Chapter 54

"Edward, you shouldn't have treated Qingxia like that," Deng Lijun couldn't help but say as she entered her suite.

"Truth hurts," Li Xu shrugged, then patted the sofa beside him after sitting down.

"Qingxia is actually very delicate and sensitive," Deng Lijun obediently walked over and sat down beside him. "I think she's probably crying in her room right now."

"Don't worry," Li Xu put his arm around her. "Bridget just watched too many Qionghua films and took herself for the leading lady. She'll come to her senses after a few setbacks."

Although he said that, it would take 14 more years for the Eastern Sect leader to realize her options were limited and decide to marry quickly. For now, she was still in a state of melancholy.

"But this isn't just a setback," Deng Lijun's tone was somewhat resentful. "It's like being pushed into an abyss."

Li Xu looked at her with some surprise. "You've become such good friends in just a few days?"

They were often said to be good friends, but in reality, it was only in the mid-1980s. Before that, they were merely acquaintances.

After a moment of silence, Deng Lijun sighed softly. "We just share the same fate."

She looked up at Li Xu. "You have two more beautiful clothes in your wardrobe."

"Yes," Li Xu didn't deny it. "One of my ideas is to have a huge wardrobe filled with beautiful clothes I've collected."

Then he stroked his chin. "Does that sound too feminine?"

Deng Lijun didn't laugh; she just lowered her head, looking somewhat gloomy.

"Alright," Li Xu picked her up and placed her on his lap. "I thought you should have been prepared for this..."

He pinched her chin, lifting her beautiful face to his. "Or are you feeling a bit down because you're no longer the only beautiful piece of clothing in the wardrobe?"

"Both, I guess," Deng Lijun said softly, still looking gloomy but not avoiding his gaze. "These past two days, I've been talking with Fengjiao and Qingxia. I asked them what they've been through, and they said... people came to their doors, demanding they follow orders, promising to remember their sacrifices. If they refused, there would be serious trouble. In fact... both Mr. Lin were only released from the police station yesterday."

At this, she gave a bitter smile. "Compared to my own experience, it's not much different."

"Too rough, it seems I need to personally oversee things next time," Li Xu still had that indifferent attitude.

"I've hated you, but..." Deng Lijun sighed, lowering her voice. "I have no choice; I'm just a weak woman."

"Then try to become the most beautiful piece of clothing in the wardrobe," Li Xu smiled. "I said I would take good care of and cherish my things."

He pinched her cheek lightly. "I won't ruin you today. Rest well. We're going to Japan tomorrow. The two songs should be ready, and I believe you'll like them."

With that, he stood up, picked up a book, and walked to the balcony. Just before entering, he turned around. "Oh, by the way, if you have time, make me a pot of tea, thanks."

"Ah? Oh, okay... okay." Deng Lijun, whose cheeks were slightly red from the "I won't ruin you today" comment, responded but didn't move, still sitting there, her gaze on Li Xu somewhat complex.

In the end, she sighed lightly, got up, and went to the bar to make tea for him. She had resigned herself, but she didn't know when the other two women would do the same.

The next day, after exchanging a few final words with the Northrop team, Li Xu boarded the specially waiting 747 to Tokyo.

The reason it was "specially waiting" was that he could leave anytime. The Gulfstream 2, though small, had a range of up to 6,000 kilometers, and the distance between North City and Tokyo was only 3,000 kilometers.

Moreover, if necessary, he could charter a plane; it wasn't difficult.

But he waited an extra day for his father's 747 to arrive. The reason was clear from the shock on the faces of the two Lin sisters when they boarded, just like Deng Lijun's initial reaction.

Was this showing off or demonstrating his power? Li Xu didn't know, but it seemed to be the same thing. It might be a bit silly, but it was fun, and as long as it was fun, it was worth doing.

Coming to Tokyo again was mainly for two things. One was Deng Lijun's new album, not a Mandarin album but a Cantonese one, as Hong Kong's PolyGram Records, after hearing about the situation in Japan, immediately changed her contract and hoped she would release a Cantonese album.

In the 1980s, with the rise of the Xu brothers, especially the multi-talented Xu Guanjie, and the large audience base, Cantonese songs had shed their inferior status and started to become popular.

Deng Lijun's popularity in Taiwan and Southeast Asia was undeniable. Even after a year of absence, a few concerts could reignite her popularity, and any greatest hits album would be well-received. In fact, Go Lin had already released such an album.

At this time, Hong Kong was already a major international city with a continuously growing economy, so consolidating the market was necessary.

