"Judging by your voice, you're not He Yue, are you?"
Listening to Wang Shu converse with He Yue, Li Lang also looked at He Yue, who was wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap, with surprise.
"You can tell from my voice?"
Wang Shu couldn't help but look at Li Lang with a hint of surprise. He Yue's attire, though not completely concealed, should have been enough to prevent a stranger from recognizing her.
He hadn't expected Li Lang to be able to identify her.
"Teacher He Yue, Queen He, I'm a fan!"
Seeing that she hadn't denied it, Li Lang's voice trembled with excitement.
"Since you've recognized me, I won't hide it anymore. Hello, I'm He Yue!"
He Yue, realizing she had been recognized, removed her cap and sunglasses and extended her hand to Li Lang.
"Hello, I'm Wang Shu!"
Wang Shu then removed his sunglasses and introduced himself.
"Wang Shu? The recently renowned genius songwriter?"
Li Lang's brow furrowed slightly upon hearing Wang Shu's name.
"What kind of day is it today? I never thought such big stars would grace my humble establishment!"
Li Lang said, finding it hard to believe.
"Perhaps it's fate,"
Wang Shu replied with a smile.
"Boss, would you be willing to lend us your daughter?"
He Yue then directly addressed Li Lang.
"You want her to sing our song, don't you? I couldn't be happier!"
Li Lang beamed, thrilled at the prospect of his daughter recording a song with her favorite singer.
"Thank you. We'll trouble you with the song today!"
Wang Shu said to Li Lang, having formed a good impression of the middle-aged man.
Afterward, he and He Yue, accompanied by Li Lang's daughter, finished recording the song "The Hottest Ethnic Style."
To Wang Shu's surprise, Li Lang's daughter had excellent pitch. After He Yue taught her the lyrics just once, she was able to sing the line perfectly and in tune.
"Brother Lang, your daughter is definitely going to be a big star in the future. Her talent is extraordinary!"
As they walked out of the recording studio, Wang Shu praised Li Lang, who was waiting outside.
"I feel like this song of yours is going to be a hit all over Longguo!"
After listening to Wang Shu and He Yue's rendition of "The Hottest Ethnic Style," Li Lang was astounded by the song.
From a listener's perspective, he found the song to be excellent, with catchy lyrics and a memorable melody that was perfect for widespread singing and suitable for various occasions.
"Absolutely. When it's Wang Shu's work, it's bound to be a masterpiece!"
Wang Shu said with a confident smile.
"Did you write this song too?"
Upon hearing Wang Shu claim authorship of the song, Li Lang's eyes widened in surprise.
He had heard some of Wang Shu's previous songs, which were mostly in the indie-pop genre.
He was astonished that Wang Shu could also write a song of this style.
"Did you hear 'Love's Transaction'?"
Seeing Li Lang's astonishment, Wang Shu continued to ask.
"Yes, I did. I even paid five yuan to buy it!"
Li Lang nodded.
"You wrote that song too?"
Li Lang, disbelieving, pulled out his phone to check the songwriter and composer credits.
Indeed, it was credited to Wang Shu.
In that moment, he looked at Wang Shu as if he were a strange creature.
"Do you still want to continue singing?"
Wang Shu asked Li Lang, who was staring in shock.
"Me? I'm already this old, can I still sing?"
Li Lang scoffed at himself.
"What does age matter? You haven't abandoned your passion for music all these years, have you?"
Wang Shu said earnestly to the middle-aged man.
"But I have a daughter, and I have to consider her."
Li Lang's eyes were filled with tenderness as he looked at his daughter.
"I'm only asking if you want to continue singing, not if you want to leave home!"
Wang Shu replied.
"How about this, I'll give you a business card. If you change your mind, contact me."
Wang Shu casually took out a business card and handed it to Li Lang.
Li Lang didn't say anything, but he accepted the card and carefully put it away.
"What's her name?"
As they were leaving, Wang Shu curiously asked Li Lang.
"Li Anran."
Li Lang replied.
"Anran, Uncle will come to play with you again sometime!"
Wang Shu said to the little girl with a smile.
Meanwhile, He Yue took out a check and handed it to Li Lang.
"This is for Anran's performance fee and for the use of your recording studio. It totals fifty thousand."
He Yue said.
"What are you doing? It's already an honor to record with my favorite singer, and for my daughter to perform with you is something I could only dream of. How can I possibly accept your money!"
Li Lang respectfully returned the check.
"One thing is one thing. It's not easy for you to raise a child alone. You must accept this money!"
He Yue placed the check on the table and left with Wang Shu.
"Anran, do you want Dad to continue singing like them?"
Li Lang asked his daughter seriously.
"Dad, I want you to sing. I think you're the most handsome in the world when you sing!"
The little girl replied innocently.
......
"What? You want him to debut?"
On the road, He Yue asked Wang Shu curiously.
"Is that not possible?"
Wang Shu retorted.
"His age now makes things complicated,"
He Yue said with a sigh.
"Don't worry, if he's willing, I'm confident he won't disappoint!"
Wang Shu said confidently, still having high hopes for Li Lang.
"Then it's up to your skills! I'll treat you and your assistant to dinner tonight!"
He Yue changed the subject, no longer discussing the matter with Wang Shu.
"I couldn't ask for more!"
Upon hearing that He Yue would treat him to dinner, Wang Shu readily agreed.
......
The next day.
The next day, the semi-finals of "The Masked Singer" officially began recording.
After weeks of competition, six contestants had reached the semi-finals.
Besides Wang Shu and Zhang Liangying, Wang Shu was unaware of the identities of the other four contestants.
This was due to the show's format, where, apart from the production team, virtually no one knew the true identities of the advancing singers.
Wang Shu had arrived at the program backstage early, as this semi-final was particularly crucial.
Only by securing a top-three position in this round would they have a chance to enter the finals and compete for the championship.