Chapter 94

Thank you, brothers, for your votes and support. Also, on Monday, I need your votes and support. Thanks.

After finishing up with the film company, Wu Cheng rushed over to the Fenglong Records to work with the two masters, Huang and Gu, to continue recording the remaining few songs.

Recording the songs wasn't difficult, as it didn't require Wu Cheng's singing skills; the hard part was the arrangement. At first, Wu Cheng didn't have time to learn arrangement, which gave Huang and Gu a lot of headaches. Sometimes, it would take them several days to arrange a single song, and they still wouldn't be satisfied, which made them quite frustrated.

Later, Wu Cheng couldn't bear to see them struggle and started to learn some arrangement knowledge on his own. With the help of the two masters, the speed of arrangement increased significantly.

Especially after they found out about Wu Cheng's learning speed, they often pulled him in to help, as they felt that the original composer's ideas were too amazing to waste. They believed that not utilizing Wu Cheng's ideas would anger the heavens.

What they didn't know was that Wu Cheng's arrangement skills were just half-baked. Although his learning speed was very fast, astonishingly so, he had never actually done this job before. All he knew was how to replicate the arrangements of the songs from his memory, which, with his exceptional memory, wasn't a difficult task.

With the trip to Taiwan approaching, Wu Cheng didn't have time to let the two masters take their time, so he had to personally step in and replicate the arrangements from his memory.

Of course, letting the two masters take their time wasn't without its benefits. Some of the songs, after being processed by the two masters, did undergo some changes, which even Wu Cheng, a layman, found quite amazing.

It was precisely because of this that Wu Cheng continued to let the two masters take their time. Slow work yields fine results, and the two masters' skills were well-known.

"You finally decided to come over," Huang Zhan said as soon as he saw Wu Cheng, pulling him directly into their studio. The three of them then began the arrangement work for the remaining three songs.

In just one day, the arrangement work for the three songs was completed.

Such efficiency made Huang Zhan unable to hold back his frustration. "You, you had the arrangements in your head all along, yet you let us two old men work ourselves to death. Do you have any conscience? No, my heart is deeply hurt. You need to compensate me."

"Brother Zhan, didn't you say you were still young the other day? Why are you calling yourself an old man now? People need to have a conscience, you can't say everything, right?"

Huang Zhan was taken aback for a moment, then said, "No matter how eloquently you speak, you can't erase the murderous intent in my heart. If you don't show some appreciation, I'll go on strike."

"Alright, alright, I'm afraid of you. I'll take you to a nightclub tonight, okay?"

Gu Jiahui shook his head and smiled, "Wu Cheng, don't joke around with him. Let's finish recording these songs. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can release them. The success of the company's first project depends on you." He paused and added, "Also, how do you plan to promote the company? It seems our publicity department lacks talent."

Wu Cheng confidently replied, "You can rest assured about the promotion. I've already planned it out. I'll hand over the promotional plan to the publicity department, and they can follow it."

"Since you've already thought it through, I'm not worried," Gu Jiahui smiled.

Huang Zhan shook his head and sighed, "You're wasteful. An album usually has ten songs, but with the rap song you insisted on adding and the version of 'Homeland's Original Scenery' played on the xun, it makes twelve. Most albums have one or two good songs, but you've used all high-quality ones. Don't you think that's wasteful? Wasteful is shameful. I think you should save a few for the next album."

Wu Cheng smiled, "I don't plan to release a next album."

"What? You're not going to release another one?" Huang and Gu looked at him in surprise, not understanding what he was up to.

Wu Cheng said seriously, "Music isn't my main focus. I can't devote all my energy to it, and how to balance it is a problem. Moreover, these are all high-quality pieces, and it's difficult to write such high-quality piano pieces again."

The real difficulty was that Wu Cheng had already included most of the classic piano pieces from his memory in this album. Although there were still some left, he didn't want to use them to make another album, or he would really run out of ideas.

Wu Cheng was firm in his decision, and the two had nothing more to say. However, if Zhang Guorong, Mei Yanfang, and others were to release albums, Wu Cheng would definitely write songs for them, just as he would for others.

