Mysterious Assistant of the Washed-Up Queen-Chapter 460 - 306: The First Rehearsal, Silence Throughout_2
At the same time, Xu Qingqiu also saw Chu Tian entering through the door, but she was in the middle of singing and only gave a nod to acknowledge him before quickly immersing herself back into the song.
Chu Tian didn’t interrupt her. He stood silently outside, listening intently to Xu Qingqiu’s performance, all the while checking for any flaws or issues that might need addressing.
After two or three minutes, Xu Qingqiu finished singing the entire piece and immediately rushed out, eager to talk.
"Are you done with your work?"
"Yeah, I’m done. How about you, tired?"
"Not tired. I’ve rested several times already. I even went to find you, but you were so busy you didn’t notice me, so I didn’t disturb you."
"Ah? I really didn’t notice."
He had been editing videos with headphones on the entire time. His mind was filled with various images, and his ears with the original sound of the video, so he truly hadn’t realized someone had come by.
"It’s okay. You were probably too absorbed in it, right? How did my last performance sound? You heard the whole thing, so give me some feedback, and I’ll adjust it."
"Hmm... there are some issues, but they’re all minor, like breathing and vocal transitions. The biggest problem you have right now, though, is..."
"What problem? Is it tricky?"
"Well, I wouldn’t call it tricky. The overall performance I just listened to was very good, but it was dry, flat, without soul, you know?"
"It feels like a singing machine with no emotion. On the surface, everything seems fine, and your Singing Skills are definitely up to par, but it fails to move people, to reach into their hearts."
Seeing Chu Tian frown with a serious expression, Xu Qingqiu was momentarily stunned, then suddenly burst out laughing.
"PFFT! HA HA HA!"
"Why are you laughing?"
Watching Xu Qingqiu clutch her shoulders, laughing so hard she could hardly stand, Chu Tian was completely baffled.
After waiting for her to finish laughing, Chu Tian finally understood why.
"Chu Tian, Teacher Chu, I know what the problem is. My singing truly lacks emotion, but this is also your fault!"
"My fault?"
"Yes! It’s your fault! Who told you to write the song so well? When I first started singing it, I cried every single time. Sister Hua was even scared when she came by, and later my eyes were all swollen from crying."
"When I went to touch up my makeup, I realized this wasn’t working. If I kept crying like this, it wouldn’t be good to go on stage with swollen eyes. Even if I stopped crying later, I was afraid I’d become numb if I sang it too many times. It would be hard to connect with the song emotionally after that."
"So I thought, what if I don’t get emotional and just sing it technically? First, I’d master the song, sing it once flawlessly, and then pour my emotions into it when I’m actually on stage. Wouldn’t that be the best of both worlds?"
Damn! After hearing Xu Qingqiu’s words, Chu Tian was momentarily stunned.
Can emotions even be controlled like that? It sounds simple, but how do you actually do it? People have thoughts, which lead to emotions, and they often get carried away by them.
Throughout history, emotions have been the hardest things to control. Not to mention, women tend to be more sentimental than men and are more easily swayed by their feelings.
Who can forcefully detach emotions like that? That’s too surreal, isn’t it?
"You managed to do it?"
Facing Chu Tian’s astonished and puzzled expression, Xu Qingqiu proudly lifted her chin.
Her attractive jawline and delicate neck were clearly visible right before Chu Tian’s eyes, making his lips feel somewhat parched.
"Of course. After a few tries, I found the right method. Just stay focused while singing, don’t overthink, and pretend to be an emotionless machine."
"Impressive!"
Chu Tian had to give her a thumbs-up for that. It wasn’t that no one had ever done this, but such a method was very, very difficult. Some people, even with professional training, might not be able to master it.
Otherwise, in his previous life, there wouldn’t have been so many singers who broke down while singing their signature songs. Their later versions often lacked the emotional impact of the earlier ones.
Why was that? It was because they sang them so much they became numb; the feelings they once had for the song had drastically changed.
To put it bluntly, their initial passion had changed, and so had their feelings.
