The lights in the recording studio were dimmed a bit.
Behind the soundproof glass separating the control room and the recording studio, Yan Ruanning sat at the piano, her ten fingers resting on the keys.
The sound of Cheng Che's breathing came through the earphones; it was steady and light, and he didn't seem nervous at all.
"Ready?" she asked with a smile.
"Alright."
Yan Ruanning pressed the first note.
The sound of the piano came through the headphones, clean and simple, like the first ray of light in the morning.
She didn't play fast, leaving enough space for each note so that Cheng Che's voice could resonate within it.
Then Cheng Che spoke.
Before dawn, the wind whispered past my ear...
Yan Ruanning's fingers paused for a moment when the first sentence was uttered.
She has played the piano for so many years and accompanied countless people.
Some people have bright voices, some have deep voices, some sing accurately, and some have good emotions.
But she had never heard such a sound before.
The voice wasn't flashy or deliberately sentimental.
It's like a person standing on an empty playground, before dawn, with the wind blowing from afar. He just stands there, telling his heartfelt words, which are full of stories.
She remembered the last time she heard Cheng Che sing was in " Life Slowed Down ".
It sounds wonderful and is very pleasant to listen to.
But compared to before, he has improved a lot, adding a lot of technique to his original voice.
However, these techniques were not superfluous; on the contrary, they enhanced the overall effect.
Cheng Che is so good at it.
Yan Ruanning's fingers continued to move across the piano keys, but she was no longer playing.
She closed her eyes and listened silently.
She was afraid that if she played a wrong note, she would interrupt the sound.
"Running through the darkness, running over every hill..."
The second sentence.
Cheng Che's breathing was remarkably steady.
Each word was pronounced clearly, with a clean and crisp ending, without any unnecessary embellishment.
Yan Ruanning suddenly remembered something.
She had asked him before why he wanted to write songs.
He said, "I just want to make myself more versatile."
She even laughed at the time, thinking that the person's speech was too official.
Now she knows.
He wasn't speaking in official jargon.
He truly saved all his energy and used it where it was needed, and worked hard for it.
The chorus is coming.
"Chasing the wind, chasing the light, chasing the me who never gave up!"
Yan Ruanning felt her breath catch in her throat.
The sound surged upwards.
Driven by intense emotions, defiant and uncompromising, and fueled by a love for life, they charged forward!
It climbed upwards from the bottom to a height that made one's scalp tingle, yet it didn't seem to struggle at all.
Like the wind itself.
After she played the last note, her fingers remained on the keys, motionless.
There was silence in the headphones for a few seconds.
Then Cheng Che's voice came through. "How is it?"
Yan Ruanning did not answer immediately.
She looked down at her hands; they were still slightly numb.
"Very good."
Cheng Che chuckled in the recording studio, "You just played a wrong note."
You noticed it?
"In the second section, on the third chord of the left hand, you played a flat note as a natural note. It was only a semitone off, but I could hear it."
Yan Ruanning was taken aback.
Then she smiled broadly and said, "Looks like my teaching wasn't in vain."
"It's all thanks to Teacher Yan's excellent teaching."
"Your character... Fine. Let's start over."
She pressed the record button.
An hour later, the two emerged from the recording studio.
Yan Ruanning sent the demo to Qin Lie.
Qin Lie called less than ten minutes after receiving the message, his voice trembling.
"I listened to it, it was very good."
"I'll send it to Wilson now. Wait for my reply."
An hour later, Qin Lie called.
" Wilson replied." His voice was a little excited. "After listening to the demo, they want to buy out the license for use in advertising and all online and offline promotions. They're asking for over two million, a one-year license, worldwide coverage, allowing for an English version, but the copyright still belongs to you."
Cheng Che glanced at Yan Ruanning.
She nodded.
"Okay," Cheng Che said, "You sign it."
Two days later, Cheng Che and Qin Lie went to Wilson's recording studio to record a formal version.
After the recording was finished, Manager Wang came over personally, patted him on the shoulder, and smiled broadly.
"Mr. Cheng, you really are..." He thought for a moment, then found a word, "A true all-rounder. Songwriting, singing, playing ball, studying—nothing can be done without you."
Cheng Che exchanged a few polite words.
Manager Wang then said:
"The ad will go live next Monday, along with the single ' Chasing the Wind.' Just post Weibo and Douyin then."
This is exactly what Cheng Che wanted!
"No problem."
After Wilson, Qin Lie drove the car, with Cheng Che sitting in the passenger seat.
The streetlights outside the car window slid past one by one.
"Over two million in licensing fees, plus a share of the revenue from independent promotion," Qin Lie calculated as he drove. "If this song gets going, it'll have a lot of staying power."
Cheng Che leaned back in his chair, looking out the window.
Two days later, in a classroom in the Mathematics Department of Peking University.
Cheng Che sat by the window, while the professor was lecturing on the podium.
He listened with ease, occasionally jotting down a few notes.
My phone vibrated.
It was WeChat from Qin Lie.
[ Qin Lie: The ads have started rolling out. Check them out on Weibo and Douyin.]
Cheng Che swiped his phone and opened Weibo.
The top trending topics were:
Cheng Che, Wilson Endorsement#
#Chasing the Chasing the Wind Cheng Che #
#Blade V10#
# Cheng Che #
He clicked on the first item.
Wilson's official account posted a photo of a product he took. He was wearing a black sports vest and standing in the center of a tennis court, holding a Blade V10. The sunlight was shining from the side, and he looked as clean as if he had been washed.
The caption reads, "Welcome Cheng Che Himself to the Wilson family. Blade V10, born for offense."
The comments section has exploded.
Holy crap! Wilson got him as their spokesperson???
[This is top-notch! Wilson's spokesperson is on par with Federer!]
[The way he looked in that vest... I'm done for.]
[Wait, look at the second trending topic, what's that " Chasing the Wind " thing?]
[I listened to it! It's so good! He wrote it himself!]
[Really? He can write songs?]
[Look at the Wilson Airway commercial; the background music is " Chasing the Wind."]
[I've listened to this song on repeat ten times. It's perfect for exercising!]