Favoritism

The director gritted his teeth. "Fine, Da Fei. I'll give you five minutes!"

"I have a lot of requirements for my ending song. It has to be tender and show the male lead's love for the female lead. She's one of a kind in this world."

"It should also have an ancient-style feel, be lyrical, and be easy to sing."

"The song 'Most Liked' that the Zhilin Team wrote for me couldn't be more suitable."

Li Zhilin sneered, then suddenly put an arm around the bespectacled middle-aged man beside him.

"This is the songwriter, Teacher Wang Xi."

Teacher Wang Xi?

One of the actors cried out in surprise. The name sounded familiar. He wasn't a famous singer, but he was certainly a famous musician.

Wang Xi had composed many well-known songs. He was especially good at ancient-style love songs and had written the theme songs for most of the popular TV series.

With two top stars appearing in the same production this time, it was only natural that Wang Xi would compose the ending song.

Wang Xi sneered. "Five minutes? To write a song? Da Fei, I used to think highly of you, but after meeting you today, I'm starting to think you're all hype. Young and arrogant, huh? Heh."

The director's expression shifted at the musician's taunt. He lowered his voice.

"Da Fei, forget it. Just apologize, and we can put this behind us."

For Lin Qiqi's sake, Li Zhilin couldn't do much to Da Fei anyway. An apology would settle things, and that was already a good deal. After all, he'd insulted a top star. The consequences could be serious.

Lin Chudong merely said, "Teacher Wang Xi? I've heard your songs."

"Most of them lean heavily on ninth chords, giving them a very pop sound. Combined with the ancient-style lyrics, they come across as sophisticated at first listen."

"But you keep using the same few formulas. Ninth chords are certainly sophisticated, but they're not suited to frequent use. Combining seventh chords with other suspended chords would work better."

"I'd also suggest using more borrowed chords. They could help improve your songwriting habits."

Wang Xi's expression shifted slightly. Lin Chudong's words suddenly struck him as very reasonable. But with so many people watching, he couldn't very well ask Lin Chudong for advice, could he?

"Hmph. Easy to say. I can talk theory too. But when it comes to actually writing a song, how much of that can you put into practice?"

"People online call you Da Fei, the musical genius. I'd like to see for myself today: how are you going to write a song in five minutes that surpasses my 'Most Liked'?"

Lin Chudong didn't waste any more words. "Are there any instruments here?"

Everyone looked around. A young woman raised her hand. "I bought my little sister an electronic keyboard, the kind for kids. It's still unopened. Would that work?"

"Sure," Lin Chudong said. "Could I borrow it?"

The young woman handed him a tiny 36-key electronic keyboard. It was the sort of thing that cost a few dozen yuan at a supermarket, something many parents had bought for their children.

These keyboards were cheap, poorly made, and often out of tune. But in the hands of a Hall Level master like Lin Chudong, even this instrument could work wonders.

He put in the batteries and tried a few notes. Then he said, "Shall I start?"

Li Zhilin, Wang Xi, and the others immediately scoffed. "Does your five minutes include the time it takes to perform the song? So you came up with it in two minutes?"

"Director, go ahead and use his song. A song written in two minutes is sure to be much better than my months-long production!"

Wang Xi's words were dripping with sarcasm. The director's expression was grim too. He was beginning to regret giving Lin Chudong the chance to make such a bold claim.

"Go ahead, Da Fei," the director said, resigned to the situation. At worst, he'd have to apologize.

Lin Chudong pressed the keys. A few arpeggios rang out, and the whole set fell silent.

His fingers moved so simply, yet beautiful music flowed out at once.

"Let yesterday fade away

Now you're right here before me

If I want to love you, give me a chance

If I'm wrong, I'll own it

I've decided you're the answer

I don't care who calls me extreme

I trust my own instincts

Stubborn hearts don't complain

When I fall for you, I won't back down..."

Da Fei's voice rang out with incredible power. There was no microphone, no sound system, and not even a decent instrument.

Yet everyone in every corner of the set could hear him clearly.

"That sounds amazing..."

The actors and crew didn't know much about music, but they could tell whether a song sounded good. They heard every word Da Fei sang clearly, and were swept up in the beautiful melody.

Wang Xi frowned slightly. Da Fei really did have some talent.

The way the verse built into the chorus used borrowed chords to tug at the listeners' hearts. Then, when it resolved to the main chord, it felt as if a weight had dropped from their chests.

Could this kind of songwriting really have such an effect?

Da Fei pressed down hard on the keys with both hands and began the chorus.

Unfortunately, this cheap electronic keyboard didn't have touch-sensitive keys. No matter how hard he pressed, the sound stayed the same.

But that didn't affect Da Fei or the listeners' emotions.

"I said I wouldn't run, and I meant it."

"You can't talk me out of it; I'll love you even harder, until you understand."

"There's no other way for me to go. You decide if you'll stay with me."

"You can't talk me out of this love. I trust the way I feel."

"I depend on you."

"I love you like no other..."

"It hurts, but it feels so good..."

The song ended with a simple two-note arpeggio.

There was nothing else he could do. The electronic keyboard only had 36 keys, so he couldn't play anything more elaborate.

Lin Qiqi looked at him with admiration and shouted, "That was amazing!"

Thunderous applause broke out across the set!

Everyone had been moved by the song. It was as if they had been swept into a passionate love that transcended life and death.

The director was captivated too. When he came to his senses, he asked excitedly, "Da Fei, what's this song called?"

"'Favoritism,'" Lin Chudong replied. "This is just an electronic keyboard. I'll add some guzheng and pipa later, and it'll have an Xianxia feel right away!"

The director was thrilled. He hurried over and grabbed Lin Chudong's hand.

"Fantastic! This is exactly the style I wanted!"

"It's settled!"

Li Zhilin snorted and swept away. Wang Xi was too embarrassed to stay and hurried after him.

The director wasn't worried. They'd signed a contract, and no matter how much of a diva Li Zhilin acted like, he couldn't just walk off the production.

After Li Zhilin left, the director said, "By the way, Da Fei, there's something I should tell you."

"This song was supposed to be a gift from the Zhilin Team. His acting fee is already quite high, so about the song..."

"I understand," Lin Chudong said. "I don't want any money for it. Just consider it a gift from Qiqi's team."

"Oh, Brother Da Fei, you're so generous! Don't leave tonight. We'll have a proper drink."

"Come on, everyone, let's celebrate! Brother Da Fei has wrapped up filming!"

"Congratulations on wrapping up, Brother Fei!"

Lin Chudong gave a wry smile. He'd only had a five-minute cameo, yet they were holding a wrap party for him. Wasn't this a little too much?

Lin Qiqi stood to the side, her face flushed. Her eyes saw nothing but the young man in front of her, whom she stared at without blinking.

Song Jing shook her head. It was over. Their young lady was really going to fall for him.

Why was Da Fei still working so hard? Wasn't it better to live off a rich woman?