Marriage Concerto (Small Thing Called Love) Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Drawing Lots

Probably because she needed to face the Merit team, Qiao Yichen added an additional compet.i.tion performance segment to her training.

Ding Meng had only managed to sing a quarter of Yearning before she was interrupted by Qiao Yichen, “Your performance is currently too focused on the technique. Techniques are supposed to a.s.sist the delivery of the song. You’re getting it backwards by singing like this.”

Ding Meng paused for a moment and then looked at him, “Today, Gu Xin also told me something like that.”

Qiao Yichen’s eyebrows twitched, “Gu Xin?”

Ding Meng nodded her head. “Yeah, today he came to the TV station to record a show. Before, I only thought he sang well. I didn’t expect his personality to be even better. He didn’t even know me but he still helped give me some singing pointers.” She paused here. Her mood was filled with unconcealed excitement. “At the time, I was too amazed. I even forgot to say thank you to him. I had originally wanted to tell you right when I got home, but I was worried you would think I was bragging.”

Qiao Yichen lightly laughed, “Do I even need you to brag? Can you brag that you’ve helped him record songs before?”

Ding Meng, “…”

Okay fine, she had forgotten her family’s Goudan was a great producer. However, the important stats weren’t how many celebrities he had met. Rather, it was how many he had scolded into tears.

Qiao Yichen looked at her and just slightly narrowed his eyes, “Do you like Gu Xin a lot?”

Reasonably speaking, the style of music Ding Meng liked was no where close to Gu Xin’s music style. She shouldn’t like him that much, right?

Contrary to expectations, Ding Meng blinked her starry eyes and spoke, “Originally I only thought he looked handsome and sang well, but because I don’t like rock ‘n’ roll, I never paid him much attention. However, after today, I’ve become his fan! I even bought his new alb.u.m Lose Control on my way home!”

Qiao Yichen, “…”

He coldly shot her a glance, “If he wasn’t so good-looking, would you still have become his fan so easily?”

Ding Meng responded, “Weren’t you the one who said that the majority of normal people only pay attention to appearances?”

Qiao Yichen, “…”

“Oh yeah, today he also told me that singing is like practicing martial arts in the ancient times. Only by forgetting the techniques can a person and a sword become one. It’s a pity I still haven’t fully gasped that yet.”

Hah, becoming one with the sword. Did this mean that fairies exist too? Qiao Yichen’s tone was filled with disdain. “He’s probably read too many wuxia novels.”

Ding Meng scrunched her brows and glared at him, as if she was dissatisfied with how he was talking about her newly discovered idol, “I think his words make a lot of sense. Didn’t you also say I’m paying too much attention to techniques?”

Very good, glaring at him because of another man. Qiao Yichen exhaled a deep breath and smiled at her, “Don’t talk about other men in my home.”

Ding Meng choked. “……The agreement states that we can each have our own love lives.”

Qiao Yichen responded, “The agreement also prohibits bringing people back home.”

Ding Meng’s mouth twitched, “But I only mentioned him a little!”

“It’s already very terrible. I feel like the air is completely filled with him.”

Ding Meng, “…”

“You even want to have a love life with him? Have you even counted how many fans he has on Weibo?”

Ding Meng, “….Fine. Let’s just continue to sing.”

Singing Yearning went just as it had before. Back when she didn’t know how to use any singing techniques, trying to sing with skill was really difficult. After learning how to use singing techniques, trying to return to her original ways was even harder. Ding Meng shakily sang the song into a huge mess.

Qiao Yichen looked at her, speaking, “Don’t painstakingly use technique, but also don’t painstakingly avoid using technique. Forget the matter of techniques and use your intuition to sing.”

Ding Meng wrinkled her brows, “Intuition?”

“Mhm, as if you don’t have to meticulously think about which areas need to use which technique. Intuition is about instinctively using whatever techniques you need when you arrive at that part of the song.”

Ding Meng exclaimed, “Becoming one with the sword!”

Qiao Yichen’s pupils flashed, “Don’t talk about other men in my home.”

