Chapter Four: The Price of a Song

When Tang Qi sang her first note, everyone in the studio lowered their eyes. Not because it was beautiful. Her voice sounded like a rusted door. Air scraped through vocal cords that had survived three operations. For seven years she had been named Singer of the Year; during her last concert, her voice had failed midway through a song. Since then, everyone had advised her to leave gracefully. “My daughter turns ten on Saturday,” Tang Qi said. “I promised to sing for her. No comeback. No recording.” Behind the control-room glass, Qi Man signaled an offer of thirty million yuan. Shen Yan pushed a recorder across the table. “A secret first.” Tang laughed hoarsely. “You want a scandal?”