Chapter 646: Shooting a Music Video

"Oh? What’s recording an album like? Can I come visit when the time comes?" Shen Yibin couldn’t help but get curious. He’d seen Sun Qian hold a concert and shoot an MV before, but he still didn’t know what a live recording session was like. ’I wonder if it’s as fun as filming a movie?’

"If you’re not busy, you can come to my studio tomorrow and see." If it were anyone else, Sun Qian definitely wouldn’t want them disturbing her recording session, but Shen Yibin was different. Sun Qian was willing to do anything for him.

"Great, it’s a deal then. I’ll head to your studio first thing tomorrow morning." Shen Yibin agreed cheerfully. After chatting in the shop for a while, he got up to leave. He dropped Sun Qian and Cheeky off at the studio, then returned to the estate with Hah’Er and the others. He practiced the Turtle Breathing Technique by the river for a bit before going to bed and falling into a deep sleep.

He woke up and made breakfast, making a little extra this time. He packed it in a thermal container, went out for some exercise, and then checked the time. Guessing that Sun Qian should be up by now, he drove toward her studio. This time, Shen Yibin only brought Hah’Er and Maphario, leaving Xiaoliu and the Turtle Immortal at home.

First, he was worried that too many pets would interfere with Sun Qian’s album recording. Second, he wanted to create some alone time for Xiaoliu and the Turtle Immortal, hoping they would raise their affinity for each other sooner.

When he arrived at the studio, Sun Qian had just woken up. She was practicing the Turtle Breathing Technique Shen Yibin had taught her in front of the floor-to-ceiling window and hadn’t had breakfast yet. Shen Yibin’s congee came in handy.

"Make yourself at home. The place was just set up, so it’s still a bit messy." Sun Qian invited Shen Yibin to sit on the sofa and made tea for him and Hah’Er. Only then did she and Cheeky begin to enjoy their breakfast.

"Bin, you didn’t bring us any beggar’s chicken today!" That little guy was starting to be picky again. ’If I’d known, I would have only brought some for Sun Qian. You can just go hungry!’

"If you’re not eating, I’ll finish it all!" Sun Qian now understood its personality perfectly and couldn’t be bothered to scold it. She reached out with her chopsticks as if to pull its little bowl away. Cheeky immediately backed down, quickly shutting its mouth and focusing on eating the congee.

After breakfast, Sun Qian took Shen Yibin to the recording booth to start her vocal warm-ups. She hummed a few simple scales, and Shen Yibin immediately felt something was different. "Huh, for some reason, I feel like your voice is much stronger now than when you sang the ’Panda Hero’ theme song. You’re not that far off from Phoenix, either."

"Yeah, I’ve been practicing using the method Cheeky taught me, and I’ve been improving steadily. And ever since I learned that... that breathing method from you, I’ve been practicing it twice a day, morning and night. No matter how busy I am, I stick with it." Saying this, Sun Qian blushed slightly. The movements for the Turtle Breathing Technique were just too embarrassing.

"After practicing, it cleared the impurities from my lungs and respiratory system. I feel like my lung capacity has increased significantly, and exercises that used to be very difficult are now much easier." Sun Qian nodded at Shen Yibin gratefully. "It’s all thanks to your help that my voice has become what it is today."

A naturally good voice was important, but training was also indispensable. If Shen Yibin hadn’t sold Cheeky to her, Sun Qian never would have learned such an advanced training method. If she hadn’t learned the Turtle Breathing Technique, her own flaws wouldn’t have been corrected. Even if she had entered the music industry, she probably would have only been able to sing some less difficult songs, and she certainly wouldn’t have the amazing voice she had now.

"That’s all the result of your own hard work," Shen Yibin replied with a smile. ’If it weren’t for Sun Qian’s dedication to music, would she have practiced so diligently? Just relying on Cheeky would have been enough for her to easily earn countless times more money than she does now. But in that case, she’d be an internet celebrity at best, not the singer she is today.’

’Perhaps it’s precisely because of this, because of this dedication to musical perfection, that Cheeky chose Sun Qian as its master.’ Shen Yibin felt quite gratified by this thought.

Sun Qian continued her warm-ups. Her voice sounded much fuller and more mellow than before, and it was far more captivating. Shen Yibin and Hah’Er listened, mesmerized, becoming so immersed in the music that they didn’t even notice when a studio employee came in.

"Come, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Shen, this is Hah’Er, and this is Maphario. These are the employees at my studio..." Sun Qian made the introductions all around, then began recording the album according to the plan.

Shen Yibin and Hah’Er stood outside behind a one-way mirror, quietly enjoying Sun Qian’s music. "The morning dew drips on bamboo leaves, waking the dreaming panda. It comes out of its den and looks at the mountain across the way, wondering what lies on the other side..."

Sun Qian sang with intense focus. The recording engineer nodded slightly and secretly gave a thumbs-up. This track would need almost no post-production before it could be used directly. Very few singers these days could achieve that.

"Ooh? Ooh!" Hearing the familiar song, Hah’Er instantly grew excited and started murmuring happily. Fortunately, the glass partition blocked both the sight and sound of its movements, so Sun Qian wasn’t disturbed at all. Otherwise, Shen Yibin would have felt guilty for disrupting the album recording.

Sun Qian was in top form, the newly purchased equipment was excellent, and the team worked together seamlessly. The album recording progressed very smoothly. By the time they broke for lunch, they had already recorded three songs. At this rate, the new album would be finished very soon.

"It looks like the album recording is going well. So the next step is to think about promotion and the official release, right?" Shen Yibin asked curiously at the lunch table.

Any other artist would have probably started a massive promotional campaign during the album’s planning stages. But Sun Qian didn’t care about that. She poured all her energy into polishing the album. She was definitely a good musician who was passionate about her craft, but she wasn’t a good pop star.

"Sigh, Mr. Shen, I’ve tried to discuss promotion plans with Miss Sun several times, but she doesn’t seem to care." Sun Qian’s assistant complained to Shen Yibin. "Now the album is almost finished, and hardly anyone even knows about it. She already offended a bunch of people by refusing to sign with a big company, and they’re definitely going to make a move. So, the prospects for this album are really not looking good!"

"Oh? Do you need my help?" Shen Yibin quickly asked.

Hearing this, the assistant’s brow instantly unfurrowed. "There is actually something we need from you, Mr. Shen. Do you think you could let Hah’Er help us shoot an MV?"