Li Xu had said he would take care of his things and help Deng Lijun gain more recognition, so he decided to help by having Japanese composers write two songs for her, which only required a trip to Tokyo and a phone call.

Whether acknowledged or not, Japan had top-notch music standards in Asia. After all, Hong Kong and Taiwan copied from Japan, and the mainland copied from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Both Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as the mainland and South Korea, had their masters, but after commercialization, they all struggled to produce successors. Even when the music industry was hit hard by the internet, Japan still had a few standout figures.

"Mr. Kudou, do you think it's good?" In a Tokyo recording studio, Masayoshi Kitajima respectfully asked Li Xu.

"Very good, that's the feeling," Li Xu nodded, taking off his headphones, then looked at Deng Lijun.

"Great songs," Deng Lijun praised.

"Good, sing them a cappella," Li Xu then handed her the sheet music with the lyrics.

"Now?" Deng Lijun was a bit surprised.

"Yes, both of them," Li Xu handed her another sheet with lyrics. "This shouldn't be difficult for you, right?"

Deng Lijun glanced at Masayoshi Kitajima, the well-known Japanese singer-songwriter in his early thirties, who sat there with a serene expression, seemingly oblivious to everything around him.

She sighed inwardly and began to carefully read the sheet music. "Please give me a few minutes."

After humming a few times with her eyes closed, Deng Lijun finally took a deep breath and was ready.

"Shall we start with the first one?" she asked.

"Start with the first one," Li Xu nodded.

After a brief moment, Deng Lijun began to sing a cappella: "Drifting with the wind and waves, through the waves of life, we overlap for a moment, then part ways..."

Although there was no musical accompaniment, her gentle voice still conveyed the song's unique charm. The only issue was that this was a song of sorrow and acceptance, but it was performed in a somewhat sweet manner, which didn't quite fit.

Li Xu said nothing, listened with his eyes closed, and then nodded, signaling her to continue.

Deng Lijun didn't say much, took a few more seconds to prepare, and then began to sing the second song: "Looking back slowly, on the evenings we once shared, the red still remains, the bright sun you gave me in my heart, shedding foolish tears, hoping for understanding and forgiveness..."

Again, there was no musical accompaniment, but her gentle voice suited this song better, especially the line "Even if there are a thousand songs in the future, drifting on my path; even if there are a thousand stars in the future, brighter than tonight's moon," which clearly conveyed the sense of farewell and sorrow, despite her still somewhat sweet voice.

"Very good, very good," Li Xu clapped his hands when she finished. "How does it feel now, Teresa?"

"Now..." Deng Lijun's eyes sparkled. "It's very different, very... very beautiful."

"I told you you'd like it," Li Xu said with a proud tone.

Deng Lijun couldn't help but give him a playful glare, pouting slightly, seemingly reluctant to admit it.

"By the way, in 'Where in Life Do We Not Meet Again,' the line 'Unable to meet again, that day will last forever,' your Cantonese pronunciation is a bit off..." Li Xu continued, not giving her a chance to argue, and quickly pointed out various pronunciation issues in both songs.

Deng Lijun initially tried to interject but soon became surprised, and by the end, she looked utterly bewildered.

"How... how do you know so much?" she asked, wide-eyed.

"Because I speak Cantonese too. The older generation in San Francisco's Chinatown mostly speak Cantonese," Li Xu shrugged, then rolled his eyes inwardly. Would he tell her that he was constantly comparing her singing to that of Priscilla Chan?

Being a bit of a freak, he had some freakish skills. Often, how to use the golden finger was more important than what kind of golden finger one needed.

"What do you think, Mr. Kitajima?" Li Xu turned to Masayoshi Kitajima.

"Although I don't understand the lyrics, Deng's singing is as excellent as always, but it needs some adjustments to better match the songs," Masayoshi Kitajima said respectfully but not overly politely.

"Then, please produce these two songs for Teresa," Li Xu said firmly.

Before the other could respond, his pager vibrated. He looked at it and asked, "Is there a phone I can use here?"

"Of course," Masayoshi Kitajima stood up and opened the recording studio door.

"Find someone to show me where it is, and you continue discussing the song with Teresa," Li Xu stopped him.

"Please rest assured, Mr. Kudou," Masayoshi Kitajima bowed and called out, "Ichima? Ichima!"

"Mr. Kitajima!" A young man quickly ran over.

"Mr. Kudou needs to use the phone. Please show him where it is," Masayoshi Kitajima said.

"Hai!" Ichima bowed, then bowed to Li Xu. "Please follow me, Mr. Kudou."

Li Xu nodded, looked at Masayoshi Kitajima, and gave Deng Lijun a "wait a moment" look before following the young man named Ichima out.