Huayu, my cheat code is a bit strange.

Chapter 73 The Dedication to Art (Please read on, please recommend, please do everything!)

Sony Music, recording studio.

Gu Xiao sat on a high chair next to the control panel, her eyes fixed on the huge display screen.

On the screen, a complex array of audio tracks are neatly arranged, with Wang Fei's lead vocals, the string accompaniment, and the piano embellishments all contributing to the composition of this song.

Gu Xiao quietly activated her spiritual senses.

The volume, sound image, and various parameters of each track all entered my mind.

These sounds were matched one by one with the sounds heard in the previous life, and all the flaws were pointed out.

Almost without thinking, his fingers were already on the corresponding equalizer knob, precisely calibrating it.

The mixing engineer watched in disbelief, thinking, "Are you playing a video game?"

But when this version of "Purple" was played from the monitor speakers, he chose to remain completely silent.

After careful adjustments, Wang Fei's voice lost some of its technical polish and gained a more penetrating power that strikes straight to the soul.

Gu Xiao looked at the mixing engineer and asked curiously:
"How about it?"

The mixing engineer's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, his face full of confusion and frustration.

He paused for two seconds before finally managing to squeeze out a sound from his throat: "Not bad."

Gu Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, turned around, and through the huge soundproof glass, gave Wang Fei, who was still wearing headphones in the recording studio, a thumbs up.

Wang Fei smiled slightly inside the studio, deftly removed her headphones, and pushed open the soundproof door to walk out.

"Sure, Xiao!"

She walked a few steps to the control panel, nudged Gu Xiao lightly with her elbow, and said with a half-smile:
"You've already mastered your skills in just a few days. Would you like to consider joining my team?"

"Could we not use this name?"

Gu Xiao looked awkward, feeling that this was how gangsters addressed their underlings.

Wang Fei crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him: "Then tell me, what nice nicknames do you have?"

"Isn't Gu Xiao doing quite well?"

"It's too strange."

Wang Fei shook her head, then suddenly her eyes lit up. "How about I give you an English name? How about Alex? Or Ray?"

Gu Xiao felt a chill run down her spine and waved her hands repeatedly, saying, "Let's go with A-Xiao."

Wang Fei clicked her tongue, but didn't press the matter. Instead, she asked:
"I won't be involved in the remaining master tapes. What are your plans?"

Gu Xiao thought for a moment and then said:

"My flight is for the 25th, so I'll rest at the hotel for the next few days."

Despite the car accident, thanks to Wang Fei's active participation and the fact that the recording process went much more smoothly than expected, the recording was completed two days ahead of schedule.

In the extra few days, he planned to thoroughly review the mixing techniques he had learned from others, and also lay low for a while.

The reporters outside probably haven't all left yet.

Wang Fei found Gu Xiao's plan rather boring, and suddenly, as if remembering something, asked curiously, "What month is your birthday?"

Gu Xiao was tidying up her backpack when she heard this. Without even looking up, she casually replied:

"next month."

"Wow! Same as me!" Wang Fei's eyes lit up, and she asked, "Which number?"

"24."

"Alas--!"

Wang Fei's smile faded, replaced by a deliberately exaggerated look of disdain: "She's actually a Virgo."

What did Virgos ever do to you? Besides, I was a Taurus in my past life, so horoscopes don't apply to me. Gu Xiao silently complained in her heart, but her face remained expressionless: "I don't believe in these things."

Wang Fei chuckled, "Very accurate! And your personality is indeed quite Virgo-like."

Gu Xiao felt this was a slander against him, so she packed her things, turned around, and left.

"Hey! Are you really angry?"

Wang Fei's voice, tinged with laughter, came from behind.

"I'm not that petty."

Gu Xiao turned around and waved her phone helplessly, "I'm just going to make a call to President You." Wang Fei suddenly understood and waved her hand, saying, "Then go ahead."

She stood there, intending to wait for Gu Xiao to finish his call before leaving together, but after waiting and waiting, she realized he still hadn't returned.

She frowned, pushed open the door, and went out.

Gu Xiao hadn't gone far; she was standing at the corner of the corridor, looking down at her phone with a cold expression.

