Rebirth of Chinese Entertainment, the Diary of a 95 Flower

Chapter 659 Sister Meng teaches Mai Mai to sing

"Maybe I'm just healthy," Meng Ziyi replied with a smile.

She stole a glance at Jiang Yang.

There was a hint of ambiguity in his eyes.

After saying that, she leaned closer to Jiang Yang and whispered, "Jiang Yang, I feel like Mai Mai is different from what you said. I think she's quite polite, not some childish older sister."

"That's because you don't understand her. You'll understand once you spend more time with her," Jiang Yang said in a low voice.

As they were talking, they arrived at Meng Ziyi's room. She swiped her card, pushed the door open, and waved to the two of them as she turned around: "I'm going to wash my face, Mai Mai, I'll come to your room to find you in a bit."

"Okay, Sister Meng, I'll be waiting for you!" Zhao Jinmai waved with a smile.

After Meng Ziyi closed the door, Zhao Jinmai glanced at Jiang Yang and teased him without any politeness: "Little Jiang, you're really weak. You've become like this after staying up all night?"

Jiang Yang's lips twitched.

Is he weak?

It was clearly Meng Ziyi who squeezed out all his energy last night, like a juicer. No one could withstand that.

Zhao Jinmai didn't notice his expression and continued, "Sister Meng looks so shy. She speaks so gently and politely. Isn't she the most beautiful girl at Beijing Film Academy? Are all the most beautiful girls this shy?"

Jiang Yang chuckled as he listened to Zhao Jinmai's words: "Sister Meng is shy? You just don't know her well enough yet. After spending more time with her, you'll understand what she's like. Really, I'm not kidding you, with that kind of brain of hers, she can say anything."

"Pshaw, I don't believe it. I only believe what I see."

Zhao Jinmai swiped her room card and pushed open the door.

The decoration is exquisite and the items are neatly arranged.

A soft, large bed sits by the window, which offers a panoramic view of Changsha. At night, the city is brightly lit, providing an excellent view.

The bathroom has a separate wet and dry area, a soft carpet, and a desk with fresh fruit on it.

Jiang Yang leaned against the headboard, rubbing his throbbing temples, and spoke seriously to Zhao Jinmai about the precautions for appearing on "Mars Intelligence Agency".

Each point was explained in exceptional detail:

“MaiMai, listen up. Tomorrow’s show, the first and most important thing is that you absolutely cannot make fun of anyone. Whether it’s the host, Mr. Wang Han, or any of the other guests, even if they’re joking, you have to be careful. You can’t just make fun of them like you’re chatting with us in private. After all, it’s a nationally broadcast variety show, and the whole country is watching. If word gets out, it will have a bad impact on you.”

Zhao Jinmai nodded obediently, tilted her head and asked, "Then if they deliberately tease me, can't I talk back?"

"Be able to respond, but don't be sarcastic."

Jiang Yang glared at her and continued, "Secondly, you can't talk nonsense or reveal secrets. Whether it's the program's unreleased procedures or your private filming or interactions with us, you can't just say it casually. In particular, don't talk about other artists' gossip, even if you know them well, so as not to get it edited in and cause trouble."

"Okay, I won't reveal anything." Zhao Jinmai waved her hand, then pressed, "Anything else? What else can't you do?"

"Also, you can't interrupt others while they're speaking. Whether it's Teacher Wang Han controlling the flow or other guests speaking, you have to wait until they finish before raising your hand or taking the opportunity to speak. This is basic politeness and a rule for variety show guests."

Done.

Jiang Yang suddenly remembered something: "Never mind what I said. Mars doesn't have to follow this rule, but other variety shows do."

Jiang Yang paused for a moment, then added, "In addition, you have to memorize the script provided by the production team. Although improvisation is allowed, the core flow and lines cannot be wrong, especially the parts involving product placement. You must say them completely without omitting any words or changing any lines."

"Do I have to remember the product placements?" Zhao Jinmai frowned, somewhat reluctantly.

"You have to remember this. It's the guest's duty. Be serious, MaiMai. I'm not kidding you."

Jiang Yang said seriously, "No matter what unexpected situation occurs on site, such as equipment failure or guests saying the wrong thing, don't panic or interrupt. Just listen to my instructions and follow everyone's rhythm."

"So many?" Zhao Jinmai took notes seriously: "I've got it all. No arguing, no leaking information, memorizing the script, controlling my expressions and actions, and following instructions, right?"

Jiang Yang nodded: "Yes, that's all. Just remember it. Don't panic on the spot. Also, Sister Meng and Xiwei will be performing together tomorrow. Xiwei will come over tonight. Let's look after each other. I'm not worried about Xiwei, but I'm worried about you. I'm afraid you might lead Sister Meng astray."

We chatted for a while.

There was a gentle knock on the door.

