novelraw Chapter 8 Chen Ming! You've been hiding this really well!
Chapter 8 Chen Ming! You've been hiding this really well!
"I don't know," Zhang Wei shook his head, "but look at the comments."
Wang Haoran scrolled down.
[Zhou Hui, Vocal Performance Department]: "Is this an original piece? Really? It sounds so good!"
[Design School, June]: "The guy singing is a little bit handsome!"
[Dance Academy Caution]: "I need all of this guy's information within one minute!"
[Tao Wan, Vocal Performance Department]: "Is she really a composition major?! How can her singing be so amazing!"
[Composition Department Class 2]: "Holy crap, isn't that Chen Ming? He's the genius of our composition department! He really is from the composition department! Number one in his major!"
[Anonymous User]: "It's looped three times already, I can't get out, help!"
The comments keep refreshing, with more than a dozen new comments appearing each time.
The number of likes has already exceeded 500 and is still growing rapidly.
"This...this has become popular?" Wang Haoran was a little confused.
"It seems so." Zhang Wei scratched his head. "The campus wall already attracts a lot of attention, and this song is really good..."
The two exchanged a glance, then simultaneously pulled out their phones and opened the class WeChat group.
Sure enough, the group chat exploded.
[Liu Qian: Holy crap! Look at the school wall! Chen Ming's video has been shared online!]
[Zhao Lin: I saw it! I saw it! So many comments!]
[Li Yue: Who submitted this article? They did it so quickly!]
[Wang Haoran: I don't know, but the effect was phenomenal...]
[Zhang Wei: Does Chen Ming know?]
[Squad Leader: Let's not make a sound yet, let's wait until Chen Ming sees it himself before we talk about it.]
The group chat was buzzing with discussion, but no one tagged Chen Ming.
There's an unspoken understanding among everyone that it's better for the person involved to discover this sudden "exposure" on their own.
Second floor of the cafeteria, in front of the stir-fry window.
Tang Yuan was late for Chen Ming's lunch as he had hoped. He was carrying his tray and looking for a seat when his phone suddenly started vibrating incessantly.
He took out his phone and saw that there were 99+ messages in the class group chat, and dozens of messages tagging him were also displayed on the school wall.
"What's going on..." he muttered as he clicked on it.
Then his eyes widened.
"Old Zhou! Brother Ming! Look!" He turned around and waved to Zhou Xu and Chen Ming, who were still in line, his voice trembling.
Zhou Xu and Chen Ming walked over carrying trays.
"What's wrong?" Zhou Xu asked.
Tang Yuan handed over his phone, somewhat excited: "Our class's video is trending on the school wall!"
Zhou Xu took the phone, and Chen Ming also leaned over to look.
The screen displays the dynamic space of the campus wall, and the submission about "Big City, Small Love" has become a hot topic today.
The number of reposts is still rising, the number of comments has reached 500, and the number of likes is about to break 1,000.
This is quite an astonishing figure for an internal campus platform.
Zhou Xu's expression was somewhat complicated: "This speed of transmission... is too fast, isn't it?"
Chen Ming stared at the screen without saying a word.
This is what he wanted to experience in his previous life, but was unable to experience in his entire life: "to be spread, to be discussed, to be liked".
This feeling is wonderful.
"Ming-ge," Tang Yuan said in a low voice, his eyes sparkling, "You're going to be famous!"
Chen Ming snapped out of his reverie and smiled, "It's not that serious, it's just that the students find it novel."
"Fresh?" Tang Yuan pointed at the screen. "Look at these comments! These reposts! This is fresh? This is explosive!"
Indeed, the enthusiasm in the comments section exceeded expectations.
[Old Ma, Piano Major]: "The arrangement of this song is so clean, and the guitar part is especially soothing."
[He Minxuan, Chinese Language and Literature]: "The lyrics are so sweet, but not cloying. I love them!"
[Dance Academy Caution]: "This guy could debut right away!"
[Anonymous User]: "Looking for the contact information of this handsome guy! Paid!"
