DYUTVOBGA Chapter 75

What was Quentin’s rap like?

Whether it was the audience outside the show or the mentors inside the show, they had praised his vocal tone, his singing technique, his musicality and so on countless times. These factors honestly had little to do with whether he could rap well.

He was not like Xue Mingzhu, who had the natural advantage of the traditional low-bass thick voice in rap. His voice when singing was clearer and brighter, with a wider range. From these characteristics, it was quite obvious that he was a melody-type rapper.

At this moment, he was surrounded by his teammates, sitting in their midst. He wore a loose T-shirt and wide-leg pants, slouching lazily with a hunched back. His baseball cap was also tilted to the left, a few tufts of hair sticking out playfully from under the brim.

He really had a bit of a street kid vibe this way.

His right hand resting on his knee loosely held a pen, while his left hand hanging by his side lightly pressed on the wooden floor. Before his first rap line even came out, his palm slapped down on the floor first.

The first heavy beat corresponded to the Kick in the drumbeat, followed by tapping the floor to keep time according to the most basic 4/4 beat, a classic “Hat-Snare-Hat” loop.

To the onomatopoeic drumbeat of “thump-tap-crack-tap,” the boy cleared his throat unhurriedly and began to sing the chorus part of a rap single he had released when he was 16 years old in his previous life.

The voice was still that voice, but the singing style was very different from the lingering, somewhat slurred tone of “La liberté.”

Chen Shiyu and Lin Qifeng had discussed Quentin privately over a meal, and both felt that this voice was born to sing. And the type of song wouldn’t affect the power and charm contained in his voice.

But even though Quentin’s voice and singing skills were so superior that everyone knew it, no one could have imagined that his rap would be like this.

His enunciation was crisp, and his vocal delivery possessed a rhythm that was extremely captivating. It felt like opening a vigorously shaken chilled soda can with one hand, and the bubbles burst out instantly from the mouth of the can.

The white mist gushing out on a hot summer day, the tiny water droplets condensing on the metal surface… Cool, refreshing, making one involuntarily think of the exhilarating burst of soda between the lips and teeth, a sweet, refreshing sensation spreading from the esophagus to the entire body.

Moreover, this short 30-second melody was incredibly catchy. There wasn’t even any accompaniment, but it was just so good to listen to, so good that several teammates present couldn’t help but widen their eyes, getting goosebumps from his singing.

After Quentin stopped the beat-keeping movements, his six teammates raised their hands in unspoken understanding and clapped vigorously, their eyes practically glowing green as they stared at their team leader.

Xue Mingzhu couldn’t wait to ask, “Quentin, was that a freestyle you just came up with on the spot, or was it written in advance? It was written in advance, right? Is it finished? Is there a full version? Do you have a Light Music account? This song hasn’t been released yet, right? I’ve never heard it before!”

He spat out a string of questions, his speech so fast the others hadn’t caught up. It was Zhuang Ze who first raised a hand to interrupt, saying helplessly, “Hey, hey, slow down. Do you want to rap too just after the team leader finished? You rappers really…”

Quentin still had that indifferent expression, clearly not treating the rap just now as a proper performance, at most, it was a diagnostic test to let his teammates understand his level in advance.

He replied, “There’s a full version. It was written a long time ago but I haven’t released it yet.”

Xue Mingzhu wore an expression of regret and disappointment as if one’s child has failed to meet expectations: “How can you not release it when it’s already written? Such a good song… Sigh! If you had released it earlier, maybe we would have met sooner. Wait, you don’t even have a Light Music account, do you?”

Quentin didn’t reply immediately, so the others took it as confirmation.

Yang Siyi muttered, “So this is the world of top students… He clearly has this kind of ability but kept a low profile to focus on studying and preparing for exams, avoiding outside influences… Which is why he could make a great entrance after the college entrance exam.”

“Damn, that’s so cool!”

Sheng Yuanxu listened and couldn’t help but clench his fists and hit his thighs twice.

If this kind of thing happened to him, he would definitely record this experience into a series of videos and become a million-follower streamer within half a year!

No, even if he wasn’t the person involved, now he was Quentin’s teammate!

When he gets eliminated from “NS” and goes back, the show would still be airing. He could make a few videos with the theme of Quentin’s story and his own experiences interacting with Quentin. Wouldn’t that blow up?

Zhuang Ze gave a thumbs-up. After holding back for a long time, Tang Heng couldn’t come up with any fresh rainbow farts: “…Team leader is so amazing.”

Even though Quentin was accustomed to countless people growing excited and frenzied over him, he was somewhat somewhat unable to bear the way these teammates were making a fuss over such unfounded speculation.

He knew his own limitations. All those songs belonged to a past life, and back then, he certainly hadn’t had the leisure to juggle academics…a “delinquent youth” who had run away from home certainly wouldn’t be able to finish high school. His student records were still controlled by his stupid guardian. He had to rely on music to achieve his dreams and to make a living.

The image of a genius top student who buried himself in studies while casually writing songs on the side had absolutely nothing to do with him.

