181 The Queen of Divine Tunes
“Hello, my name is Wang Heng.”
As he spoke, he calmly sized up the woman in front of him. She was wearing light brown sunglasses, which made her eyes look as if they were covered by a thin veil. However, judging from the shape of her eyes revealed through the veil and the contours of her face, she should be considered a beauty.
Whether it was her clothing or her demeanor, this woman exuded a mature temperament. And Wang Heng keenly noticed the watch on her wrist. It looked… expensive?
The woman leaned in slightly and whispered, “My name is Chang Wen.”
Hearing this name, Wang Heng looked at the woman in front of him again and suddenly understood why she had to whisper when introducing herself—if others around heard it, wouldn’t it cause a commotion?
Chang Wen was a singer, definitely a famous one. But her fame was as great as the controversy surrounding her.
Even Wang Heng, who wasn’t very interested in the entertainment industry, had heard her songs. He couldn’t help it. The big sale shops on the street often played them loudly, the aunties dancing in the square in the evening often played them, and she always had a place on various vulgar pop song charts. It was impossible not to know. Below “Love Trading” and “Most Dazzling Folk Style,” were Chang Wen’s songs.
“Fire Fire Fire,” “Muah Muah Da,” “Good Little Brother”—as many people loved listening to these songs, just as many detested them. But no matter how much people hated them, those magically brainwashing tunes made people remember them firmly, and those admittedly tacky lyrics were even more unforgettable.
“You…” Wang Heng considered his words, “don’t you need to wear a mask when you go out?”
Chang Wen chuckled in a low voice. “No need, they don’t know me. Just like you, did you recognize me before I said my name?”
Wang Heng had to admit that what she said made sense. Although she was one of the ‘Queens of Divine Tunes,’ he really hadn’t paid much attention to Chang Wen’s face. Just like “Love Trading” was so popular, not many people cared what the singer who sang this song looked like.
The so-called internet divine tunes and square dance divine tunes received completely different treatment from mainstream songs in the music industry.
At this moment, Pei Ningle sang to the end of another song. But the girl didn’t leave the stage to rest. Instead, she gave a look to the counter, indicating that she was in good condition and could continue.
Chang Wen suddenly asked, “How much longer until she finishes singing?”
Wang Heng: “About ten minutes. Why don’t you come with me to the rest area and wait for her?”
But Chang Wen shook her head and sat down. “I want to finish listening here.”
Wang Heng noticed that in the eyes of this Queen of Divine Tunes, there was not only appreciation but also a trace of… loneliness?
“You sit too.” Chang Wen glanced at him and pointed to the empty seat opposite the table.
So Wang Heng sat down and listened quietly with her to the singing from that small round stage.
**
After Pei Ningle finished singing, she returned to the rest area as usual.
The rest area was empty, which confused her a little—Wang Heng had told her before she went on stage that he would be waiting in the rest area.
However, not long after, the door of the rest area opened, and Wang Heng appeared. And with him was a mature-looking big sister.
Pei Ningle was slightly wary, but not too surprised. After all, she still remembered the extra task for tonight. If nothing unexpected happened, this big sister was the fan who sent the private message, right?
The next moment, the big sister took off her light-colored sunglasses and said calmly, “Hello, I am Chang Wen.”
“Hello…” Pei Ningle looked at her timidly, then stole a glance at Wang Heng beside her, her eyes quite blank.
Dealing with strangers was something the girl had never been good at.
And Wang Heng was shocked by her blankness. “Hey, don’t you know who Chang Wen is?”
Pei Ningle shook her head.
Chang Wen was also stunned—normally, she didn’t need to introduce herself again after saying her name. But now it seemed she needed a detailed self-introduction?
Wang Heng asked again, “Muah Muah Da, Fire Fire Fire, haven’t you heard them?”
Pei Ningle thought for a moment, suddenly realized, and blurted out, “It’s divine tunes!”
Wang Heng secretly wiped a cold sweat.
Fortunately, Pei Ningle said ‘divine tunes’, leaving some leeway. If she accidentally said adjectives like ‘melodramatic’ or ‘bad songs’, he could only consider whether excuses like ‘child’s words carry no harm’ could gloss over it.
You know, this big sister said in the private message that she wanted to provide financial support. What if she got angry and ran away?
Running away would be fine, but the problem was, although she wasn’t very popular in the mainstream music scene, if they really parted on bad terms, wouldn’t it be easy for her to use her connections to take revenge?
However, the next moment, Wang Heng realized that he had completely misjudged her.
Chang Wen said frankly, “What divine tunes? Let’s be blunt, they are all vulgar bad songs.”
Wang Heng was stunned.
Pei Ningle also repeated the word blankly, “Bad songs?”
Chang Wen smiled. “What’s there to be afraid of admitting? I came to find you today just to remind you. Let me play it for you first. This is my old song.”
With that, she took out her phone and tapped it twice.
The guitar intro sounded from the phone. After the intro, there was an ethereal singing voice:
“Gazing at the distant place,
Swaying thoughts,
At the end of the long years,
In the summer night,
Fluorescence caught in the palm…”
Wang Heng and Pei Ningle listened quietly, looked at each other, and were speechless.
How similar this song was to “Lost Path”!
Of course, the main melodies of the two songs were different, but the singer’s singing style and arrangement style were exactly the same. And Pei Ningle could hear that the chord progression used by the other party was exactly the same as her “Lost Path”!
In pop music, colliding chords is quite common. But considering the voice and singing style, considering the overall style, such a degree of similarity was rare.
Pei Ningle came to her senses and quickly explained, “I’m sorry, but I really haven’t heard this song…”
Chang Wen paused the playback and laughed. “Do you think I’m accusing you of plagiarism? No, this song is hard to find online, basically no one has heard it. Don’t look at me using the NetEase Cloud Music app to play it, but the music file is not in their library, only on my phone. You couldn’t have copied me.”
Wang Heng had already understood the other party’s intention and asked carefully, “You want to remind my sister, meaning you hope she stays firm on her own path, right?”
Chang Wen smiled bitterly and nodded. “I used to write songs myself too. Whether it was lyrics, music, or arrangement, I did it all myself. Someone appreciated me, I joined a company, and debuted as an artist. But the albums couldn’t sell at all, and then I was shelved for several years, almost starving. Until one day, a melodramatic bad song called ‘Good Little Brother’ was placed in front of me…”
***
Translator’s Notes
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Divine Tunes (神曲, shénqǔ): A term used in China to describe songs that become incredibly popular virally, often characterized by simple, repetitive melodies and sometimes considered tacky or “earworms.” Examples include “Gangnam Style” or “Little Apple.”
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“Love Trading” (爱情买卖) / “Most Dazzling Folk Style” (最炫民族风): Real-world examples of Chinese “divine tunes” that were extremely popular and ubiquitous.
