Chapter 244 - Shen Yan Grows Curious About Ye Fan

Upon entering the music room, Yan Yusong took out a song and handed it to Ye Fan, asking, “You should be able to read music scores, right?”

“Mm, I should still be able to,” Ye Fan nodded lightly and said offhandedly, then began to seriously examine this new song that Yan Yusong considered to be of very high quality.

Yan Yusong merely assumed that Ye Fan could read music scores, but Shen Yan, standing by his side, couldn’t help but recall the party they had at Yun Qi where Ye Fan mentioned he hadn’t sung in six years.

The new song was titled “Only Love,” a love song in the key of D, with a 2/4 time signature.

The melody was written in a more professional staff notation, a rather soothing song, similar to most of Wang Lihong’s songs.

Ye Fan went through the staff notation once and then silently sang through it in his mind before he softly sung the melody.

Finally, he began singing the lyrics officially.

“Who stands atop the peak, sword in hand, becoming one with the universe?

Who holds a beauty, sharing a pillow under the setting sun in drunken bliss for ten thousand years?

I tread over endless bones on a journey so far,

Just to see your face clearly.

I tread over endless bones on a journey so far,

Just to take hold of your small hand…”

As Ye Fan started singing, Shen Yan, who had not gone over the song before, was immediately moved.

Yan Yusong couldn’t help but smile and nod.

He felt that the song, sung by Ye Fan, was just perfect, even better than he had imagined.

Two or three minutes later, Ye Fan finished singing the new song.

Shen Yan snapped back to reality, immediately clapping and laughing, “You sang that really well.

The song is good, and you sang it even better.”

“Hehe, thanks for the excessive praise.” Ye Fan smiled and nodded his head slightly before saying to Yan Yusong, “Professor Yan, I’d appreciate it if you could give me some guidance.”

Yan Yusong smiled and nodded, replying, “You sang very well, better than I had imagined.

However, it wasn’t perfect, there were minor flaws.

There are two spots we can discuss in more depth.”

Thereupon, Yan Yusong began to point out where Ye Fan was lacking, and thus they delved into discussion and analysis.

Yan Yusong intended to take Ye Fan as one of his most prized students, so when pointing out Ye Fan’s shortcomings, he did not simply state them and offer his opinions.

Instead, he expanded on them and imparted a great deal of musical knowledge to Ye Fan.

Thus, the discussion lasted an hour and a half.

Understanding Yan Yusong’s intentions, Ye Fan did not refuse his kindness and listened humbly.

After the discussion, Ye Fan sang “Only Love” again; his performance had significantly improved, enrapturing Shen Yan.

“Ye Fan, as long as you sing this song, it’ll be hard not to become a hit,” Shen Yan said with sparkling eyes.

“I’m starting to look forward to your performance at my concert.”

“Hehe, I owe it to Professor Yan’s guidance,” Ye Fan smiled and then turned to Yan Yusong, “Professor Yan, can I buy the rights to this song?”

The new song was excellent and should be worth quite a bit of money.

However, its price would be discounted if someone else sang it before selling.

Ye Fan didn’t want Yan Yusong to be out of pocket for helping him, so he decided to buy the rights to the song outright.

“Hehe, you don’t have to buy it, I’ll give it to you,” Yan Yusong replied, instantly feeling that luring Ye Fan onto the path of music was viable as he heard Ye Fan’s intention to buy the rights to “Only Love.”

Ye Fan shook his head with a smile and said, “That won’t do.

You’ve helped me, and I can’t have you lose money on top of that.

How about one hundred thousand yuan?”

One hundred thousand yuan for a song was a high price.

Generally, selling a full song with both music and lyrics for ten thousand yuan was quite good, and in many cases, songs by unknown lyricists and composers were hardly valued.

Ye Fan, not familiar with the industry standards, mentioned a random price.

“That’s too much.

I told you, it’s a gift for you,” Yan Yusong said.

Ye Fan insisted, “Let’s settle on that.

I’ll bring the money with me the next time I visit.”

Yan Yusong resisted.

Shen Yan intervened with a smile, “Teacher, Ye Fan is paying you tuition.

If you don’t accept it, how can he have the heart to seek your advice in the future?”

Ye Fan nodded, “Yanyan is right.

Think of it as school fees.

I’ll certainly need your advice to truly perfect the song.”

After hesitating for a moment, Yan Yusong agreed.

After securing the rights to “Only Love,” Shen Yan said to Ye Fan, “In addition to your solo, I’d also like to invite you to duet with me on a song, is that okay?”

“Of course, no problem,” Ye Fan nodded, “but I have to admit, I’m not very familiar with your music.

Ha-ha, sorry.”

