RPAGF Chapter 7 I Want to Be Your First Listener
Chapter 7 I Want to Be Your First Listener
The recording studio has no windows, making the sense of time blurry.
Wang Bo has been here for two whole days. When he's hungry, he orders takeout; when he's sleepy, he takes a nap on the sofa and then gets back to work.
He used part of the 50,000 yuan Zhou Yuji gave him to rent better audio libraries and several key pieces of equipment—although Lao Chen's skills were average, he had a good network and helped him contact a few friends who were in the music equipment rental business.
The arrangement for "Encounter" is basically complete.
The main melody of the piano, the foundation of the strings, the drums and bass added in the second section, the violin solo in the interlude... Although the finished product is not up to the standard of a professional recording studio due to equipment limitations, it is already amazing enough.
As Wang Bo was adjusting the reverb parameters for the final string section, the recording studio door was pushed open.
He was wearing listening headphones and didn't hear anything until a hand was waved in front of him, at which point he suddenly looked up.
Zhou Yuji stood by the control panel, tilting her head to look at him.
Today she wore a black fitted knit top, paired with high-waisted flared jeans, and a beige long trench coat over it.
Her hair was casually tied into a low ponytail, with a few stray strands falling on either side of her face.
She wasn't wearing makeup, or only very light makeup; her lips were a natural light pink, and the dark circles under her eyes were covered with concealer, but you could still see a trace of them if you looked closely.
"Sister Zhou?" Wang Bo took off his headphones. "Why did you come down?"
"Let's see if you're still alive." Zhou Yuji looked around; the recording studio was a mess—takeout boxes piled in the corner, sheet music scattered everywhere, blankets and pillows on the sofa in disarray. "Goodness, did you move your whole house here?"
Wang Bo quickly packed up: "Time is tight, so I wanted to finish the demo in one go."
Zhou Yuji walked to the control panel and looked at the complex audio track interface on the screen: "Did you set all of this up?"
"Yes." Wang Bo nodded. "Uncle Chen helped a lot. There were some pieces of equipment I wasn't very familiar with, and he taught me how to use them."
"Old Chen can teach people?" Zhou Yuji didn't believe it. "His rudimentary skills can only fool complete beginners."
She leaned closer to the screen, scrutinizing the audio track labels: "Piano, strings, drums, bass... Wang Bo, tell me honestly, did you really make these?"
Wang Bo smiled: "Sister Zhou, I can arrange music little by little."
"This is just a little bit?" Zhou Yuji pointed to the intricate automated control curves on the screen. "These volume envelopes, panning adjustments, effects parameters... you couldn't possibly create this without years of production experience. Wang Bo, just how much skill have you been hiding all this time?"
This question is a bit risky. Wang Bo thought for a moment and gave an ambiguous answer: "I didn't have the opportunity to showcase my talents before. I just sang whatever the company told me to sing. Those songs... didn't need any arrangement."
Zhou Yuji was silent for a few seconds, then straightened up: "Is the song 'Encounter' that Xiaoxiao and Yiyi were talking about finished? Can I hear it?"
"We just finished mixing and are still fine-tuning," Wang Bo said. "But the basic product is ready. If you'd like to hear it..."
"I want to." Zhou Yuji interrupted him, walked directly to the sofa in the recording studio and sat down, "Just consider it a little consolation for this boss who is about to be laid off."
Wang Bo put his headphones back on, handed Zhou Yuji a pair of monitoring headphones, and then clicked play.
The piano intro flows out, clear and pure, each note like a carefully polished crystal.
Zhou Yuji leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes.
"I heard winter depart, and I woke up in a certain month of a certain year."
Wang Bo's voice came through the headphones. Compared to his a cappella performance in the restaurant, the studio version was processed more delicately, with just the right amount of reverb, making his voice sound warmer and more spacious.
"I think, I wait, I look forward, but the future cannot be planned because of this."
The strings enter in the second phrase, like a thin veil gently covering the piano, adding a touch of softness to the melody.
