The birthday party officially began.
Bai Mangguo, the host of the banquet and the birthday girl of the night, should naturally have been the center of attention, basking in the spotlight. However, with Qiao Yiyi, the hottest and most elusive female celebrity in attendance, Bai Mangguo’s limelight was subtly stolen.
Jiang Fei had been sticking close to Qiao Yiyi and had already seen several groups of people come over to greet her, ask for her contact information, take photos, and request autographs.
For the truly wealthy, celebrities weren’t particularly mysterious. If you were willing to throw enough money around, you didn’t even need to go to the celebrities—they would come to you. The frequent news about celebrities attending private events for money wasn’t fabricated; most of it was true.
If you were willing to pay the right price, you could have a whole lineup of award-winning actors and actresses at your wedding or birthday party, turning your event into a star-studded awards ceremony!
But Qiao Yiyi was different.
Qiao Yiyi hadn’t been in the industry for long, and she was signed under a Korean entertainment company. Although she had plenty of performances and activities in China, even the wealthiest Chinese elites found it difficult to get her to attend private events. Tonight’s party was actually the first private event Qiao Yiyi had ever attended since her debut. She had only appeared on one TV entertainment show so far!
Rarity increases value, and tonight, seeing Qiao Yiyi in person, the wealthy playboys and elites couldn’t resist approaching her.
After all, even the rich are human, and they too can be starstruck.
Qiao Yiyi graciously agreed to take photos and sign autographs, never putting on an aloof act. However, when it came to requests for phone numbers or contact information, she politely declined—whether the requests came from men or women.
“I really didn’t expect your popularity to be this high,” Jiang Fei said with a smile, holding a glass of red wine.
The wine, with its rich aroma, was clearly expensive and of high quality. In fact, no wine served at the No. 26 Club could be cheap. But for Jiang Fei, it wasn’t particularly enjoyable. To him, the taste of the wine was mediocre at best, far inferior to the rice wine he brewed himself. As he sipped the wine, his mind wandered to the idea of brewing his own red wine someday.
The grapevines he had planted wouldn’t bear fruit this year—they’d have to wait until next year. However, other villagers in Daocun had plenty of grapes growing in their yards. He had recently inspected them and found that they were almost ripe, plump, and sweet—perfect for making red wine.
The quality of the grapes was just as important as the winemaker’s skill when it came to brewing red wine. Even with Jiang Fei’s exceptional brewing skills, using inferior grapes would never result in a truly excellent wine.
Qiao Yiyi smiled, her mood light as she joked, “Of course. Don’t you know I’m the next big thing? Just because you don’t know me doesn’t mean others don’t.”
“Keep it up. Work hard. Aim to conquer not just Asia but Europe and America too. Go win eight or ten Grammy Awards and bring glory to our country!” Jiang Fei said.
“Hey, are you encouraging me or mocking me?” Qiao Yiyi shot him a playful glare. The Grammys were among the most prestigious music awards in the world, typically dominated by white and Black artists. For an Asian singer to break into the Grammys was about as likely as a Chinese film winning the Oscar for Best Picture.
Winning eight or ten awards was out of the question. Even winning one obscure award would be nearly impossible. If it did happen, the domestic media would go wild, hyping it up to no end.
In fact, some domestic singers were so desperate for recognition that they paid to attend foreign award ceremonies, buying meaningless awards just to claim they had “made it” internationally.
“Encouragement! Absolutely encouragement! Honestly, I’m a bit of a patriot myself. I’d love to see a homegrown superstar rise to become a world-class icon!” Jiang Fei said earnestly.
“Really?” Qiao Yiyi chuckled, then shook her head. “To be honest, with my current abilities, even getting a Grammy nomination, let alone winning an award, is almost impossible. Unless…”
She paused, tilting her head as she looked at Jiang Fei, her eyes sparkling under the warm lighting like two crescent moons.
Jiang Fei felt a sudden unease under her gaze.
