Chapter 46: You Sing "Unswerving Love for a Lifetime", and When It's My Turn It's "The Bachelor"?

[Your verbal flexibility has increased by 1 because of your 100 accumulated toxic sarcastic remarks toward Zhang Li.]
[Your verbal flexibility has increased by 1 due to Yang Mi...]

The exact same voice echoed simultaneously in the minds of Zhang Li and Yang Mi. Following that, a profound sense of speechlessness washed over both of them.

Toxic sarcasm... increasing verbal flexibility. What a truly splendid way to level up an ability.

"Sister Mi, if you know how to speak, you should speak more often." Zhang Li raised his eyes to look at Yang Mi.

"I keep having the feeling that you are taking a subtle dig at me?" Yang Mi furrowed her delicate brows slightly.

"I am definitely not taking a subtle dig." Zhang Li stepped behind Liu Shishi and said with absolute bluntness, "Even if you curse yourself as an idiot, I cannot stop you. I can only support your decision!"

"I did not curse myself!" Yang Mi's chest rose and fell slightly. "What I said was that if I ever trust you again, I am a complete fool."

"That's right." Zhang Li nodded. "There is a long road ahead of us. You will surely trust me more than once, and by then you won't just..."

Zhang Li did not finish his sentence because Yang Mi had already lunged forward to hunt him down. However, with Tiffany Tang and Liu Shishi acting as a human wall, she could not lay a single finger on him.

"You two, help me catch him." Yang Mi put her hands on her hips and demanded assistance from Liu Shishi and Tiffany Tang.

"How could I possibly lay a hand on Changqing?" Tiffany Tang deflected the request with a clever response.

"Ah-Li tells me the script every single night. I cannot repay kindness with hostility." A trace of unnatural hesitation flashed across Liu Shishi's eyes.

Since they were currently in the sweetest stage of their romance, how could she possibly agree to help Yang Mi deal with Zhang Li?

"The two of you are simply letting your infatuation blind your friendship." Yang Mi's chest heaved up and down in anger.

"This just proves that the two of them are normal." Zhang Li poked his head out. "Could it be that they should follow your example and act like tough tomboys, destined to remain single forever?"

Ah!

Furious once more, Yang Mi resumed her pursuit.

Hu Ge, who had been watching all of this from the side, shook his head and said, "I think Ah-Li is much better suited to play Jing Tian than I am."

"Old Hu, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?" Tiffany Tang turned her gaze toward Hu Ge, becoming the first to object. "With Ah-Li's looks, of course he should play Changqing. He is Xu Changqing in the flesh! How could Jing Tian ever be worthy of him? Someone of your caliber is the only one who should play Jing Tian."

Hu Ge was momentarily bewildered: ?
Was the male protagonist of Chinese Paladin III not Jing Tian, but Xu Changqing?

"Should we listen to the songs first?" Li Guoli asked with a smiling head shake.

Young people were truly full of vitality, energetic enough to bicker and chase each other around at the drop of a hat.

"I will play them." Hu Ge pulled out a stool and sat down.

"Whew~"

Yang Mi dropped her hands from her hips, panting slightly, and gave up on chasing Zhang Li for the moment. She wanted to hear just what level of quality Zhang Li's batch of five songs possessed.

"I am going to play them now."

Hu Ge clicked on the demo of the first song, titled *Love Eternally*.

Soon, the sound of a flute chimed through the air, giving everyone present goosebumps. Immediately afterward, the lyrics sung by Zhang Li began to play.

"Love, hasn't arrived yet, the winds and clouds in heaven and earth suddenly shift, those bound by deep affection and righteousness shall all return."
"Love, will always arrive, destined by life and death to love again in the next lifetime."
"..."
"Whether you are a hero of troubled times or a mortal of worldly dreams, love never departs, love is keeping this touching memory alive."
"Love never departs, love is keeping this touching memory alive!"

As the song came to an end, everyone present remained immersed in the musical atmosphere. As the creative forces behind Chinese Paladin III, countless snippets and memories of their time on the film set flashed through their minds.

Taking in everyone's expressions, Zhang Li stood beside Liu Shishi and spoke up, "Director, what do you think of this song as the theme song?"

"Wonderful!" Li Guoli immediately gave his verdict. "It is extremely fitting. Hearing it has given me a massive surge of inspiration for the subsequent editing. This song is absolute perfection."

"It's just... I always feel like something is missing."

Hearing this, Zhang Li smiled. "I only recorded a demo for this song. The final, complete version will require re-arrangement and re-orchestration, and furthermore, this song is much better suited to be sung by a female vocalist."

