This tug-of-war battle among the mentors was intensifying, proving even more dramatic than a TV series. Seeing how things were unfolding, Hua Shao had no choice but to step in and act as a peacemaker.
Originally, this should have been a heartwarming scene where the mentors took turns stepping forward to showcase their charm and let the contestant Qin Tian make his final choice. Instead, it had devolved into a full-blown scramble for talent, with even Sister Na unable to contain herself as she rushed straight onto the stage, throwing the situation into chaos.
"You mentors are truly as passionate as fire!" Hua Shao said with a smile, trying to smooth things over. "Still, we need to get back on track and let Qin Tian make his choice. Sister Na, please return to your seat first, and let each mentor have one final sentence to invite Qin Tian."
The mentors exchanged glances, each racking their brains over how to make their pitch the most compelling. After all, whoever spoke last would surely leave a deep impression. Seeing this, Hua Shao simply went from left to right, designating Yang 32 to start first.
"Qin Tian, I am your loyal fan! I really love you, and I hope I can accompany you and watch you grow along your future musical journey," Yang 32 said, suddenly changing his tone. "Oh right, I have 32 concerts this year, and I'm inviting you to perform at every single one of them. We can learn through practical experience, what do you think?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone burst into laughter, and the atmosphere on stage instantly relaxed quite a bit.
Mentor Harlem was not about to be outdone either: "Qin Tian, if you can maintain your current learning attitude and keep this level of quality in every single piece of work, there will definitely be a place for you in the future of the Mandopop scene!"
This praise made Qin Tian blush furiously, and he kept bowing while muttering to himself inwardly: "This compliment is way too intense, I'm getting so embarrassed."
Given the current situation, everyone was being completely genuine, and Qin Tian understood that in his heart.
Sister Na went with a strategy of playing hard to get: "Qin Tian, all the teachers here are exceptionally talented, and you won't make a mistake no matter who you choose. But I still hope you'll choose me, because I believe I am the most suitable mentor for you. I'm confident that as long as we join forces, we can go all the way to the end, and even win the championship!" This statement left Qin Tian feeling even more hesitant.
Mentor Huan Ge appeared much more profound: "Qin Tian, the reason I haven't spoken until now isn't because I don't like you, but because I haven't figured out how to phrase it yet. But what I want to tell you is that you have talent, and I hope you will continue to study and create even better works. Whether you choose me or not, whenever you need help, I can arrange for my senior fellow apprentices to teach you and help take your skills to the next level. I also look forward to you creating even better works to give back to the music scene." These words warmed Qin Tian's heart, but also left him even more conflicted.
Qin Tian muttered to himself inwardly: "This is basically a massive trap! I'm riding a tiger and can't get off! Honestly, what talent do I even have? I'm just a fake! I only came on this show to make money. I never expected to pick such good songs—if I'd known, I would have just sung Xiang Chou. Being a student of Huan Ge is something countless people dream of! But I only want to make money, I never planned on giving back to the music industry! My vision just isn't that grand!"
Just as Qin Tian was deep in turmoil, Hua Shao prompted, "Qin Tian, please make your choice."
Qin Tian took a deep breath and finally voiced his decision: "I choose... Sister Na!" As soon as he said it, a wave of relief washed over him, and his entire body felt much lighter.
There was a reason for choosing Sister Na after all. She was a Heavenly Queen, after all, and her influence in the North surpassed even Brother Kun's. Moreover, Sister Na had connections within the production team of The Voice, so there was no need to worry about being manipulated by behind-the-scenes shady dealings.
"Yes! Qin Tian, I believe your choice won't be wrong!" Sister Na shouted excitedly.
The other mentors also offered words of encouragement to Qin Tian, and Huan Ge reassured him that his offer still stood and he would continue to help Qin Tian learn. Although Huan Ge felt a tinge of regret, he still offered his blessings with grace.
Qin Tian had originally planned to go straight back to classes after recording the show, but that was clearly out of the question now. Since these mentors valued him so much, he had to treat them all to a meal to build good relationships, right? After all, connections were everything in this industry!
And so, Qin Tian eagerly tracked down Sister Na and hopefully proposed inviting all the mentors out for dinner. Unfortunately, it was already getting late, making it quite inappropriate for tonight. Fortunately, with Sister Na acting as the matchmaker, everyone readily agreed to reschedule the gathering for tomorrow.
At this point, the post-production editing team found themselves in a real bind. Qin Tian's recording time had clearly exceeded expectations, yet every single segment was so exceptionally brilliant that it was impossible to cut anything out.
Later on, after much discussion, the post-production team decided to split the footage into two parts to thoroughly promote Qin Tian while leaving a cliffhanger to build anticipation for the subsequent episodes. However, that was a story for another day and need not be dwelt upon right now.
When Qin Tian returned home, his footsteps still felt light and airy, as if he were walking on clouds. He simply couldn't believe he had achieved a four-chair turn in the competition; it felt completely like a dream.
Feeling as though he were about to take flight, he first went back to the hotel to briefly celebrate with his parents before rushing impatiently back to his own room.
The pressure today had been immense, and right now he could sum up his state in one word: exhausted! Yet, once inside his room, he began pondering his future plans: "What should I do after I finish singing?"
"First of all, making money is definitely the right move! I need to capitalize on this current wave of popularity and rake in as much cash as I can. Second of all, I have a crush on Naza, and she's still studying at the Beijing Film Academy, so I have to go there too! But what can I do? Act? By the time I finally make it big, Naza's talent-for-attracting-scumbags constitution will have long since missed its prime, and she might have already cycled through several boyfriends!" Qin Tian's thoughts were an absolute mess as he tried to figure it all out.
