TTIG Chapter 37.1

After returning to the dormitory that evening, Fang Yinnian’s inbox received several emails from his master. Besides the stem files for “Time Postman” that he liked, there were also materials on composition and arrangement insights.

 

Fang Yinnian immediately opened the materials and began studying them earnestly.

 

Mo Xun walked behind him and saw him staring intently at the computer, studying. He chuckled softly: “Starting to learn so urgently already?”

 

Fang Yinnian spoke excitedly: “Teacher Yu is an incredibly talented producer. The materials he gave me are precious—I need to read through them quickly.”

 

Mo Xun didn’t know much about music producers in the Chinese music scene and rarely paid attention to these behind-the-scenes figures. However, he fully supported Yinnian becoming Teacher Yu’s disciple and learning song composition.

 

He said softly: “Singer-songwriters are rare. Study well—you’ll definitely make a name for yourself in this field.”

 

Fang Yinnian nodded: “Yes, once I’ve mastered it, I’ll write songs for all of you.”

 

Mo Xun curved his lips into a smile: “I’ll have to record that.” He took out his phone and sent Fang Yinnian a private message: “October 1, 20XX, Fang Yinnian promises to write songs for us. This serves as evidence.”

 

Fang Yinnian was surprised when he received the message: “Are you keeping accounts?”

 

Mo Xun joked: “That’s right, no backing out.”

 

Fang Yinnian said: “Don’t worry. If someday I can independently compose lyrics and music, I’ll definitely write some songs for FTM first.”

 

Mo Xun also looked forward to that day.

 

Fang Yinnian paused, then said: “Actually, I wrote songs in high school, but I never formally studied professional knowledge. I relied only on a bit of inspiration and my own understanding, so the melodies I wrote were very simple.”

 

Mo Xun was very interested: “Can I hear them?”

 

Fang Yinnian’s ears turned slightly red as he opened a folder on his computer called “Original Songs” and said: “This song was the first complete work I wrote when I was 16. It’s not very mature—don’t laugh at me after you hear it.”

 

In high school, Fang Yinnian had no access to a professional recording studio. He only downloaded recording software on his computer, found a quiet place with piano accompaniment, and recorded this song.

 

So the demo Mo Xun heard was very rough. The accompaniment hadn’t been post-processed, and there was even some background noise.

 

But Fang Yinnian’s clear, gentle voice quickly captured Mo Xun’s attention.

 

“In the silent winter night, snowflakes arrive quietly…”

 

Mo Xun closed his eyes, and it felt as if the entire world had gone quiet.

 

A scene appeared before his eyes.

 

In the cold winter month, heavy snow was falling outside the window. A young man stood alone by the window, smiling as he admired the snowy scene outside.

 

That was a song about “Snow” that 16-year-old Fang Yinnian created when inspiration suddenly struck during the first snowfall of winter.

 

The melody was simple, but full of spirit. The gentle, healing music could quickly calm one’s mind.

 

Fang Yinnian’s voice made this song particularly beautiful. Like the first snow of winter, it could soothe all inner anxieties and troubles.

 

Mo Xun listened carefully to the end, put down the earbuds, and looked up at Fang Yinnian.

 

Fang Yinnian’s eyes were bright, both expectant and nervous, as he quietly asked: “What do you think?”

 

Mo Xun smiled and said: “It’s very beautiful.”

 

Fang Yinnian asked suspiciously: “Really?”

 

Mo Xun stood up, walked in front of him, raised an eyebrow and asked: “Why would I lie to you? If I flatter you, will you send me a red packet?”

 

Fang Yinnian laughed at this comment, then said after a pause: “Master asked me to send him the songs I’ve written, but I’m embarrassed to show them. He’ll definitely think they’re childish, right? Like a professor watching an elementary school student solving addition and subtraction.”

 

Mo Xun gently patted Fang Yinnian’s shoulder and encouraged: “It’s fine. You’re his disciple—boldly share it with him. You’ve just started writing, and being able to write like this is already impressive. If I tried to write, I could at most come up with a do-re-mi.”

 

Fang Yinnian was indeed nervous, after all, Yu Ziluo was a renowned industry expert, and his immature high school works might be laughed at by the master.

 

But since Mo Xun had confidently said “it sounds very good,” he gathered his courage and sent all these somewhat immature works to Teacher Yu.

 

Unexpectedly, Teacher Yu quickly replied: “The lyrics and arrangement are simple, but the melody is full of spirit. It can be improved. Come find me later, and we’ll study it together in detail.”

 

Fang Yinnian, receiving this affirmation, was extremely happy: “Thank you, Master!”

 

Mo Xun also saw Teacher Yu’s email reply.

 

Although Mo Xun considered his own musical knowledge far inferior to the senior expert’s, strangely, the expert’s reply was very similar to his own thoughts.

 

Yinnian’s songs—full of spirit.

 

Many of today’s songs overly emphasize technical showmanship, with all kinds of shouting and wailing. The listener’s first reaction isn’t to admire the arrangement’s brilliance, but rather to wonder what chaotic mess they’re hearing, unable to understand it.

