Before getting off work in the evening, Lin Yuan finally finished listening to the voices of one hundred and six people. After listening to these voices, Lin Yuan had a deeper understanding of why Qinzhou is the most famous music hub on Blue Star. Each one of them sang so well!

Even though the list of one hundred and six singers sent by Zhao Jue consisted of a group of new and small-time singers, with more than half of them not even having debuted yet, their skill level far exceeded the average quality on Earth.

After going through these voices, Lin Yuan successfully identified three potential candidates to try singing “Big Fish.” This was something he hadn’t anticipated beforehand.

That evening, Lin Yuan called Zhao Jue and shared his initial selections.

“Wang Ping, Jiang Kui, Wei Xiaoxin…”

Hearing Lin Yuan somewhat awkwardly pronounce these names, Zhao Jue remarked, “It seems like you’ve chosen all newcomers who haven’t debuted yet?”

“Yes.”

This kid is quite suspicious. Could it be that he’s choosing newcomers because they demand less pay? Suppressing his doubts, Zhao Jue said, “I’ll notify these three to meet you at the recording studio tomorrow. You can test their voices, and once you’ve confirmed your choice, you can start recording. However, you’ll have to pass the company’s review on your own. If you can’t pass the review, recording it would be in vain.”

“Okay.”

Their conversation ended.

The next day, at the company’s ninth-floor recording studio, Wang Ping, Jiang Kui, and Wei Xiaoxin sat upright on the chairs at the entrance, looking like job applicants waiting for an interview, their faces full of nervousness.

“Glug glug glug glug glug.”

To maintain her vocal condition, Jiang Kui had already drunk more than half a bottle of water. However, drinking water couldn’t alleviate her nervousness—

Last night, her agent suddenly informed her that she needed to come to the company for a voice test today because Xian Yu might choose her as the singer for his new song. Upon hearing this news, Jiang Kui was so excited that she barely slept.

She hadn’t expected that less than a year after joining the company, her debut opportunity would suddenly appear like this. It felt like winning the lottery or receiving a surprise gift from the heavens.

Moreover, the composer was Xian Yu!

November hadn’t even ended, and Xian Yu’s “Life Like Summer Flowers” was still at the top of the Newcomer Chart, having pulled ahead of the second place by thirty thousand downloads as of today! This already demonstrated Xian Yu’s level.

Now having the chance to debut with a work by Xian Yu, how could Jiang Kui not be excited? As a newcomer, she didn’t understand that not every song by a composer could reach the same level; nor did she know that the company had an important song release checkpoint called the composition review.

She only knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that she had to seize!

Not only Jiang Kui, but Wang Ping and Wei Xiaoxin, who were also in the newcomer stage, shared similar thoughts.

While the three waited anxiously, Lin Yuan took the elevator to the ninth floor. The recording studio staff recognized him and immediately greeted him with a smile, “Teacher Xian Yu, you’re here.”

“Xian Yu?”

The three simultaneously looked at Lin Yuan, surprised to see that Xian Yu was so young. Most successful composers were over thirty years old. While there were some under thirty, they were definitely rare.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Lin Yuan nodded to the staff and then said, “Who is Wang Ping? Come in first, and we’ll test your voice.”

“I am!”

Wang Ping immediately stood up. He was the only male among the three.

Lin Yuan nodded and entered the control room of the recording studio with the staff, casually sitting down at the mixing console and putting on headphones.

“Hello, Teacher Xian Yu.”

Wang Ping entered the recording room, took a deep breath, and introduced himself, “My vocal range is from d1 to d3, a falsetto tenor.”

“Okay.”

Lin Yuan said, “You have the sheet music and lyrics in front of you. Take three minutes, and try singing a few lines from the chorus. I’m looking for a clean and pure ethereal feeling.”

“Alright.”

Wang Ping prepared for three minutes and then began his initial test singing: “The silent waves deeply submerge the night, flooding the corners at the end of the sky…”

After two lines, Lin Yuan said, “No need to continue with the main verse. Sing two lines from the chorus, specifically the part that goes [Afraid you’ll fly far away, afraid you’ll leave me, more afraid you’ll stay here forever].”

He demonstrated it himself. Although the doctor said his voice couldn’t handle singing, Lin Yuan could still casually sing a few lines in a lower key without any issues. The so-called inability to sing meant he couldn’t practice like a professional singer every day, nor could he hit the high notes he used to excel at, as his voice couldn’t handle such high-intensity vocal loads.

“Okay, Teacher Xian Yu.”

Following Lin Yuan’s request, Wang Ping complied again. Being someone Lin Yuan specifically asked to test, Wang Ping’s voice was indeed very beautiful, handling both the main and chorus parts well.

Lin Yuan nodded, “Next is the humming part, which is the high note section towards the end of the song.”

