Chapter 67: Singing Has Deep Tricks! An Iron Pestle Becomes a Needle

From Liu Xiaoli’s angle, she could not see that Liu Yifei was actually kissing Zhang Li, and would only think they were snuggling.

Yet, for her daughter and her "son" to maintain such a posture still looked somewhat intimate.

"Ahem," Liu Yifei gave a light cough.

[You have feigned an accidental kiss with Zhang Li once. Lip optimization +1 / Intimate aura +1]

Hearing the voice echoing in her mind, Liu Yifei felt a surge of pleasant surprise.

Sure enough, this kind of kiss imbued with a special quality could function as a cheat code.

This younger brother whom she had practically raised single-handedly was truly useful.

"Pfft!"

Having achieved her sneaky success, Liu Yifei turned her head, steadied herself against a nearby stool, and immediately stood up, deliberately putting on an expression of disgust.

"In television dramas, whenever characters trip and accidentally kiss, I've always thought it completely fake. I never expected it to actually happen today. Art really does come from life," Liu Yifei remarked casually.

Zhang Li stood up, dusted off his trousers, and meeting Liu Xiaoli’s peculiar gaze, he smiled. "Who's to say otherwise?"

"We've lived together for eight years, and this is the first time something like this has happened. Accidents truly are rare."

Noticing the teasing tone in Zhang Li's voice, Liu Yifei glanced at him sideways. "You still haven't explained clearly why acting in The Message is helping me exact revenge."

"Of course it's revenge," Zhang Li shrugged. "I wrestled the role of Bai Xiaonian right out of Su Youpeng's hands. Compared to him, I can't bring any inherent commercial value to this film."

"With Li Bingbing and Zhou Xun as the two female leads, plus Huang Xiaoming joining the cast, the media attention will definitely be massive."

"Once the movie is released, as long as my performance in it is decent, I'll be able to harvest a whole bunch of fans."

"Using Huayi's resources to elevate me instead of their own in-house artists, or using those resources for talent exchanges..."

"How is this not me helping you get revenge?"

Liu Xiaoli and her daughter: "..."

It sounded like clever sophistry, yet they could not find a single reason to refute it.

"Then you'd better act well," Liu Yifei said with a bright smile. "Strive to outshine everyone else, steal their thunder, and get everyone talking about you."

"Piece of cake, rest assured," Zhang Li said with absolute confidence.

Whenever he activated the Bai Xiaonian character buff during filming, best actor and actress winners alongside veteran performers would simply have to step aside.

No matter how skilled your acting is, you're merely portraying a character—whereas I am playing myself directly!

"Tch, what a braggart."

"Just make sure you aren't completely overshadowed and humiliated by the others."

Liu Yifei shook her head in disdain and turned to leave. "I'm going upstairs to change my clothes. We'll record the song later."

Zhang Li watched her retreating figure and called out, "Care to make a bet? I definitely won't perform any worse than them."

"Forget it," Liu Yifei waved a hand without looking back. "Making a wager with you when your defeat is guaranteed would just prompt Mom to lecture me for bullying you again."

Zhang Li: "..."

With her phrasing it that way, if I persisted, I'd genuinely look like I was bullying her.

"Keep it up, Ah Li, Mom believes in you," Liu Xiaoli said, her eyes full of encouragement.

Zhang Li: As expected, no one knows a daughter better than her own mother.

More than half an hour later, Liu Yifei came downstairs dressed in casual wear.

The two of them headed together to the recording studio located in a nearby detached bungalow.

"Ah Li, I bought these specially for you," Liu Yifei said, standing on tiptoes to wrap her arms around Zhang Li's neck as she pointed to the expensive equipment inside the room. "How are you going to thank me?"

"You still think you can fool me?" Zhang Li wore an expression of utter contempt. "You were just figuring that since I can write songs for you, and your singing skills are now presentable enough to hold your own, that's why you bothered setting up this recording studio."

"If you want me to write songs for you, you'd better honestly try to please me."

"Thinking you can trick me into writing them blindly is out of the question."

Liu Yifei's gaze instantly turned dangerous as she reached out to ruffle Zhang Li's hair.

"Try to please you, is it?"

"Out of the question for me to write them, is it?"

"I'd say you've grown a rebellious bone and your skull is just too hard."

"If I don't beat you up once, you won't know who's in charge of this household."

"..."

The two of them engaged in a playful tussle.

[Valid duration of flirtatious banter between you and Zhang Li. Magnetic field alignment +1 / Mutual spiritual resonance +1] (Equally applied to Zhang Li)

Hearing this prompt, Liu Yifei let go of Zhang Li with a satisfied expression.

"I'll let you off for today. Start recording my song."

Recording a song was no simple task; it required re-arranging and blending various musical elements as needed.

Zhang Li had already had someone produce and send over the accompaniment tracks he required.

After a series of technical setups, they were finally ready to begin formal vocal tracking.

