Superstar's Development Diary
Chapter 319 - 320: Prince of Love Songs

Chapter 319: Chapter 320: Prince of Love Songs

Dong Qiin asked with a laugh, "Jinxia, why is your face so red, did the chili pepper get you?"

He Jinxia quickly took over the tea cup and downed it in one go, nodded awkwardly with her head slightly bowed, and said nothing.

She stealthily stretched out her hand from under the table and couldn’t help but touch Sheng Yan’s leg, twisting it with embarrassed annoyance.

Sheng Yan had long known that his girl was shy, and as she was about to twist again, he caught her hand, his fingers long and jade-like, deftly hooking her fingertips, intertwining with hers.

Jinxia wanted to pull away, but couldn’t, she couldn’t help but lift her head and glared at him, meeting Sheng Yan’s smiling eyes. Her heart fluttered slightly, and Sheng Yan casually stirred it again.

He Jinxia quickly turned her head away, no longer looking at Sheng Yan, and as for her hand... she had already given up struggling.

An indescribable atmosphere filled the space between the two of them, deepening Dong Qiin’s confusion and prompting a frown.

Xiao Xiuxiu observed them, a thoughtful look crossing her eyes.

In the end, it was Ye Lunfei who broke the silence, volunteering to divulge his upcoming new song plans to extricate his friend from the awkward situation.

Others might not know the relationship between Sheng Yan and He Jinxia, but as one of Sheng Yan’s friends, Ye Lunfei did, and some of the tricks for chasing girls had even been personally taught to Sheng Yan by him.

As celebrities are busy with work, Sheng Yan and He Jinxia rarely had the chance to be together without being surrounded by a crowd. Their rare moments alone, spent like a couple in love, felt almost like a secret affair.

Ye Lunfei watched with an understanding eye and sighed softly, willing to cover for Sheng Yan and He Jinxia.

"I plan to release an album in October with primarily ancient-style songs," Ye Lunfei suddenly said.

Dong Qiin had always followed Ye Lunfei and her eyes lit up upon hearing this, but then her face showed a hint of confusion, "Ancient-style songs, not releasing sentimental love songs anymore?"

Ye Lunfei had always been known as the "Prince of Love Songs," with top-notch singing and technique in his love songs.

This time, moving away from sentimental songs to attempt ancient-style ones was a new and different challenge.

Ye Lunfei knew they were Sheng Yan’s friends, and since Sheng Yan trusted them, he did not harbor excessive doubts and revealed his plans.

"I’ve been following the modern sentimental route for many years now, and while I’ve been lucky that every year my sentimental songs are well-received, there is inevitably a saturation point for the audience. Having heard so many of my good songs, their standards keep rising," he said.

"For a love song, listeners might require an eighty out of a hundred from a singer, but for me, it’s ninety. The standard keeps going up, but good songs are hard to come by, and I can’t always meet the audience’s expectations. Over the years, my songs have often been compared to my earlier ones, and the feedback hasn’t been too favorable," Ye Lunfei said wistfully.

Being an actor isn’t easy, and being a singer is even harder.

An actor can be remembered for a year with one good production and can even win a host of awards the following year.

As a singer, although a released song can maintain its popularity and seem inescapable in people’s lives, with so many outstanding songs released every year, what’s fresh this month can become tiresome the next—a common occurrence.

There are few songs that manage to stay in the top twenty of the charts for more than a year.

Each year, many new stars enter the singing industry, but good songs are scarce, and singers face an environment where demand exceeds supply—truly a cause for lament.

In terms of the rate of talent elimination and resource renewal, the singing industry is certainly at the forefront.

Just a second earlier, your song might have been all the rage, but in the next, it could be completely forgotten.

"Singing love songs is my strength, but also my weakness. If I want to continue my career in the entertainment circle as a singer, transitioning to touch different music genres is an inevitable choice. Considering the popularity of ancient-style songs this year, I thought I’d give them a try."

Dong Qiin listened with a half-understanding, but nodded vigorously to show that she understood.

As a standard fangirl of Ye Lunfei, Dong Qiin firmly followed the principles of an irrational fan:

Whatever her idol says, is right!

Whatever her idol does, is right!

In short, her idol is the best in the universe, unmatched, and if someone criticizes him, it’s just because of jealousy and kicking someone when they are down!

Xiao Xiuxiu frowned slightly, aware of some news about ancient-style songs, and after pondering, she shared her opinion:

"Doing ancient-style music is a good idea. I often listen to ancient-style songs as well. There are still very few excellent ancient-style songs out there, and even fewer classics. The market share is still significant, but—"

She paused in her speech, turned her gaze to Ye Lunfei, and found that Ye Lunfei was also looking at her. Their eyes met, each harboring different feelings.

Xiao Xiuxiu slightly turned her head away, avoiding Ye Lunfei’s warm and gentle gaze, and said:

"You became famous with love songs, so a complete transition may seem a bit topsy-turvy. You don’t necessarily have to give up everything. I think you could mix a few ancient-style songs into your love songs to test the waters. If the ancient-style tracks are excellent and offer a stark contrast to your love songs, listeners might think you’ve improved your music."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Xiuxiu felt she had said too much.

Who was Ye Lunfei?

He was an already famous first-tier singer, whose team was top-notch. His team’s market analysis was more professional than her own. Could anything she think of, his team not think of?

Thus, Xiao Xiuxiu quickly added another sentence: "Just some humble thoughts, feel free to ignore them."

Ye Lunfei had been watching Xiao Xiuxiu all along, focusing intently—as it was his courteous upbringing.

Seeing her continuously drinking water after speaking, he couldn’t help but smile, saying, "No, I think what you said makes a lot of sense; my team may indeed be a bit hasty."

He spoke the latter half of the sentence lightly, as if it was just an offhand remark, but it inadvertently gave Xiao Xiuxiu an unexpected chill.

She couldn’t help but look up, only to see that Ye Lunfei had already lowered his head and was eating hot pot.

Xiao Xiuxiu frowned slightly and suppressed the weird feeling in her heart.

By this time, He Jinxia had recovered from her embarrassment and began to eat the food that Sheng Yan had served her with her free right hand, sharing her thoughts on ancient-style songs.

"I don’t know much about music, but I have heard of ancient-style songs. There’s a saying: ’Beauty lies in the bones, not the skin,’ and it’s the same with ancient-style songs. The soul of a song lies in the artistic conception, not the melody, and even less so in the lyrics."

"Just like writing poetry, whether it’s five-character regulated verse or seven-character regulated verse, the use of tones and rhymes isn’t to make it sound smooth when read, but to express the artistic conception. With a framework in place, the conception won’t be loose and shapeless, and it becomes easier for people to understand."

He Jinxia spoke slowly, her voice clear like the sound of beads falling, one after another, orderly, calm, and far-reaching.

"Xiuxiu is right, having an entire album of ancient-style songs is a bit risky. Rather than doing many, it’s better to focus on making a few masterpieces. Most modern ancient-style songs only pursue the expression of form, some don’t even achieve that, let alone the content?"