Reborn as a comedic artist

As the last note faded into silence on the waveform of the recording software, Cheng Ming took off his headphones and casually tossed them onto the table.

"Done...!"

He rubbed his slightly sore neck; the long hours of work had caused his cervical spine to protest slightly.

On the sofa behind him, Wang Shuo lay sprawled out like a lump of mud, clutching the sweat-soaked lyrics paper tightly in his hand, his chest heaving violently.

"Old Cheng... is that all?"

Wang Shuo's voice was slightly unsteady, his eyes fixed on the file named "The Wind Rises - Demo.mp3" on the screen, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty.

Just now, he experienced the most magical hour of his life.

In this shabby studio, under the perverted guidance of Cheng Ming, he felt as if a layer of skin had been peeled off, and his soul was rebuilt through the microphone.

That feeling was both painful and exhilaratingly intense.

"What else? Should we set off a celebratory cannon salute for you...?"

Cheng Ming's fingers flew across the keyboard as he dragged the audio file into the email attachment, casually adding a simple line of Japanese text. In the recipient field, he clearly filled in Takahashi's email address.

Click to send.

The progress bar loaded rapidly and soon jumped to 100%.

"Sent successfully".

Cheng Ming pushed the mouse away, leaned back in his chair, and felt inexplicably relaxed.

"Now, let's see if that old bastard Takahashi's knees will buckle."

If I remember correctly, the other person is only in their early 30s.

Wang Shuo struggled to sit up straight on the sofa, his face full of disbelief: "No... we just sent it like that? No need to fix it? Was my high note a little shaky? And that transition, I feel it could be smoother...!"

"That's called emotional expression, you don't know anything about it..."

Cheng Ming glanced at him sideways, his tone languid: "For an old hand like Takahashi, your rough, 'raw' voice is the most deadly poison."

Besides, this is just a demo. It's just to let him hear it and confirm his copyright intentions; it's not like we're releasing a full-fledged film.

Gu Xiao was sitting on the piano bench, carefully wiping the keyboard with a soft cloth. Hearing this, she looked up, a barely perceptible hint of agreement flashing in her cool eyes.

"Wang Shuo, excessive embellishment will only mask the storytelling in your voice. The previous version was very good..."

Upon receiving praise from the aloof goddess, Wang Shuo's face instantly turned red. He chuckled foolishly and scratched his head, saying, "Is...is that so?"

Since Coach Gu has said so, then it's definitely true!

"Oh dear, my heart is pounding! This is being sent to the copyright holders in Japan. What if they don't understand it?"

"Music knows no borders, unless he's deaf... Alright, stop worrying about it. All we need to do is see how they react over there...!"

……

at the same time.

Neon lights, it's so hot, inside an office building.

The air conditioning was on full blast, but it couldn't quell the restlessness in Takahashi's heart.

He knelt before the solid wood coffee table, holding a glass of premium Daiginjo sake in his hand.

My original song was taken by several Chinese college students who haven't even graduated yet, who then wrote lyrics and covered it, and now they want it as their graduation project?

In his view, this was simply a waste of resources!

If the other party hadn't offered some reasonable terms, he would have definitely thrown that audacious request straight into the shredder.

"Takahashi-san, the email has arrived..."

The young male assistant carefully walked in, carrying a tablet computer. He bent down and handed the screen to Takahashi, his tone almost humble.

Takahashi put down his glass and let out a cold snort.

"Let's play it out and hear it. I want to see how badly these Chinese university students can ruin this song. If they sing like ducks, I'll fire them no matter how much money they're offered..."

The assistant didn't dare to delay and quickly pressed the play button.

There was no loud, jarring electronic synthesized sound as expected, nor the embarrassing breathing sounds of an amateur singer.

First came a series of clear, flowing piano notes that emanated from the tablet's not-so-high-end speakers.

Ding-dong-

Takahashi paused slightly as he held up his wine glass.

A true expert's skill is immediately apparent.

The piano's touch is clean and crisp; each note seems meticulously calculated, yet it possesses an indescribable dynamism.

Immediately afterwards, the drumbeats cut in.

Boom!

The drumbeat was steady and powerful, as if it struck Takahashi's heart directly, causing his pupils to contract sharply.

The rhythm... is perfect!

Before he could recover from the stunning accompaniment, a slightly affectionate, youthful male voice rang out.

"We traveled this route, stopping and starting along the way..."

.......

pat.

Takahashi's hand holding the wine glass suddenly trembled, spilling the clear liquid onto his trousers, but he was completely unaware.

That tone...!

How is that possible?

This kind of timbre, this storytelling quality that seems to whisper in your ear, is extremely rare, even among the top singers in their country!

If the original version was a refreshing summer breeze, then this version is a strong autumn wind, carrying the desolation of fallen leaves and the weight of memories.

And with Cheng Ming's arrival, the shock continued.

As the chorus progressed, the male voice suddenly rose in pitch, and the emotional outburst instantly filled the entire room.

"I was once overwhelmed by the vastness of the world, and I also indulged in my daydreams within it..."

Takahashi's breathing became rapid.

Although he couldn't understand every single word of the Chinese lyrics, the emotions conveyed by the music were universal.

He heard in the song the cry for youth, the regret and relief of wanting to grasp the wind but having to let go.

Especially the transition between true and falsetto in the chorus is smooth and natural, without a single flaw in breathing, just like breathing itself.

This doesn't look like a college student; this is clearly a seasoned professional singer!

In particular, Cheng Ming's handling of the harmony in the chorus, with its perfect balance of technique and emotion, instantly reminded him of a "prodigy" male singer who was extremely famous in Taiwan.

That penetrating power that strikes straight to the soul is exactly the same!

Takahashi's hand trembled as it hovered in mid-air, the wine in his glass already spilled without him noticing.

Reason told him that the audio file was labeled "Demo," meaning it was the original recording without any post-production editing.

This level of quality is achievable even without any modifications...

If it were recorded in a top-notch recording studio and professionally post-produced, how terrifying would this song be?

The song ended.

The room fell into a deathly silence.

The assistant swallowed hard, lowered his head, and didn't dare to breathe, for fear of disturbing Takahashi's "contemplation".

Takahashi remained frozen in that position for a full minute before slowly putting down his already empty wine glass.

His once straight back was now slightly hunched, an instinctive reaction to being directly overwhelmed by the strength of a powerful opponent.

For their people, there is an inherent gene of bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

They are extremely arrogant towards the weak, but they have always had an almost pathological worship and obedience towards the truly strong.

If you're strong enough, forget about copyright; even if you make him kneel down and sing "Conquer," he can still sing it in a fancy way.

"Takahashi-san... how should we reply to them...?" the assistant asked tentatively, breaking the silence.

"reply....?"

After being reminded by his assistant, Takahashi's eyes flashed with an almost fanatical light.

"Quickly! Contact the legal department and draft the contract immediately..."

"No, just use the template they sent! Sign it! Stamp it! Tell Cheng-san that I'm willing to pay the copyright fee out of my own pocket, my only request is that my name must be prominently displayed in the official release! It must appear as the music in the most conspicuous place...!"

The assistant was stunned by Takahashi's 180-degree turn and hurriedly nodded and bowed, "Yes, sir! I'll get right on it...!"

……