But he couldn’t deny it either. After all, in the eyes of outsiders, the “Quentin” of this world had lived such a full and perfect life.

Xue Mingzhu was still thinking about that song. If he insisted on saying those 30 seconds of lyrics and melody were unique and stunning, that wouldn’t be quite accurate, but he had to admit, it really had a spark of talent.

What he was most concerned about was Quentin’s foundation in acapella rap without any backing track or supporting vocals.

Supporting vocals are an indispensable part of rap performances. Here, supporting vocals don’t refer to lip-syncing or fake singing, but rather a means to enhance the live atmosphere and add layers to the performance. As for accompaniment, that goes without saying.

Yet Quentin, just relying on himself beating the rhythm with his hands, could rap with such energy… The more Xue Mingzhu thought about it, the more excited he became. He couldn’t wait to collaborate with Quentin.

“Alright, since the rap aspect is settled, let’s decide on a theme first. Everyone, pool your ideas. Any thoughts are welcome.”

Quentin held a pen and wrote down some numbers in a notebook, saying, “What direction is this demo suited for? How can the stage performance be developed? Choreography, formations, costumes, makeup, props… and so on. Let’s discuss everything internally first. After we settle on a general plan, I’ll go ask the program team if it’s suitable.”

Tang Heng subconsciously said, “The theme… isn’t it ‘Star Fire’?”

As soon as he finished, he felt everyone around him turn to look at him in unison. He cautiously looked back. Uh, had he said something wrong?

Zhuang Nao elbowed him, his voice squeezed out through gritted teeth: “Are you stupid? ‘Star Fire’ is their secret code for teaming up!”

Who didn’t know Quentin and Xue Mingzhu had a good relationship? Those with well-informed sources had even heard that these two had agreed long ago to be in the same team for the performance.

For the first performance, it was because they were both team leaders, so they couldn’t be grouped together. But for the second performance, the team leaders wrote the keywords. And then, considering Xue Mingzhu’s loud laughter after going upstairs… hmph, the “keywords” were probably full of water.

Tang Heng realized this belatedly and stared at his teammates in shock. “Huh? No, wait, you… you all thought that? You all chose ‘Star Fire’ because of that?!”

Everyone fell silent.

Tang Heng rubbed the back of his head and let out a dry laugh. “…Haha, so in the end, everyone’s the same. Turns out this round of team selection tested not just luck, but also IQ.”

Having been in a state of turmoil since the rankings announcement yesterday, Tang Heng was very aware of Quentin’s popularity among the trainees. He dared swear that over half the trainees at the “NS” filming base wanted to be in Quentin’s team for the second performance. Yet he, a pitiful bottom ranked trainee, had still managed to squeeze in before the team was full.

It seems some of the people ranked higher than him weren’t that clever… His current teammates were probably among the top contenders for IQ at “NS,” right?

While thinking this, Tang Heng didn’t stop talking: “Even though I chose the same way, I don’t think Quentin would casually mess around with something like this… Ahem… Team leader, you already have an idea, don’t you?”

Quentin nodded frankly. “Yes, but to keep my ideas from influencing you, you all speak first.”

This time, he wanted to sincerely listen to his teammates’ genuine thoughts. So after asking the question, he kept his attention distributed among each teammate.

“His teammates all came for him”… this was obvious. Quentin had sensed it from the first reaction in each of their eyes when they entered the room.

If you asked whether he was surprised… well… to tell the truth, he still was quite taken aback.

In both his past and present lives, Quentin had long grown accustomed to the gazes of people around him, both overt and covert. All of it was because he had a good-looking face. It had nothing to do with what his personality was really like, whether his career was successful, or whether his skills were outstanding.

Those shallow affections (perhaps not even affection) were merely directed at his good looks. He never felt a shred of pride or self-satisfaction because of it, solely because this face had brought him too much trouble in the past; any other benefits were simply what he deserved.

Quentin was fully aware of the shifts in attitude among the trainees in the program. The initial attention was mostly due to his looks + parachuting in + online opinion, with curiosity, wariness, and hostility making up the bulk of it.

Later, as his professional skills became evident, the curiosity gradually turned to admiration, while the wariness became even more wariness.

As for the hostile ones…perhaps they themselves didn’t even realize how complex those hostile emotions were. Quentin, who sensed it earlier than them, simply didn’t care.

Many people wanted to be in his group; that was inevitable, because attaching oneself to the strong is human instinct.

What surprised Quentin wasn’t the fact that “his teammates all came for him,” but rather that during the discussions after the team assembled, everyone spontaneously centered the conversation around him.

He could tell his teammates weren’t deliberately flattering him, nor were they blindly following him like some people during the first performance. This time, the teammates who gathered seemed to genuinely believe in him and were willingly following his lead.

This caught Quentin, who was mentally prepared to be rebutted, somewhat off guard.

Xue Mingzhu picked up the conversation: “I think the ‘Star Fire’ theme is quite good. This demo sounds very exciting and inspiring at first, but when you listen carefully, it’s more like a trumpet call before disaster strikes, a low roar before rushing into a perilous battlefield, or perhaps, a cry within the darkness before dawn?”

