I am a Big Player
Chapter 361 - 359, The Second Championship Single (First Update)_1

Chapter 361: 359, The Second Championship Single (First Update)_1

After "Faded" was released, with Yang Xi’s voice singing in it, everyone naturally concluded that Knight was now in America, and moreover, he was together with Yang Xi.

While marveling at how unexpectedly good "Faded" sounded, there was also sentiment that Knight and Yang Xi’s relationship was really strong. Wherever Yang Xi went, he followed. Doesn’t Knight need to attend school?

It was at this time that the paparazzi discovered that Liu Erbao’s team and An Si were set to fly to America at the same time. This news had leaked from within TK China, which had reserved a whopping 13 tickets for An Si and Liu Erbao’s team to fly to the United States in half a month’s time!

Now a saying was circulating in the industry: "If Liu Erbao suddenly steps out of his abandoned factory, then it’s very likely you’ll see a new top-level business video; if An Si emerges from his office, maybe you’ll see his new girlfriend; but if the two of them step out together, you’re very likely to witness a new Knight video."

At this very moment, even An Si, the CEO of TK Greater China, and Liu Erbao, the world-renowned commercial filming team, were indelibly marked with Knight’s imprint. It seemed as though their association with Knight was expected and only Knight was worth their earnest attention.

All of Knight’s fans in China knew Knight was now in the United States. And now, both An Si and Liu Erbao’s team were heading to the US at the same time—what did this imply? Everyone was well aware.

A surge of excitement welled up in the hearts of Knight’s fans, barely able to restrain themselves from rushing out to inform their peers: "Knight is on the move!"

...

United States, California, which people typically refer to simply as California.

Inside a professional recording studio in San Francisco, Ren He was sitting there, adjusting the equipment. This was one of the most professional recording studios in San Francisco, where even many celebrities came to record songs in this several hundred square meter comprehensive recording studio.

A middle-aged white man shouted, "Anything! A celebrity is coming to test the equipment this afternoon, you’re up. Don’t take a break this afternoon; work some overtime!"

"Alright, boss, got it!" Ren He replied diligently.

Ren He was now the sound mixer on trial at this recording studio, armed with a specialized work visa. He had just arrived a few days ago and had already shown exceptional quality as a mixer. With the previous sound mixer having left, Ren He successfully blended in and became the trial sound mixer in this most professional studio.

Ren He finished adjusting the equipment and then sent a message to Yang Xi: Practice singing well. I might be a bit late tonight. Apparently, a celebrity is coming to record a song. Once they wrap up, I’ll let you know, and you can come over to record the second song.

When he had first arrived here, he told the boss that he was a college student. Although skilled, he could take a lower wage; he just wanted to use the studio’s equipment during downtime, like at night.

The boss agreed at the time, but Ren He still paid a deposit of 3,000 US dollars, and without signing any formal labor contract, he received a modest salary of 2,000 US dollars.

In fact, when Ren He first showcased his mixing skills, the boss knew he had struck gold. This young man was even more outstanding than the well-paid, now-departed previous sound mixer!

Ren He had his own considerations. He certainly wasn’t short of money, but openly paying to record was sure to reveal his identity. He had to remember that he was now eloping, and Yang En specialized in this line of work. Any slight clue could lead him to them, which was why they had Xu Nuo, Little Fatty, post "Faded" to avoid leaking the IP address.

If he were to record openly, it would be immediately obvious who he was, and people might rush out shouting, "Holy shit, Knight is here; come and watch!"

That would be a disaster.

Thus, "Faded" had also been recorded here after everyone else had left, with Yang Xi coming in to do the recording. He operated everything by himself, arranged the piano, and generated the electronic sounds, all without anyone else’s help.

And so, even until now, the colleagues in this recording studio remained unaware that "Faded" had been recorded right here...

And even if they occasionally saw Yang Xi, they wouldn’t know she is Knight’s girlfriend. It’s like how Chinese people find it difficult to distinguish the faces of foreigners; expecting these Westerners to identify a Chinese person just from a painting they saw on a computer is really asking too much of them...

Ren He kept a low profile here, just doing his own work every day, and then calling Yang Xi over after everyone else had finished for the evening. There were also several days when everyone was busy all night because a certain celebrity only liked to sing in the evening, so Ren He’s recording schedule had to be put on hold temporarily. Even a well-prepared song like "Faded" took many days to record...

But Ren He was patient. He also enjoyed the comfortable life he now led and thought about how thrilling it was to be producing a new album with Yang Xi while on the run to avoid his mother-in-law and father-in-law.

As for his living arrangements, he hadn’t rented a new place but instead opened the best suite in the hotel, since he didn’t plan to stay here for long.

Last time with the production of "Faded", perhaps because he had completed a mission for "Fade" once before, the Divine Punishment System hadn’t issued a new mission, which was actually a good thing.

However, Ren He was very clear that as long as he continued to push through with the album, new missions would definitely come.

But no worries, with the completion of the painting "Stubbornness", Ren He’s mindset had adjusted back, and he was ready to face new challenges.

It was for this reason that he directly summoned An Si and Liu Erbao from home because he was about to start working intensely again!

This time, in a foreign land, if he was going to play, he needed to play big and thoroughly dazzle all these Westerners!

When Liu Erbao heard that he was embarking on a journey again, he was so excited that he couldn’t sleep all night, and simply got up at five in the morning, rallying all his brothers to start organizing all their equipment, only for Ren He to tell him they needed to wait a little longer.

Liu Erbao, in his urgency, yelled, "What are we waiting for? We’re all ready to set off."

Ren He couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time; his side hadn’t even received the mission yet, but Erbao was already overwhelmingly excited. In the end, they set a date for half a month later. He was very touched to have a friend like Liu Erbao in this life.

During this time, Ren He was carefully selecting the songs that Yang Xi could perform.

Based on his own preferences, Ren He thought of many songs, but it seemed many weren’t quite right for Yang Xi. Either the emotional color of the songs was too bleak, or the vocal style was not suited to be adapted into versions that would suit Yang Xi.

But Ren He was determined to produce an English album for Yang Xi, and it had to be the best. At home, weren’t there a bunch of critics claiming Yang Xi was washed up? Well, then, he would choose 10 songs that would shock those who continually fixated on, yet couldn’t reach the North American music charts.

Finally, Ren He decided on the second song, choosing one from one of his favorite singers, Adele.

But it was not "Someone Like You", which launched her to fame, because Yang Xi didn’t have that deep and soulful emotion.

Nor was it "Hello", which claimed the top spot in the charts in its first week with a million sales, breaking the record for "highest single-week sales in the US," and becoming the Billboard Hot 100’s 24th "first-week number one single", holding the top position for ten consecutive weeks.

It was the song with the most covers and the greatest influence, "Rolling in the Deep"!

...

As usual, time for a bite to eat, then we’ll continue later