lcionline Chapter 36, Lucky Fan, Huang Xiaoyun
Chapter 36, Lucky Fan, Huang Xiaoyun
Shen Meng leaned down from the top bunk, looked for two seconds, said, "Wait while I check," and then buried her head in her phone for five minutes.
A minute later, she jumped down from the top bunk and shoved her phone screen in front of Zhang Ruonan's face.
"I checked the registration information and yellow V verification of this Weibo account, and it is indeed the official account of Gao Huan's studio. The repost and comment data of the pinned Weibo post below also match."
Shen Meng paused for a moment, then exclaimed, "Ahhhhhh! Ruonan, you've won!"
Zhang Ruonan stared at the private message for a long time, her finger hovering over the "reply to private message" box for half a minute before finally typing a line of text:
"Hello, this is my WeChat ID: ZRN******, I look forward to contacting you."
After sending the message, she placed her phone face down on the table and sat in her chair for a full thirty seconds without moving.
Then she stood up, went into the bathroom, closed the door, squatted down, buried her face in her knees, and cried silently.
A sense of unreality, that "dreams really can come true," and an overwhelming feeling of happiness overwhelmed her.
The wish she made on her eighteenth birthday came true in less than twenty days.
After she finished crying, she washed her face, looked at her swollen eyes in the mirror, took three deep breaths, and walked back to her desk.
The phone screen lit up; a friend request had appeared on WeChat.
The profile picture is a cup of milk tea, the nickname is "Yangyang Jin", and the verification message says "Gao Huan Studio - Cover Song Activity".
She accepted the friend request.
The first message from Yangyang Jin was brief: "Hello Zhang Ruonan, this is Gao Huan's agent, Yangyang Jin. Is it convenient to talk by phone?"
Zhang Ruonan took a deep breath and replied with a single word: "Okay."
the phone is ringing.
From that day until now, she has hardly slept soundly.
Every night when I lie in bed, the same thought keeps running through my mind.
I'm going to meet Gao Huan on December 3rd.
They were face to face, standing in the same frame, when he sang "Café on the Left Bank of the Seine," and she was smiling beside him.
She was afraid that she would get so excited that she would just giggle like an idiot, and she was also afraid that her giggles would look too ugly.
"Let's go, it's time for security check." Shen Meng tugged at her sleeve.
The two of them lined up from the departure hall to the security checkpoint. There were so many people that Zhang Ruonan realized for the first time that queuing wasn't such a bothersome thing.
When she handed her ID card and boarding pass to the security officer, her hands were still shaking. The security officer glanced at her but didn't say anything.
After passing through security, I found the boarding gate. There were still forty minutes before boarding.
Shen Meng went to the convenience store to buy water, while Zhang Ruonan sat on the waiting chair, took out her phone, opened the photo album, and flipped to the itinerary of Yangyang Jinfa.
On December 3rd, I flew from Hangzhou to Beijing in business class. After landing, a private car picked me up and took me to the Affiliated High School of the China Conservatory of Music to pick up a high school student named Huang Xiaoyun. Afterwards, we went to the recording studio.
The music video was filmed on December 4th.
December 5th, return journey.
Business class.
This was Zhang Ruonan's first time flying business class.
After her mother found out, she was silent for two seconds on the other end of the phone, and then said, "Be careful," in a calm tone, but she could hear the sound of cooking on the other end of the phone.
Mom turned her back and cried in the kitchen.
Why was she crying?
Zhang Ruonan was unaware of this and did not expose it.
The announcement came over the loudspeaker: boarding is now open.
The business class seats are much wider than economy class seats, and she was still a little uncomfortable when the flight attendant squatted down to ask her, "Miss, what would you like to drink?"
She ordered a glass of orange juice, and Shen Meng also ordered a glass of orange juice and a serving of fruit.
As the plane took off, she leaned back in her seat and watched the city of Hangzhou outside the window grow smaller and smaller, the houses becoming like building blocks, the roads like ribbons, and West Lake like a small mirror, shimmering with light.
She wondered, what is BJ like?
She had seen BJ on TV many times.
Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, CCTV Headquarters, and China World Trade Center Tower 3.
But those images are like looking through a layer of glass; you can see them, but you can't touch them.
Now, that glass is about to shatter.
She barely slept during the two-hour flight.
It's like there's a radio in my head that's tuned to the wrong frequency, buzzing and crackling, and I can't get any stations right.
As the plane landed, she saw that the ground outside the window was covered with a layer of grayish-white haze.
In December in Beijing, the sky is so low it feels like it's pressing down on you, and the sunlight filtering through the smog turns into a hazy orange-yellow, like looking at the sun through an old veil.
But she thought it looked great.
Upon exiting the arrival gate, Zhang Ruonan immediately recognized Yangyang Jin.
