The company had finally gotten on the right track. With Hou Yichuan overseeing things, Chu Tian was relieved of much worry.

The studio, on the other hand, was even busier than his side. For several days, they had been busy wrapping things up and negotiating collaborations. It wasn't until the past two days that they finally got a chance to catch their breath and relax a bit. But that brief respite was soon interrupted by Chu Tian urging them to get back to work.

"We've relaxed quite a bit these past two days, but now things are about to get tense again," he said.

He had indeed used the new album as a shield, citing his reluctance for Xu Qingqiu to participate in variety shows as the reason. In truth, Chu Tian had always wanted to act fast. After all, time waits for no one, and building a superstar through gradual accumulation was too slow. They surely couldn't wait for Xu Qingqiu to slowly climb from national Queen to the global stage in her thirties or forties, could they? The gap between these two points was considerable.

At the very least, even though Xu Qingqiu then possessed the title of Queen, it had merely been bestowed by an award for past achievements—its true substance wasn't necessarily evident. After all, the domestic market alone was incredibly vast. Chinese was only the largest segment, but there were also other regional dialect markets that needed to increase their influence. For instance, in the Cantonese-speaking regions in the south, people listened to Chinese songs, but they also had a preference for Cantonese songs. In fact, the local Cantonese music market could sometimes be even larger than the Chinese market. When it came to music, as long as one's work was excellent, people would listen, whether it was in Chinese or Cantonese. But to truly win their recognition and embed your name in their hearts, shouldn't you have at least some Cantonese songs? This was an issue of identification and a sense of belonging.

Beyond the domestic market, the next step was the Asian market, where Chinese could also spread without barriers. But, similarly, works that catered to local characteristics were the biggest advantage. Influence was really a matter of mutual respect. If you respected the market, the market would accept you. But at that time, the only thing Xu Qingqiu had to her name was her Chinese pop music, specifically within the most common love song market. Although her last album, produced under Chu Tian's guidance, had an inspirational aspect, which certainly helped its dissemination and greatly increased Xu Qingqiu's popularity. But it wasn't enough, not nearly enough. This was why Chu Tian was in a hurry.

In the recording studio, Xu Qingqiu had just taken a sip of water to moisten her throat when she heard Chu Tian speak and paused in surprise.

"Huh? Nervous? What about?" she asked.

Seeing her innocent expression, Chu Tian smiled mischievously and said, "Of course, it means getting tense all over. Not just you, but the schedule will be tight as well."

Xu Qingqiu, still not realizing the seriousness of the situation and thinking Chu Tian was joking, responded playfully with a smile, "Alright then, how do you want me to be tense? Are you going to intensify my training?"

The so-called training was actually a learning plan Chu Tian had formulated for her, to help her widen her vocal range and train her voice and vocal techniques.

"You could say it's adding tasks," he replied.

"Ah? Are you really adding more?" Xu Qingqiu whined. "BOO HOO... I've only rested for two days! Please, no more…"

Seeing Chu Tian's serious demeanor, Xu Qingqiu's entire face scrunched up pitifully as she looked at him. One of her hands clutched the hem of his clothing. Her pitifully endearing appearance nearly made Chu Tian's heart soften.

"Oh, come on, don't look at me like that," he said, feigning helplessness. "I have no choice."

"But my throat hasn't been feeling well these past couple of days, I really can't do it."

This was true. Having just finished a concert, Xu Qingqiu's throat was indeed in a weary state. The best course of action was a slow recovery with proper rest. Therefore, during this recent period, she had only been performing simple daily vocal exercises, not daring to strain her voice too much.

"I'm well aware. Don't worry, this won't put any strain on your throat."

Chu Tian watched her with a smile, silently lamenting her upcoming ordeal in his heart. Just as Xu Qingqiu was about to ask for details, Chu Tian's phone rang.

"Hello, you've arrived? Okay, I'll come down to meet you."

"Who's coming?" Seeing Chu Tian hang up the phone, Xu Qingqiu asked curiously.

"You'll find out soon."

Without further explanation, Chu Tian hurried downstairs to bring the person up to a meeting room and then came back to find Xu Qingqiu.

"Let's go. I found you a teacher. You'll probably be learning from her for quite a while."

"A teacher? What kind of teacher?"

It was fairly common for artists to find teachers. After all, becoming a star didn't mean one's development was complete. If one wanted to develop well, continuous learning was required. The adage "live and learn" held true even in this field. However, Xu Qingqiu already had regular teachers for vocals, music, dance, and so on. So, what kind of teacher was this?

"You'll know once we get there."

Chu Tian didn't explain further. After he brought her to the meeting room, a lady in her forties was already waiting inside.

"Teacher Lin, hello. This is your new student, Xu Qingqiu," Chu Tian first introduced Xu Qingqiu, who was by his side, and then said to her, "This is Teacher Lin Yue, your upcoming Cantonese teacher."

"Ah! Hello, Teacher Lin... Wait, Cantonese?" Xu Qingqiu instinctively greeted her at first, only to realize something was off. Just as she turned her puzzled gaze towards Chu Tian, he didn't give her a chance to question.

"Oh my, Xu Qingqiu, President Xu! I'm a huge fan! Your songs are so good. I've been listening to your new album lately, and that new song you performed at the concert, 'Peach Blossom Promise,' I just love it!"

"Ah? Oh, you're too kind. Thank you for liking it."

Seeing that the two were about to devolve into a fan meet-and-greet, Chu Tian quickly stepped in to steer things back on course. "Alright, today is just for you all to meet one another, and for Teacher Lin to discuss the upcoming teaching plan with you, as well as the materials you'll need and schedule the classes."

At that moment, Lin Yue also realized her behavior was a bit improper. She was here to work, not to fangirl. Besides, they were just getting acquainted. There would be plenty of time to get to know each other better. Being older, she possessed good self-control and worldly experience.

"Alright, alright. My Cantonese should be quite authentic. Many singers from the mainland have learned Cantonese from me, so President Xu doesn't have to worry. Just follow my lessons, and it won't be long before you'll pick it up."

Xu Qingqiu, still bewildered by the situation, could only chat awkwardly while mentally adding another demerit for Chu Tian in her little black book.

Chu Tian didn't stay for long. After giving the two some space, he went off to work on preparing new songs. The version provided by the system was, after all, a bit too standard and thus lacked inspiration. To improve the work, he needed to tweak it bit by bit.

Meanwhile, back in the meeting room, Xu Qingqiu was still thoroughly confused.

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