Chapter 13: Are You Unaware of This Boy's True Talent?

Liu Yadong was a seasoned music producer.

Whether it was in album production or the meticulous polishing of every song, he stood at the pinnacle of the industry. According to the five-tier proficiency scale of Su Mu’s male artist panel—Novice, Entry-Level, Master Craftsman, Hall of Fame Maestro, and Ultimate Ceiling—Liu Yadong was at least a Master Craftsman, with every possibility of advancing to Hall of Fame Maestro.

The Ceiling was naturally elusive.

In the era when China began to develop its arts and entertainment, it was relatively late compared to the rest of the world. Many areas remained in a learning phase; to reach a level above Hall of Fame Maestro, the Ultimate Ceiling, one would need global influence. In the current domestic entertainment scene, artists who could achieve this were rare as phoenix feathers.

Still, that wasn’t a bad thing; it meant there was plenty of room to grow and a vast market to explore.

Returning to Liu Yadong.

His expertise in musical works was profound, so he could discern subtleties in the lyrics. The content and lyrics were of an exceptionally high caliber. If the melody wasn’t just another plagiarized internet tune, then this was undoubtedly a remarkable song!

No, perhaps it was even destined to be a smash hit.

Thus, Liu Yadong couldn’t wait any longer; he was eager to hear Su Mu hum the melody.

“Ahem.”

Su Mu cleared his throat and began to sing “Listen,” recalling the tune from memory.

To be honest, this song was not easy to perform, especially in the chorus, where the high notes soared. In his previous life, the singer was Zhang Jie, renowned for his gifted voice and exceptional high notes.

With Su Mu’s current abilities, singing it perfectly was a real challenge.

Still, he could generally convey the melody.

“Listening to the wounds in your breath~”
“Listening to the frenzy in your heartbeat~”
“...”
“Till the end of time~”

[Male Artist Panel]
[High Notes (Novice) Proficiency Lv0: 1/10]
[Skill Point +0.01]

The song finished simply.

Silence settled in the recording studio.

Su Mu’s eyes brightened; he hadn’t expected that singing would unlock a proficiency in high notes. He glanced at it discreetly.

At that moment,

Liu Yadong, clutching the lyrics, his expression shifted from casual to serious and focused.

This made both Su Mu and Qian Jida break out in a cold sweat.

Did Liu Yadong think the song was bad? Unpleasant?

Su Mu didn’t think so.

After all, in his past life, this song was addictive.

Unable to hold back, Qian Jida spoke anxiously, “Yadong, what’s with that look? Is it good or not?”

Liu Yadong snapped back to reality, eyes blazing as he looked at Su Mu, a hint of astonishment in his heart.

“Was this really your creation?”

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t. But since it wasn’t the same world, it shouldn’t count as a crime.

Su Mu nodded, “Yeah, I like to hum aimlessly when I’m bored, and ended up composing this melody.”

Humming aimlessly and coming up with a song like this?

Liu Yadong suddenly questioned his whole life.

He’d spent half his life in music and had never encountered anything like this.

He had been stunned earlier because he was utterly absorbed by the melody and lyrics. What shocked him even more was that Su Mu’s melody was sophisticated and matched the lyrics perfectly.

That was exceptionally rare—something an ordinary person could never achieve.

He trusted Qian Jida, believing he wouldn’t bring a plagiarized piece to fool him.

Liu Yadong’s eyes shone, his passion for music radiating.

Clack, clack!

Switches snapped; the recording studio equipment lit up.

“Su Mu, grab a chair, start singing now—you may need to sing several times. We’ll extract the melody for your song first, then fill in the harmonies, instruments, and other mixing details. Also, I can tell from the chorus that the high notes are demanding, and your key might be a bit off. But it’s okay, once we finish the groundwork, I’ll help you find some techniques; your voice can still be adjusted.”

Liu Yadong now showed what professionalism meant.

Su Mu didn’t hesitate, quickly fetched a chair and sat down.

Qian Jida smiled, choosing not to interrupt, and settled quietly in a corner.

Liu Yadong pressed his hands on the keyboard, “Sing. Start with the first verse. We’ll extract it section by section. Drink plenty of water; it might be exhausting.”

Su Mu smiled—he was eager to sing as many times as needed.

It would help him gain proficiency in high notes and earn more skill points.

“Who grinds red beans into fragrance strand by strand?”
“Let longing overflow from the cracks into a river.”

[High Notes Proficiency +1]
[Skill Point +0.01]

“Listening to the wounds in your breath~”
“Listening to the frenzy in your heartbeat~”

[High Notes Proficiency +1]
[Skill Point +0.01]

“Till the end of time...”

[High Notes Proficiency +1]
[Skill Point +0.01]

“...”
“...”
...

Five whole hours passed.

From three in the afternoon to after eight in the evening, darkness had fallen outside.

The melody extraction was finally complete.

It took longer than Su Mu had anticipated.

Not because Liu Yadong’s skill was lacking—he extracted the melody and wrote out the score in less than an hour.

But the subsequent work was more complex.

Once the melody was set, creating a good accompaniment required meticulous attention to detail—experimenting with harmonies, blending various instruments, mixing effects, and so on.

Altogether, it took quite some time.

Yet Liu Yadong didn’t seem tired; doing what one loves always brings excitement.

Su Mu, meanwhile, felt pain mixed with joy.

His throat was burning, but he’d gained plenty of skill points, and his high notes proficiency had advanced to Lv2, Entry-Level.

[Male Artist Proficiency Panel]
Strength: 1.1
Speed: 1.1
Endurance: 1.1
Mental Calculation: 1.1
Skill Points: 0.51
[Speech (Entry-Level) Proficiency Lv2: 23/50]
[Script (Entry-Level) Proficiency Lv2: 15/50]
[High Notes (Entry-Level) Proficiency Lv2: 21/50]

Looking at these panel stats,

Su Mu felt he needed more proficiency categories.

That way, he could earn skill points more efficiently.

He knew that as proficiency advanced, higher levels would require corresponding basic attributes.

A human’s maximum attribute score was 10.

Maximum proficiency was Lv5, Ceiling.

The two corresponded.

In other words, to reach the Ceiling level in a category, its related attributes needed to reach the 8–10 range.

This process required a large number of skill points.

He’d have to open blind boxes to unlock category attributes and then invest points.

So he needed to work harder.

...

After over five hours of effort,

The accompaniment demo for the song was basically finalized.

Next came Su Mu’s vocals and tuning, perfecting the song’s state until completion.

No time was wasted.

After a quick bite, Su Mu began to sing.

Behind the glass partition, Liu Yadong adjusted the sound card and reverb, then turned to Qian Jida, pondering before speaking.

“Old Qian, this Su Mu...”

“What about him?” Qian Jida asked.

“Maybe you shouldn’t let him act anymore. This kid really has talent in singing. In just one afternoon, his progress in high notes feels like he’s changed his voice entirely. His range has jumped two or three keys in just a few hours. Are you sure you’re paying attention to his strengths? You don’t even know where this kid’s real talent lies. When his contract’s up, let him go—have him sign with my record company, what do you say?”

Qian Jida: “...!?”