Her presence in the crowd was different.
She was in her early thirties, wearing a short black down jacket, her hair tied in a low ponytail, with a bright and clean face, without any extra decorations, and her looks were in no way inferior to some celebrities.
She seems to be the kind of person who can arrange everything perfectly.
"Zhang Ruonan?" Yangyang Jin walked over, her gaze lingering on Zhang Ruonan's face for a moment before she smiled. "You look even better in the video; the video was too blurry. You have such a clean and refined air about you; no wonder Gao Huan chose you at first sight!"
Zhang Ruonan opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but her throat seemed to be blocked by something, and she could only squeeze out a "Hello, Sister Yangyang," her voice so soft that she felt embarrassed.
Yangyang Jin didn't care. She glanced at Shen Meng beside her and asked, "This is your friend, Shen Meng, right?"
"Yes, Shen Meng, you came with me."
"Okay, let's go together."
Yangyang Jin turned and walked out, her pace neither fast nor slow, with Zhang Ruonan and Shen Meng following behind, the wheels of their suitcases making a rumbling sound on the ground.
Upon arriving at the parking lot, a black Mercedes-Benz van with its hazard lights flashing was parked on the side of the road. The driver, a man in his forties with a square face and a gentle expression, stood by the door.
Yangyang Jin opened the back door and gestured with her chin toward Zhang Ruonan: "Get in the car, let's go pick up Huang Xiaoyun first."
Zhang Ruonan got into the car, and Shen Meng followed behind her.
The car was well-heated, the seats were dark gray leather, and there was a faint fragrance in the air—the scent of a car air freshener—that made me feel at ease.
Yangyang Jin got into the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, glanced back at Zhang Ruonan, and said casually:
"Gao Huan is still on the set of 'Brotherhood of Blades' today. He can only go to the recording studio after he finishes filming his scenes this afternoon."
You all wait over there; he'll arrive around six o'clock.
Zhang Ruonan nodded, clenching her fingers on her knees.
"Nervous?" Yangyang Jin asked.
"A little," Zhang Ruonan said.
Yangyang Jin smiled; it wasn't a big smile, but it was very comforting.
"Don't be nervous. Gao Huan may seem cold, but he's not fierce. Just listen to him and do whatever he says."
Zhang Ruonan nodded again, this time with a bit more force.
The car drove out of the airport and onto the highway.
The sky in Beijing was overcast and gray, and the trees on both sides of the road were bare, their branches drawing dense lines against the gray sky.
Zhang Ruonan leaned against the car window, watching the unfamiliar city flash by, when a thought suddenly popped into his head. He lived in this city.
Has she ever been to Beijing? No.
But at this moment, she felt that the city was not unfamiliar at all.
The car turned onto Chaoyang North Road and stopped in front of a school. The school gate was small, with a bronze plaque hanging on a gray pillar.
"The Affiliated High School of the China Conservatory of Music".
Yangyang Jin took out her phone and made a call. Her voice was not loud, and Zhang Ruonan only heard the words "Arrived," "At the door," and "Okay."
Less than three minutes after I hung up the phone, a girl ran out of the school gate.
She wore a navy blue school uniform with a black cotton-padded jacket over it, her hair was tied in a ponytail, and she still had baby fat on her face. When she ran, her scarf fluttered behind her like a small flag.
It's the kind of vibrant, hopeful beauty that makes you feel happy just by looking at it.
Huang Xiaoyun.
Zhang Ruonan later learned that this was not the first time Yangyang Jin had met Huang Xiaoyun.
As early as the end of November, Gao Huan had Yang Yangjin contact this girl—a first-year student at the Affiliated High School of the China Conservatory of Music, who had just won the "Affiliated High School's Good Voice" competition and had an amazing voice.
After listening to her demo, Gao Huan said, "I want this person." Yangyang Jin then made several trips to the affiliated high school, talked to Huang Xiaoyun herself, and also spoke with her parents who lived in Guizhou.
According to the plan, Huang Xiaoyun will not sign with Hesong, but with Gao Huan's own studio.
So at this moment, when Huang Xiaoyun ran over and opened the door of the van, her gaze first fell on Zhang Ruonan, and she smiled politely, but the next second she turned to Yangyang Jin in the passenger seat, her eyes curving into two crescent moons.
"Sister Yangyang!"
The way she called out "Sister Yangyang" was natural and affectionate.
Yangyang Jin turned around from the passenger seat, nodded to her, and spoke to her casually, as if she were talking to her own child:
"Get in the car. We'll record a demo today to get you familiar with the studio environment. We can discuss the contract in detail when your parents come to Beijing. No rush."
Huang Xiaoyun hummed in agreement, got into the car, put her backpack at her feet, and fastened her seatbelt.
