Chapter 159 - Interview

“Jingwei, how old are you this year?” Yan Yusong asked, maintaining a slight seriousness in his expression.

Zeng Jingwei replied, “Nineteen.”

“Have you had any professional music training before?” Yan Yusong asked.

“No,” Zeng Jingwei shook her head slightly, “My family’s financial situation before didn’t allow it, I never had the opportunity for professional training.”

She immediately added, “But I’ve always loved music, loved singing, and yearned to live in the world of music.”

Hearing that Zeng Jingwei had never been nurtured in music, Yan Yusong felt somewhat pleased inside because it meant that Zeng Jingwei was an uncut gem, easier for him to sculpt and shape.

If she had received music training before, it might have resulted in some incorrect perceptions and habits that would be troublesome to correct later on.

“What did you do before that?” Yan Yusong continued, “And tell me about your family background.

Where is your family from?”

Hearing the tone of Zeng Jingwei’s speech, he had already sensed that she might be a promising musical talent, possibly becoming his Direct Disciple, so he naturally wanted to understand her past experiences and background.

“My family is from Huang Shi brigade, Mapo Village, Diao Tou Mountain Town, Sanchuan County, Dongchun City, Liaodong Province in the northeast.” Zeng Jingwei detailed her home address, “My parents were farmers, but they both died before I was seven, leaving just my brother and me to rely on each other.

My brother raised me.”

“So, it’s just your brother in your family now.

What does he do?” Yan Yusong pursued further.

A touch of sorrow ascended on Zeng Jingwei’s pretty face as she shook her head, “My brother sacrificed himself ten days ago; he was in the military.”

“Ah!” Sitting beside her, Shen Yan couldn’t help but let out a startled exclamation, her gaze filled with sympathy and pity.

Yan Yusong’s expression also showed a hint of sympathy, “I’m sorry to have touched upon a painful subject.

Please accept my condolences.”

Shen Yan also extended her delicate hand, gently grasping Zeng Jingwei’s hand on the table to offer comfort.

Grateful, Zeng Jingwei expressed her thanks and then said, “Please, teacher and senior sister, rest assured, I have walked out of the sadness and will face life in the future with an optimistic attitude.”

“Mhm, very good,” Yan Yusong nodded in approval.

“What were you doing previously?

Were you working, or still a student?” he continued to ask.

“A student.

I am currently a student at the Electrical Engineering College of Hua Hai University; after school starts, I’ll be a sophomore.” Zeng Jingwei answered honestly.

“Hua Hai University?

Quite the talent!” Shen Yan exclaimed, somewhat surprised.

Yan Yusong also couldn’t help but smile.

Zeng Jingwei went on, “But I aspire even more to pursue music.

Ye Fan helped me transfer to the Huahai Music College.

So, when school starts in September, I will no longer be a student at Hua Hai, but at the Huahai Music College.”

Yan Yusong and Shen Yan both turned to look at Ye Fan, particularly Yan Yusong’s gaze, which held a deeper meaning.

Ye Fan keenly caught on to what Yan Yusong was thinking, which was probably that he was sponsoring Zeng Jingwei.

The entertainment industry had questionable practices; no wonder Yan Yusong harbored such suspicions.

Thus, with a light smile, he explained, “Jingwei’s brother, Zeng Zi, was my comrade-in-arms, and we had a life-and-death bond; he once took a bullet for me.

Before Zeng Zi sacrificed himself for the country, he entrusted his sister to me, and I must look after my brother’s sister no matter what.

Jingwei longs for a path in music, and of course, I’ll do my best to provide her with the best conditions.”

Upon hearing this, both Yan Yusong and Shen Yan immediately held him in high regard.

Shen Yan, in particular, gazed at Ye Fan with her beautiful eyes brimming with a colorful, dreamy light, feeling a trace of interest in him.

“I had no idea your brother was a hero, my apologies for any disrespect,” Shen Yan said to Zeng Jingwei.

“Thank you,” Zeng Jingwei replied softly.

Shen Yan then turned to Ye Fan and said, “Mr.

Ye, a man whose word is his bond, someone who takes promises seriously, that too is something Shen Yan admires.”

“Thank you,” Ye Fan replied indifferently.

He didn’t care for Shen Yan’s praise; in fact, if he wasn’t concerned about Zeng Jingwei receiving misunderstandings and leaving a bad impression on Yan Yusong and Shen Yan, he wouldn’t have said those words at all.

Zeng Zi’s sacrifice had deeply saddened him, but he was accustomed to bleeding without shedding tears, burying his most vulnerable feelings deep in his heart, never expressing them with tears or words, only protecting everything he cherished through his actions.

To this day, he regretted that even piloting a combat aircraft at more than twice the speed of sound, he still couldn’t make it in time to see Zeng Zi one last time.

Now, expressing his deeply hidden feelings in front of strangers, he felt uncomfortable, as if he were exposing his weaknesses crudely under their gaze.

But for the sake of his comrade’s sister, he had to make an exception.

Seeing that Ye Fan merely returned a perfunctory thanks without even glancing her way, Shen Yan, long accustomed to being the center of attention, instantly felt slighted by what she perceived as Ye Fan’s pretentiousness.

However, the next moment, when she caught a fleeting glimpse of sorrow in Ye Fan’s eyes, she immediately forgave him and instead thought of Ye Fan as a genuine person.

Her interest in Ye Fan grew a little more.

After inquiring about Zeng Jingwei’s background and her pursuit in music, Yan Yusong began to evaluate the most important aspect—the voice.

Encouraged by Ye Fan’s supportive gaze, Zeng Jingwei stood up, took a few steps forward, then turned around to face Yan Yusong, Ye Fan, and the others, saying, “I have prepared a song, ‘Miraculous Jiuzhai,’ please offer your feedback, teacher and senior.”

“Miraculous Jiuzhai?”

Yan Yusong and Shen Yan immediately showed interest.

Hearing that Zeng Jingwei was going to sing “Miraculous Jiuzhai,” Ye Fan couldn’t help feeling a bit worried for her.

Before coming to Hua Hai, Ye Fan indeed hadn’t sung in six years, but that didn’t mean he didn’t understand music at all.

As one of the third-generation heirs of his family, he might not know how to perform music but he certainly had to understand it.

Imagine, as one of the heirs of a family with significant influence nationally, known to the public in politics or the military, being unable to discern the quality of a song and mistakenly praising a bad song as a good one would be a national embarrassment.

Thus, he had received systematic training in musical knowledge before joining the army.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to sing “Military Green Flower” well after six years of no musical involvement.

He was familiar with the song “Miraculous Jiuzhai.”

Originally sung by Rong Zhong Er Jia, the song is set in the challenging key of G.

That wasn’t the most important part; what mattered was that the song required a very wide vocal range to perform, as well as the need to convey the loud and expansive feeling of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, making it very difficult to sing.

Typical singers had to lower the pitch by a semitone or a whole tone to perform it, and even then, it might not sound good due to its extensive vocal range.

Back then, his music teacher had used this song as a case study to explain.