Chapter 37 : Can't You Write Songs Yourself?
Chapter 37 - Can't You Write Songs Yourself?
Chen Ran was truly feeling awkward; he really didn't have a romantic bone in his body.
The key point was that Zhang Fanzhi wasn't his real girlfriend. Giving a gift would have been one thing, but giving flowers—roses, no less—felt indescribably strange.
Zhang Fanzhi’s lips twitched. "You’re..."
She glanced beside Chen Ran, where Director Zhang was looking at her with a beaming smile.
"When we were coming over, we saw a flower shop. It was a one-way street, but Chen Ran insisted on getting out and running over to buy flowers. He went all the way around just to buy roses, saying that since it's hard for you to come home and he hadn't prepared a gift, he’d give you a surprise with flowers," Director Zhang said with a chuckle.
Zhang Fanzhi's eyes flickered, and she looked at Chen Ran suspiciously.
Hearing Director Zhang put it that way, Chen Ran was beyond embarrassed.
Director Zhang was the one who told him to buy the flowers, and it hadn't been as exaggerated as the man claimed; he had just stepped out and bought them conveniently at a shop nearby.
How did Director Zhang manage to add so much drama to it?
He glanced at Zhang Fanzhi and then at Director Zhang. Truly a father and daughter duo!
Seeing Chen Ran's expression, Zhang Fanzhi already understood everything.
She reached out and took the roses, cradling them in her arms, and gestured for the two of them to come inside.
Waves of floral fragrance drifted out; Zhang Fanzhi wrinkled her small nose.
When she sang at certain events, fan clubs or organizers would arrange for people to present flowers. But as for someone giving her flowers directly face-to-face like this, it seemed there really hadn't been anyone.
Zhang Fanzhi's mood had actually been quite irritable; on the way back, her assistant hadn't even dared to let her drive and insisted on personally seeing her home before leaving. Now, smelling the fragrance of the flowers, she felt a bit better.
Zhang Fanzhi found a vase and placed the flowers inside.
Chen Ran watched her and breathed a slight sigh of relief. He had been afraid that she would just throw the flowers away if she was in a bad mood; that would have been so awkward.
In all his two lifetimes combined, this was the first time Chen Ran had given someone flowers.
Zhang Fanzhi said, "I'll go help in the kitchen," and moved to turn and go inside.
Director Zhang waved his hand.
"Come back, come back. There's not much to do in the kitchen. It wasn't easy for you to make a trip home, so rest first. I'll go help your mom."
Having said that, he got up and entered the kitchen before Zhang Fanzhi could speak.
Neither Chen Ran nor Zhang Fanzhi were fools; both understood Director Zhang's meaning. He was giving them time to be alone together.
Zhang Fanzhi's willow-leaf brows knitted slightly, but she still didn't speak. She walked over and sat down beside Chen Ran.
She was dressed very casually at home, in a tight-fitting base layer sweater and slim-fit trousers that accentuated her figure—neither too thin nor too heavy, but perfectly proportioned.
Chen Ran glanced at her inadvertently, was momentarily stunned, and then somewhat unnaturally shifted his gaze away.
She truly was a celebrity; not only was she beautiful, but she also had a great figure.
He had seen in the news that celebrities had to control their three meals a day for their figures; he didn't know if it was true.
Zhang Fanzhi stood up, brought over a plate of fruit from the dining table, and after sitting down, asked seemingly casually, "Have you been busy at the Entertainment Channel lately?"
Chen Ran hadn't expected her to speak first. He nodded:
"It's alright. The program just started, so I've been working overtime these past few days."
"Are you making a variety show?" Zhang Fanzhi asked again.
"It is a variety show, but it's quite interesting. When it comes out, you can watch it if you're bored."
Zhang Fanzhi nodded. "I will watch it when the time comes."
Chen Ran said, "The program can't be compared to the big productions on satellite TV. Don't get your hopes too high, so you won't be disappointed."
Zhang Fanzhi glanced at him from the side and asked, "So little confidence in your own program?"