"What's wrong?" Wang Fei asked.

Gu Xiaocai noticed her approach, put his phone back in his pocket, and when he looked up again, the gloom on his face had dissipated, and he had returned to his usual calm.

“It’s nothing,” he said calmly, his tone revealing no emotion. “It’s just that I had an extra audition.”

Wang Fei knew Gu Xiao's upcoming schedule very well and confirmed, "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils?"

Gu Xiao nodded and said nothing more.

Looking at his feignedly relaxed demeanor, Wang Fei felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

"Do you need my help?"

Gu Xiao gently shook her head: "It's okay, I can handle it, and only I can handle it."

……

……

Beijing Film Academy, Department of Performing Arts office.

Zhou Xiaowen sat on the sofa, a nearly burned-out cigarette between his fingers, with a long trail of ash.

He looked at his assistant, his voice slightly hoarse:
"Have you finished sending the text messages?"

The assistant nodded: "It's done."

Zhou Xiaowen nodded slightly and waved her hand, "Then you can go out now, and close the door behind you."

The assistant responded, bowed, and left, gently closing the office door behind him.

Only the two of them remained inside.

Huo Xuan joked, "It can't be that bad, can it? You're not a little girl, how come you don't even dare to make a phone call?"

Zhou Xiaowen blushed, took a deep drag on his cigarette, and stubbed it out hard in the ashtray without saying a word.

Seeing his expression, Huo Xuan's smile gradually faded, and she sighed, her tone becoming complicated:
"Although I don't like that old bastard Zhang Jizhong either, I have to admit that he's really good at making money, acquiring resources, and coordinating projects. You guys were doing pretty well at first, weren't you? How did things get to this point?"

"The same old cliché of discarding the bow after the birds are all gone."

Zhou Xiaowen scoffed, “In the early stages of project approval, scriptwriting, and obtaining approvals, he naturally had to be polite and courteous to those who had connections within the school and industry. Now that the ancient city is built, the script is finished, and the filming schedule is finalized, why would he need to be concerned about the academy's feelings? Wouldn't he have to take advantage of the fact that the roles haven't been finalized yet and start ‘manipulating’ things?”

Huo Xuan was silent for a few seconds, then picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said in a heavy tone:

"So what's your side of the story? After so much preparation and effort, you can't just give up like this, can you?"

Zhou Xiaowen slumped back against the sofa and closed her eyes in anguish.

give up?

In the past few months, he has traveled almost all over the country to scout locations, including Dali, Lijiang, and Xinyang. Despite the wind and sun, and the hardships of travel, he has been working on the script over and over again and has drawn up one storyboard after another.

How can we give up all of this?
Huo Xuan saw his inner struggle and softened her voice to comfort him:

"In that case, we shouldn't be too demanding about some things. The commercialization of the film and television industry is an inevitable trend, and the future will inevitably be producer-centric, with directors' voices likely to become increasingly limited. That's the Hollywood industrial system, there's nothing we can do about it."

"Hollywood?"

Zhou Xiaowen suddenly opened his eyes, a mocking expression on his face, his voice rising abruptly, "The West has studied film for nearly a century, and their skills in composition, lighting, and sound recording are far more solid and advanced than ours! And what about us? What is the foundation of our country's film and television industry? What is the quality of our practitioners? With this, we still dare to dream of copying their producer-centric system? We're asking for trouble!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, slamming his hand on the sofa armrest: "They're all obsessed with money! Without a seasoned director overseeing the entire process, how can they manage hundreds of extras? How can they handle three storylines at once? Do they really think money can buy anything? Fools!"

Huo Xuan sighed, "But he's the one who initiated this project, what can you do?"

Zhou Xiaowen snorted and said disdainfully, "He is indeed the initiator, but how this project proceeds is not up to him."

Huo Xuan asked in confusion, "What, you can find someone to keep him in check while he's raising money?"

Zhou Xiaowen calmly retorted, "Whose work is 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'?"

Huo Xuan was stunned for a moment, then, after realizing what he meant, she pointed at his nose with a mixture of amusement and exasperation:

"Fine, you're ruthless!"

(End of this chapter)