Various professional reviews were mixed together, ranging from musical analysis to lyric interpretation, from discussions about appearance to praise for talent, making it as lively as a small online concert.
The three of them found an empty table and sat down.
Tang Yuan was still scrolling through his phone, occasionally exclaiming "Holy crap!"
Zhou Xu remained relatively calm, but his eyes revealed excitement.
Chen Ming picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of rice.
The food tasted the same as usual, and the cafeteria was still noisy. The students around them were either eating with their heads down or chatting and laughing, and no one paid attention to their table.
Everything seemed normal.
But some things are already quietly changing.
......
By the time the afternoon composition class ended, the setting sun was already hanging obliquely on the horizon.
After assigning the melody homework, Professor He gave Chen Ming a special look.
There was expectation in his eyes.
He had already learned about Chen Ming's actions from Liao Mei.
He was genuinely curious about what kind of melody assignment this student would submit.
Chen Ming simply nodded calmly and packed his schoolbag.
As Tang Yuan walked out of the teaching building, he was still chattering about the video on the school wall: "Ming-ge, you didn't see it, so many people in the comments are asking if you're single! Some even said they want to form a group to audit our class!"
Zhou Xu also looked envious: "The class group chat is buzzing. Several students from other departments are asking around about you."
Chen Ming smiled and gave a few casual words of evasion.
His attention was still focused on the system notification that had just appeared in his mind:
[Host detected to have completed professional composition course]
This course does not unlock any specific works; its focus has been on enhancing the host's own abilities.
[Compositional Literacy Overall Rating: Beginner Level (Levels are divided into Beginner, Professional, Master, Grandmaster) 10 more professional composition lessons needed to reach the next level]
A gentle warmth slowly spread through the depths of my consciousness, unlike the surging waves when I unlocked the song before; it was more like a drizzle seeping into the soil.
Silent, yet real.
See your beginner-level rating.
Chen Ming wasn't surprised.
He was a singer in his previous life.
He is not good at creative work.
In this life, I'm just a freshman, a beginner when it comes to composing.
It's good to improve one's creative abilities now.
Moreover, with two composition classes a week, his composition skills reached a professional level in just over two months, which is quite fast.
Chen Ming could tell that the system didn't want him to rely solely on his previous works, but rather wanted him to have the ability to compose music himself, to know not only what to do but also why.
Otherwise, if it's just simple plagiarism, it will be exposed when someone asks about more professional details.
However, there was one thing that Chen Ming was quite curious about.
"System, what level is my singing ability?"
The system displayed a text message the next second.
[Singing Skills: Grandmaster]
Upon seeing these two words, Chen Ming nodded in satisfaction.
now it's right!
My studies in my past life weren't in vain.
......
The next morning, at eight o'clock.
Galaxy Entertainment, General Manager's Office.
Song He held a coffee cup, leaned back in his chair, and swiped his phone screen with his other hand.
He has a habit: the first thing he does when he gets to the company every morning is not to look at reports or attend meetings, but to spend half an hour browsing various social media platforms and video apps.
In his words, "Those in the entertainment industry need to know what young people are watching, listening to, and liking these days."
The coffee cup stopped at his lips.
On the phone screen is a Douyin (TikTok) local video.
The title is simple: "Jiangxi Arts University junior's original song 'Big City, Small Love' will make you want to fall in love after listening to it!"
Likes: 4.2.
Number of comments: over three thousand.
Number of reposts: over 5,000.
In the video, a boy wearing a simple white shirt sits in front of the classroom podium, holding a guitar.
Then a clean intro begins, with a few simple arpeggios, but the melody is fresh and cheerful.
Song He raised an eyebrow; this was interesting.
Then the boy started singing, and his voice came through the phone's speaker:
"The ends of her jet-black hair were coiled into a circle..."
The moment the voice came out, Song He paused, his hand holding the coffee cup still. "Huh?"
A clean, youthful voice, warm and clear, with a brightness unique to this age.
