pain.

Her waist and legs felt as if they had been run over by a truck—sore and weak.

Supporting her waist, she eased herself for a dozen seconds before barely managing to put on her slippers and shuffling to the bedroom door.

In the kitchen, Jiang Fan stood before the stove with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, using long chopsticks to stir noodles in boiling water.

"Awake?" Jiang Fan turned his head and glanced at Shen Nian.

"Mm." Shen Nian walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down with somewhat sluggish movements.

Jiang Fan scooped out the cooked noodles, poured them into two large bowls, and quickly mixed them with chopsticks.

Every strand of noodle was evenly coated in a sauce-colored sheen, topped with vibrant green scallions, looking quite appetizing.

He pushed one bowl in front of Shen Nian.

"Scallion oil noodles, eat them while they're hot."

Shen Nian picked up her chopsticks, her gaze falling onto the dining table.

Near the edge of the table on her side, there was a noticeable water stain, darker than the surrounding wood grain and not yet completely dry.

The tips of her ears slowly turned red.

Lowering her head, she took a big, hearty bite of the noodles.

The noodles were chewy, the scallion oil fragrant and rich; as they slid down her throat, her stomach, which had been empty all night, felt warmed.

Jiang Fan sat opposite her, eating quickly, finishing his bowl in three minutes.

Shen Nian ate more slowly, chewing mouthful by mouthful, her cheeks bulging with noodles.

"After you finish, go to the Studio. I'll let you familiarize yourself with the Song first." Jiang Fan wiped his mouth.

"What type is it?"

"Folk."

Shen Nian's eyes lit up.

Folk. That was the genre she loved most when she first learned to play the guitar.

An acoustic guitar, a story, no need for too much embellishment—both the singer and the listener feel comfortable.

—

The two arrived at the Studio.

Jiang Fan handed her the printed sheet music for "Song".

Shen Nian took it and looked at the title first.

Song, it sounded like a person's name.

She turned to the first page and her eyes fell on the first line of lyrics.

"Song, living in a certain place in Tibet"

"Like a vulture, perching on the mountaintop"

Her fingers unconsciously brushed over those words.

Just reading them silently made her throat feel tight.

"Song, the sun is spread out in front of Jokhang Temple"

"Brewing a pot of sweet tea, we chat about the past"

The lyrics felt like they were describing a person.

A person living on the plateau, silent and resilient.

Her fingers stopped there.

She looked up at Jiang Fan.

Jiang Fan was leaning against the office desk, arms crossed, saying nothing.

"This Song..." Shen Nian's voice was a bit hoarse, "Is it written for me?"

"Of course."

Shen Nian lowered her head again, reading the chorus section twice.

She closed the sheet music and held it to her chest.

"Let's go, to the Recording Studio."

She couldn't wait any longer.

—

In the Recording Studio, Shen Nian put on her earphones and gripped the microphone.

The accompaniment flowed out.

The guitar plucking was clean and clear, layered with a Tibetan-style humming harmony—

"Yi ya yi ya yo, yi ya yi ya yo—"

"Song, living in a certain place in Tibet..."

It was very soft, like talking to herself.

But every word was articulated clearly.

Jiang Fan stood behind the mixing console, wearing monitoring headphones.

On the first take, she sang with restraint, her voice lifting slightly, carrying a stubbornness that refused to bow.

Jiang Fan made a mark on the console and gave her an OK gesture.

On the third take, she sang the entire Song from beginning to end without stopping.

After the last note faded, the Recording Studio was silent for three seconds.

Shen Nian took off her earphones and looked at him through the glass window.

There was no expression on her face, but her eyes were already glistening with tears.

Jiang Fan gave a thumbs up.

"That's it for today. Go back and digest it yourself; we'll polish the details tomorrow. There are still four days until the recording, enough time."

Shen Nian pushed the door open, took the warm water handed to her by Zhou Yutong, and drank half the cup in one go.

"Sister Nian, this Song is so beautiful." Zhou Yutong's eyes were sparkling, "When I was listening outside, I got goosebumps."

