Mei Fang and Lin Youxi stayed outside for a long time before returning to the auditorium, which made Xia Yuan and others who were waiting in line alone in the auditorium a little anxious. When they saw the two of them arriving, they quickly called them over.
"It's our turn next, so get ready and go in!"
"Uh-huh."
After Lin Youxi came in, she hugged Xia Yuan and said, "Let's do our best together."
"Yeah, come on."
Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi stayed close to each other for a while, then made a face at Mei Fang behind Lin Youxi.
The two then entered the interview room inside the small auditorium. Mei Fang waited outside for about 10 minutes, and Xia Yuan came out with Lin Youxi holding a guitar.
The two of them were talking and laughing and looked very happy.
"Youxi and I passed the selection!"
"So it turns out that instead of notifying you afterwards, you can confirm it on the spot?"
Mei Fang was surprised and asked, "Won't those who enter later be at a disadvantage?"
"Hmm... I think the judges should have their own ideas, right? One of the judges is the instructor of our specialty band. She is a very nice person. Ah Fang, I'm sure you will have no problem."
Xia Yuan was patting Mei Fang on the shoulder to encourage her when a senior girl in a sophomore uniform walked out of the room and said, "Next, Mei Fang from Class 5 can come in."
"good."
Mei Fang was patted on the shoulder by Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi for encouragement, and then he walked into the classroom with his senior schoolmate, carrying his guitar.
Although he is now a multi-millionaire, Mei Fang still behaves like a student in school. This is his first time to perform guitar singing in front of people other than Xia Yuanlin Youxi, so he inevitably feels a little nervous.
The judges in the audience are all teachers from the school, mostly music teachers and art teachers. There are both young and old ones, so their tastes should be quite diverse.
Seeing Mei Fang coming in with a guitar on her back, the judges began to talk.
A teacher looked at the program list submitted by Mei Fang, then looked up at Mei Fang and said:
"Classmate, you are also performing guitar singing, right?"
"Yes, teacher." Mei Fang added, "I wrote the lyrics and music myself."
"Oh, it's original. That's not bad. Just as good as the Xia... Xia what's that name?"
At this time, a young and beautiful female teacher reminded: "It's Xia Yuan... Student, don't be nervous, just relax and start the performance. Don't you need an accompaniment?"
"Well... I can just play the guitar and sing."
After a brief statement, Mei Fang looked forward.
There were many judges and teachers on the scene. He tried to keep a calm mind and gently plucked the guitar strings. The sweet smiles of Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi emerged in his mind.
…
Mei Fang opened his eyes after singing a song, and he noticed at a glance that the performances of the judges seemed somewhat inconsistent.
The younger female teachers liked Mei Fang's original songs very much, and they all smiled and clapped softly after she sang.
The older teachers frowned and looked very unhappy.
One of the teachers, who was wearing glasses and had gray hair, said:
"Classmate... your talent is great. But the idea of your original song... seems a bit unhealthy. Isn't this a love song?"
"Teacher He, I think love songs, as a theme of song creation, should not be boycotted."
The female teacher at the side objected, "The student has such an outstanding talent, so let him show it, isn't that a good thing?"
"This... How can this be good? This, this is so shameless..."
"Our music teacher usually teaches students to sing, and he also sings some love songs, right?"
"Your teachers' work isn't good to begin with, but those are songs that already exist on the market, and parents often listen to them."
"This student said that he created this work by himself. If he performs it on stage, how bad will it be for the school? From an outsider's point of view, parents may think that our school supports students' premature love and will file a complaint with the Education Bureau..."
Several teachers were arguing with each other, which gave Mei Fang a headache.
He had always paid attention to the rigor of song selection, but he chose "I'm Willing" to dedicate to Yuanyuan and Youxi. Changing the song at the last minute would make him feel very regretful, and there would be no time to practice.
So he stepped forward and interrupted:
"Dear judges, I have actually watched the performance videos of our school's Golden Autumn Arts Festival in previous years."
"I felt it was okay when I saw that there were many love songs and even duets between men and women. I think our school should have a more open and inclusive atmosphere."
"But is it because of new regulations this year? I didn't see this requirement in the program requirements. If the teachers change their minds at the last minute, wouldn't that be a bit too casual?"
"Not really... Our school doesn't object to singing love songs, but you are special, your songs are original creations..."
The old teacher pondered, "If songs like this are allowed to be performed on stage, it will have a bad impact, as if we are encouraging the creation of love songs."
After all, it was not his own creation, so Mei Fang certainly did not feel aggrieved.
The old teacher pondered for a while, then continued:
"In addition, our Golden Autumn Arts Festival will be held in the largest auditorium of the school. Because the venue is very spacious, if there is only the guitar singing part, the performance effect will be very average, so if you can add accompaniment, it can elevate your performance to a higher level. Just an accompaniment without chords will do."