He recognized that look—it was filled with desire and a strong sense of purpose, almost predatory. From an animalistic perspective, it was like a lioness spotting a majestic lion and deciding she wanted to mate with him.
Lin Molly sometimes gave him that look before… ambushing him! Like the time she had kissed him in the hospital.
Of course, Qiao Yiyi’s gaze wasn’t driven by romantic desire but by something else entirely.
“Unless what?” Jiang Fei asked after taking a sip of wine.
“Unless you help me!” Qiao Yiyi replied without hesitation. “With a master like you by my side, even if my singing skills are just average, I could still stand out and win over the judges at those competitions. You know, singing isn’t just about the singer’s voice. A great song and arrangement are just as important—sometimes even more so than the singer’s talent!”
She looked at Jiang Fei with pleading eyes. “Honestly, there’s no shortage of talented singers in Asia. The reason we don’t get recognized in Western competitions isn’t because we lack skill but because we don’t have the right songs or the right style. With the right song, even an average singer could become a star!”
Jiang Fei was speechless. After all that, she still wanted him to help her.
“Let’s talk about this another time. For now, let’s focus on the performance. You know the song I picked, right?” Jiang Fei asked.
There was only a piano on the stage in the center of the hall, and since Jiang Fei was accompanying Qiao Yiyi alone, the piano was the most suitable instrument. After discussing it, they decided to perform a song that originally featured only piano accompaniment.
Most modern pop songs have complex arrangements, using multiple instruments to enhance the music and mask any shortcomings in the singer’s voice. Pure piano-accompanied pop songs are rare.
Originally, Jiang Fei had planned for Qiao Yiyi to sing a song first, and then he would perform a solo piano piece afterward.
But Qiao Yiyi, ever the enthusiastic star, had insisted on collaborating with him.
Jiang Fei had been reluctant but agreed out of respect for her.
After all, she had helped him out of a tight spot earlier. He couldn’t just ignore her goodwill.
However, if they performed together, Jiang Fei’s role would be limited to playing the piano accompaniment for a pop song. That didn’t leave much room for him to showcase his extraordinary piano skills or surprise those who had underestimated him.
How was he supposed to show off and shut people up like this?
So, Jiang Fei was considering whether to stay on stage after their duet and perform something like Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 to really make an impression.
“Of course I know the song. Someone Like You is a song every singer knows. But I probably won’t sing it as well as the original,” Qiao Yiyi said.
When it came to pop songs with pure piano accompaniment, Someone Like You was the first that came to mind. It was not only a beautiful song but also widely popular, one of the few English songs that had become a hit in China. Its melody and structure were excellent, which was why they had chosen it.
Although the song was a bit melancholic and not exactly suitable for a birthday party… well, who cared?
Given how rude Bai Mangguo had been, it was a miracle they weren’t singing something like Eighteen Touches!
Jiang Fei, preoccupied with his thoughts, absentmindedly complimented her, “You’ll do fine. I think you’re quite talented, and your voice is great. This song is challenging, but you’ll handle it well.”
The song was indeed difficult, which would allow Qiao Yiyi to showcase her vocal skills. However, for the accompanist, there wasn’t much room to shine. Jiang Fei would essentially be reduced to a supporting role.
But Qiao Yiyi had also thought of this. She quickly suggested, “How about we make a small change to the arrangement?”
Jiang Fei was intrigued. “What kind of change?”
Qiao Yiyi thought for a moment, then explained, “It’s simple. We don’t have time to completely rearrange the song or practice extensively. All we need to do is, after I finish the first verse, during the instrumental piano section, you can play a solo piano piece of your own. That way, you’ll have a chance to showcase your piano skills, and everyone will see how amazing you are!”
Jiang Fei’s eyes lit up, though he pretended to hesitate. “Is that okay? Won’t people think I’m showing off too much?”
Before Qiao Yiyi could respond, he quickly added, “Alright, let’s do it your way! But what should I play during that section?”
