Chapter 448: Inviting a Song

Chapter 448: Invitation for a Song

“No, I’m here to record Happy Camp.”

Meng Fan had heard of the show Phantom Moon City; the first season’s Phantom Moon Experience Officer was Wang Jingwen—similar to a regular cast member, the main star—and now it was the third season, with the Phantom Music Experience Officer being Doctor Chen. Shi Shiwu was participating this time as a “Phantom Music Friend.”

Chatting idly, they entered the elevator and found they were staying on the same floor, quite close to each other.

In such TV show recordings, room arrangements often hinted at one’s status. Shi Shiwu’s status was naturally high, assigned to the hotel’s top-tier rooms, and Meng Fan was clearly in the same league.

“Free right now?”

Stepping out of the elevator, Shi Shiwu asked with a smile. Seeing Meng Fan nod, he invited him, “Come to my room, I want to show you something.”

Zhang Zhouwei, the king of sharp tongues, had been holding back all day. When the two greeted each other politely, he wanted to blurt out that the internet was buzzing about their so-called relationship—why be so formal? This time, he really couldn’t contain himself. He wanted to stay low-key, but his nature wouldn’t allow it, so he added, “Senior, are you taking Fatty Meng to see the Buddha’s tooth in your room? Should I make myself scarce?”

Shi Shiwu was momentarily stunned, not catching the joke, and looked at Meng Fan in confusion.

Meng Fan kicked Zhang Zhouwei and followed Shi Shiwu to his room. Shi Shiwu pulled a demo from his bag and said, “Remember I promised to write you a song last time? It’s done. I meant to give it to you in Shanghai, but haha, I overslept that day and forgot to bring it. Want to give it a listen?”

“You really wrote it for me!”

Meng Fan was delighted and excited. Perhaps now, if he announced he wanted to release an album and sought songwriters, many would be willing to help, but this was the first song ever written for him—how could he not be happy?

Shi Shiwu played the demo. He had written both the lyrics and the melody, and he sang it himself.

The song’s style was nothing like the impression Meng Fan had left at Shi Shiwu’s concert—headstrong and crashing—but rather a very lyrical and heartfelt piece. Interestingly, it bore no trace of Lin’s signature love songs. Instead, from the A-section onward, even Zhang Zhouwei, tone-deaf as he was, could tell the song’s vibe matched Meng Fan’s personality, or at least the Meng Fan he knew. Those less familiar with Meng Fan might not see it that way.

How intriguing!

Zhang Zhouwei mulled it over, finding it fascinating. He knew Meng Fan and Shi Shiwu had only met a few times. Shi Shiwu couldn’t know Meng Fan that well, at most through online research. Yet his lyrics captured Meng Fan’s temperament perfectly, revealing a side most people didn’t understand—precisely the Meng Fan that close friends had witnessed.

That was quite impressive!

How did Shi Shiwu get to know Meng Fan?

Zhang Zhouwei grumbled inwardly: Could this be some kind of heart-to-heart connection, or love at first sight?

“What’s the song called?”

After listening, Meng Fan felt comfortable and liked it.

Shi Shiwu said, “Dreaming.”

“Are you sure you want to give it to me?” Meng Fan grinned when Shi Shiwu nodded. “Do I have to pay?”

Shi Shiwu laughed heartily: “Of course, you have to pay. But since I wrote it for you voluntarily, forget the money—just treat me to a meal. If you treat me to two, I’ll help produce the song for you too.”

“Deal, then I won’t be polite. Hmm—also, I’d like to ask you to write a few more songs for me. Of course, I’ll pay for those.” Meng Fan thought of something. “I recently invested in an anime adaptation of a novel I previously adapted into a comic. The first season is in post-production, and we’re short a few songs—opening, ending, inserts, etc.”

Shi Shiwu was often asked for songs and had written theme songs for anime and even games. For instance, the viral earworm “Confirmed Eyes, You’re the Right One” (from Red Cliff) was a theme for the game Red Cliff OL. That game also had other themes, including Liu Yourong’s “Sun Shangxiang.”

Shi Shiwu asked, “Is the deadline tight? Send me the rough cut first. It might take some time—and I can’t guarantee results.”

Meng Fan replied irresponsibly and a bit cheekily, “Time-wise, sooner or later is fine. There’s always a second season.”

Once caught, there was no letting go.

As for whether the theme song would fit the second season, that could be sorted later. Insert songs could always find a slot.

Shi Shiwu gave a wry smile, a mix of helplessness and joy: “Alright, alright, no problem. I’ll write them for you.” Then he added, “But I have a few questions you need to answer.”