He paused: “Ahem, I’m referring to a feeling, a kind of feeling. Maybe it sounds a bit abstract… Don’t look at me like that, hey!”

Qiao Xue nodded thoughtfully: “I think I can understand. It’s probably… impassioned yet tragic hope?”

Yang Siyi nodded earnestly: “After all, it’s ‘Star Fire’. A tiny spark can ignite an entire prairie.”

Zhuang Nao thought for a moment and said: “But that alone isn’t specific enough, right? ‘Star Fire’ can extend to too many themes. I think we still need a clearer core.”

Tang Heng looked at Quentin expectantly: “Team leader, maybe you could define the scope?”

“Mm, my thoughts are similar to what you’ve said. That’s precisely what I meant by writing ‘Star Fire’.”

Quentin lowered his head and wrote “disaster” and “humanity” on the paper, then connected the two words with an arrow, labeling the arrow with “hope.”

As he scribbled and drew, he said: “The thematic background I imagine is apocalyptic natural disasters, human civilization on the brink of extinction, but the fire of hope endures and never dies out. The lyrics can be created based on this story background. The song’s core is also very simple: fearless in the face of hardship, marching forward bravely. It should be an inspiring song.”

“If the final song has this theme, then the stage design would be easy to manage too. Withered, decaying plants, cities reduced to ruins, the sunrise heralding dawn in the darkness…” He stopped writing and looked up at everyone. “As for costumes, perhaps we could consider the recently popular post-apocalyptic wasteland style?”

“Sounds good! That’s very well thought out!” Xue Mingzhu slapped Quentin on the back without hesitation, voicing his support. “I support it with both hands and feet! Post-apocalyptic wasteland…forget everything else, just hearing it sounds cool! We’re boy group members, we have to go for cool!”

Quentin was slapped so hard his back straightened. Before he could say anything, he heard the other teammates chime in from all sides, with no one objecting.

Even when giving suggestions, they were all about refining the story background based on “post-apocalyptic wasteland” or adjusting and supplementing the narrative transitions between each segment.

Lyrics were to be created individually. They unanimously agreed that not every line needed to represent a specific story, but the passages should progress from shallow to deep, from partial to whole and gradually building to a climax.

It was a highly efficient discussion with everyone participating.

Two hours later, the first draft of the second performance plan was officially completed.

As the team leader, Quentin put the finishing stroke on the paper, then capped his pen, preparing to hurry and discuss with the program team after the meeting.

Seeing this, Tang Heng quickly raised his hand: “Wait! I, I still have something to say.”

Quentin, who was about to stand up, paused and looked up at him.

The boy swallowed, his eyes fixed on Quentin. His first words, however, were not directed at him: “Everyone has heard the team leader’s rap and seen his singing and dancing performances on stage, right?”

He glanced sideways at his nodding teammates, then continued: “Although we haven’t started creating yet, and the lyric distribution isn’t about who gets more or less, it’s equal for everyone…but I think… our choreography can’t completely rotate the center position based on parts. We need a true center.”

At this point, anyone who couldn’t hear his implied meaning was probably a fool. The person who was most surprised by his words was undoubtedly Quentin.

The boy’s hand twirling a pen stopped. His expression didn’t seem to change much, but his eyes revealed a trace of bewilderment.

But this trace of bewilderment didn’t infect the others. The teammates’ reactions were much more decisive than their leader’s.

Zhuang Nao raised his hand: “I agree. Forget the parts for now; the center position can’t be decided casually. Having a strong center who can control the stage is beneficial for the entire performance.”

Yang Siyi immediately raised his hand as well: “+1. There are only seven of us, for a proper boy group stage, the center is very important!”

Sheng Yuanxu: “As the saying goes, the pretty child stands in the middle… Mm, you know what I mean.”

…..

Quentin looked at the hands raised before him and finally slowly came to his senses.

He wasn’t quite sure what to say. Should he thank them? Thank them for their trust and support? Or should he promise he definitely wouldn’t let them down?

It seemed like these were the only things to say, but looking at his teammates’ bright eyes, he felt there was no need to state the obvious. Everything can be understood without words.

He lowered his gaze and silently extended his hand.

Before two seconds passed, a hand descended from beside him, firmly covering the back of his hand.

Then, the boys’ hands stacked one after another, the warm temperatures of their palms transferring to each other, their young faces full of anticipation.

Quentin stared at everyone’s hands pressed together and said in a low, measured voice: “A single spark…”

Xue Mingzhu: “Will! Win!!”

Yang Siyi: “Charge, charge, charge!!!”

Qiao Xue: “Ahem… Good luck?”

Sheng Yuanxu: “Pfft, so uncoordinated.”

Zhuang Nao: “Never mind all that, listen to the team leader.”

Tang Heng: “Whatever the team leader says is right!!!!”

Everyone laughed and chattered noisily. Looking at this scene, Quentin thought: ‘A bunch of kids.’