—

At two in the afternoon, the door to the Studio was pushed open.

Li Cheng appeared with two massive dark circles under his eyes, his hair looking like a bird's nest, and his suit jacket draped limply over his arm.

He wandered to the front desk and waved at Zhou Yutong.

Then he wandered to the door of Jiang Fan's office and pushed it open.

"Jiang Fan..."

He slumped into a chair, his head resting on the desk.

"Did I... say anything I shouldn't have last night?"

Jiang Fan lifted his eyes from the computer screen.

"You said you had a crush on Diva Xu."

Li Cheng's head snapped up from the desk, his face deathly pale.

"I didn't say that."

"You also said her legs were fair."

"Impossible!"

"You said it. You even said it twice."

Li Cheng's expression froze instantly, and he collapsed back into the chair.

"Brother Fan, I beg you, take this to the grave. If Diva Xu finds out..."

"What if she finds out?"

"She'll make me socially dead." Li Cheng's voice was faint.

Jiang Fan looked at his face for a pause of two seconds.

"Fine. Keep your mouth shut from now on."

Li Cheng relaxed completely, slumping in the chair.

"Yes, yes, yes. A great kindness, no need for thanks..."

"Get Shen Nian's schedule sorted out this afternoon. Clear up the itinerary before and after the fourth episode of The Sound of Nature recording. Don't let any mistakes happen."

"Right away!"

Li Cheng hurriedly left the office and closed the door.

In the hallway, the sound of him muttering to Zhou Yutong could be heard: "Quick, pour me a cup of strong tea, make it strong... my head is killing me..."

Zhou Yutong's voice drifted over from afar: "Brother Li, just how much did you drink?"

"Don't ask... I wasn't in the zone yesterday, only drank a dozen bottles."

Jiang Fan: ...

—

Jiang Fan returned to his computer.

The two Songs owed to Su Yuyan couldn't be delayed any longer.

He opened the system store, typed keywords into the search bar, and flipped through a few pages.

The Song he had already picked out last night was still on the list.

"Sigh".

He clicked to preview it. The melody flowed through his mind—lazy, alluring, with a hint of traditional charm.

Su Yuyan's voice was born to sing this kind of Song.

That seductive yet bold quality in her voice, paired with these lyrics, would be perfect.

[Redeem "Sigh"? Consumes 200 Lifespan Value]

Confirm.

[Redemption successful. Current Lifespan Value: 34,400 points]

The lyrics and melody flooded into his mind.

Jiang Fan closed his eyes and went through it once.

Good stuff.

He pulled over a sheet music notebook and began to write the Arrangement framework.

This Song required a guzheng and a danxianqin, paired with electronic bass drums, and another layer of strings for the chorus.

He wrote until six in the evening and finally finished.

He picked up his phone and sent a message to Su Yuyan.

[The Song is written. I'll give you the demo tomorrow.]

Su Yuyan replied quickly: [Mwah, see you at the company tomorrow. By the way, guess who I ran into today?]

[Who?]

[Tang Yingxue.] Su Yuyan sent an eye-rolling emoji.

[She actually took the initiative to chat with me, fishing for information about you several times. Finally, she asked how you charge for songwriting.]

Jiang Fan raised an eyebrow.

[What did you say?]

[I said you're very expensive and ordinary people can't afford you.] Su Yuyan sent a [hee hee] emoji.

[Then she left, looking quite displeased.]

Tang Yingxue going to Su Yuyan to ask about him meant she was still hesitating.

This person, her pride was higher than the sky.

Let's see how long she can hold out.

Jiang Fan replied: [Got it. Ignore her.]

Su Yuyan: [You don't really want to write a Song for her, do you?]

Jiang Fan: [Depends on her behavior.]

Su Yuyan: [...Why do I feel like you're fishing.]

Jiang Fan didn't reply. He closed the computer and stood up to stretch.

He grabbed his coat and left the office.

Downstairs, he hailed a taxi and returned to his apartment.

He wouldn't go to Shen Nian's place today—that girl needed a good night's rest.