pjbooks Chapter 291
Chapter 291
Rong Yu sighed.Her Yingbao, inherently kind, even after decades of deception in the business world, still retained a pure goodness in his bones, let alone when facing his sister-in-law with whom he once had a close relationship.
She spoke slowly, "Yingbao, this matter cannot be solved just by you lending them money."
"Last time you lent them five hundred million, this time a billion, and tomorrow? Another two billion?"
"What the Xie family swindled was pension money, life-saving money, and hard-earned money! Those people crying and howling on their knees at the Xie family's door, those victims who jumped off buildings because their families were destroyed—are their lives not lives?"
"If you help the Xie family escape legal sanctions today, tomorrow, the century-old reputation of the Ji family will turn into being an accomplice sheltering criminals, a co-conspirator indulging evil deeds, and an executioner trampling on justice!"
"By the time Old Madam Xie drags the entire Ji family down with her, by the time the Securities Regulatory Commission seals the group's accounts, and by the time the police come to the old mansion to take you away for questioning, it will be too late."
Old Master Ji was stunned.
He was about to say something.
Turning his head, he saw Old Madam Xie standing there at some unknown point. Her silver hair was combed meticulously, and her dark qipao made her complexion look even gloomier.
Gritting her teeth, her voice trembled, "Brother-in-law, even if she is your biological granddaughter related by blood, she shouldn't have the right to interfere in matters between elders, should she?"
Old Master Ji slowly let out a heavy breath. "Miss Rong is not wrong. Our Ji family cannot intervene in this matter concerning the Xie family."
Old Madam Xie's face turned ashen. "Brother-in-law, when my sister passed away back then, her dying wish was for you to take good care of me. For so many years, I have never asked anything of you. This is the only time, and the last time. If you help the Xie family overcome this crisis, the Xie family will definitely repay your kindness ten or a hundred times over in the future. I..."
"Great-Aunt!" Ji Yanting interrupted her. "This is a crime. Surrendering to the authorities in time is the only way to help the Xie family and those victims."
Old Master Ji nodded. "Xiaohui, a mistake is a mistake. Facing the problem head-on and accepting the trial is the only way."
"Good, good, good!" Old Madam Xie clutched her chest. "I understand."
She turned around and staggered outward. Her personal assistant hurriedly supported her out the door and into the car, quickly disappearing from the villa's main gate.
Old Master Ji remained silent for a good while before his hoarse voice sounded, "When she was young, although she was competitive and strong-willed, she was also reasonable. How did she become..."
"When it comes to the children of the family, it is hard for anyone to remain reasonable," Rong Yu said softly. "You have already done what you can. What happens next depends on Old Madam Xie's own choice."
The five hundred million the Ji family had given previously was not a small amount; they couldn't risk the entire Ji family for this.
Old Master Ji nodded gloomily.
That night, while scrolling through the news, Rong Yu saw that the Xie Group's Ponzi scheme had been exposed to the public. Old Madam Xie's son and daughter-in-law were both taken away, and the Xie family residence was sealed...
Old Master Ji whispered, "Mom, the Ji family still has a few properties in the capital. I want to offer one to Xiaohui to stay in temporarily. Would that be alright?"
Rong Yu nodded. "Just handle it as you see fit."
The next morning.
Ji Yanting drove, taking Rong Yu to meet the songwriter, Qi Su.
Also present was the director of this mainstream movie, surnamed Fang. She was a female director who had collaborated with Ji Yanting on a creative film. Director Fang won the Best Director award because of it, and Ji Yanting won Best Actor. The two of them had achieved mutual success and had a close relationship.
"Yan Ting, it's been a long time. It's too hard to see you nowadays." Director Fang walked over in her high heels and shook his hand. "If it weren't for temporarily adding a few scenes for you, I wouldn't know when I'd see you. Are you planning to retire from the entertainment circle?"
Ji Yanting replied, "I have a family company to manage, so I'll gradually retire from the circle in the future. Oh, by the way, let me introduce you, Director Fang. This is Rong Yu."
