Chapter 44: You're Bad at Writing Songs, Yet You Pull Out the Theme Song for Painted Skin?
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“Bed-scene experience +1.”
“Kissing technique experience +1.”
“You say it goes up by one, and it just goes up by one?”
Zhang Li thought that without experience, how could there be any experience at all?
Shouldn’t gaining experience require some firsthand encounters?
As if responding to his thoughts, fragments of memory suddenly resurfaced in his mind.
“Lonely, the daylily blooms crimson,
Gracefully, in several clustered sprays.”
A woman appeared. She wore a long purple dress, her hair swept up into a high, rounded bun at the back of her head, the rest falling naturally over her shoulders. She seemed otherworldly and agile.
“Dew gathers beneath the lingering rain,
Her slender form dances in the fragrant breeze.”
The woman in purple wore a silver floral crown, a forehead ornament, and earrings. Her clothes clung tightly to her body, accentuating the sculpted contours and elegant layers of her figure.
Snake patterns adorned her arms, lending her a unique allure. A strip of blue-green cloth was wrapped around one leg, while her armguards and greaves were equally distinctive, displaying the carefree spirit of a woman of the martial world.
“The auspicious herb for sons, she cannot bear to wear;
How could an immortal ever truly commune with man?”
“Morning and night, she keeps me company with understanding;
With forgetfulness of sorrow, I shall spend the rest of my life...”
The purple-clad woman’s figure dissolved like a dream or a bubble.
Inside an ancient, old-world inn, the brightly lit streets outside presented a scene of prosperity.
Zhang Li took on the identity of Lin Yeping, reading books and carrying a sword as he roamed the world. He became a local governor and reunited with Zi Xuan.
With only one glance, he fell under the spell of Zi Xuan’s beauty, captivated by her eyes, clear and limpid as autumn waters.
The two quickly fell in love and were married.
“From this day forth, you are my wife.”
Zhang Li reached out and gently caressed Tang Yan’s cheek before the two of them lay down on the wooden bed.
Red candles flickered, casting shifting shadows.
A sword-wielding hero battled a descendant of Nuwa.
Only then did Zhang Li realize that Tang Yan was a demon.
Her abdomen was flat, her body swaying with every movement, her curves flawless. Her brows and eyes were seductive enough to steal the soul.
“Hiss!”
Zhang Li suddenly came to his senses.
In that instant, inspiration struck. He realized that the things he had “remembered” moments ago must have been Tang Yan’s dream.
“Kindred spirits, total immersion in the role...”
“Could it even increase the odds of them dreaming about me?”
Zhang Li thought of how he had already been conquered in dreams by three women.
That was right—conquered!
Dreams were the opposite of reality.
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And all three of them—Liu Shishi, Liu Yifei, and Tang Yan—had dreamed from the dreamer’s perspective.
They had been astonishingly bold in their dreams, while he had truly been reduced to the younger brother.
“They all insist on being on top, too.”
“What do they take me for?”
Zhang Li clicked his tongue inwardly.
Just then, Liu Shishi’s sleepy voice came from beside him, accompanied by a push. “Why are you so energetic? I really don’t want any more.”
Zhang Li: “...”
As if that were up to her.
[You immersed yourself too deeply in the role, entering into Zi Xuan and Xu Changqing’s tragic three-lifetime romance in your dream and turning the tables on Zhang Li. Role immersion +1 / Bed-scene experience +1 / Kissing experience +1.]
The same voice appeared in Tang Yan’s mind.
She opened her eyes, a trace of bewilderment flashing through them.
When she became aware of the sensations coming from her body, her pretty face turned scarlet, and she hurried into the bathing room.
“Whew, whew...”
Soaking in warm water, Tang Yan finally recovered.
When she thought of what she had done in her dream the night before, her face flushed as though she were drunk.
She had actually been that bold. On her wedding night, she had taken the initiative, and then she had even...
“Thankfully, it was only a dream. Ah Li doesn’t know.”
“Besides, what Zi Xuan did has nothing to do with me, Tang Yan.”
Tang Yan found herself an excuse and gradually calmed down.
But when she encountered Zhang Li at breakfast, she could no longer remain composed.
Looking at his face immediately reminded her of the shameless things she had done in her dream.
Instinctively, she kept her distance from Zhang Li, with Yang Mi seated between them.
“Sugar,” Yang Mi said, tugging at Tang Yan’s arm. “Did you listen to ‘Partiality’ last night?”
