This could actually work. Sun Qian alone might not be able to compete with Phoenix, but it’s a whole different story if you add Cheeky to the mix. Besides, the protagonist of *Panda Hero* is a panda, so having a parrot sing the theme song would be a great promotional gimmick. Not to mention, Cheeky gained a ton of fans from that previous talent show; many of them would surely go to the theater just for him. Wouldn’t that provide another layer of box office security?
"Sun Qian, what do you think of this?" Seeing that Maphario was back to normal, Shen Yibin felt at ease continuing his conversation with Sun Qian. He explained the idea that had just popped into his head. It was a good plan, the only question was whether Sun Qian would accept it. She had always wanted to make it in the music world through her own hard work and wasn’t keen on riding Cheeky’s coattails. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have remained unsigned to this day.
"I’ll go ask Cheeky in a bit. If he’s willing, then it’s no problem." Sun Qian was remarkably decisive this time. In truth, she wasn’t against performing with Cheeky, but the prerequisite was that they had to be on equal footing. Most of the previous music companies had been interested solely in Cheeky, treating her as nothing more than his accessory. That’s why she had been so reluctant. Shen Yibin’s proposal, however, didn’t seem to have this problem.
"Okay. In a bit, I’ll give Director Kong a heads-up and get the script and the theme song requirements for you. You can start working on it and see if you can compose a suitable theme song." Sun Qian was a singer-songwriter, after all. With the exception of the folk song from the Yunzhong City tourism ad, every track she had performed before was her own creation, and they had all received rave reviews from her fans. ’She’ll surely come up with something amazing this time, too, right?’
"Bin, thank you so much!" The rims of Sun Qian’s eyes reddened. Having been in the music industry for so long, she naturally understood the weight of this favor from Shen Yibin. If it were offered to anyone else, countless singers would be willing to pay him or submit to the industry’s "unspoken rules" for such an opportunity. "If it weren’t for you, I don’t know where I’d be right now."
’Without Shen Yibin’s help, I never would have gotten the chance to sing the theme song for that ad, and I wouldn’t have the influence I do now. And that’s not even mentioning him selling Cheeky to me. Cheeky has helped me improve my skills so much... I’ll probably never be able to repay all these favors in my lifetime. I guess I’ll start by doing a perfect job on this song. I’ll find a way to repay Shen Yibin’s kindness in the future.’
Sun Qian wiped away a tear and stood up. "I’m going to talk to Cheeky. If he agrees, then give me the script and the requirements. I’ll do my best to get it done right."
Cheeky agreed without much hesitation; he enjoyed singing with Sun Qian anyway. So, after getting Director Kong’s approval, Shen Yibin handed the materials over to Sun Qian. Of course, Director Kong wasn’t one to put all his eggs in one basket. He had also reached out to several other accomplished musicians through his own channels to compose songs for *Panda Hero*. As for whose song would ultimately be chosen, that would depend on the quality of the compositions.
"Alright, Bin, I’m heading back to my room to get started. For the next little while, please don’t knock on my door if I don’t come out." The creative process required a quiet environment, and a knock might shatter a moment of inspiration. "Also, if Cheeky comes out to play in the next few days, I’ll have to trouble you guys to look after him."
"Sure, no problem. I just got off the phone with the instrument shop; the piano will be delivered in a little while." After the store’s expansion, two more rooms had been added upstairs. Sun Qian now lived alone with Cheeky in the room at the far end of the hall, so her piano playing wouldn’t disturb anyone. As for this piano, Sun Qian had asked Shen Yibin to help her order it—it was an indispensable tool for songwriting. She had earned some income from her recent performances, so buying a mid-range piano was no problem at all.
Not long after dinner, a truck from the instrument shop pulled up in front of Shen Yibin’s pet store. Several workers, huffing and puffing, carried the piano out of the truck and into Sun Qian’s room. After confirming there were no issues, Sun Qian transferred the payment to the store’s account, then returned to her room to focus on studying the materials.
With Sun Qian shut away studying the materials, Cheeky grew bored. For him, having no one to talk or sing with was practically a death sentence. He didn’t dare disturb Sun Qian, so he could only flutter outside, landing amidst the trees and bamboo grove to play with Hah’Er, Maphario, and the others.
At first, it wasn’t so bad. Cheeky could still keep himself occupied by constantly making snarky comments while helping Maphario with chores like catching insects. When the mood struck, he would even sing a song to encourage the fruit seedlings to grow. His singing seemed to be even more effective than playing music from a phone; you could see the flower buds on the strawberry and watermelon seedlings were on the verge of blooming.
But before long, Cheeky grew tired of it all. He started getting mischievous ideas about Maphario again, wondering if he should take the little guy for a wild ride up in the sky.
He was a parrot of action. Cheeky fluttered into the air, aimed for Maphario, and dove. Though he was a parrot and not a falcon, the maneuver was surprisingly slick. Maphario, however, seemed oblivious to the threat, still squatting and busying himself among the seedlings. Just as Cheeky was about to grab him, a bamboo branch suddenly shot out from the side, blocking his descent.
Caught by surprise, Cheeky smacked his head right into the branch. He had to flap his wings furiously to avoid crashing. When had Cheeky ever been humiliated like this? He was instantly fuming. Unfortunately, though he circled in the air for ages, he couldn’t find who was responsible.
’Can’t find you? Fine. You just don’t want me to mess with Maphario, right? Well, if I try it again, you’ll definitely have to stop me.’ Cheeky immediately came up with a plan. He first pretended to fly far away, heading a short distance toward the pond. Then, he suddenly wheeled around and shot back toward Maphario with lightning speed!
And then... just as his talons were about to snatch Maphario, the bamboo branch appeared again. It tapped him lightly on the back, and Cheeky instantly lost his balance. He tumbled headfirst to the ground, landing with a mouthful of dirt. This sent Hah’Er into fits of laughter, clutching its stomach as it rolled around on the ground.
"Who did that? Who dares to mess with the great and powerful Cheeky?" He was thoroughly enraged now. He spat out the grass from his beak and scanned the area, but still couldn’t find any trace of his tormentor.
Shen Yibin, however, had seen everything perfectly clearly. He didn’t say a word, merely covering his mouth to stifle his laughter from the sidelines. ’Who knew there’d come a day when even Cheeky would be put in his place!’