Ding Meng, “…”

She had only mentioned a person. He was the one who kept bringing up the fact that the person was a man.

She pursed her mouth and asked Qiao Yichen, “But the mental state you guys are talking about, isn’t it too difficult to reach?”

“It really is too difficult for the current you to achieve, which is why right now, you need to focus on the emotional aspects of the song, not the performance techniques.”

“Ok.” Ding Meng decided she needed to watch Yearning for the Sea one more time tonight.

After the training ended, she nestled up in her room and started counting the number of fans on Gu Xin’s Weibo. Her phone on the computer desk rang. It was the always timely Jiang Nanqing.

Ding Meng answered the phone but didn’t even manage to say a word before Jiang Nanqing emotionally spoke, “Meng Meng, did you watch tonight’s top 8 compet.i.tion?”

Jiang Nanqing’s side was very noisy, as if she was outside. Ding Meng tilted her head and used a finger to type on the keyboard. “It’s too awkward to watch myself on TV.”

“You can’t speak like that. Only by watching your own performance on stage can you discover where you are lacking.”

Ding Meng nodded her head, thinking that sounded reasonable. Jiang Nanqing continued, “Did you know, today the chuan chuan restaurant was playing your compet.i.tion the whole time. Everyone was watching while eating chuan chuan. Even your grandma came! You should have seen how smugly she laughed at Grandma Liu when you advanced.”

Ding Meng, “…”

“Oh yeah that’s right. Xiao Zhuo-zi and I are preparing to establish a fan club for you. We’ll call it Little Lemons. What do you think? You’ll be the Boss Lemon. I’ll be the left guardian and Xiao Zhuo-zi will be the right guardian!”

Ding Meng, “…..Whatever makes you guys happy is fine.”

Jiang Nanqing’s happy laughter traveled over, “The boss lady of the chuan chuan restaurant said she wants to treat you out to chuan chuan and even offered to give you a private room. When will you have time?”

Hearing that she was being invited to eat chuan chuan, Ding Meng almost put on her shoes and ran over right that moment, but finally in the end, she endured. “Ah, wait until the compet.i.tion is over. Qiao Yichen said that eating spicy foods isn’t good for the throat. I need to carefully protect my voice.”

“Ah, that’s fine. I’ll tell the boss lady. You need to come after the compet.i.tion is over.”

“Relax, I’ll fly over there.”

Jiang Nanqing, “…..Okay, I believe that.”

After the second day of dress rehearsal ended, the time to draw lots came around as usual. This popularity versus merit compet.i.tion could be said to be very rough because after both contestants who drew the same lot finished performing, the judges would pick one to enter the top 4.

Liao Qian, who had previously expressed that she wouldn’t give up, once asked why the advancing contestant wasn’t determined by popular vote, but no one paid attention to her.

“I hope I don’t get paired with Tang Shiran. Amen.” After Liao Qian prayed next to Ding Meng, the staff member called out her name.

Liao Qian walked in front of the lottery box, reached into the box, and felt around for a moment. Finally, she withdrew a red slip of paper.

The staff member looked towards the Merit team who had already finished drawing lots and asked, “Who drew the color red just now?”

“Me.” Tang Shiran lifted the red slip of paper in her hand. Liao Qian eyes blackened again.

“Good. Record it down: Liao Qian and Tang Shiran will form group.”

Ding Meng sympathetically looked at Liao Qian.

“Next up, Ding Meng.”

Since Tang Shiran had been drawn out, Ding Meng was actually a little relieved. She reached into the lottery box and grabbed the first one she touched.

“Blue.” She raised the slip of paper in her hand and looked toward the Merit team. This time someone took the initiative to stand up without even waiting for the staff member to ask.

“That’s me.”

When Mu Shuang’s voice traveled over, Ding Meng couldn’t help but think she was too naïve to have relaxed so early.

After the drawing of lots had concluded, Liao Qian walked out with Ding Meng, both of them gloomy and downcast. “The two of us are too pitiable. I heard that Mu Shuang is the director’s niece. Who knows if she has long been selected to be the champion.”

