novelraw Chapter 5: A Casual Play
Chapter 5: A Casual Play
The host stood there, stunned.
He held the microphone to his chest, his mouth open, but couldn't utter a single word for a long time.
Two seconds later.
The host paused briefly, his voice slightly strained:
"It's so...so beautiful. Seriously, Song Ze, I never imagined that 'Liang Liang' could turn out like this—the arrangement, the piano piece, it's so evocative."
He was rambling incoherently and gesticulating wildly.
The scumbag who collapsed in his career suddenly transformed into a piano master and a powerful singer, a contrast that left the host speechless.
He has only one thought in his mind right now: This episode has to be explosive!
Sofa area.
Shen Xiaoyuan covered her cheeks with both hands, her face turning bright red.
They made the right choice in clinging to this powerful figure!
Following this giant Buddha statue, not only will I trend on social media tonight, but I might even gain a reputation for having "discerning insight."
She has even thought of the caption for her Weibo post tomorrow.
The male guests next to him turned pale, exchanged glances, and none of them said a word.
I thought he was just a stepping stone to be trampled on, but instead he pulled out a Gatling gun and started shooting the whole place.
Lin Shishi stood up.
She stared at Song Ze, her hands taut and straight.
"This song..."
Lin Shishi spoke, her voice a little hoarse.
"The arrangement is very complex; it can't be summarized by simple pop chords. Did you rearrange it yourself?"
An expert's probe.
She started learning piano at the age of six, won an award at the age of fifteen, and believes that she has no rivals among the younger generation.
But she knew she couldn't play that intro.
Song Ze leaned back on the sofa.
He didn't get up.
He didn't even lift his head.
"I just played it casually."
Four words, a flat and straightforward description, without any ups and downs.
Lin Shishi froze.
Was it played casually?
are you kidding me?
The backstage area of the live stream.
The director ripped the headphones off his head and yelled at the top of his lungs.
"All cameras! All cameras, aim at Song Ze!"
"Close-up! Give him a close-up of his face! Don't miss a single detail of him drinking!"
The assistant director stared at the data panel, his hands trembling violently.
"Director...Director, the number of viewers online...has surpassed one million!"
"We occupied four of the top ten trending topics on Weibo!"
The assistant director swallowed hard.
"First is #SongZeIsDying#, second is #SongZeBecomingAGod#, third is #FeelingPoorLinShiShi#, fourth is..."
He paused, then raised his voice.
"#SongzeWritingService#!"
The comments section went crazy.
The dense text completely obscured the entire screen.
[That was a random, impromptu performance! I give that a perfect score for how cool it was!]
[This was ghostwritten! It's absolutely ghostwritten! Song Gou's old pop songs are on a completely different level from this one!]
[Hilarious! You can have someone else play the piano? You'd hire a ghostwriter to hide inside the piano lid and play it?]
[The music was definitely bought! There are only a handful of retired masters in China who can write and arrange music like this. Song is spending a fortune to whitewash his image!]
[Whether it was ghostwritten or not, I'm a fan for this talent! That look combined with that voice is absolutely stunning!]
[Get out of the entertainment industry, you scumbag! Boycott celebrities with bad records! Don't think you can whitewash yourself by singing a song!]
Public opinion on the internet was instantly torn apart.
Half the people were in a frenzy of worship at this phenomenal, unexpected event.
The other half of the people are frantically digging into the truth, trying to find evidence of deception and fraud.
The living room of the villa.
The host wiped his sweat and abruptly switched back to the program.
"Okay...okay! Thank you, Song Ze, for your amazing performance!"
"Next up is the singing competition, also tonight. Please welcome our next guest—"
He glanced down at his cue cards, his tone regaining its fullness and professionalism.
"Please welcome our professional dancer, and also a hidden karaoke king/queen, Zhang Hao!"
The living room lights suddenly changed.
The tranquil spotlight that illuminated the piano performance has now switched to dazzling, flowing colored lights.
The upbeat intro to a pop dance song begins.
The deafening drumbeats instantly filled the entire villa.
Zhang Hao, dressed in loose cargo pants and a sequined jacket, strode into the center of the living room.
That's right, as one of the eight guests in the singing competition, he naturally had to sing as well.
But he knew very well that he would not stand a chance against professional singers like Lin Shishi and Song Ze in terms of singing skills.
So he has to sing and dance.
Zhang Hao went all out from the moment he appeared.
Accompanied by a strong rhythmic drumbeat, the opening act begins with a clean and crisp somersault.
The audience gasped in surprise.
He then sang and danced, incorporating various challenging dance moves into the gaps between songs.