Shen Yan chuckled, “I know you don’t usually listen to music, so it’s not a regret that you’re not familiar with my songs.”

Then, she turned to Yan Yusong and said, “Teacher, I’m thinking about singing ‘Too Deep’ as a duet with Ye Fan, what do you think?”

Yan Yusong pondered for a moment and nodded, “That’ll work.

Your songs tend to be ethereal and otherworldly, which is hard for most people to capture.

‘Too Deep’ is more mainstream and suitable for Ye Fan to sing with you.”

With Yan Yusong’s agreement, Shen Yan turned to Ye Fan and said, “Ye Fan, let’s duet ‘Too Deep’ together.

When are you available to practice the song with me?”

“In two or three days’ time.

I need to go back and learn your song first,” said Ye Fan.

“Good,” Shen Yan smiled and then said to Yan Yusong, “Teacher, do you have a copy of ‘Only Love’?

I’d like to take it for arrangement purposes.”

“Yes,” Yan Yusong turned and found a copy of the lyrics and melody of “Only Love” for Shen Yan.

After receiving the materials for “Only Love,” Shen Yan said to Ye Fan, “In three days, at around ten in the morning, come to my temporary studio in Hua Hai City.

On one hand, you’ll try out the arrangement of ‘Only Love,’ and on the other, we’ll have our first attempt at singing ‘Too Deep’ together.”

“Hang on, if you’re not busy right now, I’d like to invite you to take a look at my temporary studio,” she added.

Ye Fan nodded in agreement.

Following that, Ye Fan and Shen Yan bid farewell to Yan Yusong and then drove away together from his home.

The temporary studio Shen Yan had rented for the concert in Hua Hai City was located near the concert venue.

Her temporary studio wasn’t just a room but was closer to an entire floor.

As soon as Ye Fan entered the studio floor, he immediately heard the sounds of various musical instruments being played and saw several people moving about the studio floor, creating a bustling scene.

Led by Shen Yan, Ye Fan took a tour of the entire studio floor and then followed her into her private resting room.

Shen Yan’s resting room wasn’t small at all, spanning over thirty square meters, complete with a large living area and a smaller bedroom, equipped with a coffee table, sofa, desk, wardrobe, computer, air conditioner, television…

everything included.

Once the door was closed, the noise from outside was almost completely shut out.

Sitting on a sofa in front of the coffee table, Shen Yan chatted idly with Ye Fan while gracefully preparing tea.

As the tea leaves unfurled in the water, Ye Fan smelled a burst of elegant and refreshing aroma that was invigorating, prompting him to ask, “What kind of tea is this?

Just the fragrance alone feels extraordinary.”

“The finest Xinyang Maojian, this year’s new tea.

I had to ask a friend to secure it for me from the place of origin,” Shen Yan replied with an uplifting smile, brightening the entire living room and causing Ye Fan’s heart to skip a beat.

Regaining his composure and calming his racing heart, Ye Fan smiled and said, “Then I truly appreciate your kind hospitality.”

The best high-mountain Xinyang Maojian tea, with its limited annual production, must be fresh and is not sold directly in the market, but auctioned locally.

One year, due to unusual weather, a pound of the finest Xinyang Maojian was auctioned for 1.49 million – that’s 14.9 million for a pound!

When Shen Yan mentioned securing it through a friend at the place of origin, it meant she had obtained it through a local auction, and of course, it was among the best of the Xinyang Maojian tea.

It wasn’t just an issue of the tea being expensive, but also that the finest Xinyang Maojian was very rare; for a tea connoisseur to share such tea with guests was extremely generous.

Ye Fan’s comment about Shen Yan’s kind hospitality was far from mere politeness.

“Hehe, don’t mention it.

Just so you know, there’s no payment for being a guest performer at my concert,” Shen Yan said in a playful whisper.

Ye Fan laughed, “Ha-ha, don’t make me out to be ungrateful.”

“Oh, really?” Shen Yan teased with a light laugh, her beautiful eyes squinting playfully, “But when you were at Teacher Yan’s place, you didn’t seem too eager to accept the offer to be my guest performer?”

“That’s not true at all.

I was just worried my skills might not be up to par and affect the quality of your concert, so I hesitated,” Ye Fan said with a light smile.

Shen Yan giggled, clearly skeptical.

In her heart, she mused, “Then why did you insist on wearing a mask when you perform?

You clearly don’t want to be famous.

Is it because you shun the limelight, or is there some other reason?

Hmm, I’ll find out sooner or later.”

Afterward, while sipping tea, they chatted and discussed various musical topics.

After chatting for about an hour, Ye Fan left only after Shen Yan personally escorted him to the elevator.