Chapter 57 : Have I Become the Villain?
Chapter 57 - Have I Become the Villain?
At the Zhang residence, Director Zhang and his wife had gone out.
Chen Ran, Zhang Fanzhi, and her manager, Tao Lin, were all in Zhang Fanzhi's room.
Tao Lin had met Chen Ran; although she felt his looks were top-tier, she didn't believe he had the ability to write songs.
Therefore, Tao Lin had said right in front of Chen Ran that she wanted to hear the song first before deciding whether to sign the contract.
While speaking, Tao Lin watched Chen Ran's reaction.
He was incredibly calm, without any of the anger or displeasure of someone being questioned.
The more Chen Ran acted this way, the more uneasy Tao Lin felt in her heart.
Zhang Fanzhi sat before the piano. She did not start playing and singing yet, instead saying to Tao Lin:
"I like the song very much. Whether you are satisfied or not, I will buy it. In any case, I don't plan on asking the company for reimbursement; I am paying for it myself."
Tao Lin wanted to say something, but in the end, she only frowned and signaled for Zhang Fanzhi to start singing first.
Chen Ran sat to the side, feeling that Zhang Fanzhi and Tao Lin got along quite harmoniously. Managers are the link between the company and the artist; most artists are, if not submissive, then rarely defiant toward their managers.
Zhang Fanzhi and Tao Lin were different, however; they weren't so stiff and interacted very casually.
To encounter such a manager, Zhang Fanzhi could be considered quite lucky.
"Then I'll begin," Zhang Fanzhi said, glancing at Chen Ran before sitting up straight.
Chen Ran didn't notice her small movement, but Tao Lin did, and her heart grew a few shades darker.
From the time she met Zhang Fanzhi until now, Tao Lin had never found her making such small gestures toward any man.
When participating in events, there was no lack of handsome "little fresh meat" or very stylish movie stars, yet Zhang Fanzhi had never shown such behavior.
The sound of the piano pulled Tao Lin's thoughts back.
The accompaniment was something Zhang Fanzhi had worked out over the past few days; as Tao Lin listened, her slightly furrowed brows smoothed out.
Zhang Fanzhi's head nodded gently with the rhythm. After a brief intro came her voice, which was like spring water.
"If pride hadn't been coldly slapped down by the sea of reality…—♪"
"How would one know how much effort it takes to reach the distance…—♪"
The moment the first line was sung, Tao Lin instantly understood why Zhang Fanzhi strongly insisted on this song.
It wasn't just the melody, but more so the lyrics and the emotion.
"If dreams hadn't fallen from the cliff in a critical moment…—♪"
Zhang Fanzhi sang very devotedly. Her voice was indeed uniquely gifted; many people praised her as being "fed by the Heavens," which was a very high compliment.
Not just her voice—her emotion and singing technique were also perfect.
Chen Ran, on the other hand, had a different feeling. From the time the song was written until now, this was the first time he had heard Zhang Fanzhi perform it.
The familiar melody and lyrics made him slightly dazed, giving him a sense of time and space intertwining.
This was a melody from his youth in his previous life. When he first heard it, he was still on a school campus; in the blink of an eye, what separated them was not just time, but two worlds.
Chen Ran was somewhat moved. A wave of heat surged in his chest, and it was only after letting out a long sigh that the feeling dissipated somewhat.
Seeing Zhang Fanzhi's focused performance, Chen Ran couldn't help but think of his own recording and gave a bitter smile. This was a professional singer.
When Zhang Fanzhi sang the same song, it could evoke resonance; the emotions in her voice could infect the listeners.
But Chen Ran had worked hard to record for half a day that day, and compared to her, it was just slightly pleasant noise...
……
The song came to an end.
Zhang Fanzhi’s fingers were still pressed against the piano.
She had played and sung it privately a few times, and the more she sang the song, the more she loved it.
Zhang Fanzhi rested her hands on her lap and looked at Tao Lin with composed ease. "Sister Lin, what do you think?"
Chen Ran also looked at Tao Lin. This woman definitely did not look upon him with favor.
