Shen Jianbin was under a lot of pressure. Lin Chudong was keeping things from him, so naturally he hadn't been completely upfront with Lin Chudong either.
After pouring his heart and soul into music for all these years, he'd also written a rock song he'd been saving for a special occasion. He'd been waiting for just the right moment to perform it.
Da Fei had made a huge hit out of "No Hesitation," hadn't he? This time, Shen Jianbin was determined to outdo him.
He'd show the fans that the Da Fei Band would always be the Da Fei Band. No matter who their lead singer was, their talent wouldn't change.
"Sun Jie, make sure you're well prepared for the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala."
"Don't worry, Brother Bin!"
Liang Yin hurried to the shop next door to buy some fruit, then nervously invited Sun Xuan to sit on the sofa.
"Sorry, Director Sun. Our place is a little shabby."
Sun Xuan nodded. "Not bad. Starting out in a piano shop gives the place a nice atmosphere."
Other bands all had their own companies and rehearsal rooms. They had nothing but a piano shop, so it really was shabby.
He'd never expected the renowned Da Fei to be cooped up in such a small place.
"Director Sun, what brings you here?"
Sun Xuan said, "I came to ask if you'd like to perform at the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala."
Lin Chudong was taken aback. "You came in person to invite me? What have I done to deserve that?"
Sun Xuan remained stern. "I came at someone's request to invite you, but you'll still have to audition. If your singing doesn't meet the gala's standards, I'll have to cut you."
Liang Yin quickly chimed in. "Director Sun, what do you think of these songs of ours? Would they work for the gala?"
"'Chengdu' goes without saying—it's a smash hit. And 'No Hesitation' and 'The You of the Past' would be perfect for getting the audience warmed up."
Sun Xuan fell silent for a moment.
Lin Chudong asked, "May I ask who sent you?"
Sun Xuan suddenly smiled. It was rare for him to show a smile.
"I think you already know, Da Fei."
Lin Chudong paused, then immediately understood.
There was no one else. Lin Qiqi had surely pulled some strings.
He hadn't realized the girl had so much influence.
Lin Chudong said, "Director Sun, I take it you're not very satisfied with my songs?"
"It's not that I'm dissatisfied. The songs are all good. I just need one that carries real weight."
"Something more serious, something that promotes positive values."
"I haven't found one yet, so I wanted to see if you, the musical genius, could come up with something."
Liang Yin and the others fell silent. Their band had a diverse sound, but they mainly played folk, rock, and pop. They weren't very familiar with other genres.
Lin Chudong thought for a moment, then said,
"I have a song. Would you like to come upstairs and listen?"
"Sure!"
Five minutes later, Sun Xuan stood up excitedly and shook Lin Chudong's hand.
"Excellent. This program is exactly what I had in mind. I'll report back to the higher-ups and make sure you get a good slot. You're the finale in the Music Category for this gala. It'll be broadcast live, so don't let me down!"
"Don't worry, Director Sun. I'll give it everything I've got!"
Sun Xuan exchanged contact information with Liang Yin and Lin Chudong, then left, thoroughly pleased.
Liang Yin's face was flushed with excitement.
"Da Fei, we're going to be on the Spring Festival Gala!"
"Boss, don't get carried away. It's only a Mid-Autumn Festival Gala, and it's on a local TV station. The performance fee probably won't be much, either."
They hadn't discussed the performance fee yet, but appearing at the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala was a great chance to get their name out there, so the fee didn't matter much.
Liang Yin said, "Even so, we need to prepare properly. Da Fei, tell me what to do."
Lin Chudong: "...You're the boss!"
"Forget it. I'll make the arrangements. You do have something to take care of: get in touch with the city's Performing Arts Troupe and hire two orchestras, focusing on traditional Chinese instruments."
"Little Jia, we won't use the drum kit for the performance. We'll switch to a tang drum for a more imposing sound. Boss, get that ready as soon as you can and have Little Jia get familiar with it."
"Feifei, you'll be the star of the show this time. We'll need a pure piano accompaniment, on a grand piano. That's your strong suit, so it should be no problem."
"Old Chen, Wang Zhi, you two may not get many chances to play this time. You might not make it onstage."
Chen Jianguo nodded. "That's fine. I'll work behind the scenes and help out."
Wang Zhi added, "Do your best."
They were a little disappointed that they might not get to perform at the gala, but they still put the bigger picture first.
"Boss, once you've found the orchestras, have them audition for me. I want to check their skill. Don't be afraid to spend money. We'll probably get around a hundred thousand for this gig, so as long as we don't lose money, we'll be fine."
Liang Yin nodded. "Got it."
Liang Yin had over a hundred thousand on hand now. She hadn't paid out the salaries yet, and the mortgage paperwork for her house still wasn't finished, but there was enough money to go around.
Everyone went off to handle their own tasks, and music filled the air as they got to work.
Lin Chudong kept fine-tuning his voice, too.
After singing a few lines, he wasn't satisfied.
"Change the second harmony in the second section to a fourth."
Jing Feifei hesitated. "Can't you not go from a fifth to a fourth?"
Lin Chudong frowned. "That's classical music. In pop, there's no rule against it. Wang Zhi, is that what you've been teaching her about music theory?!"
Wang Zhi's mouth twitched. "Brother Fei, I'll explain it to her again. Please don't be mad!"
Once rehearsals began, Lin Chudong was quite strict.
Sitting in the corner with one leg crossed over the other, Chen Jianguo said, "It's good to be strict. With Da Fei's drive, our band can go a long way."
Wang Zhi pulled a long face. "Brother Fei only yells at me. No matter who messes up, I'm the one who gets scolded..."
Chen Jianguo laughed and patted him on the shoulder.
"What can you do? You're the bass player. It's like this in every band. You'll get used to it."
Lin Chudong ran through the song once. He was reasonably satisfied.
"Wang Zhi, order takeout."
"I want spicy duck neck."
"I want potato vermicelli!"
Chen Jianguo said, "Get me some peanuts. I'll have a drink, and that's all."
Wang Zhi: ...
This band was bullying the honest one!
The next day, the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala lineup was announced!
The Liang Yin Band would close the show!
Aside from a brief segment at the end where the host interviewed audience members, Lin Chudong and his band would be the final act.
What an honor!
Jia Lu was so excited that her face turned red. "Brother Fei, does that make us top-tier guests?"
"Take a guess. We don't even have an office, and you think we're top-tier?"
Just then, the boss came through the door.
"We'll have an office soon. My mortgage came through, so I'll rent an office as soon as I can. We won't have to work out of the piano shop anymore."
"Da Fei, I've got the orchestras sorted out. I also found a harmony group. Do you want backup dancers?"
Lin Chudong shook his head. "Let's skip the dancers. We don't want them stealing the musicians' thunder."
"Boss, try not to spend too much. Save some money for me. I've got other things I want to do later."
Liang Yin nodded. "Sure. You're in charge of our money."
Lin Chudong: ...
Wang Zhi: ...
Jia Lu: ...
After a long pause, Jing Feifei asked, "Boss, are you trying to start a romance rumor with Brother Da Fei?"
Liang Yin blushed. "Don't be ridiculous. What rumor would I start?"
"Have you all looked at the lineup? The Da Fei Band is right before us!"
Only then did everyone notice that the Liang Yin Band was closing the show, while the Da Fei Band was performing just before them.
It was the exact opposite of what had happened at the music festival. Now Lin Chudong would be taking over their spot onstage.
Chen Jianguo smiled. "This should be interesting. Da Fei, there's your arch-rival."
Before you continue