Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Song of National Style—This Is the One

Looking at Pang Tong’s resolute expression, Chen Fang felt the kind of reassurance a father has in his son.

Let him lose weight first, and worry about everything else later.

As for what comes next, that could be dealt with slowly.

To be honest, Pang Tong wasn’t actually unattractive. But because he was so overweight, the flesh on his face exaggerated his features, leaving him looking bloated and sloppy to others.

Returning to his own room, Chen Fang sat at his desk, lost in thought.

Which song should he use?

There weren’t many songs with traditional elements. At least, from what Chen Fang could remember, he didn’t know many such songs.

Of course, what mattered most was the quality.

The auditions in the first and second rounds had already raised the audience’s expectations sky-high, so the next song absolutely had to be top-notch—ideally, another smash hit.

“This is going to be tough,” Chen Fang muttered, closing his eyes in contemplation.

A smash hit with traditional flair… The trouble was, back on Earth, he’d rarely listened to that kind of music.

For the moment, nothing came to mind.

After a long silence, Chen Fang shook his head, deciding to shelve the problem for now and head to the company.

Now that he’d signed with Future Stardom, he couldn’t arrange his schedule as freely as before. Xi Yuanyuan had mentioned that the company wanted to keep his schedule packed, ensuring he stayed in the public eye to maintain his popularity.

These days, Xi Yuanyuan had been negotiating with the company about what appearances to arrange for him. There should be some results by now. Chen Fang needed to visit the company to get a sense of things.

He dressed and went out.

Before long, he arrived at the company. The receptionist’s eyes lit up with hearts at the sight of him.

Miss, having hearts in your eyes is never a good thing.

Chen Fang gave her a polite smile, which immediately caused a small commotion.

He found Xi Yuanyuan’s office and pushed open the door. She was wearing gold-rimmed glasses, elegantly twirling a fine pen in her fingers, her gaze fixed on the documents before her without looking up.

“You should knock before entering. Don’t you know basic manners?” she said coldly.

All right! Still in a bad mood.

Chen Fang settled onto the sofa, grinning. “I don’t need to knock anymore, do I?”

Hearing the familiar voice, Xi Yuanyuan finally looked up at him. A flicker of delight passed through her eyes, quickly replaced by sarcasm. “I thought you’d forgotten you were one of our artists! You haven’t set foot in the company for days. Do you want me to come fetch you from home?”

“I missed you. That’s why I came,” Chen Fang replied, lounging lazily on the sofa.

Luxurious! This sofa was actually softer than the bed in his rented apartment.

At his words, Xi Yuanyuan only snorted, refusing to fall for Chen Fang’s tricks.

“State your business,” she said, lowering her head again to her papers.

Chen Fang closed his eyes, adjusted himself into the most comfortable position, and asked, “Do I have any scheduled appearances coming up?”

At the mention of business, Xi Yuanyuan’s manner became noticeably more professional and serious.

“In addition to your current participation in Path of the Stars, later this month you’re scheduled for a variety show. We’ve secured three spots: ‘Brotherhood Challenge,’ ‘Mushroom House in My Hometown,’ and ‘Who Is the King of Song.’”

“The first one is an adventure challenge show.”

“The second is a slice-of-life variety program.”

“And I don’t need to explain the third.”

She adjusted her glasses and looked at Chen Fang.

All three shows were extremely popular, and Future Stardom had worked hard to secure guest spots. With Chen Fang’s current fame, it was impossible for him to become a regular, but being a special guest was within reach.

She then picked up a stack of materials, sat down beside him, and handed them over.

After ten minutes of reading, Chen Fang had a general understanding.

The formats were much the same.

For instance, ‘Brotherhood Challenge’ was similar to ‘Ultimate Challenge’ back on Earth; the regular cast, affectionately called “the brotherhood” by fans, would spend each episode making life miserable for the special guest, who was invariably the butt of every joke.

The more unfortunate the guest, the more popular the episode became after airing.

After all, people watched variety shows for fun.

Even if you suffered on the show, as long as the audience had a good laugh, and perhaps even felt a little sympathy for you, your popularity would soar.

‘Mushroom House in My Hometown’ leaned more toward daily life, reminiscent of ‘Back to Field,’ but with even richer content. Participants experienced local customs and traditions, mingled warmly with ethnic minorities, and the tasks set each episode were easy to overcome.

The grounded, down-to-earth nature of such shows meant they had wide appeal.

As for ‘Who Is the King of Song,’ Chen Fang didn’t even need to read the brief. The name said it all.

“The company’s position is that you only need to pick one of the three,” Xi Yuanyuan said softly.

Chen Fang fell silent for a moment.

In truth, he wasn’t too keen on any of them.

He didn’t want to be anyone’s punching bag, so ‘Brotherhood Challenge’ was out.

‘Mushroom House in My Hometown’ was nice, but a single episode could last two to four weeks—meaning he’d have to block out an entire month. That was too long.

As for ‘Who Is the King of Song,’ it was probably the best fit for him, but the timing was tight. He’d have to go straight from the third round of Path of the Stars to filming, with no time to rest.

“Are there any other options?” he asked, rubbing his chin.

Xi Yuanyuan looked a little helpless, but as his agent, she still had to consider his preferences. “Why don’t you tell me your requirements, and I’ll see if there’s a show that matches.”

There were other programs, but none as high-profile as these three.

Chen Fang thought for a moment. “I don’t want to be made a fool of, I don’t want filming to drag on for weeks, and I want a chance to show off my strengths and personality.”

Xi Yuanyuan: ...

“Should we get the company to create a new show just for you?”

“I’d love that!” Chen Fang said, instantly perking up.

“In your dreams!” she shot back without hesitation.

She almost wanted to hit him—if not for worrying about damaging his looks, she’d have done it already.

Chen Fang gave an embarrassed laugh. “I was just saying.”

She snorted. “I’ll do my best to find something. But if I can’t, you’ll have to choose from those three.”

Her words moved Chen Fang, who opened his arms, wanting to give her a big hug. “Yuanyuan, you really do look out for me.”

“Get lost!” she replied, blushing as she hurried back to her desk.

She set aside her work, instead asking about the upcoming round of Path of the Stars. “The third round is about to start, right? What’s the theme?”

“Traditional style,” Chen Fang replied.

Xi Yuanyuan frowned. That theme didn’t really play to his strengths.

Still, she wasn’t too worried.

After all, he was the one who’d composed “As You Wish,” a song steeped in cultural richness. Traditional style might be challenging, but it shouldn’t stump him—though time could be a bit tight.

“Any ideas yet?” she asked hopefully.

Chen Fang shook his head. “Not yet. I’m still thinking.”

He was troubled too. Producing a song in that style wasn’t so hard, but he worried the quality might not match his previous work, falling short of his own expectations.

It was the first time Xi Yuanyuan had seen him so vexed, and she couldn’t help but worry along with him.

After a while, she took a porcelain tea set from under the coffee table and made tea with practiced hands. The fragrant steam curled up from the cups, filling the room with warmth.

“No rush. Take your time,” she comforted him.

Chen Fang took a sip, then stared at the porcelain cup, lost in thought.

Xi Yuanyuan didn’t disturb him, quietly sipping her own tea.

A few seconds later, Chen Fang’s eyes lit up as he looked at the cup in his hand. “I’ve got an idea.”