Chapter 60

The notebook that Li Pu gave to Xia'er, the class monitor, contained not just one song, but five! Besides the promotional main song by the alien songstress Furiya, "Bang Pa Bang Dong ☆ Planet Explosion is the Heartbeat of Love!!", there was also the advertisement song for a beverage she endorsed, "Frozen Ice Burst Liquid is Super Delicious!"; and the classic opening theme of the 5,000th season of a space tourism program invested by the "Solar Wind" interstellar travel agency, "Adventure of Gravity on Mesklin Star!"; as well as an ancient lullaby from the singer civilization, "Stars ★ Twinkle ☆~ All in the Picture ~"; and finally, a slow-paced, emotional homesick folk song by the aquatic race Squim, "Yo! Solaris, My Homeland!"

Of course, music is a universal language. However, just as those who enjoy classical or country music find it hard to appreciate death metal, not every alien song is suitable for Earthlings. The database that came with the divine combat armor contained some works that he found hard to understand. But the few pieces Li Pu specially selected were all very much in line with the mainstream aesthetic of Earthlings—Li Pu himself often played them on repeat.

Given Xia'er's family background, knowing a few cultural troupe members was not a big deal. When the professionals from the conservatory tried the songs adapted with Earth instruments using a second-level micro-model, they quickly discovered that the arrangement and melody were exceptionally beautiful and outstanding.

More importantly, the styles were mostly unfamiliar.

Of the five songs, only "Bang Pa Bang Dong ☆ Planet Explosion is the Heartbeat of Love!!" and "Frozen Ice Burst Liquid is Super Delicious!" sung by Furiya had a similar style. The other three were all different, almost creating four distinct melodic genres. The best cultural troupe in Huanghai City had only managed to grasp the surface of these songs.

But even just the surface was enough to make the artists marvel. After all, it was not easy to create a new and unique style in the music industry, but here were five songs in four different styles! And even just the incomplete preludes of each song were of extremely high quality.

After Xia'er chattered excitedly for a while, she handed the phone to another woman. The woman's voice was rich and magnetic, very feminine, seemingly that of a singer.

"Hello, are you Xia'er's friend, Li Pu? I'm Tang Mei. I'm Xia'er's vocal teacher," the woman said politely, but Li Pu could sense her eagerness, "Did you give Xia'er these songs?"

As soon as Li Pu heard that the woman introduced herself as Tang Mei, he realized how big a name Xia'er had managed to get. Although he didn't pay much attention to the entertainment industry, he always watched the Spring Festival Gala. Tang Mei was the top star of the Southern Cultural Troupe, known for her beauty and talent. She often performed at the Spring Festival Gala and had a significant presence in the pop music scene beyond traditional styles.

Even if she wasn't quite at the level of a national diva, she could be considered a quasi-diva.

Xia'er, being the daughter of a powerful family, had indeed managed to get a big name in the music industry to consult... In response to Tang Mei's question, Li Pu replied, "Yes."

"These songs are all very outstanding. May I ask, who wrote them?" Tang Mei continued.

"It's not convenient to say who wrote them specifically. But I adapted the songs, and the copyright for this style is mine," Li Pu said ambiguously.

According to the "Intellectual Property Transaction Interpretation Law" Chapter 77, "Additional Usage Regulations for Open Copyright and Copyright Expired or Invalid for Any Reason" formulated by the "Pan-Civilization Commercial Consortium," the copyright for the Earth version of the adapted songs indeed belonged to Li Pu. Unless he sold the songs on a platform using the currency of the Star-Casting Bank, he would need to share no more than 50% of the profits with the original composer or the company holding the copyright.

This did not include the two alien folk songs, "Yo! Solaris, My Homeland!" and "Stars ★ Twinkle ☆~ All in the Picture ~," which had become "public property of the entire universe" due to their age and the anonymity of the copyright holders.

Hearing Li Pu's response, Tang Mei was silent for a moment before suddenly asking, "Are you sure the copyright is yours?"

"Of course," Li Pu smiled, "You should be able to tell that, apart from the first one, the other songs are only partially written."

"If possible... could you give me the full version of the fifth song?" Tang Mei's tone was clearly hesitant. She felt a bit embarrassed, but the fifth song was just too appealing to her!

The fifth song? Oh, it's the slow-paced, emotional homesick folk song by the aquatic race Squim, "Yo! Solaris, My Homeland!" Li Pu immediately understood why Tang Mei wanted this alien folk song so much.

