Chapter 98: Sister, You Can't Afford to Play This Game (Tenth Update—First Subscription Requested)

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At two o'clock in the afternoon, while the little ones were still sleeping soundly in the studio's lounge, Yang Qing and his companions returned to the recording room once more.

This afternoon, he planned to record three more culinary soundtrack pieces: "Memories of Time," "Kitchen Symphony," and "From the Tip of the Tongue to the Heart."

"Dongning, how's your preparation? No problem, right?" Yang Qing looked to Li Dongning and asked.

These three pieces required both of them to perform together, making them more challenging than the solo performances from the morning. Their synergy would be put to the test.

"No problem," Li Dongning replied, taking a deep breath. "Let's start with 'Memories of Time.' We need to get in sync."

"Alright!" Yang Qing nodded.

They entered the isolation booth of the recording room; Yang Qing took his place at the piano, while Li Dongning stood before the music stand, flute in hand.

Outside the booth, apart from the recording staff, Wang Ying and her brother, along with Qin Xue and Fang Du, all waited expectantly, headphones on.

Yang Qing glanced at Li Dongning and nodded gently, then his fingers began to dance across the piano keys.

Wang Ying and Qin Xue's eyes instantly lit up; for these two women versed in music, every time Yang Qing played was a unique delight.

"Toot~~"

Just then, the melodious sound of the flute joined in as Li Dongning played, and instantly, piano and flute blended in harmony.

The piano's lingering notes and the flute's gentle melody created a sensation of time flowing and change unfolding.

Inside the isolation booth, Yang Qing's fingers rose and fell on the keys, but his brows furrowed unconsciously, as did Li Dongning's.

"Ah, it's getting chaotic," Wang Ying shook her head gently outside.

Sure enough, just as Qin Xue and the others were listening, the piano abruptly stopped, followed closely by the flute.

"Huh? Why did you stop? Wasn't it... going well?" Wang Ming asked, bewildered.

"The rhythm was off," Wang Ying explained, removing her headphones. "The flute jumped ahead a beat, throwing everything off."

"Uh..."

Wang Ming and Fang Du exchanged glances—how could she pick up on that?

Inside the booth—

"Yang Qing, sorry, I..."

"Oh, don't mention it, it's normal. Let's try again. This time we'll..."

Yang Qing and Li Dongning discussed the piece for a while longer, then began their second attempt.

This time, the beginning went smoothly, but chaos crept in midway, forcing another halt.

The discussion resumed, Wang Ying joining in, and the three debated intensely, dissecting the piece in ever finer detail.

Afterward, they recorded again, stopping whenever the performance faltered, then returning to their analysis—repeating the process time and again. After more than an hour, they finally refined the piece from start to finish and began the formal recording.

Yang Qing and Li Dongning now felt confident, ready for a flawless performance.

When the piano and flute soared together once more, Wang Ying's smile blossomed, and Qin Xue and the others' expressions shifted; this time, they heard something quite different from before.

...

As Yang Qing and Li Dongning performed, the little ones in the lounge gradually woke up.

"Mm, very good, excellent, you've improved!" Tan Jin'er patted Xiao Xier's little pants, smiling as the child awoke.

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Xiao Xier (> <): "Sister, are you being petty? You... you look down on Xier! Xier is your older sister, I'm a big kid!"

"Haha..." Tan Jin'er laughed at her little sister's antics. "I don't look down on you. You're my most cherished little sister."

"Hmph! I'm not talking to you!" Xiao Xier snorted, then ran over to Qiuer and Xiaobai, grabbing their hands to dash off.

"Xier! Where are you taking Qiuer and Xiaobai?" Tan Jin'er called after them.

"Hmph! Sister, you made Xier angry. Xier is going to play the drums!"

Tan Jin'er: ...

Just say you want to play; you don't have to drag me into it!

The three little ones ran off gleefully, and Tan Jin'er picked up little Dong'er, who was pouting and rubbing her eyes, and followed after.

With them gone, only Chunxia and Bai Lingyue remained in the lounge.

"Aren't you going to play?" Bai Lingyue smiled at the two.

