Chapter 227: Reciting the Menu
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in."
Jiang Shu's voice came out.
Liu Zhimin pushed the door open and walked in.
Jiang Shu looked up at the person who entered and was stunned for a moment when he saw it was Liu Zhimin.
"Is it that cold today?" Jiang Shu couldn't help but ask curiously, looking at Liu Zhimin's black down jacket on her upper body and warm black stockings on her lower body.
"It's windy outside, cold," Liu Zhimin said, unzipping her down jacket.
"Your and Xiao Yuan's outfits don't look like they're from the same season at all."
She was dressed for winter, while Zhang Yuanying was dressed for spring and autumn.
"People wear all sorts of things at this time," Liu Zhimin said indifferently. "Xiao Yuan just told me she got an exclusive variety show from you?"
"That's right, do you want one too?" Jiang Shu asked with a smile.
"I do, but I know even if I ask, you won't give it to me," Liu Zhimin snorted playfully.
"Smart." Jiang Shu smiled and agreed with Liu Zhimin, "Have a seat."
"Tch." Liu Zhimin's small mouth quirked, she 'tched' and sat down in front of the desk.
"We..."
She briefed Jiang Shu on the problems they were currently facing. Other producers would stay with the artists during their comeback period, but he was good, squatting in DM Entertainment all day, and if there was anything, he would have them come over.
It really was...
Who told him he was the chairman?
"That's probably all there is; S.M. can handle the rest." Jiang Shu analyzed the problems they encountered and, after giving corresponding answers, said.
"There's one more thing." Liu Zhimin took out a USB drive from her pocket. Jiang Shu looked closely; wasn't this the USB drive he had given to Li Xiuman?
"There are a few songs S.M. produced for us on this. General Manager Li said he wants you to listen to them and give some feedback. If there are no problems, they'll be included in our first mini-album," Liu Zhimin relayed Li Xiuman's instructions to Jiang Shu.
Jiang Shu picked up the USB drive upon hearing this.
"This old fox is really stingy; this is still my USB drive."
"Well, it's not like he can give you a new USB drive. Are you two exchanging USB drives as love tokens?" Liu Zhimin retorted.
Jiang Shu's mouth twitched.
So it was a love token, after all.
"Your little mouth is chattering away, go sit over there." Jiang Shu said, plugging the USB drive into the computer.
Liu Zhimin 'tched' again, but her butt seemed to be glued to the chair, with no sign of getting up.
Jiang Shu ignored her and plugged in the USB drive.
There were no song titles, only four audio files.
Jiang Shu clicked on the first audio file in order.
Familiar upbeat music started playing, and Jiang Shu's expression instantly became strange.
Liu Zhimin, who had been secretly peeking at Jiang Shu, noticed his changing expression and also pricked up her ears.
She hadn't listened to the songs on this USB drive either; she didn't have a computer, so there was nowhere for her to listen.
The dynamic music continued, with a demo sung by someone unknown.
Jiang Shu's expression grew even stranger, and he couldn't help but turn his head to look at Liu Zhimin.
Liu Zhimin looked at Jiang Shu, bewildered, not understanding what kind of look that was, but the next second.
"Karina, Rocket Manipulator."
"Winter, Weapon Handler."
"GISELLE, Alien Language Speaker."
"Ningning, E.D. Hacker."
Liu Zhimin: "???"
What the hell is this?!!
Liu Zhimin looked at the computer screen in "horror."
Were these embarrassing lyrics, like reciting a menu, meant for their song?
"No! No! Absolutely not!" Liu Zhimin shook her head like a rattle drum, every cell in her body screaming resistance.
"This is a very useful song for warming up concerts," Jiang Shu said with a smile. Some songs sound very ordinary when listened to alone, but they become very useful when used in a concert.
The most classic example is (G)I-DLE's "Super Lady." When the song first came out, let alone the general public, even fans were bewildered. What was this thing?
But when used as a warm-up song for a concert, the song's purpose became apparent.
"But these lyrics are too..." Liu Zhimin looked disgusted.
"IZONE also really disliked 'Gee,' but facts have proven that their dislike doesn't mean it's useless," Jiang Shu said with a smile.
This was a lie.
The ones who truly disliked "Gee" were Girls' Generation, while IZONE didn't dislike it at all; in fact, they loved it.
As for the reason...
Jiang Shu's reputation was well-known; songs he produced were already considered quality-assured. They were too happy to even think about disliking it.
"But I feel this song isn't as good as 'Gee,'" Liu Zhimin muttered.
You're not wrong about that.
"Don't worry, this is just a B-side track. I'll write the title track for you then," Jiang Shu comforted her.
"But this song..." Liu Zhimin still didn't want it, but Jiang Shu was already ignoring her.
Your unwillingness doesn't mean this song won't be finalized. What a good song.
The more embarrassed the artist, the more 話題度 .
He continued to listen to the remaining three songs.
They were all very familiar songs. Although they weren't the big hit title tracks, they were all memorable and sounded quite good.
"All four of these songs are good, especially the first one, it's absolutely perfect."
Liu Zhimin's small face crumpled. This was blatant targeting!
How could that song be absolutely perfect!
"Do we really have to sing this song?" Liu Zhimin said with a bitter face.
"Of course," Jiang Shu said with a smile.
Liu Zhimin was on the verge of tears.
Just thinking about herself singing "Karina, Rocket Manipulator" on stage made her want to cover her face.
"I will personally contact General Manager Li," Jiang Shu said with a smile. "Your task is complete."
Liu Zhimin sat numbly in place, her mind filled with the sound of "Karina, Rocket Manipulator."
Knock, knock, knock.
Jiang Shu's smile faded, and he looked up at the door.
"Come in."
Li Xianzhu (Visual Creative Director) walked in with a stack of documents.
Seeing Li Xianzhu, the numb Liu Zhimin quickly stood up.
She could act as she pleased, relying on Jiang Shu's leniency towards her, but she couldn't do that with others.
"Director Xianzhu," Liu Zhimin bowed in greeting.
"Chairman." Li Xianzhu bowed to Jiang Shu, then looked at Liu Zhimin, "Karina is here too."
"Yes!"
"What is it?" Jiang Shu asked, looking at Li Xianzhu.
"The visual content for 'Next Level' is ready. Would you like to see it?" Li Xianzhu placed the documents in her hand on the desk and pushed them towards Jiang Shu.
"Okay, I'll look at it later." Jiang Shu nodded, reaching out to put the documents aside, not rushing to look at them.
It was Liu Zhimin, however, who glanced at the documents Jiang Shu had set aside when she heard "Next Level."
She was quite curious about how the video and stage effects for this single would be designed.
"Then I'll go ahead," Li Xianzhu bowed again, then said.
"Mm, you've worked hard."
Li Xianzhu nodded at Liu Zhimin and turned to leave.
After Li Xianzhu left, Liu Zhimin's gaze fell on the documents next to Jiang Shu's hand.
Noticing Liu Zhimin's gaze, Jiang Shu smiled.
"Want to see?"