But more importantly, it's that control over the voice.
His breath control was incredibly steady, his pronunciation of each word was meticulous, his transitions were natural and smooth, and his emotional delivery was just right.
This is definitely not the level an ordinary student should have.
Song He sat up straight, placed his coffee cup on the table, crossed his hands to support his chin, and stared intently at his phone screen.
The video is short, just over three minutes long.
After listening to the song, Song He remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he suddenly stood up, paced around the office a couple of times, sat back down in his chair, and reopened the video.
He turned up the volume on his phone and listened to the entire song.
This time he listened more carefully.
Melody, lyrics, vocals, guitar accompaniment...
Everything exceeded his expectations for "campus originals".
Especially the song itself, "Big City, Small Love," is so perfect.
This could absolutely be a debut song for a top new artist!
Song He's breathing became rapid.
This is a treasure.
An absolute treasure.
Then, he opened the comments section and quickly browsed through them.
"What an amazing junior!"
"The song is beautifully written, and the singing is excellent!"
"Has this young man signed with a company?"
"It's in the composition department at Jiangnan University of Arts, but I don't know their name."
"Are all the students at Jiangxi Arts University this amazing now?"
"Brother, you're overthinking it. He's the one who's awesome, but I'm also a student of Jiang Yi. As for my creative level? Let's not even talk about it!"
Song He's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
As the general manager of an entertainment company, he has seen too many promising newcomers and missed out on too many talents that should have been signed.
But the boy in this video is good-looking, even top-notch.
Judging from the video, her singing skills are excellent; her pitch, breath control, and emotional expression are all spot on.
The song's creative ability, completeness, and maturity are completely unlike what one would expect from a first-year university student.
Most importantly, the video's popularity is genuine.
It's not purchased data, it's not fake traffic; it's genuine, spontaneous sharing by users.
This kind of "wild" viral success often signifies real market potential.
He dialed the company's internal line: "Anya, come to my office now."
Five minutes later, the office door was pushed open.
Anya walked in, her expression calm: "President Song, what is it?"
"Sit down." Song He pointed to the chair opposite him, his face beaming with undisguised excitement. "I just discovered a really promising talent, a freshman at Jiangyi University, majoring in composition. Her singing and songwriting are both top-notch!"
Anya sat down and raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Which student?"
"Look!" Song He eagerly pushed his phone forward. The screen showed a paused video. "This guy's name is Chen... wait, the video doesn't seem to say his name..."
Anya took the phone and glanced at the screen.
Then she froze.
The boy sitting on the classroom podium with a guitar on the screen, with a clean profile and focused eyes, is none other than Chen Ming.
She looked up at Song He, who was visibly excited, her expression somewhat subtle.
"President Song," Anya cleared her throat, "this student you're talking about..."
"Isn't it amazing?" Song He interrupted, speaking rapidly, "Look at his singing! His songwriting! His image! He's absolutely a diamond in the rough! Let me tell you, you won't find a talent like him for ten years! You go contact him right now, by any means necessary, sign him!"
Without hesitation, he added, "If he already has a management company, then find a way to poach him! The company will pay the breach of contract penalty! We absolutely cannot let go of talent like that!"
Anya was silent for two seconds.
Then she slowly began, "President Song, this person... is an artist in our company."
The office fell silent for a moment.
Song He blinked: "What?"
"This is an artist from our company," Anya repeated calmly. "His name is Chen Ming, a freshman majoring in composition. He signed a C-level newcomer contract this January, and I am his manager."
Song He's mouth opened slightly, his expression shifting from excitement to confusion, and then from confusion to embarrassment.
"Oh...oh..." He touched his nose, chuckled dryly, "So it's from our company, that's good, that's good."
Anya looked at him, a hint of helplessness flashing in her eyes.
Song He has a minor but serious problem: severe face blindness.
Unless it's a top-tier artist in the company, or a newcomer he's particularly interested in, he simply can't remember what they look like.
