Chapter 22

Park Dae-sung and the others were all taken aback!

Ma Xiaodong had already surprised them by asking Lin Zai-shan to create a song with "Coke" as the theme.

Lin Zai-shan didn't even need half a minute to prepare; he immediately drew his knife to accept the challenge, which was even more exaggerated!

Was this uncle joking?

Everyone doubted whether Lin Zai-shan was serious about making music.

Ma Xiaodong felt that Lin Zai-shan's quick acceptance of the challenge was quite provocative!

Shrugging his fat shoulders and smiling, Ma Xiaodong said, "Then show us your inspiration, we're all ears."

Everyone perked up their ears.

Especially the few women, who all wanted to see how much this seemingly ordinary but richly experienced uncle was worth.

Sun Yuzhen, of course, knew the extent of Lin Zai-shan's capabilities.

Seeing Lin Zai-shan accept the challenge with such confidence, Sun Yuzhen secretly felt excited, but she didn't dare show it in front of the other leaders. She tried hard to maintain a pure and beautiful expression, her soft eyes tightly focused on Lin Zai-shan, conveying admiration and confidence with her gaze.

The meeting room became completely quiet.

Clearing his throat and forming a C chord, Lin Zai-shan began to create a simple and catchy melody with "Coke" as the theme.

Of course, he wasn't creating it on the spot.

He was playing another life's original song "Coke" by musician Zhao Yuchen.

This song wasn't very well-known, but due to the author pouring all his emotions into it, it was very moving and touching.

Lin Zai-shan's weathered voice, singing this kind of melancholic yet deeply emotional love song, was the most powerful.

As he started to sing, his voice, which seemed to have a reverb effect, immediately caught the attention of the professional and non-professional ears in the meeting room—

...

Unfortunately, you weren't happy when we met.

Maybe it's because we met too late.

But I have to leave.

And warmth has to leave.

Can another me bring you happiness?

...

But when I held your hand and laughed foolishly,

The love I longed for finally appeared in my life.

But time is running out.

But your answer stopped.

But thinking of your face still makes me happy.

...

Singing with a magnetic and soft voice, it was as if he was telling a story that had happened to him. The confessional singing style and the gentle melody combined perfectly.

Listening to such a song, the women's minds all conjured up a scene of a lonely man standing by the window in the moonlight after the lights were turned off, feeling heartache and regret.

Women are sensitive and mostly listen to the feeling.

Lin Zai-shan's voice, refined by 20 years of ups and downs, hummed melodies and sang songs that were the most evocative.

Without even reaching the climax, just the introductory part, his magnetic voice made the ears of the people in the meeting room warm up due to the excitement of the capillaries.

Even Ma Xiaodong, who had a grudge against Lin Zai-shan, was surprised at how his voice had been honed to this level.

Ma Xiaodong found the melody Lin Zai-shan created to be quite ordinary, with a bit of unconventional creativity hidden in it, but it didn't reach the point of being eye-opening.

If someone else sang this song, the effect might not be very attractive.

But when Lin Zai-shan sang it, his voice gave the song an inexplicable depth and emotional impact. It didn't make people feel annoyed, but rather made them want to keep listening to see what story he would tell.

What does this story have to do with Coke?

With this question and curiosity, Ma Xiaodong continued to listen attentively.

After a brief introduction, Lin Zai-shan directly entered the emotional climax—

...

Maybe you're not happy.

Unfortunately, you're not happy.

Maybe my love came too late.

But what did it give you? Are you really happy?

But listen to me, don't be foolish for him anymore.

...

Maybe you're not happy.

But I want you to be happy.

Maybe my love came too late.

But I only want to tell you, I will never give up.

Making you happy is my happiness.

...

The range wasn't very high, but his deep and restrained shout conveyed the heartfelt love of a middle-aged man.

The few women were moved. Listening to this song was like listening to Lin Zai-shan tell a touching story that could have happened to them.

Even, there was a strange sense of identification that the woman in the song was them.

Such a strong sense of identification was a wonderful listening experience.