Capturing the vocals was just the first step, to be followed by mixing, tuning, and other post-production work.

Liu Yifei's vocal proficiency had already reached a accomplished level, rivaling the vast majority of professional singers in the music industry.

While she wasn't quite ready to tackle hyper-difficult tracks yet, singing a song like Everlasting Love live would be an absolute breeze for her.

However, striving for perfection, the two of them kept at it until nearly lunchtime before the song was largely recorded.

[Valid duration of you performing for Zhang Li using accomplished-level vocal skills. Breath control +1 / Chest resonance technique +1] (Equally applied to Zhang Li)

Immersed entirely in the recording process, the two of them directly ignored this system notification.

"Don't rush. First, settle your breath into your lower dantian, open your mouth, and gradually ease into the state."

"It's completely normal if you feel discomfort here right now; incorrect vocalization placement will cause the airflow to be unsmooth."

"I've placed my hand here and didn't feel any vibration, which means you haven't fully entered the zone yet."

"Right there, exactly that feeling. Add just a hint of airflow release."

"The feeling is right..."

Under Zhang Li's guidance, Everlasting Love was finally successfully recorded.

Though Liu Yifei felt somewhat exhausted, upon listening to the completed version, a satisfied smile spread across her face, making her feel that everything had been entirely worth it.

"Lunch is ready," Liu Xiaoli called out to the two of them at the recording studio.

"Mom, you have got to listen to my new song," Liu Yifei beamed like a peach blossom, eagerly placing the headphones over Liu Xiaoli's ears like a child presenting a prized treasure.

As the song came to an end, Liu Xiaoli nodded heavily in approval. "This song is truly wonderful. Xixi, your singing has improved tremendously, and Ah Li taught you very well."

"The songwriting is exceptional too; both the lyrics and melody are superb. As expected of something Ah Li wrote."

Liu Yifei: "..."

Lunch concluded amidst Liu Yifei's tart remarks.

"Will you be eating at home tonight?" Liu Xiaoli asked.

"Of course," Liu Yifei answered on Zhang Li's behalf. "Ah Li is your good son—obedient, sensible, and considerate. He'll definitely stay and have dinner with you."

Liu Xiaoli frowned, wanting to say something, but Zhang Li interrupted, "Mom, someone invited me out for dinner tonight, and I've already accepted. You don't need to worry about me."

Since Lei Jun had invited him to dinner at his home, he naturally wouldn't refuse; frequent interactions were the foundation of deep friendship.

"Who are you meeting tonight?" Liu Yifei asked out of curiosity, dropping her petty attitude.

"A heavyweight in the business circle," Zhang Li recounted the series of events leading up to his acquaintance with Lei Jun.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" Liu Yifei reached out to pinch Zhang Li's cheek. "When something like this happened, you didn't even tell me or Mom."

"Didn't I come out completely unscathed?" Zhang Li raised both hands in a surrender gesture. "No need to give you guys unnecessary worry."

"From now on, you must tell us the very first time something like this happens," Liu Yifei threatened, grabbing the back of Zhang Li's neck.

Zhang Li immediately cast a pleading look toward Liu Xiaoli, only to hear her say, "Ah Li, Xixi is right. In the future, if you encounter such situations, you must tell Mom. You can't keep things to yourself like this."

"Understood, Mom," Zhang Li capitulated at lightning speed.

"Going to someone's house for dinner requires proper etiquette, even if you did them a great favor. I'll go prepare some gifts for you to take," Liu Xiaoli said as she stood up and left.

Seeing this, Zhang Li immediately got up and followed.

Liu Yifei let out a soft "tch," took the audio file upstairs, and went off to enjoy it by herself.

Having gathered the gifts, Zhang Li drove off, stopped by a mall to buy some additional fruit, and then headed to Lei Jun's residence.

Lei Jun's wife, Zhang Tong, was extremely warm and welcoming toward her "husband's savior."

"Your surname is Zhang, and mine is too. How about you call me Elder Sister from now on?" Zhang Tong asked, clearly taking a strong liking to Zhang Li.

"You got it, Sister," Zhang Li smoothly adapted to the situation. "Then please don't stand on ceremony with me either. Saving my brother-in-law was only right and proper."

Lei Jun: "..."

Throughout the meal, both hosts and guest thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Lei Jun discovered that although Zhang Li was young, he possessed remarkable vision and breadth of perspective, speaking with elegance and profound substance.

Even without the "life-saving grace," the two of them would have naturally become friends; circumstances working out this way was simply even better.

Leaving Lei Jun's home, Zhang Li returned to campus, where his busy routine resumed once more.

Time flew like a white horse passing a crevice, and in the blink of an eye, another month went by.

On the set of Dream of the Red Chamber.

A crew member said to Yang Mi, who had just finished a scene, "Mimi, Ah Li is here."

The smile on Yang Mi's face vanished instantly. "..."

Does this man treat this place as his own backyard or what?