Zhou Yuji's breathing became very light.
"A cloudy evening, outside the car window, someone is waiting for me in the future."
The drumbeats and bass join before the chorus, suddenly increasing the rhythm without overpowering the main theme. They simply support the emotions and give the whole song the momentum to move forward.
"Who will I meet, what kind of conversations will we have, and how far in the future is the person I'm waiting for...?"
Wang Bo's singing was very restrained, without excessive technical showing off; he simply delivered the lyrics line by line with sincere emotion.
That faint sense of melancholy and anticipation was accurately captured and amplified.
Zhou Yuji kept her eyes closed until the final piano coda slowly faded away.
Silence fell over the recording studio.
Wang Bo took off his headphones and looked at Zhou Yuji.
She kept her eyes closed, her face expressionless, but her hands were clenched tightly together, her knuckles turning white.
"Sister Zhou?" Wang Bo called softly.
Zhou Yuji slowly opened her eyes, her eyes slightly red.
She took a deep breath, stood up, and walked to the control panel.
Then, before Wang Bo could react, she suddenly opened her arms and gave him a big hug.
The hug was tight, carrying her faint perfume scent—a different one today, with a base of cedar and musk, warm and calming.
Wang Bo froze, unsure of what to do with his hands.
"I'm sorry," Zhou Yuji's voice rang in his ears. "Wang Bo, I'm sorry."
"Sister Zhou, what's wrong with you...?" Wang Bo asked in surprise.
Zhou Yuji released him, took a step back, and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand: "I've wasted three years of your life. Three years... If I had given you the chance earlier, let you sing your own songs, make your own music, you might already be..."
She couldn't continue, so she turned and walked to the window—actually, there was no window, just a wall covered with sound-absorbing material.
She had her back to Wang Bo, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Wang Bo walked over and said softly, "Sister Zhou, there's no need for this. Without those three years, I wouldn't be who I am today. Life has no 'what ifs,' only results and consequences. I think the current outcome is pretty good."
"What's so good about it?" Zhou Yuji turned around, her eyes red, but she had already controlled her emotions. "You could have been better. This song deserves to be heard by more people. But here, all you can sing is garbage like 'Summer Bubbles'."
She laughed self-deprecatingly: "What kind of boss am I? What kind of talent scout am I? I'm just a rich and willful spendthrift who wastes your youth playing house with you."
"Sister Zhou..." Wang Bo wanted to say something to comfort her, but Zhou Yuji raised her hand to interrupt him.
"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore." She took a deep breath, regaining her carefree demeanor. "This song is great, really. But I have a question—'Encounter' is indeed a good song, but is it suitable for an occasion like the provincial university's centennial celebration?"
Wang Bo nodded: "I've been thinking about this too. The centennial celebration of the provincial university will not only be attended by students, but also alumni, leaders, and people from all walks of life. The atmosphere should be solemn yet vibrant. 'Encounter' is a good song, but it may not be... impactful enough."
"So what are you planning to sing?" Zhou Yuji asked. "Don't tell me you only have this one song."
Wang Bo laughed: "There's another one. Actually, that's the one I chose."
He walked to the sofa and picked up the guitar that the original owner had left behind.
The guitar is a bit old, but it's well-maintained and has a warm tone.
"I used 'Encounter' to practice and familiarize myself with the equipment and arrangement process," Wang Bo said, tuning his instrument. "The song I'm actually going to sing on the provincial stage is that one. I've already written the lyrics and melody, and I'm just about to start arranging it."
Zhou Yuji's eyes lit up: "Can I listen to it now? I want to be your first listener."
"Of course." Wang Bo sat down on the sofa with his guitar in his arms. "But right now there's only guitar accompaniment; the complete arrangement hasn't started yet."
"A cappella with guitar would be best." Zhou Yuji sat down opposite her, resting her chin on her hands, like a little girl eagerly awaiting a story, "The original flavor."