Sun Yuzhen had heard Lin Zai-shan sing many songs, and there were many that were better than this one. But every time she heard him sing an emotional song, she felt involuntarily drawn in.

Perhaps what truly captivated her was no longer just Lin Zai-shan's creations, but his voice and the person himself.

After that, Lin Zai-shan sang the B section of the song, which was a repeated part.

He deliberately sang the B section to make the creation more complete and to let these quiet listeners truly understand the hidden subtleties in the song.

The song was called "Coke," but it had nothing to do with the drink.

The song was telling a sad and bitter story, and more cleverly, the author used the sounds "ke" and "le" at the beginning and end of each line.

When listening to Lin Zai-shan sing the first climax, Ma Xiaodong realized that Lin Zai-shan had played a small trick with the song.

And his 27-year-old female assistant, Liu Mengmeng, who loved to play tricks, also figured out why the song was called "Coke" on the first listen.

Enjoying Lin Zai-shan's emotionally rich and magnetic voice, Liu Mengmeng's fox-like eyes, framed by stylish white glasses, held a playful smile.

She knew Ma Xiaodong was trying to make things difficult for Lin Zai-shan, but she didn't expect this uncle to resolve the problem so cleverly. This uncle seemed quite interesting to her.

After Lin Zai-shan sang the B section, almost everyone realized that every line of the song started with the sound "ke" and ended with the sound "le."

This kind of wordplay, when repeated, could be somewhat monotonous and pale, but Lin Zai-shan's performance was so profound and restrained that it didn't matter.

Even a monotonous thing, when sung by Lin Zai-shan, had a captivating charm that never got old, and the more you listened, the more you were drawn in.

In this song, Lin Zai-shan's performance was like a thick-skinned, deeply emotional pomelo. No matter how you peeled it, you couldn't get to its heart, but you could feel that its heart was very sweet and captivating.

The desire to peel it but the inability to do so, this listening experience was very engaging.

After singing the song, Lin Zai-shan seemed to have gained a halo of music, and the women looked at him with even gentler eyes.

The song ended.

The meeting room was still filled with an atmosphere of enjoyment.

Kui Yu had always wanted to uncover the stories behind Lin Zai-shan to add to the program's discussion and popularity.

At this moment, after hearing Lin Zai-shan's heartfelt creation, Kui Yu covered her mouth and leaned over to Sun Yuzhen's ear, whispering, "You've done a great job, Little Sun. Lin Zai-shan is really strong!"

Sun Yuzhen didn't dare to speak, but her eyes were full of satisfied smiles. She nodded to Kui Yu, unable to hide her pride and joy.

Park Dae-sung was also very shocked by Lin Zai-shan's impromptu creation!

He had interviewed some of the main contestants before, but none of the musicians had created such a complete song on the spot in a short time.

Not to mention that Lin Zai-shan's singing was deeply moving, and he was still immersed in the story Lin Zai-shan had told.

This washed-up uncle's overall strength definitely deserved to be placed in the A category of the main contestants!

Their program team had divided all the contestants into A, B, and C categories based on their singing and creation abilities, appearance appeal, and the topics behind them, which could affect the ratings. For each preliminary recording, they would balance the groups according to the categories.

After hearing just this one song, Park Dae-sung had the idea of placing Lin Zai-shan in the A category.

This uncle, whether in terms of singing and creation abilities or the topics behind him, was truly excellent!

The only issue was that the topics surrounding him might be negative.

But his music was indeed outstanding, worthy of a rock veteran from the golden age!

With a sense of nostalgia, Ma Xiaodong wasn't very appreciative of Lin Zai-shan's creation, as he didn't believe that such a complete song could be created on the spot. It must have been a previous creation by Lin Zai-shan or one of his friends, and he just happened to use it for the "Coke" theme.

However, Ma Xiaodong had to admit that Lin Zai-shan's singing was truly amazing!

This veteran's voice was even more flavorful than 20 years ago, with a sense of simplicity and refinement.

This guy was truly a born singer, damn it!

A bit envious.

After switching to a behind-the-scenes producer, Ma Xiaodong's voice had long been ruined, and he couldn't sing anymore.

