Chapter 109: No Way to Keep a Low Profile, Wang Mo's Astonishing Decision

The chairman’s fury had cooled somewhat.

Under ordinary circumstances, a parody song score would not come with an electronic demo. Since the other party had gone so far as to produce one, they had most likely put real effort into it.

“All right.”

The young man named Dong had reached the same conclusion and stopped what he was doing.

The murmurs in the conference room ceased as well.

When the instrumental introduction ended, the singing began:

“3 0624700
3 0624770
5 34202 13942”

After hearing only a line or two, everyone began whispering again.

“Well, I’ll be damned. It really is a song.”

“Numbers can be turned into a song?”

“We were wrong. Those numbers weren’t a joke.”

“It actually sounds pretty catchy.”

“Yes, it’s quite good.”

“At least it’s far better than the submissions we heard earlier.”

“...”

Everyone nodded inwardly.

The chairman in particular developed an increasingly fascinating expression as he listened.

Fortunately, Dong had pressed the wrong button earlier. Otherwise, if he had thrown this song away as garbage, he would have made a considerable fool of himself.

At first, everyone merely found the song unusual.

After all, a song composed entirely of numbers was something none of them had ever encountered before.

But midway through the song, the electronic voice suddenly soared into the high register:

“A lifetime filled entirely with numbers,
Who could truly know what they mean?
A lifetime troubled by nothing but numbers,
Who could grasp perfection completely?
...”

When this passage appeared, the seemingly meaningless strings of numbers from earlier were instantly imbued with profound significance, elevating the entire song to another level.

A brilliant light began to shine in the chairman’s eyes.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

But the truly astonishing part was still to come.

As the numbers began bursting forth like machine-gun fire, a nonstop high-register performance erupted:

“0434 0434 0232 0232 0646 0646 0878 0878 0515 0515 0242 0242 0696 0696 0272 0272...”

A tremendous wave of sound crashed over them, raising gooseflesh across everyone’s bodies.

Such rapid high notes.

Such an intense rhythm.

Such sustained singing.

Everything combined to give them a powerful impact unlike anything they had ever experienced in music.

“Oh, my God.”

“Good heavens.”

“Can a human being actually sing this?”

“How can a string of numbers produce an effect like that?”

“This is unbelievable!”

“Truly incredible. Absolutely incredible.”

Many of them were completely stunned.

Even after the song ended, quite a few people remained immersed in the intense excitement it had stirred within them.

Everyone looked at the score projected on the screen. Their feelings had undergone a complete transformation from before.

They were still numbers.

But now, when they looked at those numbers, their eyes were filled with shock.

At last, someone exclaimed, “A Cantonese song like this is truly one of a kind.”

Another said, “This is incredible. I can’t believe such a unique song exists. It has practically overturned everything I understood about music.”

Then someone spoke up.

“The song does sound good, but... is it suitable as a promotional song for Cantonese culture?”

At once, everyone fell silent.

Indeed, they had not gathered today merely to appreciate music.

They were here to select a promotional song for Cantonese culture.

No matter how good Digital Life was, they simply could not see what made it suitable for that purpose.

After a long silence, people began voicing their opinions.

“The song is excellent, but it isn’t suitable as a promotional piece.”

“Yes. What a pity.”

“It’s a fine Cantonese song, but it doesn’t meet our requirements.”

“Exactly. Using it as a promotional song would be bizarre no matter how you looked at it.”

“...”

Only the chairman remained silent, apparently deep in thought.

Gradually, the others stopped discussing the matter as well. Their gazes converged on him as they waited for his decision.

The chairman wore a complicated expression.

After a long while, he suddenly asked, “Can any of you tell me what kind of song would fit the promotional theme of Cantonese culture?”

Everyone had initially thought the question would be easy to answer.

But when the words reached their lips, they realized they could not articulate any specific requirements.

At most, they could offer vague phrases such as “a positive image,” “a fresh spirit,” or “something grand and dignified.”

In other words, they had said nothing at all.

The chairman finally spoke in a solemn voice.

“If even you cannot state your requirements clearly, then expecting a composer to create a promotional song that matches your vague ideas would be harder than reaching the heavens. I finally understand why so few people have submitted songs to us. No one can grasp what we actually want. Our requirements for the theme song appear simple, yet they are extremely difficult to interpret correctly.

“However, in my view, as long as a song can make ordinary people interested in Cantonese, prompting them to learn about it and come into contact with it of their own accord, then that song has fulfilled the role of a promotional piece.”

“That’s right.”

“The chairman is correct.”

Everyone voiced their agreement.

The chairman continued, “Digital Life may appear to have none of the characteristics of a promotional song. But in my opinion, it is sufficiently fresh and sufficiently interesting. Once it is released, it will certainly attract a great deal of attention. If people become interested in the song, then they are also becoming interested in Cantonese culture. Even if most of the song consists of only a few numbers, it is still a form of promotion.”

His words sent many people into deep thought.

Finally, someone said, “The chairman makes sense. I support it.”

More and more people raised their hands in agreement.

“I support it too.”

“I agree with the chairman.”

“Supported.”

The chairman smiled faintly.

