Chapter One Hundred and Three: A Two-Hundred-Pound Fat Man in a Cheongsam

After Jiang Yun woke from a nap, he had already arrived at his destination.

He stepped out of the airport and sent a message: "Where are you?"

A reply came at once.

"Exit A!"

Jiang Yun walked toward Exit A. Once outside, he saw a Cadillac parked by the roadside.

The driver's window was open, and Li Lulu was sitting behind the wheel, listening to music.

"I keep waiting for the boat that never comes; I keep waiting for the one I love to never understand!"

"Your singing is really something else."

"Huh? Boss?" Li Lulu was mortified.

Jiang Yun opened the front passenger door and got in. "Let's go. Back to the company."

"Yes, Boss!"

Li Lulu started the car and left the airport.

Back at the company, Jiang Yun sat in his office while Li Lulu reported on recent developments.

A message chimed.

Jiang Yun raised a hand to stop her.

He picked up his phone and saw a message from Li Mengya.

"Have you already come back?"

Jiang Yun replied, "Mm. I'm in Shanghai now."

"Mm."

After that single reply, Li Mengya said no more.

Jiang Yun motioned for Li Lulu to continue.

"Boss, Xuanwei Music and us are now at daggers drawn. Xuanwei Music is only a subsidiary of Xuanwei Corporation, and Xuanwei Corporation has been suppressing us at every turn."

"Ignore them. They won't be dancing around for much longer."

"There's something else, Boss. I think you should know."

"What is it?" Jiang Yun asked.

"Wanda Pictures invited you to star in Laughing Proudly in the Jianghu and New Meteor, Butterfly, and Sword. I turned them down."

Jiang Yun nodded. "You did well. I was just worrying about how to refuse them."

"All right, Boss."

"Anything else?"

"Nothing."

"How's Mao Yi?"

"He hasn't had any assignments lately and has been composing music on his own. Also, your five students have come by the company several times."

"Mm."

Jiang Yun tapped his fingers on the desk and nodded.

Li Lulu said, "Mao Yi has already made a name for himself. The two songs you gave him have truly brought him into the spotlight, so you don't need to worry. Variety shows and music programs keep inviting him to record."

Jiang Yun paused. Was he now not as famous as Mao Yi? The master beneath the disciple?

After a brief review of the situation, Jiang Yun leaned back in his chair and waved a hand. Li Lulu left the office.

Tonight, they were recording The Voice of China. Tomorrow was his rest day, the only day off in the entire week.

Jiang Yun took out his phone and sent Li Mengya a message: "I have tomorrow off. Do you need me to keep you company?"

A reply came instantly.

"No."

Jiang Yun sat up straight. Was this girl playing hard to get? His interest was piqued.

"I've already thought of the song I promised you."

Another reply came at once.

"Send it over and let me see."

Jiang Yun found a sheet of A4 paper, wrote the lyrics and score on it, took a photo, and sent it over.

Ding-ding-ding!

Li Mengya is calling you by video! [Decline] [Accept]

Jiang Yun tapped Accept.

Li Mengya's figure appeared on the phone screen. "Jiang Yun, you're a genius! No, I can't wait a whole year. I want to make my comeback now, right now, and sing this song!"

The corners of Jiang Yun's mouth lifted in a triumphant smile. Nice try. You can't beat me.

"Fine. I'll fund a concert for you, on one condition: you sign with my company."

"Okay." Li Mengya agreed without the slightest hesitation.

Damn, aren't you afraid I'll sell you off?

"Oh? Then let me think about it."

"Don't, don't think about it. I was only joking."

"Heh." Li Mengya covered her mouth and laughed. "Then it's settled. You'll fund my concert."

"All right."

...

"Welcome to the fourth episode of The Voice of China. This program is sponsored by Renbao Tablets." Yang Yang stood at center stage in a suit, microphone in hand.

At the mentors' seats, Jiang Yun and the others sat in the red chairs.

Stage lights flashed.

The live audience shouted the names of the four mentors.

"Jiang Yun!"

"Zhou Lun!"

...

"Now please have our four mentors turn around!"

The four red chairs slowly rotated, leaving Jiang Yun and the others facing away from the stage.

Microphone in hand, Yang Yang said, "Now let's welcome today's first contestant!"

Thunderous applause broke out in the hall, along with whistles.

A boy weighing more than two hundred jin walked out, dressed in a gray old-style long robe from the capital, with a black hat on his head.

He stepped to the center of the stage, and the music began.

At the mentors' seats, the four exchanged glances and murmured to one another.

"Wuhu, it's rock!"

Tian Zhen said, "Isn't this Jiang Yun's Summer Capital One Night?"

"It really is!"

"It's a cover!"

"Let's hear how it goes!"

The rock rhythm rose. In the backing music, the sounds of gongs, drums, and traditional opera suddenly burst forth.

"I no longer wish to think whether you can return!
Thinking of your heart, thinking of your face.
I want to hold you to my chest, and if I can keep you there, I will never let go!"

The boy's opera voice was delicate, like that of a real woman, and it instantly set off a frenzy.

"Wow!"

"Wuhu! So good!"

Screams erupted from the audience.

In the online livestream, comments flooded the screen.

"His voice doesn't match his build at all!"

"Whoa! Who would've thought a two-hundred-jin fat guy could make a little-girl voice?"

"Damn, I'm outta here!"

"I've got no education, so damn it is the only phrase I need to rule the world!"

"What a shame he isn't a voice actor!"

"Whoa! Can you imagine a fat guy weighing over two hundred jin asking, 'Wanna meet up?'?"

"This is a horror story!"

"Horror story +1"

"+10086"

On the stage of The Voice, the boy's voice turned again, taking on a rock timbre.

"One night in the capital!
I left behind so many feelings!
Whether you love me or not,
they are all dust in history."

...

"Wow!"

"That transition was seamless!"

"They say in the depths of a hundred flowers..."

"Click!"

Jiang Yun pressed the button, and the chair slowly turned. Facing the stage, he was dumbfounded.

Damn, he's going all out! That's eye-searing!

Because at that moment, the two-hundred-jin boy had actually removed the old-style capital robe, revealing a qipao beneath. He held a handkerchief and spun it through the air.

"What is it, Jiang Yun?" Tian Zhen asked.

"A fat guy weighing over two hundred jin wearing a qipao. Can you even imagine that?"

"Pfft—hahaha! Just for that, I'm turning around too!"

Click!

Tian Zhen pressed the button and turned.

"Oh my heavens, I simply can't bear to look!" Tian Zhen covered her eyes with both hands, peeking through her fingers.

The boy wore the qipao, sang with an opera voice, and swayed his figure.

"Is it really that exaggerated?" Wang Feng asked.

"Yeah!" Zhou Lun chimed in.

Tian Zhen mimicked Jiang Yun's tone. "A fat guy weighing over two hundred jin, not only wearing a qipao but also swaying his figure and singing in an opera voice. Can you imagine that?"

"They say the wolves of the north..."

Click!

Zhou Lun pressed the button directly. "Turn around! I want to see what kind of demon or monster this is!"

After Zhou Lun turned around, he froze. "My heavens! Wang Feng, are you sure you still don't want to turn around?"

At that moment, two staff members carried onto the stage a wide opera robe. The boy spread his arms and put it on.

He waved his long sleeves, his bearing coquettish and graceful.

"Wow!"

The audience erupted, thoroughly amused by the boy's appearance.

Wang Feng looked at Jiang Yun and the others, then at the audience.

Click!

Wang Feng pressed the button. "Turn around!"