Chapter 108: Debut (Please Subscribe)

"These are the songs I've prepared for you; have a look."

At the Central Tower, Liao Yuan placed the sheet music he had spent the last two days preparing onto the conference table and slid it toward Song Baining. "The recording studio will be finished soon. Start by memorizing these lyrics. My phone number is on the title page; feel free to ask if there’s anything you don’t understand."

Song Baining sat there, took the music, and examined it carefully. She looked up and said, "I don't understand this."

Liao Yuan: "…How so?"

Song Baining seemed a bit embarrassed. She lowered her head and said, "I never learned any instruments. I can't read staff notation; I can only hum along."

Liao Yuan was dumbfounded.

Song Baining paused, then added, "But I have a very good memory. For any song, I only need to hear it a couple of times."

"Really?"

Liao Yuan, intrigued, had someone bring over a newly purchased guitar. He strummed the strings briefly and began to sing: "There is always a winding, colorful river in Fairytown, tainted with the whimsical scent of magic, yet twisting through love..."

Accompanied by the guitar, Liao Yuan’s voice held a distinct texture that clearly widened Song Baining's eyes.

Less than a minute later, Liao Yuan stopped playing and asked with a smile, "Want to try?"

Song Baining nodded.

Liao Yuan reset his fingers into the chords. "Ready? Three, two, one!"

"There is always a winding, colorful river in Fairytown, tainted with the whimsical scent of magic, yet twisting through love..."

Song Baining's voice was like a kingfisher splashing in water or a warbler singing, leaving Liao Yuan highly satisfied. Furthermore, just as she had claimed, her memory for lyrics and melodies was extraordinary.

But then, Liao Yuan was taken aback.

"Splashing the water, winding in the fragments of time, leading all fairy tales to their end..."

Liao Yuan stopped playing, puzzled. "Japanese?"

Song Baining gave a small hum and said calmly, "Japanese is my minor. I thought this song was beautiful, so I tried translating it. It’s not bad, is it?"

Liao Yuan was unsure how to take this.

The song *Fairytown* had been a massive hit in his previous life. Even without any promotion or advertising from the original artist, it had remained in the top ten of the music charts for over a dozen months—a minor miracle driven by word-of-mouth listeners.

However, the song had its flaws. While the melody was pleasant, the lyrics were somewhat aimless and obscure. In reality, it was an adaptation based on the American TV show *Once Upon a Time*; the lyrics were essentially a collection of references to characters from that show.

In industry terms, it was a piece of "dark fairy tale" fan-fiction. The message was straightforward: good and evil aren't as clearly defined as they are in children's stories—Snow White could do bad things, and the Evil Queen wasn't inherently evil.

Many critics blasted the lyrics as nonsensical, but in truth, the writer hadn't intended to express any grand philosophy; it was simply a work inspired by the show, akin to "obscure poetry" in literature or "abstract art" in painting.

Liao Yuan loved the song, but hearing a Japanese version for the first time was a novelty. Still, he couldn't let Song Baining do as she pleased; the Chinese version had already proven its worth. If she interspersed Japanese throughout, it might alienate the very people who loved the song.

He fell into thought.

"Your minor shouldn't go to waste."

Liao Yuan rubbed his chin and said circuitously, "How about this: we’ll record both a Chinese version and a Japanese version. What do you think? After all, Japan is a pretty good market."

Song Baining nodded. "I'll listen to you."

Liao Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. He then played the guitar and sang the remaining two songs for her: *Red Mountain Fruit* and *Fleeting Youth*.

Compared to the pop-heavy elements of *Fairytown* and *Fleeting Youth*, Song Baining liked *Red Mountain Fruit* the most.

"A flower, a tree, a house, a road, a mountain, a river, a boat, and me... a heart, a spark..."

She hummed along, her eyes full of joy.

Liao Yuan couldn't help but ask, "Can you try smiling?"

Song Baining’s body stiffened, and she finally forced a smile. It was worse than crying.

*Forget it!*

Liao Yuan couldn't bear to look. "Don't smile, thank you."

Song Baining said "Oh," and went back to holding the lyrics, reading them over and over, tireless and diligent.

Liao Yuan stared at her for a moment. Although she didn't say it, he knew this sophomore student was short on money and had been working part-time jobs since she started school. If he could help her improve her life through these songs, he was more than happy to do so.

"Why didn't you choose Lemon Entertainment or Hualong?" Liao Yuan asked. "They are among the top companies in the industry."

Song Baining put the sheet music down. "They wanted me to obey the company's arrangements and told me to drop out of school."

Liao Yuan laughed. "They wanted to push you hard. Most people would kill for that treatment."

"I promised my grandmother that I would finish college. I won't break my word."

After saying this with grave seriousness, she went back to studying the lyrics.

A child-like stubbornness.

Liao Yuan shook his head and was about to leave when Tian Xingde and the others called him into the office, saying they had updates on various matters. He found it strange—was there something else to report?

"The project for *Signal* has been approved. Director Liu said he would give us some audition slots for actors." In the office, Xu Beihong looked at Liao Yuan and sighed. "But the problem is, our company doesn't have any actors..."

"Don't worry about that for now," Liao Yuan said. "By the way, how is the search for Song Baining's agent going?"

"Song Baining shouldn't need an agent for a while," Tian Xingde suddenly said. "Mr. Liao, I've been thinking carefully over the last two days. I actually think our company should change its strategic direction."

Liao Yuan was surprised. "What do you mean?"

Tian Xingde exchanged glances with the others and finally said, "I heard from Mr. Liu and Mr. Fu that you have the skills of a professional singer..."

Liao Yuan was even more confused. "Speak plainly."

Liu Hai laughed from the side. "Mr. Liao, you’re failing to see the truth because you’re in the middle of it!"

Everyone started laughing.

Fu Xiaoci, sitting to the side with her arms crossed, couldn't help but chime in, seeing Liao Yuan's blank expression: "Dummy, they're trying to get you to debut!"

Liao Yuan fell silent.

Xu Beihong smiled. "Mr. Liao, look: you can write, you can write scripts, you can write songs, and your own singing ability is at a professional level. You are a natural-born, all-around artist. If you don't debut, even the heavens wouldn't be happy!"

"Exactly. We've been running around like headless chickens these past few days, ignoring the treasure right in front of us," Tian Xingde added with a grin. "Why look further afield? You are the standard for an all-around artist! With the talent you've shown, it would be hard *not* to be a hit."

Liu Hai pulled an envelope from his bag, handed it to Liao Yuan with both hands, and said, "This is an invitation from Director Fu. If you’re ready, *Produce 101* will be your debut stage!"