No manager liked their artist to be in a relationship, and now that Chen Ran was Zhang Fanzhi's boyfriend in name, it would be strange if Tao Lin liked him.
Tao Lin was deep in thought. Hearing Zhang Fanzhi ask her, she only then noticed that both Chen Ran and Zhang Fanzhi were staring at her. She gave an uneasy cough, hesitated for a moment, and then said, “It’s... alright?”
Zhang Fanzhi looked at her. “Just alright?”
Tao Lin felt somewhat helpless and could only say again, “The song is excellent!”
She didn’t say it because Zhang Fanzhi pressured her; these were her true feelings. The lyrics and melody were absolute masterpieces!
It was just that she really didn't want to praise it.
This kind of inspirational song, written while Zhang Fanzhi was feeling down, was simply too flirtatious.
Tao Lin felt that if she were ten years younger and someone wrote a song like this for her—and was as handsome as Chen Ran—she wouldn't be able to hold out either.
“As long as you’re satisfied.” Zhang Fanzhi nodded slightly upon receiving a satisfactory answer.
Tao Lin asked in a businesslike manner, “Mr. Chen, let me confirm once more: was this song created by you?”
Before Chen Ran could speak, Zhang Fanzhi said, “It’s certain that he wrote it.”
Seeing her so eager to answer, Tao Lin felt a sense of "the greatest sorrow is a heart turned to ash." She said weakly, “Fine, let's discuss the contract!”
The process of discussing the contract was simple. Chen Ran had written the song for Zhang Fanzhi to begin with, so he didn't care much about the price.
The two were very casual in their negotiation over the price.
Zhang Fanzhi directly set the price at 100,000.
Tao Lin had originally disagreed with this price.
Only some slightly famous musicians commanded such a price.
But in the end, she said nothing and let Zhang Fanzhi do the talking.
Chen Ran didn't understand much about copyright matters, so Zhang Fanzhi explained them to him one by one.
By the time they finished talking, it was already noon.
Director Zhang and his wife returned. Hearing them talk about song copyrights, he said with a chuckle:
“It is indeed necessary to make things clear. Although we are all one family, there is still a company in the middle, so it’s best to avoid disputes later.”
Hearing this "one family" made Tao Lin feel quite stung.
She felt like she was being the bad guy. Zhang Fanzhi’s parents were both supportive; she was the only one calculating how to break them up. She was practically becoming the villain in a TV drama.
Heaven be my witness, she was truly thinking of Zhang Fanzhi’s future.
……
In the afternoon, Director Zhang had to go to the TV station. He dropped Chen Ran home on the way.
In Zhang Fanzhi’s room, Tao Lin said solemnly, “Xiyun, tell me what you’re thinking.”
“Thinking what?” Zhang Fanzhi asked.
“You said you wouldn’t date or consider marriage before thirty, so what is the deal with Chen Ran?” Tao Lin spoke directly.
Zhang Fanzhi’s brows knit together.
“I said it’s nothing. Xiao Qin should have told you—it’s just to deal with my parents.”
Tao Lin stared at her. “It doesn't feel like pretending to me.”
“Heh heh.” Zhang Fanzhi gave two stiff laughs and then said, “Don't worry, I definitely won't let it affect my work.”
Tao Lin was also helpless. “I’m not a bad person. I’m just advising you to consider it carefully. You are currently in your golden period.”
Zhang Fanzhi gave an "mm."
“I know Sister Lin wants what's best for me, and I truly haven't thought about dating.”
Tao Lin was skeptical. Although Zhang Fanzhi rarely lied, one could only believe half of what a woman in love said.
She tried to probe for information about Chen Ran.
Zhang Fanzhi raised an eyebrow. “Why are you asking this?”
“I’m just curious. What does he do at the TV station, and how can he write songs?”
Zhang Fanzhi thought for a moment and spoke about Chen Ran’s work.
Tao Lin kept her eyes fixed on her. Zhang Fanzhi spoke without emotion, but Tao Lin felt the situation was far from optimistic.
Since when did Zhang Fanzhi ever learn so much information about a man?