Seeing Lin Zai-shan's voice become richer with age, he felt even more annoyed.

"Wasn't this song created on the spot? Is it one of your previous works?"

Ma Xiaodong asked Lin Zai-shan, trying to find fault.

"Yes, this is a song I wrote before."

In front of a professional like Ma Xiaodong, Lin Zai-shan couldn't exaggerate too much, for fear of revealing his lack of skill.

"We are testing your ability to create music on the spot. Why are you singing a previous song?"

Park Dae-sung and the others could tell that Ma Xiaodong was trying to find fault with Lin Zai-shan, but they didn't want to speak up for him to avoid embarrassing Ma Xiaodong.

However, after hearing this song, Park Dae-sung had the idea of taking a risk and letting Lin Zai-shan on the show.

Lin Zai-shan's singing was so strong that it could outshine many of the main contestants. Such talent, if not given a chance to perform, would be a sin for their new program.

Lin Zai-shan also sensed that the fat director was trying to find fault with him and calmly explained, "The foundation of impromptu creation is years of diligent study and continuous accumulation. Only then can a spark of inspiration flow from the mind at a specific moment. Without fingers that have bled from playing, how can one create a world-class melody on the spot? If you ask me to create something impromptu, my impromptu creation is the accumulation of my years of musical experience and works. To put it modestly, I started playing the guitar at 11, began trying to create at 13, formed a band at 15, and became famous at 17. Although I took many wrong turns after that, I also accumulated a lot in music. After 20 years in the music industry, the songs I've released are just the tip of the iceberg. I have many songs that haven't been released and no one knows I wrote them. If I hadn't said this 'Coke' was a previous work, and claimed it was an impromptu creation, would you have been satisfied with my impromptu creation?"

Ma Xiaodong said with a slight disdain, "You're changing the subject."

"If you insist on saying I'm changing the subject, then I have to say: I have the capital to do so. You're in music, you should know how long it takes to create a sincere and complete work. Not to mention 10 minutes, even a week or two might not be enough. But our program has time limits. I guess many contestants will draw from their past works to ensure the quality of the show. I'm not saying my musical talent is high, but I can confidently say that my 20 years of accumulation and creation in music are no less and no worse than other contestants. If you give me a chance to be on the show, I will give you a colorful and new world of music that belongs to Lin Zai-shan."

"Very well said. —— Clap, clap, clap, clap."

To prevent Ma Xiaodong from finding more faults, Park Dae-sung took the initiative to applaud for Lin Zai-shan.

Kui Yu and the others followed Park Dae-sung's lead, clapping as if Lin Zai-shan had just given an excellent speech.

Ma Xiaodong's people in the music department, of course, didn't dare to clap for Lin Zai-shan, but in their hearts, they all thought Lin Zai-shan's words were strong and reasonable.

Glancing at Park Dae-sung, who was two years younger than him, with displeasure, Ma Xiaodong said, "Many people talk better than they act. What's the use of talking so well?"

Ma Xiaodong looked at Lin Zai-shan and said bluntly, "I didn't hear any 20 years of musical accumulation in the song you just sang. It's just an ordinary song, not as good as your 'Wheat Field' from 20 years ago. You just happened to fit the theme. If you didn't have a suitable theme and had to create on the spot, do you have that ability?"

"Look at the way you're asking. If I say I don't have the ability, why would I come here for an audition? But if I say I do, you'll still think I'm just talking. I'll just do it. Give me another theme, as many as you want, and I'll take them. But I'll say this in advance: the songs I create next might be finished or half-finished works from the past, or they might be created on the spot. I won't explain this further. If you insist on testing my impromptu creation ability, just assume I'm creating on the spot."

Afraid that Ma Xiaodong would make things difficult for Lin Zai-shan again, Park Dae-sung quickly said, "Director Ma, why don't I give him a theme to test him?"

"Sure, you go first."

Ma Xiaodong was determined to challenge Lin Zai-shan today.

From his words, it was clear that even if Park Dae-sung gave a theme, Ma Xiaodong would still give one later.

He didn't believe he couldn't test this arrogant veteran to his limits!

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