Entertainment from Divorce

Sunlight streamed through the glass curtain wall of the dazzling entertainment building, casting dappled shadows on the corridor floor.

Su Xiaoyu dragged her slightly heavy steps into the hall.

She was still wearing the light blue dress she wore the night before when recording a variety show, with some stage sequins on the hem.

His eyes showed undeniable fatigue, and the bloodshot veins at the corners of his eyes were particularly noticeable, but they could not conceal the light and excitement in his eyes.

She's been working non-stop for the past week, like a clockwork toy.

I recorded the main episode of "Weekend Joyful Gathering", and also rushed to the live broadcast of two talk shows, plus a small commercial performance for a brand. I only slept three or four hours a day.

She sang "Watching from the Side" over and over again, from rehearsals to official recordings, from variety show stages to commercial performances. Even though her throat was a little hoarse, she still gave it her all every time she opened her mouth, daring not to slack off in the slightest.

The agent followed behind, carrying two large bags of luggage, and said helplessly, "Xiaoyu, why don't you go home and rest first? I can report to President Qin for you. You look exhausted."

Su Xiaoyu shook her head, raised her hand to rub her aching temples, her voice slightly hoarse but still firm: "It's okay, I can explain it more clearly myself. We finally have so many opportunities, we can't let our guard down, this little bit of tiredness is nothing."

For her, this non-stop pace was exactly what she had dreamed of for countless days and nights.

When she used to do backing vocals, she could only watch others stand under the spotlight from backstage, envying them for having endless songs to sing and countless stages to perform on.

Now, she finally has her own popularity and resources.

Even when she's extremely busy, she's filled with a great sense of accomplishment. Every time she steps on stage and every time she's recognized by the audience, she becomes more certain that all her efforts are worthwhile.

Su Xiaoyu first went to the lounge to touch up her makeup, changed out of her dress, put on a comfortable sweatshirt and jeans, and drank a glass of warm water to soothe her throat. After a short rest, she went straight to the artist management department.

Qin Tao's office door was ajar, and the sound of her communicating with her staff about her schedule could be heard from inside. Su Xiaoyu knocked lightly on the door, and only after receiving a response did she push the door open and walk in.

"President Qin, I'm back." Su Xiaoyu greeted him with a smile, then sat down on the sofa, leaning slightly forward, her posture still humble.

When Qin Tao saw her, she stopped what she was doing, smiled gently, and handed her a glass of honey water.

"Hurry up and drink something to soothe your throat, your voice is so hoarse. You've had a tough week, did the recording go smoothly?"

"Everything went smoothly, thank you for your concern, Mr. Qin." Su Xiaoyu took the water glass, sipped it, and reported on her recent work one by one.

"The main episodes of 'Weekend Joyful Gathering' have been edited and the production team said they will air next Saturday."

Qin Tao listened and nodded, flipping through the itinerary book on the table to record the events.

“Great, you’ve maintained your popularity well. I’ve already turned down commercial performance invitations for the next two weeks, leaving only the final recording of the traditional Chinese style interview program and album-related preparations.”

Looking at the fatigue in Su Xiaoyu's eyes, she added, "You've been working non-stop lately, you should take a good rest and adjust your condition. If you ruin your voice, it will affect your subsequent work."

Su Xiaoyu felt a warmth in her heart and quickly replied, "Thank you, President Qin. I understand. I will take this time to rest well and hone my singing skills so as not to delay the album production."

The two chatted for another ten minutes or so.

Qin Tao shared the subsequent travel plans with her and reminded her to take care of her health and communicate promptly if she felt unwell.

Su Xiaoyu noted everything down before getting up to say goodbye and heading towards the music department.

In Wei Yu's office, the head of the arrangement team was reporting on the album production progress with sheet music and a recording pen scattered on the table.

Seeing Su Xiaoyu come in, Wei Yu raised his hand to signal a pause and said with a smile, "You're back just in time. I was just about to tell you about the album."

Su Xiaoyu greeted them with a smile, then sat down on a chair nearby, her gaze fixed on the sheet music on the table, her eyes full of anticipation.

After the music arranger left, Wei Yu picked up the progress chart and handed it to Su Xiaoyu.

"The overall framework of the album has been finalized. 'Watching from the Wall' and 'Evening Breeze' are the main tracks, and post-production optimization has been completed. The initial drafts of the arrangements for the other three alternative songs have also been completed, and we are currently refining the details. We will try to give you a trial performance next week."

Su Xiaoyu quickly flipped through the progress chart, her fingertips lightly tracing the song titles, her tone full of anticipation: "That's great, thank you so much, Director Wei and the team. Although I've been busy lately, I've been working on my singing style. Once I get the first draft, I'll immediately start practicing."