Thinking like this, Liao Qian actually felt a little better. Even if Tang Shiran PK-ed her, Tang Shiran still wouldn’t be able to become the champion.

T/N: PK = player kill (to defeat in a compet.i.tion)

Ding Meng wasn’t certain if the rumor about Mu Shuang was true or not so she didn’t say anything. Liao Qian automatically a.s.sumed she was too distressed to say anything.

During dinner, Ding Meng was still lost in thought. Qiao Yichen couldn’t keep watching and asked, “What’s the matter with you?”

Ding Meng thought a bit before asking him, as if for confirmation, “Do you know if Mu Shuang is or isn’t the director’s niece?”

Qiao Yichen raised his eyes to glance at her, “You drew Mu Shuang?”

“Yeah…..”

“Ah.” Qiao Yichen calmly nodded his head. “She really is the director’s niece.”

Ding Meng, “…”

She carefully considered her words and tactfully asked, “Then…have you guys received any notice?”

Qiao Yichen laughed, “What type of notice? The type of notice asking us to let Mu Shuang directly advance?”

“Ah…….” Ding Meng evaded his glance. “Afterall, her aunt is the director.”

Qiao Yichen indifferently responded, “Well your husband is a judge.”

Ding Meng, “…”

Speaking like that, he really did seem to have a point. So would this round ultimately become a big backstage struggle? But a judge’s power wasn’t greater than that of a director, right? Sigh.

She looked at Qiao Yichen for a moment. Then she shook her head and spoke, “Between a judge and a director, whose word holds more weight?”

Qiao Yichen’s eyebrows rose, “Are you doubting your own husband’s abilities?”

Ding Meng beamed, “Of course not. My husband is the most capable.”

Qiao Yichen, “…”

That “husband” killer move again.

He dryly coughed and picked up his gla.s.s to take a sip. “Well up till now at least, I haven’t received any sort of notice.”

Ding Meng finally let out a sigh of relief.

Qiao Yichen laid down his water gla.s.s and looked at her. “You think that without Director Mu’s influence, you can definitely advance?”

Ding Meng, “…”

Great, time to welcome the poison tongue.

Qiao Yichen: “You’ve heard Mu Shuang sing before. Ignoring her singing skills and only taking her musical accomplishments into consideration, you should more or less know that you can’t match up to her.”

“I know.” Ding Meng lowered her head and played with her food. She also knew Mu Shuang could write her own songs, and was skillful at playing her own instrument and singing without any back up singers. But tomorrow was the compet.i.tion. Even if he didn’t want to say any encouraging words, he didn’t have to dump cold water on her.

“Have you prepared your clothing for tomorrow?”

“Oh……” Ding Meng bit down on her chopsticks. She had again decided to use the little formal dress buried deep in her closet.

Qiao Yichen cast her a glance, “Looking at your expression, I know you haven’t prepared anything. I’ve already helped you prepare something. It’s in my room. After training, I’ll give it you.”

“Ah……but then the money I owe you will keep growing.” It wasn’t that she didn’t want to prepare, but she was currently unemployed and didn’t dare extravagantly spend money.

Qiao Yichen laughed, “I’ve said before that you can repay me with your body.”

Ding Meng took out the screeching device she always carried on her person and set it on the table. Qiao Yichen lowered his head and tried to hold in his laughter.

During training, Ding Meng sang Yearning one more time. Even though there was already some progress, Qiao Yichen was still dissatisfied. “As long as Mu Shuang doesn’t make a mistake, I definitely won’t be giving you my vote if you sing like this tomorrow.”

Ding Meng, “…”

She looked at Qiao Yichen for a moment and then spoke, “Can I get an early divorce?”

She couldn’t live her days like this anymore.

Qiao Yichen folded his arms and laughed, “Nope.”

Ding Meng glared at him and followed him downstairs to get the clothing. This time, Qiao Yichen had prepared a long red dress made from very elegant material.

“Wah, so beautiful! Thank you Goudan!”

Qiao Goudan spit out a mouthful of air but decided to temporarily call a truce. “Good luck in tomorrow’s compet.i.tion.”