 

Although Fang Yinnian’s melodies were somewhat simple, he sang with sincerity, and his gentle voice could touch people’s hearts.

 

Music that can move people is the most precious.

 

Seeing Fang Yinnian’s excitement, Mo Xun’s lips curved slightly—Yinnian would definitely shine brilliantly in the music world someday.

 

He firmly believed this.

 

***

 

During the seven-day National Day holiday, FTM’s schedule was as packed as on workdays, with 8 hours of dance and 4 hours of vocal training daily.

 

Dance instructor Yan Chi taught them many transitional movements, with difficulty notably higher than before. Fang Yinnian knew this was preparation for future group choreography, so he studied particularly seriously.

 

The holiday week passed quickly.

 

On October 8th, the five attended school as usual.

 

At noon, a piece of good news suddenly appeared in the group chat.

 

Xu Baichuan said: “Teacher Yu’s song demo is ready. After school, come back to the company immediately—B Building, 5th floor recording studio. Let’s all listen to it together.”

 

After seeing the message, Fang Yinnian promptly replied “Roger that.”

 

During afternoon classes, he was somewhat distracted, just hoping for school to end quickly so he could return to the company and hear the song.

 

Monday afternoon had only one public lecture. As soon as the 4:30 dismissal bell rang, Fang Yinnian immediately messaged Mo Xun: “Meet at the subway station!”

 

Mo Xun replied: “OK.”

 

Ten minutes later, the two met at the subway station.

 

Mo Xun arrived first. Fang Yinnian ran quickly toward him, excitedly saying: “Master is really efficient, finishing so quickly!”

 

Mo Xun said: “Though I don’t understand creation, creativity certainly requires inspiration. Perhaps Teacher Yu has been particularly inspired lately?”

 

Fang Yinnian said: “That’s possible!”

 

On the way, Fang Yinnian kept guessing what style “For the Music” would be.

 

Would the rhythm be passionate or slow? Would the melody be intense or light?

 

He was extremely curious.

 

The subway seemed especially slow today. Fang Yinnian waited eagerly the whole way until they finally arrived at the familiar station, and the two walked quickly toward the company.

 

Their schools were farthest from the company. By the time they arrived, it was already 5 PM. Walking into the meeting room, Fang Yinnian was surprised to find—manager Xu Baichuan, producer Yu Ziluo, and vocal teacher Qiao Anhua were all present.

 

This seemed like quite an important occasion! Fang Yinnian and Mo Xun exchanged glances and took the initiative to respectfully greet the seniors.

 

Before long, Tan Junwen, Tang Che, and Fu Fei also arrived one after another. Xu Baichuan’s gaze swept over the five: “Everyone’s here, please be seated.”

 

Yu Ziluo smiled and said: “Come, let’s play the demo for everyone to hear first, and also give the lyrics and sheet music to the youngsters to look at.”

 

A demo is the prototype of musical creation. A producer’s demo is like a writer’s draft, usually requiring many detailed modifications.

 

Teacher Yu’s demo didn’t completely sing out the lyrics but used “humming” to perform the melody once.

 

However, the instruments used in the accompaniment were audible. This song’s arrangement used many guitars, piano, and drum beats as accompaniment.

 

In the ending section of the song, Fang Yinnian also heard an ethereal konghou melody, panned left and right, fading from strong to weak like a meteor sliding across the night sky, immediately catching his ear.

 

This wasn’t an intense dance track, without much heavy metal music, nor did it feel too blood-pumping.

 

But the entire song had a strong sense of rhythm, with a fresh and bright style, full of youthful energy—very suitable for their age.

 

At 18 years old, singing about deep hatred, love and revenge, or heart-wrenching emotions would be difficult for listeners to relate to.

 

While songs with very intense styles could be “energizing,” if the rhythm was too fast and the dance couldn’t keep up, the effect would be greatly diminished.

 

Fang Yinnian and Tang Che’s current dancing abilities couldn’t handle songs with too fast a rhythm.

 

Whether intentional or coincidental, Teacher Yu’s song had a lively rhythm but wasn’t too intense. The choreography naturally wouldn’t be designed in a blood-pumping, high-energy direction, making it easier for Fang Yinnian and Tang Che to integrate.

 

As for the lyrics, Fang Yinnian loved them immensely after reading them.

 

Just hearing the singer humming “la la” in the demo, one would only think the melody was pleasant. Combined with the lyrics, one could discover this song’s brilliance.

 

—Because this song was written specifically about FTM.

 

Teacher Yu had even allocated the parts for them.

 

The song had 4 solo verse sections, 1 solo rap, 2 harmony chorus sections, and 1 harmony ending. The arrangement order was intro-rap-verse 1,2-chorus-verse 3,4-chorus-ending.

 

Starting with a rap?

 

This meant Tan Junwen would be the first to sing.

