Chapter 133: A Gathering of Titans

In the principal’s office at the Central Conservatory of Music, Zhou Miao gently knocked on the door. From inside came a strong and clear, “Please come in.”

Zhou Miao pushed the door open and stepped inside. The spacious and simple office held Zhang Xuewen, the nearly seventy-year-old principal, seated at his desk reading a newspaper.

He pushed up his thick glasses and, upon recognizing Zhou Miao’s face, smiled warmly. “Ah, it’s you, Xiao Zhou. Please have a seat.”

Zhou Miao greeted the principal politely and sat somewhat shyly in the chair before the desk.

The old principal picked up the teapot on the table and poured him a cup of tea. “You’re a sophomore this year, right? Though you’ve been here a while, this is our first meeting. Is there something you need my help with?”

Zhou Miao smiled modestly. “You guessed right. I do have something to ask for your guidance.”

“I’ve secured the opportunity to audition a theme song for next year’s Winter Olympics. I’ve already written the lyrics and melody, and for the arrangement, I want to blend traditional Chinese instruments with Western strings.”

“But my studies in this area aren’t yet sufficient. I heard from my mentor that you’re an expert in both folk and string music, so I hoped you could offer some advice.”

The mention of the Winter Olympics theme song immediately made the principal’s expression serious. A song dedicated to the nation’s grand event is the most challenging to compose, as it faces not only domestic audiences but international listeners as well.

In fact, it represents the country’s very image and spirit, leaving no room for the slightest mistake.

This young man Zhou Miao dared to shoulder such a heavy responsibility at such a young age. Zhang Xuewen wasn’t sure whether to call him arrogant or commend his courage.

“Did you bring the score? Let me take a look.”

“I did.”

Zhou Miao took out two pages of music sheets from his bag and handed them over respectfully.

The principal pushed his glasses up to his nose and read the lyrics carefully, expression calm but inwardly impressed.

The song, titled “Beijing Welcomes You,” had simple yet grand lyrics—clear and accessible, extending a confident and friendly welcome to international guests from all corners of the world.

Looking over the melody, the principal raised his eyebrows—interesting.

The entire composition omitted the fourth and seventh notes, using the ancient five-note pentatonic scale—1, 2, 3, 5, 6—known as gong, shang, jiao, zhi, yu. This was an authentically Chinese folk tune.

He could tell Zhou Miao had put his heart into this piece; it was well done.

Setting the score aside, the principal rubbed his tired nose and said, “I can help with the arrangement, but it’s been a long time since I taught on the front lines, and my sensitivity to music has dulled somewhat. I’ll gather a few professors to study and discuss it together. After all, this is a matter of great importance.”

Zhou Miao naturally agreed with the principal’s suggestion. Wisdom multiplied with more minds; another perspective could only bring more inspiration.

The principal sent a message to the conservatory’s professors’ group chat. After a while, having read their replies, he turned to Zhou Miao and said, “Let’s meet in the conference room next door this afternoon. Quite a few want to participate.”

Zhou Miao nodded.

At two o’clock that afternoon, Zhou Miao was already seated in the conference room, waiting. Soon, one by one, several senior faculty members—rarely seen on campus—entered carrying thermos flasks. Zhou Miao’s mentor, Guan Yu, was among them.

Guan Yu gave Zhou Miao a faint, solemn glance before sitting down.

Zhou Miao politely greeted each of them in turn, then, once everyone had arrived, shrank back to the last row of the room. He felt like a husky who’d slipped into a pack of wolves; the presence of these distinguished professors was almost intimidating.

Simply put, Zhou Miao was a bit afraid of his teachers.

The principal was the last to arrive. He closed the door, then distributed photocopies of the score to everyone.

“This is the piece Xiao Zhou composed. Please take a look. Feel free to share any opinions or ideas. Today’s task is to help him perfect this song.”

In his past life, “Beijing Welcomes You” had become wildly popular across the country, performed by over a hundred famous artists. Yet Zhou Miao felt that despite its merits, the song lacked a strong Chinese flavor.

Although the composition employed ancient methods, the average listener wouldn’t distinguish it from modern pop.

In terms of arrangement, while native instruments and elements of Beijing opera were included, the overall effect was somewhat diluted. Moreover, the lyricist Lin Xi’s pursuit of a “soft and gentle” style led to a slight lack of grandeur.

Since Zhou Miao had identified these shortcomings, he had no intention of simply copying the original. After all, why else would he study music?

Once the meeting began, Zhou Miao briefly explained his ideas for the arrangement and the overall style he aimed for. After that, his role was largely to listen.

The dozen or so experts present exchanged ideas energetically. In less than two hours, they had constructed the framework of the arrangement. Then came the painstaking work of refining details.

In high spirits, the professors even fetched instruments from the room next door to demonstrate live. Zhou Miao diligently marked their suggestions on the score.

The meeting lasted until the moon hung high before finally concluding, but by then, only a rough first draft of the arrangement was complete.

Writing a song for the nation required utmost caution. The principal yawned and arranged for the discussions to continue the next morning, after which everyone dispersed.

On the way home, Zhou Miao kept reviewing his notes. The day’s arrangement workshop had taught him a great deal.

Which instruments could evoke emotion without overpowering the melody? Which were suitable as the arrangement’s core? How to arrange so the melody felt sophisticated yet grounded? These were all lessons he needed to absorb.

For a full week, Zhou Miao immersed himself with the experts. The arrangement’s overall structure was overturned several times and revised countless times before finalization.

To achieve the best audio-visual effect, the principal even dispatched the conservatory’s top instrumentalists to record the arrangement live.

From top to bottom, the Central Conservatory of Music had truly pulled out all the stops for Zhou Miao’s Winter Olympics theme song.

The final arrangement left Zhou Miao utterly amazed and satisfied. Grasping the principal’s hand, he expressed deep gratitude: “Thank you so much to you and all the professors. From now on, whatever you ask of me, as long as I can do it, I won’t refuse!”

The principal smiled gently and patted Zhou Miao’s shoulder. “You are probably one of the most renowned students since the conservatory’s founding. Many outside see you as a symbol of the school.”

“I don’t ask for great returns to the school from you. I only hope you will stay grounded and use your influence to be a positive example for society and the public.”

“I look forward to the day when the conservatory can proudly say it has a student like you.”

Zhou Miao’s expression grew serious. He felt the depth of the principal’s expectations and held great respect for this elder artist who had devoted his life to Chinese music education.

“Don’t worry. No matter where I go in the future, I will always remember what you told me today.”