She moved quickly, but sat in a relaxed posture; it wasn't her first time riding in this car.
Looking at the familiarity between Huang Xiaoyun and Yangyang Jin, Zhang Ruonan suddenly realized something:
She herself was a lucky fan who was selected because of a cover song event or her looks, while Huang Xiaoyun was a promising professional chosen by Gao Huan.
The two people started from different points, but now they are sitting in the same car, heading to the same place.
She couldn't quite describe the feeling; it wasn't envy, she genuinely wasn't envious, and she was even happy for the girl beside her.
But I also have more expectations in my heart.
Huang Xiaoyun turned her head, blinked, and said, "Hello, Sister Zhang Ruonan, I'm Huang Xiaoyun. You're so pretty! And who is this lady?"
"No, she's my best friend, Shen Meng."
"Hello, Sister Shen Meng. I've heard Sister Ruonan sing 'Unfortunately, If Only' before; her off-key singing was quite amusing."
Zhang Ruonan was stunned for a moment, unsure of what to say next.
She wasn't sure if Huang Xiaoyun was joking or serious; her tone was slightly playful, but her eyes were sincere and showed no malice.
Shen Meng held back her laughter.
Yangyang Jin turned around from the passenger seat: "Xiaoyun, you're joking. Xiao Zhang is the female lead in the music video, and you're the backup vocalist and lead singer. You two aren't on the same track, so don't overthink it."
Huang Xiaoyun stuck out her tongue and didn't say anything more. She turned her head to look at Zhang Ruonan and blinked.
A hint of curiosity flickered in his eyes, as if he were wondering, "What is it about this woman that attracted Gao Huan?"
Zhang Ruonan felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze and turned to look out the window.
The car is back on the road.
Zhang Ruonan took out her phone and sent a WeChat message to her mother:
"Mom, I've arrived in Beijing. Gao Huan's manager, Sister Yangyang, picked me up. We're going to the recording studio now."
Her mother replied with a single word: "Okay."
Zhang Ruonan stared at the word "good" for two seconds, then put her phone back in her pocket and looked out the window.
Yangyang Jin's phone rang. She answered it and said briefly, "Hmm," "Okay," "I understand."
After hanging up the phone, she glanced back at Zhang Ruonan, her tone still earnest and affectionate.
"Gao Huan is still filming, so he might arrive a little later."
You can go to the recording studio first, and I'll have my assistant show you around.
Tonight's recording mainly consisted of sound checks and blocking; the official music video shoot will begin tomorrow.
Zhang Ruonan nodded.
After driving on the Second Ring Road for about twenty minutes, the car turned into a quiet alley in Baihua Shenchu, Xicheng District.
The alley is not long, with gray walls on both sides and several bicycles parked at the base of the walls. In the distance, you can see the branches of an old locust tree outlining their shape against the gray sky.
The car drove to the end and stopped in front of a small gray building.
Zhang Ruonan and her best friend got out of the car and looked up at the building. A sign hung on the exterior wall, bearing the words: "Baihua Recording Studio".
She took out her phone and searched online. The encyclopedia said that this was one of BJ's earliest recording studios, and many classic albums were recorded here.
The wall was somewhat mottled, looking quite old, but she thought this kind of old-fashioned beauty was very appealing, like the patina of time.
Yangyang Jin led them inside. The receptionist was a young woman in her twenties who greeted Yangyang Jin with "Sister Yangyang" and handed her several access cards.
The corridor was long and brightly lit, with black and white photos of singers who had recorded their music here hanging on the walls.
As Zhang Ruonan walked, she looked around. She recognized some faces and didn't recognize others, but that didn't matter.
They came here, and their voices traveled from here, heard by countless people.
And it seems that she is about to start a new life here.
Yangyang Jin pushed open a heavy soundproof door, revealing a medium-sized recording studio inside.
The control room and the recording studio are separated by a huge glass window. Inside the recording studio, there are several microphones, light gray sound-absorbing cotton on the floor, dark blue walls, and warm white light from the overhead lights.
Zhang Ruonan couldn't understand any of the densely packed sliders and buttons on the control panel.
The sound engineer was a man in his forties, wearing black-rimmed glasses and a dark blue hoodie, looking at a sheet of music.
When he saw Yangyang Jin come in, he looked up, nodded, and didn't say anything.
"This is Xiao Zhang, the female lead in the music video," Yangyang Jin introduced him.
The man glanced at Zhang Ruonan and nodded.
Yangyang Jin turned to Zhang Ruonan: "Wait here for a moment. Before Gao Huan arrives, you can go to the recording studio to take a look and get a feel for it. You may also need to sing a few lines of lyrics. Don't worry, there are no outsiders here."
Zhang Ruonan stood in front of the glass window of the control room, looking at the lone microphone and a few pairs of headphones in the recording studio.