 

Tan Junwen had the most lyrics for his rap part, but since rap is performed at high speed, the duration was actually similar to his teammates’.

 

He would be followed by Fang Yinnian, creating a sharp contrast as the song transitioned from Tan Junwen’s passionate rap to Fang Yinnian’s clear, bright vocals, with distinct differences in both voice and style.

 

Each person could showcase their unique vocal characteristics.

 

Everyone would shine individually, while the harmonies would highlight FTM’s team specialty—Teacher Yu had thought of everything!

 

After seeing his assigned part, Fu Fei was overjoyed: “Wow, I actually have a solo section?”

 

He had thought FTM would always feature Fang Yinnian and Tang Che as the main vocalists, with the others merely providing background harmonies. This time, Fu Fei also had a substantial solo verse, which meant the choreography would surely place him in the center position.

 

After all, they were seventeen and eighteen-year-old young men with high aspirations—no one wanted to always be a supporting character, merely highlighting others.

 

In this song, they could take turns being the main character.

 

Of course, Fang Yinnian was still the standout main vocalist, with three challenging solo lines in the ending section.

 

Tang Che said: “Everyone has a solo part—that’s great.”

 

Fang Yinnian agreed: “The lyrics also connect with our experiences. You can tell it’s a song custom-made for us.”

 

Tan Junwen scratched his head: “I really like my rap section!”

 

Mo Xun looked at Yu Ziluo and said sincerely: “Thank you, Teacher Yu.”

 

Yu Ziluo’s eyes narrowed into smiling slits: “Haha, you’re welcome. After all, this is your first original song. I’ve balanced it pretty well, right?”

 

Teacher Qiao Anhua joked: “You’re truly a master of balance. Once the choreography is created, all five of them can take turns in the center position.”

 

There’s an “unwritten rule” in group performances: during song and dance numbers with solo parts, whoever is singing takes the center position. Otherwise, if you’re singing into a microphone while positioned at the edge, it doesn’t look good on stage.

 

Since all five had solo parts in this song, it meant Teacher Yan Chi’s choreography would include frequent position changes.

 

All five would have opportunities to stand in the center position. And each person’s center movements would certainly be differentiated.

 

During their debut stage, everyone gathered around the piano while Fu Fei, Tan Junwen, and Mo Xun served as supporting characters all evening—but that was a rushed debut with limited time, and there wasn’t much to be picky about when covering someone else’s song.

 

Now, with a song that truly belonged to FTM, each person had the opportunity to showcase their charm, and everyone was extremely happy.

 

Seeing the excited expressions on the young men’s faces, Yu Ziluo smiled slightly and said: “Actually, I should thank Yinnian for the inspiration that helped me write this song so quickly.”

 

Fang Yinnian was startled: “Me?”

 

Yu Ziluo said: “Yes. Didn’t you send me those songs you wrote in high school to listen to?”

 

Fang Yinnian recalled sending his songs on the 1st, and his master had indeed responded immediately. He nodded, his face reddening: “They weren’t very good.”

 

Yu Ziluo patted Fang Yinnian’s shoulder: “They were somewhat simple, which reminded me of when I first started making music.”

 

“Actually, simple and sincere music can also touch people’s hearts.”

 

“You’re not even 20 years old yet—there’s no need to sing overly complex and lengthy songs. The first song written for you should be fresh, natural, sunny, warm, and full of energy.”

 

“I wrote this based on your characteristics. I’m glad you like it.”

 

Fang Yinnian’s eyes became slightly watery.

 

How fortunate FTM was to encounter such a producer!

 

No wonder Xu Baichuan had preferred to let them debut with a cover song rather than hastily finding a producer to cobble together an original piece.

 

Original songs should be about quality, not quantity.

 

Waiting for Teacher Yu to return had absolutely been the right decision.

 

***

 

After the song was created, Xu Baichuan immediately sent the demo and lyrics to Yan Chi, asking him to create the choreography as soon as possible.

 

Yan Chi’s Angel Dance Troupe was a well-known large dance company in the industry, regularly performing as backup dancers for concerts, New Year’s Eve galas, and other events. Choreography was his specialty.

 

This song’s rhythm wasn’t too fast. Considering Tang Che and Fang Yinnian’s less solid foundations, he made some clever designs for the group dance portions.

 

For instance, when Fang Yinnian and Tang Che were in the center position, the dance moves were relatively simple, otherwise they would struggle to sing and perform difficult movements simultaneously.

 

When Mo Xun and Fu Fei took the center position, the dance difficulty increased. At these times, Fang Yinnian and Tang Che would stand in the back row, where slight imperfections in their dancing wouldn’t matter as much, since most viewers’ attention would be drawn to the center.

 

When Tan Junwen was at center, the movements were designed to be more relaxed and natural. His style was more free-flowing, allowing him to improvise during his rap and interact with the audience.

 

During the chorus with full harmony, they would perform synchronized knife dance movements, naturally led by Mo Xun. Besides precision, the leader in the front row is crucial to how good a knife dance looks.

 

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