She immediately got up and ran to open the door. When she saw Meng Ziyi outside, her eyes lit up. She grabbed Meng Ziyi's hand and pulled her into the house, saying, "Sister Meng, come in, come in! Jiang Yang was just talking about you. He said you sing really well, even better than him!"

Mentioning singing piqued Meng Ziyi's interest, and she walked in with a smile: "Jiang Yang was absolutely right. Chao Yue, Bai Lu, Xi Wei, and Hao Chun have all heard me sing, and their evaluations of me are unanimously positive. They all say I'm a heavenly songstress! By the way, Mai Mai, did Jiang Yang talk to you about the precautions for going on 'Mars'? What did he tell you?"

"We've talked about it, I remember it all!"

Zhao Jinmai smiled and nodded, then turned to repeat it to Meng Ziyi.

Looking back.

They found Jiang Yang slumped on the spare bed in the room, fast asleep.

He lay directly on the blanket to sleep, with his legs stretched out, his arms casually draped at his sides, and his head tilted to one side.

His brows were slightly furrowed, and his breathing was deep and even, indicating that he was truly exhausted and didn't even have the strength to cover himself with a blanket.

Zhao Jinmai tiptoed to the bedside and whispered, "Why is Xiao Jiang asleep?"

Meng Ziyi also came over, softened her voice, and gently brushed the stray hairs falling across Jiang Yang's forehead: "He's too tired. He stayed up all night and told you so many things to be careful about. Let him get some sleep and don't wake him up."

"He's really weak. When I grow up, I'll definitely be much stronger than him!"

Zhao Jinmai pursed her lips, and the two exchanged a glance before deciding to move Jiang Yang into the quilt.

Meng Ziyi supported Jiang Yang's shoulders and carefully moved him to the middle of the bed.

Zhao Jinmai reached out and lifted the blanket, slowly covering Jiang Yang from his feet up, afraid that the movement would wake him.

When the blanket reached his chest, I made a point of tucking it in to prevent him from catching a cold.

Then, Meng Ziyi walked to the air conditioner, glanced at the current temperature, felt it was a bit low, pressed the remote control twice, and turned the temperature up by two degrees.

The air vents were deliberately tilted towards the ceiling to prevent cold air from blowing directly on Jiang Yang.

She walked to the bedside table, picked up the mineral water bottle on the table, poured a glass of warm water, and placed it on the bedside table in a spot where Jiang Yang could easily reach it.

I carefully loosened the water cup lid a little so that Jiang Yang could drink water quickly after waking up.

Zhao Jinmai squatted by the bed and neatly arranged Jiang Yang's shoes that were scattered around the bed.

He took off the coat he was wearing, folded it neatly, and placed it on the chair at the foot of the bed.

After doing all this, the two tiptoed to the door. Zhao Jinmai lowered her voice and said to Meng Ziyi, "Sister Meng, let's go sing. Don't disturb Xiao Jiang's sleep here."

"Okay!"

Meng Ziyi closed the door, dimmed the lights in the room, and then followed Zhao Jinmai toward the elevator.

Stepping out of the hotel and walking south along Jinying Road in front of it, you turn into a bustling cultural and creative alley after only two hundred meters. After walking for less than five minutes, you see the eye-catching Starlight KTV sign at the entrance of the alley.

The red sign with yellow lettering was dazzlingly bright.

A poster advertises a 8% discount for those with a broadcasting work ID.

It's clearly a place that frequently hosts variety show guests and staff.

I pushed open the door and entered the KTV.

A smell mixed with popcorn, fruit platter, and a faint disinfectant wafted over.

The lobby wasn't spacious, but it was exquisitely decorated, with wallpaper featuring subtle patterns on the walls and numerous celebrity posters hanging on the walls.

The receptionist, dressed in a uniform black outfit, greeted the two women with a smile as they entered: "Good evening, ladies. Are you here by appointment or just dropping by?"

"It's temporary, I'd like a small private room." Meng Ziyi registered.

The waiter quickly completed the formalities, handed over a silver key to the private room, and led the two upstairs.

The hallway was covered with thick carpet, making it feel completely silent underfoot, and the doors to the rooms on both sides were tightly closed.

The singing could be faintly heard coming from the various private rooms.

Off-key screams, gentle humming, laughter, and clinking glasses.

As we approached the door of VIP room 208, a waiter opened the door and said, "Press the service bell anytime if you need anything."

After saying that, he gently closed the door.

The walls are decorated with colorful ambient lights that can be adjusted for brightness.

Directly in front of you is a large projection screen, and below it are two black speakers that look to have good sound quality.

In the center is a dark marble coffee table with a microphone on it, along with complimentary popcorn and lemonade.

On both sides are soft sofas with clean velvet cushions, making them exceptionally comfortable to sit on.

A loud singing voice came from the next private room, so Meng Ziyi quickly closed the door, and the sound immediately became much quieter.

