Even a Toad Wouldn't Dream as Big as You

Lin Chudong hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he didn't use the card.

Relying on luck to put together a band didn't feel very reliable.

The drummer, keyboardist, and bassist were all rookies. If the guitarist was a rookie too, they'd be too hard to manage.

Liang Yin and Jing Feifei started chatting.

"You don't know who Da Fei is? You've never heard of Da Fei Band?"

Jing Feifei shook her head. "No. My dad never lets me pay attention to that kind of thing. I might have heard the songs, though."

"Have you heard 'Keep Up With The Rhythm'?"

"I have, I have! Is that your song?" Jing Feifei's eyes lit up.

"It's not ours. It's Da Fei's—the former lead singer of Da Fei Band..." The proprietress launched into Da Fei's illustrious history.

Jia Lu shrugged, looking a little surprised.

"Are there really still people who don't know Da Fei these days?"

Lin Chudong gave a bitter smile. "Listen to you. I'm not some Heavenly King superstar."

Jia Lu chuckled. "You'll be a Heavenly King someday!"

Lin Chudong said, "Jing Feifei, your music theory is lacking, and you're not in sync with the band yet. Have Wang Zhi give you an intensive crash course over the next few days. We might be performing onstage soon!"

Jing Feifei nodded excitedly. "Okay! Can I wear studded leather clothes?"

Everyone broke into a sweat.

"Wear whatever you like."

They weren't at the stage where everyone had to wear matching outfits yet. For now, they could wear whatever they wanted.

"Yay!" Jing Feifei was over the moon. No one else there could understand what made this young beauty so happy. Was this what rich kids were like?

Liang Yin said, "Feifei, are you sure you don't want a salary? You have to ask for something, at least. Otherwise, I won't feel right about it."

They'd gotten a keyboardist for free, and she didn't even want to be paid. Even knowing she came from a wealthy family, Liang Yin still felt uncomfortable about it.

Lin Chudong said, "Fine, no base salary. But we should still give her five percent of the performance fees."

Liang Yin nodded. That would work. If the band became popular, the base salary would be small change anyway. The performance fees were where the real money was.

Jing Feifei said, "I don't have any demands. I just want to rock out. Brother Da Fei, I heard you're amazing. Could you play something to get me fired up?"

Lin Chudong was taken aback. "Right now?"

Jia Lu sat down beside the drums, too. "Brother Fei, play one!"

Liang Yin jumped up excitedly. "Come on, come on! It's the band's first rehearsal. I'll record it for you!" She already had her phone ready to film.

Lin Chudong smiled. "All right. I'll play a short, simple bit."

Looks like he'd need to show off some real skill to win this keyboardist over for good.

"Little Jia, get a four-four beat going at 118 BPM."

"Feifei, A major. Chord progression 3523, just play it in half notes."

"Wang Zhi, do whatever you want..."

Wang Zhi: ...

"Ready?"

"Little Jia, start!"

Boom, boom, boom, boom. After four count-in beats,

Lin Chudong's guitar rang out first. When they heard the melody, everyone looked a little surprised. It was a strange tune, with a hint of Errenzhuan.

But with the drums added, it had a kind of rock-opera feel.

Wang Zhi hurriedly joined in on bass. Jing Feifei immediately got excited, bobbing her head as she played. She was the spitting image of a girl dancing at a club.

"The east may be dark, but the west is bright. I bask in the setting sun, and I bask in sorrow."

"The night before last was quiet, but the night after is busy. I dreamed of gold, then dreamed of yellow millet."

"Spring rain can't dampen a knowing ghost; autumn cold pierces the lovelorn."

"I think of heaven, think of earth, think of a kindred soul. I gaze at the mountains, gaze at the water, and wait for dawn!"

When Liang Yin heard those few lines, her jaw nearly hit the floor. Was this really Da Fei?

What kind of song was this?

Was it an original by Da Fei?

Jing Feifei was thrilled, absolutely loving it. This was the kind of band she'd always wanted!

It was way more fun than classical music!

When the song ended, everyone wore odd expressions. The song definitely had character, but they couldn't quite get used to it yet.