Accompaniment
Mei Fang nodded and said, "I will try to create it."
"You can compose music by yourself? You are really amazing!" The young female teacher applauded.
"Not really... I may have to ask my friends for help when the time comes. I can't give the teachers a definite answer at the moment."
Mei Fang can only hope that Xia Yuan's arrangement can help him now, but if that doesn't work he can also outsource it to a professional team.
"That's pretty good too."
The female teacher encouraged Mei Fang, "Student Mei, don't be too depressed. Our school has always supported the all-round development of students and will never bury your talent!"
But the old teacher was obviously still very concerned about Mei Fang's lyrics and music. He urged Mei Fang:
"You should learn more from Xia Yuan in the future. The two original songs she performed at the summer camp party were both inspirational poems and eulogies of family love, which are in line with the image of a student."
"You don't know the lyrics, they're really well written... By the way, are you from a special county? Have you heard it at the party?"
"Um, I've heard of it, teacher. Xia Yuan and I are friends."
Mei Fang smiled slightly and then explained, "And I wrote the lyrics for those two songs for her."
Mei Fang's words immediately sparked a discussion among the judges. One middle-aged female teacher even stood up. Mei Fang still remembered that she was the teacher who usually gave orchestra training to music students like Xia Yuan in the afternoon.
"So you are the friend Xia Yuan mentioned! I have always wanted to meet you. Since you two know each other, why don't you perform on stage together?"
"Go on stage together?"
"Well, it's a guitar singing medley. That's just right, isn't it? You two are the only two who have guitar singing performances in the program you signed up for..."
The middle-aged female teacher slapped her forehead and said, "Oh, right, let Xia Yuan and her partner bring along the two original songs she sang before. You can organize a guitar medley program together, playing a total of 5 songs, which can avoid repetition in the program. But in that case, in order to maintain the consistency of the entire program, it is better to bring the accompaniment of the other two songs as well, right?"
"Hey, why didn't you say so earlier? Your words are really good!"
After the old teacher knew this, his tone towards Mei Fang became much gentler. He slowly stood up and said:
"That Mei... Mei Yuan, remember to write fewer love songs next time and explore your talent and skills in the lyrics of the first two songs. Your future will definitely be limitless!"
The young female teacher smiled and reminded: "Teacher He, you change your expression very quickly... Besides, his name is Mei Fang, not Mei Yuan. The other one is called Xia Yuan."
Mei Fang was watching the teachers busy themselves with planning and preparing the program for them, and suddenly felt a bit overwhelmed.
"Well... the arrangement of the accompaniment for the three original songs will probably take quite a while. I need to confirm with my friend whether I can complete the arrangement on time."
"It's okay, don't worry too much. If you need help, you can ask me for help!"
The young female teacher smiled and said, "My last name is Chen. I am currently teaching music to several classes in the second year of high school. If you have any questions about music arrangement, you can come to the office building to find me. Our office is on the third floor, 303..."
"Thank you, Mr. Chen! We will visit you if needed."
Mei Fang had spent a lot of time discussing the program arrangements with the judges, and when she came out it was already nearly half an hour. Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi rushed up almost at the same time, carefully asking Mei Fang about the progress.
"Ah Fang... what's going on? Why is it taking so long... is it difficult for the teachers? Is it because of the theme of the love song..."
"Well... the reason behind this is a bit complicated. Let me explain it to you slowly."
So Mei Fang told Xia Yuan that the teachers wanted her, Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi to organize a guitar medley program together, and told Xia Yuan about producing the accompaniment melodies for "I'm Willing", "In That Not Far Away Place" and "Memories of Lanshan".
At first, Xia Yuan was very happy when she heard that she could perform on stage with Mei Fang, but when she heard that she had to compose the accompaniment for three songs within a week or two, she immediately frowned.
"Yuanyuan, you don't have to worry too much about this. If we really don't have enough time, we can ask someone to do it online. A professional team should be able to compose the music quickly, as long as they pay enough."
"That, that won't do! This is the first time the three of us will perform on stage together, so it would be meaningful if we composed the accompaniment music ourselves! At most I can ask Xiao Yu to help, if the two of us go together, we should be able to make it in time..."
"Don't force yourself. This is going to take a lot of energy..."
"It's okay! I've been learning how to arrange music for so long, it's easy to make some accompaniment music!"
It's a rare opportunity for me to show my ability in front of Ah Fang... I can't let Ah Fang down.
Otherwise, it will be hard for me to have my own place in the game development of Ximilu Studio in the future...
Xia Yuan is determined.
Damn it, I was supposed to go to bed at 2 o'clock tonight, but I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking about the fact that I hadn't finished typing. I got up at 6:49 in the morning and finished typing this chapter.
(End of this chapter)