"Not urgent."

Wei Yu waved his hand, his tone showing concern, and said, "You should rest for a few days and get back into shape. You've been working non-stop this week, so you need to take care of your voice and body. The album production won't be affected by these few days; quality is the most important thing."

He paused, then changed the subject, saying, "By the way, go to the eighth floor and see President Tan. He asked about your recent situation before, so he probably has something to tell you."

"Okay." Su Xiaoyu nodded, but a sense of nervousness instantly rose in her heart.

Since winning the championship, she has only run into Tan Yue once in the company corridor. Every time she sees him, it's the president who discovered her and created her hit songs.

She couldn't help but feel nervous, both in awe and gratitude, just like a student meeting a strict but respectful teacher.

Stepping out of Wei Yu's office, Su Xiaoyu took several deep breaths before slowly walking towards the elevator.

As the elevator slowly ascended, her heart beat faster with each step it took to reach the eighth floor.

She raised her hand to straighten the hem of her clothes, repeatedly recalling her recent work performance, afraid that she might have done something wrong and let Tan Yue down.

The elevator doors opened, revealing a quiet and solemn corridor on the eighth floor, with the sign for the CEO's office prominently displayed.

Upon seeing her, Chen Ye smiled and stood up: "Ms. Su, Mr. Tan is waiting for you inside. Please go in."

Su Xiaoyu nodded, whispered "thank you," and gently knocked on the door. Only after hearing Tan Yue's instruction to "come in" did she carefully push the door open and go inside.

Tan Yue was sitting behind his desk reviewing the revised sample footage sent by the special effects team of "The Three-Body Problem". The screen showed a scene of space fleets confronting each other, and the cold-toned picture was full of oppressive atmosphere.

Hearing the noise, he looked up, his gaze falling on Su Xiaoyu. A gentle smile appeared on his face, and he gestured for her to sit down.

"You're back? You must be tired these past few days. Have a seat."

"Thank you, Mr. Tan." Su Xiaoyu sat down awkwardly, her hands on her knees, her body slightly tense, her gaze unconsciously avoiding Tan Yue's eyes, focusing instead on the documents on the table. Tan Yue, seeing her nervousness, a hint of a smile flashed in his eyes. Instead of immediately getting to the point, he asked softly, "You've recorded several programs this week, how are you feeling? Tired?"

Upon hearing this question, Su Xiaoyu's tense nerves relaxed slightly. She raised her head and said sincerely, "I am really tired. Sometimes I can only sleep for three or four hours a day. My voice is hoarse from singing. I can fall asleep as soon as I get back to the hotel."

She paused, a faint smile appearing on her lips, her eyes shining. "But I'm especially happy and fulfilled. This rhythm of having endless songs to sing and countless stages to perform on is what I've always dreamed of."

She spoke candidly about her feelings without any pretense.

“When I was doing backing vocals, I could only watch others shine from backstage. I thought to myself, if only I could have my own song and stand on such a big stage so that everyone could hear my voice.”

"Now that this dream has come true and I've gained so many people's love, even if I'm exhausted, I feel it's all worth it."

Su Xiaoyu's voice was a little hoarse, but exceptionally sincere: "And every time I sing 'Watching from the Wall,' I feel particularly moved. This song is like my lucky charm; it's what made more people know me."

"Although I've sung it over and over again, I always give my best performance every time I go on stage. I don't want to let this song down, I don't want to let down your creation, and I don't want to let down the audience who support me."

Tan Yue listened quietly, his eyes full of approval.

The reason he hasn't given Su Xiaoyu a new song yet is that he wants to see if she can still maintain her original purity and sincerity in the face of popularity and busyness.

From her words, he could feel her love and reverence for music. She was not arrogant because of her sudden fame, nor did she become perfunctory because she frequently sang the same song.

Such an attitude is enough to make him feel at ease entrusting her with more high-quality works.

After Su Xiaoyu finished speaking, Tan Yue took out a sheet of music from the drawer, gently placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of her: "I know your dedication to music, and I have seen your efforts. This is a song I just wrote, called 'Red-Clad Lament,' specially tailored for you. Take a look."

"The Red-Clad Ladies?" Su Xiaoyu's pupils contracted sharply, her heart pounded, and her hands trembled slightly as she picked up the sheet music. Her fingertips lightly brushed over the song title and lyrics on the paper, her eyes filled with disbelief.

She looked up at Tan Yue, her voice trembling with emotion, "Mr. Tan, this...this is for me?"

"Mm." Tan Yue nodded, a gentle smile on his face.