Suddenly, an idea struck him, and his eyes lit up: "I've got it! I can study in the literature department and become a screenwriter! Once I write a script, I'll find someone to produce it and push Naza as the female lead—isn't that exactly how Hai Yan did it?" With his mind made up, Qin Tian instantly felt a wave of clarity wash over him.
"Naza! Do you have any idea what I'm sacrificing for you?" Qin Tian wailed silently in his heart.
After thinking for a while, Qin Tian decided that during tomorrow's dinner, he must properly thank all four mentors, and he even wanted to gift a song to each of them.
Of course, he couldn't just hand over four songs all at once; that would be far too startling. After all, he had only spent a year writing this many songs, so he had to dish them out gradually. Besides, this was also a prime opportunity to showcase his talent.
Qin Tian had originally wanted to invite his parents along, but Dad Lin and Mum Lin felt they didn't understand music and feared the atmosphere would be awkward, so they declined.
...
At twelve o'clock noon the next day, Qin Tian arrived at the restaurant ahead of time. Huan Ge was a native of Tianjin, Sister Na hailed from Liaoning Province, Harlem's ancestral roots were in Taiwan Province though he grew up in Yunnan Province, and Brother Kun was from Inner Mongolia. Managing teachers from all corners of the country gave Qin Tian quite a headache.
In the end, he chose a restaurant leaning toward northern flavors, but considering they were all singers, he made a special request to omit heavy spice and grease.
"Sorry everyone, I'm late!" Huan Ge apologized as soon as he stepped through the door.
"Not at all, not at all, we just got here too," the others chimed in.
The restaurant was of high quality with excellent privacy, and the dishes were served promptly. Because of his health issues and the fact that he still had recording commitments, Huan Ge abstained from drinking much. However, Sister Na and Brother Kun drank without holding back, and Harlem slowly accompanied them as well.
After three rounds of drinks and five courses of food:
"Huan Ge, Harlem, Brother Kun, Sister Na, I'm just a kid from an ordinary family who simply loves to sing. I never imagined you all would take such good care of me, and I honestly don't know how to express my gratitude. Following the customs of the Northeast, I'd like to make a toast around the table! My parents originally wanted to come and thank you all in person, but they were afraid they wouldn't understand your conversations about music, so they asked me to convey their thanks on their behalf. I'll finish mine, take it at your own pace, teachers!" With that, Qin Tian polished off two small glasses of liquor, downing half a glass at a time. If he tried to chug a whole glass in one go, he'd be passed out cold today.
Sister Na shouted loudly, "That's the spirit! Big Sister will keep you company!" Following her lead, Brother Kun and Harlem also drank a cup with him.
In truth, Qin Tian understood that these four big names weren't lacking a free meal. Ordinary people couldn't buy their time even if they wanted to, nor would they normally attend a dinner hosted by just any trainee. Their presence was primarily because they saw potential in Qin Tian's future development—adding flowers to a brocade could never compare to providing warmth in the depths of winter. As long as Qin Tian didn't stray onto the wrong path, his future prospects were bound to be limitless.
After finishing the drinks, Qin Tian pulled out two sheets of A4 paper. On them were the lyrics and scores for "Answer" (the Yang 32 and Guo Jie version) and "I Want to Give You" (the Harlem and Wu Mochou version). He laid them out and asked the four mentors to take a look. Upon reading them, the four mentors highly praised the songs, assuming Qin Tian had prepared them for the next round of the competition.
"This is a very mature song; we just need to arrange it and it's ready to perform. Did you prepare this for your next match?" Huan Ge asked. In fact, Yang 32 had taken an immediate liking to "Answer," as certain lyrics always resonated with his own past romantic experiences in his youth.
"Brother Kun, Harlem, I wrote this couple's duet right when I started my second year of high school. I honestly don't know how else to express my gratitude to the two of you. I don't have many skills, just these two songs, and I hope you won't look down on them," Qin Tian explained.
He then continued, "Sister Na, Huan Ge, my life experience is still too shallow, so I couldn't think of a song suitable for the two of you on such short notice. These two were prepared specifically for Harlem and Brother Kun, as I felt they were a better fit. Whenever inspiration strikes in the future, I will definitely make it up to the two of you with a song."
In reality, these two songs were about to be released anyway; if he didn't use them now, they would end up belonging to someone else. Besides, he was just returning them to their original singers, haha!
Sister Na chuckled and said, "No need to be so polite!" While she was polite in words, she was thoroughly delighted inside. Who wouldn't like someone who was talented, handsome, and knew how to show gratitude? (Mostly because he was handsome) (＞ｙ＜) After all, she had originally just wanted to plant a seed of goodwill, and judging by the quality of this song, it certainly wasn't low!
Huan Ge was also quite pleased and didn't blame Qin Tian for failing to prepare something specifically for him this time. Huan Ge was an upright person, and his status meant he had no interest in taking petty advantages. He simply wanted to unearth talent for the music industry and genuinely nurture the younger generation.
In the end, the dinner concluded in a delightful and pleasant atmosphere.
Brother Kun and Harlem didn't take Qin Tian's songs for free either; given their status and standing, they weren't going to shortchange him over a bit of money. Though Qin Tian had genuinely wanted to gift them, under Sister Na's mediation, they ultimately paid standard newcomer rates for the lyrics and composition, while sharing the copyright. After all, a truly great song was priceless!