A singer isn't just about being able to sing; they must also have outstanding representative songs. The style of this alien folk song was very suitable for a singer who excelled in both traditional and pop music. With the superlative quality of this song, if it became the lead single of her next album, it could even push her to the level of a true national diva.

No, with this melody, becoming popular across Asia, or even the world, was not a far-fetched dream!

Unfortunately, Li Pu's response was quite straightforward.

"Ms. Tang, I'm sorry, but these five songs were specifically selected for Xia'er," the young man paused, "You should know that she will soon be participating in the preliminary rounds of the 'Global Idol' Chinese-speaking region. These five songs, if used well, should make her stand out as the most outstanding contestant. And I believe that after she performs them, the songs will become popular along with her."

"Yes... with Xia'er's beauty and solid singing foundation, these five songs will definitely make her the biggest dark horse," Tang Mei's voice on the other end of the line couldn't hide her disappointment. She laughed bitterly, "Li Pu, you are really good to Xia'er. A singer with a talented creator like you behind them is bound to succeed easily."

Li Pu could sense the slight envy in Tang Mei's words after she was refused, but he wasn't worried that this Spring Festival Gala diva would do anything underhanded. After all, even if the entertainment industry was dark, Xia'er was the beloved daughter of the Party Secretary of Huanghai City. No one would dare to mess with her.

—However, giving a bit of a harmless verbal promise would make this quasi-diva work even harder. Li Pu thought for a moment and continued, "How about this, Ms. Tang, if you help Xia'er prepare for the competition with all your effort, the first cover rights of this song will belong to you."

A cover, though not as good as the original, was still better than nothing. Besides, Xia'er's family background alone was worth it for Tang Mei. She agreed without hesitation, "No problem, she is my student. Mr. Li, if there's a chance, we can collaborate more."

From "Li Pu classmate" to the slightly envious "Li Pu" and now "Mr. Li," it was clear that the famous singer Tang Mei was taking this young man more and more seriously.

After a few more pleasantries, the phone was handed back to Xia'er.

Xia'er was still overjoyed by the songs Li Pu had given her. The young man on the other end of the line could almost see a little sparrow jumping around excitedly in his mind. In the end, it was Li Pu who had to calm her down.

"Um..." she finally said with great effort, "I will definitely practice these songs hard!"

"Take it easy," Li Pu raised an eyebrow, "Only the first song is complete. I still need to finish the others, and by the way, the lyrics."

The lyrics of alien songs would sound too strange in Earth languages. Some special terms would definitely need to be modified. Of course, Li Pu would decide the general direction, and the specific processing would be done by the intelligent service AI of the second-level "model."

"Oh, that's perfect. When you finish, can you come to Teacher Tang's house? She really wants to meet you," Xia'er suggested.

Li Pu didn't refuse. He asked for the address and hung up the phone.

The next morning, Li Pu arrived at Tang Mei's home and studio—a luxurious villa in the wealthy district of Huanghai City.

"You're here, and you've already finished the arrangements?" Xia'er's bright starry eyes were full of anticipation, and beside her stood her private vocal teacher, Tang Mei.

Just as Li Pu had seen her in the Spring Festival Gala, Tang Mei was around 25 or 26 years old. She had a slender and sexy figure, a standard oval face with willow-like eyebrows, and a beauty that exuded a noble and elegant aura, full of mature womanly charm.

Many female singers from cultural troupes, even if their singing skills were more solid than those of Hong Kong and Taiwan idols, always had a hint of rusticness. But Tang Mei had none of these issues. It was no wonder that after seeing the songs Li Pu gave to Xia'er, she, despite feeling embarrassed, still hesitated to ask for one—given her talent, with just one truly outstanding pop song, she had the potential to become a national diva.

Seeing the young man at the door, she was slightly surprised. She had heard from Xia'er that the person who gave her the songs was a boy about her age, but she didn't expect him to be so fresh and sunny. He had short hair, simple clothing, and eyes that shone like stars, giving off a sense of electricity. His gaze made her feel a bit breathless.

In other words, he didn't seem like someone who worked in artistic creation.

However, the songs he brought were undeniably classic, and the more she studied them, the more she liked them. Tang Mei smiled at the young man, "Hello, you must be Li Pu?" She extended her hand, "I'm Tang Mei, Xia'er's vocal teacher."