Chapter 66

"Xia, Li Huanle, you five are all friends from the same year. Did you know each other for a long time?" Jiang Hudong, knowing that the five were all born in 1986, asked with some curiosity.

Li Huanle smiled and said, "I was a high school classmate with Jin Aishi and Jin Ainan. I met Quan Baolan and Li Zhiyan just last month. As for Zheng Junying, I'm friends with his brother. That's about it!"

"Does that mean you only met, uploaded videos, and then participated in the show within a month?" Zhao Huilian, sitting at the back, asked with some surprise. Her tone made what seemed like a trivial matter suddenly seem significant.

Li Huanle calculated the time and smiled, "Pretty much, about a month!"

"I have a question!"

At this moment, Jiang Minjing, sitting on the far right of the second row, suddenly raised her hand and called out. Li Huanle was taken aback but then smiled again, secretly cursing, 'Idiot, once our relationship is exposed, won't today's performance become negative material? What a silly girl!'

"Xia, Li Huanle, I really liked that song 'Do Your Best First.' I'm curious, how long have you been learning music composition? Did you graduate from a related major?" Jiang Minjing blinked her eyes and asked sweetly.

Li Huanle really wanted to roll his eyes and scold her for being disrespectful, not calling him "oppa," but in the end, he just laughed dryly, "About half a year, and I graduated from mechanical engineering!"

"Nani!!!"

In an instant, even those who didn't understand music were stunned.

Since there was no information about Li Huanle, Jiang Hudong didn't know his background. But now, hearing this, his first thought was... are you a clown sent by the monkeys? Do you think we'll believe that? The king sent me to patrol...

The current STARKING was different from what Li Huanle remembered from the future, where they would invite professional guests, such as famous musical theater actors for musical theater performers, athletes for sports enthusiasts, and beauty experts for makeup gurus... If there were any songwriters, they would invite well-known composers.

But now, there were no such guests. Although there were many guest singers today, none of them were true songwriters, so there was no professional basis to evaluate Li Huanle's work.

An Zhenghuan in the audience also noticed the show's weakness. Without some high-end, prestigious guests, the show would struggle when encountering true talents rather than just peculiar individuals.

Fortunately, Jiang Hudong was still on stage.

"Really just half a year? Even though I don't understand music, creating these works in just half a year is quite impressive, right?" Jiang Hudong said with surprise, as if to say, "Please accept my knees."

Zheng Junying, who was feeling a bit drowsy, suddenly spoke up, "Brother Huanle is lying!"

"A~~?"

"Xia, Zheng Junying, how is he lying? Tell us quickly!" Jiang Hudong bounced over excitedly, thinking there might be some juicy gossip. After all, creating such good songs in just six months didn't seem very scientific.

"Brother started learning guitar from me in early December last year. I was his teacher. At first, he didn't even know how to read sheet music, a complete music novice. But Brother practiced very hard, sleeping only a few hours a day, like he was possessed, humming all day and asking me to help record things!"

At this moment, not only Li Huanle but also the Jin brothers, Quan Baolan, and Li Zhiyan felt for the first time that this guy... was quite smart.

This praise made Li Huanle blush a bit, even though it was the truth.

Seeing Jiang Hudong, the audience, and the guests stunned, Li Huanle cleared his throat and smiled, "Actually, the creation of these three songs wasn't just my work. As my video introduction says, I'm a complete novice. The melody of 'No Longer Crossed Legs' was hummed by me, and Zheng Junying helped write it. The second song, 'Crescendo,' I wrote myself, but the arrangement was done by the Jin brothers. The third song, 'Do Your Best First,' I wrote and completed with the Jin brothers. I'm still learning, and with everyone's help, I was able to complete these three works. I firmly believe that many hands make light work!"

Li Huanle's honest and humorous confession was quite interesting, and the audience spontaneously applauded.

"Ah, so that's how it is. But the lyrics and melodies of these three songs are mostly your own creation, and you've only been learning music for three months. That's really impressive. But why did you suddenly choose to learn music, Xia Li Huanle? According to Zheng Junying, you were a complete beginner three months ago!" Jiang Hudong was also curious. Although he didn't fully believe what these guys said, as long as the show was entertaining, it was fine.

Li Huanle thought for a moment and said seriously, "Because of a special reason, I was influenced by someone, so I chose this path."

"Was it a girlfriend? No, you said you don't have a girlfriend, right?"

"I don't have one now!"

Li Huanle suddenly answered Jiang Hudong, giving the impression that he entered the music world because of a former girlfriend, which piqued everyone's curiosity.

Of course, the person Li Huanle was thinking of at the moment was a guy named Tang Menglong. If not for his influence, he wouldn't have started by plagiarizing songs.

Jiang Hudong was surprised and wanted to ask more, but Li Huanle just smiled without saying anything, making everyone feel itchy inside.

But seeing Li Huanle's unyielding expression, Jiang Hudong could only shift the topic to others. Although he had talked the most with Li Huanle, in reality, the person with the most fans and attention was punk cool girl Quan Baolan. Her "Cute Song" had made her a true internet celebrity.

Now, many artists on shows would imitate the "Cute Song" to be cute. The song itself didn't have much technical content; its essence was just being cute and adorable.

Li Huanle stepped back amicably, but his eyes met Jiang Minjing's, and the two exchanged a spark.

The next topic was relatively simple, introducing the five people, what they did now, and how they met Li Huanle. Quan Baolan also performed the "Cute Song," drawing many cheers, followed by the guests imitating it, both men and women.

Then, someone suggested they wanted to hear "Crescendo." Li Huanle and Jiang Hudong sat to the side, watching the five perform.

Compared to the casualness in the video, the stage performance was much better. The nearly two-minute performance drew many applause. Then... Jiang Hudong, who returned to the center of the stage with Li Huanle, had a changed expression.

"Xia Li Huanle, why did you choose to cover your face in the video and not participate in the singing?" Jiang Hudong asked a relatively simple question out of curiosity.

Li Huanle thought for a moment and laughed, "Haha, that's simple. When I first uploaded the video, I didn't know how the work would be received. I thought, what if everyone dislikes it and curses me online? So I wore a mask. If everyone dislikes it, I can just delete the account and start over with a new name. No one would know it was me. As for singing... my skills are so bad that if I opened my mouth, you might not be able to leave the studio today. Even if you did, you'd have nightmares for a long time."

"Poof!"

Li Huanle's words not only caused laughter but also drew angry glares from the five. No wonder he covered his face... In the post-production, when Li Huanle said this, a huge exclamation mark appeared above the heads of the five.

Jiang Hudong was very satisfied but still asked a question not in the script.

"Xia Li Huanle, many people are curious about you online, and you have quite a few fans. Can you introduce yourself in more detail? For example, why you became a songwriter, your future goals, and whether your family supports your choice to pursue music?" Jiang Hudong asked several questions at once, his tone normal, and the audience and guests didn't find anything strange.

Only Jiang Minjing's heart tightened slightly when she heard about the family.