Chapter 7

Knock knock.

Du Xinghe gently knocked on the door twice and then pushed it open, entering the music room.

Turning his head, Xu Nu was taken aback to see Du Xinghe enter. He hurriedly apologized, "I didn't disturb your sleep, did I?"

"No, I've been up for a while and have already finished my vocal practice."

Du Xinghe took a sip of water to moisten his throat and then asked Xu Nu, "But why are you here so early to practice the piano?"

"My mom is back from a business trip and doesn't want me to disturb her sleep. I can't practice at home, so I had to come to the company. The Youth Star Singing Competition's semi-finals are in two days, and I'm not ready yet. I need to practice more."

From the fragments of his memory, Du Xinghe understood the importance of the Youth Star Singing Competition. He asked Xu Nu, "You made it to the semi-finals of Youth Star?"

"Yes, I didn't expect it either. I actually made it to the top 50."

Speaking softly, Xu Nu strummed a few cheerful notes on the guitar and smiled at Du Xinghe. "You came just in time, boss. Can you give me some advice? I want to see how this song, 'Burial,' is. I plan to use it for the semi-finals."

Last night, Du Xinghe had witnessed his violin skills and his exceptional composition ability. Xu Nu realized that this young boss was much more capable than she had imagined. Du Shan's son was indeed extraordinary! One of her main reasons for coming to Cloud World so early was to have Du Xinghe help her with her new song.

Du Xinghe also wanted to see how Xu Nu's composition skills were. He put the water cup on the ground, sat on a chair by the wall, and, like a judge, quietly gestured for Xu Nu to start singing.

Xu Nu felt a powerful aura emanating from Du Xinghe, making her inexplicably nervous.

Closing her eyes, she tried not to think about the strange changes in Du Xinghe. She pressed her left hand on the strings and gently strummed with her right hand, starting with a C chord. She sang her new song, "Burial," with deep emotion.

...

I don't understand, why so fast~

Youth, just like that, is buried~

Turned into a speck of dust, suddenly falling~

I'm not ready for this moment~

...

I keep hesitating, afraid of being hurt~

I wrap myself up~

The future I imagine is so wonderful~

But reality makes me sad~

...

I'm like a leaf, drifting, when will I land~

I won't let myself disappear in the vast crowd~

The things I cry about, I'll laugh about one day~

But loneliness hasn't left me~

...

This song told the story of Xu Nu's buried youth, filled with her helpless appeals to fate, her restrained hopes for the future, and, most of all, the deep loneliness and helplessness in her heart.

Xu Nu expressed these complex emotions and moods very emotionally through her singing.

Du Xinghe listened intently.

As he had expected, when Xu Nu expressed her emotions delicately, her voice took on a clean, magnetic quality that struck deep into the listener's heart, soothing their wounded souls and bringing a warm comfort.

Apart from her clean voice, the song itself was also a touching piece that could move people's hearts.

At 18, to be able to write such a song, Du Xinghe couldn't help but look at Xu Nu with new respect.

With her talent for composition, her good figure and appearance, and her clean voice, this girl, with a bit of polishing, would surely become a golden signboard for Cloud World.

In a daze, Du Xinghe could already see Xu Nu's future.

...

I'm like a leaf, drifting, when will I land~

I won't let myself disappear in the vast crowd~

The things I cry about, I'll laugh about one day~

But loneliness hasn't left me~

Loneliness hasn't left me~

...

With the repetition of the final two lines of the chorus, Xu Nu finished her heartfelt song.

Opening her eyes, she composed herself, stepping out of her performance state. She looked at Du Xinghe expectantly and asked, "What do you think?"

Without hesitation, Du Xinghe gave her a thumbs up and praised, "Great! Better than I imagined!"

"Really?"

Xu Nu found it hard to believe Du Xinghe's evaluation.

In her view, her song was far inferior to Du Xinghe's "Butterfly Dream," lacking any cultural depth and sounding like mere moaning.

Last night, she had repeatedly hummed "Butterfly Dream" and "Burial" in her head. The more she hummed, the worse her own song seemed, both in melody and lyrics, compared to "Butterfly Dream."

She didn't expect Du Xinghe to give her song such high praise.

"Your voice can heal people."

Du Xinghe hit the nail on the head, pinpointing the most moving aspect of Xu Nu's voice.

Just as Xu Nu was about to feel secretly pleased, Du Xinghe changed his tone and added, "However, although this song is very good and reflects your state of mind, objectively speaking, it's not suitable for the Youth Star semi-finals. The song's tone is too sad and is best listened to in a quiet environment. For a competition like Youth Star, which is very popular, singing this song will definitely prevent you from advancing."

Xu Nu nodded in agreement. "I think so too, but it doesn't matter. As long as I can express my heart, I'm satisfied."

"You might be satisfied, but our company isn't."

Du Xinghe spoke seriously. "Don't forget, you are still a signed artist with Cloud World. If you can stand out in the Youth Star semi-finals, it will bring great benefits to both the company and you personally. During the competition, the company will give you the maximum support. If you need anything, just say it, and the company will try its best to meet your needs. You know how bad our company's situation is right now, so I sincerely hope you can try your best to achieve good results in this competition, and ideally, win the championship."

Xu Nu was stunned. With her current level of skill, how could she possibly compete with the new talents from the four major record companies for the championship?

Du Xinghe must be joking!

Xu Nu smiled helplessly.

Du Xinghe knew why Xu Nu was smiling and said, "I'm not joking. Our Cloud World can't compare to the four major record companies in terms of hardware, connections, or even some smaller companies, but we have our own advantages."

"What advantages?"

"Young and talented."

There was no hint of frivolity in these words as they came from Du Xinghe's mouth. They sounded strong and confident.

Although most of the "talent" he referred to involved copying classic works from the other world, Du Xinghe was not at all vague or hesitant.

"We will use our youth and talent to make up for other shortcomings and return music to its essence. As long as the final judges are truly evaluating, you should have the confidence to aim for the championship!"

Du Xinghe tried to encourage Xu Nu, and also himself. He hadn't delved deeply into this world's pop music industry yet, so he wasn't sure if his "talent" would be accepted.

But based on his understanding of the pop music industry in this world, it should be fine.