Jing Feifei, on the other hand, was thoroughly exhilarated. She said,

"Brother Da Fei, you're really talented. From now on, I'll follow your lead!"

Lin Chudong smiled. Looks like a single "Xian'er" really could win over a rock veteran—or rather, a rock girl.

Seeing Liang Yin's shocked expression, Lin Chudong asked, "What do you think, boss lady?"

Liang Yin said glumly, "If you haven't had ten years of mental illness, you can't listen to this song."

Lin Chudong patted her on the shoulder. "You're making progress, boss lady."

"..."

Jing Feifei had had her fill and was ready to go home with Liang Yin and sleep.

Lin Chudong lowered his voice. "Ask around tonight and find out what her family does. Just get a little background on them."

"Mm, got it!"

Lin Chudong was lying in his room, about to rest, when Wang Zhi knocked on the door.

"Heh heh, Brother Fei, you're still up."

"The door's open. Why are you being so polite?"

Wang Zhi came in carrying a few bottles of beer and several boxes of duck snacks.

"Want a drink?"

"What's up?"

"Brother Fei, weren't we a little too hasty in hiring today's keyboardist?"

Lin Chudong said, "If someone like you can call himself a bassist, what makes you think I'm being hasty?"

"..."

That really stung. Brother Fei sang beautifully, but he sure knew how to say hurtful things.

"Brother Fei, have you found a guitarist yet?"

Lin Chudong said, "Don't get your hopes up. If you don't work harder, I'll have to find another bassist, too. Those two boxes of duck necks aren't enough to test my resolve."

"No, no, I'll work hard. I promise! Come on, let's have a few drinks."

"Brother Fei, do you think Jing Feifei's into me? She looked at me several times today."

"Cough, cough... That was because you played several wrong notes!"

"..."

Just then, Lin Chudong received a WeChat message from Liang Yin. It perked him right up.

Wang Zhi asked, "Brother Fei, what's wrong?"

Lin Chudong said, "I'd advise you not to get hung up on Jing Feifei. Do you know who her dad is?"

"Who?"

"Take out your phone."

Wang Zhi took out his phone, and Lin Chudong pointed at a red app on the screen.

"Have you used this app?"

"I have."

"It's her family's."

Lin Chudong patted him on the shoulder and said no more.

Wang Zhi was stunned. After a long silence, he finally managed to say something.

"Brother Fei, do you think I'll be able to buy things without paying someday?"

Lin Chudong: ...

Even a toad wouldn't dream as big as you!

As they chatted, a call suddenly came in.

"Hello, Yu Lin?"

"I've got something to tell you. The lead singer of Northern Band's been caught in a scandal. He's been taken in by the police."

Lin Chudong shot to his feet. "That old chain-smoker finally got caught? When did this happen?"

"Just now. I saw it with my own eyes. There'll probably be an official announcement tomorrow."

"That's great, Yu Lin. This is really important news. I owe you a meal—next time, I'll treat you to duck necks!"

"Hmph, you owe me a lot more than that. Get going!"

After hanging up, Lin Chudong quickly wiped his hands, put on his clothes, and rushed out.

"Brother Fei, where are you going?"

"I'll tell you on the way!"

The two of them got into a taxi. Lin Chudong said, "You know Northern Band, right?"

"Yeah. They're not as famous as Da Fei Band, but they're doing all right. Their lead singer's skinny as a rail."

"Right. Their lead singer's probably been caught in a scandal. He owns Northern Band, so if something happens to him, the band will disband on the spot."

Wang Zhi thought it over and immediately understood.

"I get it! You're going to buy their instruments?"

"Idiot! We're going to poach their guitarist!"

Wang Zhi took out his phone and looked it up. Northern Band's guitarist, Chen Jianguo, was fifty-six years old. He was the renowned guitarist Li Suyang, Huang Xiaojie, and singer Xu Sanqian's guitar teacher.

Wang Zhi said, "Holy crap, he's that good? I had no idea."

"Of course you didn't. You were still on the bottle when Old Man Chen made his debut."

"..."

"Do we really have to hurry this much?"

"Of course. This is more intense than trying to get a Huawei Mate 60 Pro!"