But if one could detach emotion, say for casual or minor events, then there was no need for genuine feeling. Just pure singing to show off skills would be enough. Then, when necessary, one could inject the emotion back in.
This way, not only could the song’s lifespan be greatly extended, but it also prevented the singer from becoming too distressed. It was truly an amazing skill.
It must be said, Xu Qingqiu is truly a person born to sing.
"Alright, since that’s settled, there’s no problem. Let’s try to record a version tonight, and we can submit it tomorrow. But for now, shouldn’t we go eat something first? I’m starving."
"Sure, but there’s no need to go out. I’ve already asked Yiyi to go downstairs to buy something; she should be back soon."
"She’s gone to buy it already? Yiyi’s working hard. Well then, let’s take a break and wait for the food!"
After dinner, the two of them tried a few more times. Chu Tian recorded all their attempts and finally chose a version he considered perfect to copy.
He had previously said it needed to be done by midnight, but at that time, Chu Tian wasn’t sure if Xu Qingqiu would master the song in time.
Now that it had been recorded, there was naturally no need to wait until midnight.
So, early the next morning, as the workday began, Sister Hua delivered the song along with the demo.
As expected, they received a reply asking them to come to the station the next day for the dress rehearsal.
In the afternoon, the other party not only sent over the specific time but also some related materials, including the contact person’s phone number, a vehicle pass, and so on.
The timeline was incredibly tight: submitting it today and rehearsing tomorrow. Chu Tian and his group knew the other side must be swamped, so they were on their best behavior, listened to the arrangements, and made sure not to ask irrelevant questions.
Dress rehearsals aren’t like live broadcasts that start in the evening. There are too many acts to rehearse, and various issues can occur.
Therefore, the entire television studio was already bustling from early in the morning.
This was the case this year. In previous years, when there were even more acts and complications, the first dress rehearsal was sometimes scheduled for two days.
Although this year didn’t have a two-day schedule, another television studio was specially opened in addition to the main stage. Two studios worked simultaneously to speed up the dress rehearsal’s progress; otherwise, one day truly might not have been enough.
Since Xu Qingqiu’s group submitted late, were the last to be confirmed, and were also the youngest in terms of experience, it wasn’t surprising their rehearsal slot was scheduled for the very end.
Even though their slot was late, they couldn’t just arrive at the last minute. Even if their rehearsal was at ten in the evening, they were advised to arrive by noon.
There’s no helping it. This place is like that. It’s a systemic thing—all about meticulous formalities, ’face,’ and an abundance of rules.
But it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Xu Qingqiu’s group also hoped to meet some people and expand their network, so arriving early wasn’t an issue.
This kind of opportunity was perfect for someone like Sister Hua to shine.
Everything had been packed in advance. Xu Qingqiu even wore the new gown she had recently purchased, all to make a good impression during her performance that evening.
When they arrived at the CCTV Building, they were stopped before they could even enter. A printed pass wasn’t sufficient; they had to call their contact person. Only after registering were they allowed in.
As soon as they entered, the staff member assigned to coordinate with them was already waiting.
The members of their party had been communicated in advance: Xu Qingqiu, Sister Hua, Chu Tian, Yiyi, plus an assistant named Nannan and a makeup artist, Chuanxia.
A staff member came down and gave each of them a work badge for future entry and exit. Replacing a lost badge would be very troublesome, so they were advised to keep them safe.
Immediately after, they were taken to the television studio on the 6th floor of Tower 2 in the CCTV Building.
Once they arrived, that was it.
Aside from various people hurrying through the hallways, the rest of their time was spent simply waiting—endless waiting.
As for a resting room? It was communal, the same for everyone except for the big stars. Everyone else waited in the public rest area. Those who knew people could chat; those who didn’t simply sat idly.
Of course, Sister Hua hadn’t been idle. Ever since they arrived, Chu Tian and Xu Qingqiu hadn’t seen her.
Finally, when it was Xu Qingqiu’s turn, Sister Hua eventually returned.
"The song has been decided. We’ll use that new song, ’Where Has the Time Gone?’"