The album had ten songs, including 'Homeland's Original Scenery.' Besides the piano version, there was also a version played on the xun. 'Croatian Rhapsody,' also known as 'Fantasy Rhapsody,' was included, and there was also a rap version. Additionally, the song 'Sad Angel,' which he played at Deng Lijun's concert, was also included. This song was loved by many, but the previous version wasn't well-arranged. Wu Cheng believed that after rearrangement, it would be even more popular.

Besides these, there was 'Wedding in a Dream,' which Wu Cheng had given to Zhao Yachi for her birthday and used in the film 'Five Lucky Stars.'

Furthermore, there were the very famous 'Castle in the Sky,' 'Kiss the Rain,' and 'The Dan,' which is known as 'Overture to the Dead' in the future. Wu Cheng was obsessed with this piece when he played the game 'Warcraft III,' even though he was always a noob in the game.

In addition, there was 'Secret,' which he played with Deng Lijun in a four-hand duet. Although this piece was not as profound as the others, Wu Cheng found it very meaningful.

Moreover, collaborating with Deng Lijun was also a selling point.

For this reason, Wu Cheng specially invited Deng Lijun to record this piece together. Fortunately, she had just returned from Japan and had some free time. In a short while, she would have to take her orchestra on a tour in Southeast Asia. This period was a rare break for her.

Recording the album with Wu Cheng was a rare pleasure for Deng Lijun. She didn't hesitate to accept Wu Cheng's request.

She was very happy to be able to help Wu Cheng.

As for whether people would say she was being used for her popularity, Wu Cheng wasn't worried at all. He wasn't an insecure man. He believed that the quality of the songs in this album was worth the purchase and collection.

This album was definitely a masterpiece among masterpieces.

Wu Cheng wasn't confident in his own abilities, but he was confident in these classic pieces that had been verified by countless people.

Moreover, Wu Cheng and Deng Lijun collaborated on more than just this one piece. They also performed 'Disordered Red,' a duet of piano and xiao (a bamboo flute). The distant and simple sound of the xiao, combined with the clear and crisp sound of the piano, created a beautiful and serene atmosphere, completely subverting many people's preconceived notions.

'Disordered Red' made Deng Lijun completely enchanted. Even after returning home, she still pulled Wu Cheng to play it together and share it with everyone.

However, Wu Cheng felt that only she was truly enjoying it.

From the unusual expressions of the other women, it was clear that they liked the music but were somewhat jealous.

This 'Disordered Red' also greatly surprised Huang and Gu. They had never thought of combining these two classical instruments from different cultures. When they saw Wu Cheng perfectly blend these Eastern and Western classical instruments, they were shocked.

In fact, from the day they started making this album, Wu Cheng had been constantly surprising them. His completely unorthodox talent in music showed them many directions for making Chinese music. They had been doing traditional music, and their thinking was limited, but Wu Cheng was constantly breaking their constraints.

This stimulation brought them a collision of ideas and concepts, helping them find the inspiration they were looking for while trying different things.

At the same time, they felt a bit sorry that Wu Cheng's talent wasn't focused on music. What a great musical talent, yet he went into the film industry, which, although he did well, was nothing compared to his musical talent.

What a waste.

Huang and Gu were deeply pained by Wu Cheng's casual waste of his musical talent. Unfortunately, Wu Cheng ignored their advice.

Damn, if he kept working in music, he would eventually run out of ideas.

For the last song on the album, Wu Cheng thought for a long time. He originally wanted to use an unknown piano piece by a Canadian homeless man that he had heard on the internet. However, he felt it was unfair to use someone else's work, so he chose another piece called 'Starry Night.'

'Starry Night' is a work by the pianist Richard Clayderman, known as the "Romantic Prince." The piece is distant, profound, yet not sad.

Although there are many repeated sections, the dynamics are different, which doesn't make it feel redundant. Instead, it has a magical quality that makes people think and feel calm.

In short, except for 'Secret,' which was slightly less impressive, the other songs on the album could be considered masterpieces. Once this album was released, it would be impossible for Wu Cheng not to be recognized as a piano master. Wu Cheng was very confident about this.

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