“That song was written about Zi Xuan and her man’s tragic romance across three lifetimes. I think it’s excellent.”
At those words, Zhang Li, Liu Shishi, and Hu Ge all turned to look at Tang Yan.
Of course they had all paid attention to the stage performance that had caught Zhang Yimou’s eye and then exploded across the internet.
There was no denying that “Partiality” was a wonderful song. It also matched the theme of Chinese Paladin 3 perfectly, as though it had been tailor-made for Zi Xuan and Xu Changqing.
None of them had expected Zhang Li to be capable of writing songs, and they had been wondering how to bring up the subject.
Tang Yan: “...”
Having a friend like you really is my blessing.
“I heard it. It’s beautiful.” Her gaze met Zhang Li’s for an instant, and Tang Yan instinctively looked away before answering with a faint smile. “I feel even more immersed in the role of Zi Xuan now. I never knew Ah Li had such talent.”
“Ah Li has always known how to write songs.” Yang Mi lifted her chin, clearly proud of him. “When we were filming The Return of the Condor Heroes, the production team solicited songs from the music industry. In the end, they chose ‘The Unparalleled Under Heaven,’ written by Ah Li, and had Jane Zhang sing it.”
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“‘The Unparalleled Under Heaven’ was written by Ah Li!?”
Everyone turned to Zhang Li in astonishment.
When that song had first been released, many people had felt that it was the perfect song for Little Dragon Maiden and Yang Guo.
The lyrics were breathtakingly beautiful, and the mournful, moving melody gently recounted the lovers’ obsessive devotion unto death.
Anyone who heard the song would immediately think of the 2006 television adaptation of The Return of the Condor Heroes starring Liu Yifei.
“I’m fairly good at studying characters, and I know a little music theory. When inspiration struck, I wrote it down.” Zhang Li took a sip of soy milk.
These days, celebrities often pursued careers across film, television, and music, following the path of excelling at singing before acting, or excelling at acting before directing.
There were also film and television stars who, after becoming famous, spent money to release an album and acquire a singer’s identity.
But Zhang Li had no intention of becoming famous in that area. He knew exactly how much ability he possessed. His “original” works all came from “inspiration from the future.”
If he could one day raise his musical talent to the level of perfect pitch and develop his composition skills to mastery—or even beyond—he would not mind displaying his gifts more openly.
But for now, thanks to Big Mi’s eagerness to show off her little brother, his talent had been revealed ahead of schedule.
“Sometimes, I really think this woman is more like the older sister raising me than Cici,” Zhang Li thought as he glanced at Yang Mi.
Was Liu Yifei really treating him like a younger brother? She had clearly discovered a pretty young boy and was raising him into a husband for herself, harboring all sorts of “bad” intentions.
Yang Mi, on the other hand, behaved much more like an actual older sister.
“Ah Li, if you have this talent, don’t hide it.” Hu Ge looked at Zhang Li. “Our production will be soliciting songs soon. You could write a few and give them a try.”
“I’m really not good at writing songs,” Zhang Li said honestly. “It depends heavily on inspiration. Without inspiration, I can’t write a single word.”
Bzzzt—
The phone Zhang Li had placed on the table began to vibrate.
Liu Shishi, seated on his other side, happened to see the screen and let out a questioning sound. “Jane Zhang?”
“Well, speak of the devil, and she appears.” Yang Mi squeezed past Zhang Li and picked up the phone.
Only after seeing the name did she belatedly look toward Zhang Li. “It’s okay if I answer, right?”
Zhang Li nearly rolled his eyes. He simply let Yang Mi act as a phone stand and pressed the speaker button.
“Older Sister Jane.”
“Ah Li, there’s something I forgot to tell you.” Jane Zhang’s excited voice came through the receiver. “The song ‘Painted Heart’ that you asked me to sing last time—it was bought as a film’s theme song, remember?”
“Tomorrow, the Painted Skin production team will release a music video nationwide. It’ll serve as both a trailer and a promotional video. The footage will use behind-the-scenes clips from the film, along with segments from my recording session.”
“You can keep an eye out for it this afternoon. The music video will credit you as the lyricist, composer, and arranger.”
“After all, you’re the owner of the song.”
After hearing this, Hu Ge and the others all turned to look at Zhang Li in unison: ?
He had said he was not good at writing songs.
Yet behind their backs, he had written a song for Jane Zhang to sing—and it had even been purchased by a major director’s lavish production, Painted Skin, as its theme song.
You’re quite the actor, bro.
Zhang Li: “...”
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