As expected, Zhang Yichen's instincts were spot on—Li Yue's rendition of "The Most Familiar Stranger" was genuinely impressive.
She only needed two takes to reach his standards.
Considering Zhang Yichen's perfect pitch, getting a "not bad" from him was no small feat—it meant the performance was more than just good.
Afterward, once her emotions had settled, Li Yue flawlessly recorded another track—"Boundless Sky."
By the end of the morning, Zhang Yichen himself had spent only twenty minutes recording four songs.The rest of the time had been swallowed by Li Yue's endless retakes.
Still, she wasn't doing poorly.Most singers needed days to polish a single track.But for Zhang Yichen—someone who could nail a perfect take in one go—his level of talent bordered on monstrous.
Even Chen Xiaoxi, at the peak of her career, had only ever achieved that once—that magical "in the zone" moment described in novels, when heart and sound aligned perfectly.
Unfortunately, she had never reached that state again.
This time, though, both Li Yue and Zhang Yichen had recorded beautifully, needing almost no post-production at all.
While preparing lunch, Zhang Yichen multitasked—tweaking audio files, polishing the mixes, and saving the finished tracks onto a USB drive.
He also uploaded the songs he recorded himself to major music platforms.
If all went well, they would probably trend by tomorrow, and he could use the momentum to boost the new tracks.
As for Li Yue's recordings—he had already produced them.Whether she wanted to release them or not was entirely her decision.He wasn't going to interfere or offer suggestions.
Everything would be up to her.
Just as he finished uploading, Chen Xiaoxi stepped into the kitchen.
"Ah Chen! You've already finished the post-production?"Her eyes widened when she saw the exported files.
Back in her day, post-processing alone took at least two days, even when rushed.
"With this software, editing's easy," Zhang Yichen said with a faint smile."Oh—could you take this USB to Li Yue? She's probably still in the studio."
"Yeah," Chen Xiaoxi nodded. "She looked a bit down earlier. I was just about to bring her some tea."
"Good," he replied simply.
After brewing a cup of hot tea, Chen Xiaoxi carried it to the music room.
"Li Yue," she called softly, setting the cup beside her."Have some tea. It'll soothe your throat."
Li Yue looked up; her eyes were still red, but the storm inside them had clearly calmed.
She accepted the cup and took a small sip—the warmth flowed down her throat, easing the tightness in her chest.
"Thank you, Xiaoxi." Her voice was still a little hoarse, but grateful.
Xiaoxi sat beside her, gently patting her hand."We all go through it. Sometimes talking helps."
Li Yue nodded and turned toward the window.Sunlight filtered through the curtains, scattering patterns of light across the floor—each flicker like a quiet whisper of its own story.
"I know… I just didn't expect his lyrics to hit so deep.It's like he wrote straight into my heart."
Chen Xiaoxi fell silent for a moment.Her gaze softened, tinged with emotion."Ah Chen always sees through people's hearts.Maybe because he's been through a lot himself."
"Oh, right—your songs are ready."Xiaoxi handed her the USB drive.
"So fast?" Li Yue murmured, brushing her fingers across the metal casing."I thought it would take at least two days."
"Ah Chen's efficiency has always been terrifying," Xiaoxi said proudly."He said you can release them anytime—it's up to you."
Li Yue stared at the USB for a few seconds, then lifted her head.Determination flickered in her eyes."I'll release them. Today."
Xiaoxi grinned and stood."Then let's do it right now."
"Alright." Li Yue nodded softly and followed her upstairs.
In the study, she turned on the computer, plugged in the USB, and logged into her music account.A few clicks later, she began uploading the songs.
The cursor blinked in the title box for several seconds before she typed:
"New songs: 'Boundless Sky' and 'The Most Familiar Stranger.'Thank you all for listening and downloading."
She wanted to say more—but in the end, she realized everything she wanted to express was already in the songs.
Taking a deep breath, she clicked Publish.
"Let me use your laptop," Xiaoxi said as soon as the upload finished."I'll help you repost it."
She logged into her own account and quickly shared Li Yue's songs—and while she was at it, also reposted Zhang Yichen's new tracks.
When she finished, her heart pounded wildly.It had been a whole year since she disappeared from the spotlight.Would her fans still care?
She didn't have to wait long—the familiar ding-ding-ding of message alerts instantly filled the room.
Even without looking, she knew what that sound was—the sound of notifications from every major platform.The sound of a comeback.
For the first time in a year, Chen Xiaoxi felt ready to face them again.
She opened her feed, and messages flooded the screen:
"Xiaoxi, is that really you?""Missing person returns—welcome back!""New song when? We've been waiting forever!""Where have you been all this time?"
Reading line after line, Xiaoxi's eyes glistened.
Thank goodness.Her "Snowflakes"—her loyal fans—were still here.They hadn't left.They still cared.
She couldn't reply to them all,so she gathered everything she wanted to say into one post:
"Dear Snowflakes, this is Chen Xiaoxi. I'm back.This afternoon, I'll be releasing a new single on all major music platforms.The rest of my songs will premiere on Joy, a new short-video platform available on mobile and PC.I hope you'll check it out."
Once she hit post, she quickly logged out.She still didn't have the courage to face them directly.
"Dinner's ready!" Zhang Yichen called from downstairs.
"Coming!" Xiaoxi answered, glancing at Li Yue."Let's go."
Li Yue nodded, closed the laptop, and followed her down.
The dining room was filled with the warm aroma of freshly cooked dishes.Zhang Yichen was setting the table when they arrived.
"Sit. The food's getting cold," he said, voice casual but warm.
Xiaoxi smiled, picked up her chopsticks, and tasted the ribs."Mmm, this is delicious. Your cooking just keeps getting better."
"Well, it's for you. Can't afford to slack off," Zhang Yichen said with a relaxed grin.
Li Yue ate quietly, glancing between the two of them as if gathering her thoughts.
"What's wrong?" Zhang Yichen asked, noticing her hesitation.
"I… released both songs.Xiaoxi helped repost them," she said timidly.
Without looking up, Zhang Yichen said flatly,"Good. You released them—great. What next, want me to throw a press conference too?"
"Cough—" Li Yue nearly choked.
That was not what she meant!
Her temper flared—but she took a slow breath and forced herself to calm down.
Not worth it.Getting angry only made you age faster.