Zhao Jinmai ran to the karaoke machine, sat down, opened the song selection interface, and quickly swiped her fingers to find "A Little Happiness".

Click to mute the original vocals.

Smiling, she picked up the microphone: "Sister Meng, I'll sing first, and you can see how good I am!"

As the music began to play softly, Zhao Jinmai cleared her throat and started singing along with the rhythm.

He started off-topic as soon as he opened his mouth.

The key was half a beat lower than the original, and the voice was thin, soft, and very stiff.

He had to pause briefly after each line to keep up with the rhythm.

When she sang the chorus, she clearly struggled when she hit the high notes.

His brows were tightly furrowed, his mouth was wide open, and he shouted at the top of his lungs. His voice was sharp and dry, and he almost cracked several times. His rhythm was also completely out of control.

It was supposed to be a gentle love song, but she sang it in a rushed and stiff manner, even getting two lyrics wrong.

The microphone in my hand was sometimes too far from my mouth, causing the sound to be sometimes loud and sometimes soft.

However, Zhao Jinmai herself was very engrossed in singing, her eyes fixed on the lyrics on the projection screen, and her feet tapping along to the beat, completely unaware that she was singing off-key and out of rhythm.

After finally finishing the last line and the music ending, Zhao Jinmai put down the microphone, looked at Meng Ziyi with anticipation, and asked with a smile, "Sister Meng, how did I sing?"

"To be honest, it's terrible." Meng Ziyi's smile faded, and he said seriously.

“Absolutely!” Zhao Jinmai wasn’t angry at all. Instead, she chuckled and scratched her head. “Last time in Beiping, I sang this song with Xiao Jiang, and he gave me the same feedback. But he was lazy, so he just said I sang badly without specifying what was wrong. Sister Meng, can you tell?”

"Of course I can tell, I'm a songstress."

Meng Ziyi picked up another microphone and patiently said:

“MaiMai, I think your most obvious problem is that you’re off-key. You’re half a beat lower than the original singer throughout the whole song, you know? In the high notes of the chorus, it feels like you didn’t find the right pitch. It sounds like you’re just shouting it out loud. It doesn’t sound good. Singing like that will hurt your voice.”

"She's really professional, Sister Meng." Zhao Jinmai was stunned.

"Right? I told you I'm a professional."

"Keep going, keep going, Sister Meng."

After being praised by Zhao Jinmai, Meng Ziyi became even more blunt.

Didn't Jiang Yang say that Mai Mai was impolite and liked to argue with people?

I didn't feel it at all.

She was worried that Mai Mai would be angry after giving such a positive review of Mai Mai's singing, but Mai Mai didn't care at all.

Jiang Yang is definitely lying to her.

Mai Mai is clearly a very polite child.

Meng Ziyi continued, "There's also the problem of chaotic rhythm. Mai Mai, you always fall behind the accompaniment. There are times when you rush the beat and times when you're slow. The lyrics and melody are disconnected, which sounds very stiff. You also have problems with breath control. Zhen Deng, your breath is unstable. You have to pause to breathe after singing a few lines. Your voice is sometimes loud and sometimes soft. Moreover, I think you haven't grasped the emotions of the song. 'A Little Happiness' is gentle and soothing, but you sang it too fast and too forcefully, lacking that delicate feeling. Finally, your pronunciation is not clear enough. There are a few lines of lyrics that are unclear, and it's hard to understand what you are singing."

Zhao Jinmai listened very attentively: "Yes, yes, yes, I just feel short of breath when I sing, and I can never keep up with the rhythm."

Meng Ziyi smiled and concluded, "Actually, it's normal. Singing depends on talent. If you don't have enough talent, you need to practice more, gradually find the right pitch, practice your breath control, and you'll get better with more practice."

Zhao Jinmai nodded repeatedly, her eyes lighting up. She leaned closer to the karaoke machine and said, "Sister Meng, I'll pick a song for you. You sing it once first, and then teach me how to sing it. I want Xiao Jiang to teach me to sing. He's always too lazy to teach me, saying I have no talent. I want to practice secretly and amaze everyone when the time comes."

"Sure, no problem, just pick any song for me."

"Sister Meng, do you know how to sing Xiao Jiang's songs? His songs are quite nice."

"Yes, I can sing every single one of his songs."

Zhao Jinmai immediately became interested and quickly searched for Jiang Yang on the karaoke machine. Several songs quickly popped up on the screen.

"Rose Boy", "The Cloud That Blooms", "Calories", "The Sea of ​​Stars".

She requested "Rose Boy": "This is the song I like best when Xiao Jiang sings it. Sister Meng, you'll definitely sing it beautifully too!"

The music started slowly, the prelude gentle. Meng Ziyi sat up straight and straightened his clothes.

Holding the microphone with both hands, closing his eyes, taking a deep breath, and striking a professional singer's pose. (End of Chapter)