*Love Eternally* was the theme song of the television series Chinese Paladin III. Due to the relationship between Karen Tsoi and Hong Kong-Taiwan capital, the production team ultimately brought in Hong Kong female singer Wu Yufei to perform it.

This song was adapted from an English track released by a peninsular singer back in 2004. Zhang Li had already purchased the usage rights for a portion of its melody in advance, composed the full version, and registered the copyright; all that remained was to find someone to sing it.

"Sung by a female vocalist?" A flash of realization crossed the eyes of Liu Shishi and the other two women.

Tiffany Tang was a high school graduate, Yang Mi was a senior at the Beijing Film Academy, and Liu Shishi was a graduate of the Beijing Dance Academy. All of them had studied music theory in school and understood music far better than the average person.

All three women could tell that this song was exceptional, let alone Li Guoli, who had decided on the spot to make it the theme song. If one could be chosen to sing this track, they might successfully make a breakthrough into the music industry. For artists of their generation, the prospect of conquering television, film, and music simultaneously held immense temptation.

"Correct!" Li Guoli clapped his hands, his expression full of excitement. "This song is different from *Partiality*. *Partiality* can be sung by either a male or a female, but this song feels much more poignant when sung by a female vocalist."

"The lyrics mention that 'she comes from the tree, her heart stirs once the sword turns human, a single romance spanning three lifetimes,' which respectively refer to Xuejian, Longkui, and Zixuan."

"To summarize three female protagonists in a single song—Xiao Li, you wrote this piece far too well."

Li Guoli grew even more fond of the track. "This song has to be the theme song."

Upon hearing this, Yang Mi and the other two women all wore expressions of absolute determination toward the track. It didn't matter if their current vocal skills were lacking; they could always grind their skills with Zhang Li until they reached a state of mastery!

A glint of amusement flashed in Zhang Li's eyes as he smiled and said, "We need to find a female singer to record the official version. Director, do you think you should look for one, or should I?"

"Of course you should," Li Guoli replied without a moment's hesitation. "Since you were able to write such a brilliant song that aligns so perfectly with the theme of Chinese Paladin III, no one understands this track better than you do. It is only fitting that you choose the singer."

Swish!

The gazes of all three women shifted instantly.

The internal monologue in Yang Mi and Liu Shishi's minds: Given my relationship with Ah-Li, it's in the bag!
Tiffany Tang's internal monologue: Ah-Li gave me *Partiality*, so I should get *Love Eternally*. That's only fair.

All three women felt that approaching Zhang Li gave them the highest probability of success. Therefore, none of them rushed to stake their claim on the spot, choosing instead to negotiate in private later.

"Then I will continue playing."

Hu Ge operated the mouse and proceeded to play *Forgetting Time*, *Never Changing in This Lifetime*, *Promise Not to Love You*, and *The Bachelor*.

Among them, *Forgetting Time* was the ending theme song of Chinese Paladin III, originally performed by Hu Ge, which had secured the 9th spot on the 93rd issue of the 2009 Chinese Music Pop Charts.

*Never Changing in This Lifetime* was an insert song from Chinese Paladin III, performed by the pop duo Flying Fish & Bluebird, with the song primarily expressing the three-lifetime romance between Changqing and Zixuan.

*Promise Not to Love You* was another insert song, performed by Hong Kong singer Zheng Chongji, and its quality was likewise exceptional.

*The Bachelor* was also an insert song, originally performed by Hu Ge.

"Hisss..."

After listening to all five songs, Li Guoli and the others remained speechless for a long time. Every single song was remarkably pleasant to the ear, and each was tailor-made for Chinese Paladin III, leaving a lingering aftertaste that begged to be savored.

At the same time, they were struck with awe by Zhang Li's musical talent. He had claimed he wasn't good at writing songs, yet he had effortlessly customized five tracks for the television series? No, if *Partiality* was included, that made a total of six songs.

That was simply terrifying!

What they did not know was that there was actually one more insert song titled *You Are the Song I Can Never Finish Singing*. Because it was adapted from *Painted Skin*, which everyone had already heard, Zhang Li hadn't bothered to bring it out. Otherwise, they would have been even more utterly astounded.

"Do you plan to sing the rest of these songs yourself?" Hu Ge looked at Zhang Li with burning eyes.

"Of course not," Zhang Li shook his head. "Aside from *Love Eternally*, which needs a female singer, I plan to sing *Forgetting Time* and *Promise Not to Love You* myself. As for *The Bachelor*, I intend for you to sing it."

Hu Ge: ???

In all fairness, he quite liked the song *The Bachelor*. But Zhang Li himself got to sing *Forgetting Time* and *Partiality*, and when it came to his turn, it was *The Bachelor*?

Wasn't this guy openly cursing him to stay single?