The windmill becomes a wave in the arm, the starting posture of the Thomas full twist is integrated into the movement, and a one-handed handstand is performed.
Strength and skill go hand in hand.
Sweat dripped down Zhang Hao's chin, glistening under the light.
He put in an extremely energetic effort, trying to steal the spotlight from Song Ze's quiet rendition of "Liang Liang" with this explosive performance.
As for how well he sang...
To be fair, the breath control was indeed a bit unstable due to the vigorous movements, and a few notes were off.
But the atmosphere is what makes it stand out.
Its appeal lies in its lively atmosphere.
His energetic performance ignited the entire living room, and several guests stood up and clapped along with the rhythm.
Song Ze slumped on the sofa.
I'm so bored.
He had absolutely no interest in the chaotic, flying movements that filled the arena.
His mind was completely occupied with figuring out how to pour all his existing funds into Bitcoin.
Bitcoin in 2016.
Isn't this much better than being a fool in the entertainment industry?
Once I've made enough money, I'll buy a large, single-level apartment with a sea view in Sanya, and sleep in until I naturally wake up every day. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
A cold system notification suddenly sounded in my mind.
[Detectable "Dance" skill proficiency.]
[Target: Zhang Hao]
[Skill Level: Proficient]
【Whether to extract? 】
Song Ze raised an eyebrow.
I opened my skill panel and glanced at it.
Dance (Beginner)
Exquisite? It's just right at the limit of what an entry-level level can extract.
In other words, Zhang Hao is just an idol, and his skill level is not yet at the level of a professional dancer, but he is more than capable of handling idol stages.
Song Ze quickly went through the settings in his mind: the level difference cannot exceed two levels of his own.
If Zhang Hao is at the "professional" level, then my "beginner" level is three levels below "proficient" and "expert," which is completely out of my reach.
At this current level, it's neither too high nor too low, just right for making a quick buck.
He originally intended to close the pop-up window directly.
What do you need this thing for?
He's a near-billionaire who's about to retire from the financial industry and go into finance. Does he have to do a split to entertain everyone when he rings the bell on Wall Street?
Song Ze curled his lip.
But then I thought about it again.
It's a free cheat, why not take it?
Having many skills is never a bad thing.
If I ever go clubbing in the future, I might be able to use this trick to get a few more free bottles of Ace of Spades.
extract.
Extraction complete
[Dance skill proficiency reached: 450]
[Dance (Excellent): 460/1000]
A massive influx of information instantly flooded my brain.
What follows is an extremely bizarre sense of physical alteration.
Muscle fibers are remodeling.
The flexibility and explosive power of the joints are forcibly increased.
Song Ze felt like he could take off from the spot, do a 720-degree turn in mid-air, and then land smoothly.
He subconsciously moved his shoulder.
I adjusted my sitting posture.
It's such a simple and ordinary action.
Yet, the lens reveals an indescribable tension.
The lines of the shoulders and neck are extremely smooth.
The core strength of the waist and abdomen subtly tightens as the sitting posture changes.
Shen Xiaoyuan, who had been secretly glancing at him, suddenly shrank her neck.
Why does this person feel so oppressed even when sitting on a sofa?
Shanghai, Cloudview Center office building.
Zhang Juan's phone vibrated wildly on her desk, almost making her jump to the ground.
She stared at the live stream on her computer screen, gritting her teeth.
From despair just now to ecstasy now, my blood pressure has gone through a rollercoaster ride.
She grabbed her phone and hung up a call from the Third Ring Life Weekly.
I dialed the number of Lao Liu, the company's public relations director, directly.
"Old Liu!"
Zhang Juan's voice was trembling, but her tone was resolute.
"Immediately cease all PR efforts to clarify the 'scumbag' label!"
There was a pause on the other end of the phone.
"Stop everything? What about the online backlash? How will we explain this to the board of directors?"
"Never mind those old relics!"
Zhang Juan slammed her hand on the table.
"Pour all resources into #Song Ze, the original musician#!"
"And there are also #undiscovered geniuses#!"
"Yes! Stir-fry it to death!"
"How did you handle the ghostwriting scandal?" Old Liu asked.
Zhang Juan sneered.
"Just tell them that our legal department's lawyer's letter is already on its way!"
"We will sue anyone who dares to spread rumors about ghostwriting!"
After hanging up the phone, Zhang Juan stared at Song Ze's cynical face on the screen and gritted her teeth as she added a sentence.
"One month. Just one month. I must turn Song Ze's Baidu Index and commercial value from negative to positive. If I can't do it, I might as well quit being his agent."