After the station director left, the atmosphere in the rehearsal hall relaxed a bit.
Old Wu stood up from the director's seat, holding a stack of process sheets in his hand, and walked over to shake hands with Cheng Che.
He was in his fifties, his hair was thinning on top, but his voice was very loud.
" Teacher Cheng, this is Old Wu, the chief director. We'll be going over the procedures today for the live broadcast tomorrow."
Cheng Che nodded. "Hello, Director Wu."
Old Wu stepped aside, making way for the two people next to him.
A tall, thin man in his early forties, wearing round-framed glasses, remained silent, his eyes scanning back and forth between Cheng Che's face and throat.
Old Wu said, "This is Music Director Teacher Zhao; he's in charge of the mixing console."
Teacher Zhao adjusted his glasses, nodded as a greeting, and continued to scrutinize him.
The other one was stage director Big Liu, a very large man, whose name tag strap around his neck was taut.
" Teacher Cheng, I'll take care of the positioning, lighting, and camera setup. Just let me know where you're going to stand and how you're going to move."
Cheng Che shook hands with each of them.
Old Wu flipped to the Ning Qing page of the flowchart in his hand, glanced at it, and used very tactful language:
" Teacher Cheng, it's like this, we haven't been able to rehearse for the guest singer segment. The live broadcast is tomorrow, and if we go straight to Ning Qing today, I'm afraid we won't have enough time to adjust. How about... you sing a solo first? We can hear your voice, and Teacher Zhao can finalize the parameters."
Teacher Zhao added from the side, "He's more honest than Old Wu."
"The main thing is the microphone setup. Handheld or headset, reverb level, and the ratio of vocals to accompaniment. You sing one song first, and I'll adjust it all here so you don't have to worry about it during tomorrow's live stream."
Cheng Che readily agreed, "Okay. I'll just sing a random song to get a feel for it."
He walked towards the center of the stage, took two steps, then turned back and asked Teacher Zhao, "Do you have the instrumental version of Joker Xue's ' I Think I've Seen You Somewhere '?"
Teacher Zhao paused for a moment, then turned to look at the sound engineer.
The sound engineer flipped through the computer screen a couple of times and gave an OK sign.
Several staff members in the audience exchanged glances.
This song is not easy to sing. The chorus is very emotionally intense; it's easy to get into the mood, but difficult to pull it back.
Anyone who dares to use this song to "get a feel for it" during rehearsals is either genuinely confident or truly unaware of the risks involved.
News travels fast.
While Cheng Che was still adjusting his in-ear monitor on stage, the first head had already peeked in through the door of Hall 3.
She was a female singer who had just finished rehearsing in Hall 2 next door. She was carrying a thermos and came in, finding a chair in the back row to sit down, as if she were just passing by and taking a break.
Next came two band members, leaning against the door frame, one with his arms crossed and the other holding a guitar.
Lin Zhe, who had been sitting in the audience, put his legs down, which were crossed over his shoulders.
Ning Qing stood beside the stage curtain, arms crossed, unable to suppress a smile.
She thought to herself: Just wait until your jaws drop.
As the female lead in " The Realm and Old Friends," she had naturally heard the theme song and knew then how exaggerated Cheng Che's live singing was.
He's practically a walking CD player!
Old Wu glanced back and whispered to Big Liu, "Close the door halfway, don't let them all rush in."
Big Liu walked over and closed the door halfway, leaving a crack through which he could see figures moving about.
The intro begins.
When the first note fell, the stage lights weren't fully on yet; only a beam of sidelight shone from the left, outlining Cheng Che's silhouette.
He stood behind the microphone stand, his hands hanging down, not yet speaking.
In that instant, the [ Absolute Center Position ] was triggered.
Almost simultaneously, everyone's eyes turned to that direction.
The female singer with the thermos cup hadn't even taken a sip from it yet; she was staring blankly at the stage, as if she wanted to devour Cheng Che.
She whispered to the person next to her, "He's even more..." in person than on camera.
At the same time, the cameraman carrying the jib arm at the entrance nudged the person next to him with his elbow and tilted his chin slightly towards the stage.
Lin Zhe's agent, who was flipping through the schedule, stopped.
Teacher Zhao sat in front of the mixing console, his back hunched, but he unconsciously straightened up.
The intro has reached its fourth measure.
Cheng Che opened his eyes, leaned closer to the microphone, and spoke.
[ The Bard Incubus Voice ] has been triggered.
"I felt nothing after watching it, which is related to you. If you really dare to ask the author, what sin have they committed?"
How difficult it is to persuade people to part ways, especially when a beautiful story comes too late.
When the first line came out, Teacher Zhao's finger paused for a moment on the mixing console.
He quickly pushed the clipper, raising the volume of the voice slightly.
Then he turned his head, met Old Wu's gaze, and mouthed two words: "No need to fix it."
The female singer put down her thermos, placed her hands on her knees, leaned forward slightly, and showed an expression of enjoyment on her face.
When the first line of the chorus started, a few more people appeared at the door.
Big Liu didn't close the door anymore, because it wouldn't close. So he simply stood at the door like a doorman, whispering to the people next to him, "Don't push, don't push."
People bury their unspoken love in the soil, standing idly by while others try their best to distance themselves from the situation.
Cheng Che sang the second verse and walked out from behind the microphone stand.
He took two steps to the left of the stage, then circled back.
[ Camera Language ] has been triggered.
His body seemed to know the position of each camera and the rhythm of the transitions in advance; every step he took was on the climax of the music and also on the golden ratio point of the image.
Teacher Zhao muttered to himself from below the stage, "That positioning... did he study it before?"
"I heard your voice, but I also harbor a heart that dares not face you."
"I hide among the discerning crowd, and search for that star as soon as the night deepens."
No one answered, because no one knew the answer.
On the last verse of the chorus, Cheng Che's voice rises, but it doesn't feel like he's trying too hard; it's as if he naturally reaches that position.
" I Think I've Seen You Somewhere, I Think I've Seen You Somewhere."
I'll be waiting for you where I first saw you.
After singing the last line, Cheng Che let his hand fall naturally and looked down at the audience.
There was silence for about two seconds.
Then Teacher Zhao clapped twice first.
Then, applause erupted from the area near the entrance.
The female singer clapped and shook her head, her expression one of complete submission.
Lin Zhe was also filming, and he was filming with more effort than anyone else.
Old Wu stood up from the director's seat, clapped his hands, turned to Ning Qing and said something in a low voice, but several people nearby heard it:
" Ning Qing, you didn't just find a guest performer, you found a cheat code."
Ning Qing smiled and didn't deny it.
She walked over, handed Cheng Che a bottle of water, and casually flipped up his collar, the movement very natural.
Cheng Che took the water, took a sip, and asked Old Wu with a smile, "Director Wu, how was the sound quality just now?"
Old Wu opened his mouth, but in the end, he only said three words of admiration, "No need to adjust."