Chapter 78: "Next Stop, Queen of Heaven"

Jiang Yan was so anxious that sweat beaded on her forehead.

"Mr. Li, I... I'm sorry!"

"Can I give up my right to be credited then?"

"This song means a great deal to me!"

Li Qingshan let out a cold snort.

"I don't repeat myself."

"I don't know what kind of relationship you two have, and I don't care!"

"But if you want to use my song to fuel your tabloid rumors—"

"Forget it!"

"Xiao Yao, please see them out!"

With that, he was about to leave.

"Heh! Is a song that's barely worth calling a masterpiece really something to be so arrogant about?"

"Jiang Yan, let's go. I had hoped to see a truly great song today."

"If this is all, then I have plenty of songs like this!"

"Why bother begging so humbly?"

Suddenly, Su Chen's voice broke in.

Li Qingshan froze mid-turn.

He turned back, his eyes blazing as he fixed Su Chen with a furious glare.

"What did you say?"

"I don't repeat myself either," Su Chen replied coolly, meeting Li Qingshan's gaze with perfect composure, as if he didn't take him seriously in the least.

Jiang Yan felt her head throb.

What she feared most had come to pass.

The two were really at odds now!

"Mr. Li, I'm sorry, Su Chen didn't mean it. He's just... his personality is..."

Before she could finish, Li Qingshan spoke in a chilly voice.

"Young man, it's good to have ambition,"

"But don't let it turn into arrogance!"

Though he didn't raise his voice, his words were full of icy disdain.

Who was he? Li Qingshan!

After so many years, no one had ever dared to contradict him to his face.

Even if what he produced was utter rubbish, there would still be people singing its praises.

But today, this young man had dared to offend him so brazenly.

It made him seethe with anger.

Jiang Yan clung tightly to Su Chen, not letting him act rashly.

If Su Chen were to lash out at the old man, things would become truly irreparable.

If Su Chen knew what she was thinking, he might have been furious enough to cough up blood.

Was he that kind of person?

Seeing the range of reactions from those around him, Su Chen gave a light chuckle and looked calmly at Jiang Yan.

"As I said, there's nothing special about a song like this."

"Is there pen and paper?"

Hmm?

What was he planning?

Was he going to compose a song on the spot?

This was Li Qingshan, after all!

A giant in the world of composition—did Su Chen not know his reputation?

Jiang Yan hurriedly whispered to him, "Su Chen, calm down!"

"Hurry and apologize to Mr. Li with me."

But Su Chen didn't budge, and she grew even more anxious, her palms sweating.

What should she do now?

She shouldn't have brought Su Chen here today.

It would have been better to come alone and settle matters herself.

As she was lost in indecision, Li Qingshan's cold voice sounded.

"Give him pen and paper!"

Composing on the spot? What a joke!

He didn't believe anyone could create a song of such quality on the fly.

Especially not some unknown youngster.

In all these years, he'd never met someone so brash.

This young man needed to be taught a lesson.

Soon, the assistant brought over a fountain pen and a sheet of paper.

Su Chen took them without a word, spread the paper on the table, and began to write.

Seeing that she could not stop him, Jiang Yan apologized to Li Qingshan with her eyes, then fixed her gaze on Su Chen's movements.

No matter what Su Chen produced, he had already offended Li Qingshan today.

At this point, her panic strangely subsided.

Li Qingshan, too, frowned and watched Su Chen.

He wanted to see what tricks this young man could pull.

Because of the table, Su Chen wrote slowly, but his hand never paused.

Ever since he had written the song in his notebook, its melody had become even clearer in his mind.

He didn't even need to recall it.

It was as if his brain issued a command, and muscle memory set his hand in motion.

The room was silent.

Only the sound of Su Chen's pen gliding over the paper and the occasional tap of the nib against the table could be heard.

No one spoke; everyone just watched.

But gradually, they sensed something was off.

Was he really...?

Writing a line of lyrics, then a bar of melody?

Was this a real method?

Was he joking?

Normally, a song is composed first, then lyrics are written to fit, or vice versa, but never both at once.

Where did this approach come from?

Was he a complete amateur?

Was this a farce?

Questions swirled through everyone's minds.

Li Qingshan even let out a cold laugh.

In about ten minutes, a complete song lay before them.

"Would you like to try it?" Su Chen handed it to Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan felt utterly defeated by now.

Watching Su Chen's process, she had lost all hope.

But she instinctively took the sheet and began to read.

"Standing before the grand mall, I carefully look back on my journey,
At the next stop, arriving at Queen's Road would be best,
But the glamorous path to stardom—once you fear the heights along the way..."

Suddenly, a chill ran through her body, as if she had been struck by something.

This...

She didn't even know what the grand mall was.

But the references in the lyrics to Queen's Road and the dazzling path to stardom seemed to pierce right to her soul.

Suppressing her excitement, she read through the entire song.

The lyrics were ordinary, but she inexplicably liked them.

She cast a puzzled look at Su Chen, who remained calm as ever.

Suddenly, she began to believe—could Su Chen really be as much of a genius as Wen Yan had claimed?

Next, she followed the score and hummed the melody softly.

As she did, she suddenly stopped short, staring at Su Chen in disbelief.

"This is just too beautiful!"

"And... if sung in Cantonese, it would have even more flavor!"

To prepare for her new album, she had studied Cantonese for a while with friends.

So she could immediately sense the song's unique charm.

Li Qingshan was startled by Jiang Yan's reaction.

Could it be that this young man's song was actually good?

This time, Li Qingshan didn't even ask his assistant—he snatched the paper straight from Jiang Yan's hands and began to read.

At first, his brow was tightly furrowed, but soon he was transfixed.

If Jiang Yan had judged the song by feeling, he was judging it with a professional eye.

Yet even so, the song's quality was outstanding.

The lyrics had layers of meaning, fitting Jiang Yan's current circumstances perfectly.

The melody was winding and beautiful.

It was far better than his own "Cicadas Unaware of Snow!"

In an instant, his resentment toward Su Chen vanished.

This young man truly had talent!

To be able to write a song tailored for a singer under such circumstances—such skill was unprecedented!

His gaze toward Su Chen began to change.

After a pause, he softened his tone and asked, "What's the title of this song?"

Su Chen replied calmly, "Next Stop, Queen's Road!"

Boom!

Jiang Yan felt as if a current of electricity surged through her entire body.

...

P.S. "Next Stop, Queen's Road," original singer: Charlene Choi, TWINs, lyrics: Wyman Wong, music: Mark Lui