The Liang Yin Band

Tian Yang couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh—even the esteemed Brother Da Fei had fallen on hard times!

Liang Yin said, "No worries! You rest, the effect is what matters most. Money's not an issue!"

Tian Yang was a bit surprised—could it be that this Big Breasted Sister was the one funding this? Which entertainment company was she the boss of? He'd never seen her before! But she was pretty good-looking. Could Brother Da Fei be kept by a rich woman?

Lin Chudong said, "No need. Let's start directly. Just give me ten minutes to warm up my voice."

Following Lin Chudong's instructions, the recording began. The beautiful accompaniment sounded, and the vocal recording started.

"Let me, the one shedding tears, it's not just last night's wine."

"..."

Three minutes later, Tian Yang said, "One take, Brother Fei. The effect is pretty damn good."

"Play it back for me."

Lin Chudong put on the headphones, picked up a pen, and started taking notes.

After listening through once, he set down the headphones.

"Record it again. The second bar of the second verse, and the third bar of the chorus. I'll sing those parts over. You just record the whole thing, then extract those two bars' tracks and splice them together."

"Got it."

Tian Yang couldn't help but feel some admiration. Even though it already sounded perfect to him, Brother Fei still wanted to re-record. He'd met singers before who, even when they were off-key in places, refused to do a second take, leaving it to the tuning engineer to fix later. Setting everything else aside, this level of dedication was absolutely worthy of respect.

Tian Yang also felt like gossiping about why he'd been kicked out of the band, but the words died on his lips before he could say them.

The accompaniment recording took two hours, and the vocals took another two. They probably sang it over thirty times before it was all done. It was clear just how strict he was about music.

They did a test listen, and both Liang Yin and Wang Zhi were extremely satisfied.

For a recording studio costing three thousand an hour, the money wasn't wasted. The sound quality was so good, listening to it made your ears feel like they were pregnant.

"Alright, now we just wait for the paperwork to go through, and then we can release it!"

Even though Liang Yin hadn't lifted a finger, she still felt a weight lift off her shoulders.

"By the way, what name should we release this song under? We need to come up with a band name, right?"

"Sure."

"What name? Got any good ideas? Can we ride on the Da Fei Band's popularity? Like, call it A Fei Band?"

"Better not."

"Then do you have a good name?"

"No."

"What do you think of the name Liang Yin Band?"

"Sure."

Hearing their exchange, the corner of Wang Zhi's mouth twitched. They were just casually settling on a band name like that? Naming the band after the shopkeeper's wife? Wasn't that a bit too reckless?

"Uh, Brother Fei, is there really no chance for me to be the guitarist?"

Lin Chudong patted Wang Zhi on the shoulder. "Really no chance."

Damn, straight to the point!

"Alright then, I'll switch to bass. Save a spot for me."

"Sure. Practice, and I'll teach you when I have time."

Wang Zhi was the honest, rigid type, and that carried over into his playing. His technique was solid, steady, with a strong sense of rhythm—perfect for a bassist. Bands usually overlooked the bassist, but it was actually a crucial position. The low end was what controlled the whole scene. Without a bass, it was like eating a lavish feast but having no rice. If Wang Zhi could get it, he'd be fine.

Liang Yin seized the opportunity to ask, "Da Fei, what about me? You teach me. Maybe I could be the drummer."

Lin Chudong said, "The drummer is the heart of a band. Very important."

He waited a long time, but there was no follow-up. Liang Yin's face was full of question marks.

And then? Keep going! Very important, so shouldn't you be telling me to work hard or something? What do you mean by no follow-up!

Seeing the expression on Liang Yin's face, Lin Chudong let out a bitter laugh.

"You're the shopkeeper's wife, you're busy."

"That's true too..." Liang Yin pouted, a little dissatisfied, her hands instinctively hugging her arms again, slightly lifting that pair of heavy burdens.

"By the way, can you get Su Yulin to join our band? Once her contract expires." Liang Yin perked up, excited. Su Yulin was her favorite; if she could poach her into the Liang Yin Band, it would be like adding wings to a tiger.

Lin Chudong shook his head. "Not to mention whether you can afford her annual salary, can you give her those variety show resources she has?"

"You have zero resources. What would she come here for, to eat chaff and swallow wild herbs?"

Liang Yin immediately slumped in dejection. He was right—she had nothing. Even if she offered a high enough salary, the other party might not come.

Look at Shen Jianbin—a keyboardist could become a mentor on The Voice, while she hadn't even seen The Voice auditions. How could she ever attract a top-tier drummer like that?

"Then what do we do? We need to recruit musicians, right?"

Lin Chudong said, "Mm, since we've already started, let's begin recruiting. First, find a drummer and a keyboardist. Monthly salary around seven thousand, nothing too outrageous, plus five percent of the performance fee. You handle the drummer recruitment. For the keyboardist, only one requirement: must be proficient in classical piano."

Wang Zhi asked, "Why does the keyboardist need to be proficient in classical piano?"

Lin Chudong replied, "You're a bassist, why ask so many questions? Later, order us some takeout. I'll have braised chicken."

Liang Yin: "I'll have spicy hot pot."

Wang Zhi: ...

Isn't this just bullying the honest man!

Early the next morning, Lin Chudong had just woken up. He checked the treasure chest—still a few hours until he could open it today.

While he was brushing his teeth, Liang Yin barged straight in.

"Da Fei, I found a drummer!"

Lin Chudong tugged at his pants, a little speechless.

"Big Sister, don't you knock before coming in? What if I was using the bathroom!"

Seeing Lin Chudong's bare upper body—the sharply defined muscle lines on his arms, the square-cut pectorals, and the faintly visible abdominal muscles—Liang Yin's cheeks flushed slightly.

"A real man doesn't sweat the small stuff. The drummer's here, come out and take a look!"

Liang Yin hurried out, face red.

Lin Chudong sighed helplessly. Was this shopkeeper's wife getting a little scatterbrained? They always said big chest, no brains—could it be true? If he ended up with an airheaded boss, that would be a disaster.

After washing up and getting dressed, he walked out.

On the second floor, beside the drum kit, sat a very demure female. She wore light blue jeans, a pink hoodie, and twin ponytails. She looked barely over twenty, with a hint of nervousness and tension on her face.

"Da Fei, let me introduce you. My high school classmate, Jia Lu. She's your fan."

Jia Lu stood up, rubbing the hem of her clothes with both hands. She lifted her head to glance at Lin Chudong, then quickly lowered it again.

"Brother Fei, hello. I'm Jia Lu, your fan."

Having already said it once, Jia Lu repeated herself, clearly very nervous.

"You're really my fan?"

"Really! One hundred percent genuine. I repost every single one of your updates!" Jia Lu said earnestly.

She must be one of those few tens of thousands of fans.

Normally, any band updates were posted by the company through the band's official account. Lin Chudong's personal account was usually just for reposting, so most fans were over there, with few following him.

If she reposted every update on his personal account, she was definitely a hardcore fan.

"Thanks for the support, but this isn't a fan meetup—it's a drummer audition. Don't be nervous."

Jia Lu kept her head down, her fingers interlaced, her two thumbs circling each other nonstop.

"You... saying that makes me even more nervous."