“Of course, Digital Life is not my ideal promotional song. Even if its release brings Cantonese a certain amount of publicity, I suspect the effect will be limited. However, at present, we have no more suitable option. So... let us list this song as our provisional choice. If a better song appears later, we can replace it. If not, then Digital Life will be our final selection.

“Of course, when the time comes, it would be best to change the title to something like Cantonese Digital Life or Digital Life: Cantonese Culture, adding an unmistakable Cantonese marker so that everyone will understand it at a glance.”

After a pause, the chairman said to Dong, “Inform Yunhai Media of our decision. Also, ask them to provide a suitable singer and record the song as soon as possible. With an official recording, it may prove more convincing.”

An electronic demo and a finished recording could sound worlds apart.

That was why the chairman wanted to hear a completed version of Digital Life. Only with the finished product could they make a proper comparison.

“All right,” Dong replied.

...

Yunhai Media.

Liu Zhengwen soon received word from the Cantonese Culture organization.

He immediately summoned Wang Mo.

“Two pieces of news.

“First, your Digital Life has not been officially selected as the promotional song for Cantonese Culture. For now, it has only been listed as the provisional choice.

“Second, they hope we can record the song as soon as possible. With a recorded version, they will be better able to determine its quality.”

Wang Mo was not surprised in the least.

Even now, he did not know why the system had given him this song.

As far as he could tell, there was nothing about Digital Life that promoted Cantonese culture. So the fact that the official organization had even listed it as a provisional choice had already satisfied him greatly.

As for the second matter, Wang Mo frowned.

“Mr. Liu, who do you think should sing this song?”

Liu Zhengwen was stunned.

“You don’t already have someone in mind?”

It came as a genuine surprise. In the past, every song Wang Mo wrote came with a designated singer—the person best suited to perform it. Liu Zhengwen had assumed Digital Life would be no different, and that Wang Mo had already chosen the vocalist.

But apparently, that was not the case.

Wang Mo shook his head.

“This song is too difficult. I’ve considered every singer in the company, as well as every famous singer in the entire country, and I still haven’t found anyone capable of handling it.”

“This...”

Liu Zhengwen recalled his own recent attempt to sing Digital Life, which had nearly killed him. He nodded emphatically.

“The singing is indeed extremely difficult, and the performer would also need to be fluent in Cantonese. Among those who meet the requirements... perhaps only a few of the great kings from Hong Kong and Taiwan.”

“I’ve considered them as well,” Wang Mo said. “But in my view, they would only barely qualify. They still wouldn’t achieve the perfect result I have in mind. Besides, most of those great singers are practically retired. We might not even be able to hire them.”

He was not exaggerating.

In his previous life, Lin Zixiang’s Digital Life was widely regarded as one of the most difficult songs in the country. Let alone singing it well, there were very few people who could perform it from beginning to end without faltering.

Only someone of Lin Zixiang’s stature—a true demon king of the music world—could fully command it.

Hearing Wang Mo’s words, Liu Zhengwen clicked his tongue.

Even the great singers from Hong Kong and Taiwan had failed to impress him.

Then who else could possibly do it?

He gave a bitter smile.

“After hearing you say that, I feel as though no one can sing this song at all. What are we supposed to do?”

Wang Mo was troubled as well.

The originality and excellence of Digital Life were obvious. But if no one could perform it, even the finest song would lose its meaning.

Could they only find someone who could barely manage the song and hand it over to them?

Wang Mo hesitated.

He had a perfectionist streak. If he casually entrusted Digital Life to just anyone, he would never feel comfortable with it.

At that moment, Liu Zhengwen said, “It’s a shame our company only has a database of our own contracted singers. If we could access data on every singer in the country, we would surely find someone suitable. After all, there are countless singers in the country. Among them, there must be plenty of extraordinarily talented people who simply haven’t been discovered yet. Just look at you—you managed to uncover a genius like Hao Mingxing...”

Wang Mo listened from the side, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

He slapped his thigh.

“That’s right! If I can’t find a suitable singer, then I’ll make the singers come looking for me!”

Liu Zhengwen widened his eyes.

“Make the singers come looking for you?”

“Yes!”

Wang Mo was suddenly excited.

“I may have thought of a way to find a singer who matches Digital Life.”

An idea surged through his mind, growing clearer by the second.

There was only one problem.

If he put this idea into practice, he would have no way to remain inconspicuous. He would have to make a very public move.

After a brief hesitation, Wang Mo firmly settled his resolve.

If he wanted to find someone capable of performing Digital Life, what harm was there in being high-profile for once?

Liu Zhengwen hurriedly asked, “What’s the plan?”

Wang Mo explained, “I’m going to upload the electronic demo of Digital Life to a music platform and publish the song’s score as well. Then I’ll announce to the entire internet that anyone may challenge the song. Whoever can perform it to my standards will receive the song!”

Liu Zhengwen’s mouth fell open.

Publish the score?

Call for singers across the entire internet?

The idea completely overturned his way of thinking. He swallowed nervously.

“Will that... really work?”

“Let’s give it a try,” Wang Mo said.

(End of Chapter)