"No," Chun'er replied crisply. "Lingyue, will you take us to watch brother record?"

"Hmm? You want to go to the recording room?" Bai Lingyue was surprised.

"Yes, yes!" Both nodded eagerly.

Bai Lingyue smiled. "Alright, let's go then. Actually, I wanted to go too."

"Yes, yes, hehe..."

Xia'er grinned, then ran to the coffee table and picked up a few bottles of water, saying sweetly, "Recording must be hard for the brothers; let's bring them some water!"

"Good idea! Xia'er is so thoughtful."

Xia'er: (^_^)

So, the little ones split into two groups.

In the instrument room, as Tan Jin'er entered carrying little Dong'er, she saw Xiao Xier gripping drumsticks, excitedly standing before the drum kit, while Qiuer and Xiaobai climbed onto the piano bench.

Watching them, Tan Jin'er didn't stop them; she was curious to see how these children would play with the instruments.

Then... she saw and heard it, and immediately felt uneasy.

Only one phrase echoed in her mind: "Wild little chicks!"

"Stop! Everyone stop!" Tan Jin'er couldn't endure the cacophony and shouted, but it was futile.

She walked over to her little sister and stood firmly, glaring.

"Hiahia..." Xiao Xier, seeing her sister's fierce expression, chuckled mischievously and stood at attention.

"Behave yourself!"

Tan Jin'er scolded, then moved to Qiuer and Xiaobai.

The two stopped their wild playing, grinning at her.

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"Alright, you..."

"Bang bang bang bang..."

Tan Jin'er had just begun to speak when the chaotic drumbeat erupted again. She turned and saw Xiao Xier wildly shaking and drumming, grinning at her.

"Xier!"

Tan Jin'er was about to lose her temper with her little sister. She set down Dong'er and marched toward the mischievous Xiao Xier.

But as soon as she approached, Xiao Xier stood at attention again, and now the wild piano notes rang out—courtesy of little Xiaobai.

Qiuer jumped off the stool, grabbed Dong'er's hand, and watched, giggling.

Tan Jin'er: ...

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry—these two children were too naughty!

Flowers bloom in different places, each telling its own story.

Inside the recording room, the piano fell silent, the flute lingered, and a perfect ensemble was finally completed.

Yang Qing and Li Dongning exchanged glances, then hurried out of the booth, looking nervously at Wang Ying and the others.

"Perfect! Your ensemble was flawless, and the recording was excellent!" Wang Ying praised.

"Whew!"

Both exhaled in relief, the tension easing.

"Brother Yang, shall we continue?" Wang Ming, eager to press on, asked.

"Let's take a break," Yang Qing shook his head. "This piece is actually simpler than the other two, but even so, it drained us. We need to discuss and refine some more."

"Agreed," Li Dongning nodded. "With this ensemble, most of our earlier refinements were useless—wasted effort."

"Not entirely," Yang Qing replied. "We simply weren't precise with the instrument tones, which led to pitch deviations during the ensemble."

He paused, then looked to Wang Ying. "Queen Ying, I’ll need your help again soon."

"That's fine," Wang Ying replied, "but I have a small request."

"Uh, what is it? Go ahead," Yang Qing was puzzled.

Wang Ying glanced at him, then at Qin Xue, smiling. "Since you and Qin Xue have gotten this far, I can only step back, so don't be so formal with me anymore. We're friends. 'Queen Ying' is too polite—my friends call me Xiaoying."

"Ah, but... isn't that inappropriate? After all, you're a superstar, and I'm just..."

Yang Qing hesitated, but Qin Xue interrupted with a smile, "Alright, since we're friends, calling you 'Queen Ying' is indeed too formal. We'll call you Xiaoying. After all, Yang Qing is a year or two older than us."

She turned to Wang Ying, smiling, "Can I call you Xiaoying too?"

Wang Ying smiled back, "Of course, Xiaoxue."

"Giggle..."

The two women seemed to have buried the hatchet, laughing together, while Wang Ming and Fang Du shrank back slightly.

Beautiful women are truly formidable, their hearts deep as the sea—Bai Zhijun’s aphorism.

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