"Ma'am, you're not a professional, so you can't tell. But I trust my ears and my judgment completely. Ma Dongmei is exceptionally gifted-she's definitely cut out to be a singer. I plan to train her as one."
Seeing that the two women still didn't believe him, Ling Yi added, "How about this? Give me half a month. I'll train Ma Dongmei and bring out her potential. Then you'll see just how amazing your daughter is."
"But Dongmei still has school." Who didn't want their daughter to rise above the rest? Ma Dongmei's mother naturally wanted that too. As a single-parent family, they had a particularly hard time making ends meet. If Ma Dongmei could become a star, a good life would await them.
"It won't interfere with school. I'll just come by and teach her for an hour or two every evening. Ma'am, you have to believe me. Ma Dongmei really is a promising singer. It would be such a shame to waste her talent."
Ma Dongmei's mother began to believe him. The key was that Ling Yi was so sincere, and with his good looks, he seemed very credible. Well, it was mostly the looks.
"What do you think?" Ma Dongmei's mother asked, turning to her daughter.
"I... can I really do it?" Ma Dongmei felt as if this were all too fantastical. Didn't she know what she was like? How could she be a promising singer?
"We'll know if you can once we try. We can test you right here," Ling Yi said confidently.
"How?"
Ling Yi walked over to Ma Dongmei and said, "Now lift your head and try your best to raise your abdomen."
"That's right. Now take a deep breath. Do it a few times and relax your mind."
Ma Dongmei did as instructed, but she didn't feel anything special.
"Follow my movements." Ling Yi casually stretched both arms overhead.
"Reach as high as you can with both hands. Yes, hold it for a minute."
Once Ma Dongmei held the pose, Ling Yi prepared to activate his cheat.
A wisp of Spiritual Power entered Ma Dongmei's body, doubling the strength of her Yang Soul.
Then Ling Yi guided his Spiritual Power to begin reshaping Ma Dongmei's throat.
"Teacher..." Ma Dongmei immediately felt her throat warming up and couldn't help speaking worriedly.
"Does your throat feel a little warm?"
"Yes, yes, it's a little uncomfortable."
"That's because you're opening up your voice. This movement wouldn't do anything for an ordinary person, but you're different. This method can open up your voice completely. From now on, you'll be able to sing any song you want, no matter how high the notes are."
"Is it really that amazing?" Ma Dongmei's mother asked curiously from the side.
This was Ling Yi's first time making such an alteration. Fortunately, his mental strength was powerful enough and had already reached the level of Subtlety, so he managed to avoid any mistakes.
Although Ling Yi couldn't sing, he possessed a Human Grade sonic technique secret art at Great Perfection. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to experiment like this.
A few minutes later, the burning sensation in Ma Dongmei's throat vanished, replaced by a soothing, comfortable coolness. She felt that her throat had never been so comfortable before.
"Now, try singing any song you like!"
If Ma Dongmei had still doubted Ling Yi before, she believed him completely now.
The change was simply too great. She felt as though her voice had undergone a complete transformation.
"Only mother is good in this world; a child with a mother is a precious treasure..." Ma Dongmei froze after singing just one line.
She wasn't the only one who froze. Ma Dongmei's mother did too. She almost felt as if this couldn't be her own daughter. It was outrageous! Was that really her daughter's old, cracked-gong voice? It sounded far too beautiful!
"Teacher, I, I..." Ma Dongmei was a little excited.
"Just as I expected. But your foundation is still too weak. From now on, I'll come over every day to teach you vocal techniques, and then I'll make you famous in one stroke."
At that moment, Ma Dongmei and her mother no longer had any doubts about Ling Yi.
"However, there's something I hope you'll understand. I'd like Ma Dongmei to sign with my talent agency. After all, I don't want some other music company to reap the benefits after I've trained her into a diva."
"Huh? Teacher, you have a company?"
"No!"
"..."
"..."
"But I can start one right away."
"Teacher Ling, we don't understand these things. What does signing with a company mean?" Ma Dongmei's mother was just an ordinary person, but that didn't mean she was stupid.
"Only after she signs with my company can I feel truly at ease training her. But rest assured, I won't let you lose out. Sign the contract, and her annual salary will be five million. It'll keep rising as Ma Dongmei becomes more famous."
"Five million?" Mother and daughter were dumbfounded. Just how much money was that?
"I can pay half in advance, and the other half after the contract is signed."