Director Fang looked at Rong Yu with great appreciation. "When you participated in the talent show last year, I noticed you. At that time, I even wanted you to play a role in my movie, but I heard you weren't planning to act, so I dropped the idea. Singing is even better; I really like your voice."
Rong Yu smiled and said, "As long as Director Fang doesn't mind that I'm a newcomer."
"Come on, let's go inside to talk." Director Fang led them inside and called out, "Qi Su, come here. The person I found for you has arrived."
A young man around thirty years old walked towards them. He was wearing a black short-sleeved shirt, knee-length shorts, and flip-flops. His hair was messy, making him look exactly like a creative type.
He had probably stayed up all night, as his complexion was not very good. Upon seeing Rong Yu, he frowned. "Director Fang, this song is the movie's theme song, praising the builders of the motherland over the past seventy years. It needs a voice that can carry the weight of history. She is too young; it's not very suitable."
Rong Yu spoke up, "Teacher Qi Su, how do you know I'm not suitable without giving it a try?"
Qi Su twitched the corners of his lips. "Since Miss Rong is so confident, you must have made ample preparations in advance. Then let's sing a section first. Go into the recording studio, and I'll raise the key for you to better suit your vocal range."
Ji Yanting knew it was Rong Yu's first time in a recording studio, so he went in with her and helped her put on the headset.
Qi Su glanced at them, a mocking smile appearing on his lips.
So she was someone relying on connections.
She got the singing rights to this song by leveraging the connections of the top-tier star, Ji Yanting.
He lowered his head and began tuning.
Ji Yanting's brows immediately furrowed.
He was an actor and also a singer. Although not a singer-songwriter, he was no stranger to this field. He could clearly hear that Qi Su had raised the pitch by at least three degrees, needlessly pushing the difficulty to the absolute peak.
"Wait."
Just as Ji Yanting spoke, he was stopped by Rong Yu.
She looked up at the control room on the other side of the glass. Qi Su was looking at her with a half-smile.
She smiled back.
Back in the day, she had studied folk vocal music. The techniques of sinking the breath to the dantian and projecting the voice to the crown had long tempered her vocal range to be both wide and stable.
She closed her eyes.
The prelude flowed by. At the moment the first note was about to arrive, she adjusted her breathing.
"When the years carve rings into the bricks and tiles..."
The clear and translucent high notes pierced the silence like a ray of light, causing everyone in the control room to suddenly sit up straight.
Qi Su's expression froze.
He hadn't expected that Rong Yu's voice wouldn't tremble at all. Instead, in this deliberately raised vocal range, she displayed an astonishingly stunning texture.
Rong Yu was completely immersed in the music.
Her voice was very pure, soaring freely in the high-pitch areas that ordinary people found hard to reach, yet without losing its sense of weight.
When singing the last line, she even improvised a melodious portamento, adding a touch of moving narrative feeling to the originally solemn melody.
As the final note faded away, the recording studio was dead silent.
Rong Yu opened her eyes and saw that everyone in the control room was standing.
Qi Su's face was extremely ugly.
Ji Yanting was the first to applaud. Immediately after, the others followed suit, clapping as if waking from a dream.
"That was fantastic!" Director Fang's face was full of pleasant surprise. "This is exactly the feeling I want—it has both height and warmth."
She grabbed Rong Yu's hand in excitement. "Rong Yu, this song is yours to sing."
Qi Su's expression was incredibly sour. "Director Fang, this was only a test run. We need to consider a lot of factors for the official recording..."
"What is there to consider?" Director Fang replied with a smile. "Rong Yu's emotion, technique, and vocal tone are all spot on. Furthermore, to be able to sing so perfectly on the higher key you set leaves absolutely no doubt about his talent."
Qi Su fell silent, unable to argue further.
Director Fang patted Rong Yu on the shoulder. "Then it is settled. Come in at nine tomorrow morning for the official recording."
"Director Fang," Rong Yu spoke up, voicing his doubts. "The lyrics of the entire song flow as smoothly as running water. However, the melody, especially the way the vocal transition is handled right here at the beginning, feels a bit disjointed from the artistic mood of the rest of the track."