The island itself was small, so the drive didn't take long.
Exhausted from the day, Xu Qingyan had no appetite for dinner and merely greeted everyone before heading upstairs. He changed his shoes, tossed his phone onto the bed, and dragged his weary body into the shower.
The steam gradually filled the transparent glass shower room. Standing under the showerhead, he closed his eyes and silently thought about the second song.
By now the pace of the reality show had stabilized. Only three days remained, minus the final day for pairing up and revealing identities, which really only left two days.
This class was nearly over; it was time to consider the path after the romance show.
When all was said and done, selling songs was still the way to go. But now he had another option. Compared to Pei Muchan, the popular young diva Lin Wanzhou had even higher popularity.
If Lin Wanzhou also bought the song he transcribed, it would be like having two divas promoting for him. Just that would be enough to break even, and his fees were certainly not low.
On the other hand, he was also being fair. The song he gave to Pei Muchan, "Qing Tian," was bound to be a phenomenal hit wherever it went, and asking for two hundred thousand plus a normal share wasn't unreasonable.
Furthermore, Xu Qingyan worried that a buyout would sever his relations with Pei Muchan.
Of course, he wasn't lecherous. He had no such thoughts; decent people don't date for that. It's obvious to make money together if there is money to be made, and also to share the risks together.
In case "Qing Tian" encountered any unexpected issues, at least there was room for remedy.
He was out of money but for acquiring songs, just give him some time to learn. As long as he mastered the basic methods of transcribing music and sought continuous improvement, the songs would definitely suffice.
After all, with an ace in hand and the right channels, making money wouldn't be a concern.
The biggest channels he could access at the moment were Pei Muchan and Lin Wanzhou. One was richer than the other, and he couldn't afford to offend either; even if the director didn't say it, he would be fair to both.
They were both patrons; heaven forbid they should start fighting.
In the shower, as Xu Qingyan lathered himself with body wash, he pondered over which song he should transcribe next.
Time was running out, and he definitely couldn't master transcribing music so quickly. Later, he would still need to try and slowly figure out the intro to "Qing Tian" on his own.
There was no time to learn bit by bit—it would have to be a case of learning by doing.
That was why he intended to pick a song that was impactful but had a simple melody, and after much consideration, he settled on "The One I Yearn For."
The song's tune was simple and straightforward, gradually pulling you in with a conversational tone, step by step immersing you in the emotions, and expressing the complex feelings of struggle and sorrow within the heart.
But one thing was for sure, it was hard to sing. Fortunately, acapella was probably the only thing he excelled at right now.
After a quick shower, Xu Qingyan rubbed his tired face and picked up his phone to reply to several people's messages on WeChat.
Halfway through singing, he felt the emotions were insufficient and lackluster.
After several recordings, he picked the clearest version to save. He didn't send it immediately but set it aside for the time being.
Shuffling in his slippers, Xu Qingyan got up and meandered over to the large living room of the suite. Pei Muchan's guitar, which she had left there the day before, was still there.
The wide-open windows of the large living room let in the humid and hot breeze of a summer evening.
With his hair half-dry, he took out his phone, held the guitar, and began to meticulously practice. Luckily, learning wasn't too difficult, and as time passed bit by bit, he made some progress,
Feeling that something was still not quite right, he even got on a call with Pei Muchan for a while.
Pei Muchan seemed to be alone in her room. Perhaps because it was late into the night, her voice carried a slightly hoarse and itchy undertone.
"Are you listening?"
"Oh, yes, I'm sorry, I just spaced out for a moment," Xu Qingyan jolted back to attention.
There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, and her voice seemed a bit resigned.
"You don't have to push yourself so hard. If you're tired, you should sleep first. It'll be alright even if you wait until tomorrow or after the show is over, or I can help with the chord progression if you want."
"I want to give it a try myself. I can't always trouble you," Xu Qingyan said.
Pei Muchan didn't say anything more, only the sound of her gentle breathing.
After a long while, she spoke.
"Why can't you trouble me though?"
Xu Qingyan felt a slight shock in his heart, thinking he might have said the wrong thing again. He coughed awkwardly, clearing his throat, and kept stammering without being able to articulate a complete explanation.
Usually, his brain worked fine, but it always seized up at critical moments.
The other party's patience seemed to be wearing thin, and the voice coming from the phone was low, as if suppressing a simmering ember, slightly muffled.
"So, it's not okay to trouble me, but it's okay to trouble Lin Wanzhou?"
"No," Xu Qingyan's eyelids twitched, feeling like the situation was falling apart, a harbinger of doom flashing vigorously on his forehead, "What I mean is, I can't always rely on you."
"I need to be self-sufficient, so in the future, when there's a melody, it doesn't turn out like trying to pour dumplings from a teapot."
Pei Muchan: "Hmm."