In “Big Fish,” there’s an extremely beautiful humming section, which society refers to as the “dolphin sound,” but in professional terms, there’s no such thing as “dolphin.” The so-called “dolphin sound” is professionally known as “whistle register.” It’s a way of producing extremely high notes by blowing strong air through a tiny gap between the vocal cords and the throat—a high-pitched singing technique with ornamental flair—

This is currently the upper limit of human vocal frequency! Apart from the “hyoid sound” technique, no other singing method can surpass the whistle register, making this section more challenging than any previous part.

“Ah ah ah~ ah ah~ ah ah ah~ ah ah~”

Wang Ping’s test singing clearly showed signs of strain, not reaching the dolphin sound, at most resembling a dolphin. Lin Yuan immediately stopped him, “Your voice is too tight; it needs to be more relaxed. Also, it’s all falsetto technique. Can you sing this part without using falsetto?”

“No way…”

Wang Ping shook his head in disappointment. His vocal range was still a bit narrow, making it difficult to handle the whistle register.

“Thank you.”

Lin Yuan said, “Please ask Wei Xiaoxin to come in.”

“Okay, thank you, Teacher Xian Yu.”

Wang Ping left with his head down.

Soon, Wei Xiaoxin entered the recording room. After a brief self-introduction, the same voice test process was repeated.

Judging by the performance level this time, Wei Xiaoxin was undoubtedly better than Wang Ping, even effortlessly hitting the whistle register part. However, after listening to the test, Lin Yuan still frowned slightly.

Wei Xiaoxin’s level could only be considered barely passing. Being able to sing the whistle register and singing it beautifully are two different concepts—

There are many who can sing the whistle register, so why was Earth’s Vitas praised by both professionals and non-professionals alike? One important reason is that Vitas’s whistle register has a beautiful tone.

Tone quality is innate and difficult to change through training. While Wei Xiaoxin’s tone was fine, her whistle register tone didn’t quite meet Lin Yuan’s requirements.

Non-professionals might not notice, but Lin Yuan’s ears could immediately sense the difference from the original version. He could only sigh inwardly, “Thank you, please let the next person in.”

Actually, with post-production tuning, Wei Xiaoxin’s performance could be improved. She had already met Lin Yuan’s minimum standard for a “tool person[1].” However, Lin Yuan preferred to choose someone who wouldn’t make the sound engineer work too hard.

“Thank you, Teacher.”

Wei Xiaoxin left, somewhat disappointed.

Next was a girl named Jiang Kui. She was a petite girl who fumbled with adjusting the microphone height as soon as she entered, amusing the staff.

“Hello, teachers.”

The petite girl said awkwardly, “My name is Jiang Kui, and my vocal range is from g2 to c6…”

“Female voice high C?”

One recording engineer raised an eyebrow. Another engineer beside him clicked his tongue, “That’s a wide range. Singing the whistle register shouldn’t be a problem; it’s just a matter of whether her tone can meet Teacher Xian Yu’s requirements.”

“Let’s begin.”

Lin Yuan repeated the same instructions as with the previous two.

“Okay.”

The petite girl cleared her throat and began her performance. The earlier parts were flawless, even better than the previous two, as her voice not only had clarity and brightness but also a hint of a male singer’s vocal quality, likely due to her natural vocal condition.

“Very good.”

Lin Yuan praised, “Now try the humming part. Remember, I want the whistle register, not falsetto technique.”

After speaking, Lin Yuan felt a bit nervous. If this girl didn’t meet the standard, he would have to rely on post-production tuning for Wei Xiaoxin or find someone from the already proven debut singers—

How much money would that cost?

Wouldn’t it be more cost-effective to just tune the sound?

Just as Lin Yuan was frowning and pondering, the girl’s humming began, and a clear and beautiful whistle register resonated in his ears.

Lin Yuan’s eyes gradually lit up. He knew he wouldn’t have to share the profits with a debut singer. The third “tool person” was qualified!

The two recording engineers exchanged glances and nodded simultaneously. In terms of overall vocal condition, this petite girl was the best, making the previous two pale in comparison.

Lin Yuan said, “Your name is Jiang…”

The girl quickly said, “Jiang Kui, my name is Jiang Kui!”

Lin Yuan nodded and made the decision, “Alright, Jiang Kui, I’ll give you the complete sheet music later. I hope you can familiarize yourself with the song as soon as possible. We’ll officially start recording next Saturday.”

“Okay, thank you, Teacher!”

Jiang Kui discreetly made a V-sign behind her back, her face unable to hide her excitement and enthusiasm, “I will definitely work hard!”

Editor’s Note:

[1] Tool person: The original word is “工具人” (gōng jù rén). In colloquial slang, it refers to someone who is used as a “tool” to help others without receiving much in return, often for mundane or thankless tasks. I couldn’t find a suitable English equivalent, so I used “tool person” as a loose translation.