Lin Chudong nodded.
"Okay, I'll accept the shares."
Lin Chudong didn't make a fuss about it. He'd still be the one calling the shots at the company, and he was confident he could earn this money back for the boss lady.
Lin Chudong signed the papers, and Liang Yin put the contract away.
"I'll hold on to your bank card for now. If you need money, just ask me. I'm planning to rent an office, and I'll renovate the piano shop into a dorm for you guys. Feifei, Little Jia, and the others can move in too. What do you think?"
"Sounds good. Just don't spend too much. Leave me some money to invest in something else later."
Lin Chudong wanted to get into film and television. There was no way he could start from nothing and pull it off without spending a penny; he needed at least some startup capital.
Liang Yin nodded. "Then I'll handle it. You just focus on rehearsals."
"Mm."
Early the next morning, Lin Chudong made breakfast and ate with the two beauties in their pajamas.
Afterward, Liang Yin drove her Honda Fit and took them both to the piano shop.
It wasn't far, and having a car made getting around much easier.
Liang Yin said, "Da Fei, should we buy a car? Having just one car for the company is a little inconvenient."
Wang Zhi and Jia Lu had only just started working and didn't have cars yet. Old Chen could afford one, but he drank all the time and hadn't even gotten his license.
As for Jing Feifei, the wealthy young lady had had a chauffeur since she was a child, so she naturally couldn't drive either.
Lin Chudong nodded. "We can think about it. Let's get something cheaper and save a little."
Lin Chudong wasn't especially careful with money. It was just that they were starting out, so every penny had to be spent where it mattered.
He still had over a hundred thousand yuan of his own, but he wanted to save that for opening Treasure Chests. It might come in handy at a crucial moment.
When they arrived at the piano shop, they saw an object covered in red cloth. Judging by its shape, it looked like an SUV.
Liang Yin got out and said,
"Whose car is this? It's blocking my shop."
A young man said, "Hello, ma'am. I'm from the Huaxing Mercedes-Benz 4S Store. May I ask which of you is Mr. Lin Chudong?"
Lin Chudong got out and said,
"That's me."
The young man hurried over and said,
"Mr. Lin, Ms. Lin Qiqi ordered this car for you from our dealership. Could you show me your ID and sign for it?"
Lin Chudong and Liang Yin's eyes widened.
Lin Qiqi had bought him a car?
Lin Chudong took out his ID and signed for it. Then the young man pulled away the red cloth.
A brand-new black Mercedes appeared before them.
Liang Yin walked around to the back of the car, stunned.
"Da Fei, it's a GLS450!"
Lin Chudong asked, "Did Lin Qiqi say anything?"
The young man replied, "No. All the paperwork is here. Just sign where indicated, then mail it back to us and everything will be taken care of. We'll mail your license plate tomorrow, so you won't need to come in."
"Okay, thanks."
"Enjoy your new car, Mr. Lin. Goodbye!"
Five minutes later, everyone from Liang Yin's band was sitting in the brand-new GLS. Chen Jianguo ran his hand over the luxurious interior and sighed.
"Nothing beats living off a woman."
Lin Chudong: ...
Wang Zhi looked envious too. "Brother Fei, teach a class! This is way more appealing than learning music. I'll pay whatever it costs."
Liang Yin rolled her eyes. "Can you guys stop making trouble?"
Lin Chudong said, "All right, hurry up and rehearse. You'll have plenty of chances to ride in it later."
They went inside and started rehearsing.
Lin Chudong sent a message on WeChat.
Lin Chudong: I got the car. Why'd you buy me one?
Lin Qiqi: Hehe, I asked the producer for a big red packet and took the liberty of buying you a car. Do you like it?
Lin Chudong: ...How could the red packet possibly be that big?
Lin Qiqi: Hehe, I made up the difference.
Lin Chudong: It's too expensive a gift. Don't make decisions like that on your own again.
Lin Qiqi: I know. Don't scold me.
Lin Chudong turned off his phone, feeling a little helpless. Was he accepting a lavish gift while still acting like he was doing her a favor?
Maybe he hadn't sounded humble enough. She'd given him a car, after all. Wasn't his attitude a little too cocky?
Lin Chudong hadn't expected the little rich girl to give him such an expensive gift. Even if she'd asked the producer for a red packet, it would only have been tens of thousands of yuan at most.
A song wouldn't fetch more than a hundred thousand, either. The car cost over a million, which meant Lin Qiqi had made up the difference with a million?
He owed her a huge favor—so huge that he felt like offering himself to her in return.
Lin Qiqi had helped him get a red packet for the reality show last time, too, and he still hadn't repaid that favor.
Forget it. He'd write Lin Qiqi a song later.
Her singing technique wasn't especially impressive, but there were songs that suited her.
Maybe Lin Chudong had made her feel indebted when he showed her special favor on behalf of the Director Team that day.
The boss lady had just said they needed another car, and Lin Qiqi had delivered one right afterward. She really had a way of making things happen just by saying them.
But why had the boss lady been sulking all day, like she was jealous?
The day's rehearsal went very smoothly. Sun Xuan called twice to check in.
Lin Chudong started a video call and sang the song for Director Sun.
Sun Xuan was very satisfied. Da Fei's reputation as a music genius wasn't just hype.
Meanwhile, Shen Jianbin had gotten a copy of the program lineup, and his expression was dark.
"What's with Sun Xuan? I already spoke to him personally, and he still let Da Fei perform?"
Sun Jie frowned too. "Exactly. And he's performing after us? Is his star power bigger than ours?"
"What song are they singing? Why isn't it on the program?"
Shen Jianbin frowned deeply, took out his phone, and called Sun Xuan.
"Director Sun, what's going on with this program? How did that kid Da Fei get a spot at the gala? And why is he performing last?"
Sun Xuan said, "Manager Shen, I'm sorry about this. I didn't manage to do what I promised. I need to deliver results too, so I have to put together a good show."
Shen Jianbin couldn't be too blunt, so he kept his tone polite. "Director Sun, what kind of performance are you taking so seriously? I know Da Fei's songs. Which one is he singing?"
Sun Xuan said, "That's still a secret. It's a song that hasn't been performed before, so we won't reveal it before the show starts."
It was rare for a gala to feature an original song making its debut. It only happened when the song fit the gala's theme exceptionally well and the director was sure it would make for a great performance.
Shen Jianbin said, "All right, Director Sun. I understand. I'll get there early for tomorrow's rehearsal."
After hanging up, Shen Jianbin's expression turned dark.
"We're also debuting an original song. It'll be the first time we perform it, so why don't we get the same treatment?"
"Why is Sun Xuan keeping it under wraps?"
Sun Jie said, "Forget it, Brother Bin. Don't worry about him. That kid's probably been stirring up rumors to get attention, so Sun Xuan booked him. Who would've thought Magic City TV Station had fallen so low that it needed to ride on someone else's popularity?"
Shen Jianbin snorted. "Forget about him. Our new song is definitely going to be a new milestone for rock music."
Just then, Su Yulin walked in from outside and said coldly,
"Manager Shen, a reporter is here to interview you."
Shen Jianbin stood up and said, "All right. Call Wu Bo out."
Five minutes later, they were sitting across from Cheng Huanhuan.
Cheng Huanhuan held a microphone and said,
"Wu Bo, as the new lead singer of Da Fei Band, you'll be sharing the stage with Da Fei again this time. Is there anything you'd like to say?"
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