FWTS ### Chapter 112: Recording Completed

At around noon, Shi Shiwuer arrived at the studio and saw Hou Muyun curled up in a corner, sleeping. After asking the staff about the situation, he couldn't help but laugh.

The next few days were hectic for Hou Muyun, dragging Shi Shiwuer and the studio staff into a tight schedule. One song with ten versions, dozens of instruments, and hundreds of tracks—this workload far exceeded that of a typical single, almost reaching the level of a full album. Luckily, Shi Shiwuer's studio was top-notch, and thanks to his good connections, they easily found cooperative musicians for the instrumental accompaniments. Without these resources, it would have been impossible to complete the recording in such a short time, even without eating or sleeping.

Hou Muyun was fully involved in the entire recording process, including recording, mixing, and mastering. Of course, he didn't overstep the professionals in Shi Shiwuer's studio; he participated with a learning attitude, occasionally offering some seemingly outlandish but actually brilliant suggestions.

After the recording was completed, the next step was post-production, which Hou Muyun left entirely to Shi Shiwuer's team.

"Phew! Finally done!" Hou Muyun yawned. "No more talking, I'm going to get a good sleep first. I'll treat everyone to a meal when I wake up!"

Hou Muyun slept like a log for eight hours, a duration he hadn't enjoyed in a long time. After waking up, he dragged Xiao Pang to the nearby market to buy a lot of ingredients. Then, borrowing a restaurant's kitchen, he prepared a large meal and invited everyone to a feast in the restaurant's private room.

After eating and drinking, it was time to settle the bills. The money for the session musicians had been fronted by Shi Shiwuer. There were nearly 20 musicians, and with Shi Shiwuer's discount, it wasn't too expensive—under 200,000 yuan in total, roughly a red envelope of less than 10,000 yuan per person.

The production cost for 50,000 copies of the CD, at a very high specification, averaged just under 12 yuan per disc. Including various unavoidable expenses, the total came to 650,000 yuan. 

As for Shi Shiwuer's studio, although he refused to charge for venue, equipment, and production fees, the team still needed to be compensated for their hard work, totaling around 350,000 yuan.

All expenses totaled just under 1.3 million yuan! The actual cost for producing the song was only 550,000 yuan! This amount was much higher than Hou Muyun had originally anticipated, but having personally been involved, he understood how worthwhile it was. For someone else doing the same, it might have cost 3-5 million yuan! Shi Shiwuer also helped Hou Muyun save a significant amount.

After the meal, Shi Shiwuer dragged Hou Muyun to play a few rounds of games. On the way back, they chatted, and Shi Shiwuer suddenly said, "Although this single is for your fans, the song still needs to be released. Have you thought about when to perform it publicly? You can't just let it pass by."

"Of course not. This album, or rather, this song, is indeed for the fans and not intended to make money, but I still need to earn some points. As for how many points the song will earn after its release, I don't know, but I definitely want to make the biggest impact possible," Hou Muyun replied. "Since you mentioned it, I’ve been thinking: the album number and song copyright are sorted. You know people at the music platforms, so when the time comes, I’ll need your advice and help. As for the debut performance, ‘Music War’ is wrapping up, and they’ll have a live concert with thousands of people. Do you think there’s a chance for me to perform my new song there?"

Shi Shiwuer laughed, "So you’ve already thought it through! You really know how to find yourself a spot!"

Hou Muyun asked, "Do you think it’s possible?"

Shi Shiwuer nodded, "The concert at the end of ‘Music War’ is like the grand finale of ‘Singer,’ so the viewership will definitely be high. I’ve heard that apart from our mentors and the contestants, Blue Whale TV and Tianxing Entertainment will use this opportunity to showcase their artists and previous contestants as performing guests. If it were someone else, it might not be possible or would come with a cost. But for you, it might just work."

Hou Muyun grinned, "Then I’ll be counting on you to put in a good word!"

"Get lost!"

The day after recording ended, Hou Muyun spent the entire day in the studio office, writing and drawing to prepare some manuscripts.

The plot for the second part of "Sword Master Side Story" was complete and could be finished in one day, so there was no rush. For the comic adaptation of "Xuanyuan Sword Master," the plot and details were already figured out, and work would begin after finishing the novel.

As for the new book, the outline and detailed plot had reached nearly 100,000 words, ready to be written at any time.

The studio was empty that day; the staff were on a break, and Shi Shiwuer was attending an event. In this quiet environment, Hou Muyun could write and draw undisturbed. When tired, he tinkered with the equipment and instruments, naturally incorporating livestreams into his schedule.

During this period, although the livestreams didn’t feature new skills, there were many new things. Seeing a music studio and all its instruments and equipment was a rare sight for most people, and they found it interesting and enlightening. The number of online viewers remained high, consistently between 8 to 10 million.

Maintaining such a stable viewership is difficult for even top game streamers, let alone entertainment streamers. Though Hou Muyun didn't care much about being the top entertainment streamer, he undeniably held that position.

Naturally, the viewers and fans knew that Hou Muyun was preparing to release a song and clamored for him to reveal or sing a bit, but he remained tight-lipped, promising a surprise later.

Time flew to December 18th, when Kym's sixth album's first lead single was released, airing on several radio stations and posted on music and social platforms, serving as a warm-up for the album. This lead single, written and composed by Shi Shiwuer, was tailor-made for Kym, fitting her voice and style. The song was of high quality and quickly rose on the new song charts of several music platforms and Weibo, with its ranking continuously climbing.

Observant individuals noticed that Hou Muyun was credited for the arrangement of this lead single, sparking discussions. Soon after, insiders revealed that the entire album, produced by Shi Shiwuer, was arranged by Hou Muyun!

While many had seen Hou Muyun's arrangements on "Singer" and "Music War," some still thought Shi Shiwuer was helping him due to their personal relationship, doubting Hou Muyun's actual talent. A deeper investigation showed that Hou Muyun had been involved in the production of both shows, the Double-Year Summit, and the latest episode of "Music War." He had then helped Shi Shiwuer complete Kym's album in Shanghai and participated in the arrangement for the Second Combination concert.

Some said Hou Muyun was invited for arrangements, while others claimed he was learning music production, with insiders noting his quick learning.

Hou Muyun had mentioned during a livestream that he was preparing to release a song, solidifying the anticipation. People wondered what kind of song it would be, whether he wrote it himself or sought help from songwriters like Shi Shiwuer, and when it would be released. The excitement extended beyond his fans.

Every year brings its oddities in the entertainment industry, but recently, the biggest peculiarities all revolved around Hou Muyun.


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