Chapter 128: There Is Always Someone Better

Lujiazui Central Tower, Little Yellow Fish Culture Company.

Staring at the overwhelming flood of online news attacking boss Liao Yuan, Tian Xingde and the others widened their eyes, unable to believe it yet forced to accept it.

Because from the footage revealed, the man who delivered that flying kick to Han Yu’s chest was indeed the boss.

“Debut and immediately retire?”

Gu Shuilian, the financial director, laughed bitterly, “The boss’s debut stage is really terrible!”

The others exchanged confused glances, equally puzzled and at a loss.

“The key to this matter lies in how we handle the aftermath.”

Operations director Yi Zheng pondered, “Liao and Fu Yuntao should have a good relationship. Such an incident is already strange enough, but it’s even stranger that it got exposed. Could Director Fu have done this deliberately? Honestly, there’s no use getting anxious here. Only by figuring out the cause can we come up with a solution.”

Tian Xingde nodded. “I just called. Liao is already on his way back. He’ll be here soon.”

Half an hour later, Liao Yuan arrived promptly and immediately convened a meeting.

Facing everyone’s questions, Fu Xiaoci took a sip of tea, then quickly laid out the whole sequence of events clearly.

No sooner had Fu Xiaoci finished speaking than PR director Xu Beihong’s eyes sparked fiercely. “Don’t you see? This incident is an opportunity.”

“What kind of opportunity?” Yi Zheng asked.

“An ordinary artist could never pull off such a dramatic debut, but Boss Liao, you are no ordinary artist.”

Xu Beihong’s eyes gleamed. “As the saying goes, when the great roc takes wing on a favorable wind, it soars ninety thousand miles. Boss Liao, you are that great roc. This incident — whether it’s a foul wind or a divine breeze — is merely the thrust that helps you take flight.”

Liao Yuan chuckled dryly, shaking his head. “I already thought this through on the way back. The company’s main focus for now is Song Baining. As for everything else, let’s hold off. You can’t swallow a fat man in one bite. Once the company stands firm, then we’ll talk about me.”

Despite their protests, the others had no choice but to accept Liao’s decision.

The next day, Song Baining came to the company as usual to practice singing.

Thanks to a few days of preparation, Little Yellow Fish’s professional recording studio was finally completed. Though the monitoring headphones, condenser microphones, and mixing consoles were not the very best in the industry, with today’s technology they were definitely capable of producing recording-quality sound.

All these were purchased by Liu Hai through special industry channels, offering good quality at a reasonable price.

Along with the equipment came a sound engineer, mainly responsible for processing and mixing the audio tracks on the console.

Sound engineers usually fall into two categories. One is the live sound engineer, who handles concert system speakers and external loudspeakers, requiring little technical finesse.

The other is the studio sound engineer.

Studio engineers, or mixing engineers, are professionals of the highest caliber. As times have evolved, the value of a skilled mixing engineer has soared.

They can perfectly control every tonal detail of a singer’s voice. For example, if the accompaniment is too loud while the singer’s voice is faint, the engineer can easily balance the tracks before output, creating a harmonious blend.

Top-tier mixing engineers can add effects to vocals, masking small flaws during live performances.

The best can even correct mishaps in real-time during live shows.

That’s why event organizers often pay high prices to hire renowned mixing engineers to safeguard performances.

Even top-tier singers are cautious not to offend these star engineers.

However, Little Yellow Fish was a small company with limited fame and resources, so the hired engineer was merely a fresh university graduate.

Still, Song Baining’s voice was naturally as beautiful as a nightingale’s, so the requirements for the mixing engineer were relatively low.

Inside the recording studio,

After a brief sound test, Liao Yuan personally supervised Song Baining’s recording.

The first song she recorded was “Fairy Tale Town,” which would serve as her debut single. The other two songs, “Those Fleeting Years” and “Red Mountain Fruit,” would be released gradually in the second week to maintain momentum.

“I don’t feel satisfied,”

After listening to Song Baining’s first take, Liao Yuan put down the score and rubbed his temples. “Your voice is unique, but your singing technique is not irreplaceable.”

“I... don’t understand,”

Song Baining flushed slightly, honestly admitting, “I’ve never had systematic vocal training.”

Liao Yuan pondered. “I can teach you, but I hope you’ll strive to learn seriously rather than just go through the motions.”

“I’m not just going through the motions,”

Song Baining said earnestly, “I really like this song and I’m singing it with all my heart.”

Liao Yuan set the music aside, stood up, and signaled to the engineer behind the glass window.

At the same moment, he replaced Song Baining at the microphone.

Soon, accompanied by the winding of a music box, “Fairy Tale Town” began to play.

“I heard Snow White is running away, Little Red Riding Hood worries about the Big Bad Wolf...”

After the song finished, Song Baining’s eyes sparkled. “You sing so well.”

Liao Yuan asked, “Do you know what your problem is?”

Song Baining shook her head.

Liao Yuan said bluntly, “The chorus lacks character. Simply put, your singing style has no distinctiveness. Only your timbre is unique. If your vocal cords get worn out during concerts, your future performances will be disasters.”

Song Baining blushed. “I noticed that just now. Actually, I like your singing style, so I decided to imitate you.”

Liao Yuan frowned but finally nodded. “Alright, start with imitation. But Miss Song, I hope you develop your own singing style in the future. That’s the only way to go far in the music world.”

“Okay, I understand,” Song Baining lowered her head.

Liao Yuan had her sing the song again, correcting some subtle vocal techniques, then let her practice on her own, with a review scheduled for the next day.

Before leaving, Liao Yuan said, “I still hope you can create your own style—sing freely, without shackles.”

“I’ll try,” Song Baining bowed her head even lower.

How high is the sky?

Song Baining did not know, but she had realized one thing: there are always people better than you.

The world does not revolve around a handful of individuals. Having a few major companies relentlessly courting you does not guarantee you will become a qualified singer.

If you stubbornly confine yourself within your own little world, wandering alone and admiring your own uniqueness, you may never meet Liao’s expectations.

Sing freely, without shackles...

After a moment’s thought, Song Baining stood again before the condenser microphone, wiped the pop filter, and resumed singing.

This time, she sang a cappella.

Her unaccompanied singing seemed somewhat better than when she had accompaniment.

Gradually, the young engineer, Lou Wenxing, who had been sneaking glances, raised his head and revealed a face full of surprise.