Chapter Fifty-One: No One Leaves! Come Back!

While Wang Mo was having several singers audition songs in the recording studio, there were others in the adjacent studio as well.

It was Hao Mingxing.

As soon as he learned that Wang Mo had given him a new song, Hao Mingxing rushed back to the company right after dinner, immediately found his agent, and together they brought the sheet music to the studio.

He wasted no time testing out "Empty City."

His unique voice rang out:

"Perhaps it's loneliness, the air has grown so thin, neon lights bloom into a desert across the city."

"Still waiting for you, my heart is dying, something needs to stir my very soul."

After just a few lines, Hao Mingxing’s expression grew complicated.

In his view, this song spoke directly to his soul.

Just like the first song Wang Mo had given him, "It Doesn’t Matter," which laid bare the helplessness of a life broken and resigned to its fate. That was what allowed him to infuse the song with such genuine emotion in his performance.

But this new song, "Empty City," struck even closer to home. Hao Mingxing felt as if it was the very portrait of his life—using words that hurt so much they were numb, it painted the human spirit as an empty city. In that city, a man unwilling to fall sinks himself between ideals and reality, wandering until, after great ordeal, he is reborn and finally grasps the true meaning of life.

To Hao Mingxing, "Empty City" was like a mirror reflecting his own existence.

A flood of complex emotions surged within him: “Brother Mo, he actually went out of his way to learn about my life, and then crafted a song specifically for me.”

Brother Mo treats me so well.

Really, he’s made me want to cry my heart out.

Of course, what excited Hao Mingxing the most was that, in terms of both lyrics and melody, "Empty City" was simply top-tier. When he sang it, he felt a resonance with his soul, not a trace of awkwardness.

His emotions ran high, and it took several deep breaths before he could calm himself.

Beside him, his agent Zheng Lai shook his head in awe. “Wang Mo is a genius!”

So many composers in the company had tried, but none could come up with a song that truly fit Hao Mingxing.

But the moment Wang Mo made his move, it was a total knockout.

If that’s not genius, what is?

Zheng Lai sighed, “There was a debate online for a while about whether a composer can have a decisive impact on a singer. In my view, that’s absolutely true.”

“It’s not just maybe—it’s a certainty,” Hao Mingxing replied, picking up the thread. “I don’t care what others think of Brother Mo, but he’s the one who saved me. Now with ‘Empty City,’ it proves beyond doubt that a composer can determine a singer’s fate. I don’t know what others think, but in my heart, Brother Mo is my god.”

Zheng Lai nodded. “Mm. Since you’re so satisfied with this song, I’ll immediately get back to the people at ‘Singer’s Aura’ and confirm your participation in your first ever music variety show since debut.”

Even though this season of "Singer’s Aura" was packed with big names.

At least with these two songs, Hao Mingxing could last for two or three episodes.

With the ratings and influence of "Singer’s Aura," for a newcomer like Hao Mingxing to appear two or three times and get some exposure was already quite an achievement.

As for making the top six, the semifinals, or even winning the championship—

There was no point dreaming about that.

…

CCTV Headquarters.

The "Big Underpants" building.

In a conference room on the floor housing the production team of the large-scale documentary "The Forbidden City," a solemn meeting was underway.

Or rather, it had been going on for over three hours.

Everyone present looked exhausted.

"Well? Still no decision? Today’s the last day to settle on the theme song. Three months—three whole months—and we still haven’t picked a song," the head of the documentary said, his tone growing cold as he surveyed the noisy room.

"Director Wu," the music director Luo Yun stood up and said, "Over the past three months, we’ve collected hundreds of songs from across the country, but none of them have received more than half the votes. The standard you set was that a song must get over half the votes to qualify as the theme. The highest so far is only at 43%. We really have our hands tied here."

Wu Yong grunted, "I don’t care what you say, there has to be a result today. No one leaves this room until we have one."

Luo Yun looked troubled. "We do need a theme song. Since time is running out, our only option is to settle for less and pick the song with the most votes from the current candidates. At present, there are six songs with more than 30% of the votes. My suggestion is to have a new vote among these six and select the one with the highest tally as our theme."

Wu Yong frowned, "No other songs?"

Luo Yun shook his head. "The search for the theme song has been going on for three months. All the well-known composers who wanted to participate have already done so. Yanghai Media, Enlight Media, and Brilliant Star Culture all submitted numerous works, but they’ve since given up. We still get new submissions every day, but the quality is worrying. Many in the industry think our requirements are too strict…”

“What?!” Wu Yong’s eyebrows shot up. “Too strict? This is the theme song for ‘The Forbidden City’! It represents the dignity of China, the weight of our history, and the standards of CCTV. If I just pick any song as the theme and it airs, will you be able to bear the consequences?”

The room fell silent; no one dared to speak.

After a moment, Luo Yun said, “Honestly, many top composers haven’t participated. If we want a truly great song, we’d have to increase the budget to entice them. Otherwise, with just a paltry copyright fee, they won’t bother.”

Wu Yong glanced at him coolly. “What’s the point of saying this now?”

“Uh…” Luo Yun thought to himself, I’ve said this before, but you didn’t listen. You get what you pay for—even a child knows that. You said there was no budget, and now you’re not satisfied with the results. What are we supposed to do?

Wu Yong, seeing the room sink into silence, finally said, “Let’s vote.”

Everyone brightened up at once.

Soon, the results were in.

A song named “Soul of the Palace” took first place with 43.6% of the vote.

Wu Yong looked around. “So, we’re settling on ‘Soul of the Palace’?”

“Agreed.”

“Agreed.”

“Yes…”

Everyone nodded.

“Alright, that’s decided for now. I’ll get the approval signed by the higher-ups. Meeting adjourned…” Wu Yong announced.

Just then, an assistant hurried in and whispered, “Director Wu, another song submission just came in. Do you want to take a look?”

Wu Yong shook his head. “Forget it.”

“But this one is by ‘Wuyan.’”

Wu Yong was puzzled. “Wuyan? Who’s that?”

The assistant replied, “Wuyan is a very popular new composer. The song you often listen to, ‘Invisible Wings,’ is by him. He’s only written two songs so far, both of which became huge hits. This is the third song of his career.”

“Oh?” Wu Yong was intrigued. “Where’s the song?”

“It’s already in your inbox.”

Wu Yong nodded. “I’ll take a look, but the theme song has already been decided. Wuyan submitted too late. Reply to him and thank him for participating.”

Still, because of “Invisible Wings,” he decided to check it out.

He knew he wouldn’t understand much, since he couldn’t read sheet music.

But soon, he found the digital demo in his inbox.

“Oh? There’s a demo?”

Wu Yong nodded to himself. With a demo, it’d be much easier to get a feel for the song.

He clicked play and began to listen.

After just a few seconds, Wu Yong blinked and sat up straight.

When the song reached its climax, he was transfixed.

Suddenly, he paused the track, his face flushed. Then he stood and shouted, “No one leaves—come back here, all of you!”