"The song's style is still ancient, but it is different from the detached and distant 'Watching from the Wall'. It is more profound and contains feelings of patriotism. It requires delicate emotional interpretation and solid singing skills."

"I think your voice is very suitable; it can sing with both tenderness and deep power."

Su Xiaoyu looked down at the sheet music and read the lyrics word by word: "Though my position is humble, I dare not forget my duty to the country. Everyone says actors are heartless, but who knows that both on and off stage, they are all for their country..."

The lyrics are exquisite, conveying a strong sense of patriotism and the character of the singer. The melody, marked with its ups and downs and turns, not only tests the singer's skills but is also extremely moving.

She became more and more excited as she looked at the sheet music, her eyes gradually reddening, her fingers gripping the sheet music tightly, as if afraid that this was just a dream.

From "Watching from the Wall" to this song "Red-Clad Ladies," Mr. Tan has always been able to accurately grasp the characteristics of her voice and create the most suitable songs for her.

Every song is a masterpiece, and every song allows her to shine with a unique brilliance on stage.

This act of kindness deeply moved her, and for a moment she was at a loss for words. All she could do was nod heavily, her eyes reddening.

"Thank you, Mr. Tan! I will definitely sing my best and live up to your trust and this song!"

"No need to thank me, you deserve it," Tan Yue said gently.

“Your hard work and talent deserve better works. Take this song to Wei Yu and have him take the lead in refining it with the arrangement team to fully express the emotions and artistic conception of the song.”

"This song can be the third single from your new album, and it can also be used as a performance piece for CCTV's ancient style interview program."

"Okay! I'll go find President Wei right now!" Su Xiaoyu quickly stood up, carefully holding the sheet music in her arms as if it were the most precious treasure in the world.

She bowed deeply to Tan Yue, her voice full of respect and gratitude: "Thank you, Mr. Tan! I will do my best to sing 'The Red-Clad Lament' well!"

Watching Su Xiaoyu practically skip out of the office, her steps much lighter than when she arrived, Tan Yue smiled with satisfaction.

He picked up his phone and sent a WeChat message to Wei Yu.

"Su Xiaoyu came to you with 'Red-Clad Ladies.' The song focuses on creating an atmosphere of patriotism and national sentiment. The arrangement will incorporate Peking Opera elements, and details will be adjusted to suit her vocal characteristics, aiming to make it the next hit."

Holding the sheet music, Su Xiaoyu walked briskly towards the music department, her smile impossible to hide, and even her previous fatigue had largely dissipated.

As she passed the practice room, several staff members greeted her with smiles, and she responded with a smile as well, but she didn't stop walking and went straight to Wei Yu's office.

"President Wei! President Wei!" Su Xiaoyu pushed open the door, her voice filled with excitement, and handed the sheet music in her arms to Wei Yu. "Look! President Tan gave me a new song, 'Red-Clad Lament'! It's so beautiful, the lyrics and melody are absolutely amazing!"

Wei Yu took the sheet music, and upon seeing the song title and the words "Tan Yue" (the lyricist and composer), a look of understanding flashed in his eyes. He then began to carefully peruse the sheet music.

The further he read, the brighter his eyes became, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "Great song! It's truly a great song! Mr. Tan's songwriting ability is amazing. This sense of patriotism, combined with the ancient-style melody and your voice, is definitely going to be a hit!"

He looked up at Su Xiaoyu and said solemnly, "Don't worry, I'll immediately assemble the arrangement team to focus on polishing this song. Regarding the arrangement..."

"That's great!" Su Xiaoyu said excitedly. "I want to try singing it right now and get a feel for it."

"Don't rush," Wei Yu said with a smile. "Go back and rest first, get plenty of rest, and we'll officially start polishing it first thing tomorrow morning."

"This song is quite challenging and requires delicate emotional control. You need to take good care of your voice to achieve the best results."

Su Xiaoyu nodded, though she was eager to see what was going on, she understood Wei Yu's intentions.

She carefully put away the sheet music and said, "Okay, I'll get some rest today and come over early tomorrow morning. Thank you for your help, Mr. Wei."

"This is what we should do," Wei Yu said with a smile. "It's our honor to encounter such a wonderful work."

After leaving the company, Su Xiaoyu did not go home immediately. Instead, she found a quiet coffee shop, sat by the window, and took out the sheet music for "Red-Clad Ladies" again, studying it word by word.

The setting sun streamed through the window, casting its light onto the sheet music. She softly hummed the melody, adjusting her breath and emotion again and again, trying to capture the tenderness of an actress and the profound weight of patriotism within the song. (End of Chapter)