Chen Ran said grumpily, "I'm afraid your standards are too high and you'll end up crushing my spirit!"
Zhang Fanzhi curled her lip. "Am I that bored?!"
Chen Ran thought to himself: Whether you're that bored or not, don't you have some idea?
Zhang Fanzhi looked at his expression and seemingly understood. She felt a surge of annoyance and pulled a long face, remaining silent.
Chen Ran was still pondering the matter of Zhang Fanzhi's new song. After thinking for a while, he asked, "What’s the deal with your new song?"
"It was snatched by someone else." Zhang Fanzhi's expression was calm, but one could clearly see the unwillingness and loss in her eyes.
Chen Ran asked, "Lin Hanyun again?"
Zhang Fanzhi paused, her gaze toward Chen Ran full of confusion.
Chen Ran felt a bit self-conscious under her stare and said sheepishly:
"I took a look at Weibo today. Your song is gone, and she's about to release a new one. It’s most likely her."
Chen Ran didn't mention the news he had seen last time. This was already the second time; if he brought it up again, it would be too embarrassing for her.
Zhang Fanzhi's expression darkened further, though it was more out of embarrassment. She still gave an "mm" and muttered, "If you already knew, why did you ask me?"
Chen Ran said, "I'm just quite curious about what your company is thinking. You're young, beautiful, and have potential, yet they set you aside and won't let you release a song. That Lin Yunhan is inferior to you in every way, so why do they still give all the resources to her?"
Hearing this, Zhang Fanzhi also felt uncomfortable. She said in a muffled voice, "I don't know."
Chen Ran knew she didn't want to talk about it, so he didn't press her. He thought for a moment and asked in a low voice:
"If the company won't give you songs, why don't you write them yourself?"
This was one of the questions he had in his heart.
He hadn't studied music, but someone like Zhang Fanzhi, who had studied it since childhood, could surely try writing songs herself. It would be much better than having to see if there was a suitable song to release and then having to look at the company's mood.
Zhang Fanzhi turned her head to look at Chen Ran as if she were looking at an idiot.
If she knew how to write songs herself, would she still be struggling like this?
Songwriting is a gift; being able to sing doesn't necessarily mean one can write.
Did Zhang Fanzhi not want to create her own music?
Of course she did!
She had tried goodness knows how many times in private.
But what she wrote either had a heavy sense of déjà vu—the kind where people would claim it was plagiarism as soon as it was released—or it was completely unlistenable.
Do you know why there are many singers and many songwriters, but so few people who are excellent at both?
It's because the Heavens are fair. Those who can both sing and compose excellently are the darlings of the Heavens!
Clearly, she, Zhang Fanzhi, was not.
Some said her voice was a gift from the Heavens, and indeed it was—but it was just her voice.
Being stared at by Zhang Fanzhi like that, Chen Ran felt as if he had asked a very stupid question.
It seemed that even back on Earth, there weren't many who were both great at singing and composing while being extremely popular.
However, the ones who left the deepest impression and whose careers were the most stable were definitely those singer-songwriters.
The others...
Too many were flashes in the pan. If it was just the voice, the substitutability was too high.
"I thought it was fairly easy," Chen Ran gave a dry laugh, trying to move past the topic.
Zhang Fanzhi didn't speak; she seemed to be in a foul mood.
Actually, even if her song was snatched, she didn't necessarily have to return this time. The main reason was that she had had a falling out with the company.
The company currently had the attitude of wanting the horse to run without giving it any grass to eat.
They wouldn't let her release new songs, yet they constantly booked low-quality commercial performances for her. With Zhang Fanzhi's personality, it would be a miracle if she didn't explode.
Her manager, Tao Lin, had always spoken from the company's perspective, but this time even she didn't stop her; what the company did was indeed excessive.
Zhang Fanzhi didn't want to stay at the company for another second. Announcements, events—whoever wanted to go could go.
At worst, she just wouldn't be a singer anymore!