Meng Fan pretended to ponder: “Hmm—ask away first. If it’s too personal... I’ll kick them out before answering, hahaha.”

Shi Shiwu, unbothered, asked directly: “I’ve seen your live streams of drawing and shooting hoops. I’m curious—how fast is your hand speed? Do you play games? Have you ever measured your APM?”

Meng Fan knew what APM was. He used to play rhythm games and had tried Warcraft III long ago. Out of curiosity, he once measured it at over 260, close to pro-player standards. His hand speed was already decent. Of course, that included many useless actions; effective ones were probably at most 100.

“Never measured it.”

After his hand speed attribute increased, Meng Fan hadn’t bothered to check. Even now, he didn’t feel like it—what was the point? Even if the number was impressive, it wouldn’t be surprising. “I’m not a pro gamer. Why would I measure that? But you—rumor has it you’re an internet-addicted youth. True or false?”

“False,” Shi Shiwu said. “Youth? I’m pushing forty.”

Meng Fan said, “Can’t tell. You look so young.”

Shi Shiwu chuckled and asked his second question. Before asking, he deliberately glanced around the room, dismissed his assistant, and Zhang Zhouwei also excused himself. Then, Shi Shiwu mysteriously and out of the blue asked, “Is it you?”

Meng Fan was taken aback. Seeing Shi Shiwu’s secretive manner and recalling his family background in Lion City, he thought for a moment, didn’t answer, and said, “Next question, I guess.”

“No more questions.”

Having gotten answers to the two questions he cared about, Shi Shiwu was in high spirits. When Meng Fan got a call saying he needed to meet up with the national team members, Shi Shiwu, having nothing else to do, tagged along to visit this Olympic champion team.

The entire Chinese Judo Mixed Team Championship members appeared in the hotel, drawing attention. Everyone staying there—celebrities recording for Mango TV, dancers, musicians—was used to being photographed, but now they all flocked to take photos with the champion team.

If any team was the most eye-catching at this Olympics, the Chinese Mixed Team was one. The nation knew every champion member by heart. The most famous was undoubtedly Meng Fan, followed not by individual champions Cheng Xunzhao and Yu Song, but by the miracle girl Feng Xuemei—no, after the Olympics, she had been upgraded from miracle girl to miracle goddess, with many netizens treating her like a lucky charm to share.

Returning to the room to rest for a while, they later gathered to head to Mango Tower for script rehearsal. After the rehearsal, there was a simple run-through. The script rehearsal involved the show’s team outlining interview content and flow, and asking about any taboos. The run-through mainly focused on the opening show.

After the rehearsal, recording was scheduled for the next afternoon. The production team, led by He Laoshi, wanted to treat everyone to dinner, but considering the athletes’ dietary restrictions, they had to cancel. However, they made thoughtful arrangements based on everyone’s needs—some wanted to tour Mango Tower or watch recordings, others wanted to meet a specific celebrity recording that day, and some wanted to explore the area at night. Everything was well organized.

Phantom Moon City had a recording that night, and Meng Fan was quite interested. Along with two other curious team members, he slipped into Studio 3 under the staff’s guidance. The show was performed in a single-take format. To be honest, the creative content itself wasn’t as entertaining as the interactions between guests, hosts, the experience officer, and the music friends. Sometimes, the over-the-top praise was a bit cringey.

The recording ran long. Meng Fan and the two teammates didn’t stay for the whole thing. During a break, He Laoshi pulled them over to meet the guests and chat briefly before they slipped away.

Along the way, Meng Fan also invited songs from a few guest singers with creative abilities—some were professional singers, others not. Since it was a rare opportunity, and these artists were quite talented, having them write a few songs would definitely enhance the anime.

Besides Shi Shiwu, Meng Fan’s favorite among the singers was Jin Xiaowen, whose arrangement skills were top-notch and versatile. Meng Fan planned to get in touch and see if he could entrust the arrangement of other songs to him, making them more suitable for the anime.

This trip yielded unexpectedly big gains. By connecting with these musicians, he had essentially solved most of the anime’s music needs. If not, he could tap into their networks for more talent.

Of course, hiring these famous musicians, even with Meng Fan’s connections, would cost a pretty penny—certainly more than Kun Ye’s original budget.

But it was definitely worth it!

Not only would they get the songs, but it would also boost popularity. These singers themselves brought a wave of promotional effect.

As for who would sing these songs—if the singers themselves were suitable, it was best for them to sing. If not, Meng Fan would find someone else, or sing them himself.

Originally, Meng Fan hadn’t planned to sing himself. But after being tempted by Shi Shiwu’s song, hey, he got interested. Why not sing himself? He had the vocal skills, and it would save money!

(End of chapter)