Love Variety Show: The despised me exploded in popularity

But how should I put it, going to those streets to eat during the New Year's crossover is like making dumplings. You have to queue for half an hour just for a bite, which isn't really worth it.

Besides, Lin Wanzhou and Qi Ting had just gotten off the plane and were probably tired. Finding a quiet, high-end restaurant with a good atmosphere would better suit their needs at the moment.

When the waiter saw a man and two women approach, two attractive ones with a plain one, he didn't find it strange and promptly came over to greet the guests and show them to their seats. Find your next adventure on My Virtual Library Empire

The restaurant was tranquil, and the lighting was subtle.

There was a good distance between each table, separated by wooden carved screens. A lamp hung above, illuminating the table and creating a warm circle of light.

"Teacher Xu, this place isn't cheap," Qi Ting said.

"I rarely come here myself, but with the new year, I thought we'd change things up," Xu Qingyan said after selecting a dish and passing the menu to Lin Wanzhou. "What will you have? This one isn't spicy."

Qi Ting, watching the two people poring over the menu, felt unbearably jealous.

Sigh, such is the life of a maid.

Which other celebrities would bring an assistant on a date? Only she was forced to tag along. But she didn't think the two in front of her would do anything inappropriate; after all...

There was no real reason; it was purely a gut feeling. Childhood sweethearts—if their feelings were strong enough to lead to the bedroom, could she really stop them?

The problem was, it hadn't reached that stage at all.

Moreover, from what Qi Ting knew about Xu Qingyan, even if Lin Wanzhou came to him alone, nothing inappropriate would likely happen. He seemed to have a strong sense of propriety.

Well, that's just too pragmatic.

Others would kill to date a female celebrity, loving each other intensely, passionately, but this guy was always urging Lin Wanzhou to write songs. How was that different from urging a girlfriend to aim for Tsinghua University?

A unique preference?

Qi Ting couldn't fathom it. When the menu reached her hands, she hemmed and hawed for a while before choosing two appetizers and a soup. The name of the soup was nothing to compliment; it looked utterly unappetizing.

"Are the songs finished?" Xu Qingyan curiously asked.

"Not really. I've managed to write a few," Lin Wanzhou shook her head. "The quality is decent, but producing an album isn't as worthwhile as it used to be."

Hearing this, Xu Qingyan nodded in agreement.

"Indeed... The main issue is that producing a good album takes too long. If you don't release songs in the meantime, it's easy to be forgotten by listeners."

"And if you do release songs, then the purpose of producing an album diminishes. After all, releasing singles can seem lackadaisical and even have a negative impact."

"That's right, Teacher Xu, times have changed," Qi Ting interjected. "It's now the era of streaming music. The audience's attention span is shorter, and entertainment has become more fragmented."

"Polishing an album usually costs a lot. It's a bit better for singer-songwriters as they can save on some middleman fees, but it still takes up a lot of time."

Xu Qingyan was well aware of what Qi Ting was saying, and it was one of the reasons why the collaborative relationship between Xu, Pei, and Lin could work.

Firstly, when a traditional music company produces an album, it almost always involves a department, A&R, similar to a planning department, including agents and producers.

The term producer also encompasses songwriters and composers.

If it's a non-creative-type singer, they generally need to first communicate the concept of the album. Even if it's an obscure, self-indulgent concept, they have to communicate it, then start collecting demos.

The producer gathers the songs, commissioning the lyricist and composer to write songs according to the theme.

If it's a creative-type singer, they also need the help of this department to produce the album—for instance, asking the singer to create music based on the theme and then customizing certain songs.

That's why singer-songwriters are so valuable, but not necessarily all songs in their albums have to be self-written. They can present their concept, set the theme, and then customize.

Among the three of them, Xu Qingyan took on most of the functional roles of a producer.

Whether it was Pei Muchan or Lin Wanzhou, they were both singer-songwriters with the ability to write songs and a conscious idea of what they wanted in their music. If they couldn't write it themselves, surely they could describe their needs?

Generally speaking, a person's energy is limited. It's impossible for anyone to write an excellent song that's one hundred percent in line with someone else's concept, unless they're a genius.

At such times, Xu Qingyan's vast repository of music could come into play.

Genius fears the obsessed, and the obsessed fear the cheater.

The 'cheat' on Xu Qingyan was always on—it wasn't really cheating per se but a key reason why the three of them could maintain their relationship.

Because... he genuinely could take on the work of both women's producers, even when he was far away in Chang'an, participating in the backstage production of the Spring Festival Gala.

Showing off by copying songs to impress female celebrities was idiotic. Xu Qingyan was deeply involved in production, his hands full of experience, not just copying for show.

He was no longer the greenhorn from six months ago who knew nothing. If one were to get serious...

Along the way, he had written and recorded songs, participated in major music variety shows, been a partner, and acted as the music collaborator for both women.

It was just that one was in the limelight and the other behind the scenes. Essentially, he was designing the stage beauty, directly or indirectly involved.

Furthermore, with his work planning for the Spring Festival Gala, he had actually handled song and dance-related tasks. He had worked with the technical team and stage beauty and had seen the best equipment at the central station.

The saying goes "The camp is made of iron, and the soldiers flow like water." Now, Xu Qingyan was not just copying; he was both a seasoned musician and an undeniable king behind the scenes.

Wen Yun was very aware of this, so she couldn't stop Lin Wanzhou from connecting with Xu Qingyan; there was no reason at all to prevent it.

After the dishes were served,

Xu Qingyan said, "Making an album really drains your energy, so the threshold for music works has actually lowered. Nowadays, people don't care so much about albums."