No Ulterior Motives C46
by MarineTLChapter 46: Gold-Tier Music Producer
“Hei, isn’t it a surprise? Her silhouette looks so carefree…”
The moment the first line was sung, everyone in the room was stunned.
The younger relatives who had been chatting with their heads down, the uncles who were raising their glasses in celebration, and the aunts who were discussing household matters—all paused their actions at that instant.
They lifted their heads, turning their gaze toward the girl on the stage.
No one had expected—
That the girl they had known for so many years was hiding such a complex voice within her.
For a moment, goosebumps rose on many people’s arms.
Then, as the guitar melody gradually unfolded, the entire hall fell into complete silence.
—”Hei, you have to understand, people come and go…”
—”The only thing that never changes in this world is that people always change…”
—”Passing through the mortal world, love always has an expiration date…”
As these lyrics and this voice echoed in their minds, different scenes surfaced in everyone’s thoughts.
Even Jiang Ning’s mother and aunt, who were older, could hear something different in this song.
—”Heaven takes pity, heartbreak is inevitable…”
—”I thought after going through it a few times, I’d be more trained…”
—”Passing through the mortal world, I learned how to defend myself…”
Thinking that more experience would make you better at protecting yourself?
That line struck something deep inside Li Mingyu, and countless memories flooded her mind.
Slowly, her eyes turned red.
And she wasn’t the only one.
Many people in the room, each with their own past experiences, felt a sense of bittersweet sorrow.
It wasn’t until the chorus hit that many of them snapped back to reality.
“Oh my goodness, Xiao Ning’s singing is incredible!” A relative clutched their chest, full of admiration.
“She sings even better than professional stars!” An older aunt lavished praise without hesitation.
“Xiao Hao, is that really Ah Ning?” A relative nudged Tian Wenhao’s arm, asking in disbelief.
Tian Wenhao simply nodded, his shock no less than anyone else’s.
But no one was more shocked than her own mother, Tian Cuilan.
Her eyes were filled with astonishment and confusion.
Especially when she heard those lyrics, she was completely dazed.
—Is this really my daughter?
—The daughter I’ve lived with for 17 years?
Meanwhile, following closely behind Li Mingyu, her best friend Liao Liao and her assistant, Xiao Tuan, had also arrived at the hall.
The moment they stepped in, they heard the song.
Instantly, the two of them froze in place.
Unlike the others, Liao Liao and her assistant were professionals in the music industry.
They worked for one of the top entertainment companies in the country.
Because of that, Liao Liao had a level of understanding and judgment in music that far exceeded the average person.
And when she analyzed the performance from a professional perspective, she was utterly shocked—
The girl on stage, whether in breath control, musical expression, or guitar-playing technique, was already on par with professional musicians.
This discovery left Liao Liao in disbelief.
Then, as the song continued, she made an even more shocking realization.
“This sounds amazing.”
“But… I don’t think I’ve ever heard this song before.”
“Could it be a new release?”
“This is definitely a new song!” Liao Liao said with absolute certainty, turning to her assistant with wide eyes.
“With my 10 years of experience in the music industry, I can say for sure—this song has never appeared on any charts. Even if we look back twenty years, there’s no record of it.”
“So…” The assistant, with her round face, looked at the talented music producer beside her in confusion.
“So, this song is very likely an original composition!”
“O-Original…?!”
The assistant was completely stunned.
She knew that creating a fully developed original song was an incredibly complex process.
From composition to lyrics to final production—if someone didn’t have a solid foundation, just composing the melody alone would be enough to stump most people.
Otherwise, she and Liao Liao wouldn’t have traveled hundreds of kilometers from Haicheng to Jiangzhou just to find new songs.
Suddenly, a thought crossed the assistant’s mind, and she widened her eyes in shock.
“Liao Liao-jie, do you think this girl might be related to Master Lu?”
“You mean… this song was written by Master Lu?” Liao Liao considered the possibility.
After all, expecting a teenage girl to compose such a deep and refined song seemed highly unlikely.
However, knowing Master Lu’s personality, it was even more unlikely that he would give away a song for free to some random girl.
Their company had even prepared 300,000 yuan specifically to buy one of Master Lu’s compositions as the lead track for their next album.
As Liao Liao continued to ponder the possibilities, the girl on stage finished her performance.
Ignoring the audience’s enthusiastic calls for an encore, she simply smiled, bowed politely, and prepared to step off the stage.
Seeing this, Liao Liao, without knowing why, suddenly called out in a loud voice—
“Excuse me! Can I ask what this song is called?”
“Passing Through the Mortal World…”
——————
By the time Jiang Ning and her mother left the hotel, it was already 9 PM.
As soon as they stepped outside, the cold wind hit them, making Jiang Ning shiver.
With a soft “achoo,” she sneezed.
Seeing her niece catching a chill, her aunt immediately suggested, “Cuilan, it’s getting cold. Why don’t you take a taxi home with Ning Ning?”
“I’ll have Xiao Hao bring your bikes back later.”
“That won’t do!” Tian Cuilan immediately rejected the idea.
“Ning Ning and I both have bikes—how can Xiao Hao bring back two at once?”
“Never mind, we’ll just ride home ourselves.”
Despite Tian Cuilan’s insistence, Aunt Tian Cuixiang remained unconvinced.
Seeing the disagreement, Jiang Ning’s slightly tipsy uncle suddenly spoke up:
“How about this—”
“Sis, you ride home on your bike.”
“Ning Ning takes a taxi. I’ll ride her bike back since I’ve had some drinks and can’t drive my car anyway.”
That seemed like a reasonable compromise.
And so, Jiang Ning watched as her burly uncle wobbled off on her pink bicycle, swaying left and right as he rode farther and farther away.
To be honest—
She felt a little sorry for her bike.
Shortly after, just as her mother hailed a taxi for her—
A bright red BMW suddenly pulled up in front of her.
The window rolled down, revealing a glamorous face with perfectly applied makeup.
“Miss Mingyu? You…”
“Come on, I’ll drive you home.”
Li Mingyu didn’t explain much. She simply gestured for Jiang Ning to get in.
If it were anyone else’s car, she would never have considered getting in.
But this was Li Mingyu—a mature young woman she had interacted with several times.
Their relationship had already surpassed that of mere acquaintances.
So, after a brief moment of thought, Jiang Ning turned to her mother and said,
“Mom, this is my classmate’s older sister. She can give me a ride home.”
Her classmate’s sister?
Hearing this connection, Tian Cuilan didn’t think too much about it. After all, she had already been shocked enough for one day. She instinctively nodded and politely said to Li Mingyu,
“Then I’ll trouble you.”
“No trouble at all.”
Once her mother left, Jiang Ning opened the car door.
As soon as she got in, she noticed a round-faced girl sitting inside, holding a bouquet of flowers and staring at her in amazement.
Did I get in the wrong car?
Jiang Ning glanced at the driver’s seat—
No mistake.
It was indeed Li Mingyu driving.
She also noticed that the passenger seat was occupied by a stylish and sophisticated-looking woman.
Just then, Li Mingyu spoke.
“Let me introduce you—this is my college roommate and best friend, and also a top music producer at one of the biggest record labels—Ms. Liao Liao.”
“You can call her Liao Liao-jie.”