Evergreen Recording Studio.
Frank Castle, Aaron Yuan, and Lily Yuan were having breakfast. Lily Yuan habitually bought breakfast every morning to eat with her grandfather at the studio, and today was no different. Knowing Frank would be coming, she had even bought an extra portion. She hadn't expected Frank to have the same thought, also buying breakfast for three.
The table was piled high with pastries, muffins, doughnuts, coffee, and porridge—far more than the three of them could eat.
Aaron Yuan asked, "Lily, why did you buy so much today?"
Lily Yuan glanced at Frank, her eyes soft as water: "Grandpa, Mr. Frank also brought breakfast."
Frank said: "I forgot to tell Miss Lily I'd be bringing breakfast. It's a waste to leave so much."
"It's not a waste. What we don't finish, I'll take back and warm up tomorrow. Oh, by the way..." Lily Yuan's voice was gentle: "Mr. Frank, you can just call me Lily."
Frank glanced at Aaron Yuan, who remained noncommittal, picking up a bowl of porridge. He frowned slightly: "Why is it savory?" He preferred sweet porridge, and Lily Yuan usually bought the sweet kind.
"Grandpa, the sweet one is here." Lily Yuan handed a bowl of sweet porridge to Aaron Yuan. Frank said apologetically: "I didn't know Mr. Yuan didn't like savory."
"It's alright!" Lily Yuan took the bowl of savory porridge that Frank had bought. "I like savory." She scooped a spoonful into her mouth, a sweet smile appearing on her face: "It's really good!"
Aaron Yuan looked at his granddaughter, then at Frank, and suddenly said: "From now on, I'll call you Frank. You can call me Mr. Yuan, and my granddaughter Lily."
Frank felt a surge of excitement, nodding repeatedly: "Okay, Mr. Yuan!" He knew very well what "Mr. Yuan" implied. From now on, he was essentially half a student of Aaron Yuan! This was something countless people in the American music scene only dreamed of!
Speaking of which, he should be most grateful to Aunt Celeste. Without her, he would never have had the chance to practice at Evergreen Recording Studio, much less meet Aaron Yuan. Frank guessed that Aunt Celeste's purpose in introducing him to Evergreen Recording Studio was to create an opportunity for him to meet Aaron Yuan. Thinking of this, Frank felt even more grateful. To not let down Aunt Celeste's hard work, he had to practice diligently and aim for first place in the next episode, considering it a showcase performance for her. Of course, since Aunt Celeste had helped him so much, he absolutely had to find a way to repay her!
Frank was still contemplating how to repay her, not noticing Lily Yuan beside him subtly furrowing her brows and quietly taking a big gulp of sweet coffee. Aaron Yuan saw his granddaughter's expression and was about to speak, but Lily Yuan quickly winked at him, a pleading look on her face. In this world, only his granddaughter could make Aaron Yuan compromise. He snorted and bit into a doughnut.
After breakfast, Aaron Yuan led Frank to the enclosed recording room in the corner, and said to Frank with a serious expression: "Many people have entered Dragon's Roar Mountain before, but in your generation, only three have entered. You are the fourth. I hope you won't disappoint me!"
Frank stiffened, understanding the significance of Aaron Yuan's words. The American music scene had once flourished, overshadowing J-Pop and K-Pop, making Western music the mainstream in the international arena. But now, the U.S. music industry was facing a talent gap, having lost to Japanese and Korean artists for three consecutive years at the Continental Music Summit. Western music no longer held its former glory. Aaron Yuan had long since retired, but the flame in his heart had never extinguished. He hoped to see the American music scene rise again. His words to Frank were both an expectation from a teacher to a student and a form of encouragement.
Frank took a deep breath and solemnly promised: "Mr. Yuan, I will give it my all and not disappoint you!"
Aaron Yuan said with a straight face: "Anyone can say pretty words. First, practice the song well." After speaking, he entered the recording room first. Lily Yuan followed him, turning back to softly say to Frank: "Mr. Frank, you can do it!"
Frank smiled and nodded, then followed the two into "Dragon's Roar Mountain." The equipment here was on a completely different level than outside. Frank was dazzled, constantly exclaiming in admiration. Aaron Yuan remained expressionless, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up, like a child holding a cool new toy being admired by others. Lily Yuan covered her mouth, chuckling softly. She suddenly realized it had been a long time since she had seen her grandpa so happy.
"Lily, it's been a long time since you've been this happy." Lily Yuan was still smiling when Aaron Yuan's voice suddenly reached her ears. She paused slightly, unconsciously looking towards Frank.
Lily Yuan's mother passed away early. Her father started a new family with another woman. She lived with her father for half a year but wasn't liked by her stepmother. Her father also disliked her for affecting his new life, so Lily Yuan was taken in by her grandfather when she was twelve. Grandfather and granddaughter depended on each other, maintaining Evergreen Recording Studio, living off music, and accustomed to finding solace in music. Gradually, Lily Yuan seemed to have grown accustomed to this life akin to seclusion. She even began to fear interacting with strangers. Smiles rarely appeared on her face. But since yesterday, Lily Yuan seemed to have unconsciously found her long-lost smile.
Sometimes, human connections are so strange. Some people spend years together, yet grow increasingly distant. Others have only known each other for two days but feel like kindred spirits, experiencing instant joy upon meeting. Lily Yuan felt this way. She and Mr. Frank were like friends who had known each other for many years. Whenever she saw Mr. Frank, joy welled up from deep within her heart. This feeling became even stronger just now when Mr. Frank poured coffee on that bad guy for her sake.
"Let's begin." Grandpa's voice startled Lily Yuan. She quickly retracted her gaze and ran into the control room, her face flushed. At this moment, Frank was already standing before the microphone, nodding to Lily Yuan. Lily Yuan pushed a fader up, and the next moment, a hauntingly beautiful and majestic melody filled the air...
Three days later.
As the final notes of the melody faded, clear applause echoed in Dragon's Roar Mountain.
"Beautiful, truly beautiful!" Lily Yuan couldn't help but applaud, looking at Frank, her soft eyes filled with delight and admiration. Frank's vocal condition was quite average. Normally, practicing such challenging songs would be very difficult. But Frank had only practiced for three days and could already sing flawlessly. This wasn't genius; it required sufficient diligence and perseverance to achieve!
"Barely satisfactory." As Lily Yuan applauded, Aaron Yuan evaluated expressionlessly: "It's alright for small shows, but to make it onto big stages, you still have a lot to practice. That's enough for today." After speaking, Aaron Yuan walked out of Dragon's Roar Mountain with his hands behind his back.
Lily Yuan walked up to Frank: "Mr. Frank, don't be discouraged. Apart from Aunt Celeste, you're the only one Grandpa has ever said 'satisfactory' about!"
Frank was already familiar with Aaron Yuan's temper, so he naturally wasn't disheartened. Instead, he was a little curious: "Does Aunt Celeste come here often?" Seeing Lily Yuan's confusion, Frank explained: "You probably already know, right? I'm divorced. The woman who came that day was my ex-wife, and Ms. Monroe is my ex-wife's aunt. I'm used to calling her that."
Lily Yuan quickly said: "Mr. Frank, don't be sad. Your ex-wife will definitely regret it!"
Frank smiled: "I'm not sad, but thank you anyway. You're very good at comforting people."
"Really?" Lily Yuan tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her earlobes slightly red, her voice barely audible: "Mr. Frank, you'll definitely meet a better wom—" Before she could finish, Frank's phone rang. Frank picked it up, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curved slightly.
"Aunt Celeste."