This habit seems particularly outrageous in the entertainment industry, where looks are so important.
However, Song He was exceptionally skilled in business and had a keen eye for projects, so the company tacitly accepted this "flaw."
He remembers the names of hundreds of artists in the company, but if you ask him to match the names with the real people, that would be difficult.
"President Song," Anya sighed, "Can you tell which of the seven members of our company's 'Shining Girls' group is which?"
Song He's expression became even more awkward: "Well... don't they all look pretty much the same...?"
Anya didn't speak, she just looked at him quietly.
Song He felt a little uneasy under her gaze, coughed, and forcibly changed the subject: "Since he's an artist from our company, that makes things easier. He has a C-level contract?"
"right."
"Mention Grade A," Song He said without hesitation.
Anya was taken aback.
Although she also wanted to fight for better conditions for Chen Ming, she opted for a direct jump from C-level to A-level.
This is rare in the company's history.
"President Song," Anya carefully chose her words, "I know Chen Ming has great potential, but isn't it too hasty to promote him by two levels all at once? Besides, he hasn't released any official works yet; he's only sung one song at school."
"Urgent?" Song He shook his head and pointed to the phone on the table. "Watch the video."
Anya picked up her phone and clicked play.
She didn't play the game when she first got Song He's phone.
Now calm down and listen to it completely once.
The sound of a guitar began.
Chen Ming's voice flowed out.
Anya's eyes gradually brightened.
Chen Ming's singing skills are surprisingly good!
A while ago, Lin Wei's agent, Sister Li, praised Chen Ming. After listening to his singing, she felt that Chen Ming's singing skills were good, but not quite at that level.
In retrospect, it seems that at the time, Chen Ming was providing harmony while Lin Wei was the lead vocalist, so she couldn't hear it.
Listening to Chen Ming's solo performance now, his singing skills truly exceeded her expectations.
This is no longer just "potential".
This person already possesses all the qualities to debut.
The video has finished playing.
Anya raised her head and looked at Song He, her eyes completely changed.
"How is it?" Song He asked.
"Very good." Anya nodded. "Even better than I expected."
"Then take another look at the video title," Song He said.
Anya exited the playback page and looked at the video's text description.
[Submission] I heard an original song called "Big City, Small Love" in my composition class today. It was written by a classmate, and it's really beautiful! Sharing it with everyone~
Original.
These two words shone like two stars in Anya's eyes.
She finally understood why Song He was so excited.
A 19-year-old freshman not only has excellent singing skills, but can also write original works of this quality.
This is a true treasure.
And she was the one who signed for this treasure.
She found out about this even later than Song He!
Chen Ming is a hidden gem!
"Now you understand?" Song He leaned back in his chair, his expression serious. "We must hold onto this kind of talent tightly. A C-level contract won't keep him. Once another company discovers him, they can poach him in no time."
Song He clapped his hands, somewhat seriously: "Remember to go in person, and show some sincerity."
Anya took a deep breath and nodded: "I understand."
"Go ahead." Song He waved his hand. "Get the contract sorted out as soon as possible, and this song, since it's already been revealed, let's release the CD version as soon as possible! Don't wait until everyone else has heard it. Anyway, it's almost May, let him try to get on the May newcomer chart. Tell him that the company will fully support the production and release of this song."
"it is good."
Anya stood up, picked up her notebook, and walked towards the door.
The office door closed gently.
Song He leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh of relief.
He picked up his phone again, opened the video, and listened to it once more.
As I listened, the corners of my mouth unconsciously turned up.
very nice.
he thinks.
The company hasn't had a newcomer who truly shines like this in far too long.
The monthly newcomer rankings are also being dominated by other companies.
It's been two whole years!
It's been two whole years since we've seen the top newcomer on the list!
The last one was Lin Wei, two years ago.
If they don't take first place on the newcomer chart soon, outsiders will start calling Brilliant Galaxy a second-rate entertainment company.
This time, he finally got his chance!
This Chen Ming might be an opportunity.