"Well..." Mother and daughter felt a little uneasy, especially Ma Dongmei. She had never imagined she was worth so much.
"Don't worry. Once Ma Dongmei becomes a diva, this will be pocket change."
When Ling Yi left Ma Dongmei's home, he couldn't help letting out a long breath. Damn it, why was he doing this? He was practically asking for trouble.
But since he had already started, he couldn't let it begin with a tiger's head and end with a snake's tail. Ling Yi had always finished what he started.
The next day, with money and his cheat, Ling Yi took care of everything needed to establish the company in a single day.
As for where the money came from, what world had a shortage of corrupt officials?
That afternoon, Ling Yi rented an office building at random as the company's address. Then, even though the company had nothing else, he formally signed a contract with Ma Dongmei's family.
As soon as the contract was signed, the five million went straight into their account. Ma Dongmei and her mother were so excited they couldn't sleep well all night. So this was what it meant to get rich overnight.
For some time afterward, Ling Yi taught what he had just learned. During the day, he went to the library to read books about music. With his ability to remember everything he read, he easily memorized a vast amount of music theory, which he then taught Ma Dongmei in the evenings.
And because Ma Dongmei's Yang Soul had been strengthened, her memory, comprehension, and aptitude had all improved greatly. In half a month, she had already gained proficiency in many instruments.
"Today, I'm going to teach you a song-one that can make you famous fast."
In the company's recording studio, which had cost a fortune to build, Ling Yi spoke earnestly to Ma Dongmei. For some reason, Ling Yi seemed to have genuinely thrown himself into it. Without realizing it, he had slipped into the role of a life mentor.
Sometimes, when Ling Yi came to his senses, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But he understood that he was enjoying the process now. It was a curious feeling.
"Do you know why I've had you listening to opera and imitating its singing style these past few days?"
Ma Dongmei shook her head.
"Because we need an opening-a way to step into the singing world and go straight to the top."
"Too many people sing pop songs, so we need to make a breakthrough."
Ma Dongmei listened quietly, silently committing Ling Yi's words to memory.
"This song combines opera and pop music. It has the operatic style as well as elements of pop. If you succeed, you'll ascend to godhood in a single step. If you fail..."
"If I fail, does that mean I won't become a singer?" Ma Dongmei asked nervously.
"What are you thinking? If it fails, we'll just switch to another song," Ling Yi said, at a loss for words.
Ma Dongmei burst out laughing.
Ling Yi rolled his eyes and continued, "Before you learn this song, you need to hear a story."
"During the war against the invaders, there was a remote town in the south. At the time, beacon fires of war were burning across the nation. The devil invaders had come, and the Central Plains lay in ruins."
Ma Dongmei's attention sharpened at once. A story like this was quite appealing to her, and with Ling Yi's wonderful voice, she became absorbed in it before she knew it.
"Because the town was remote, the invaders hadn't reached it yet. An opera troupe in the town still put on performances every day, and crowds of people with time to spare still came to the theater to listen."
"Some people saw this and angrily cursed them as mere actors. Their lilting songs and tender words were sapping people's resolve; actors were ruining the country."
"But actors need to eat too. They have to make a living. If they don't perform, they have no food. If they don't take the stage today, they'll go hungry tomorrow. They're great heroes only onstage. Away from it, they're just ordinary people."
"The invaders came in the end. With just a few dozen men, they easily occupied the town. Many people fled, but many others couldn't. The troupe couldn't flee because their theater was here. They had no way to leave."
"One night, the invaders came to the theater. They wanted to see an opera."
"The troupe leader didn't refuse. Under the furious gazes of his fellow countrymen, he drove everyone but the invaders out. Then he donned his costume and took the stage himself, performing Farewell My Concubine."
Hearing this, Ma Dongmei was a little angry. Didn't these actors have any backbone?
"That night, the theater went up in a raging fire. Every last invader burned to death. Many people could still hear the lilting song amid the roaring flames. Actors love their country too. In their own way, they chose to perish together with the invaders."
At this point, Ling Yi involuntarily began to sing. He had moved himself with his own story, drawing himself into its emotions.
"One act unfolds, water sleeves rise and fall; I sing of joy and sorrow, parting and reunion, none of it mine!
The fan opens and closes, gongs and drums sound and fall silent; the feelings in the play, the people outside it-who can speak for them?
I am used to blending joy and anger, sorrow and delight into greasepaint and powder. What if I sing old lines until they wear through? White bones and gray ash are all that I am!"